Chapter 1023: Grand Finale

Chapter 1023: The Grand Finale

Evening in Niuxin Village, and it is Qingming Festival once again.

A steady stream of people burns paper offerings by the roadside. Since most of the villagers are transplants, they have no ancestral graves to tend; instead, they trace circles on the ground, leaving a gap facing the direction of their ancestral homes to burn their offerings.

White smoke drifts thick, mingling with the pale moonlight to shroud Niuxin Village in a misty haze, like a fairyland on earth. A solitary red figure emerges from the smoke.

It is Li Huowang, carrying a bundle of paper money—so much paper money, and so many gold ingots.

He walks through the village until he reaches the gate of the Bai family estate. No one else lives here; he lives here all alone.

Li Huowang stands at the threshold, motionless. He gazes at the white silk lanterns hanging by the gate and the yellow couplets on either side, and suddenly, he lets out a hollow, mirthless laugh.

"Heh... what have I become? A bright moon waxes and wanes, cold stars circle the dying light; lanterns hang high before the door, while within, an empty soul drifts through the seasons."

As Li Huowang steps inside, the heavy gate slams shut. He draws a circle on the ground, leaving a gap in every direction.

He tosses the paper money and gold ingots into the circle and strikes a match to ignite them.

"Qingming... come and get your money... everyone, come and take your money!"

Li Huowang’s hoarse voice echoes through the desolate Bai estate like the mournful cry of an old crow.

He burns the offerings, over and over, muttering to his departed loved ones.

"Suisui, take this money and buy whatever you want. If there are toys you desire that aren't available down there, send me a dream, and I will craft paper effigies for you."

"Miaomiao, are you well down there? I miss you..."

As the paper burns, the flames grow higher. Suddenly, halfway through the pile, Li Huowang breaks down.

He lunges to his feet, screaming wildly at his own shadow. "Ji Zai! You liar! You promised me! You said you could bring them back! You gave me your word, why! Why!"

The world remains, all the evil spirits have vanished, the natural disasters have ceased, and the day has returned to sixteen hours. The world is no longer insane; everything has returned to normal.

Li Huowang had achieved his goal of changing the world, but there was one thing he could not change: the dead did not return. Those who died remained dead forever.

"Everything abnormal has vanished, so many impossible things have been done, why can't you bring back a few people? What kind of thing are you!"

Though he hates to admit it, Li Huowang knows in his heart that resurrecting them defies the laws of heaven. Since the world is no longer mad, the impossible will never happen—unless he acts to drive the world insane once more.

He curses until he slowly sinks to his knees, sobbing in total collapse.

"Why! Why! Why must it be me! Why am I the only one left alive!"

Despair surges like a tide, pressing down on him like a mountain, crushing his chest until he cannot breathe. This feeling is worse than death.

After a long while, Li Huowang reaches for the torture kit at his waist, draws a dagger, and slices open his abdomen, tearing the three Xinsu skin-puppets from his flesh and casting them aside.

He then presses the blade to his own throat, hacking away with dull, rhythmic strokes.

With a violent tug, he rips his own head from his shoulders. He grabs his head and slams it against the ground, but it is useless; Li Huowang cannot die.

Ever since Ji Zai took everything from him in the mirror, he had lost not only his identity as a Xinsu but even the release of death.

Li Huowang understands now: he has become Ji Zai’s Heart-Anchor. He is destined to become Ji Zai at some point. The world is no longer mad; the future and the past are anchored, never to be changed again.

But just as Li Huowang wallows in the depths of despair, his keen hearing catches a sound—the stool he had just been sitting on has shifted.

Tears streaming down his face, Li Huowang freezes. He walks over, staring at the stool, sensing something.

He reaches out, carefully touching the empty air above the stool, as if confirming a presence. "Is it you? Is it really you?"

He looks at the swirling, burning paper money in the circle, and a thought strikes him. He rushes into the house, opens an umbrella, and bends down to peer through his legs at the stool.

In that instant, Li Huowang sees Suisui’s happy, smiling face. His expression shifts from shock to excitement, then to ecstasy. The despair and death-wish in his heart are swept away.

"Hahaha! You’ve all come! This is wonderful! Don't go! Don't you dare go to be reincarnated! I know you’ve become ghosts, but that doesn't matter! Ghosts can cultivate immortality too! I’ll go to the Jiantian Division’s treasury right now and find you the techniques for ghost cultivation!"

"Hahaha!" Li Huowang places his head back onto his neck and charges out of the Bai estate, laughing maniacally.

"There are ghosts! Hahaha! Ji Zai, I wronged you! A bright moon waxes and wanes, cold stars circle the dying light! Hahaha! Ghosts are fine! Ghosts are fine! Hahaha!"

Gouwa, hearing the commotion, opens his door and leads his daughter out. Seeing this, he can only shake his head and sigh.

"Sigh, after all these years of suffering, Brother Li has finally gone mad."

"Father, what’s wrong with Uncle Li?"

"Nothing, child. In the future, when you see Uncle Li, don't laugh at him or scold him. If any of the village children throw stones or spit at him, you tell me. From now on, he is our village guardian."

"Father, what is a village guardian?"

"A village guardian is someone who wards off disaster for our village. Because of him, we in Niuxin Village can live our lives in peace and health."

Gouwa turns to close the door, but suddenly he notices a light at the edge of the village. Because of the smoke, it is hard to see clearly.

A moment later, Gouwa sees Lu Xiucai, holding his nephew Lu Tongsheng with his one arm, running out of the white smoke in great excitement.

When he spots Gouwa, his eyes shine with frantic joy as he points toward the edge of the village. "Gouwa! Come! Come quickly! Master has ascended to immortality!"

[Afterword]

Dao Gui Yi Xian has finally reached its conclusion. From an initial subscription of 3,553 to nearly 120,000 average, to be honest, I never expected such results.

When I started writing, my only goal was to avoid starving while working full-time, but I never imagined so many people would resonate with this niche story.

Fox Tail would like to thank every reader for your love and support. Without you, this book would not have achieved what it has today. Thank you, my friends.

It is finally finished. I feel both happy and melancholy—happy that I don't have to update every day or rack my brain over the plot, but melancholy because, as a reader, I always felt empty after finishing a book, and I didn't expect to feel the same as an author.

But all good things must come to an end. Brother Huo has suffered enough; it is time for him to rest. Let his story find its conclusion. May he live happily in his world until the end.

As for the next book, well-informed readers may already know it will be cyberpunk.

You might ask why I’m not continuing with Lovecraftian horror. It’s because after two books, both my stories and my inspiration for that genre have been exhausted.

To force it would be a disservice; even if old readers followed along, the story wouldn't be good.

I believe story is king. If I write a book that I don't enjoy reading myself, there is no point in writing it.

So, I plan to refresh my mind with cyberpunk, where my inspiration and story ideas are well-prepared.

I’ve spent about a year and a half preparing the story and world-building for this cyberpunk project. I hope to write a brilliant story that could only happen in a cyberpunk world.

Of course, switching to a new genre without a massive hit to reference means I might fail.

But writing is not about being timid. If I fail, I fail; I’ll just write the next one. The royalties from Dao Gui will support me on this full-time path.

Even if I fail book after book, I will be content.

I won't abandon my personal style or imagination just because of a new genre. Cyberpunk has plenty of interesting elements—cyber-psychosis, for instance...

As for when the next book starts, it might take a few months. After all, I only rested for a month between Di Hai and Dao Gui, and I was busy during that time. Honestly, updating continuously for several years is exhausting.

I’ve been stuck at home for the last three years, so I’ll take this time to travel and clear my head.

Also, the promised side stories will be written in due time, so please look forward to them.

Lastly, a quick plug for my old book, Gui Mi Di Hai. It started with 296 subscriptions and has now reached 10,000. I plan to spend some time polishing it soon.

That book is also Lovecraftian, but unlike Dao Gui, it isn't Lovecraft + Eastern folklore + mental illness; it is Lovecraft + Steampunk + Foundation + Age of Discovery, leaning toward Lovecraftian fundamentalism.

Since it was written years ago, my writing was a bit raw, so please be gentle with your critiques.

Though that book was written long ago and may suffer from pacing or other structural flaws, as its author, I believe the core narrative remains sound. Those who enjoy Dao-Gui-Yi-Xian might find it worth a casual glance, serving as a decent pastime during a lull in your reading list.

At the very end, it is time to bid you all farewell; thank you once again for your unwavering support!

My dear readers, I shall see you all in our next story!