Chapter 206 Reunion

Dawn had broken.

Wang Degui's body hung swaying on the old locust tree, but this remote mountain village was already sparsely populated.

The villagers, who should have noticed something amiss, are now trapped in a bloody nightmare.

The entire Wangjia Village was shrouded in deathly silence, broken only by the occasional barking of wild dogs.

Lu Yao stood at the village entrance, her fingertips tracing lines in the air.

An invisible barrier rippled out like flowing water, sealing the entire mountain village within an amber-like enclosure, isolating it from the world.

No outsider could disturb this nightmare.

Inside the reception room of the Fifth Mental Hospital of the city.

The smell of disinfectant was so strong it made my nose hurt.

Lu Yao appeared at the door with Gu Yuzhen, and Gu's mother's crying immediately rang out loudly.

She lunged at her daughter, her fingers almost digging into her shoulder blades: "Yuzhen...you scared your mother to death..."

Lu Yao stood quietly to the side, looking at Gu Yuzhen's feigned blank face: "I found her while she was wandering in the mountains and fields, and she has not yet regained her senses."

That's a perfectly watertight statement.

If she admits to being sober, Gu Yuzhen will face handcuffs and trial.

“My poor child…” Mother Gu’s tears soaked the fabric on her daughter’s shoulder, “Even in her madness, she wanted to escape…”

Li Manxiang stood in the corner, clutching her medical record, feeling a deep sadness in her heart.

She knew that no matter how good she was to Gu Yuzhen, it could not replace the freedom she had outside the hospital.

Even the gentlest cage is still a cage.

Lu Yao's voice transmission fell into Gu Yuzhen's ears like a feather: "Temporarily stay in the cage, and wait quietly to break free from the cocoon."

Gu Yuzhen lowered her eyelashes and nodded gently.

But Gu Yuzhen didn't expect Lu Yao to arrive so quickly.

That night, the moonlight was like water.

Gu Yuzhen leaned against the window when a gentle breeze suddenly swept by, and a silvery-white spiritual light gathered in front of the window.

Gu Yuzhen's pupils dilated slightly as she watched Lu Yao's figure gradually become clearer in the moonlight.

"...A-Yao?"

"How could I bear to make you wait even a moment longer?"

Lu Yao chuckled softly, her fingertips twirling a paper-cut figure drawn in vermilion ink.

She gently blew on the paper figure, and the paper unfolded and transformed, instantly becoming another "Gu Yuzhen," with even the folds in the hospital gown perfectly replicated.

Gu Yuzhen gazed at the doll that looked exactly like herself, her Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

She saw the same bewilderment in the doll's eyes as her own, even the frequency of its blinks was perfectly replicated.

"Choose," Lu Yao smiled. "Will you travel the world with me, or return to the mortal realm with a different identity?"

If Gu Yuzhen wanted it, Lu Yao could create a brand new face for her, give her a completely new identity, and let her start over.

Lu Yao took her hand in his; her palm was warm and dry.

Gu Yuzhen recalled that year in the dilapidated nunnery, when a pair of hands draped a Taoist robe over her shoulders.

I respect all your decisions.

Gu Yuzhen's vision blurred.

She grasped his hand tightly, tears streaming down her face: "Ayao, take me with you."

Lu Yao took Gu Yuzhen back to Jinglan Mountain.

Youqing had already tidied up the room.

Gu Yuzhen lay on the bed, which exuded the fragrance of pine wood, her fingertips unconsciously caressing the soft quilt.

There was no pungent smell of disinfectant, no coldness of iron railings, only the warmth of the sun gently enveloping her.

She buried her face in the pillow and fell into a deep sleep like a weary bird finally returning to its nest.

In the next room, Youqing was lounging on the tatami, holding a book she had only read halfway through.

Lu Yao sat alone in the small courtyard, facing the sky and sitting on the ground.

A night breeze swept past her sleeves, bringing a chill.

She closed her eyes and concentrated, and a wisp of her soul drifted to the Soul-Severing Ridge, a thousand miles away.

The nine human-shaped stone tablets on the ridge were all reduced to dust, which swirled and flew in the night wind.

The stone dust shimmered with a faint glow, much like the starlight that scattered when she severed her immortal bones.

At this moment, the powder gathered around her like swallows returning to their nests, each grain carrying the causal power of a thousand-year cycle of reincarnation.

Lu Yao suddenly opened her eyes and lightly touched the void with her fingertips.

A spark of inspiration ignited between her brows and gradually spread throughout her body.

That was a sign of the reforging of immortal bones.

The morning dew in the mountains clung to her eyelashes, reflecting the first rays of dawn.

The next day, Chu Xuanji, Jiang Jinshu, Wang Ziying and others received an invitation from Lu Yao to have a small gathering on Jinglan Mountain.

Although they were all busy with their own things, they all readily agreed.

The letter was a paper crane folded from yellow talismans by Lu Yao. When the appointed time arrived, the paper crane should be burned, and then one could come to the small courtyard on Jinglan Mountain.

As the sun began to set, the group took out their treasured paper cranes.

The moment the flames licked the yellow talisman, the world spun around amidst the swirling blue smoke.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already standing in front of the courtyard in Jinglan Mountain.

The aroma of tea wafted from the stone table. Lu Yao stood holding the teapot, while You Qing, curious and peeking out from behind her, stood behind her.

"You've come at the perfect time," Lu Yao greeted with a smile. "The water has just boiled three times."

The laughter and chatter of old friends reuniting startled the birds under the eaves.

With the collapse of the nine Soul-Suppressing Steles, a thousand-year-old memory has been revived.

But they did not dwell on the pain of the past.

Instead, we should transform this awakening into the strength to move forward.

At the table, they chatted about their recent lives.

Jiang Jinshu's eyesight has fully recovered.

With some time still to go before the Olympics, she practices diligently every day.

Through the scope, the bullseye was clearly visible in every detail.

The bullet pierced the air and hit the bullseye once again.

It has already surpassed existing records.

A gold medal awaits her in the future.

Wang Ziying has recovered very well.

The filming of her starring movie "Thorn Rose" is nearing its end.

This character, who transforms from a sexual assault victim into a legal elite, delivers a performance where every line of dialogue feels like a rebirth.

She gave it her all.

The moment the director yelled "Cut!", the entire audience burst into applause.

“Zi Ying,” the director said, looking at the close-up shots on the monitor, “the light in your eyes will make this character a contender for the Hong Kong Film Awards.”

Wang Ziying stroked her flat stomach beneath her costume.

Nightmares once bred there; now only the power of rebirth remains.

Ji Nian'an has recently been transferred to the boarding school that specifically supports victimized girls.

She no longer worries that her solitary fate will affect these girls.

All she knew was that they had suffered too much.

On the road to growth, we need someone to care for us, love us, and guide us.

She will stand with them and hold an umbrella for them.

Xiaohua is already in her second year of high school, and there are two other girls in their final year of high school, all of whom are at a crucial stage.

Ji Nian'an devoted himself to teaching.

We must send these girls to a wider and more distant world.

Wen Lei's glass bone disease has been cured without medication.

Wen Lei's parents were stripped of their custody rights, and she now lives in an orphanage.

It's not that no one wants to adopt her.

One couple was even quite wealthy.

If they take you home, you might even be called "Miss" by many people.

That's a life that many people envy but can't afford.

But Wen Lei refused.

She felt that she would be an adult in just two years and would soon be able to support herself.

There's no need to join another family and live under someone else's roof.

Handling complex interpersonal relationships and environments.

She was willing to live a simple and frugal life in the welfare home.

The conditions here are indeed simple, and the children are wearing old clothes donated by kind-hearted people.

But Wen Lei felt very satisfied.

After finishing her homework, she played and ran around in the sunshine with the younger girls at the orphanage.

"Sister Leilei, catch the ball!"

A colorful ball flew towards her.

Wen Lei leaped up and caught him steadily.

This movement, which used to cause fractures, she now performs with ease.

The free and unrestrained wind brushed past my ears.