Eighth Sister Attends the Table to Become Sworn Sisters
The human body contains internal organs and blood vessels, while the realm of immortals includes palaces, pavilions, mountains, and rivers.
Everything in heaven and earth is condensed into the inner abode of the immortal, which can be used for spiritual cultivation and is also a wonderful place for immortals to reflect on themselves.
The inner world of immortals varies depending on their level of attainment.
Some are vast oceans, some display various creations from different worlds, and some present delicate and light forms.
The images of heaven and earth within the body are assembled at any time, according to the thoughts and intentions of the immortals.
In short, the realm progresses from low to high, gradually transforming from being no different from the world's appearance to a myriad of phenomena where one can do as one pleases without overstepping the bounds.
Once inside Xie Jinhui's body, all my guesses were proven wrong.
As I followed the flow of consciousness, I discovered that Xie Jinhui not only had no heart, but also no physical form whatsoever.
It had neither grand scenery nor a pavilion where I could rest, no rivers, no mountains.
It was a kind of emptiness, stretching as far as the eye could see, seemingly endless and distant. But when I stretched out my palm, I felt that the emptiness was only enough to envelop me.
This space has no temperature, appearing and disappearing indistinctly.
The strange sensations made me even more certain that Xie Jinhui's current body was indeed a vessel, a furnace.
Once he ignites the fire within him, the emptiness I perceive will no longer be emptiness, but rather flames clinging to every burning object.
It exists in the void at this moment, but I know it is incredibly powerful.
Thinking of my beloved Xie Jinhui, whose body actually contained air sacs resembling blown sugar figures, I felt a tightness in my chest.
Xie Jinhui's relaxed and carefree demeanor was entirely supported by his mindset, which had been refined into nothingness.
In terms of physical sensations, he must have been feeling extremely stifled to varying degrees long ago!
This is like an ordinary person suffering from illness still being able to stand on tiptoe and dance gracefully in a storm because of love and faith.
My throat tightened, and I touched this void, saying to Xie Jinhui, who was maintaining his divine appearance on the outside, "Why didn't you tell me that you've been in this much pain ever since you became Su Ling?"
Unexpectedly, Xie Jinhui's voice, which seemed to encompass the entire universe, came through, like a gentle drizzle that covered the sky.
“Yuan’e, you’ve gone too deep. That’s Su Ling’s world. I’ll only have to experience it when I need it.”
Before that, I was just Xie Jinhui in name only, happily spending every day with Yuan He.
It's hard to tell if such words are true or false. Didn't his body undergo a change just now because he was awakened by the Seven Desires?
However, once inside the body, there was no trace of the seven desires at all.
Could it be that I haven't gone high enough from my heart meridian upwards, and haven't yet entered the sea of consciousness?
But that's not right. Xie Jinhui's body exudes a unified and harmonious aura from top to bottom and left to right.
Or should I try going up a little higher?
I shifted my body and continued upwards.
Unexpectedly, the moment I made a move, a refreshing coolness, like ice breaking, came from above.
There was an extremely thin barrier above us, which we passed right through as soon as we bumped into it.
The soft knocking sound and the slight vibration of the barrier beneath our feet subsided as we passed through it.
I found myself standing on a boundless ice field.
The ice beneath my feet was thin, yet it felt as heavy as an abyss, enough to support me.
Treading on frost and solid ice, every step is difficult.
It wasn't cold on the ice field, and the smooth ice surface didn't reflect light. It should have been dark here, but I could still see clearly in all directions.
My appearance brought a warm breeze to the ice field, but the breeze stopped a few dozen steps away from me.
The wind, without spinning or turning, compresses downwards, forming a round table with a surface of swirling winds and clouds.
I walked over out of curiosity, and heard a soft cracking sound under my feet.
But it won't crack, I know, because Xie Jinhui, who occasionally gives me pointers, hasn't given any warnings.
Approaching the table, the mist it emits looks chilly, but it's actually a slightly damp warmth.
On the hazy tabletop, a layer of sparse golden dust seemed to echo the glittering light.
I reached out to touch them, wanting to feel whether they were originally on the table or had been scattered thereafter.
Just as my fingers touched the tabletop, the round table suddenly shook and instantly grew sharp edges.
I quickly withdrew my hand, but it was too late.
A round table beside me has been transformed into a jade-carved octagonal table.
She raised her hand and glanced at her fingers, sighing inwardly: "Yuan'e, Yuan'e, has she mastered the skill of turning anything into jade?"
Before I could even finish admiring the hand, I heard a series of rebukes, each with a different tone, coming from the empty ice field.
"Where did this little girl come from, daring to disturb the table where we brothers are having our meeting!"
"You brat, this is so ugly!"
"I heard the table crying. Girl, why are you bullying my table?"
"Heh, an eight-immortal table, little girl, do you want to stay and keep us company?"
...
I stopped listening to what anyone else was saying; my attention was completely drawn to the figures that kept materializing and popping out of the void.
The first one is an eye that suddenly opens in mid-air and stares at the table, before the other facial features and limbs slowly emerge.
His golden eyes were like the sun, illuminating the tabletop with a dazzling golden light.
Behind him, an ear was peering at the table.
Then, a nose, a tongue, a pair of hands, a bolt of lightning of thought, and a life force emerged one by one, each taking on its own form.
The one whose ears went first, with one step he felt ten thousand bells ringing in unison, the celestial music pleasing to the ear.
The third one, Fang Yi stretched out his nose, and in an instant it was like the osmanthus blossoms in the heavens, exuding a rich and fragrant aroma.
The next one pointed his tongue, and his tall body bulged out of the void, feeling as if he were drinking nectar and dew, his mouth watering.
Another slender hand gently twirled, and before it even touched the table, a rosy mist appeared at the tip of his finger, as if endless auspiciousness was concentrated in his touch.
My heart suddenly softened.
Looking again, the figure that had been fleeting since the thought arose was now white-haired and with mottled eyebrows, leaning against the corner of the table.
He seemed lost in thought, gazing at me intently.
He was different from the others; he didn't fix his gaze on the table. He seemed to care about nothing but me, who had retreated to a distance, and something in his memory.
There's another one, which I almost forgot. He came from a single breath, but grew into a dense, intertwined network of branches and roots.
The tree above his head resembled a hibiscus, with a dazzling morning sun hanging above it, like a gate of endless light.
The last one didn't even look at me. He lowered his head, letting the morning sun shine on the table, as if he were probing the table's pulse.
After a moment, he said calmly, "It is not birth, not old age, not sickness, not death, it is..."
The other five all looked at him, waiting for his conclusion.
My eyes met those of the white-haired man. He was exploring, while I was counting. The more I counted, the more excited and nervous I became.
There are seven of them in total, seven of them! Do we even need to introduce who they are?
It's the seven desires, the seven desires!
The sun suddenly turned towards me, and in that instant it seemed to pierce through my sea of consciousness, so sharp that I raised my hand to shield my eyes.
The person on the tree branch above quickly moved aside, pointed at me, and then choked up, unable to speak.
"she is……"
Now, all seven pairs of eyes have abandoned the tabletop and are staring at my face.
Although their expressions varied—some were indifferent, some were enthusiastic, and some were stern—they were all different.
But I understood the tenderness and moisture in their eyes.
In a fleeting moment, their seven desires met in perfect harmony, and they all asked me in unison.
"Little girl, are you Su Ling's?"
I looked at each face equally, smiled at them, and there was nothing to hide. I could feel their kindness and their calls to me.
“I am the root of Suo Ling’s affection,” I said.
Then you see the seven desires collectively turning red-eyed.
"Yes, yes, it's love."
"Yes, yes, she is our blood relative."
"That's right, we share the same roots."
"That's great. With her here, Suo's wish can be fulfilled."
"She is...our sister?"
"Yes, she came later, she's the younger sister."
"No wonder the round table turned into an eight-immortal table, we're all here!"
...
I don't know who is who, nor can I tell which mouth said that sentence.
Because I was dragged and pulled by this group of Seven Desires who called themselves my brothers, and forced to sit down at the Eight Immortals Table, in a seat that rose from the ice.
They told me not to be afraid, that my brother wouldn't harm me, he would only dote on me, and told me to calm down.
I'm not scared, I'm just bewildered. Suddenly, seven older brothers who look just as good as Emperor Su Ling appear. Who wouldn't be bewildered?
The Seven Desires took their seats in turn. And you know what? This eight-immortal table really seemed tailor-made for us. As soon as we were seated, I, like the Seven Desires, showed a strange yet joyful smile.
They say that this Eight Immortals Table is a spiritual artifact that can nourish the seven desires. As long as you sit here together, you can nourish each other and reshape your power.
Now that I have arrived, and possess extraordinary magical powers, just sitting with them has instantly restored their true nature. They are all saying that they have succeeded, that they are healed, and that they have returned to their best state.
Strangely enough, sitting at the octagonal table, I felt as if I truly understood their thoughts.
At least I knew their names and general personalities without them having to introduce them.
The eldest brother, named Chengkan, was the most enthusiastic. He glanced at me and said, "Little sister is so pretty."
The second brother, Zheng Ting, was taciturn and listened attentively.
My third brother, Fuxiu, smells sweeter than flowers and fruits. He gave me a sachet and whispered to me, "This is Su Ling's unique fragrance. Let your little sister smell it."
Before I even got close to my nose, I could smell it...
So I made my first oversight and politely declined, saying, "No need, no need, I smell it every day."
It was precisely this flaw that allowed them to glean information from the slight glimpse of my memories when I shared my feelings with the Seven Desires.
I am Suo Ling's little lover...
My brothers gave me a thumbs up because of that.
"You defeated the Holy Emperor with the Seven Desires, and you defeated Su Mio. Impressive, impressive!"
I asked them what the other half of the seven desires meant, and they smiled without saying a word.
Are they and the Seven Desires who fled the lower realm from two different camps?
I recall that when Su Ling strung together the Seven Desires, before they escaped, I did indeed witness the confrontation between the two sides of the Seven Desires.
This matter left a lingering doubt in my mind.
As for the fourth brother, I thought he would be a glutton, but he turned out to be a drunkard covered in gourds.
He said that wine brewed with the pure water of Suoling surpasses all other flavors in the world, and it doesn't make you drunk.
Fifth Brother's hands were so beautiful, his demeanor so elegant; I could see the ancient god-like aura of Emperor Su Ling in him.
There's no other way to describe it but beauty, gentleness, and tranquility. The most beautiful thing is that he doesn't know beauty.
Sixth Uncle, no, Sixth Brother, was a man of profound insight, as deep as his eyes. So deep that he didn't look at the surface, but only at the essence, and could strike with deadly precision.
He asked me, "Little sister, why aren't you and Suo Ling married yet? Oh, what a pity!"
...
Seventh Brother Sang Sheng is still the best. He advised me to live as long as I can, and if I can't live anymore, he will protect me.
Burn him to death first, then burn me to death.
I'm puzzled, is this the seven desires? How come he's more serene and carefree than many immortals?
Unexpectedly, my second brother Zheng Ting answered my question.
“Sister, we are eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind, and life.”
We are not desires, but rather tools that help living beings understand and perceive the world.
Unfortunately, living beings are ultimately enslaved by tools, giving rise to a multitude of emotions and desires, such as joy, anger, sorrow, fear, and shock, as well as greed, hatred, ignorance, pride, and doubt, which they cannot control.
Therefore, we, the tools that carry all kinds of desires, have become the greatest root of desires in the world.
Even though we seven were born into Suo Ling's body, we were still deemed by Heaven to possess human desires that should be eradicated.
I frowned, puzzled, and said, "None of you seem to have the appearance of desire. How could Emperor Su Ling have human desires?"
The seven desires chuckled together, and the eldest brother spoke.
“Sister, Su Ling has human desires; he has everything, but his possessions are all-encompassing.”
My sister left too early and too hastily; she may have forgotten Suo's true nature.
"It's okay, you stay here, your brothers will tell you slowly."
Staying here? That won't do.
What they said makes a lot of sense, but I still need to ask Xie Jinhui for verification and analysis.
Xie Jinhui must have heard everything Qi Yu said. He remained silent, probably because he wanted to hear more details.
Then I need to maintain a good atmosphere and a friendly relationship with Qiyu, and it would be best if they could speak freely about everything.
Just now I heard my second brother say that I left early, which reminded me that I can't just become their sister without knowing why. I'm a mortal goddess, and I want some kind of guarantee.
I cleared my throat and said, "Everyone, you keep calling me 'little sister,' it's making me feel uneasy."
Although we both come from Suo Ling, I honestly know nothing about it.
How about this, so that I feel at ease and won't feel awkward when I call you, let's become sworn brothers.
Right here, right now, is that alright with you all?
The seven desires looked at each other, their eyes still filled with doting affection; the eldest brother represented their joint decision.
“Sure, little sister!” he said.
I pursed my lips and tentatively voiced my doubts.
"Um... I remember, Emperor Su Ling first abandoned me at Qing Mang Mountain, and then you all came later."
As for who was born first, it seems that…
I deliberately spoke haltingly, observing the subtle changes in their somber expressions.
"It's as if I'm your older sister."
Seven Desires United in Hearts issued a soul-searching question, then sneered:
"Little girl, do you want seven troublemaking younger brothers, or seven older brothers to protect you...?"
A game-winning shot!
I immediately invited them to become sworn brothers. I knelt at the very end, cupped my hands, and said, "Brothers, I greet you."
Then, in this enclosed space, I heard the continuous echoes from my seven older brothers, like a roaring mountain and a tsunami.
"Eighth Sister... Sister... Sister... Sister..."
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