"Hey Su Ming, I found something interesting. Do you want to see?"
Hu Tao jumped down from the roof beam of an abandoned house, clutching a tattered notebook and a yellowed piece of paper.
Su Ming looked at her blankly. "...When did you even climb up there? Wait! Weren't you here to assess the state of the abandoned graves so you could decide on a restoration plan? Why are you playing around?"
"Oh, please. I already looked at them. The graveyard behind the village is basically flat land now," Hu Tao said, throwing up her hands. "At that point, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor can't really 'restore' it. It would be more realistic to just build a new one."
"Don't worry, I won't raise the price. But more importantly, you really need to look at this!"
Su Ming took the yellowed paper first. "What is it?"
"Looks like a record of the village's history," Hu Tao replied.
Su Ming nodded and began to read the record.
[A household in the east of the village. Originally a branch of an Exorcist Clan, yet within a mere dozen days, the wife died of illness and the young daughter went missing. Shortly after, the husband hanged himself from a tree in the courtyard.]
[Upon investigation, the presence of Divine Remnants was detected within the village.]
[Due to the uncertainty regarding the threat of the Divine Remnants, the villagers were gripped by panic and forced to relocate.]
[To those who follow: proceed with extreme caution.]
Hu Tao finished reading and had a moment of realization. "Oh! So that's why this place was abandoned."
"However, looking at it now, there shouldn't be any Divine Remnants lingering here. The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has inherited techniques for sensing and exorcising Divine Remnants, and I haven't detected a trace of them."
As Su Ming finished the record, he realized exactly which family from the east of the village it was referring to.
Wasn't this Shenhe's home?
With a sigh, Su Ming turned to Hu Tao. "What's the other thing?"
"It looks like a diary, but most of the pages are missing. This is all that's left."
Su Ming took the notebook and began to read.
[The doctor said your illness is severe. Don't worry, even if it costs my entire fortune, I will save you!]
[Watching you grow more haggard by the day, with no medicine able to cure you, my heart feels as if it's bleeding. If only I could suffer in your stead.]
[You said you have no regrets in this life, and that your only wish was for me to take good care of A-He. But if you have no regrets, why are you crying?]
[I don't know what I've been doing lately. I live every day in a daze, searching through ancient texts for a way to save you, but I find nothing.]
[I found it! It turns out Mingjun had been hiding a book that could save you! I took the book back. I did as the book said, summoned a god, and offered a sacrifice...]
[The god appeared. I told him I was willing to trade my life for yours. The god remained silent, merely pointing at our daughter, A-He.]
[People say she was born under the Lonesome Star and Curse of Calamity. Even if she lives, she will only harm those around her. Perhaps even you were cursed to death by her. If that's the case, then it's better to...]
[I left her in the cave the god spoke of. Three days have passed, and still no news. I wait in an anxious frenzy, a dark suspicion growing in my heart.]
[I have failed A-He, and I have failed you. I was out of my mind! Let me... apologize to both of you in person.]
Su Ming closed the notebook and let out a long sigh.
Even the usually optimistic Hu Tao grew somber, a flicker of anger visible between her brows.
"Is that father insane?! I bet those Divine Remnants in the village were his doing! To actually do that to his own daughter..."
Hu Tao was fuming as she spoke.
But being quick-witted, she soon realized something was wrong.
The little girl described there... she seemed a bit like...
Hu Tao had been chatting with Su Ming and Shenhe all the way here. Naturally, she had picked up some information about them.
She knew this was Shenhe's hometown. She knew Shenhe had come here specifically to hold a funeral for her deceased parents.
And the entries in this diary, along with the village records, almost all pointed directly to Shenhe.
"No way..." Hu Tao turned her head to look at Su Ming, seeking an answer.
Su Ming nodded. "Yes. These things... did indeed happen to Shenhe."
"Ah!" Hu Tao gasped in disbelief. "You mean..."
"Yes, she was indeed sent into that cave by her father. But contrary to what he expected, Shenhe confronted that Divine Remnant in the cave for several days."
"Without food or water, without sleep or rest, she stood her ground."
"Until our master arrived and saved her. Oh right, I don't think I mentioned it, but our master is an Adeptus known as Cloud Retainer."
"Since then, she has been cultivating at Jueyun Karst. Including this trip, she has only returned to her 'hometown' twice."
Su Ming looked at Hu Tao. "I'm planning to show this notebook to her. What do you think?"
"Um... I've only just met you two. Do you really want to leave such a serious choice to me?" Hu Tao hesitated.
"As they say, the spectator sees most clearly. Precisely because you're an outsider, it's appropriate for you to make the call."
"In your opinion, should I show it to her?"
Hu Tao thought for a moment before speaking seriously. "I think whether she sees it or not should be according to her own will."
"Why don't you just ask her directly?"
"If she wants to see it, give it to her. If she doesn't, I can help you burn it and end the trouble once and for all."
Su Ming chuckled. "That choice certainly fits your personalitychoosing 'or' in a 'yes or no' question. But you're right; the choice should be made by the person concerned."
With that, Su Ming walked over to Shenhe with the notebook in hand.
To his surprise, Shenhe's mood seemed quite good, and the old man she had been talking to earlier had already left.
"It seems you had a pleasant conversation?"
"Yes. What is that?" Shenhe asked, looking at the tattered notebook in Su Ming's hand.
"...Your father's notebook."
"..."
"Do you want to see it?"
"...I'll see it."
Shenhe silently took the notebook from Su Ming.
The notebook, with only a few pages left, was light as a feather, but when Shenhe took it, she felt only its weight.
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