Bloody Dusk

In the summer when Dawa was sixteen years old, a strange plague broke out on the grassland.

The patient first developed a persistent high fever, then developed strange black lines on their skin, and finally died in excruciating pain from coughing up blood. Even more terrifying, the souls of the deceased could not rest in peace, transforming into vengeful spirits that roamed the grasslands and attacked the living.

"This isn't an ordinary illness," Tashi Phuntsok said solemnly to Qidiao Yanfei after examining his tenth patient. "I've seen these symptoms before in records of future Buddhist kingdoms."

Qi Diao Yanfei was shocked: "You mean..."

"The remaining forces of the extraterritorial demons." Tashi Phuntsok lowered his voice. "They have not been completely eliminated. Instead, they are lurking in the cracks of time and space. Now they have found a new host."

The news spread quickly across the grasslands, and panic spread like wildfire. Many people attributed the plague to Dawa's special abilities, believing that he had attracted evil spirits.

"It's that little Living Buddha's fault!" a bereaved herder shouted excitedly at a tribal gathering. "Ever since he displayed those strange abilities, disasters have plagued the grasslands!"

Although most people still respected their clan, the seeds of doubt had already been sown. Qi Diao Yanfei could sense the change in the gazes of the clan members, from admiration to wariness and fear.

Late one night, Dawa went out alone to treat a patient and was late returning. Worried, Qidiao Yanfei and Tashi Phuntsok searched for him, eventually finding him unconscious by a stream. He had a deep wound on his chest, and the blood flowing from it was not red, but a dark purple tinged with an ominous black aura.

"This is... the erosion of dark energy!" Tashi Pingcuo immediately recognized the nature of the wound.

They took Dawa back to the hut for treatment. During the treatment, Qi Diao Yanfei felt that there were two forces in her son's body that were fighting fiercely: one was his innate time and space energy, and the other was an external dark force.

"He was using his abilities to purify the source of the plague," Tashi Phuntsok concluded after an examination, "but it backfired."

Three days later, Dawa regained consciousness and weakly told his parents that he had found the source of the plague—an ancient altar deep in the grasslands that was emitting dark energy.

"There's a familiar symbol on the altar," Dava described. "It looks like the mark of an extraterritorial demon, but it's different."

Tashi Phuntsok and Qidiao Yanfei exchanged a glance, seeing the worry in each other's eyes. They knew they had to go and investigate in person.

After entrusting Dawa to the care of a trusted neighbor, the two set out on their journey deeper into the grasslands. The deeper they went, the more desolate the scenery became. The once vibrant grasslands had become lifeless, animal carcasses were everywhere, and the air was filled with the stench of decay and despair.

Finally, they found the altar Dawa had described. It was a circular platform made of black stone, with a complex symbol engraved in the center—the very symbol of the Outer Demon, but with an eye-shaped pattern in the center that they had never seen before.

"This eye..." Qi Diao Yanfei felt a pang of fear. "I've seen a similar pattern in the Mirror of Balance. It's... the symbol of the Eye of Origin!"

Tashi Phuntsok's expression changed drastically. "The Eye of Origin is the supreme being that monitors the multiverse. How could it be connected to the extraterritorial demons?"

At that moment, the altar suddenly emitted a blinding red light. A figure coalesced within the glow—unbelievably the Daughter of Chaos, long thought to have vanished. But now, she was utterly different from their memories: her once clear eyes had turned blood red, and she was surrounded by the same dark energy that originated from the altar.

"Daughter of Chaos?" Qi Diao Yanfei couldn't believe it.

"That naive daughter of Chaos is dead." The being let out a twisted laugh. "I am the true ruler of the dark side of Chaos, the Outer Demons. And the Eye of Origin... has always been my collaborator."

Following her announcement, a giant eye appeared above the altar, staring at them coldly, as if observing experimental subjects.

"That fool, the Primordial Light, was actually moved by your emotions and gave up his original plan," the Dark Side of Chaos sneered. "But he doesn't know that the entire multiverse is our experimental field. All your experiences, all your loves, all your struggles, are just part of this experiment."

Tashi Phuntsok angrily retorted: "Impossible! Our feelings are real!"

"Oh, of course it's real." The Dark Side of Chaos chuckled contemptuously, "Just like the fear of the lab rats is real. But this doesn't change the fact that you are experimental subjects."

She pointed at the altar and said, "This plague is only the beginning. I will use this cherished space and time as a new testing ground to test the limits of life in extreme environments. And you will witness the agonizing death of all your people."

Qi Diao Yanfei felt her head spin. If what Chaos Dark Side said was true, then all their efforts, all their love, all their sacrifices were just a script designed by someone else?

"Don't believe her lies!" Tashi Phuntsok held her hand. "Even if the whole world is an illusion, our love is real!"

The Dark Side of Chaos laughed heartily, "How touching! Then let us see how far your love can withstand the test!"

With a wave of her hand, the altar's crimson glow intensified. The entire grassland began to violently tremble, and the sky turned an ominous blood-red. The spread of the plague suddenly accelerated, and more vengeful spirits emerged from the ground, rushing towards the distant tribe.

"She must be stopped!" Qi Diao Yanfei took out the Mirror of Balance pendant, but found that it had lost its luster.

Tashi Phuntsok tried to mobilize the energy of time and space, but felt that his power was being absorbed by the altar: "It's sucking our energy!"

The Dark Side of Chaos watched their struggle with smugness. "This altar was designed specifically for you. It can absorb all energy related to the Primordial Light. The more you try to use your abilities, the weaker you will become."

At this critical moment, Qi Diao Yanfei suddenly remembered something. She put down the pendant and stopped trying to use any special abilities. Instead, she calmly walked towards the altar.

"Yanfei! What are you doing?" Tashi Pingcuo shouted in horror.

She didn't answer, but continued to move forward. When she stepped onto the altar, the dark energy didn't attack her.

“I see,” she said, turning to Tashi Phuntsok. “This altar targets extraordinary abilities. But it cannot affect the most ordinary, mundane things.”

Tashi Phuntsok seemed to understand: "You mean..."

"Our love, at its most fundamental level, is ordinary." Qi Diao Yanfei smiled. "It's not a miracle of time and space, nor a mystery of the universe. It's simply the feelings between two ordinary people."

She extended her hand to Tashi Phuntsok: "Come, my love. Let us fight this carefully designed trap in the most ordinary way."

Tashi Phuntsok walked up to the altar without hesitation and took her hand. As their fingers interlocked, the altar began to vibrate violently and the red light became unstable.

"Impossible!" screamed Chaos Dark Side, "How could ordinary emotions interfere with the operation of the altar?"

Qi Diao Yanfei calmly replied, "Because beings like you, so high and mighty, will never understand the power of ordinary people. You've designed countless ingenious experiments and calculated countless complex variables, yet you've overlooked one simple fact: true power comes from the heart, not from any supernatural ability."

She and Tashi Phuntsok exchanged a smile, then began to softly recite the poem they were most familiar with:

"That day, with my eyes closed in the fragrant mist of the scriptures, I suddenly heard the true words in your chanting;

That month, I shook all the prayer wheels, not for salvation, but just to touch your fingertips..."

As the poem was recited, the altar vibrated more violently. The dark energy retreated as if encountering its nemesis, and the red light gradually dimmed.

"No! This is impossible!" The Dark Side of Chaos tried frantically to keep the altar running, but to no avail.

When the poem read the words "In that life, I traveled around mountains, rivers and pagodas, not to cultivate my next life, but just to meet you on the way", the altar collapsed and the shadow of the Eye of Origin dissipated after an angry roar.

The figure of the Dark Side of Chaos began to become transparent: "You have won this time... but the experiment will continue... The Eye of Origin will not give up..."

When she completely disappeared, the grassland returned to peace. The blood-red sky gradually faded, the spread of the plague stopped, and the vengeful spirits turned into smoke and dissipated.

Exhausted, Qi Diao Yanfei and Tashi Pingcuo hugged each other on the ruins of the altar.

"We... succeeded?" Qi Diao Yanfei couldn't believe it.

Tashi Phuntsok nodded, tears in his eyes: "Using the most ordinary way, we defeated the most extraordinary enemy."

When they returned to their tribe, they found the plague had miraculously subsided. The patients gradually recovered, and the vengeful spirits disappeared. The tribesmen greeted their return with awe and gratitude.

But Qi Diao Yanfei and Zhaxi Pingcuo knew in their hearts that the real victory did not lie in defeating the dark side of chaos, but in their confirmation of a truth: even if the whole world is a testing ground, even if all experiences are designed, love itself is still real and powerful.

That night, Dawa's injuries miraculously healed. When he woke up, he told his parents a strange dream:

"I dreamed of a huge laboratory filled with many beings like the Primordial Light. They were debating whether to terminate the experiment in our universe. In the end, they decided to give us the opportunity to develop freely."

Qi Diao Yanfei and Zhaxi Pingcuo looked at each other with mixed feelings.

A few days later, while rebuilding the ruins of the altar, they discovered a black stone tablet engraved with complex runes. The stone tablet recorded the truth of this universe:

This multiverse is indeed an experimental field, created by a higher-dimensional being called the "Observer." The Primordial Light and the Primordial Eye are both different aspects of the Observer, one advocating for free will in experimental subjects, the other advocating for strict control.

Qi Diao Yanfei and Tashi Pingcuo were indeed key nodes in the experiment. However, through their own choices, they demonstrated the value of free will and ultimately convinced the majority of observers to support the position of the First Light.

“So,” Tashi Phuntsok put down the slate, “we have demonstrated that even experimental subjects are capable of exceeding the expectations of the experimental designers.”

Qi Diao Yanfei snuggled in his arms: "And our love is the best proof."

Since then, the grasslands have returned to their former tranquility. The plague has ceased to reappear, and the tribe has accepted the family back. Dawa continues to learn to control his abilities, but he has also gained a deeper understanding of the value of ordinary things.

On a starry night, a family of three sat under a redwood tree, gazing up at the vast starry sky.

"Dad, Mom," Dawa suddenly asked, "If all this is really just an experiment, will you be disappointed?"

Qi Diao Yanfei gently stroked her son's hair: "Even the most sophisticated experiment cannot replicate the uniqueness of a snowflake or the depth of true love. In this sense, we are more real than the experiment itself."

Tashi Phuntsok nodded. “As we’ve learned before: limitations are not flaws, but perfection. It’s precisely because we know that life may be just an experiment, yet we still choose to love and live, that our choices have real meaning.”

Under the starry sky, the shadows of the redwood trees swayed gently, as if agreeing with their words.

Qi Diao Yanfei knew the road ahead was long. The Observer might return, and new challenges might arise. But as long as they maintained their ordinary yet genuine hearts, they could face any storm.

Because true strength does not lie in how many miracles you can control, but in choosing to love and live truly even if you know that everything may be illusory.

And this is the greatest poem they wrote in their lifetime.