Chapter 97: Blood Moon Disease
The daughter was a caring little guardian angel.
But sometimes, the daughter wore a thorny vest the wrong way around.
Sakurai felt a sharp pang in his heart.
He discovered that with Bai Wei's handsome face by his side, his daughter's affinity and mood seemed to remain uplifted.
This was supposed to be a joyful moment, as he had to leave and entrust his daughter to this young man.
But what is the cause of this fiercely burning fire inside his heart? Is it the tender love of a caring father?
"It was clear as day, this was the ugly green-eyed monster in the old man's heart…" declared Bai Wei, with finality.
"Be quiet!"
Sakurai roared in his heart, "This is my daughter!"
He gazed at the peacefully slumbering adorable little girl and whispered, "She is my daughter…"
Holding the little girl's hand firmly.
Sakurai lowered his head and couldn't help but let out a choked sob, "Why can't I have a little more time to live? Just a bit more time to be with her. All these years, I've been constantly chasing after debts, earning money, scamming… but in the end, I didn't have much time to spend with her. She had to worry about me, care about my safety. All I want is to see her grow up, healthy and strong."
Bai Wei fell silent.
After some time passed, Sakurai quietly released his grip on her hand and stood up, saying, "Let's go."
"Don't you stay a little longer?"
"No, if I stay any longer, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave. But I need to go now, right?"
Sakurai turned around and walked to the door of the hospital room. He held onto the doorknob, gritting his teeth. He pressed his forehead against the door and slowly, with great difficulty, turned the knob.
The door swung open, and a ray of bright light streamed into the room, like a gateway to a distant and magical world.
"Daughter, I am leaving, my dear,"
Sakurai couldn't hold back his emotions and turned around to look deeply at his little princess. He silently called out, waving his hand in farewell.
"Daughter, Daddy is going away!"
No one responded inside the room, and the door slowly closed shut.
The girl on the sickbed quietly shed tears and softly called out, "Daddy."
Unaware of whether she heard her father bidding her a gentle farewell in her dreams.
…
On the way leaving the hospital, Sakurai transformed into an ethereal figure, hovering by Bai Wei's side.
"Thank you," Sakurai said kindly.
"Why are you saying it just now?"
"Is it too early, or is it too late?" Sakurai chuckled sadly. "I have already caused you a lot of trouble, and it wouldn't be right to continue causing more."
"What do you mean?"
"Should I kneel down and beg you to take care of my daughter?" the fraudster said, shaking his head as he chuckled. "This trick won't work. I've deceived too many people. Even if I were to kneel down in submission, I would do so without hesitation."
"Do you think I would neglect her?"
"You can't control this," Sakurai knew deep in his heart. "She doesn't have much time left, even if she continues to stay in the hospital, there isn't much time… Thank you nevertheless. I've been a fraudster for half of my life, and to end up with this outcome, I am already content… What lies ahead, I don't know. Truly, I don't know. Perhaps I should wait down here, wait for her to come down, so that father and daughter can embark on the journey together."
In his words and in the way he looked, there was tiredness and a deep sense of despair.
Sakurai, also known as Bai Wei, raised his hand and gave a loud slap. After spinning around three and a half times, Sakurai fell to the ground.
"This statement, anyone can make, except for you,"
Sakurai opened his mouth wide, gave a strong pat on his face, and slowly stood up.
"It was my fault, I shouldn't have said that. Let's forget about those words I just said! I definitely didn't say them!"
He appeared as if he had forgotten the deep despair and weariness from before, transforming back into the talkative role of a father.
"I'll continue to share some things about my daughter with you, just in case she asks you something later and you give yourself away."
"Sure," nodded Bai Wei.
"I used to be a respectable person back in the day, you know…"
The middle-aged person began to reminisce about the thick years of past, starting from his own childhood, moving on to adulthood, and then speaking about getting married.
"My wife is very beautiful, you can tell just by looking at my daughter. She is a beauty, and yet she chose me. Talk about poor taste!"
"When she was alive, I used to often tell her funny jokes as a couple, making our daughter laugh heartily. There were quite a few of such moments, let me show you one…"
"Sakurai Shiru… doesn't really sound like a name from Yingzhou, right? Well, my wife came up with it. She searched through a dictionary and ended up using one from the Ming Country!"
"She wasn't very good at cooking, but surprisingly, my daughter had some skill. At the age of seven, she could stir-fry dishes and it amazed me. Well, it was the month after my wife passed away. She stood on a stool and cooked a braised eggplant dish that tasted even better than what I made."
"My daughter is truly very sensible, even though she's so young. If she grows up safely, she will definitely become a gentle and independent young lady. She'll find a husband who is much more reliable than her father. But deep down, I actually hope she won't be that mature…"
Bai Wei listened as Sakurai spoke endlessly, buying a warm can of tea and holding it in his palms to keep his hands warm.
His voice became slower and shallower, lighter and lighter, until it reached a certain limit.
"My daughter… I entrust her to you…"
Bai Wei glanced sideways and saw the middle-aged man standing at the street corner across the alley. The man bowed and stooped, displaying a level of respect and humility that he had never experienced before in his life.
A taxi drove past the alleyway, its lights flashing briefly, as the figures scattered silently and disappeared into the sky.
Bai Wei unscrewed the hot tea bottle and took a sip, tilting his head back as he drank.
"A bit bitter."
…
Tonight felt unusually long, with three more hours until dawn. In the midst of this seemingly endless night, Bai Wei strolled restlessly, unable to find any inclination to sleep.
In one night, he ran to many places, met many people, and did many things.
There were some things that he could watch as an observer from the sidelines, but there were also things that he couldn't.
At least, he couldn't bear the thought of watching Sakurai Shiru wander in exile and eventually perish in some desolate corner.
It was just that he couldn't bear it, his heart ached too much, and he couldn't find peace of mind.
At the same time, there was also a certain kind of curiosity stirring within him.
Above Sakurai Shiru's head, there was a symbol of exclamation. Not just any symbol, but a vibrant red exclamation mark filled with thorns that represented her entire life.
She had two entries in her profile: the first was 'A Descendant of the Chaotic Witches', and the second was the name of the illness she suffered from.
As Bai Wei journeyed, he walked and pondered along the way.
"The descendant of the Chaotic Witches… which means the bloodline of witches. Unexpectedly, they have appeared in Yingzhou, where there are not many racial exchanges. If they are outsiders, they could only be from Europa. Perhaps they are descendants of the Black Rose Order."
"This web of relationships is placed here, and I can no longer stand idly by, watching her face the threat of death."
"What matters most is not her identity and lineage, but her illness… I had seen this illness five hundred years ago."
This disease is called the 'Blood Moon Disease'.
To talk about the Blood Moon Disease, we have to go back in time to an ancient era.
In the intricate web of mythical origins, the Chaotic Witch was an ancient god.
When the ancient gods and goddesses were compared, she could easily secure a place among the top ten.
In the ancient battles of gods, the Old Gods either perished, shattered, or retreated from the physical realm.
The Chaotic Witch unquestionably met her demise. She was defeated by the Supreme Will, as recounted in the ancient tales of the teaching nation. The seven archangels firmly secured her lifeless body, while the spear wielded by the Supreme Will personally impaled her upon the moon. The blood that poured from the heart of the Chaotic Witch filled the craters on the lunar surface, causing fluctuating gains and losses every seven lunar cycles, reaching their peak during the month of December each year.
Legend has it that the Chaotic Witch has not completely perished even to this day. The curse they carry is said to be embodied in her haunting melody.
Therefore, the moon in the month of December would always glow with a reddish hue, earning the name "Red Moon" in history.
Since ancient times, the moon has been one of the mysteries. It is the closest point to the spiritual world, thus brimming with almost infinite magic. However, due to its proximity to the spiritual world, it is also highly dangerous. Most earthly creatures rely on the purifying light of the sun and moon to cultivate themselves. Many nocturnal beings have a deep reverence for the ancient moon worship.
No one knows for certain if the phenomenon of the Red Moon is real, but during the month of December, the moonlight's magical powers become turbulent. The overflowing magic scatters like crimson dots, sprinkling onto the Earth and causing irreversible effects.
In the month of December, when the moon shines crimson, it brings forth a dreadful affliction known as the Blood Moon Disease upon those with dragon blood running through their veins, turning them into bloodthirsty creatures. Their magical powers become uncontrollable, their ability to heal becomes a curse, and they transform into grotesque and hideous monsters. This malady also causes physical discomfort among the orc population, with those who are furry experiencing sudden hair loss, and those with scales undergoing abrupt molting. There was a Dragonborn who refused to believe in such superstitions, but alas, through a hundred and three consecutive moltings, he sadly shed his own life away.
All these things were the negative effects of the Blood Moon, affecting the most in the Europa continent. As for the Ming Country and Yingzhou… that part is not very clear.
In the land of Europa, the red moonlight was known as the Scarlet Curse.
The illness it causes is widely known as the "Blood Moon Disease."
