LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS

All Shengli was thinking was how this woman could know such things and why she is blabbering nonsense. If what she is saying is true, shouldn"t she tell the solution first? She always had that jealous look whenever she looks at his Xing. How dare she?

The Emperor looked at his brother who looked furious and he needed to come in between to stop his brother from going on a killing spree. Turns out his brother does not consider the gender when it comes to Mingxia.

But what Consort Shu did infuriated even the Emperor... She laughed, " How would I know? But the G.o.d of Wind told me that if you were by her side, she might decide to comeback... That you two are bound or something...",she snorted, "I still don"t understand the hold she has over the G.o.ds. They definitely want her alive", her face looked extremely jealous and she looked at Xing who was lying on the bed with a hateful eye.

The Emperor could hear his brother gritting his teeth by the way Consort Shu answered him and even he felt a little angered. This is not the time for her to show her jealousy, is it? And she is not clearing anything up either.

"Shu Rouran! Have a walk with me", the Emperor dragged her out of his room and left the enraged Shengli alone. Even he wanted to snap at her for being inconsiderate.

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Trapped in the Netherworld.... What does it mean?

Shengli wondered and he realised that this time his Xing is not just sleeping but is trapped somewhere only dead people go and she might choose death.

Shengli got to her side and placed his ears over her heart and he felt a chill pa.s.s through him sensing she has a slow heart rate.

"Xing!", he cried, "Can you hear me?.... Wake up!" he held her cheeks and tried to wake her up.

He saw her body starting to get cold and his heart stopped and without him knowing, tears dropped from his eyes and they fell on her cheeks and mouth.

"Xing.. "

"My moon!"

"Come on.... Don"t be like this.."

"You cannot do this to me...."

He hugged her close and rubbed her hands in an attempt to wake her up and he was calling her name.

Meanwhile, in the Netherworld....

Xing who had decided to find the river to cross over walked for a long time and she could almost hear the trickling noise of the river.

At last... I"ll be free from this never ending wilderness!

Xing tried to walk faster and that"s when she heard that gentle voice of the man who she came to know really late, the one who loved her a lot,

"Got the letter for you... Wake up... "

It was her father"s voice and she felt like she was hearing it from underwater and Xing thought that she must be hallucinating or it must have been something that happened a long time before because as per her calculations, she was here for years and her father cannot talk to her now.

But... Letter ...? What letter? And why is he thinking that I am sleeping? Xing wondered and after only after sometime did she remember that she asked a letter from her father for her eighteenth birthday.

"Sorry father! I won"t be able to return", she said and a tear rolled down her cheek, " I"m dead... The G.o.d of Death won!"

The G.o.d of Death had a victorious expression watching her from his all seeing mirror. Which mortal can escape the Netherworld? She is no exception. But her soul needs to be made to forget everything soon and then he can have her for himself. She does not have a next life and she"ll live here with me! He grinned.

Xing saw the Lethe River at a distance and there was a queue and she joined it. But she was asked to come to the front by the ferryman and she wondered about their enthusiasm to get her to cross the river.

Xing just told the ferryman that she"ll just join the queue and she could feel he was disappointed. It was extremely cold there and she felt a bit scared and a lot of regret filled her heart.

Am I really going to die? I didn"t get to live my life with Chenglei... I didn"t even say goodbye to Chenglei! Will he still be sad for me? Will he be mad at me?

Xing was thinking and that"s when she felt like it was raining.

Does it rain in the underworld?

Xing was confused. And why is this rain salty and warm?

The ferry men tried to bring her to Old Meng to drink the soup of forgetfulness in a hurry.

She could feel the entire underworld under panic and the dark gloomy sky starting to crack and streaks of Bright light entered making the place a bit bright and she could feel her hands becoming warm and cozy gradually .

The G.o.d of Death"s grin disappeared. Is his Netherworld actually crumbling with a voice from the other side? How powerful is their connection for this to happen?

There were some instances where some souls escaped the Netherworld by making deals and left through the back doors. But this is the first time in his experience that the G.o.d of Death saw his castle crumbling from the call from the other side.

She cannot be let to get out!

Xing was placed a cup of the soup in her hands and was asked to drink that to get rid of her resentments from this life and Xing froze when she heard the panicked and pleading voice of Shengli calling her name.

Is this real? Am I dreaming? How come he is still calling me?

"Don"t be like this", his trembling voice pleaded.

What does he mean?

Only then Xing remembered that she had actually stabbed him.

He might be holding that against me... Did he think that I did it to save the Emperor? I only did it to break his spell... I know he loves his brother and he"ll regret it if he killed his brother. That"s why I stopped him!

"You cannot do this to me...", his voice rumbled through the cracks in the dark sky.

What did I do? Xing panicked with the soup still in her hands.

Right! I was in the inner palace... I shouldn"t have gone there no matter what. He gets jealous... He thinks I cheated... There was that day the Emperor stayed an entire night in my room... Oh! No... Didn"t father say that some doctor said I was pregnant? Did Chenglei believe it? Is he thinking I got pregnant for real..? I broke his heart...

Xing held her aching heart and she also felt a shooting pain in her stomach.

What is going on?

Xing was about to drop the cup when the ferryman held it for her, "You have no place back there. Your resentments will vanish once you drink this. So drink and start a new life. May be in the next life you"ll find happiness", he said.

He is right! Xing thought. A lot of time had pa.s.sed and I cannot return back. Even if I return what will I do if he looks at me coldly? What if he hates me? At least I"ll have hopes for next life..

Xing decided to drink the soup and held in to the cup tightly.

But I didn"t even get to see his smiling face one last time... I really want to hold him one last time... Can"t I?

Her heart wavered. And soon her eyes widened.

But I don"t deserve him....

Xing felt her heart squeeze. I broke his heart... How could I be selfish? He"d rather be happy without me... He deserves someone better... Someone who does not stab him in the heart literally and figuratively....

Xing bowed to drink the soup and that"s when his voice echoed again.

"Silly girl..."

"What stupid thoughts are you having now... ?"

Xing"s hands froze and she looked up instinctively, and tears formed in her eyes...

Is this real? Is he actually talking to me now? Can he hear my heart? Can I actually return?

"Drink", the ferryman tried to push the soup in her mouth.

"Listen to me... listen to me well, Táng JiaXing!"

His voice wasn"t pleading anymore but it carried that arrogance and ent.i.tlement combined with his haughty att.i.tude but it still had that gentleness and love only she is privy to.

" COME BACK TO ME!"

"IT"S AN ORDER FROM YOUR HUSBAND! OBEY! WIFEY! "

Xing felt her heart warming up by that haughty declaration and she immediately dropped the soup in her hands and turned and ran as fast as she can.

He wants me back! He still calls me his wife!

Xing was chased by the others but she didn"t stop and ran away from the river and that"s when the G.o.d of Death appeared in front of her to stop her.

"Not today!", Xing smirked and jumped up and she could feel she was light as a feather and she could fly and she flew towards the bright light up above and reached it.

I will come back to you, hubby!