0116 116 She and the torrential rain came crashing down.
Actually, it was only noon, but the entire sky above Jingyang was so dark that I couldn't see my fingers. On my phone, apart from the clock still ticking as usual, all the apps were malfunctioning.
The signal was completely cut off, and she walked along a dark road without seeing a single ray of light. She had just climbed ashore and still couldn't see the road, people, or cars.
This didn't feel like a downpour; it felt more like the end of the world.
Following the only road in front of her, she found herself in a maze, with identical views on both sides. Had she been here before? She thought she had, but she couldn't remember. All she knew was that Jingyang was surrounded by mountains, with mountains everywhere.
The rain gradually subsided, and the sky slowly brightened. Before she could see the natural light, a dim, yellowish light shone down from above.
She stopped, somewhat puzzled, and slowly looked up. The sky above was still dark, flashing with thunder. The light was coming down from above at an angle. She turned her neck and was then stunned by the sight before her.
Inside this mountain whose name she did not know, caves were carved out, each with a warm light shining from its ceiling, making the large Buddha statues inside, each with a different expression, seem as if they had truly descended to earth.
A thunderbolt struck in front of the largest Buddha statue in the center. Qi Shuyao was so frightened that she took a step back. The entire mountain shook, but the mountain covered with Buddha statues remained unmoved.
She was in the mountains, surrounded by Buddha statues all over the place, but she didn't know which of these Buddhas could protect them.
People who never believed in these things suddenly developed a devout desire to worship them.
The Bodhisattva stands on the mountaintop, visible when you look up, but she cannot fly; she can only walk up the mountain path.
Following the winding mountain road, the time on her phone told her that five and a half hours had passed, during which time she had not stopped walking.
As we walked up the mountain, the rain lessened and the air grew colder, and the lamps on the Buddha's head gradually dimmed.
When the rain completely stopped, she stood at the very bottom of the last step, looking up at the towering staircase.
My feet have gone numb from walking; they just mechanically lift and lower, alternating, slowly moving upwards.
She finally stood in front of the Buddha, but even with her head tilted back, she couldn't see its face clearly. She pressed herself against the base of the Buddha statue, and the wind gave her a headache.
Just as she saw the Buddha's head, the lights on both sides of the steps suddenly turned on, and the light from the top of the Buddha's head shone down again. The Buddha's face was calm, and although he was bowing his head, his gaze was fixed on her.
The Buddha statue was solemn yet not oppressive, its face benevolent, blending seamlessly with the mountain, naturally protecting the human world. Although no eyes were carved on the Buddha's face, one could still feel the Buddha's gaze. Following that invisible line, one could see dense clusters of unknown red wildflowers growing in the crevices of the cliff, swaying in the wind, mesmerizing to behold.
The mountains were so mottled that their colors were indistinguishable, yet new green trees still sprouted before it. Standing there and turning around, there was another temple opposite, its shape very similar to the Fuchao Temple to the south. On the soaring eaves, three dragons were tangled together in a chaotic manner, with several painfully twisted claws extending from their tops, and a torn and unrecognizable dragon face pressed down below.
She followed the direction of the dragon and looked south, only to find that she had reached the highest point in Jingyang, where she could take in the entire city at a glance.
Directly opposite her was another high mountain whose outline was indistinct, its body cut in half, standing vertically in the human world.
She seemed to remember something, picked up her phone which was almost out of battery, opened the camera, and zoomed in on the mountain opposite.
The mountains were all pretty much the same, with no particularly distinctive features that could be spotted at a glance. She moved the camera back and forth, and behind the tall trees, she saw a row of low houses. On a whim, she zoomed in on the mountainside, and sure enough, there was a thick, long stone snake coiled up in the mountains.
On the morning of her most spirited eighteenth birthday, she stood there gazing into the distance. Now, she's almost twenty-one, and the rain has made her brain buzz.
The footsteps of time stepped into the footprint that overlapped with the past in that instant, turning around and mocking her wretchedness.
She turned around and left the past behind.
Qi Shuyao sat on the ground, crossed her legs, leaned against the lotus throne of the Buddha, and began to chatter about everyday things.
“Do you know why we ended up living in Xijin? That year, the whole of Jingyang was in chaos. He carried me all the way down from Jingyang, enduring so much hardship. No one helped us; everyone was running for their lives, everyone was a burden. But we only saw one temple right at the edge of Xijin. We were so hungry, so he carried me and sneaked in to steal some of the temple's offering rice cakes. That's how we survived. I was very young then, but for some reason, I remember this part of the story most clearly. Those white rice cakes wrapped in red paper were so dry. I cried as I ate them, and then I kowtowed to the Bodhisattva. An old lady passed by and gave me some water. She said, ‘The Bodhisattva is soft-hearted and can't bear to see this kind of thing happen. How could she blame you?’ We stayed there after that, but all these years in Xijin, we can't find that temple anymore.”
She tilted her head back and leaned against the Buddha's feet.
"Just like you, I never knew there were so many Buddhas in this place. Do you disappear on sunny days? Will I ever see you again? If someone makes a wish to you, will it come true?"
She asked herself the question, but the wind swirled in the mountains without an echo. A cool breeze picked up, and the sky, which hadn't even had time to darken, was instantly filled with dark clouds.
The rain started again, and it was about to flood the other half of the world.
Qi Shuyao sprang up from the ground, brushed off the dust, and hopped backwards away until she could see the entire Buddha statue when she looked up.
"You think I came here to worship you? You're wrong. I will never kneel before these Buddhas, gods, ghosts, or spirits. If you have the guts, then take my life. Otherwise, let's see if it's Heaven or I who decide."
This time, she turned and left completely. A fresh breeze swept through the world to carry her away. As the wind brushed past her ears, it was unclear whether it was a human or a Buddha who left behind a message.
"Time is not the cure, but the cure is in time. There are no 'what ifs' in life, only cause and effect. Life is impermanent. May you soon understand the cause of your suffering."
Qi Shuyao was stunned for a moment, then her mocking tone echoed through the mountains.
"This sentence can answer all the questions that everyone asks you. I ask you what will happen tomorrow, and you say you'll know tomorrow. I ask you how long I can live, and you say just live on and you'll know someday. Ah, that's time."
Without looking back or lingering, she quickly descended the mountain, with dark clouds, torrential rain, and fierce winds chasing after her. Before the first clap of thunder, she successfully left the dense jungle, only to be soaked from head to toe as soon as she emerged.
This time, however, she felt a sense of being back in the real world. There were people and cars on the street, and some kind drivers stopped to offer her a ride when they saw her floating on the road. Qi Shuyao shook her head, turned around, and ran away.
She could recognize the road here; her destination was the abandoned public phone booth at the end of the road, to the left.
The phone booth was once quite ornately decorated and has now become a popular photo spot, but nobody knows that the phone line still works.
She learned about this from Tong Kai, a message sent by Shen Yan's people. They instructed her to dial the so-called all-powerful government hotline on this phone line, and to quickly enter 011 before the first ringtone. The call would then be transferred to the government building. If she called again after get off work and no one answered, the call would be transferred to the apartment where Qi Yu was currently living after thirty seconds.
When Shen Yan sent this message, he categorized it as a comedy because Qi Yu had accidentally answered their phone that day. Qi Yu reeked of alcohol and was rambling incoherently.
Chen Luo said that he was the first to see this message, and after writing it down, he immediately deleted the traces of it. Tong Kai was unaware of this.
She also thought it sounded absurd, but she could only give it a try.
Just as Chen Luo described, the call continued, with the lines being switched repeatedly. After two final beeps, the call was answered.
Qi Shuyao didn't realize that she had frowned, until she heard a familiar voice in her ear.
Thank goodness, today is normal.
On her way there, she kept thinking about what kind of opening line would be best—to tease him? To scare him?
At the last moment, she simply spoke calmly, without using any form of address, and went straight to the point.
Qi Yu stopped breathing.
During her time away from home, Qi Shuyao had honed her leadership skills. She interrupted Qi Yu before he was about to speak and delivered her instructions in one breath, as if reciting poetry.
"Do you know why I was able to get to the foot of the mountain before sunset? Then go there. I don't know how many birds are flying in the sky. Before the storm comes, will she be able to fly back to reunite with her family?"
After saying that, the other end of the phone hung up, and the room was so quiet that only the howling wind lashed against the glass could be heard.
Qi Yu straightened his tie, put down the documents in his hand, and strode out.
Zou Jiangyu emerged from the corner, blocking his actions as always.
He remained silent, waiting for his barely suppressed roar to attract the attention of the patrolling men around him.
"What happened?"
The captain seemed surprised to see Qi Yu there. He immediately shut up after shouting, waved his hand dismissively, pointed in Zou Jiangyu's direction without uttering a word, and gave a look.
The captain and his men took Zou Jiangyu down, and he got into the car without any trouble getting off from the side.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Qi Yu was panting heavily, his hands trembling as he gripped the steering wheel.
He was indeed dejected.
It's just a matter of timing, location, and people. Today, the patrol team members are from the National Security Bureau, his old unit, and old friends.
After their breathing became even, they didn't waste a moment and sped off down the mountain road.
Why did I reach the foot of the mountain before sunset? Because they didn't know that a huge slide had been built on the mountain. You could lie on it and slide all the way down the slope, landing hard on your bottom. If you looked up, you could see the sign for "Downhill Peak Road".
Someone gouged out the birds' eyes and replaced them with their own surveillance cameras, cruelly demanding that they stay hovering in the air, unable to land or reunite with their families. I don't know how many birds are flying in this city now, but tonight the rain is too heavy, and I still long for a home.
Don't be afraid, Yao Yao, Daddy will take you home right away.
A torrential downpour was falling from the sky, pounding the ground with tremendous force, threatening to break through the earth.
Even those in a hurry to get off work parked their cars on the side of the road, leaving only one car speeding along. Countless raindrops fell rapidly, hitting the glass like a relentless rain of swords sent by the Grim Reaper. The road was pitch black, and the streetlights on both sides flickered a few times before going out all at once. The only light was the lightning in the sky, which irregularly illuminated the world for a brief moment.
Beyond the darkness, there was only darkness; the torrential rain threatened to engulf the world, and he seemed unable to find any light ahead.
The only difference between a rainstorm in the mountains and one in the city is that in the city, even though you can't see anyone, you can always hear screams, cries, and shouts coming from all directions. They all swirl around you, trying to drag you down with them.
Qi Shuyao hugged her soaked body, huddled in the corner of the phone booth. The torrential rain pounded on the old, fragile building, and large raindrops were already squeezing in through the cracks, hitting her head heavily.
After drifting for a whole day, she finally felt truly afraid. From here, she could see the apartments standing on the Kaijiang River in the distance, which were also her homes. But she could only stay in this pavilion. If she drifted downstream with the water, she would be directly recycled into the sewer.
The lightning and thunder came again, mocking her from the sky as she trembled in fear. Nearly ten centimeters of water had accumulated at Qi Shuyao's feet, icy cold, and she was too cold to stand up.
There must have been a crash from behind. Maybe the driver couldn't see the road and crashed into the roadside. Will anyone be injured or killed? Will someone come here crying and screaming tomorrow? She didn't know. Her consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred, and she even started hallucinating.
The little match girl can light candles in a blizzard, but she can't do it in a downpour. Summer is coming, isn't it better to be in winter?
But why did she also hallucinate, as a ball of light rushed towards her?
She also reached out her hand and lunged towards the light.
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