From now on, we are still together
Tian Baozhu returned from Yama Palace to the Bana Flower Field. Before she even reached the Bana Flower Field, she heard Hei Wuchang shouting:
"White Impermanence——"
He called her? But she had never heard him call her Bai Wuchang to her face. She wondered what was going on. She heard again:
"—The third generation."
Third generation?
The Black Impermanence voice continued, "When I call you the Third White Impermanence, you must respond to me with a 'woof' like you always did to her. Do you understand?"
He calls Xiaoquan the third generation Bai Wuchang. Does he want Xiaoquan to replace himself?
Tian Baozhu walked over angrily:
"Senior, why do you call the little dog the third generation of Bai Wuchang? I, the second generation Bai Wuchang, am still here!"
Hei Wuchang was still half-squatting because he had just been training a vicious dog. He looked up at Tian Baozhu who was looking down at him and said:
"You can go now. The third generation of Bai Wuchang will take over your job."
"What are you talking about? I'm not leaving!"
She recalled the moment in Yama's Hall. With the benevolent grace of an old father, Yama reluctantly explained that the Heavenly Emperor had ordered the Ghost Gates to be opened early, allowing all ghosts to reincarnate. Of course, Tian Baozhu could also be reincarnated early. "You have made unprecedented contributions to the underworld's agricultural work. While your departure is a great loss for the underworld, I believe it is also a good thing. The Heavenly Emperor has told me that he will reward you." Yama promised to give her a good birth when she reincarnates early.
Hei Wuchang was unusually silent, probably because he knew about the arrangement before her.
"You are chasing me away again." Tian Baozhu felt a lump in her throat.
Tian Baozhu only cried in front of Hei Wuchang twice.
The first time she cried was fake. At that time, she didn't know what Hei Wuchang had experienced in the past. She just thought that this colleague was so bad and wanted to drive her away again and again.
The second time I cried, I really cried. I felt wronged. You still treated me as a stranger and told me to leave without any consideration for my feelings.
My heart aches so much. This is the first time my heart aches so much since I died.
"Do you still want to kick me out now? I thought we'd been through so much, and we were already close colleagues, sharing joys and sorrows, talking about everything. Do you really want me to leave and have no attachment to our friendship at all?"
Speak up, even if you say one word, this is the order of Lord Yama, and it is difficult for you to disobey the order! Tian Baozhu shouted in her heart.
He averted his gaze from her, clenched his hands under his sleeves, and remained silent.
The eagerness on Tian Baozhu's face slowly cooled down. She wiped away her tears and bit her lip and said:
"Well, I'm going to go talk to Meng Po about planting the golden nanmu seedlings. You no longer need me, nor do you need Tian Baozhu. Just get along well with your new partner, the third generation Bai Wuchang."
She didn't call him senior, nor did she call him Hei Wuchang. She called him "you". For the first time, he felt that the word "you" was so strange and so distant.
The vicious dog chased her and wanted to go with her, saying that it was not on the side of Hei Wuchang.
Tian Baozhu bent down and touched the vicious dog's head, "You two should get along well." Then she left without looking back.
The vicious dog turned around and bit Hei Wuchang's arm in anger, signaling him to go after Tian Baozhu. Hei Wuchang did not move. Looking at Tian Baozhu's figure in the distance, he kept a tight grip on his heart, not letting it burst.
"It doesn't matter. She will know. This is the best arrangement for her..."
She is different from him, she still has hope, so let her grab it.
※※※
The Emperor of Heaven issued a special order, allowing the Ghost Gate to be opened early for reincarnation. All ghosts currently stranded in the underworld, regardless of their previously scheduled reincarnation date, were to be cleared out. If they did not leave this time, they would remain in the underworld for eternity, barred from reincarnation again.
If they didn't leave, they wouldn't be reincarnated again. Who would dare disobey this order? Previously, the ghosts hadn't been in a rush to reincarnate, believing they could leave whenever they wanted. But if they didn't leave this time, they'd never be able to leave again. On balance, the ever-changing human world was certainly more exciting than staying forever in the underworld, where there was no renewal.
Today is the day to open the ghost gate and reincarnate in advance.
Tian Baozhu stood in a long queue of ghosts. The queue was longer than before, and Meng Po and the others were busier than before.
The ghosts had different expressions, some expectant, some worried, some praying. Whether they were happy or not, they had to set off today.
People should not dwell too much on death.
The underworld is just a temporary safe haven for people. After a good rest, they have to start again.
The birdcage of the old man whom Tian Baozhu had met a few times fell on the bridge, and he seemed not to recognize it as his.
He drank Meng Po soup, but still didn't dare to move forward. Even though he had lost his previous memories and Meng Po and the others were urging him, the new beginning represented by the ghost gate still scared him.
Tian Baozhu hesitated for a long time, but finally she picked up the birdcage and put it in the old man's hands.
The anxious old man finally smiled the moment he took the cage.
"Just now I was inexplicably scared when I looked at that door, but you gave me this cage. After I held it, I felt at ease. Thank you, little girl. I'm leaving now."
He carried the birdcage and disappeared at the other end of the ghost gate like a happy child flying.
"The next one to be reincarnated is number 10,000, Tian Baozhu—"
“Woof!!”
Don't say goodbye.
The vicious dog that accompanied her in the queue all the way bit her trouser legs to prevent her from drinking Meng Po soup.
Tian Baozhu squatted down and seemed to say something to the vicious dog, and the dog loosened its teeth.
Tian Baozhu knew that someone was watching her not far away.
She stood up, and Mengpo scooped up a full bowl of Mengpo soup and handed it to her without saying a word.
Tian Baozhu took the bowl.
Next, it was Tian Baozhu's turn to drink Meng Po soup.
She drank it all in one gulp.
The vicious dog watched Tian Baozhu walk all the way until she disappeared at the Ghost Gate, and the words still echoed in its ears:
Sorry, Xiaoquan, you may not be able to become the third generation of Bai Wuchang.
※※※
It was so comfortable, like soaking in gentle warm water, and the surrounding environment made her extremely relaxed.
No need to work hard, no need to think too much, just let it choose for you.
She seemed to see a revolving lantern?
Some insignificant fragments flashed past her eyes, and finally stopped at a heartwarming scene.
"Baby, welcome to this new world. Come, mommy and daddy are here."
New mom and dad?
She was born in a bright, luxurious delivery room, her whole family taking turns holding her like a precious child. As the only child in the family, she was the only one with all the best things. On her birthday, she was given a multi-layered cake. Her parents kissed her cheeks, one on each side. She, the little birthday girl, wore a crown, and the whole family gathered around her for family photos. On New Year's Eve, she rode on her father's shoulders to watch the dazzling fireworks display over the castle at the amusement park they had booked just for her.
It was like the trailer of a wonderful movie, tailor-made for her, just waiting for her to walk in and act as the protagonist of the story.
No, that's not what she wanted to see.
She swam in the warm water, avoiding this warm scene and swimming towards the scene that had just passed by her.
The water squeezed her whole body, and she felt a large amount of water entering her lungs. Just when she could hardly hold on, a strange fragrance guided her and she finally climbed up to that fragment, the young man with beautiful phoenix eyes smiling deeply at her in a sea of bright red flowers of the other shore.
That's where she belongs.
Then she lost consciousness in the waters that turned from warm to icy cold...
※※※
Cough cough cough cough cough!!
Tian Baozhu sat up suddenly, breathing heavily. She put her left hand on her chest to calm her breathing, and then noticed that she was now in a familiar place.
The staff lounge of the underworld.
She's not dead? No, she's not alive?
She felt someone loosen her right hand, and she looked over to meet that beautiful pair of almond-shaped eyes. There was a complex emotion in his eyes, and his eye sockets were red and wet.
"Hey, I'm back again. I'm no longer qualified to be reincarnated. Don't even think about getting rid of me."
"Fool!"
He cursed, and as if he was still not satisfied, he cursed again: "You big fool who threw away the chance of reincarnation!"
He couldn't hide his excitement. "Don't you know that once you come back, you'll never be able to return to the human world? Lord Yama promised you the best new life, so why would you come back? Back to this underworld that's decayed with time...!"
"I'll stay. I want to continue planting flowers and trees, and growing planks for bridges. There are so many places in the underworld that need me."
"Don't you miss your night tours, night markets, and open-air gatherings in the human world?"
"Yes, of course I do. I also miss my cell phone, movies, and the flowers and greenery I see every step of the way. But how can I tell you so you understand—"
Her arms passed through Hei Wuchang's shoulders and hugged him tightly. Actions often speak louder than words.
"And because, because you, the one I love, are in the underworld! Idiot, without me, you'll have to carry it all on your own again."
Tian Baozhu felt the rapid rise and fall of Hei Wuchang's body and breathing in her arms, as if she had exploded at this sudden confession.
"What about you, Hei Wuchang? What do you think of me? Do you like me even a little bit?"
"I like you... not just a little bit, I like you very much...!" It was rare for him to be so straightforward. He hugged Tian Baozhu tightly in his arms and sighed deeply. It was an incredible sigh of relief as if he had lost something and then found it again.
Hei Wuchang's voice vibrated in her ears, and she felt her ears itchy, but she couldn't help but smile out loud.
"What do you like about me?"
"I like your vitality."
"Life force? I'm dead."
"There are so many people I recognize after my death. You are different from them. You are special."
"I remember you said I was weird at first."
"Indeed, it is strange, indeed," he also laughed, "Strange and special."
"Ahem, it seems I came at the wrong time?" The accountant coughed lightly and walked in.
After being seen, Hei Wuchang became embarrassed and wanted to separate from Tian Baozhu.
Tian Baozhu pulled him back and hugged him, "You haven't promised me yet, don't fool around anymore. Don't mention letting me go or regretting not letting me go. If you don't promise me, I won't let go."
"I won't mention it anymore. Let go first..." Hei Wuchang's neck even turned red.
The accountant looked at the two young men and laughed, his expression saying, "I understand, I understand."
Meng Po also came in at this time, with a strange fragrance on her body.
What she was holding in her hand was the golden nanmu seedling that Tian Baozhu and the others had brought back, and it was also the one that Tian Baozhu had asked her to help keep when she was looking for her.
Tian Baozhu took the golden nanmu seedling that Meng Po solemnly returned to her. Before reincarnation, she had discussed this matter with Meng Po, and it was the unique fragrance of this seedling that guided her back safely.
When Tian Baozhu came to talk to Meng Po about this, Meng Po was hesitant at first.
Tian Baozhu appealed to her emotions: "Meng Po, you understand the feelings of those left behind the most, right?"
It immediately hit the nail on the head for Meng Po.
She couldn't bear to see the people left behind.
Tian Baozhu saw her hesitation and continued, "I don't want Hei Wuchang to face it alone and go back to the days when he had to shoulder everything alone. I want to stay in the underworld and face everything together with Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang."
Meng Po was convinced. The Meng Po soup she gave to Tian Baozhu did not contain any forgotten herbs. Instead, it contained pearls. She hoped that it would help Tian Baozhu distinguish between the two during her reincarnation.
"He wants me to leave, so I'll leave to show him this time. But if I want to come back, it's my own decision. But if, by some chance, I can't come back, you can help me plant it."
Tian Baozhu entrusted the golden nanmu seedling to her. Meng Po took it out after Tian Baozhu entered the Ghost Gate, hoping that its unique fragrance could serve as a signpost to guide Tian Baozhu back.
Meng Po also warned Tian Baozhu that it was very dangerous inside the Ghost Gate and that her body might not be able to withstand it, which would destroy and separate her body and soul.
At that time, she was like a struggling and drowning fish, her whole body wet and unconscious, lying on the edge of the ghost gate, without any weight, her body disappearing and appearing from time to time.
Now her soul has returned to the underworld, proving that she has endured it and her self-will has transcended the mechanism of forced reincarnation.
Tian Baozhu's risky bet paid off.
Sister, you are really reckless, but this is your style. Once you make a promise, you will definitely do it.
Meng Po, who knew everything behind this, had great respect for Tian Baozhu.
She was just about to remind Tian Baozhu to rest a little longer when she heard several people shouting from the door.
She showed her usual cold attitude towards others: "What's the matter? Why are you coming here to make a fuss?"
"We want to see Lady Bai Wuchang. We have important matters to report to her." Several people said in unison.
"How important is it?"
"Master Bai Wuchang, I have something for you from the human world!"
※※※
The owner of the clothing store, the toy store, the farm tool store, the snack store, the Ghost Market Bank, and many other bosses, both seen and not seen before, crowded in and asked Tian Baozhu to sign for the goods.
Suddenly, a lot of items poured into Tian Baozhu's account, including dolls, flowers, snacks, rice, and noodles...
What's even more outrageous are the agricultural tools and various fertilizers, which are exactly what she needs for farming but are not available in the underworld. But who gave her these things?
"Master Bai Wuchang, these things were not brought down by one person, but by a group of people."
A group of people brought me something?!
Tian Baozhu was stunned. "Maybe there was something wrong, like the wrong name or the wrong person?" She didn't have such a wide network of contacts and didn't know so many people.
"Here is another letter." A boss handed an envelope to Tian Baozhu.
She opened:
[From Baozhu]
Baozhu, are you doing well in that world?
When your name was mentioned in the news, we all refused to believe the tragic truth. You were so brave and selfless, supporting two lives alone. We mourned and were deeply moved by you. But unfortunately, God forbids such a gifted person. The world has lost you forever.
Do you have enough supplies over there? Perhaps you've received all the things people from all walks of life have spontaneously sent you. I'm wondering what to bring you. We've decided that agricultural tools and fertilizers are best suited for farmers like you. I hope they'll be of some use to you, and that you'll see the flowers you plant bloom and flourish in that world.
Salute to you!
All agricultural people in the Agricultural University will always miss you.
…
Tian Baozhu, who had never cried because of her own death, now shed tears from the corners of her eyes.
One, two, three.
It dripped onto the paper, soaking the writing.
She covered her face with paper to hide her sobbing.
"I will definitely... not let you down... everyone's expectations... I will definitely use your things well...!"
Tian Baozhu's advantage is that she can quickly face reality.
The second advantage is that the more difficult the situation is, the more she can shine in it.
※※※
"Your Majesty the Emperor of Heaven, I have made up my mind. I don't need a life of wealth and glory in my next life. I need water from heaven so that the golden nanmu seedlings can grow smoothly." Tian Baozhu and Hei Wuchang once again stood in the Yunxiao Palace.
"Who told you that?"
"Old White Impermanence."
"Oh, he even told you this?" The Emperor leaned back in his chair and sighed, as if he had been outmaneuvered and had no other choice. "This is a secret of the Heavenly Realm. He was so open with you, he told you everything."
The Emperor of Heaven had originally thought of sending this young farm girl away by giving her a good birth, but he hadn't expected her to return from the gates of hell. Was there anyone who would refuse the rich and prosperous life he had planned for her? He had miscalculated.
He has to think long and hard again.
The Emperor of Heaven appears silent, but in fact he is using his eyes to turn the scales that others cannot see.
He moved the scales of life and death. The side of [death] was pressed down heavily, while the side of [life] was lifted up high. There was still a long way to go to achieve balance.
He looked at the Black and White Impermanence through the scales.
To send those ghosts back to the human world to be reincarnated, someone with some brains is needed to push the issue forward...
"Every time you successfully send off a group of ghosts, you can exchange them for water from heaven. And you, on the other hand, will remain alone in the underworld forever, decaying with it. Are you willing to do that?"
He asked Tian Baozhu.
When the King of Hell mentioned the Emperor of Heaven in the King of Hell's Hall, Tian Baozhu understood what the "good news" that the Emperor of Heaven was halfway through saying was.
The Emperor of Heaven gave her two choices: either reincarnate immediately and leave; or stay in the underworld and never reincarnate again for the rest of her life.
"She is not alone, I am by her side." Hei Wuchang reached out and took Tian Baozhu's hand. The two held hands and smiled at each other.
"I do." Tian Baozhu answered the Emperor of Heaven firmly.
Why are you suddenly showing off your affection to me? The Emperor rolled his eyes at them, sighed, and then waved his hand.
"Okay."
Finally, the golden nanmu seedling was planted in the underworld. It was planted by the Wangchuan River, and the water from heaven allowed it to grow smoothly.
※※※
"I want to tell you something. I dreamed about Baozhu last night."
"What a coincidence, me too. I was just about to tell you."
"The content of my dream was a bit outrageous. Baozhu was wearing a white dress and a white hat in the style of ancient clothes. There was a person in black clothes standing next to her. There were also a group of people who looked like ox-headed and horse-faced people next to them. They called them Lord Black and White Impermanence."
"I dreamed that she was still farming, using the things we burned for her. Those bright red red spider lilies bloomed in patches. She hasn't lost her agricultural skills even down there."
"She will definitely live well wherever she is."
"I dreamed that she was using up a lot of fertilizer while growing golden nanmu trees. I burned some more for her."
"Take me too."
Along with everyone's thoughts, another batch of agricultural supplies was sent to the underworld...
※※※
"Ah! Lord Black Wuchang, you were knocked to the ground by the weight of the wooden board again? Lord White Wuchang told you not to carry too much weight when carrying things. Lord White Wuchang, come quickly--"
"Here I come, Senior! You're showing off again. Come, I'll carry you over there and let you rest for a while."
Princess Tian Baozhu picked up Hei Wuchang. Hei Wuchang covered his face, regretting that he had shown off and made his employees laugh at him again.
The helping staff have long been accustomed to it, and the Black and White Impermanence masters are also on good terms today.
A ghost who accidentally took the wrong path stumbled from the Yellow Springs Road into a field of red spider lilies and was chased out by a vicious dog. He was then attracted to the Naihe Bridge by a strange fragrance.
He walked onto the Naihe Bridge. The Naihe Bridge today was different from before. Several large holes had been firmly filled with new golden nanmu wood, which was neat, flat and tightly fitted. This was all the work of Hei Wuchang.
The ghost looked from the bridge not far away and saw a golden nanmu tree standing tall and graceful by the river.
"jingle."
Tian Baozhu noticed him and took out the spirit-calling bell to guide the newly dead ghost: "Your first stop is not here. The first place you need to go is the Palace of Yama over there."
Hei Wuchang looked at the ghosts going to Yama Palace and said:
"A new ghost has come down. I've rested. Let's continue. There are still many places on the bridge that need repairing."
"Okay." Tian Baozhu smiled and tacitly took the wood that Hei Wuchang handed over with a smile.
The farming life in the underworld continues, this is just one day in their ordinary life.
But the difference is that before he was the only one holding an umbrella for others, but now they are together.
The breeze brings hope, just because they are with us.
[End of full text]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
