"Is the Creator also entering this cycle of karma?"
A golden moon hung heavy and round from the branches, and a cool, rustling breeze swept through the air. Beneath this wearisome white noise, the entire world sank into a dark, dormant sleep.
A young girl wearing a blue-violet cloak sat on the limb of a withered tree, swinging her legs in a languid, casual rhythm that revealed a glimpse of slender, delicate ankles.
The cloak was vast, almost swallowing her whole, its deep hood pulled up to reveal only a gorgeous, exquisite face tilted upward. Yet, her blue-violet eyes—as dazzling as the starry sky above—held a cunning malice quite at odds with her features when she focused; to gaze into them for too long was to feel a sudden, inexplicable chill.
She tilted her head, speaking to the void as if she were talking to herself.
"Gods are people, too. Love is the eternal law of the universe. As a god, one naturally has a mission to experience love, hate, obsession, and desire." The voice that reached Xingyu's ears was resigned yet gentle, as if it had known she would ask this very thing.
Xingyu’s translucent eyes widened. She stared without blinking, seemingly lost in deep thought, before finally blinking in a slow, naive, and soft manner.
The next second, however, she curled her lips in a wicked smirk, her gaze filled with mockery and disapproval. "Love? It is nothing more than an excuse made up by boring creatures to extend their lives. Mortal life is too short; they fear void and meaninglessness. You know it, Lord God—I offer them benefits in exchange, and rarely does one refuse."
"You said it yourself, there are still those who would refuse you." The Lord God, as Xingyu called him, seemed endlessly patient. Even knowing her words were laced with sarcasm and that she had no intention of believing a word he said, he continued to explain with patience.
Xingyu curled her lip, still unconvinced, but she was too lazy to argue with him. After all, they were not of the same kind. He was the Creator whom countless people worshipped, while she was the Demon who tempted humans to fall into hell.
Even if humans possessed emotions, it had nothing to do with her. She was born dark, selfish, lazy, and vicious. Her greatest joy was to trade with humans—she gave them what they desired, and they only needed to hand over their most precious possession in return.
Equivalent exchange—how fair it was. And love? Love was just stupid.
Xingyu lowered her gaze, bored, and began to pick at the dark purple embroidered cloud patterns on the hem of her cloak. After a long silence, she replied without a hint of emotion, sounding indifferent: "Why haven't you left yet, Lord God? Aren't you supposed to enter the cycle of reincarnation? Don't miss your time."
"I wanted to ask, would you like to come along?" As his words fell, a man in white robes with white hair appeared beneath the tree. His eyes were a bright, pristine gold—the same color as the moon above Xingyu’s head.
His white robes, embroidered with golden clouds, cast a gentle, soft light. He looked holy and noble, but the cold, detached aura surrounding him was such that if an ordinary person saw him, their first instinct would surely be to kneel and beg for a blessing.
At this moment, however, his full attention was fixed on Xingyu. He was calm and focused, his gaze gentle and immersive, like radiant moonlight embracing a pearl.
Xingyu finally deigned to look down at him, a hint of confusion in her eyes. He was entering reincarnation—why ask if she wanted to go?
Could it be... that he was afraid to leave, and that she, the only Demon left behind, would destroy the world?
*Heehee,* that was certainly something to worry about.
Xingyu snapped off a dead branch and hopped down gracefully. She looked with impatient disgust at the vast expanse of withered trees behind her, which were stretching out like claws, where annoying crows were screeching senselessly.
She flicked the branch at them with a blank expression. The air sliced through the leaves like a sharp blade, and black feathers drifted down as the birds hidden in the dark night flapped their wings in a desperate scramble to escape.
The surroundings fell into silence. Satisfied, Xingyu clapped her hands together, curled her lips, and gave the Lord God a sweet smile. Meeting his translucent blue-violet eyes, she spoke slowly, word by word: "What does your experience of love and hate have to do with me? I have no desire to go. Why bother becoming a human? It’s too weak and boring. I can foresee the future and kill people now; isn’t that much more comfortable?"
"You would keep these abilities in the micro-world. I am the only one losing my memory and powers... It won’t be boring. You’ve always felt your methods of seduction weren't strong enough, haven't you? Experience more, and you will understand the weaknesses of human nature."
Xingyu blinked, seemingly half-understanding, and smiled even more brightly. She stepped forward, closing the distance until she could clearly smell the faint scent of night-blooming cereus on him. She reached out from her cloak, took hold of his cool, slender fingers, and began to toy with them with practiced ease.
Her voice was melodious and lingering.
"Oh, Lord God, did I hear that correctly? You are teaching a Demon how to seduce your own believers?"
Lingjing blinked, letting her do as she pleased without reply. His golden eyes remained incomparably calm, as if no emotion in the world could stir them.
Xingyu took another step forward, close enough that their robes tangled and pressed together in the night wind. She tugged on the hem of his garment, pushing her luck as she stood on tiptoe to lean in toward his neck. Her shallow breath brushed against his ear; his body stiffened, his fingers curled slightly, and his frost-white ear tips slowly flushed a deep red.
Just as her lips were about to press softly against his fragile, exquisite Adam's apple, Xingyu let go, bored, and stepped back. "But I still don’t want to go."
She laughed happily, two deep dimples appearing on her cheeks. She looked like a beautiful, radiant goddess, yet her eyes were filled with ruthless loathing. She spoke words meant to pierce the heart, one by one.
"You know, I hate you the most. Unless I am watching you fall from your clean, bright throne, and seeing the world abandon you—the things that make me happy—I would rather not see you at all."
Lingjing’s eyelashes trembled. He looked down silently at the withered leaves at his feet, his emotions unreadable. A moment later, he looked up at her again, the corners of his thin, pale lips slowly curving into a faint arc.
"It’s alright. You can hurt me in every world as much as you like... As it happens, my mission is to experience the love and hate of the world. If the emotional fluctuations are intense, the task will be completed faster. Your soul is the only one resilient enough to traverse worlds while retaining its memories without being damaged."
"Oh, so it's because my soul is stronger that you sought me out... The Lord God is truly thorough in his considerations."
"Yes, perhaps."
"Hmph."
Xingyu let her hood fall, her waterfall of jet-black hair cascading down. She tilted her head, pressing her red tongue against her fangs as she locked eyes with him. After a long moment, she hummed softly, "I can hurt you in every world? Then what if... I kill you?" As she spoke, eerie, ghostly blue flames flickered at her fingertips, her eyes brimming with malice.
"..." Lingjing did not refuse. "You may."
"…Then, it’s a deal!" Xingyu’s eyes curved. She then looked coldly into the distance and snapped her fingers, sending the ghostly blue flames toward a stray spirit that had dared to eavesdrop.
She hated others prying into her business most of all.
But at that moment, a pale golden light rapidly formed a protective shield around the spirit, absorbing her flames. The spirit collapsed onto the grass in a panic, unaware of what had happened.
Xingyu immediately turned, puffing out her cheeks in anger as she glared at the man before her with fierce eyes.
Lingjing sighed. "Killing increases your bad luck. This spirit is in a state of dementia and doesn't understand what we are saying. Let him go this once. Next time, I will do it."
*Your* luck is what will turn bad!
Xingyu suddenly remembered how the soda she drank in the human world was always flat, and she fell into a strange, silent pause.
"…You will do what? Kill someone?"
"Yes."