Chapter 72: The Origins of Two Lives

She despised everything related to science, resented the science that had stolen her sister's attention, so she deliberately walked down the opposite path, dabbling in all sorts of strange, mystical things, and, as one might expect, this naturally developed into a case of adolescent delusions. As for Xue Feifei, it went without saying that she was a rigorous, meticulous person, extremely averse to anything supernatural, and naturally disapproved of Tuantuan’s eccentric behavior. Over time, the rift between the two sisters only grew deeper.

Kong Zhe couldn’t help but sigh. In the end, wasn’t all of Tuantuan’s oddness merely an attempt to attract her sister’s attention? But she was too young to realize that the more she acted this way, the more it repelled Xue Feifei.

“…I have no parents. My sister is my only family, and she was taken by the hypocrites of the Church of Light. She’s now locked in the Hallway of Reincarnation. I must work hard to master the dark arts, to fight the angelic saintess. One day, I’ll defeat her, find the Hallway of Reincarnation, and rescue my sister…”

Tuantuan was still rambling on to herself.

Kong Zhe found it amusing—these two sisters truly were a peculiar pair, somehow ending up at opposite extremes.

When he’d finished applying the salve, Kong Zhe found a patch and gently placed it on her, chuckling as he worked. “Don’t say that. Your sister really does care about you, you know. When she heard news about you before, she was terribly worried—she just didn’t know how to show it in front of you.”

“Huh? That can’t be—she’s the angelic saintess, the very embodiment of the Light, our kind’s sworn enemy. She scolds me all the time… I’m sure she wishes I’d just die somewhere out there…” Tuantuan’s voice trailed off, growing smaller. After a moment, she suddenly looked up and asked timidly, “Really?”

“Yes, really. I promise.”

Kong Zhe couldn’t help but smile. No matter how much this little girl claimed to dislike her sister, deep down she was still yearning for her affection.

Then he looked at her, teasing, “Besides, if you’re just playing, why run off to a place so close to home? Clearly, you’re still thinking about her!”

“No… no way!” Perhaps because he’d hit the nail on the head, Tuantuan’s cheeks flushed red, and she stammered, “I—I—she’s with the Light, I have to stay on guard at all times, that’s all. I came to see if she’d invented some new ultimate Light magic… Ow!”

Tuantuan got a little too excited, twisting her body and accidentally jarring her wound. Pain shot through her lower half, and she couldn’t help but cry out.

“If you want to talk, then talk! Stop moving around.”

Kong Zhe frowned; her sudden movement had caused the patch to go on crooked. With a sigh, he had to peel it off and reapply it.

Staring at the swelling on her skin, Kong Zhe gave a wry smile. “I’ve hurt you so badly, you must hate me, don’t you?”

“Huh? …I don’t hate you at all.”

Her face tinged pink, Tuantuan replied without thinking.

“You don’t hate me?” Kong Zhe shook his head in amusement, thinking she must just be afraid to speak her mind.

“Come on, it’s okay to hate me. I’m not going to do anything to you.”

“No, really, I don’t dislike you at all!”

The earnestness in Tuantuan’s voice caught Kong Zhe off guard. Judging by the look in her eyes, she wasn’t lying.

“…Why?”

“Because of the way you look at me.”

“My look?” Kong Zhe was puzzled. “What’s so special about it?”

Tuantuan nodded and, with a sad expression, began, “All my life, everyone has looked at me like I’m some kind of freak. My classmates, the neighbors—no one ever dares come near me. Among the students, they all whisper: ‘Look, that’s the famous idiot. Don’t get too close or you’ll catch it.’” She gave a little snort. “Hmph, how could ordinary people ever understand the dignity of a vampire queen? I don’t care what they think…” She paused, her eyes dimming. “But even my sister—the angelic saintess—looks at me with disappointment. Even little Lei… Sometimes I can see that hint of incomprehension and forced tolerance in her eyes…”

Her spirits drooped, but then she raised her head, her gaze bright as she looked at Kong Zhe. “But you’re different. I knew it from the moment I first saw you. Even if your words are full of disdain, even if you’re mean to me and hit me, you never look down on me…”

Suddenly, Tuantuan covered her right eye with her hand and laughed, “Heh heh heh, that’s right! We’re fated enemies from a previous life. My golden eye reveals this bond to me. Even though you haven’t recovered your memories, we both come from the other side. All those countless years we experienced together can’t just vanish because of a little amnesia…”

She had started off serious, but by the end she was rambling again. Kong Zhe finished applying the patch, withdrew his hand, and with a smile, ruffled her hair.

“Of course. After all, I went through a phase just like yours.” He pointed at the various gadgets on her arm. “All this stuff—I used to play with it too. So, in a way, I understand how you feel.”

“Really?” Tuantuan was genuinely shocked, her mouth forming an O. After a moment, she reached out and patted his shoulder, looking pleased. “I knew it, a kindred spirit!”

“Kindred spirit? Please. I graduated from that a long time ago!”

But Tuantuan ignored him and asked, curious, “So what was your identity?”

“…Baron of Hell.”

“Oh… What a lame name!” Tuantuan said with utter disdain.

“Not like I need your approval,” Kong Zhe grumbled. The memory of his past made him shiver, and he quickly shook his head. Then, with a calm tone, he added, “And you’d better face reality, too. Vampire queens and angelic saintesses don’t exist. Your sister is just your sister—she’s never disappeared. She’s your only family, the only one in this world who will care for you so selflessly. You’d better make peace with her soon. If you wait until you’ve lost her, you’ll regret it.”

Tuantuan pouted as he lectured her, but didn’t argue. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the faint loneliness on Kong Zhe’s face. Her eyes darted, and she asked softly, “What about you? Do you have any family?”

“Family…” Kong Zhe was silent for a long time before speaking. “I had a sister. She… was five years old.”

“Five?”

Tuantuan eyed him suspiciously. “That’s impossible. Are you trying to fool a kid?”

“It’s true,” Kong Zhe sighed. “Ten years ago, she was in a car accident… She died when she was five, so that’s how I remember her.”

“Oh…”

Tuantuan was stunned. She hadn’t expected that his sister was… So he’d been alone all these years? Wasn’t that even sadder than her own situation?

Noticing the sorrow on his face, Tuantuan grew flustered. She opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

Kong Zhe didn’t seem to notice her expression. After a while, he spoke again.

“My parents died early. My grandfather raised the two of us. Later, he passed away, and it was just the two of us relying on each other. Maybe it was a bit like you and Xue Feifei used to be. She was very attached to me and always obedient. We got along well, never fought—except for one time… I was ten. I came home from work, exhausted, and my sister kept pestering me to play with her. I don’t even know how it started, but somehow we ended up arguing. She ran out in tears—and never came back.”

After a long pause, Kong Zhe continued, his tone heavy. “I can still remember the last thing I said to her: ‘Get out. Never come back.’ The irony is, I’ve made so many wishes in my life, and none of them ever came true—except for that one.”

He forced a laugh, as if mocking the absurdity of fate. After a moment, he went on, “For a while, I drifted through life in a daze. Maybe it happened too suddenly, or maybe I just couldn’t accept it, but I never really felt like she was gone. One day—I don’t even remember if it was a dream or a hallucination—I saw her being dragged away by someone in a black robe. She fought with all her might, crying for help… After that, I became convinced she was still alive somewhere in this world, just hidden away. Then, well, I guess I ended up just like you—naturally adopting the role of the Baron of Hell, always muttering to myself about storming Hell with a great sword to find my sister. People thought I was nuts and avoided me whenever possible…”

Kong Zhe was smiling, but his story left Tuantuan unable to laugh.

Her eyes shimmered with tears, sharing in his pain. She waited for a long time, but Kong Zhe remained silent. After hesitating, she finally spoke in a small, careful voice, “And… what happened after that?”

“After that…” Kong Zhe looked at her and said quietly, “After about a year, life’s pressures finally forced me back to reality. I gradually accepted that my sister was gone, and returned to a normal life.”

He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Looking back now, it’s hard to believe I ever did such childish things.”

Tuantuan stared at him in a daze, then blurted out, “That’s it?”

Kong Zhe paused, then stood and ruffled her bangs, making her hair messy. “Yes, that’s it. You should break free from your fantasies too.”

“She exists…”

Tuantuan lowered her head, suddenly grabbing his sleeve. Looking up, she said earnestly, “She exists.”

“What exists?”

“Your sister. She’s not dead! She must be somewhere in this new world!”