It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

A soft sigh sounded. This time, Ling Qing put her hand on Bai Lin's shoulder, and the cold touch came with her determined eyes. She pushed Bai Lin away, put her hand on the sword, and looked at her firmly.

"I will keep going. No matter what, I want to live one more second to be with them. We must find our future ourselves, even if the road ahead is full of hidden dangers. Failure after hard work is nothing more than leaving with reluctance. We're going to give up anyway, so what does it matter if we're unwilling?"

"I can be tired or weak. No matter how I think about it, it has come to this, I might as well hang on for a while. However, I will retain this last bit of power, I just won't use it now. This is also a way."

Ling Qing's sharp gaze gradually softened, and Bai Lin naturally gave in. She nodded with satisfaction and replied,

"That's good."

"But, finally, I have one question. Is life really so unfair? Is it really going to be so painful forever? Is there really nothing we can do but keep going on?"

Ling Qing asked. Bai Lin shrugged her shoulders. This time, she showed a genuine smile and said slowly,

“The rich help the world, the poor take care of themselves.”

"What does it mean?"

"What I mean is, just keep living. Life is about believing in yourself. Even if there are tears, anger, helplessness, and unwillingness, you must continue to live for the love in your heart, for the reason that is enough to support you to live."

"This is all about trusting us completely. We'll take care of it. Life is hard enough, so don't worry about it."

"When you are really rich enough to start building a palace, then you can think about it. It's not too late."

Bai Lin patted his chest. The muffled sound of the armor was reassuring. Ling Qing smiled knowingly. She lowered her body and drew her sword. Then, a burst of white light swept through her world. When she came to her senses, she saw a familiar figure appear in front of her. Cloak, mask, that was the poet,

"Are you awake? The princess said she didn't intentionally use any offensive spells on you, so you should be fine. If you still feel uncomfortable, please tell me first."

Ling Qing, who had just woken up, was a little confused after hearing the poet's words, but she also replied,

"It's nothing...let me sit up first."

When the poet helped her up, Ling Qing finally realized what the "Princess" she was talking about was.

"I'm sorry. I attacked you unconsciously. I didn't expect you, the people of Qingtan, to come here. It was my oversight."

The enemy who had previously attacked with such menacing force and terrifying aura now politely gave him a courtly greeting. Her voice was soft and gentle, refined and refined. Her ocean-blue eyes seemed incredibly gentle, framing the golden hair with an even softer, more ethereal quality. It was like the warm afternoon light, lapping gently on the shore with the waves. It stirred my heart, yet it held me back.

However, she was still wearing that armor, and her beautiful face bore some scars. But this didn't in the least shatter her flawless demeanor. Her every move was just as the world had said...

She's a princess.

"Well, she might be a little confused. Should I explain first? Princess Lingqing is not our enemy. We just had a brief conversation and explained everything clearly. She now knows who we are."

Bai Lin came out at the right time and joined the conversation, while the princess turned around and looked at Bai Lin and nodded slightly.

"I'm really sorry, your appearance is somewhat similar to that of the perfect people, so I..."

"Oh, let's not talk about this. Didn't I beat you up too? I owe you an apology. Let's sit down and talk business."

Bai Lin casually slapped his thigh and sat down on the ground. The previously polite princess also sat down casually. She looked so similar to Bai Lin, with the same perfect appearance, and Ling Qing couldn't help but wonder if Bai Lin had once lived a peaceful and happy life, but eventually put on the armor of strength.

However, what we need to pay more attention to right now should be something else.

As everyone took their seats, the princess took the lead and demonstrated the leadership she should play in this position. She opened her mouth and asked Ling Qing,

"Do you remember me, Lingqing?"

Ling Qing was a little surprised that the other party could call out her name. However, this question was obviously the key point. She thought about it for a moment and shook her head honestly.

“…I can’t remember.”

"Well, the last time we met, you were already in your teens. Although you're still a little girl, you shouldn't be too forgetful to remember things. It seems this is exactly what you described."

The princess made a quick judgment and nodded. The second half of her words were addressed to the poet and Bai Lin beside her. The poet also said,

"This is normal. In most cases, Dusk is quickly forgotten by people, or remembered as something else."

"Yeah, there's nothing we can do about it..."

The princess sighed softly, seeming somewhat downcast. Or rather, she had seemed downcast from the start. Even though she was quiet and polite, there was an undisguised gloom between her eyes and brows. It seemed that her straight back and her strong demeanor masked most of it, but ultimately, others would still notice that inner core.

Confused Ling Qing also asked cautiously,

Chapter 979: Sowing Despair

"I apologize for not remembering you. What is this Twilight God you're talking about?"

Seeing Ling Qing being so cautious, the princess immediately forced a smile and raised her hand in reply,

"It's alright, you don't need to take it too seriously. As for Twilight Goddess, it's just a name given to a special group of us. Due to some inexplicable nature, we're less likely to be remembered by you, and by the world. My friendship with you wasn't particularly close, so it's only natural that you've forgotten. Don't dwell on the past; just call me Princess for now."

"Didn't we previously read a book about your people? She was the one who wrote and edited it. That's why most of the text is illegible. Do you understand that?"

The poet interjected, providing further clarification. Lingqing also understood the situation, a reality undoubtedly painful to hear. Now, as she gazed at the princess again, she could truly sense a deep connection, as if long ago, between her and the people of Cheongdam.

But now, she was the only one who could remember it clearly. She pursed her lower lip, unable to say anything, because anything she said seemed too powerless.

Ling Qing seemed to be in the same state. She wanted to say something, but no matter how she framed her words of comfort, they seemed hollow. In the end, she could only follow the princess's advice, "Don't take it too seriously," and suppress it.

"The poets have already briefly explained your tribe's situation to us, and I already have a certain understanding of it. Next, I will briefly explain our previous connection to help you sort out the whole story."

The princess spoke quietly, and then began to narrate.

The princess is inhabited by an evil spirit, but over the long years, the spirit has become friends with her. However, because the spirit's characteristics will affect her, the princess has come to this famous settlement to seek treatment.

To outsiders, her situation seemed extremely dire. However, because she brought the appropriate rewards, the people of Qingtan accepted her and placed her in the Wang Room. Because of the characteristics of the Wang Room, she could live and converse with evil spirits in a completely normal way, so she liked it very much.

After a long period of contact, she also began to connect with the hardworking people of Cheongdam. She realized their kindness and offered them many suggestions. Cheongdam has also transformed from its original village into what it is today.

"The palace in the drawing I just saw in my notes was her design sketch. The people of Cheongdam had never seen anything like it before and were very curious about it, so they imagined such a life and such a residence. But after the princess finished her drawing, she felt it was too exaggerated, so she came up with another version of the design."

The poet explained, and from her words, one could hear the smile of the little princess, who was not so familiar with worldly affairs, while she was painting. The princess herself shook her head and said,

"But they actually built me ​​a palace in the middle of nowhere. They knew they couldn't defend it from the ground, but they thought it would be safer to use, and they also wanted to use it as a basis for future designs. Really, they're being a little too attentive to the patients."

The princess smiled, of course without any intention of blaming anyone, she was just joking.

The people of Cheongdam back then were not what they knew. They lived on the brink of destruction every day. Their overly sensitive perception of the "sense" of living things afflicted them, and the negative emotions induced by the outside world plagued them, leaving their entire community languishing. Though known as a health resort, they gave off the impression of a distant, feudal village. In fact, their own numbers were constantly declining. Since being oppressed by the Perfect People, more and more people had given up their lives.

Until the princess arrived, she meticulously recounted how she had coexisted peacefully with the evil spirits. She encouraged the people of Cheongdam to transform their suffering into strength to combat those who brought it upon them. She also found useful spells from her family's collection and taught them. The horrific scenes witnessed by the Perfect People while they were being hunted by the murlocs while protecting the forest all stemmed from this.

Beyond this, she also appropriately improved the spells originally used by the people of Qingtan. After all, these books were largely her family's legacy and a source of pride. Spreading knowledge was also a way of continuing her own and her family's will.

However, if the Tao is one foot high, the devil will naturally be ten feet higher. The people soon came up with a solution.

"Although I don't know how they did it, they certainly succeeded in erasing the content related to certain happy things in you. Without that specific happiness, you can't control your emotions and are trapped in the sea nightmare."

Princess, narrated thus.

"Are you saying that disturbing emotions then spreads the disease? We've suspected that emotions influence symptoms. But are the two separate things?"

Ling Qing couldn't help but ask this.

Sea nightmares are indeed a condition that can be profoundly affected by emotions. Bai Lin and the others fully understood this. Bai Lin, however, had no inherent ability to purify others' illnesses; that was purely a poet's conjecture. However, after being persuaded by the two, Ling Qing's condition improved.

In addition, there are also a lot of emotional changes that lead to changes in the condition, which I will not elaborate on here. In short, the princess nodded slightly,

"Some people can move forward in the dark just by looking at the lights in the distance. But most ordinary people also need the light in front of them. A warm lantern can be their motivation to move forward."

"You had your lanterns stolen, and then the Perfect People spread the plague, leading to the current situation. I only learned about this today. Before this, I had been guarding here the entire time. After all, the Perfect People have already invaded this deep place, and I no longer have the extra strength to help you..."

It wasn't just the people of Cheongdam who were attacked. The princess's "evil spirit" was also attacked. She had been unconscious until now, using the abilities left in her by the enemy over the years. To conserve power, she had been using self-discipline mode, so she didn't rise from the ground until Bai Lin and the others arrived.

She kneeled here for a long time, and stood here for a long time, guarding this final throne, which was also the final bottom line.

Chapter 980: Fire Competition

As for why there were monsters with perfect human appearances, it was because the princess used her power to transform them into vengeful spirits. Using them to kill the companions who had also entered was also a good choice.

Originally, there might have been a better option. However, the princess's unconscious spirit was stripped of most of its components and, using a perfect human method, sprinkled into the lake. This action caused the sea-movement phenomenon of sea nightmare syndrome and was also the cause of the merman's mutation.

Although the princess didn't know the specifics of Sea Nightmare, she could sense what was happening in the water. She was deeply distressed that her power had caused the mermaids to become like this, but she had no choice but to resort to the worst possible strategy: to completely seal off the room.

Since the lake couldn't be crossed by the people of Qingtan, anyone who could come here was an enemy. She would kill as many as came.

"So, now the problems facing you, the people of Qingtan, can be resolved. First, retrieve the lantern, which means recovering what you forgot. This isn't difficult. Once we return to shore, we can discuss it and it will become clear. Second, have the princess go out and absorb some of the power from the seawater. They should be able to restore the mutated mermaid to normal. As for the rest of the situation, we just need to slowly recover and restore order."

As an outsider, Bai Lin did not immerse himself in the story too much, so he made a summary. It may be because the princess did not mention much about emotions in her narration, and most of the content was understated. The princess herself denied it.

"I can't do that. That power isn't mine, so I can't take it back anytime soon. Only my unconscious sister... the vengeful spirit herself could wake up and do that. I can only apply this power briefly."

"After all, even though I was born into such a family, I don't have any talent for learning magic. I can't control it well."

After hearing this, Bai Lin seemed to resonate with her. Like her, she couldn't learn any important magic. She had focused on developing her fighting skills, while the princess, on the other hand, had devoted herself to various studies, clearly knowing everything. However, when faced with serious and demanding needs, she naturally felt somewhat helpless.

However, there is always a way.

"Just listen to my detailed explanation on this point."

The poet spoke. She always had a way, otherwise, she wouldn't have come here.

-

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the long-awaited Red Flame Festival and Fire Competition. I am the host of this competition. Uh... what should I call myself?"

An evil spirit that looked very similar to the princess, but was clearly four or five meters tall and shrouded in black energy, was sitting high up in a large teahouse. She patted her legs and spoke passionately, seeming to declare something. The second half of her words were a plea for help from the princess beside her. The princess replied,

"That's right. Their names here seem a little different from ours. But the name isn't that important right now. It's enough for everyone to know you're the chief host, isn't it?"

"Also, the atmosphere in the venue is already very heated, which proves that my sister's commentary is very effective!"

The evil spirit scratched his head and said with some dissatisfaction,

"What? I learned that from a book. You have to give your name when you're explaining something. Okay, let's not talk about that."

While this had nothing to do with the explanation of the evil spirits, the atmosphere inside was certainly electric. The square-sized teahouse was already packed with Cheongdam residents. The second and third-floor stands were even more packed. The gongs and drums were resounding, and the crowds were boisterous, some cheering, others chatting away. It was a lively scene.

Compared to the previous lifeless and dilapidated Cheongdam City, the scene before us is really unbelievable.

In the center of the first floor, a large table sat on a slightly elevated platform. Bai Lin sat nervously at one side of the long table, looking across at Ling Qing, who smiled politely at the table opposite. Anyone observing the situation could understand that these two were the focal points of this so-called competition.

The Crimson Flame Festival was a festival forgotten by the fish people for some reason. The Fire-Ignition Competition was a celebration of that event. It was a friendly competition, similar to a sporting event, where the spirit was paramount. After a week or so of recovery, most of the fish people who had been ill had recovered. Considering that the improvement was related to their emotions, and also because she wanted to show her hospitality to Bai Lin and the poet, the little princess proposed starting this festival.

The competition items were placed right next to Bai Lin's hands—baskets of bright red chili peppers. This was also the reason why she looked so nervous.

That's right, this so-called fire-burning competition is all about who can handle spicy food. Not only that, the "lantern" the fish people lost also happened to be a spicy food lover! Who would have thought that these girls, who look so clean, live by the sea, and are famous for their health resorts, actually have such an incredibly "spicy" side.

The memory of spicy food had been erased, effectively depriving them of a strong spiritual foundation, which is why the sea nightmare is so difficult to deal with. However, once it was restored, things turned around quickly. Even the most effective medication wouldn't be this effective. Even severely ill patients recovered well enough to watch the game within a week. Even if their bodies were still a little weak, they couldn't withstand the excitement of their spirit and soul.

Furthermore, this festival is a national event. Everyone eats as much spicy food as possible, which can be considered a form of...therapy.

Originally, the elimination round was supposed to be open to everyone, but out of consideration, the spot in the finals was given directly to Bai Lin, which was something the locals were happy to see. Although Bai Lin wasn't unhappy, she was unusually nervous.

Damn, is this the amount a human can eat?

Even though Bai Lin's body was now incredibly strong, her taste for flavor as an ordinary person still lingered in her memory. Eating baskets of chili peppers like this put immense psychological pressure on her. Especially after watching the fishmen's match earlier, it had made her scalp tingle.

Among southerners, she can handle spicy food. When she goes out with friends from Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, she always shares a pot of spicy food. But here...

It's simply a bright red hell.

"Spiciness is essentially a form of pain. You're the best at enduring pain, so don't be too nervous."

Chapter 981 It’s Your Turn

Before going on stage, the poet had said this to Bai Lin. Bai Lin understood the logic; having survived countless deaths, how could she possibly resist a simple spicy meal? But she simply couldn't get over this psychological barrier.

This wasn't a real fight, and she couldn't get used to the all-out resistance. Besides, she had no motivation. She'd heard there were prizes for this competition, but she had no idea what they were, and no one had told her. She'd come simply because she didn't want to spoil the atmosphere, and also because of the Qianhong people's traditional "since I'm here," mentality.

Just do your best.

Bai Lin exhaled and sat up straight. Seeing this, Ling Qing smiled even more enthusiastically.

"I'm not the best at eating spicy food in town. I was specially arranged to come because we're more familiar with each other, and it's more in line with the purpose of this competition to promote relationships. So, Holy Son, you have a chance to win. Of course, I won't show any mercy!"

"Oh!! Contestant Lingqing challenged Shengzi right from the start. She's so arrogant. Contestant Shengzi, you can't let yourself be outdone!"

"Commentaries are forbidden from fanning the flames, sister..."

Seeing the evil spirit getting more and more excited, the princess couldn't help but remind him helplessly. However, she was actually right. Sending someone who wasn't the most powerful, wasn't that just to take care of Bai Lin? It was just a provocation.

Bai Lin is a person who rarely loses momentum. Since she has decided to do a good job, she must naturally strengthen her momentum. She also laughed twice and said,

"Alright, then let's have a good fight! Just so you know, I'm also very strong."

This sentence was much weaker than Bai Lin's provocation during normal battles, and the evil spirits on the commentary desk couldn't help but snort.

"The Holy Son's lethality in a non-combat state is simply too weak."

A clear voice rang out. It was the poet who had somehow squeezed onto the commentary platform. She was calmly and nonchalantly evaluating Bai Lin's character. The previously tense atmosphere in the audience suddenly became somewhat uncontrollable. Even though the people of Cheongdam knew Bai Lin was their savior, after this week's interactions, they also knew that his easygoing nature was genuine.

The tension they'd held before was the final act of formality. Now, they were ready to laugh. After all, no one had expected Bai Lin to win from the start. The people of Qingtan, at least when it came to eating spicy food, had never lost.

Being suddenly treated like this by his own people and then laughed at by everyone, Bai Lin was of course a little embarrassed and angry.

"What should I do? I can't just start cursing. We're not enemies. Okay, since even a poet looks down on me, let's get started! There's no point in talking anymore. Let's prove everything with action."

She rolled up her sleeves, looked serious, and looked quite humorous. It seemed that she couldn't be handsome today. But since she was ready, the audience who had been waiting for a long time naturally didn't delay any longer. Our evil ghost commentator slammed the table proudly and officially announced,