Chapter 23: A Brink of Death - No Pain, No Gain
In a dizzying moment, Huali fell into an embrace filled with the scent of sandalwood, clutching the sandalwood prayer beads on the other's wrist as if grasping at a lifeline.
They didn't hesitate for a second between saving face and morality.
He lifted his head and kissed her.
A kiss, tinged with the smell of blood, landed on her lips, and Lian Zhuo's body instantly tensed up like a fully drawn bow.
Her blood seemed to have flipped a switch that triggered her desires, causing hundreds and thousands of poisons to surge back almost instantly.
The Buddha's eyes turned blood red in an instant.
His blood was surging wildly, fueled by emotions he couldn't fathom, more intense than murderous intent. Only by demanding more could he quell this restlessness.
If one's seven emotions and six desires are shaken, one will be doomed in an instant.
A crack appeared in his Dao Heart, and with his last bit of reason, he pushed Huali away, touched her forehead, and the person in his arms instantly fainted.
Lian Zhuo escorted the person back to their room, then turned around and spat out a mouthful of blood, the lotus pattern on her forehead rising and falling.
They originally traveled together only to obtain the blood of the Bifang, but they never expected what would happen next.
The Buddhist disciple staggered back to his room, sat cross-legged in front of the table, and formed a lotus mudra with his hands. The vanished spiritual power gradually reappeared under the blessing of the Buddhist beads.
Forcibly absorbing spirits is unacceptable, but he had no other choice.
The sandalwood beads rotated counterclockwise on my wrist, causing the gauze curtains in the room to move without wind, and the wisps of smoke from the incense burner to slowly magnify and form a water mirror.
Before the mirror could speak, a sigh came first.
“Buddha’s disciple, the astrological observatory’s prophecy from a hundred years ago has come true; the tribulation of love has arrived.”
Lian Zhuo's eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings. He wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, and his hand paused slightly when it touched his lips. "This disciple is dull-witted. Please enlighten me, Uncle-Master Liao Wu."
The old monk in the mirror looked on with pity. "Your heart is like a lotus, untouched by water, and like the sun and moon, aloof from the sky. Now that you are in the mortal world, can your heart still be as calm as it was before the Buddha's temple?"
Lian Zhuo remained silent, then shook her head, "...Never."
Liaowu paused for a moment, "Once the Blood Gu poison is aroused, it will amplify the emotions in one's heart by hundreds or thousands. The Buddhist disciple's mind is now in turmoil, and the root of love is difficult to remove in this lifetime. It would be better to cut it off."
"Amitabha." Liaowu reached out from afar, and the fragrant mist brushed over the sandalwood beads on Lianzhuo's wrist, the warm spiritual power slowly settling in.
"All forms are illusory. If one sees all forms as non-forms, then one sees the Tathagata."
*
"Host! Host, wake up! If you don't get up soon, you'll be cold!" As soon as Lian Zhuo left, Ao Bai couldn't hold back any longer and jumped onto Hua Li's face, stomping on it repeatedly.
Karin was violently jolted awake. The excruciating pain in her meridians had transformed into the loss of her life force. She groaned weakly, "What intimacy level? I kissed someone and he ran away immediately."
Ao Bai was furious. "I told you to increase intimacy by pouncing on her! She's a Buddhist disciple. You have to seduce her first before you make a move!"
Huali felt like she was going to die. What she couldn't do, another mission taker easily got five stars. Thinking about this, Huali coughed up another mouthful of blood.
This time it's purely out of jealousy! I'm so angry! Why?!
Knowing all too well what Huali's deathly appearance meant, Ao Bai quickly said, "Go find the Buddha. The mission in Chenliu City is hopeless now, but we can still improve our favorability by raising the stars."
Huali lay sprawled on the bed, sprawled out, "..."
Seeing this, Ao Bai had no choice but to pull out his trump card, "Tang Wanwan and Mo Ziyan still owe you the spirit stones."
Huali's ears twitched.
"The final payment for the Tata Beast in Fufeng City hasn't been made yet!"
Karin opened her eyes.
"The three divination slots that Rongxing promised you haven't been auctioned off yet. They're worth several million in total. Are you sure you want to just sit here and wait to die?"
"Absolutely not!" Huali sat up in shock from her deathbed.
What's the most painful thing in life? Dying before you've spent all your money!
"Let's go! Find them!"
*
As night fell, the city lord's mansion was utterly silent; not even the chirping of insects could be heard. Huali stealthily slipped out of the West Garden like a thief.
Her vitality slowly faded, and every step she took was extremely difficult.
Passing through the hanging flower gate, I suddenly saw Song Ran standing under the crabapple tree in the courtyard.
"This is my beloved possession, how can I abandon it?" His sorrowful voice immediately made Huali stop. Her beloved possession?
If we can complete this mission, that would be the best outcome.
Only a sliver of black clothing was visible on the other side; no one spoke.
Song Ran lowered his head and smiled, "I was being too attached to appearances. The day after tomorrow is the God-Celebrating Festival, and we'll be waiting for the God-Celebrating Lanterns to be lit..."
Too far away, and with Song Ran's voice low, Hua Li could only hear it intermittently. She deliberately moved closer, but the silver bells hanging from the shawl on her arm suddenly made a soft, melodious sound.
What used to sound nice now sounds like a death knell, so Huali quickly tried to cover it up.
Who is it?
"We're doomed!"
With a shout from Song Ran, Hua Li took off running.
Turning her head, she saw that Song Ran, who had just been opposite her, had instantly teleported behind her. He was slightly taken aback when he saw it was Hua Li, "How come it's you?"
Oh no! They must be plotting something under these circumstances. If she finds out, she'll try to silence them.
"I didn't hear anything. I was sleepwalking because I was drunk. I'm going back to sleep now. Bye."
Song Ran remained silent.
Huali pretended to walk a few steps, then turned and ran! What an inauspicious start!
The fragments of conversation she had just heard were still ringing in her ears. When she turned around and saw that Songran hadn't followed, Huali breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly a chill crept up the back of her neck.
She turned her head sharply like a small animal, her throat colliding directly into the tiger's mouth between the other person's fingers.
"Uh..." That's it.
"Trying to run? I heard your silver bells from ten miles away." The other party's figure and face were unclear, only a hand appeared out of thin air. The dark blue veins under the pale skin were like sealed talismans. His voice trembled with indifference at the end, "You're the one who trespassed on the barrier tonight, aren't you? Saves me the trouble of looking for you."
"I...I didn't...do it on purpose." The other person clearly hadn't used any force, but Huali's internal organs felt like they were freezing. "If you dare kill me...I'll haunt you as a ghost..."
The other party let out a soft "Heh".
With a forceful thrust of his jade-like knuckles, just as the nail tip pierced his throat, the jade pendant in the rosewood collar fell to the ground.
The grip on her throat tightened, and the hand that had been choking her caught the jade pendant. "Is this yours?"
Huali coughed up a mouthful of blood, her chest heaving like a broken bellows, "..."
She looked down and saw that it was the jade pendant that Madam Xu had given her in Fufeng City, which she had always worn on her chest.
"Ha." The icy aura mixed with the scent of incense paper ash swept over, making Huali's hair stand on end.
From her perspective, she could only see one of the other person's hands from beginning to end, but now she could feel that the person had moved closer and was looking her over.
It felt like a cruel predator staring at an ant; the overwhelming disparity sent chills down her spine.
"Since that's the case, I'll spare your life today. The oath of the soul is complete."
The man grasped the jade pendant and pulled it downwards. The red thread broke, and the jade pendant, once removed, emitted a red light.
Before Huali could react, the voice clicked its tongue impatiently, "So troublesome, might as well just kill her."
Karin, who hadn't even had a chance to say a word from beginning to end: "..."
Where the hell did this purebred lunatic come from?
Seeing the other party reach out again, Huali quickly changed her mind and slapped the wooden card in her hand onto the other party's hand.
The wood-type card instantly emitted a light, and one of the small gray stars was lit up with a "ding".
Objective achieved, "The Buddha's relic prison is sealed!"
The shadowy figure crushed the barrier with his bare hands, a cold smile spreading across his face. He aimed at the running Huali in the distance, preparing to tear his fingertips apart, but they began to crack and bleed crimson blood.
Blood dripped onto the ground, and the tender buds that had just sprouted in spring instantly turned to ashes.
"Damn it."
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