I was raised in the simulator, and I’m really not a bad woman in Ark!

……

Yellow sand blew across the city of Yumen. Chongyue was stationed on the city wall of Yumen, gazing at the endless desert from afar. Although his expression was as calm as ever, those who knew him well knew that Chongyue had not smiled for several years.

After Wang woke up, he realized the consequences of his recklessness and arrogance and disappeared for more than several years after his last appearance.

His second sister also stayed indoors after realizing what her anger had led to.

Even the current real dragon himself could not make her respond at all.

If it weren't for the fact that after the fragment disappeared, the remaining fragments would feel something unusual, Chongyue would probably worry that his second sister had done something stupid.

At the same time, because of Tao's departure, many things have changed.

Although Shu still takes care of everyone's relationships, anyone can see that Shu has changed. He always stays in the house, and except for occasionally going out to help the farmers in Dahuang City with their farming when they are visited, he is always silent.

Ling, who had some restraint in drinking before, began to drink excessively. He stayed in his pavilion and did not go anywhere else. He spent his days dreaming and recalling the false fantasies of the past.

Nian was no longer playful, but locked himself in a blacksmith shop in Sichuan and worked busy all day long.

Xi, who had seemed to be coming out of the dark and even offered to give paintings to everyone, has completely disappeared without a trace, locking himself in a world of paintings one after another.

Zhongyue, who had looked for Xi once out of worry, was unable to find Xi's true whereabouts. He could only leave in disappointment after Xi said that he was fine.

Basically every fragment has undergone such a significant change.

Because of Jie's death, and also because of Tao's disappearance...

We lost two relatives at the same time, one of whom was our youngest sister who loved to help us the most.

It would be strange if everyone could live a normal life as usual.

If possible, Chongyue did not expect Jie to be resurrected, but he only hoped that Tao, who was still alive, would no longer be troubled by the sins and guilt that did not belong to her.

It would be best if I could come back, come back to everyone, so that this family that has lost a loved one would not lose the youngest sister who they already owed a lot to...

A gust of wind blew by, lifting the hem of Zhongyue's clothes, bringing with it some dust and sand, as well as a breath of Zhongyue that was extremely familiar and close.

"!"

A graceful figure wearing a black cloak and almost as tall as himself appeared silently beside him. A strong and dangerous aura made him, as a warrior, instinctively take a defensive stance. However, after he delivered a palm strike that was powerful enough to tear a mountain apart, he was easily restrained by the owner of the graceful figure.

But the gust of wind that was stirred up not only rolled up the dust and tore the clouds above Yumen, but also lifted the black hood, revealing the girl's... or rather the royal sister's exquisite and flawless face in front of Zhongyue at this moment.

Her light golden eyes sparkled as if gilded, and while she was cold and proud, she also had an aura of majesty without even being angry. Her delicate facial features were gorgeous and mature, with the delicacy that once belonged to her girlhood, yet with the added charm that was concealed by her purity as a girlhood.

Such a stunning woman, she seems to be the epitome of beauty.

Even Zhongyue, who was well-informed and steady, could not help but stare in amazement for a moment.

Then this face quickly overlapped with the girl in Zhongyue's memory hundreds of years ago, which made him ask in disbelief, "Tao... is it you?"

"Yes, it's me, and... I'm here to see you, Brother Zhongyue." Tao's voice was cold and magnetic, with the arrogance unique to a superior and an instinctive sense of oppression at the level of life.

Anyone who hears this voice can't help but want to submit to the owner of this voice.

"…The aura of Ya? Tao, could it be you?"

"Well, I killed and ate Him, and with the authority and corpse left by Jie, I became what I am now. Now I am here to 'eat' you, Brother Zhongyue."

Without denying Zhongyue's guess, Tao directly told the truth and fully informed Zhongyue in front of him of his purpose of coming here and his plan to resurrect Jie.

Tao wanted to confess his thoughts directly to Zhongyue and gain his support.

If it is not necessary, Tao does not want to fight with any fragment, even if her ultimate goal is to sacrifice herself and free all the fragments from the shackles of years.

She also didn't want to deceive any of her siblings.

After all, in Tao's opinion, her own mistake had led to Jie's death. She could not forget her second sister's angry and sad expression at that time, nor could she forget the pain and self-blame that felt as if her heart had been dug out.

Now, she wants to put an end to all this misfortune and pain once and for all.

This is true even if the ultimate price is one's own complete disappearance.

After listening to Tao's plan and feeling Tao's determination, Zhongyue fell into a long silence.

Seeing that Zhongyue was thinking, Tao didn't say much, but just quietly waited for his decision beside him.

After the sun set, he quietly and carefully put his black cloak on the body of Zhongyue who was thinking.

Then he continued to stand quietly by the side, waiting for Zhongyue's next choice.

During this period, Tao was always very nervous. After all, even though he promised that Chongyue would survive in the end, it was just his own promise.

Tao didn't think he had much weight in everyone's hearts, nor did he think that everyone could still trust him after what happened to Jie.

She was even prepared to become an enemy of Zhongyue.

But in the end, Zhongyue's choice was beyond Tao's expectations, or in other words...

In fact, Tao has never really realized what his position is in the hearts of the fragments.

She thought too little of herself and took other fragments too seriously.

Therefore, at the moment when Zhongyue made his choice, Tao, who was already ready to fight the other party, was somewhat stunned.

"I can promise you. But Tao, I also hope you understand that no one has ever blamed you for Jie's affairs. Although I don't know what Wang thinks, please don't resent him."

"He was just too reckless and not good at expressing himself. Jie... I don't think he wants you to torture yourself because of her death."

"If you really want to challenge him, you have no chance of winning if you don't have the form and intention. If your mind is not strong, you will be defeated. Only if you can see the big picture from the small details, calm the waves, and control the slightest details, will you have a chance of defeating him."

"If you are tired, exhausted, or bored on this journey, you might as well stop for a while and give yourself a break... uh, cough cough..."

Chongyue's words sounded like the advice of a father to his younger generations. He seemed to want to comfort Tao and let him give up this idea, but at the same time, he seemed to support Tao to move forward on his own path.

But before Zhongyue could finish his words, a slender hand pierced through his defenseless chest and took out Zhongyue's living heart from behind.

The white arm was stained with bright red blood, but after coughing up a mouthful of blood, Zhongyue relied on his willpower as a warrior and fell on Tao's body before Tao's black mist swallowed him up. His voice became a little weak.

But he continued as calmly and gently as a mountain:

"Tao...if you are tired, just...let yourself have a rest."

“We don’t blame you…”

"Besides, everyone misses you too...Tao Mei."

As the last words came out, Zhongyue's figure disappeared into the endless black fog along with his memories of the human world.

Tao felt the fullness in her body and the extra authority. Her whole body trembled slightly and tears flowed unconsciously from her eyes.

Finally, she fell to the ground, recalling Zhongyue's last words, covering her face with both hands, which had been filled with sadness and guilt without her knowing when, tears kept flowing out, and she apologized with a tearful tone.

"I'm sorry, Brother Zhongyue, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"I don't want this either. I also want to live a good life with you guys..."

"...But Jie died, and I ate her. Now I'm going to kill you."

"I...I can't turn back anymore, Brother Zhongyue."

She was so sad that she was trembling all over, but Tao had already made up her mind. She even took action suddenly before Zhongyue finished speaking just to avoid regretting it.

That's why she would end her own life with her own hands, no matter how regretful or sad she was at the moment.

Tao couldn't stop either.

After all, once a person is truly tainted with sin, it will be difficult to cleanse himself before atonement.

It is because of the immense love I have for every fragment, every one of my brothers and sisters.

That's why Tao has to kill them himself, then devour them and make them a part of himself.

Then she killed 'Sui' and became Sui, allowing them to live forever without any restraints...

And in the meantime, be it sin, sorrow, guilt, or hatred.

It is enough for her to bear all the burdens, bear all the responsibilities, and redeem all the debts.

As for his future, Tao never cared, and would never care...

Chapter 55: Swallowed again and again, grief again and again

[After devouring your elder brother Chongyue, you gained the authority of 'Wu'. While mastering all the martial arts in the world, you also became Wu itself.]

[When you calmed down from your grief and began to comprehend and digest the authority that belonged to Zhongyue, you realized how ridiculous it was to have planned to take action against Zhongyue after the negotiation failed.]

[Although you have mastered the authority within yourself, as well as some of Jie’s authority and Ya’s power.]

[But if Zhongyue really fights you, then the best outcome is that both you and Zhongyue will suffer losses.]

[If we add the sword that Shigetake kept in the shop, which was transformed from the scars of the years. ]

[Then the only outcome is that you will be defeated by Zhongyue without any suspense.]

[It can be said that because of the guilt in his heart and his affection for you, Zhongyue chose to put his life on you and gave you everything he had.]

【If you don’t succeed, you will die. 】

[In Zhongyue's opinion, this is the only compensation that he, an unqualified elder brother, can give you.]

【It is not difficult for you to see these now. 】

[Your physical problems caused by self-eating have been healed in the past few years because you digested the remaining authority of Jie and devoured Ya.]

[Now you have not only grown up physically, but also grown up mentally. 】

[Although... in your heart, you still hope that you are still everyone's youngest sister. ]

[After a brief moment of sadness and mourning for the temporarily deceased Zhongyue, you buried the Zhongyue headdress that you had specially left behind under the old locust tree, poured a few bowls of wine toward the tree, drank a glass yourself, and left Yumen with the sword that could guarantee you and Sui would exchange one for one.]

[Yumen City still stands in the desert in the north of Dayan, resisting the threat from evil spirits. ]

[In fact, you once loved this frontier city very much. Having lived here for two hundred years, you once regarded it as your second hometown. ]

[This is the last time I saw Yumen Gate running as usual even without Zhongyue guarding it.]

[You find that you don’t seem to have much affection for this city anymore.]

[So you took one last deep look at this lonely city on the border, and then, with the yellow sand and wind bidding you farewell, you left this place as silently as when you came.]

[You returned to Dayan after being away for many years. ]

[The painting formed by the interweaving of mountains and rivers is still beautiful and moving, and the vast world seems to have always been like this and has never changed. ]

[But in reality, everything in this world has become more and more specious than it was back then. ]

[You look at the vast and boundless world and mountains of Dayan. In the past, you only thought that Dayan’s scenery should be like this, but now you feel lonely and sad in your heart.]

[If possible, you would like your time to stay forever on the day when you are accepted by everyone again. ]

[Even if I have to endure endless hunger, even if my body and consciousness are damaged. ]

【But at least you were the happiest at that time...】

[It’s a pity that there is no “if” in this world, and those beautiful times have become memories of the past. ]

[You have already embarked on a path of no return. Choosing to retreat would be a betrayal of everything, a betrayal of Jie's death, a betrayal of Zhongyue's trust, and also a betrayal of... your own original wishes and obsessions. ]

【Then, you found other fragments.】

[Because everyone already knows the cause and effect of what happened with Dui Jie, no one has ever blamed you.

After hearing your plan, although some of the fragments were a little scared, they also completed the last thing they wanted to do during their time with you, fulfilled their inner wishes, and willingly became a part of you, leaving you a gift that they thought might help you fight against the years. 】

[Nian used the scales and blood you left her to forge a weapon. She wanted to give it to you early, but after she finished forging the weapon, she was unable to give it to you because of Jie's death and your departure.]

[After having fun with you in Bashu for more than a month, trying bungee jumping, afternoon tea, super spicy hot pot, a day trip to Bashu, etc., I gave you this forged weapon.]

[As for the name, Nian casually gave it the name ‘Tiet’. It was a very careless name, but the moment you held the hilt, from the weight of the sword and the faint resonance, you could clearly feel everything Nian had put into forging this weapon.]

[Nian was actually one of the fragments that least wanted to face the disappearance, but even so, she was still mentally prepared after learning about your plan. ]

[As the forger of this 'Tie' sword, Nian's only request for her own 'death' is that you can use her life to test whether this 'Tie' sword is easy to use.]

[You agreed to Nian's request, and easily pierced Nian's chest with the 'Tie', causing Nian to die in your arms and become a part of you.]

【You didn’t cry this time. 】

[Because before you killed and devoured Nian, you had already killed Chongyue, the second sister, Ji, the fourth brother, the fifth brother, the sixth brother, and Ling.]

[Before she died, Ling just drank quietly, wrote a farewell poem, and then died in your arms in the pavilion under the moonlight, admiring the beautiful scenery, becoming your nourishment. In the letter she left for you, she wrote down the location of the scars of the years she saw in her past 'dreams' and possible weaknesses.]

[After learning about you, the second sister took the initiative to find you. She apologized to you deeply for what happened that year and begged for your forgiveness. After you told her that you never hated her, the second sister hugged you tightly and agreed to your plan, risking everything on you.]