Before Song Jia could open her eyes, she heard a peculiar sound. She drowsily woke up, opened her eyes a tiny bit, and realized that it was raining.
The rain beat a gentle rhythm on the roof, almost lulling Song Jia back to sleep.
"Jia'er? You woke up?"
Song Jia blinked. She saw Zhao Cheng's silhouette by the window, his face embossed with the shadows of the raindrops streaming down the glass.
Before he stopped speaking, he had already walked out of the darkness, revealing his concerned expression and reaching hands.
He helped her sit up, placing a pillow behind her back so that she would be more comfortable.
"It can rain in the underworld?"
Song Jia stared out of the window in wonder. It didn't rain blood, or some kind of gory phenomenon. What she could see from outside was normal rain, something she didn't expect from a place like this.
Zhao Cheng laughed. "Yes, I was surprised the first time I saw it too. But it also makes sense or most flowers wouldn't be able to bloom here."
He handed her a glass of water. "Are you sure you're alright? You could rest some more if you want."
"Thanks." Song Jia took a sip. "I told you, I'm fine. It was just a slight lack of sleep."
She stretched her body. "Actually, I kind of want to take a walk outside now. Too bad that it rained."
Zhao Cheng's lips curved. "Jia'er, we can still walk outside if you want."
It didn't take long for Zhao Cheng to return with two oil-paper umbrellas in his hands. He gave her the umbrella with the ink-painted purple grapes, while he himself took one that was decorated with lotus flowers.
He held out his hand to her. "Take my hand in case you slip, there are water puddles all over the garden."
Song Jia didn't argue and intertwined her fingers with his.
As they were passing by the lotus pond, Zhao Cheng suddenly spoke.
"Jia'er, you probably don't remember, but I want to thank you for the lotus wine that you gave me in our past life. It was really delicious."
Song Jia paused, then smiled. "You're welcome."
Scattered raindrops fell, dampening the petals of the flowers around them. There was the deep rolling of thunder in the distance, and the cooling air felt refreshing on their skin.
The more they walked around the garden, the more Song Jia began to notice something.
"Xu Jinhai really likes red flowers. There are almost no other colors here aside from red."
Zhao Cheng laughed and grabbed her hand. "Come, I'll tell you why he likes them."
He led her to the direction of red roses.
"Jia'er, do you know what red roses mean? It symbolizes love and passion."
He pointed at another kind of flower growing near the roses. "What about those? Jia'er, do you know what they mean?"
Song Jia followed his gaze. "Of course I know. Red tulips symbolize true and perfect love."
She had also planted tulips back in her small house.
"That's right. And the flowers next to those tulips, the red salvia, means—"
Song Jia finished, "Forever mine."
Song Jia frowned. Ye Minzhe was the the who told her about red salvias, while as for the roses and the tulips...
With each flower, she remembered a different man.
Song Jia's hand that was being held by Zhao Cheng suddenly trembled.
Zhao Cheng had told her that he had torn his soul in half so that his different incarnations would be able to find her. Then, if she were to be found, the most likely possibility would be during her transmigration missions where she possessed different bodies, leading him to believe that they were her 'reincarnations.'
"Lotus flowers, roses, tulips..."
Her field of vision blurred. Zhao Cheng had felt the slight trembling of her hand earlier and thought that she was feeling cold. He was already wrapping his outer robe around her when she suddenly pulled away from him.
"Jia'er? What's wrong?"
Song Jia stepped away. Of course he wouldn't know anything about her revelation, because he didn't think that she still had her memories. He thought that he was dealing with a different incarnation of her at each lifetime.
But...not only did she know, she even used him repeatedly to succeed in her mission.
Xiang Feng committed suicide because of her.
Lin Yitian...
Ye Minzhe...
If they were all the same person, then...
Song Jia covered her mouth with her hands. Because of this, she lost her grip on the handle of her umbrella and it fell on the ground.
"Jia'er!"
Zhao Cheng immediately rushed forward and covered her with his own umbrella before she could get soaked by the rain.
Song Jia looked up at him, her eyelashes glittering with raindrops in the weak light.
"It's impossible..." She murmured.
But how could Zhao Cheng pay attention to her strange state at this time? He nervously wiped the water on her forehead with the sleeves of his robes.
"Jia'er, you need to go inside and take a bath. It would be easy for you to catch a cold like this..."
Song Jia couldn't hear any of his words. Like a puzzle that started clicking in her mind, she realized the reason for her confusion during her transmigration missions.
The male gods only began to act oddly after she transmigrated into the body of the original host. No matter their feelings towards the original host from before, it became a complete 180 once she possessed them.
No wonder Xiang Feng liked Princess Bai Xue's face, which was very similar to Li Jia's. And it also served to explain how Lin Yitian managed to retell her the story of the two monks she had once told Zhao Cheng. Ye Minzhe also had his own peculiarities, being able to fall in love with her at first sight despite the previous hatred towards his fake half-sister.
There were hints throughout her missions, all of which she had turned a blind eye to, as if not acknowledging them meant that it wasn't happening.
Song Jia rubbed her forehead as her temples began to ache. This must be the secret Nova was keeping from her. He was probably filled with disdain about her, for not noticing something that was very obvious in hindsight.
To make a person lose someone they love over and over again...
Song Jia looked up and saw Zhao Cheng, who protected her from the rain with his umbrella. He was still trying to lead her back towards the castle, making sure that she didn't step on any puddles while she was in an absent-minded state.
He even tilted the umbrella almost wholly towards her, so that not even a drop of water can touch her clothes. Meanwhile, half of his body was getting drenched.
This man had waited thousands of years for her, being tortured by ghosts and demons in the Wangchuan river.
If he knew that she had all of her memories intact, and still made him suffer in each lifetime...
Song Jia shuddered.
There was no doubt about it.
He would definitely hate her.
Song Jia pressed a hand against her chest, taking a deep breath in. Her fingers shook. She tried to still them, but they wouldn't stop trembling even when she clenched them into fists.
Song Jia bent her head and hid her expression as they made their way back inside the castle.