15. The Curse.

"The last stroke turned into an inescapable curse, haunting the depths of their souls, forever etching its malevolence upon their existence."

A curse!

Lu Shui Hua's throat tightened as he struggled to comprehend the gravity of the situation. His breath hung in the air, trapped by the weight of Huo Nüshén's words. The food on his plate lay untouched, forgotten, as his trembling hands found solace in the fabric of his clothes, attempting to steady his frayed nerves.

"What do you mean?" he managed to utter, his eyes locked unwaveringly onto Huo Nüshen, refusing to look away.

"This time, their actions transcended all bounds of imagination," Huo Nüshen began, his voice reverberating through the vast room. "They desecrated the very essence of his purpose, rousing the dormant beast within. They transformed the bestower of blessings and prosperity, the guardian of humanity, into a harbinger of anguish and nightmares—a heartless sovereign of relentless strife. They birthed an unfathomable creature of torment and mercilessness, and none could escape the havoc it wreaked."

Huo Nüshen's words hung in the air, their chilling echoes sending shivers down Lu Shui Hua's spine, ensnaring him in an inescapable trance.

"W-what led him to this state? What did they do?" Lu Shui Hua stammered, his voice quivering with trepidation.

Huo Nüshén sighed, his weariness palpable.

"Shui Hua," he called out, his voice laden with sorrow. "Do you know why humans were bestowed this gift by the universe?"

Lu Shui Hua furrowed his brow, perplexed. "Why?"

"It was born out of injustice. The helplessness they endured, the unfair treatment they faced, their innocence and inability to fight for themselves, their ceaseless pleas for aid and hope... That is why they were granted this gift."

"My master never abandoned them, never ceased to care, for he knew of their helplessness, their need for him, their ignorance. But when they turned their backs on him, even after discovering his existence, he turned his back on them completely."

"Turned away?" Lu Shui Hua inquired, his curiosity piqued. "How?"

"It all transpired during his one-hundredth reincarnation," Huo Nüshén revealed, his voice tinged with mystery, transporting Lu Shui Hua back to a bygone era.

"It was a time when dark magic and sorcery seeped into the realm, introduced by sinister forces. Seers emerged, and men put their faith in their visions, craving knowledge of their future and the fortunes they would amass. They found fulfillment in these prophecies."

"As the days passed, the number of believers multiplied, and people entrusted their fates to the seers, placing unyielding trust and casting their hopes without caution. Such was their devotion that they elevated the seers to godlike status, fearing and obeying their every word."

"One among them, Zhou Gi Don, caught a glimpse of my master's reincarnation. He was hailed as the greatest seer of all time, a figure instilling fear in all who encountered him. He held sway as the King's right-hand man and personal advisor."

"He keenly sensed it before it inevitably unfolded, beholding the immense power that lay ahead, and trepidation gripped him for he knew that his days were numbered should my master be reborn. Though he lacked the might to halt this impending fate, how could he possibly compare himself to the formidable forces that governed the entire realm? Mere as a seer, devoid of any other extraordinary abilities, he devised a cunning strategy. Craftily, he forged a foreboding omen concerning my master and seeded malicious thoughts within the king's mind, instilling wariness that prompted him to issue a decree to eliminate my master.

"Soon after the king's decree, word swiftly spread throughout the land. Such was the unwavering faith in the seer and the paralyzing fear invoked by his every prophecy that the innocent children born during that year became targets of a merciless hunt, sanctioned by the king's orders, they were slaughtered, bloodshed raging throughout every threshold that lay a newborn. Little did they fathom that my master was the guardian of humanity, a harbinger of prosperity and abundance through the gift of immortality. With each reincarnation, he emerged even more formidable, growing in unfathomable strength... always returning stronger."

"Right under their unsuspecting noses, he blossomed like every other child, concealed from the prying eyes of mighty seers who instilled fear in all...And just when they believed victory was theirs, he ascended to the heart of the cosmos, rousing dark forces to scatter in terror. From the mightiest to the meekest, they all found themselves stripped of power."

"Not a solitary one of them retained any vestige of their once extraordinary capabilities. Whispers began to ignite like an uncontrollable inferno, carrying the news that the seers had been stripped of their powers, inciting a cacophony of murmurs that plunged the entire country into chaos, for they had relied solely on the seers. They voiced their grievances to the king, and the elders emerged, determined to unearth the root of their collective affliction."

"It was then that Zhou Gi Don arose, resolving to venture into the depths of the earth, where darkness existed in its purest form. He forged alliances with the forces of evil and unveiled my master's prophecy, returning to the people and revealing to the king the source of their alleged downfall."

"This presented the people with an opportunity to embrace the gift bestowed by the universe. However, tainted by false rumors of his past, they turned against him, uniting their strength in a relentless pursuit... but how? He cannot be pursued, for he personifies the very essence of the universe, their guiding savior."

"They exerted every conceivable effort to resurrect the forces of darkness, but his presence rendered all their endeavors futile. This only served to fuel their anger. They conspired to eliminate him, and in that fateful moment, their deepest thoughts and desperate yearning to reject the universe's gift materialized into a curse.".—a testament to their rejection.

"A curse designed to rid themselves of the bestowed gift..." Huo Nüshen sighed. "From that day onward, the weakness of the universe's power emerged from the depths of a lake brimming with unfiltered hatred... The Green Water Flower arose."