God's Gift

Shen Minghua's quiet gaze fell on Ye Li's face. He stared at Ye Li for a long time, but did not directly answer Ye Li's question. Instead, he said:

"I'm glad you're still here."

Ye Li did not understand what Shen Minghua meant. She frowned, somewhat annoyed that Shen Minghua deliberately changed the subject:

“If I’m not here, where else should I be?”

Shen Minghua looked at Ye Li's angry expression, coughed and laughed: "After the tunnel collapsed, I thought we would experience life and death again this time."

There was blood on the corner of his mouth, and he smiled and repeated: "I'm glad to see you again."

The fire flickered, and Shen Minghua's face became increasingly blurred in the dim light. That smile made Ye Li dazed.

Such a focused look, as if he was loving her.

Such a thought made Ye Li feel a little nervous. She quickly turned her face away, paused for a moment, and only looked at Shen Minghua again after calming herself down.

Parting in life or death?

Ye Li understood that all of Shen Minghua's affection now was for A Li.

She took a deep breath and distanced herself from Shen Minghua without leaving any trace. "Shen Minghua, I was sorry for you during the last trial. But you still have to understand that I am not the Ali from Gusu City."

"The 'me' in the trial lost all my memories and became Ali. She grew up in a completely different environment and has a completely different personality from me. Don't confuse me with her."

Shen Minghua smiled slightly, as if he had already seen through Ye Li's thoughts, "Since you are not A-Li, I have always had a question for you."

Ye Li nodded, "You ask."

Shen Minghua looked at Ye Li and spoke slowly: "If it was you in the Hundred Ghosts Formation, what would you choose?"

Ye Li was stunned for a moment, then he looked up at Shen Minghua. His expression was calm, without any hint of urgency.

Ye Li lowered his eyes and clenched his fingers gradually.

After a long time, amid the crackling sound of burning firewood, Ye Li finally spoke.

"If the choice is only between Taoist Minghua and Ning Jin..."

""I would choose Ning Jin."

Ye Li did not lie. She raised her eyes to look at Shen Minghua, but did not see any surprise or sadness on his face. His eyes were gentle and calm, as if he already knew Ye Li's answer.

Ye Li's heart trembled slightly, and after a few seconds of silence, he explained:

"A-Li was originally just a hungry stray cat wandering the streets. If it weren't for Ning Jin, she would probably only have lived for two or three years."

"It was Ning Jin who picked up A-Li, raised her, helped her develop intelligence and transform into a human form, and gave her everything she has now."

"To Ali, Ning Jin is her mother."

"Even though Ning Jin became a ghost, she never hurt A Li. So even though Ning Jin used A Li later, A Li was willing to do so."

"And Taoist Minghua..." Ye Li paused and looked at Shen Minghua, "A-Li does like Taoist Minghua, but how can love be greater than the grace of my mother saving my life and raising me for a hundred years."

"So even if Ali likes Taoist Minghua, he will never betray Ning Jin for him."

After Ye Li finished speaking, Shen Minghua did not respond for a long time and the air became silent.

His face flickered in the firelight, and it became increasingly difficult for Ye Li to see his expression. For some reason, Ye Li's throat felt like it was pierced by a needle, and every time he opened his mouth, a bloody mark was drawn in his throat.

She swallowed and said something to make amends: "I think if I were Ali, facing Ning Jin, whom I regard as my second parent, even if she wanted my life, I would give it to her without hesitation."

Shen Minghua remained silent. In the quiet air, Ye Li continued:

"Master Minghua is certainly a good person, but he is only someone that A-li has liked for a few short months. If A-li betrays Ning Jin for him, then wouldn't that make him an ungrateful person?"

Shen Minghua's gaze fell on Ye Li, his eyes dazed.

It was very strange that every word Ye Li said was saying that she did not choose him, but his heart was leaning towards her more and more uncontrollably.

"Ali." Shen Minghua spoke suddenly, but this Ali made Ye Li a little confused. She couldn't tell whether he was calling her Ye Li or Ali from Gusu.

"You said you are not Ali, but you analyzed all of Ali's decisions in detail. I'm afraid you know her better than she knows herself."

Hearing Shen Minghua's words, Ye Li was a little dazed for a moment. She had always firmly believed that Ali, who grew up in a different environment, was not her, but now she began to waver.

"The soul in Ah Li's body is always Ye Li's. You just lost your memory temporarily and lived in a cat's body for another hundred years. You didn't experience any reincarnation."

“Even if your personalities change, what you have in your bones remains the same.”

"But forgetting everything is no different from reincarnation." Ye Li subconsciously retorted, she couldn't accept it. If Ah Li was Ye Li, then she was the one who killed Shen Minghua with her own hands.

It was precisely because she knew that she would make the same choice that she didn't want such a thing to happen, and she didn't want to be Ali.

After all, Ye Li didn't want to come to blows with Shen Minghua.

Shen Minghua sighed, "As for what A-Li said, Taoist Minghua's personality is different from mine, and he is not me either."

"But if I'm not Taoist Minghua, why should I differentiate between you and A-Li? After all, it's Taoist Minghua who likes A-Li, not me, Shen Minghua."

Ye Li said without hesitation: "You just confused yourself with Taoist Minghua, so you fell in love with me."

"I didn't." Shen Minghua leaned against the wall of the tunnel, his tone firm, "I can still tell the difference between Shen Minghua and Taoist Minghua."

Ye Li was slightly startled: "Then why did you..."

"Because the one who liked Ye Li from the beginning to the end was Shen Minghua." Shen Minghua's voice was as light as the wind, "So Taoist Minghua, who has Shen Minghua's soul, will like A Li, who has Ye Li's soul."

"No matter who he becomes, Shen Minghua will always like Ye Li."

"So whether you are Ali or not, it makes no difference to me."