Alone, Beautifully – Chapter 104
by Little PandaMy Wife (16)
“Why are you suddenly so stiff?”
Xu Jiao lay calmly inside the coffin board.
Zheng Zhiyu, clothed in red, stood by the riverbank, with rows of red candles at her feet burned down to the last, nearly at the point of extinguishing. The wax tears flowed slowly, blooming into large red flowers on the muddy ground, swaying with the candlelight to the woman’s feet.
The woman’s excessively pale, bloodless face was calmly staring at the river surface, seemingly searching for the trace of the earlier water ghost. After a while, she squatted down, her red sleeves drooping down, falling straight into the river.
In places invisible to the naked eye, the blood color, carrying an eerie ghostly aura, quickly submerged into the river, swiftly seeking the target’s trace according to her will.
Zheng Zhiyu lowered her gaze to the water’s surface, and after a while, slowly turned her head to look in the direction of the already opened coffin lid, and spoke:
“Is this hard board still quite comfortable to lie on? Why not come out?”
Xu Jiao’s closed-off state was broken, as she raised her hand to support the wooden coffin’s edge, sitting up while looking at the starry sky, and suddenly said, “You know what they want to do, right?”
A hint of a smile appeared in Zheng Zhiyu’s eyes, though in the night this expression seemed somewhat eerie. She looked at Xu Jiao, who was raising her head to look at the sky, and after a long while, slowly spoke:
“It’s not a big matter.”
“I will solve everything, don’t worry.”
She didn’t want Xu Jiao to know what kind of family she had.
Although earlier, when they returned to this village, Xu Jiao’s confrontation with the couple did not fall into a disadvantage, and after taking action, she showed no signs of sadness. However, Zheng Zhiyu knew somewhat that this person was very good at hiding her inner heart and did not want her to see this darkness.
Xu Jiao turned her head to look at her, and after a while, she lightly replied, “I can’t always rely on you. Rest assured, I’ve seen people more disgusting than them; this is nothing.”
Zheng Zhiyu hesitated for a second but still spoke.
As her words ended, she seemed to want to ask something else, but suddenly a burst of water splashing sounds came from the water’s surface. Zheng Zhiyu immediately turned her head; red blood was stripped from her sleeve by an invisible force, transforming into heavy evil energy blood drops flying towards the source of the sound.
Xu Jiao didn’t feel the slightest bit of misfortune sitting inside the coffin. Seeing Zheng Zhiyu’s actions, she thought for a moment; this water ghost had somewhat saved her back then. It was possible to refuse this unreasonable ghost, but there was no need to let him end up with his soul scattered—
“How about sending him to reincarnate?”
She thought for a moment, feeling this was the most reasonable way to avoid retaliation and not have to fight to the end with the other side.
From the faint white shadow that just drifted over the water’s surface, she could guess that this water ghost’s cultivation was certainly not as good as Zheng Zhiyu’s. Facing him directly, he could only be beaten like her younger brother.
Zheng Zhiyu heard her proposal and found it amusing: “You want me, an evil ghost, to send a little ghost to reincarnate?”
Xu Jiao pondered for two seconds: “Not you, didn’t you say there was a master? That person, in order to act appropriately, should carry some standard transcendence equipment on him. We’ll wait and then… follow through.”
Zheng Zhiyu looked at her seriously saying that word “follow,” with the faint smile in her eyes growing more intense. She used a blood line to bind the water ghost that tried to slip into the river, gathered it into her sleeve, and then headed toward Xu Jiao, casually saying:
“Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
Xu Jiao didn’t allow killing, so there would be no killing.
Yet.
Zheng Zhiyu glanced at Xu Jiao’s appearance and reminded her: “But don’t have too high expectations for that fake. I can smell it; the yin evil energy on him is not something a monk could have.”
Xu Jiao stepped over the high side of the coffin board, exiting from inside, and as she landed on the ground, she countered with, “Eh?”
Zheng Zhiyu squinted her eyes a bit.
As if recalling something.
After a few seconds, she said, “That guy is not simple. A living person, with yin energy heavier than a dead person, is either entangled by an evil force, or is just…”
Xu Jiao: “?”
Zheng Zhiyu paused for a moment, then continued with a not-so-good expression: “Either he’s been with something of very deep cultivation for a long time, or perhaps… more than one.”
Xu Jiao raised an eyebrow: “Wow.”
Does this mean this master is at least a small boss-level person?
She originally wanted to go back and settle accounts with the Xu family couple, but now hearing Zheng Zhiyu say this, her steps suddenly stopped, and she pondered the beginning and end of this matter.
“You say he knew my identity before I was born; he certainly calculated this to go to the Xu family. Besides money, he also took away the ghost energy left by the Ghost King from me—”
“Now, he has accepted these two old fellows’ invitation again, under the guise of helping them. Although he wants money, there’s obviously a bigger purpose behind it.”
“Looking back, when I was just born, he knew rural people were superstitious and afraid of ghost children. But he must have found a way to make the two of them keep me, and knowing they would fear and reject me, he gave them a bit of favor, making them remember that I could bring them wealth. Yet when they were about to become rich, this wealth disappeared.”
“He wants to manipulate the Xu family because there’s a bigger use for them.”
“He wants me to draw out the Ghost King, and if I were in a wealthy family that treated me well, I certainly wouldn’t be full of resentment. I would be happy and joyful, and even if the Ghost King appeared, nothing significant would happen… but if I grew up in such a family, I’d definitely be full of resentment. Once the Ghost King emerges, it would likely stand up for me. This kind of resentful ghost, he wants to obtain more, right?”
Among these, there are still some subtle logical problems that Xu Jiao hasn’t smoothed out yet, and she’s not sure whether the repetition of this wealth fortune is related to the other party’s manner. However, the other guesses are indeed very close.
Zheng Zhiyu also had her own thoughts, but she didn’t speak yet. Instead, she walked to Xu Jiao’s side and asked:
“Do you want the Ghost King to come out?”
Xu Jiao looked up at her, the corners of her lips forming a negligible arc before quickly falling. After a while, she lightly said, “According to the current story development, I actually feel the Ghost King is very much like you.”
Although she hasn’t seen Zheng Zhiyu’s full strength and doesn’t know exactly how terrifying the other party is, Xu Jiao just feels this way.
After all, this is a novel.
In life, there will be many coincidences and accidents because the world’s operating rules and natural laws are more complex and hidden. But the world of a novel is still constructed by people. Even if it is closer to reality, there are still many things in it that cannot be explained by logic.
Xu Jiao, thinking of herself as the protagonist from the first-person perspective, noticed that none of the ghosts she encountered were as strong as Zheng Zhiyu. Combining this with the strange appearance of the other party and the extraordinary connection they had, even though Zheng Zhiyu doesn’t remember many memories, but…
This guess seems very reliable.
Moreover, the entanglement of two lives between the Ghost King and the former self, along with her and Zheng Zhiyu’s encounters in these consecutive two worlds, has an indescribable feeling, as if destined.
However, can the Ghost King without memory match against this old monk who has been hibernating for over twenty years?
Hearing Xu Jiao’s words, Zheng Zhiyu raised her hand to touch her head, her black eyes filled with emotions that were obscure and hard to understand—
Actually, just now when she touched Xu Jiao’s soul.
Those broken images in her mind, which were originally unable to connect together, suddenly started to change, and more scenes she had never seen appeared.
But when recalling, she felt those all seemed like stories she had experienced.
She saw many, many of her lives.
The first time, her life was very miserable, with most of the good memories like a touch of warmth in severe cold, very precious yet fleeting. Xu Jiao appeared in front of her, brought her into a fairyland-like place, and taught her many things. She called her “Sister Senior Xu,” revering her like her own deity.
The second time, her parents left her too early. She was despised by all her relatives like a defective product, treated like a ball kicked around. Ultimately, it was her uncle and aunt’s family who reluctantly took her in, yet treated her like a servant. It was Xu Jiao who taught her self-reliance and self-strengthening, but sadly she developed many thoughts she shouldn’t have.
The third time, she didn’t realize the person she most wanted was right by her side. By the time she wanted to turn back, the other person had already gone far away…
The fourth time, they reunited on the Miracle Continent.
And then there is now.
Every time, Xu Jiao enters her life, as if there is some arrangement in the dark. Zheng Zhiyu always feels like she has forgotten some crucial link, but more important than that is…
Who exactly is Xu Jiao?
Who am I?
Why do they seem like they’ve already known each other many, many times?
Discovering Zheng Zhiyu wasn’t speaking, Xu Jiao looked at her again, and this look revealed that Zheng Zhiyu seemed to be distracted. Although the red-dressed woman’s eyes were mostly pitch-black and bottomless, Xu Jiao just inexplicably understood the other party’s current state.
Thinking of Zheng Zhiyu mentioning many unclear things, Xu Jiao observed her current expression and suddenly asked:
“Are you remembering something?”
Zheng Zhiyu came back to her senses, not rushing to answer the question, and instead said to Xu Jiao: “I want to first go test that so-called master’s strength.”
Though she is an evil ghost, Zheng Zhiyu seems never to do anything harmful to people. Although she doesn’t go as far as drawing a sword to help when seeing injustice, she detests those who have disgusting intentions towards Xu Jiao.
She doesn’t mind dealing with this master and erasing a calamity for the human world.
It’s obvious that a living person entangled by such evil force, who actually seems to have no major issues, must have a ghost involved, and the plot is not small.
Throughout history, those who wanted to awaken the Ghost King in the human world have always aimed to cause disaster, and once the Ghost King appears, the capable ones in the underworld and human world certainly won’t stand by, as the Ghost King is not easy to deal with.
Although Zheng Zhiyu currently has no memory related to the Ghost King, she has witnessed Xu Jiao’s wisdom and knows that when Xu Jiao speculates about things, there is inherent logic. Since Xu Jiao said she very likely is, she will temporarily prepare herself mentally.
Thinking of this, Zheng Zhiyu spoke: “Actually, I have no impression of the Ghost King, but whether I am or not—”
“I won’t let anyone take you away from me.”
Hearing this strongly possessive statement, Xu Jiao pressed her lips and replied, “Without my consent, no one can take me.”
She is an independent individual, not some kind of object.
Usually, when hearing such words, Zheng Zhiyu would interpret Xu Jiao’s meaning as “she doesn’t belong to anyone,” but now, somehow, she suddenly teased:
“Then if I want to take you away as the village chieftain’s wife, do you agree?”
Xu Jiao looked in the direction of the village ahead, her eyes scanning the muddy road beneath her feet. She avoided the places with many puddles, stepping on the relatively dry road, and casually changed the topic:
“We’re almost there.”
“Do you want to guess how that master will respond when he finds out the Ghost King hasn’t appeared and the water ghost has been dealt with by you?”
Zheng Zhiyu floated up, as if weightless, following the direction Xu Jiao was moving, and leaned on her shoulder, saying leisurely: “Why should I guess what a bald monk is thinking?”
“With the bright moon and the flowers full, two lone girls meeting deep into the night, what a good atmosphere, don’t be insensitive.”
Xu Jiao corrected slightly: “It’s lone ghost and lone girl.”
Other people thinking of this scene would only be scared to death, where could they think of any romance?
Zheng Zhiyu blew air towards her ear, initially just intending to tease her a bit, but she didn’t expect Xu Jiao’s ear to turn red immediately. Perhaps because the previous stimulation lingering in her soul hadn’t faded away, even after being by the river with the cold wind for a while, once touched by this ambiguous atmosphere, those hard-suppressed romantic feelings were easily stirred up.
But in Zheng Zhiyu’s eyes, this appearance seemed like…
Xu Jiao has already tasted the marrow and knows the flavor.
She found it interesting and deliberately continued with Xu Jiao’s reaction: “What’s wrong with ghosts? Didn’t ghosts also make you happy? The happiness I just gave you, can humans do it?”
Xu Jiao: “…”
This flirtatious tone caught her somewhat off guard, almost making her think for a moment that they weren’t going to fight evil forces but were flirting on the way to a hotel.
She tightened her expression, unaware that her instinctive reaction had been noticed by the other, and lightly asked: “Can you do something from the living world?”
Zheng Zhiyu chuckled, once again misinterpreting her meaning: “Ah, are you saying you prefer traditional methods? But I think your response to this kind of soul merging is more obvious, right? Did I misunderstand, or…?”
Xu Jiao suddenly stopped walking.
Zheng Zhiyu initially thought her words were too explicit, making Xu Jiao angry, and was about to coax her, but then she suddenly noticed a detail she hadn’t seen before.
This road is too quiet.
As everyone knows, in mountain villages, there are always many small insects and little animals you can’t see in cities, especially at night when many predators are out hunting. Hearing the noises made by these animals while walking in the mountains is quite common.
Many people walking at night even feel uneasy when they hear the sound of owls.
But.
Xu Jiao and Zheng Zhiyu walked on the way back and surprisingly heard nothing.
Where are those small animals?
Not to mention predators, crickets, and cicadas—such small insects should be there, right?
Why is there no movement in the grass around?
Xu Jiao just instinctively felt something was not quite right, but Zheng Zhiyu had already sensed something, leaving her side, as two drops of blood-red fell from her fingertips, seeping into the soil.
Xu Jiao quietly looked at the earthen house at the end of the road, where the main house still had a faint light on, looking no different from other people’s houses. But upon careful observation, one would discover—
Within the range of vision, in all the lights, there are no moving shadows, as if everyone had turned on the lights and just gone to sleep.
Quietly.
At the same time.
The bald master was touching the prayer beads on his neck. That string of beads was very long, and the beads were thicker than a person’s fingers. Upon careful observation, one would discover that each bead on this string was carved with a ferocious face, not knowing whether it’s human or beast, and each expression is different.
The Xu family couple usually believes in some miscellaneous things, knowing there is a saying of wrathful Vajra in Buddhism, so they never pay attention to what exactly is carved on the master’s string of beads.
If Zheng Zhiyu were here, she should be able to recognize at a glance, what are those on it as wrathful Vajra?
Clearly, they are the hundred faces of evil spirits.
Moreover, this string of beads has no mother bead1, nor a Buddha tower2, filled with a strong sense of strangeness.
Now, a bead on his neck suddenly emitted a faint light, and he looked outside, his vision seemed to penetrate through the wall, seeing everything happening outside—
On a face full of horizontal flesh, his eyes squinted slightly, and then he heard himself muttering:
“That water ghost is actually weaker than I imagined.”
“What’s going on? The Ghost King hasn’t appeared… is there something else beside her? A red-clothed evil ghost? That’s fine… although not very special, a few days ago I happened to give my apprentice a great general, using her as a tonic is also not bad.”
Thus pondering for a while, he said to the couple who were trembling slightly upon hearing him speak: “You two don’t need to move here, let me capture that unfilial daughter back for you.”
“Remove the filthy things that have corrupted her, seal those yin-yang eyes of hers, and she will again be your obedient daughter.”
Hearing that they still had to face Xu Jiao, Xu Dashu was somewhat dissatisfied, but they originally did not want to spend more money for the master to take advantage, so upon hearing this, they could only look around. Eventually, Xu Dashu picked a thicker pole used for carrying water buckets from the corner, thinking that the unfilial daughter Xu Jiao, without the aid of gods and ghosts, probably would no longer be able to defy him, so he nodded and respectfully said:
“Then I trouble the master.”
“The master is truly a living Bodhisattva who rescues the suffering.” Mother Xu saw Xu Dashu’s attitude and also added a sentence from the side.
The master nodded once, taking another step forward, already stepping into a black fog, passing directly through the wall in front of the two people, disappearing from sight.
Xu Dashu quickly used the shoulder pole in his hand to steady himself, almost losing his balance.
Mother Xu exclaimed “aiyo” in fear, and after a while, afraid the master might hear and misunderstand something, she quickly covered her mouth. She exchanged a glance with her husband, looking like she wanted to say something but didn’t dare to speak.
On Xu Dashu’s somewhat weathered face, a few sighs appeared, as if he was brainwashing himself, or perhaps affirming something:
“We raised her this big, never lacking in her food and drink, now this dead girl dares to mix with those dirty things, pretending to be mysterious to scare us, she should be taught a lesson.”
Mother Xu also nodded, clearly forgetting how she had recently fallen miserably like a dog in front of Xu Jiao, affirming, “Yes, I just said she hasn’t been hit enough, if I had known this day would come, I would have said we should have thrown her to the wolves in the mountains back then.”
When the couple were encouraging each other —
Outside the house.
Zheng Zhiyu pulled out the little ghost that set up the maze formation. As the ghost just revealed a sinister smile, with its tongue hanging all the way to its chest, she directly extended her hand to grab the little ghost’s skull, saying with no expression:
“Assisting the wicked, not knowing to repent, deserves to die.”
After an extremely ear-piercing scream, the ghost turned into a burst of fog and dispersed.
The road in front suddenly changed, and Xu Jiao realized she didn’t know when she had started walking on the mountain road outside the village. Ahead, not far, was the edge of a cliff without guardrails, and she was standing on the roadway. If a car passed on this mountain road, she might unknowingly be hit to death.
The people and things arranging the formation are truly sinister.
This time, she didn’t make a sound to stop Zheng Zhiyu, but listened to the whooshing wind beside her ear, quietly staring at Zheng Zhiyu. Sure enough, her companion’s more sensitive senses quickly detected something amiss.
A piece of dazzling black fog floated over —
From inside, a loud laugh transmitted:
“I haven’t seen such purely cultivated red clothes in a long time. Good, good, good. Before I tame the Ghost King, temporarily using you, such an evil ghost, to make a Buddha tower is also extremely good.”
His figure had not yet appeared, but Zheng Zhiyu’s entire red outfit suddenly became intensely vivid, red as if about to drip blood. Xu Jiao initially thought it was her own illusion until she discovered thick, very terrifying blood slowly flowing outward from her clothes.
At the same time, Zheng Zhiyu’s black eyes also emitted a strange red light.
She said lightly, “As a mortal, you actually delude yourself into attempting to harness power that originally does not belong to you, forcibly sealing over a hundred evil ghosts in your body. Let me show you the appearance of backlash.”
As soon as she finished speaking, before the man could reveal his figure, Zheng Zhiyu had already transformed into red light, rushing toward the direction of the black fog.
The person inside the black fog laughed loudly: “In these several decades, I’ve seen countless evil ghosts. I praise your profound cultivation, but unfortunately…”
Even though Xu Jiao had yin-yang eyes, she couldn’t clearly see the battle situation. She could only occasionally see red blood splattering out and torn fog, with both people’s figures hidden within, moving back and forth rapidly.
But Xu Jiao wasn’t idle either.
She stood on the safe roadside, her right hand behind her back, quickly writing the golden rune she had learned before, stroke by stroke swiftly. She didn’t rush to release it after writing; instead, she accumulated it beside her, the golden light behind initially insignificant, later flickering like fireflies.
A ghost, heavily injured by Zheng Zhiyu and separated from the fat man’s Buddhist beads, was thrown to the side. Initially, it wanted to take the opportunity to escape the master’s control, but halfway, it smelled a very fragrant aroma. Unconsciously, it moved over, intending to swallow Xu Jiao into its belly while Zheng Zhiyu wasn’t paying attention.
However, as soon as the ghost’s face approached, a golden light stuck to its face —
Immediately, there was a terrifying scream.
Both sides in the battle simultaneously looked in Xu Jiao’s direction. At this glance, the master’s expression suddenly changed: “How did you obtain…”
Before he could finish speaking.
The dozens of golden characters Xu Jiao had just accumulated simultaneously flew in his direction!
The master was suddenly bombarded by countless immobilizing and exorcising spells, unable to figure out how to dodge. In great haste, he had to release over a dozen evil ghosts from his bead string. Fortunately, there was a deeply cultivated starving ghost that swallowed ten or so talisman in one gulp, but it ended up with a burst belly and a dissipated soul.
Xu Jiao, however, stood there as if nothing had happened. The master was already furious, but how could Zheng Zhiyu let him touch Xu Jiao?
With a flick of the red sleeve, the sky full of blood fog pounced over again!
The master revealed a fierce smile, saying to both of them, “Good, good, you are seeking your own death…!”
Zheng Zhiyu’s expression was even colder than his: “It’s you who bring about your own destruction.”
This time, the master sent out a ghost in green clothes to deal with Xu Jiao. Zheng Zhiyu’s eyes widened slightly, being stretched thin, yet she saw Xu Jiao spread open her palm, revealing the last two golden talisman she had hidden.
The ghosts were already face-to-face, and only then did Xu Jiao move, clearly showing excellent composure, enduring until the last moment.
The green-clothed evil ghost couldn’t avoid in time, and its originally ferocious smile instantly froze. Just as it was about to escape, the golden characters had already caught up. At the same time, Xu Jiao, like a kite, pulled it toward her own home’s direction.
While walking, she quickly drew charms.
This allowed her to move away from the battlefield without being affected and also ensured she wouldn’t become the master’s hostage, adding trouble for Zheng Zhiyu.
More than half an hour later—
Xu Jiao sat behind a tree, seeing the green-dressed woman’s long hair covering her face, stretching out sharp nails toward her heart. She was slightly panting, her wrist unbearably sore, unable to draw another charm.
Even when facing death, her expression was very calm, just somewhat unwilling.
Finally able to decide the book’s ending herself, yet dying at a little ghost’s hand was such a pity.
“Not running anymore?”
“Not running is fine, I’m tired of chasing you. You obediently let me consume you, and henceforth become a part of me. I increase in cultivation, and you also become strong. Isn’t it a win-win?”
The green-dressed female ghost said eerily.
It’s not that she couldn’t act and only wanted to reason, but she really didn’t believe Xu Jiao’s show of weakness. After all, in this pursuit, this despicable, cunning human girl had thrown those immobilizing talismans like laying landmines.
Some talismans, drawn in a hurry, inexplicably turned into burning, evil-repelling talismans.
She was burned many times, almost disfigured!
Now she was both angry and hateful, and didn’t dare to easily fall for a trick.
Xu Jiao slowly curled her lips, not minding teasing her one last time: “Alright, come on then.”
Green-clothed female ghost: “…”
To approach or not to approach, that is the question.
She was still hesitating, but Xu Jiao raised her eyebrows and provocatively said: “What? You, a ghost, are still afraid of me, a normal person?”
The more she spoke like this, the more the green-dressed female ghost suspected she was hiding a trick.
One person and one ghost maintained a distance, stalemating for a few minutes.
In the forest, only a cool breeze passed through.
Xu Jiao moved her fingertips, wanting to make a desperate struggle, and the female ghost suddenly realized something. Seeing her action, she guessed Xu Jiao had no characters left and immediately extended her hand toward her heart—
A bloody hand passed through her chest.
In the next instant.
A scream echoed through the forest, startling many birds!
The green-clothed female ghost looked down to see that her ghost core had already been crushed. Before she could turn her head, she had already turned into mist and dispersed, leaving no trace or shadow.
Xu Jiao sat with her back against the tree trunk, one knee bent, one hand resting on it, and the other hand hanging by her side. The wind-cooled sweat drops fell along her chin, and her lips had become somewhat pale from the excessive exertion.
Now, she raised her head to look at Zheng Zhiyu, who had appeared, noticing that the red on the other person’s body had dimmed significantly, and she said in a low voice:
“You’re injured.”
Zheng Zhiyu shook her head and only said, “Sorry, I let him get away.”
Xu Jiao exhaled a breath, her hair sticky and clinging to her face and neck, but she was too lazy to fix it. She just sat there and replied, “As long as you’re fine, it’s okay.”
Her posture was lazy now, yet it exuded a kind of inadvertent charm.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
After a long time, Zheng Zhiyu asked her, “No strength to stand up? Do you want me to carry you?”
Xu Jiao unexpectedly replied with a sound: “En.”
Zheng Zhiyu, who was prepared for rejection, was stunned for a moment. Then, she walked over, leaned down to hug Xu Jiao, her body still lingering with an unpleasant bloody smell. Xu Jiao squinted her eyes but didn’t say much, allowing her to act.
Zheng Zhiyu carried her in the direction of home, after all, there was still a couple with arms turning outwards to deal with.
Holding the warmth tightly in her arms, she teased Xu Jiao with her usual attitude while walking: “Why did you suddenly cooperate like this? Even in my dreams, I didn’t dare to think this way, it feels so unreal.”
Xu Jiao slowly responded: “Do ghosts also dream?”
Zheng Zhiyu, on a sudden whim, narrated the scenes she had previously seen to her, presenting them as her own dream: “Yes, in my dream, I dreamed that we met many times…”
She narrated one by one, her tone still carrying a hint of interest, as if not really taking it seriously.
But Xu Jiao was being held by her, their bodies tightly pressed together, and any subtle reaction would be immediately detected, especially since Zheng Zhiyu had just experienced a fierce battle, her senses were at their most sensitive!
As she spoke, she stopped and looked down at Xu Jiao, her black eyes still unfathomable, yet at this moment revealing a slightly sharp feeling that could see through the human heart, perhaps a trace of unextinguished battle intent.
Xu Jiao heard her leisurely ask:
“Why are you suddenly so stiff?”
Footnotes
- Mother bead: Often found in prayer bead strings, is a larger or differently designed bead that typically marks the beginning or end of the bead cycle, serving as a focal point for counting and meditation.
- Buddha tower: In the context of prayer beads, refers to a decorative bead or ornament that represents a stupa or pagoda, symbolizing spiritual enlightenment and often used as a marker within the bead string for meditative practices.
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