[JX3] Her Chenghuang

Dear devoted Chenghuang, please wait one more lifetime.

-

Lin Songning has known since childhood that she was different from other people.

Stray cats would follow her home of their own accord, injured birds would deliberately drop onto her windowsill, and even the most aggressive brown bear at the zoo would quiet down when it saw her.

She could vaguely sense animals' emotions: fear, pain, or simple happiness.

She had always been careful to keep this ability secret.

Until she met Yan Qing at a wildlife rescue center at the age of twenty-four.

He was a new special consultant, so professional it was almost unbelievable. Even the fiercest animals became docile in his hands.

He always looked at her in a peculiar way, as though he had known her for a long time.

Strange things began happening in the city: pets grew agitated all at once, flocks of birds flew about wildly for no reason, and the animals in the mountains migrated en masse...

During a rescue late one night, Lin Songning was targeted by something invisible. At the critical moment, Yan Qing appeared out of nowhere. He pinned a warped shadow in midair with his bare hands, and strange golden markings surfaced on his palm.

"Who are you, really?" She took a step back.

Yan Qing didn't answer right away. He stepped closer, his gaze falling just below her collarbone.

There, a small patch of skin was faintly warm. It was a birthmark she'd had since birth, but it had never shown any unusual signs.

"They recognize this." His voice was low. "So do I. I've been searching for it for over a thousand years."

That night, Lin Songning had a vivid dream.

In it, she saw a young woman in the wilderness, always accompanied by a white-and-gold divine beast. On nights with bright moonlight, the beast would lower its head and gently touch her chest with the mark on its forehead.

The marking on the young woman's chest was identical to hers.

*A short story, one couple, happy ending

*An alternate modern setting: a Chenghuang who has taken human form x a reincarnated Maiden of All Spirits

*You can think of it as taking place a thousand years after the world of Jian Wang 3, but you don't need to have played the game to enjoy it. At heart, it's a sweet past-and-present-life romance

*Chenghuang lore from Jian Wang 3: They originally have no names. Their contract partner gives them a name, once in their lifetime, and only one person can do so. Chenghuang live far longer than humans. When their contract partner reaches the end of their life, the Chenghuang returns to the sacred land bearing the name given to them by that partner, and sleeps there, taking no interest in worldly affairs until their own life comes to an end. Their power then returns to the world, nourishing new life. If a Chenghuang never finds someone whose heart resonates with theirs, they remain nameless and live out their life alone.

Theme: Love can transcend a thousand years