Chapter 95 The Temple Finally Appears, the Mystery of the Stars
"Wen Guyueheng, wake up!"
"Wake up!"
"Hey! Are you dead?!"
Xiaohua, slightly out of breath, shook the sand from her clothes and body. The girl desperately shook the unconscious boy beside her.
"If you don't wake up soon, I'll... I'll slap you!"
"Silence means you agree?"
"...Okay, I'll count to three."
"three,"
"two,"
"one!"
The expected slap did not come. At the last moment, before Wen Guyueheng could even open his eyes, his hand had already reached out and grabbed the girl's wrist, forcefully blocking the sharp palm wind!
The young man opened his eyes, his expression unusually resigned. "I'm awake. I'm awake."
Xiaohua smiled, relieved, and then sat half-upright on the sand. "It's good that you're awake... Look over there, there's a... house!"
Wen Guyueheng closed his eyes. He tried to sit up, but most of his body was covered by sand, making it difficult to get up. Seeing this, Xiaohua quickly got up and ran behind him to push him up before Wen Guyueheng could speak.
Wen Guyueheng: "..."
There's really no need for that...
"Get up! There's a small house over there, let's go take a look!"
Wen Guyueheng used her help to get up. He dusted off the sand and looked up into the distance—
It was a temple.
A temple stands in the ancient desert.
...
Xiao Hua habitually strode forward, while Wen Gu Yueheng pulled her back by the collar of her clothes.
"Hey hey hey—"
"Be careful, don't be in such a hurry."
"...Oh...but we don't have any spiritual power, so it doesn't matter whether we're in a hurry or not..."
Wen Guyueheng: "..."
Xiao Hua pouted and muttered various things under her breath. Wen Gu Yueheng listened to her and occasionally responded with a light word.
They walked side by side toward the temple.
It was a somewhat dilapidated temple, standing eerily and desolately in the desert. It seemed that in the blink of an eye, with a gust of wind and sand passing by, they had arrived at the temple.
What character is that?
"Ancient...what?"
Xiao Hua looked up at the four large characters on the plaque, and nudged Wen Gu Yueheng, "I can't read, you tell me."
Wen Guyueheng: "...Ancient Desert, Temple."
temple?
Xiao Hua was both curious and suspicious. This place was very strange. How could a temple suddenly appear out of nowhere?
"If it's a temple... should we pray there?"
Wen Guyueheng shook his head, "Let's take a look first."
They stepped in together, and strangely enough, the instant they entered—
Broken tiles were repaired, wooden beams were resuspended, and everything was moving, being transformed, and being restored at a rapid pace. It seemed like only a moment later, the shrine was completely renewed, and the sound of chanting could be heard from afar, with incense and candlelight burning like smoke and mist.
On the high platform, the statue lowered its eyes and smiled, calmly looking down at the world.
In the blink of an eye, it feels like a lifetime has passed.
As Hua Fan approached, the girl tilted her head slightly, gazing at the statue of the ancient desert god.
God, it's no fun lying to kids.
Wen Chuan looked around at everything: the altar, the incense, the desert. This must be the Fenggu Desert in Xiliang Prefecture.
But why did he come here? He clearly... last night, he bought new fishing gear and fed Cai Cai, saying he would take good care of himself for the winter...
How did I end up here?
As he pondered, he suddenly felt Hua Fan's gaze. The young man gripped his sword, turned around, and met her eyes.
Hua Fan blinked and smiled. "Did you figure it out?"
Wen Chuan lowered his eyes, and the young man's voice was indifferent, "No."
Hua Fan glanced at him, then decisively walked to the prayer mat in front of the shrine. The girl looked up at the statue and spoke softly.
"God, why are you doing this all of a sudden?"
Her voice carried a hint of a smile, seemingly different from before. Wen Chuan looked at her calmly, and as if sensing the young man's gaze, Hua Fan smiled slightly.
"Wen Gu, Yue Heng?"
She recited a sentence, then turned to look at him. The girl raised an eyebrow, her voice soft and tinged with a strange amusement.
Are you sure you're really in your twenties?
"Or perhaps, you really are Wen Guyueheng?"
Her voice brushed past his ear, and Wen Chuan's lips curled into a smile. The handsome young man's voice was gentle, even carrying a hint of softness.
"And what about you?"
"Who are you?"
Hua Fan met his gaze, and as their eyes met, Hua Fan, who had just jumped into the sea at the age of fourteen and found herself here again, thought, "I must know him."
Wen Chuan thought that this woman resembled Xiao Hua from before, yet not quite. It was clearly the same person, but with an added air of menace, as if... she had grown up. Yet, strangely, she felt so familiar...
They gazed deeply into each other's eyes, just as Wen Guyueheng and Hua Fan had made their vows to heaven and earth atop the snowy cliffs of Tianshan.
Past, present, and future, they have finally met each other.
"Thump—"
A deep, resonant bell rang out, and the two turned around together to look at the ancient desert god high above the altar.
A flash of brilliant golden light blurred the eyes of the two people.
Qingyu closed her eyes, her mind replaying her sixteen years: slaying demons, leaving the mountain, saving people, jumping into the sea, traveling, getting married, the ancient desert—
Suddenly, she smelled a floral fragrance, and almost imperceptibly, a laugh brushed past her ear.
It seemed to be a vast, desolate sound emerging from nothingness.
Gently, like a breeze across the water, like snowflakes brushing against one's shoulders, or like sandstorms slowly seeping into one's heart.
"Young man, what brings you here?"
"Nine stars have appeared in the world, and Heaven intends to create gods. I have come here to inquire about Heaven's will."
God smiled gently, "The will of Heaven is right beside you."
"I am foolish and ignorant, please enlighten me."
"Star, you are surrounded by stars, but you are not one."
"I?"
"You, child, only you."
"This...this is not important. What I am is not important...This junior has come here with only one question: what is the will of Heaven...what will happen when the nine stars converge?"
God was silent for a moment, then he smiled.
"Go ask Taishan, he will help you."
Fengdu Taishan Jun, the king of the ghost land, is also one of the gods from ten thousand years ago.
Ironically, they had long since vanished, but the spirits of Kyushu watched over them, pleaded with them, and clung to them, leaving behind their last shadows.
God willing?
Looking at the endless yellow sand and the barren wasteland, the ancient desert god thought regretfully that his relationship with the heavens was not very good.
Young man, you've come to the wrong place this time.
No problem, since the little stars have come to celebrate the New Year with him, let's give them something. What should we give them?
"Just a dream," God thought, and with ineffable spiritual power, He granted them the fulfillment of certain moments of regret.
Happy New Year, children!
If Heaven is merciful.
...
"Oh, by the way, if you really see Taishan, remember to tell him that I still say the desert is great, especially compared to his gloomy place."
...
The sandstorm swept across the ancient desert with a deafening roar, and in an instant, Qingyu opened her eyes—
Her lover, friends, even camels and supplies appeared before her eyes.
But in the distance, there was no longer any trace of the temple.
She gently calmed her breathing, while Wen Chuan stood beside her, deep in thought—the words the Ancient Desert God spoke to each person were different.
Lin Fanxiang lowered her eyes quietly, just like usual, while Qin Tianshu looked quite puzzled; in short, they were both thinking.
Only Zhang Xuan was still dazed. He gripped the knife and said, "I just saw my mother and brother..."
Qingyu: "...And then?"
"After the New Year, someone tried to kill my brother. Before I could say anything, I heard someone say, 'Be careful...'"
"Then I woke up."
God said nothing to Zhang Xuan, but created a New Year's illusion for him, a reunion of brothers and a happy family.
That was the first time Zhang Xuan saw his mother and brothers.
Under the pavilion, the moonlight shone, red lanterns hung high, and in the distance, the New Year's fireworks of Shengjing could be seen. The mother was dressed very warmly, and only the faces of the children in her arms were visible. The mother smiled and teased them.
Father arrived, carrying three lanterns: two lanterns shaped like pavilions, and one more exquisite lantern shaped like a moon.
He said one was his mother's, and the other two were his children's.
The mother smiled, took the lantern, and gently coaxed the child.
Finally, the father picked up the younger brother, and the mother picked up the older brother. Under the fireworks, the family was reunited and wished each other a peaceful and healthy new year.
Smoke filled the air, shadowy figures appeared, and a blade, seemingly appearing from nowhere, swung towards the child in the mother's arms.
The blade flashed silver, then instantly turned golden, stinging Zhang Xuan's eyes and bringing tears to his eyes. In the end, all he heard was a sigh from God.
It was too fast. The shift from happiness to misery happened in an instant; the change was so rapid that Zhang Xuan couldn't even react.
When he woke up again, he was standing right there.
Lin Fanxiang smiled at him, "You've seen them, that's enough."
After all, although Zhang Xuan didn't say it, he would occasionally think about his older brother or younger brother.
Zhang Xuan pursed his lips and nodded. He asked, "Then...you guys?"
Lin Fanxiang shook her head, "I... I don't know what I saw. It seemed like there were so many stars, and people were talking about something..."
Beneath the endless starry sky, some were choosing stars, some were drinking on a high platform, and finally, everything fell silent, until... until someone arrived...
He arrived, and the scene came to an end.
That was the scene Lin Fanxiang witnessed.
Almost instantly, everything vanished. The divine intent gently brushed over the aloof girl, seemingly familiar with her, yet carrying a hint of intimacy.
"It's rare to see you here too."
"My child, you..."
"You."
"If one day you feel lost, remember,"
"Don't ask the heavens, ask yourself."
...
In an instant, the sandstorm swept across the desert, quietly casting the glow of the setting sun over the ancient desert.
Suddenly, Zhang Xuan pointed into the distance and shouted, "Look!"
Yes, the divine deer.
They looked up together and saw a white deer standing peacefully on a distant sand dune, its antlers high and its body graceful, its pure white color seemingly carrying a divine quality.
Qingyu: "Pack your things, we're leaving..."
As the girl recited this, she seemed to exchange a glance with the divine deer. The next moment, the divine deer made a "clattering" sound and prepared to leave.
With no time to pack much, they gathered their belongings, hurriedly mounted their camels, and, step by step, walked out of the Fenggu Desert, guided by the divine will, through the yellow sand and the setting sun.
The fiery red sunset shone on the vast yellow sand, making the golden light seem blood red.
Qingyu turned back one last time to look at the setting sun.
The wind and sand blew in gusts, the sky was filled with golden clouds, and there was nothing but the sound of the wind in my ears.
The girl suddenly seemed a little confused.
Some, inexplicable doubts—
"Never mind," she thought.
She is who she is, there's nothing to doubt.
God, I don't understand what you're saying. I think you're like those characters in all those storybooks—mysterious and enigmatic, utterly baffling.
The sandstorms here are too strong. I think you should get some sleep.
Today is the first day of the first month of the seventeenth year of the Zhou Dynasty, Tianchen era.
Happy New Year, God of the Ancient Desert.
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