Free Web NovelLu Yibei slowly opened her more than two hundred eyes. As her eyes adjusted to the change in light, the scene before her gradually became clear.
This was a small room about ten square meters. In the entire room, there was only a single bed, a desk, and an old-fashioned television in the corner. Everything within sight was enveloped in a soft, slightly yellowish white glow, giving one an unreal feeling as if they were in a dream.
After a brief daze, Lu Yibei suddenly came back to her senses, realizing where she was now.
This was the very same small house where she and Ms. Wang Meili had dinner not long ago.
Lu Yibei tried hard to recall why she had woken up in this small house. Her last memory was seeing the old photo drifting down with the wind and rain.
Then, that old photo seemed to explode suddenly, bursting with intense light. Her consciousness, enveloped by the strong light, also fell silent.
...
But why am I here?
Logically speaking, this place should have disappeared along with Ms. Wang Meili, right?
Could it be that Ms. Wang Meili...
As she pondered, a bold guess gradually took shape in Lu Yibei's mind, and her emotions surged with excitement.
Although she had appeared calm, even somewhat indifferent, when having dinner with Ms. Wang Meili before, she was actually very happy to see Ms. Wang Meili face-to-face. She just didn't know what to do, as no one had ever taught her.
Should she cry and whine, throwing herself into Ms. Wang Meili's arms and acting spoiled?
Don't be ridiculous, how could she possibly do something like that?
What's more, what if Ms. Wang Meili didn't like that?
Growing up without a mother by her side meant she had no idea how to get along with Ms. Wang Meili, nor how to express her own emotions. Consequently, her every word and action became distant and cautious.
After successfully integrating the remaining Power of Ms. Wang Meili, Lu Yibei had thought that if they hadn't just met briefly and were about to part ways, but instead had more time to get along well with her, they should be able to become close, just like with Old Dad.
Now, this opportunity seemed to have appeared before her.
With this thought, Lu Yibei subconsciously opened her more than forty mouths and called out.
@#ä¼ æOh¥šè±ª...
In an instant, various different sounds burst forth, converging together to form a shriek that seemed to come from hell, echoing throughout the entire small house.
Hearing the piercing sound, which was like dozens of kettles boiling simultaneously, Lu Yibei quickly closed her last mouth, and the shriek stopped abruptly.
...
I suddenly forgot, I'm still in the form of a source of spiritual pollution. I didn't expect it to be so difficult to even say a complete sentence in this state!
Damn it, what if I actually called Ms. Wang Meili over? This appearance won't scare her, will it?
At that time, if she gets unhappy, will she stuff me back into her belly and restore me to factory settings?
Lu Yibei thought, feeling uneasy like a child who had done something wrong and was worried about being discovered by their mother. But for some reason, there was a faint hint of anticipation.
Anticipating Ms. Wang Meili pushing the door open furiously and giving her a good beating.
Time flowed slowly. The small house was quiet, with only the crackling of firewood burning in the fireplace.
Lu Yibei opened her more than two hundred eyes wide, looking at the tightly closed wooden door of the small house. She waited for a long time, but still no sound came from the corridor outside the door. Finally, she realized that perhaps no one would come anymore.
...
That's right, didn't Chatterbox Girl say? The Ms. Wang Meili here was just a projection, maintaining the operation of the special space.
Now, her mission was complete. It was only natural that she wouldn't appear again.
I don't know what I was expecting! Lu Yibei thought.
Her easygoing nature quickly made the empty feeling in her heart disappear completely.
Creak—!
The wooden door of the small house opened without warning. Hearing the slight sound of the door hinge turning, Lu Yibei's bloated, strange, and indescribable body suddenly trembled violently as if electrocuted.
Immediately after, she heard music coming from outside the door. It was still the song "Our Farewel" that Ms. Wang Meili had played.
"In my hands a legacy of memories~♪ (Spreading my hands, I can still see memories)
I can hear you say my name~♪ (I hear you calling my name)
I can almost see your smile~♪ (I can even see your smile)
...
Damn it, didn't I tell her to turn it off?
Lu Yibei grumbled inwardly, subconsciously propping herself up with her "hands," trying to get out of bed. But in the next instant, she lost her balance and fell off the small bed, hitting the ground heavily.
Lu Yibei, "..."
So, stories about protagonists who transmigrate to another world and turn into monsters, then immediately wreak havoc upon arrival, are completely unreliable.
Only by experiencing it firsthand do you know that it's impossible to control the extra, messy limbs on your body in a short amount of time. Being able to control a thousand hands and a thousand eyes simultaneously? That's a Bodhisattva!
Lu Yibei felt that these limbs were like her mouths; although they were all on her body, many times, they just wouldn't obey her commands.
----
After the wooden door of the small house opened, Lu Yibei waited for a moment where she was. Seeing that there was no sign of Ms. Wang Meili or anyone else outside the door for a long time, she struggled to get up.
After slightly adjusting to her distorted body, she staggered towards the direction from which the music was coming.
Passing through the dimly lit corridor and arriving at the dining room illuminated by candlelight, her vision suddenly brightened.
The tape recorder in the corner of the dining room was playing, and waves of song drifted out.
On the walnut-colored long table, the tableware that had held king crab and various dishes had disappeared, replaced by beautifully packaged gift boxes. Each gift box had a label with a number written on it, from 1 to 19.
A total of nineteen gift boxes of various sizes filled the entire table, even piling up on the floor.
Surrounded by those gift boxes, a small area in the center of the tabletop had been cleared. Several thick photo albums of varying age and an envelope lay quietly there.
Lu Yibei, "..."
In silence, she seemed to realize something. Twisting her body, she climbed onto the chair in front of the long table, hesitated for a moment, and then used one of her many hands to pick up the envelope on the table, gently tear it open, and take out the letter paper inside.
Unfolding the thin sheets of letter paper, a page of delicate small script appeared before her eyes.
【My child, reading this is like seeing you:
I am now using this letter to say goodbye to you forever.
I believe that when you see this letter, you may already know that I am just Lu Ming's projection in this special space, beautified and embellished, not your real mother.
However.
If you don't mind, please think of me as Qinan Bamboo and finish reading this farewell letter, which is nineteen years late.
...】
Seeing the content on the first page of the letter paper stop here, the hands with which Lu Yibei held the paper trembled slightly, and she remained silent for a long time.
...
Damn it! Is that late? That's clearly leaving early!
How is this woman still so polite and cautious even when writing something like this?
Is it necessary to explain and distinguish such things so clearly? Lu Yibei thought.
Although the Ms. Wang Meili in this special space is just Lu Ming's projection.
But she indeed possesses all of Qinan Bamboo's memories and indeed accompanied Lu Yibei's projection in this special space for nineteen years.
Her existence might be false in a sense, but her love for Lu Yibei is real.
Without a doubt.
In silence, Lu Yibei began to read the content on the second page of the letter paper.
【Hmm, where should I start?
How about we start from our first meeting?
It was at 8:07 AM on March 27th, nineteen years ago. I felt your heartbeat for the first time. I called your father over in ecstasy. I clearly remember the look on your father's face when he gently stroked my belly – so full of tenderness yet so helpless.
Before that, I could hardly imagine that a man who had once struck fear into the hearts of the Night Watch, the Eclipse Society, various Psychic, and urban legend would show such an expression.
He said such a meaningful moment must be recorded. So, we went to the intersection of Peony Street and took a photo.
I just didn't expect that to be the last family photo of the three of us.
The good times didn't last long. Three months and two days after I first met you, something completely unexpected happened.
That day, your father rushed back from outside and told me that someone didn't want you to be born into this world, believing your existence would bring disaster to the world, and issued a warning to your father.
But what parents would end their child's life because of some vague prophecies and groundless warnings?
Anyway, our family wouldn't!
On this matter, your father and I had the same idea.
However, unfortunately, we had a disagreement on the issue of how to prevent you from bringing disaster to this world and ultimately facing a tragic life.
That was the first time your father and I had a serious disagreement.
At that time, we were both young and impetuous, not knowing how to back down. In a stalemate, we went our separate ways, each acting according to our own ideas, which also gave ill-intentioned people an opportunity.
However.
My child, I am telling you this not because I want you to seek revenge, but just to let you know that I love you very much and did not intentionally want to be absent from your life.
In fact, I deeply regret the decision I made back then.
Not only because doing so hurt your father, but also because I lost the opportunity to accompany you as you grew up and witness your growth.
I couldn't personally take you to school on your first day, couldn't stand up for you when you were bullied, couldn't watch you find the person you love and enter the hall of marriage with her, couldn't watch you holding your own child, cheering with joy.
One absence meant every absence.
As for the details of those past events, I won't go into detail. I don't want you to live in hatred because of them, casting a shadow over your future life. I only wish that you can live well, living according to what is in your heart...
I'll stop writing here. If I write too much, you might get bored.
About your conception, your birth, about Mom and Dad's love for you, their blessings for you, and so much more, how could it possibly be finished in just a few words in one letter?
I am very happy that you are willing to read through the pile of complaints left by me, your irresponsible mother.
My child, being able to be your mother is the luckiest thing in my life.
I love you very much, and it was this thought of loving you that prompted me to bravely face the fate of perishing.
Although I have always known that there is no afterlife in this world, and even if a Strange Tale revives from legend, it will no longer be the Strange Tale it once was, I still want to say that if there is an afterlife, I still want to be your mother.
This is my first time being a mother in this life, and I made many mistakes because I didn't know what was right. If there is an afterlife, I will definitely work hard to be a barely qualified mother.
(I left you some gifts. Those are things that your father and I had imagined giving you for your birthday when you weren't even born yet. I saw that he seemed to have forgotten, so I took the liberty of preparing them for you. Also, those photo albums contain projections of your growth experiences, which might be helpful to you.)
Sincerely.
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Your loving mother, Qinan Bamboo.】
After reading the letter left by Ms. Wang Meili, Lu Yibei sat on the chair for a long time, holding the letter paper in her hands.
She suddenly realized that even if that Ms. Wang Meili was just Old Dad's projection, a mother and a father were ultimately different.
For a long time.
Lu Yibei withdrew her attention, twisted her body, lay prone on the long table, and opened the first photo album. The first page of the album only had one photo, which was exactly the photo Qinan Bamboo mentioned in the letter.
Directly below the photo, a line of small text read 【2008.3.27 First Group Photo】.
She stared at the photo with deep eyes for a very long time before turning to the second page.
The second page had seven or eight photos, roughly documenting the scenes of Qinan Bamboo traveling around the world collecting materials to construct special spaces.
However, when she saw the last photo on the second page, she suddenly froze for a moment.
That photo was a group photo of Qinan Bamboo and a young Miss. Directly below it was written 【2008.7.2 She is a good Miss】.
The Miss looked somewhat familiar. After careful observation, Lu Yibei realized that she looked at least eighty to ninety percent similar to Inspector Xing Yuan, and was likely the same person.
But, this isn't right!
Mom actually had contact with Godmother?
According to Shui Ge, they shouldn't have known each other!
Lu Yibei thought doubtfully, continuing to flip through a few more pages, hoping to find the answer she wanted from those photos.
However, in the photos that followed, up until before her birth, Inspector Xing Yuan never appeared again.
Turning to the eighth page, seeing a photo of herself still in swaddling clothes, Lu Yibei was taken aback, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
A line of morning light fell upon her cradle. A head of soft curly hair was gilded with a light golden hue in the sunlight. Her small face was pink and round, ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) with large, dark, shining eyes. As if curious about everything, her two small arms were like two sections of tender lotus root, shining white.
【2008.12.07 Nice to meet you, please take care of me】.
...
Looking at the photos of herself as a baby, Lu Yibei hesitated for a long time before mustering the courage to continue flipping through.
She knew that from this page onwards, there would likely only be projections, and Ms. Wang Meili would no longer be personally involved.
【2009.1.8 One Hundred Days】.
... freёweɓnovel.com
【2010.2.17 Finally can call Old Dad!
Seems a bit late, is she not very smart?】.
...
【2013.8.31 First time getting hit.
Reason: Didn't want to go to kindergarten.
Reason: When eating dragon fruit, the Teacher wouldn't let him pick out the seeds.】.
...
【2018.10.8 First time parents were called.
The Teacher asked them to write about a day at the school sports meet, and he wrote about the colored flags hanging limply around the field.
The Teacher asked him to change it, but he refused, stating that there was no wind at school that day, so the colored flags couldn't possibly flutter in the wind.】.
...
【2018.10.9 Second time parents were called, didn't expect it to come so quickly.
He finally changed the essay under the Teacher's pressure.
He wrote in the first sentence: "It's strange to say, there was clearly no wind on the day of the sports meet, but the colored flags around the field were fluttering in the wind..."】.
...
Lu Yibei flipped through the photos left by Ms. Wang Meili using the projection of the special space. Those photos recorded her almost complete growth experience. Looking at them now, as the images entered her eyes, a flood of memories surged forth.
Ms. Wang Meili's photos recorded various events in great detail: the first time seeing snow, the first tooth after changing teeth, the first time parents were called, the first time learning to cook with Old Dad, the first time being liked by a female classmate, tricking her out of a semester's worth of snacks, and then telling her, "You are a good classmate!"
Many details that even she herself had forgotten were recorded one by one, down to the smallest things. Some were surprising, some made her feel shy, and some brought a knowing smile.
Immersed in memories, her body, which had become monstrous due to her wild thoughts, changed unknowingly.
Just like spring rain moistening things silently, the real body reshaping began quietly.
When Lu Yibei finished flipping through the four photo albums and her body was quietly changing, the timeline in the albums reached the most crucial moment—the summer after the college entrance examination.
That is, the year she took a graduation trip with Old Dad.
...
The previous photos were all recorded in extraordinary detail, could it be...
If that's the case, wouldn't I be able to know what happened on the night of the car accident?
Lu Yibei thought, eagerly opening the last photo album.
However, the result was a great disappointment.
One page of the album was a photo of her lying alone in the hospital room. As for everything that happened before being sent to the room, it was as if it had been skipped over, with no mention at all.
Lu Yibei, "..." That's right, I was thinking too much. The car accident didn't happen in Hua City, so it's natural that it wasn't recorded by the projection.
While thinking, she continued to flip through and suddenly understood why there were only four photo albums for the past ten-plus years, but two albums for the last two or three years.
Photos that were originally only taken when special events occurred became taken every two or three days after she was hospitalized. And after she met Miss Rabbit, the frequency increased even more to once a day, once every half a day, or even once an hour.
Photo after photo meticulously recorded: her being abducted as a sacrifice by Miss Rabbit, then swallowing the witchs egg as a human, becoming a urban legend, followed by the first urban legend hunt, the first time gaining dependents, the first time appearing in Hua City in the image of a Witch Seed, then drawing Spirit Marks, obtaining Lingtai Pure Karma, organizing the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons...
Through those photos, Lu Yibei could feel the emotions of Ms. Wang Meili as she observed and recorded through the projection: sometimes anxious, sometimes relieved, and sometimes cheering with joy.
"So, she was always watching me?" Lu Yibei murmured, looking at these photos. She inexplicably felt as if her mother had always been by her side, accompanying her as she grew up.
After saying this, her body stiffened for a moment. She suddenly realized that the monstrous roar she had made not long ago had actually returned to normal.
Although that so-called normal was just the sound after becoming a urban legend, far from what she expected in her mind, it was infinitely better than the mentally polluting shriek from not long ago.
When her attention was drawn away from the photo albums, Lu Yibei felt her heart beating, felt blood flowing in her veins, felt air filling her lungs with each breath, felt her hands, felt her feet, and felt a complete body.
For a moment, Lu Yibei heard the sound of her body breaking, as if lumps of flesh and blood were exploding on her body.
She seemed to have regained life, as if she had been conceived anew from her mother's meticulous records and loving memories.
She lowered her head and saw her small hands, fair with a hint of pinkish redness. She turned her head to look at the window in the dining room. Outside was darkness, and the slender profile of a young girl was reflected on the glass.
At this moment, Lu Yibei realized that the reshaping of her body was complete.
However, for some reason, even though it was a moment that should have brought joy, two lines of crystal tears quietly streamed down her face...
----
After a while, Lu Yibei emerged from that hollow feeling in her heart, temporarily composed her emotions, and began to examine her current state.
After searching in the small house for a while, she found the bathroom. She stopped in front of the mirror and began to examine the reflection of the young girl in the mirror.
The girl in the mirror had a slender figure, about one meter fifty-six tall. Her build wasn't particularly eye-catching. Although her slightly bulging chest wasn't substantial, she was definitely graceful.
Beneath her long silver-white hair with a hint of pink, her oval face had a slightly raised chin. Her appearance resembled Ms. Wang Meili in the photos, but she didn't possess Ms. Wang Meili's spirited look. Her peach blossom eyes held a hint of enchanting charm.
The overall feeling she gave off was like the girl next door who had just grown up, the kind who looked pitiful but actually knew more than you, and when you 'cut her open', she was both 'yellow' (lewd) and 'black' (dark/scheming).
Lu Yibei, "..."
Not bad, a bit better figure than the Leader, but quite a bit worse than Gu Qianqian...
She seemed to be in a urban legend state where the powers of Mythical Seeds and Witch Seeds were relatively balanced, just like in her impression, but she also seemed a bit taller, as if she had grown one or two years older.
What the heck?!
Either be a bit older, full of enchanting charm causing chaos for everyone, or be a bit younger, acting cute and foolish to get by. She was awkwardly stuck right between an Older sister and a Miss... Wait!
Lu Yibei was secretly complaining when her pupils suddenly contracted sharply, as if she had seen something terrifying.
She didn't know if it was because she had just thought about being a bit more petite, but the reflection in the mirror actually changed slightly along with her thoughts.
...
What♦ is this situation? Got smaller?
Is it an illusion? Or is it because her body was just reshaped and her state hasn't stabilized yet?
Or perhaps...
Thinking this, Lu Yibei's gaze focused slightly, and with a thought, she imagined herself with a tall and hot figure in her mind.
The next moment, she felt the flesh and blood beneath her skin gently wriggle. After a few breaths, she blushed and averted her gaze from herself.
I need to clarify here, I really don't have any strange interests in myself.
It's just... "she" is really too lewd!
While complaining, Lu Yibei adjusted her appearance in her mind and looked at the mirror again.
As she expected, the girl in the mirror, both in figure and appearance, was almost exactly as she had imagined. Then her thoughts shifted again, and accompanied by a surge of intense Spiritual Energy consumption, the girl in the mirror became round and plump.
...
After a brief silence, Lu Yibei made two more attempts. Only when a wave of weakness from Spiritual Energy depletion struck did she stop. Gazing at the girl in the mirror, a hint of understanding gradually dawned in her heart.
She didn't know if it was due to reshaping her body using the flesh and blood of the Invasion Beast, or if it was because she had thought of many templates during the reshaping process.
This body reshaping actually gave her the ability to change her appearance to a certain extent.
Although this ability to change appearance was limited to a certain degree of height, thinness, and plumpness, it could still be considered a powerful means of disguise.
Coupled with the Rouge Transformation · Incantation-Stabilized Mask and Coat, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she could have a thousand faces and change in countless ways.
Currently, the only drawback was the excessive consumption of Spiritual Energy. After changing her appearance about five times consecutively, her Spiritual Energy would be on the verge of depletion.
Lu Yibei pinched her cheek in the mirror and said to herself thoughtfully, "Can this be considered a pleasant surprise?"
Although the severe Spiritual Energy consumption was a big problem, and she didn't know if misusing this ability would bring any bad aftereffects.
However, in certain specific situations, just slightly changing her appearance could easily help her avoid danger.
Even if they looked similar, you couldn't point at an Older sister full of enchanting charm and a petite, adorable loli and say they were the same person, right? Lu Yibei thought.
This could also be considered another kind of life-saving method, but it couldn't be used often.
Firstly, the Spiritual Energy consumption was huge, and using it in battle might affect her combat power.
Secondly, aside from the huge Spiritual Energy consumption, other side effects were unknown.
This could be the result of her body structure not yet being stable in the short term after reshaping her physical body using Wang Yingying's flesh and blood. If she used the ability recklessly, she might turn back into that monstrous state she was in before.
This wasn't being cowardly.
It was just that she had always held a sense of awe towards unknown, unstable powers.
