Returning to a New Life

On the way out of the Holy Lake, Qi Diao Yanfei was unusually silent.

Jiacuo looked at her worriedly from time to time, but he didn't know how to comfort her. Eight years of waiting, in exchange for such a brief reunion and eternal separation, this pain was hard for him to imagine.

"Are you okay?" he finally couldn't help but ask.

Qi Diao Yanfei reined in his horse and gazed at the distant, rolling snow-capped mountains. The morning light gilded the mountaintops with a breathtakingly beautiful hue.

"He once said," she began softly, her voice surprisingly calm, "that everything in the world is just a form of energy. Birth and death, past and future, are just part of the great cycle of the universe."

Gyatso listened quietly.

“I thought losing him again would break my heart,” she continued, her hand gently stroking the biography of Tsangyang Gyatso’s poems on her chest. “But strangely, my heart is calm. Like a lake after a storm, without any ripples.”

She turned to look at Gyatso, her eyes showing a clarity that Gyatso had never seen before: "He hasn't left, he just exists in a different form. And I am no longer the infatuated woman obsessed with my body."

Jiacuo seemed to understand something: "Have you let it go?"

Qi Diao Yanfei shook his head slightly. "It's not letting go, it's understanding. It's like holding a piece of ice in your hand. It melts into water and flows through your fingers. You lose the ice, but gain the water—it doesn't really disappear, it just changes form."

These Zen-like words made Jiacuo ponder for a long time.

The return journey seemed much smoother than the outward journey. The mist in the redwood forest had dissipated, revealing a clear path. The strange phenomena that had once disturbed them had also completely vanished, as if with the destruction of the mirror spirit, this land had returned to peace.

On the afternoon of the third day, they passed by the redwood tree again, which was engraved with Tsangyang Gyatso's poems. Surprisingly, the words on the tree had changed.

Next to the sentence "That month, I shook all the prayer wheels, not for salvation, but just to touch your fingertips", there was a new line of small characters:

"Now, I have transformed into the gentle breeze, caressing your face. - Tashi Phuntsok"

Qi Diao Yanfei paused for a long moment, her fingertips gently tracing the new characters. The marks on the bark were fresh, as if they had been carved just now.

"It's him..." she muttered.

Gyatso examined the inscription, frowning slightly. "This is impossible. We've been away from here for days, yet this inscription is new."

Qi Diao Yanfei smiled faintly: "Near the node of time and space, the passage of time does not follow common sense. For him, perhaps these words have just been carved."

This realization brought a surge of warmth to her heart. In another dimension of time and space, Tashi Phuntsok was still communicating with her in his own way.

Continuing on, they encountered the bronze mirror again before the sixth mani pile. This time, the mirror reflected not an illusion but a clear image: Tashi Phuntsok standing at the node of time and space, holding a glowing flower in his hands. He saw the lacquer sculpture Yanfei outside the mirror, smiling and holding up the flower.

"The flower of rebirth..." Gyatso exclaimed.

Tashi Phuntsok in the mirror nodded and gently placed the flower on the ground. Surprisingly, in reality, an identical flower broke through the soil on the ground in front of the bronze mirror, growing and blooming at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The petals of the flower were crystal clear, as if carved from crystal, emitting a soft blue light.

Qi Diao Yanfei carefully picked this miraculous flower and felt the warm energy it emanated.

“This is a gift for you,” Tashi Phuntsok said in the mirror, his voice seeming to come from far away. “Use it to heal the Khampa family, and then… live a good life.”

"Will you come back?" Qi Diao Yanfei couldn't help but ask.

A trace of sadness flashed in Tashi Phuntsok's eyes. "I have chosen my path—to guard the nodes of time and space, and prevent the mirror spirits from wreaking havoc on the world again. This is my responsibility, and it is also my spiritual practice."

He paused, his voice softer. "But love knows no time or space. On full moon nights, you can see my reflection in any body of water. Whenever the wind blows through prayer flags, it's me praying for you."

Tears welled up in Qi Diao Yan Fei's eyes, but she smiled and nodded: "I understand. I will live a good life and live up to your sacrifice."

The Tashi Phuntsok in the mirror also smiled, a smile of relief and joy. Then, the image gradually faded, and the bronze mirror returned to its normal function.

Qi Diao Yanfei carefully put away the flower of rebirth and turned to Jiacuo: "We have to hurry. This flower can't be away from the soil for too long."

At dusk on the seventh day, the Khampa family’s camp finally came into view.

To their surprise, a large crowd had gathered at the camp entrance, seemingly waiting for something. When Qi Diao Yanfei and Jiacuo appeared, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Tsering was the first to rush over, his face filled with excitement. "Brother Gyatso! Announcer of the dead! You're back!"

The chief steward stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Qi Diao Yan Fei. "Thank you, Buddha, for your safe return. Since you left, some changes have taken place within the clan."

"Change?" Gyatso asked doubtfully.

The chief steward nodded excitedly. "Yes, incredible changes. The symptoms of all the sick people in the clan are getting better. Uncle Duojie can already get out of bed and walk, and Grandpa Nima even has black hair growing among his white hair!"

Jiacuo and Qidiao Yanfei looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes.

"It's the energy of the space-time node," Qi Diao Yanfei whispered. "When Tashi Phuntsok became the guardian, he purified the curse connected to the Khampa family's bloodline."

In the center of the camp, they met the tribesmen who were recovering. Dorje, a middle-aged man who had been bedridden, was now walking slowly with a cane. Nima, the white-haired old man, had some black hair on his head. And several other tribesmen who had suffered from the blood curse had a noticeably rosier complexion.

"The flower of rebirth can help them further." Qi Diao Yanfei took out the glowing flower, and the crowd immediately exclaimed in amazement.

That night, the Khampa family held a grand celebration. The bonfire burned brightly, the aroma of roasted whole lamb filled the entire camp, and people sang and danced, celebrating the fact that the curse that had plagued the family for a century had finally been broken.

Qi Diao Yanfei sat in a corner, quietly observing the joyous scene. Tsering and the other children gathered around her, no longer afraid of her as before, but curiously asking all sorts of questions.

"Mourner, have you really seen the Guardian of Time and Space?"

"What does he look like?"

"Can the Holy Lake really reflect past and present lives?"

Qi Diao Yanfei answered patiently, feeling a long-lost peace and satisfaction in her heart.

When Jiacuo came over, the children scattered and went to share the magical story they had just heard.

"The people of the tribe want to build a statue for you," Gyatso sat down beside her, "to commemorate everything you have done for the Khampa family."

Qi Diao Yanfei immediately shook her head: "No, I don't need a statue. All the glory belongs to Tashi Phuntsok. He sacrificed himself for all this."

Gyatso nodded in understanding, then said, "Then let us at least do something for you. You've given us a new life, and we hope to repay you."

Qi Diao Yanfei thought for a moment and said softly, "Then let me leave in peace. My mission is complete, and it's time to move on."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Gyatso's eyes, but he respected her decision: "Where are you going?"

"Returning to where I came from," she gazed into the distance, "I'll continue my career as a sky burial master. Death is a part of life, and helping people reach their end peacefully is my way of practicing."

The next morning, Qi Diao Yanfei was about to leave. To her surprise, the entire Khampa family came to the camp entrance to see her off.

The chief steward handed her a package: "This contains enough food and medicine, as well as some small gifts made by the tribe members themselves."

Tsering ran over and handed her a new amulet: "This one is better than the previous one. I asked the lamas in the temple to bless it."

Other tribesmen also presented their gifts: hand-woven blankets, beautifully carved wooden bowls, pots filled with butter tea... These simple gifts represent their most sincere gratitude.

Qi Diao Yanfei thanked them one by one, feeling a surge of warmth in her heart. This was the first time in years that someone wasn't afraid of her because of her profession, but instead genuinely accepted her and appreciated her.

Gyatso finally stepped forward and handed her a small wooden box: "Open it and take a look."

Qi Diao Yanfei opened the box, and inside was a brand new copy of "The Biography of Poems of Tsangyang Gyatso", the cover of which was wrapped in exquisite leather and the edges of the pages were gold-plated.

"This is..." She turned the pages of the book in surprise and found that in addition to Tsangyang Gyatso's poems, there were many blank pages with some notes and illustrations on them.

"I've recorded this experience based on your story," Gyatso said a little sheepishly. "I think future generations should know what happened. But most of the pages are left blank, leaving you to continue writing."

Qi Diao Yanfei touched this special poetry collection with emotion and said: "Thank you, this means more than any statue."

She placed the new and old copies of "Poetry Biography of Tsangyang Gyatso" side by side in her bag, then got on her horse.

"Remember, the Khampa family will always be your home," Gyatso said sincerely, "You are welcome to come back here anytime."

Qi Diao Yanfei nodded, took a last look at the land and people that gave her new life, then turned her horse around and slowly left.

After walking a long way, she looked back and could still see those figures waving goodbye to her.

This time, there was no loneliness in her heart, only full of warmth.

In the following days, Qi Diao Yanfei returned along the same route. She was no longer in a hurry to get going, but instead savored the scenery along the way.

She stayed in the redwood forest for a whole day, sitting under the redwood tree with the inscription, reciting Tsangyang Gyatso's poems. The wind rustled through the treetops, as if Tashi Phuntsok was singing along with her.

In front of the Mani pile, she added new stones and engraved blessing scriptures on them.

While looking out at the holy lake, she saw the reflection of Tashi Phuntsok in the lake smiling and nodding at her.

A month later, she returned to the big redwood tree where she had originally come from - that was where she and Jiacuo started, and it was also the place where she had dreamed of Tashi Pingcuo countless times.

Now, it has new meaning.

She built a simple hut and decided to stay there temporarily. During the day, she performed sky burial ceremonies for nearby herders; at night, she recorded her thoughts and insights in her new collection of poems.

“I used to think death was the end,” she wrote in the poem. “Now I understand it is only transformation. Like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, it seems to be death, but it is actually rebirth.”

"The same is true of love. Physical separation is not the end. True love transcends time and space and is eternal."

Her fame gradually spread across the grasslands. People no longer called her "the announcer of death," but instead respectfully called her "the soul-ferryman"—a mentor who helps souls peacefully transition.

Many people travel thousands of miles to see her, not only for the sky burial ceremony, but also to listen to her wisdom. She always patiently enlightens every confused soul, telling them from her own experience: death is not scary, and neither is the loss of love, because true love can never be lost.

On a full-moon night, Qi Diao Yanfei sat under the redwoods and whispered to her reflection in the lake:

"Today, I helped a young mother cross her soul. She was reluctant to leave her young child, and I told her that love will continue to protect her in another form, just like you protect me."

Tashi Phuntsok's reflection in the lake smiled and nodded.

"Sometimes I wonder, what would we be like now if you hadn't become a guardian?" she continued, as if chatting with an old friend. "Maybe we'd be living an ordinary life in a small tent somewhere. But if that were the case, the Khampa family curse wouldn't be lifted, and more people would suffer."

In the reflection, Tashi Phuntsok stretched out his hand as if to touch her face.

"So I accept this result." She said with a smile, "I will not let down the Tathagata, nor will I let down you. You will not let down the people, and I will not let you down."

At this moment, footsteps were heard from behind. Qi Diao Yanfei turned around and saw Jiacuo standing not far away, leading a horse, with a warm smile on his face.

"Gyatso? Why are you here?" She stood up in surprise.

"I came to see you and bring you some news." Gyatso approached, his eyes gleaming with joy. "The last patient of the Khampa family—my cousin Norbu—has fully recovered. The Flower of Rebirth cured him."

Tears of joy suddenly welled up in Qi Diao Yan Fei's eyes: "This is really great!"

“The tribesmen are grateful to you,” Gyatso continued. “They hope you will return to participate in this year’s harvest festival.”

Qi Diao Yanfei thought for a moment and shook his head gently: "Please give them my regards, but this is where I belong."

She looked at the sacred lake and redwood trees before her: "Here, I can feel his presence; here, I can help those in need; here, I find inner peace."

Gyatso nodded in understanding. "I understand. But at least let me stay with you for a while. Tsering and the other children asked me to bring them their letters and gifts."

That night, they sat by the campfire, Qi Diao Yanfei reading the children's childish letters, with happy smiles on her face.

"You've changed," Gyatso observed her, "you're no longer that disheartened messenger of mourning."

Qi Diao Yanfei nodded. "Because I finally understand what he said back then—'From the day you returned to nature, everything in the world is you.' Now, he truly has become everything, omnipresent. And I, too, have learned to find eternity in loss."

She opened the new "Poetry Biography of Tsangyang Gyatso" and wrote on the blank page:

"I have let go of the world, but I have never let go of you.

Now I understand that there is no need to let go, because you are already one with the world.

The wind blowing is your caress; the snowflakes falling is your light dance.

In the past, nothing in the world was as good as you; now, everything in the world is you.

——To my Tashi Phuntsok, my eternal lover"

Closing the book, she looked up at the starry sky, feeling the caress of the night breeze.

In the distance, the water of the Holy Lake sparkled silver in the moonlight, as if responding to her thoughts.

The end of the journey home is actually a new starting point.