DDDV Ch 78 – Returning

The Abyss began to exist ten thousand years ago and gradually expanded, weakening the Yuanqi Continent. So much time had passed, and the continent had grown very fragile as a result. A slight push from an external force was all it needed to cause total destruction…

These were similar to Lu Yaoyao’s guess. The traces of Abyss left in the outside world could only be traced back to this long-forgotten prophecy. However, the memories didn’t hold any clues about the method of leaving the Abyss.

Shen Changyuan was still hesitating to inform Lu Yaoyao of this bad news when she suddenly clapped her hands, “I see!”

Shen Changyuan looked at her.

Lu Yaoyao said happily: “Abyss is actually the wound of the continent. If we can help the continent heal its wound, wouldn’t we be able to go out?”

Shen Changyuan: “…”

The Abyss was vast, and wanting to heal it was simply a daydream. However, Lu Yaoyao’s imagination was far beyond Shen Changyuan’s expectations.

“In ancient times, the Mother Goddess Nuwa mended the heaven. Let’s follow the example of Nuwa and use the five-colored stone to mend the earth!”

Mother Goddess Nuwa? Shen Changyuan had never heard of this name and was totally puzzled.

Seeing that Shen Changyuan didn’t know about Nuwa, Lu Yaoyao excitedly narrated the mythology for him, but she stopped in shock halfway through the story. “Could it be that I am the stone needed for the patch?” Lu Yaoyao had always believed that she was reborn here for a great mission. Could it be that she existed to repair the Abyss? Otherwise, why would she fall here?

“Am I going to turn into a stone to patch the Abyss?” This Abyss was similar to the holes in the heaven from the mythology, so an item similar to the five-colored stone should also exist, and she was a stone demon…

Lu Yaoyao’s chubby face darkened in the looming tragedy. She was actually not that great. She just wanted to return home alive and reunite with Father and Daddy…

Shen Changyuan: “…”

“Could it be that we cannot get out unless I patch the Abyss?” Lu Yaoyao was facing the most difficult choice in her life. If she sacrificed herself, the continent’s wound would be healed — a happily ever after for everyone. In contrast, if she didn’t sacrifice herself, she and Brother Yuanyuan would be trapped in the Abyss forever…

Shen Changyuan tactfully reminded her: “Your original form is not a stone.”

“Yeah!” Lu Yaoyao suddenly realized. She was indeed a stone demon, but her original form was not a stone, so how could she use herself to patch the Abyss?

“If you think of Abyss as a festering wound that cannot heal on its own and even keep growing, isn’t it possible to strip off this wound so it won’t further infect the main body? After that, we can slowly let the main body heal.” Shen Changyuan used Lu Yaoyao’s analysis as a basis and put forward his own ideas.

Lu Yaoyao’s eyes lit up, “Yes!” This is a good idea!

“How to get rid of this wound?” Either healing the Abyss or peeling it off the Yuanqi Continent. Theoretically speaking, both methods were feasible, but the problem was that none of this could be done easily.

Lu Yaoyao looked at Shen Changyuan, eagerly hoping that he could come up with a solution. However, Shen Changyuan also had no idea.

“Let’s return for now.” Lu Yaoyao was not discouraged. They now had a general direction, which was already great progress in itself. If they kept looking, inspiration might strike one day and give them a solution. Lu Yaoyao figured that since she and Shen Changyuan couldn’t think of a way by themselves, they probably could ask others for help. Lu Yaoyao was a believer in the wisdom of the mass. By brainstorming ideas, one sentence or even a word could inspire great progress.

Lu Yaoyao and Shen Changyuan left the serpent demon’s former lair. “Brother Yuanyuan, let’s go back to Grandpa Tree.”

“Alright.”

Before they departed, Lu Yaoyao took Shen Changyuan for a detour, wanting to check on the beautiful flower she had planted. During the time Shen Changyuan reached the critical juncture, Lu Yaoyao didn’t dare to disturb his concentration and stayed by his side all the time, so she hadn’t checked on the flower for quite some time now.

When Lu Yaoyao and Shen Changyuan reached the top of the hill, they paused in astonishment. On the sloping grey terrain of the hillside, lush stems grew vividly, surrounded by a patch of red flowers. For a moment, Lu Yaoyao was stunned, thinking she had returned to the wasteland outside the Duanping Mountain Range. It was the Abyss’ dim light that brought the little girl back to her senses.

“The flower grows!” Lu Yaoyao was surprised but also very happy. She actually didn’t hold much hope when planting the last flower. After all, the two of them had traveled so many places in Abyss without seeing even a single flower.

Lu Yaoyao ran down the slope and reached out her short hand to touch the flower, confirming they were real and alive. She then turned to Shen Changyuan, “Brother Yuanyuan, come and have a look. The flowers I planted are alive!”

Shen Changyuan walked to the patch of flowers and took a closer look, but he failed to identify its name.

Still not fully sure that she was not dreaming, Lu Yaoyao took out one of the flower crowns from her small pouch and compared it to the very fresh and beautiful flowers on the ground. Putting them side by side, the flowers on the crown appeared to be the malnourished and inferior version to the live ones, and even their red color looked very vulgar in contrast.

Both flowers obviously came from the same kind of plant, but one had a high-end appearance contrasted with the other’s low-end version, as if the Abyss was actually the most suitable environment for the flowers to thrive.

Lu Yaoyao was puzzled, but she didn’t think much about it. She plucked a handful of fresh flowers and quickly started to weave another flower crown, this time for herself, to replace the one she had given to Shen Changyuan. Lu Yaoyao was a cub who liked the new and disliked the old; seeing more beautiful flowers, of course she would abandon the original and make herself a prettier flower crown. However, Lu Yaoyao was not totally heartless. After putting the new flower crown into her little pouch, she proceeded to make three more: one each for Father, Daddy, and Brother Yuanyuan.

Meanwhile, Shen Changyuan was looking at the flower patch, frowning in thought. When things go abnormal, there must be a cause behind it, and the appearance of this flower might bring forth unexpected results.

Before Shen Changyuan made up his mind, Lu Yaoyao had finished the three flower crowns and carefully put them into her little pouch, already imagining the moment when their family of three wore these beautiful crowns for an outing.

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