The Hunter and the Hermit
The Hunter and the Hermit
"This book is called the record of first lives in the history of the Lu family," said Lu Xingyan as she showed the book to her sister-in-law. She wasn't sure if Shi Enxi would be able to see the writings inside but she was one of those people who had a rebirth thanks to her brother's influence so she might just end up seeing it. She handed the book to her and stared carefully.
Shi Enxi was hesitant when she received the book. It looked like time has passed on the book, as if it survived a hundred years in this world. She also noticed the way Lu Xingyan was looking at her and the book as if she was waiting for something to happen. What was she waiting for? Was she waiting for her to open the book?
And so, she opened the book and looked at it.
Huh?
She turned the pages one by one, it was empty. "There's nothing written on it." Shi Enxi said with a frown. Was Lu Xingyan playing around with her? Although she was not the type to do that tho...
On the other hand, Lu Mello who was sitting beside his wife saw the words, the writings in the book so he was confused when his wife asked the question. "You can't see it?"
"No, I can't. There's nothing written."
Lu Xingyan cupped her chin as she murmured, "Then that means only the people with the blood of the Lu can see..." But to make sure about this theory she would have to show it to her mother and her uncle Lu Xian Yu.
Xia Meilin had a rebirth and Lu Xian Yu didn't have one so they were the perfect people to test the theory. She could also show the book to her younger brothers and ask them if they could see the writings in the book. She didn't have to let them read it.
"So you're saying that... this book has something to do to why we had a rebirth?" Shi Enxi asked, raising a brow. It was hard to believe especially when there was no proof of this magical book. They were talking about something impossible but what happened to them; having a rebirth, was something no one would think could happen so what they were saying could be true too. It was just... hard for Shi Enxi to believe.
Lu Xingyan nodded in conformity, "Yes. There are four lives of men, including my great grandfather, father, and my brother in it and three lives of women in the Lu family."
"So why is this happening to your family?" Shi Enxi asked, placing the book on the coffee table.
Lu Mello sighed, "We believe that it must be something related to what our great grandfather had been telling us for bedtime. It's a story about a hunter and the hermit."
Hunter and the Hermit? She had never heard of a story like that.
He began telling the tale, "In the story, the hunter happened to be the most hated person in his tribe since he was selfish, and would always bring trouble to everyone. He was a prideful man. The only reason why the tribe hasn't kicked him out yet was because he was their best hunter."
"He had feelings for the chief's daughter and he did his best to get her attention but failed. No one would like to marry a hateful man like him."
"One day, while he was out hunting, he came across a hermit who was surrounded by a group of bandits. The hunter could have passed by and ignored but he wanted to do something different this time, he went to save the hermit and fought the group of bandits. It was just... He was outnumbered so he ended up being killed by the thieves. The hermit he helped happened to be the god of time. He reversed the time and the hunter woke up to his younger self, maybe 2 or 3 years back."
"What was surprising was when he woke up, the hermit was inside his tent, looking at him. The hermit rewarded the hunter a book for saving him and disappeared into thin air. Since then, the hunter changed. He was even able to marry the girl he loves in the end."
Shi Enxi: "..." Isn't that a typical children's tale?
He continued, "Our great-grandpa would always say that the moral of the story is 'Second chances are given to those who desired happiness, for those who were willing to change.' It's weird since the normal moral one would think of will probably, 'Be good to others' or 'help people in need and you will receive a reward' something like that."
"If only great-grandpa is still alive," sighed Lu Xingyan. They were the only people who knew the book. She has yet to tell her parents about it.
Shi Enxi looked back and forth between the two Lu siblings. She had a hard time believing that fairytale especially when she was the kind of person who didn't believe in supernatural beings but despite that, there was a small part of her that wanted to believe especially because of what happened. She was dead and yet was brought back to life. No one would believe something like that if she told others about it.
"I've read all the first lives written in the book and one thing is for sure: life is replaced bydeath and death is replaced by life when it comes to people who didn't belong in the Lu family; those who are not blood-related. Mother and you, Jiejie."
The younger twin lowered her head as she continued, "Mother lost uncle Sisi... He died instead of getting treated successfully when mom's past self came to the present. In the book, uncle Sisi lived. After killing dad, he continued with his medication and the treatment went successful. He was able to live a long life with aunt Bingbing too... They had two sons. Mengmeng didn't exist in that life."
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A/N:
I will write this part with more details and be further discussed in DSB's Volume 2: The Lu family's Secret. *winks*