"Thump!"
Another bell rang, and when Shi Chan heard it, he suddenly felt as if he had been enlightened, realizing how absurd his idea of staying in this world forever was.
The demonic calamity outside has already begun, and the struggle between Buddhism and the Vaidurya sect has not yet ended. How could he be so cowardly as to have the thought of escaping and stay in this illusory world and never leave?
Amidst the solemn tolling of the bells, Shi Chan clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and immersed himself in the deepest recesses of his heart, carefully searching for something.
Suddenly, a cacophony of sounds began to fill the air. Though seemingly chaotic, some voices could be discerned, including a pleasant, soft female voice that gently called out, "Little monk!"
"The little monk blushed, haha, how funny!"
"Little monk, if you don't want this robe anymore, I'll wear it someday, believe it or not? And I'll even go and show it off in front of your fellow disciples. If they ask me whose robe I'm wearing, I'll tell them the truth!"
"If I were to obtain the divine stone... I would have a master craftsman forge it into a treasure that could locate people. Then, I could simply throw the treasure away, and it would lead me to my Bailing. I would then be able to find out how tall my Bailing is now, what she looks like, and whether she is still as cheerful and adorable as she was when she was little..."
"I remember, that was my favorite beaded flower, and I remember giving it to the little monk!"
"Little monk, so you've been keeping the beaded hairpin I gave you all this time? And you even said you didn't like me..."
“Little monk, it’s good that you’re awake, it’s good that you’re awake… You must remember, whatever you did, it’s not your fault, it wasn’t your intention, it wasn’t your will… Little monk, you must not blame yourself or feel uneasy, it’s not your fault…”
...
Shi Chan frowned slightly as he searched intently through the cacophony of sounds. Finally, all the sounds gradually faded, leaving only a persistent female voice and a childish voice, saying:
“My name is Liuli. Come on, say it with me, Liu…li…”
"Cow...wait..."
"You're so stupid! I've taught you so many times and you still can't learn. Here, it's Liuli, Liu...li..."
“Ryu… eh…”
"..."
Finally, the child's innocent voice learned her name and called out with a smile, "Liuli, Liuli..."
Shi Chan's brows relaxed, and he slowly opened his eyes, a smile in them.
He began to walk forward step by step, passing through scene after scene, observing all the expressions of the woman in white—laughter, commotion, tears, and sorrow. Finally, he arrived at a lush, dense forest, where he could see the distant scene through the many tree trunks.
A woman in white sat cross-legged under a tree, and a child, imitating her, crossed his chubby little legs and sat opposite her, looking up at her.
She was patiently teaching him to call her name again and again—"Liuli, Liuli..."
A warm smile played on Shi Chan's lips as he walked step by step through the thick layer of fallen leaves to the side of the woman in white and the child. He stood behind the child, looked down, and gazed gently at the woman in white.
He spoke softly, almost simultaneously with the child, calling out in unison, "Liuli..."
The two voices, one gentle and the other mumbled and childish, were both filled with affection as they tenderly uttered her name.
Suddenly, the child's figure vanished, and the woman in white sitting cross-legged looked up at him with a gentle smile.
A moment later, she slowly straightened up, looked directly at him, parted her lips slightly, and softly called out, "Little monk."
These three words, "little monk," brought tears to Shi Chan's eyes, and he almost shed a tear.
He bowed deeply to the woman in white in a Buddhist gesture, then looked up at her with unusual tenderness in his eyes.
In this illusory world, at this moment, he no longer thought of Buddha or all living beings. His eyes were only on her bright smile. All he wanted to do was to speak the words he had kept hidden in his heart to the Liuli of the past.
So he spoke softly, saying, "Liuli, these are my words as Bailing—thank you for saving my life and for raising me."
"There is one more thing I said in my capacity as the demon-possessed Shichan: I'm sorry, Liuli, I accidentally killed you that day, which is the greatest regret of my life. I only hope that I can repay even a fraction of this sin by doing my best in the future."
The woman in white tilted her head and looked at Shi Chan, only smiling and not answering.
Shi Chan's gaze softened, and after a long pause, he pointed to his left chest and said, "The last words are what my heart says—Liuli, I...I love you, I love you to the bone."
The woman in white smiled, a bright smile, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons.
Shi Chan gazed longingly at the smile on her face. His movements became somewhat out of control as he slowly took two steps forward, opened his arms, and embraced her.
Shi Chan held the woman tightly, resting his chin on her hair, greedily inhaling her scent. But a moment later, his arms were suddenly empty.
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