Chapter 162: Chapter 162: I’m Just a Substitute

Cao Songci looked at her sadly. “Then what about me? Are you just giving up on me like this? Don’t you want to be with me anymore? Or does this mean you never loved me from the start?”

Luoluo replied sadly, “The past life is the past life, and this life is this life. Whatever our history was, we should just part ways now. I’ll miss you, I really will, but we’re not from the same world. We can’t be together. I’m sorry, Song Ci. I came here this time specifically to say goodbye. Please, don’t look for me again. Can we just leave it at that?”

“Leave it at that?” Cao Songci’s expression instantly turned sinister. “Luoluo, whether in our past life or this one, I am the one who loves you most. How could you abandon me for your parents? I forbid it!”

He chuckled darkly and, in a swift movement, wrapped his hand around Luoluo’s neck. He began to squeeze, little by little. “Luoluo, why are you so unwilling to stay with me? Why do you abandon me, again and again? You always make the same choice. But this time, I won’t let you leave… In this lifetime, you *will* come with me, no matter what…”

Watching her eyes turn red as she choked, he coaxed her patiently, “It’s alright, Luoluo. Just hold on a little longer. The pain will be over soon. Very soon, we’ll be together forever…”

“She isn’t Cao Luoluo. Cao Luoluo faded away many years ago, didn’t she?” Shen Zhiyao’s voice cut into the dream again.

“Nonsense!” Cao Songci roared, his body trembling uncontrollably.

“Have you forgotten? Luoluo fell from that bridge, and her body was never found. The one who caused all of this was you! You broke your promise, and that’s what got her killed.” Shen Zhiyao’s tone was distant, but her words mercilessly laid the truth bare.

“A thousand years ago, Luoluo was the beloved daughter of the Prime Minister. You two met when she left the mansion to pray. Your eyes met, you shared a smile, and it was love at first sight. Later, for your sake, she fought against her family’s arranged marriage. You promised to meet under the locust tree and travel to Chang’an together. Have you forgotten?”

“But that night, Luoluo waited and waited for you, but you never came. In the end, she was dragged away by force. On the day she was to marry the Heir of Marquis Zhenbei, the stone bridge collapsed. She fell to her death from the cliff, while you merged with Guanyin and became a divine spirit.”

“Have you forgotten all of this? You were the one who betrayed Cao Luoluo.”

Cao Songci’s hand fell away from Luoluo’s neck. Memories of his first life surged into his mind like a tidal wave.

Cao Luoluo was born during the Tang Dynasty, the cherished daughter of the reigning prime minister.

She was raised in luxury, pampered from a young age.

The only time she ever defied her father was on the matter of her marriage.

Experiencing the first blush of love, Cao Luoluo fell for a man named Cao Songci, whom she met while on an outing to offer prayers.

He was handsome and dashing, a mix of gentleness and strength. He captured the young noble lady’s heart with a single glance.

Every time she traveled to worship at the Guanyin temple, she would see Cao Songci along the path, and so the two gradually grew familiar with one another.

She fell in love with his gentle, attentive nature, his strong moral compass, and his indomitable spirit.

However, this unsanctioned romance was eventually discovered by Cao Luoluo’s family.

Her father, furious, sent men to give the young man a severe beating before dragging him back to the mansion.

Heartbroken, Cao Luoluo went on a hunger strike, hoping this would force her father to yield.

Later, her father personally took her to the temple to worship Guanyin. She thought he had finally relented and would allow them to be together.

But upon arriving, she realized it was an inescapable trap her father had laid for her. Before Cao Songci’s very eyes, her own father blinded her.

Then, he had her locked away.

Cut off from her family, Cao Luoluo spent her days washing her face with tears and praying to Guanyin.

Later, Cao Songci secretly slipped into the Cao Mansion. He gave her a Jade Pendant and said, “Luoluo, meet me under the locust tree at midnight. I’ll take you with me to Chang’an. Trust me!”

But Luoluo waited under the locust tree all night, and Cao Songci never came…

In the end, she was married to the Princely Heir as her family had arranged.

On that day, as the wedding procession crossed a stone bridge, the bridge suddenly shattered. Luoluo fell to her death from the cliff, while he merged with Guanyin, becoming a divine spirit born of the goddess’s will.

After that, he gave himself the name Cao Songci.

Cao Songci was, in essence, Guanyin.

He manifested in a fantastical way, yet ultimately, he could only exist within dreams.

He was not bound by worldly morals or ethics, nor by the concept of life and death, yet he gave all of his love to Luoluo.

But the longer the dream state persisted, the more Luoyuan’s body was eroded by Spiritual Energy, and the stronger Cao Songci became.

Over time, Luoyuan’s vital essence transformed into Spiritual Energy and flowed into Song Ci.

Unwittingly, Cao Songci was siphoning Luoluo’s life force, growing stronger with each passing day.

He should have remained dormant within the Guanyin Statue, but his obsession with Luoluo caused his spirit to attach itself to the jade effigy, where he slumbered.

A century passed in the blink of an eye.

Every hundred years, he was awakened by Luoluo’s reincarnation. He would watch her grow, and he would watch her die.

For a long, long time, he lived in torment.

Until the day Luoyuan arrived. Her appearance made his eyes light up.

She wore a pink dress, with a pale green hairpin tucked in her hair.

A single glance was all it took for him to think, ’Luoluo… she’s come back…’

At her arrival, even the dilapidated Cao Mansion seemed to regain its splendor.

He pulled her into a tight embrace as tears streamed slowly down his face. “Luoluo, you’ve come back for me…”

But all of this was nothing more than an obsession born from the depths of his soul.

His Luoluo had died 700 years ago. He had indirectly caused her death. It was all his fault…

“Luoluo… I’m the one who killed her… If I hadn’t broken my promise, would she… would she still be alive today…?”

He burst into crazed laughter, then covered his face and began to sob. “HAHAHAHA… After all these years… I finally know… The one who caused Luoluo’s death wasn’t anyone else… It was me…”

Centuries of waiting had all been for nothing.

It was only then that Luoyuan understood. ’I’m just a substitute.’

’This passionate, romantic love… was nothing but an illusion.’

After a long while, Cao Songci’s emotions finally settled. He turned to look at Luoyuan.

Gazing at the face that was 99% identical to Luoluo’s, the obsession in his heart finally dissolved. ’It’s time to let go.’

“I’m sorry… I mistook you for someone else…” he apologized sincerely. As he spoke, his form shifted, transforming into that of a woman. “Luoluo has already passed on. It is time I returned to my rightful place.”

The moment she finished speaking, the figure of Cao Songci surveyed the surroundings, then dissolved into nothingness.

Luoyuan reached out a hand, unable to bear his departure. “Song Ci…”

Cao Songci did not reply. The voice that answered belonged to Shen Zhiyao. “Don’t call for him. He’s gone.”

“Gone? Where did he go?”

“His obsession has dissipated. He has returned to his divine station.”

“He left just like that, without another word. He won’t appear in my dreams anymore… I… I really didn’t want him to go…”

Luoyuan whispered to herself. She knew it was impossible between them, but watching Cao Songci vanish before her eyes still sent a sharp, stabbing pain through her heart.

…

Zhou Ye waited for a long time, but still hadn’t received a reply from Shen Zhiyao.

’Has Shen Zhiyao fallen asleep?’ Zhou Ye wondered. He stood at his cabin window, carefully observing the adjacent one. A light was still shining from Shen Zhiyao’s room.

’The light’s still on, so she must be awake.’

With that, he left his cabin, deciding to go find Shen Zhiyao and talk.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep