Among all the defeated competitors were people from all three kingdoms. The people of the Celestial Kingdom chose to give up the fight willingly, as their competitor was the prince himself. There was nothing they could do but to give up. However, the same respect was not shown by the people of the Devil and Monster Kingdoms. After taking a few defeats, they joined hands and fought the duo together.
These people were no ordinary warriors. According to the ranking of the Celestial Kingdom, these opponents were at least Golden Immortals and above. Some had even achieved the level of a Mighty Immortal.
When these people worked together and raised the siege, it would become a rather difficult battle even for Gu Xijiu and Yun Yanli. Fortunately, the prince's cultivation had reached the level of a Mighty Immortal. From the fight, Gu Xijiu also realized that her strength was sufficient, even in a foreign land. Her level of spiritual power was comparable to Yun Yanli's, or probably higher.
In addition, her battle experience was an advantage. When the real fight began, she commanded many moves and saved Yun Yanli from making a lot of unnecessary mistakes.
In the beginning, Yun Yanli was not really sure if he should follow all of her commands, as he was worried that she might take him the wrong way. When he finally tasted the victory made possible under Gu Xijiu's lead, he began to trust her completely.
Their excellent teamwork had eliminated dozens of competitors along their way. When they finally arrived at the valley, there were only seven or eight remaining teams.
Those teams were certainly made up of elite fighters; they were equally outstanding in both Kung Fu and strategy. Seemingly staged, all of them worked together and laid siege to the duo.
Apparently, the main reason behind their teamwork was to eliminate the powerful duo first; only then would they compete for the magic weapon among themselves.
Under the intense circumstance, both of them had to fight an extremely tough battle against 20 fighters, whose Kung Fu were well–matched.
Gu Xijiu made a prompt decision that she would be the one defending the competitors, while Yun Yanli would seize the window and pull the weapon out from the stone. The golden ruler could already be partly seen.
To his disappointment, Yun Yanli could not remove the ruler at all; it was like it had completely merged with the stone into one.
Yun Yanli's strength was strong enough to lift an entire mountain with his spiritual power, but he could hardly pull the sword out.
He was unprepared for the sudden bounce from the power of the ruler. He snapped backward and almost cut himself under his opponent's sword.
Luckily, Gu Xijiu was there to pull him back, preventing his flesh from being torn apart. The slight delay gave their opponents the opportunity to make a dash for the ruler.
Gu Xijiu was anxious. Quickly, she teleported and grabbed the ruler in her hand right away. She had obviously taken the lead. Others decided to give up their attack at Yun Yanli. Instead, they turned and launched their attacks simultaneously at Gu Xijiu.
Without having much thought, she exerted her strength and pulled the ruler out of the rock very easily. Under the gleaming golden light, all the weapons that were aimed at her were immediately shattered into pieces.
With a sword in his hand, Yun Yanli rushed to her side to help. Unfortunately, the ruler caused the same damage to his sword without taking any sides.
Most of the magic weapons would pick the masters of their choice. Obviously, Gu Xijiu was chosen to be the master of the golden ruler. It was best for others to give up hope of owning it.
Despite being unhappy about the result, they were willing to acknowledge their defeat. Since the magic weapon had already chosen its master, there was nothing else they could possibly gain from the place. Thus, all of them left immediately.
Gu Xijiu did not really like the golden ruler. She thought that it was too fancy and glamorous, so she preferred something modest.
She wished to present the ruler to Yun Yanli as a gift, but Yun Yanli kindly rejected the offer. "Xijiu, all magic weapons belong to the ones who deserve them. Now that the weapon has chosen its master, you will be the one who owns it. There is no need to decline it."
Gu Xijiu felt the tug of her conscience about accepting the ruler, but Yun Yanli was completely fine with it and did not mind at all about the outcome. "Anyway, I am happy, as long as the ruler belongs to a member from the Celestial Kingdom," he responded smilingly.
Since he had already made himself clear, Gu Xijiu said nothing more.
The most stunning views of the mountain lied within its most adventurous paths, so Yun Yanli suggested that they take a walk to enjoy the scenic beauty. "The presence of the magic weapon has proven that the mountain is indeed sagacious. There could be other nice things hidden within its land; we shall look for them as we go," he joked.
Gu Xijiu agreed. After the long battle, she was actually a little exhausted. A rest would be very much appreciated. Fortunately, taking a walk was considerably relaxing as well.
The lights blazed in the dusking sky. As the darkness slowly took over, the moon appeared three times bigger compared to the view from Earth.
Misty air floated around the mountains. In twinkling lights, the fireflies sparkled like the stars. The view was rather unique. After the adventure, both of them grew to know each other better. They became close friends.
From their conversation, Gu Xijiu was able to find out more. Yun Yanli told her that when the immortalization of the Lord, or the Deity Lord, or the Emperor Lord took place, the heavenly law would allow them to be reborn in heaven. They would reincarnate as Mighty Immortals right away and be treated respectfully with special honors.
Before Gu Xijiu could say anything, the Firmament Stone was seemingly more eager than her. It blurted out in her head, "Master, try to ask him about Huang Tu to know if he has been brought to heaven."
"Who is Huang Tu?" Bewildered, Gu Xijiu felt that the name sounded somewhat familiar.
"He... He used to be my friend's friend... Master, my friend misses him dearly. She is unsure if he has vanished completely after his immortalization. Master, please do me a favor by asking him about the man."
Gu Xijiu felt that something was not right. "When did he immortalize?" She was determined to find out more.
"I... I am not sure. Master, please ask about him first."
Gu Xijiu asked Yun Yanli about the man. It was obvious that he was well aware of the names of the present Mighty Immortals. He simply shook his head to dismiss the name. "No, the man does not exist." He then continued, "Xijiu, not all guardians of the earth deserve to be brought back as Mighty Immortals in heaven. The rebirth comes with strict conditions. If they have previously violated a rule or two, their immortalization will be final. They will vanish in the vast wilderness, with no possible existence elsewhere. Otherwise, there will not only be two hundred Mighty Immortals in heaven after so many years."
The Firmament Stone was shocked. Di Fuyi had acted against the heavenly law so many times when he was alive. The heavenly laws meant nothing to him. He would have acted against the heavenly laws even more if it were not for the sake of Gu Xijiu's wellbeing.
A man like him would never be allowed to come alive in heaven. It seemed like Di Fuyi had truly immortalized. He was gone, eternally.
It was a shame that Gu Xijiu spent so much effort searching for a man that no longer existed. She was doing so even though she had lost every memory of him.
The Firmament Stone observed Gu Xijiu's impassive expression upon hearing the news. Apparently, she had no idea what the news actually meant to her.
Was she still going to meet all of the Mighty Immortals? She was not aware that the man was not among the Mighty Immortals.
It was fortunate that she had completely lost her memory of him. Otherwise, the news would definitely be a hard blow to her.
As their journey continued, they could see a temple from afar, or more precisely, a building that resembled the structure of a temple. Concrete walls of dark purple jade surrounded the building. Purple bamboos environed the yard, making the place gloomy and mysterious.
To her surprise, there was a temple in a place so remote and obscure. People from Earth built the temples to worship all kinds of majestic beings. Who would the people from heaven worship?
Yun Yanli's expression turned serious, all of a sudden. "Xijiu, we shall go and pray."
"Who are we worshipping?"
"The Heavenly Order."
Gu Xijiu was astonished.
As far as she was concerned, the heavenly law was the ultimate guide to maintain the order of basically everything in the world. The law had governed the earth's rotation on its axis and maintained the laws of the universe. How could something as abstract as the law be worshiped as a God?
Out of curiosity, she stepped into the temple. There were some words carved on the door, stating 'the unpredictability of the heavenly laws.'
The words were colored with gold, with a font of vigorous touches and fine strokes, making it appear swift and yet fierce. She could feel a sense of amazement about the place as if she was about to enter the vast universe.
The first thing that she could see in the temple was a statue. She was utterly astonished as she stood before the statue. Unlike the usual statues, the one that she saw had an odd appearance. Its body was a union of four different men.
The one on the front was wearing entirely purple, with a mask that resembled the shape of a fox's face. The color of the mask was vividly in red, concealing his face. She could only see his narrow eyes like he was smiling.
The one on the left was dressed in white. His face was covered with an odd looking mask that resembled the eyes of a fox. She could only see his lips that were perfectly angled. He looked as cold as marble.
The one on the right was dressed in red robes. As usual, he was also wearing a mask, but it was in silvery white color. His entire face was covered. As red as the fiery flames, he possessed a captivating sense of charm.
The one behind the status was in complete black. As the dark clouds, the mask on his face was pitch black as well. In his hand, he looked as though he was trying to perform a spell that could unleash fatal destruction upon the world.
The structure of the four men was as strange as it seemed. Yun Yanli was already on his knees, bowing his head in prayer. Gu Xijiu stood gazing at the statue, completely absorbed in her own thoughts.
The statue came as a shock to her. She could tell that the statue meant something as her heart slowly ached. The statue was made from a precious gem of four colors. The craftsmanship was intricate with fine distinctions. Even the robes were vividly manipulated to be as lifelike as possible.
While Yun Yanli was praying, she proceeded to observe the statues carefully on her own. Although all of the statues were wearing a mask, she could tell from their figures that they were not depicting the same man.
"Is the heavenly law made up by these four men?" She could not help but question the Firmament Stone.
The Firmament Stone was obviously lost in thought, as it completely ignored Gu Xijiu's question.
Gu Xijiu knocked it gently. "Are you lost? Why didn't you answer me?"
The Firmament Stone finally reacted. "Master, the heavenly law is the law of the universe that is formed naturally. Logically speaking... the heavenly law should not possess the look of a man. I do not know why it is depicted as such."
"Aren't you the messenger of the heavenly law? Don't you know what it is?"
"Master, I only receive its instructions occasionally. I certainly do not know where it comes from or what it is."
The Firmament Stone was like a device that was connected only to the frequency of the heavenly law. Moreover, it did not know about heaven any better than her, so Gu Xijiu decided to ask nothing more from it.
She waited for Yun Yanli. When they left, she asked, "Is the heavenly law made up of four men?"
Yun Yanli shook his head in disapproval. "No, the heavenly laws can take hundreds of thousands of embodiments, not only the four men you saw."
Gu Xijiu was obviously confused. Yun Yanli had to explain to her everything that he knew about it. "According to the legend, the heavenly laws has created everything in the world. At the beginning of the universe, all beings knew nothing about good and evil. They coexisted, but fought in mutual slaughter, plunging the world into an abyss of misery. The world gradually became an evil place. Pestilence filled the world like an epidemic, turning it into a mess. The heavenly law had mercy on the world by creating an order, a rule for everything in the world to follow. Slowly, all six worlds were formed. The heavenly law will take many forms and linger in different bounds to experience different lives in order to improve the rules."
Gu Xijiu was perplexed. Was the heavenly law the creator of the world?
From what she knew, Pangu was the one who created the world by separating the sky from the earth. His body then dissolved to create everything in the world by forming the mountains and the rivers, including the flowers, plants, and trees, and even the animals. He made everything but human beings. Nuwa Empress added life by shaping the figurines by hand, thus creating the human civilization and societal institution. Some regarded the Nuwa Empress as the mother of life and the creator of the world.
Was the Nuwa Empress the heavenly law? She could not be. Pangu was the one who created the world and added the primitive elements of life to it. Pangu was the emperor who presided over heaven.
Nuwa Empress had only created a human civilization, but the legend stated that the heavenly law ruled heaven as well. Was Pangu the heavenly law, then? Or perhaps, the heavenly law was only a law, which had nothing to do with Pangu or the Nuwa Empress.
Gu Xijiu was still confused. She continued to discuss the topic with Yun Yanli.
"Those are only legends from the earth. There are hundreds of thousands of different worlds below heaven. The heavenly law has created an order for the six worlds – the Divine Kingdom, the Celestial Kingdom, the Devil Kingdom, the Monster Kingdom, Hell, and the mortal world. The earth consists of mortal beings and a small number of monsters. Whereas heaven contains divine beings, celestial beings, devils and even monsters. It is said that the divine beings are the most powerful ones. They carry out the heavenly laws and control between life and death among all beings of all kingdoms. The divine beings can live eternally and carry no mundane sentiments, implacable even among themselves. However, they are said to have disappeared, as they have immortalized in order to protect the six worlds. The Celestial Kingdom is now known as the Saha World," Yun Yanli explained patiently.
He continued to talk with ease and confidence about the origin of the six worlds and the heavenly law. In the six worlds, each kingdom had its own ruler. The guardian of the Celestial Kingdom was the Emperor Immortal. The guardian of the Devil Kingdom was Emperor Devil. The Monster Kingdom was guarded and ruled by Monster King.
All members of the six worlds worshiped the ultimate guardian of all beings – the Divine Lord. They also built the temple to constitute a formal expression of reverence for the heavenly law. The temple only existed in heaven, but all beings across the six worlds were obliged to follow the heavenly laws and order.
As the prince of the Celestial Kingdom, Yun Yanli certainly knew many things. However, he had only heard about the legends, which were mostly very ancient.
After his long explanation, Gu Xijiu finally grasped the concept. The heavenly law was a law made by the creator of the world who was an independent body. The heavenly law constituted the law and order for all six worlds. Occasionally, the creator would take different forms and embodiments to wander in different worlds. All beings had probably witnessed his embodiment before, only in different forms.
Gu Xijiu recalled the voice in her head that proclaimed itself as the messenger of the heavenly law. She took another look at the Firmament Stone. It seemed like the messenger of the heavenly law as well, only of a lower rank. In fact, it did not sound quite the same as the unknown voice in her head. That one seemed to be more superior. It was a shame that she could not communicate with that voice right now. She had so many questions.
According to Yun Yanli, the heavenly law was the ultimate order for all six worlds. No one was allowed to violate it. Respectively, the rulers had the power to punish anyone who had violated the terms, without requesting permission or going through the authority of the heavenly law.
Nonetheless, she seemed to have violated the heavenly law many times, but she had not been severely punished yet. She could even negotiate the punishment. The heavenly law seemed quite approachable to Gu Xijiu.
Yun Yanli was obviously interested to become her trusted friend. Throughout their conversation, he would answer, without reserve, anything that she did not understand. Yun Yanli had even gifted her with a glistening gold token. Whenever her presence was questioned by anyone in the Saha World, she only had to show the token for an immediate release.
Also, Yun Yanli was indeed a good friend. Even though he failed to retrieve the golden ruler for himself, he did as promised and brought her to the Celestial Fruit Party the next day. She managed to see more than 30 Mighty Immortals. All of them were full of spiritual energy and otherworldly aura. They also had awe-inspiring appearances, far transcending the others in beauty and elegance. However, she did not see the one that she wished to meet.
She had even met the Emperor Immortal. He dressed entirely in purple and possessed a stern temperament. His appearance was equally attractive, but he was not the man. Unfortunately, her visit to the Celestial Fruit Party bore no result.
...
Time went by quickly. Gu Xijiu had stayed for more than six months in heaven. She had been to almost everywhere in the Saha World by now. With Yun Yanli's help, she managed to see another 20 Mighty Immortals but found nothing.
They all lived in very remote places. Each visit was very time-consuming. Gu Xijiu did not want to leave a bad name behind in heaven, so she had been keeping a very low profile. She was not a very sociable person, so not many people knew about her. Neither would she get herself involved in any dramas or conflicts.
She spent the past six months in the search for the man. When the time came, she had to return to Starry Crescent Land again with the help of the five-colored bird. The ice and snow that had been raging the land finally melted away. Life finally began to flourish. The positive change was probably due to the change of her heart, for she no longer felt the shade of melancholy that had been settling in her heart.
When she stepped into the Biwu Palace once again, she felt as though she was reborn. The four messengers had been greatly helpful. Even in her absence, they had been ruling the land very carefully. They required her presence only when they had to deal with very difficult situations that were beyond their capability.
She led a rather idle life in Starry Crescent Land. She saw the books that were copied by the four messengers. Those were the books that talked about the cultivation of the Lord.
A sudden inspiration occurred to her one day. She asked Mu Feng about the books. "Where did you copy the texts from?"
Mu Feng was obviously taken by surprise. "My Lord, you were the one who told us to copy the books, before you went into the forbidden land."
Gu Xijiu was confused. The content of the cultivation books was very profound. She had never even seen it before. How could she possibly tell them to copy something she did not even know of?
"Where is the original text that you have copied from?"
Mu Feng handed her a book of empty pages. "This is the one, my Lord. It used to be filled with words when we started. When we were done, the book suddenly became empty. We do not even remember what we have copied."
She could tell something was not right.
Gu Xijiu was too tired to think about it before, so she missed out the questionable points. Now that she thought about it seriously, many doubts started to surface.
She looked at the empty books and decided to flip through one of the books.
Suddenly, she had a dim recollection of a figure, sitting by the bed and writing a book attentively. By his side, lay a companion.
The one who was writing the book attentively was a man. Lying down by his side, hugging his leg tightly like a koala bear, was a woman.
The woman seemed to have just been woken up from her sleep. She lounged comfortably and asked, "Why are you writing all these things again? I do not want you to do that."
Quickly, she tried to take the book away from him, but her attempt failed. Her hand was helplessly pinned down. "Be a good girl. Behave."
Then, he bent his head and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Be a good girl, will you? Do not say anything."
The woman seemed unconvinced. "I refuse to. I will continue to distract you." She attempted to take the book away again.
This time, he pinned her body down on the bed. He held her down with one hand while trying to keep his book with another. He then put her down on the bed and flirted. "I see that you like to misbehave. I will now teach you a lesson."
"My Lord? My Lord?" Mu Feng was concerned, seeing her lapsing into a light trance while holding the book.
Gu Xijiu recovered from her preoccupation and saw Mu Feng standing right in front of her. Where did the man and the woman come from?
Like the images of her hallucination before, she still could not see their faces properly. Somehow, she had fallen prey to the strange, irrational sentiments that almost moved her to tears.
She knew that she had lost part of her memory, so did Mu Feng and the other messengers. She did not feel anything wrong about the loss before, but now, the hallucinations changed her perception entirely. Her memory loss must be the key.
Were the man and the woman representing the figures of herself and the previous Lord?
Her stay in the world was a short one, probably about two decades. Therefore, there must be another Lord before she took over.
Who was the previous Lord? She asked everyone, but none of them knew anything about the former Lord. Was the previous Lord the one that she was intuitively trying to find?
However, the flashback of her hallucinations clearly showed that the man and the women were madly in love. The woman seemed timid and lovable, like a little bird that rested upon her man.
Gu Xijiu touched her cheeks in sudden realization. She knew it well that she could never be the kind of woman who acted so timidly around her man. If she were truly in love, she would treat her other half with proper respect and concern. She would stand by him, like how she used to get along with Long Siye before. She could not imagine how she would look like, being all affectionate and dependent on a man.
Frustrated by her loss of memory, she gave a light thump on her temple. She hated it when it happened to her. Did she hurt her head in the Buddha Fire Land? She could somehow tell that her memory was fine when she entered Buddha Fire Land. The loss only occurred after she left the place.
She thought about it for a moment. Then, she proceeded to take out the skin of the Kunpeng. The sight of the Kunpeng struck her dumbfounded at once. She remembered that it used to be a fitted dress, but it had been completely torn apart in pieces.
She walked in a circle with the skin of the Kunpeng in her hand as she tried to recall something. An idea seemed ready to pop out, but she could not pinpoint exactly what it was about.
She stood still as she quietly slipped into reverie. She tried to organize her thoughts. She was, after all, very smart. She put her recent flashbacks into place and tried to connect the dots. A bold conclusion could be made. "When the Lord immortalized, everything about him had to be completely erased to get rid of his presence in the world, right?"
The more she thought about it, the more probable the idea became. She was somehow nervous and yet excited, for she finally had some clues about the mystery that had been troubling her for so long.
She continued to trace the pieces and thought of another possibility. In that case, did the previous Lord immortalize and proceed to heaven already? Was he the cause of her obsession with heaven?
It was highly possible. If the flashbacks were based on true events, she once saw that they were already married. If so, she would no longer be a virgin.
Determined, she dashed quickly into her room to check her own body. A few moments later, she tidied her clothes and stood with a mixture of feelings of rejoice and disappointment. She was still a virgin.
Was her speculation leading her to the wrong direction? Were they not ready to take their relationship to the sexual level? However, the couple in her flashbacks was clearly intimate.
Bothered and bewildered, something about the whole thing just did not add up. She disarmed the seal that had been suppressing the Firmament Stone's spiritual intelligence and waded straight to her point. "How was I related to the previous Lord?"
The Firmament Stone stammered. "What... What about the previous Lord?" Did its master recall anything about the previous Lord? It did not seem quite possible, as the loss of memory about the previous Lord was an order of the heavenly law. How could she possibly remember him?
To her disappointment, she heaved a sigh and said, "So, you do not know about him as well." She sat by the table and stared blankly at the leather garment.
The Firmament Stone was at a loss for words. She spoke of her thoughts out loud, as though she was talking to the Firmament Stone. "I think that I am somehow related to the previous Lord. Hallucinations occur to me very often now. I can see a man and a woman together, as if madly in love. They behave very intimately like they are already married. I think that the man and the woman represent the previous Lord and I. I have even checked my own body, but I am still a virgin."
The Firmament Stone did not know what to say. It did not expect the heavenly law had removed every single trace of Di Fuyi from the world, thus restoring her virginity. However, if the heavenly law had indeed removed every single trace, its master would not have experienced flashbacks so frequently.
She must be greatly obsessed with Di Fuyi to be able to see the images, even under such a strict circumstance. It was a shame that Di Fuyi had immortalized and vanished completely. He was not in heaven. The Firmament Stone was initially relieved that Gu Xijiu had forgotten about Di Fuyi. Otherwise, the brutal reply that she got from heaven would have been a bad knock to her head.
The Firmament Stone was deeply absorbed in its thoughts when Gu Xijiu asked, "Little Cang, about that Huang Tu that you had mentioned before, was he the previous Lord? Answer me honestly."
The Firmament Stone tried to find the right words to say. It was forbidden to lie to the Lord, so the Firmament Stone did not know how to answer the question right away. "Should... Should be," it finally answered, after a while.
"Who was the friend that you talked about? On whose behalf did you try to ask for help?" Gu Xijiu tried to force the truth out of it.
The Firmament Stone was shocked. Sudden remorse occurred to it. It should not have asked about Huang Tu in heaven. Now, it did not know how to handle her intense interrogation.
Gu Xijiu looked at the Firmament Stone fixedly and asked, "Little Cang, you do remember about the previous Lord, don't you?"
"I..." Desperately, the Firmament Stone wanted to avoid her question.
It desperately wished to be struck by lightning, so it would not remember anything like her as well. It was not allowed to deceive the Lord, but it was not allowed to mention anything about the heavenly law either. It was indeed in a real dilemma.
It was but a piece of jade. Why did she have to interrogate it so intensely?
"You do remember!" Gu Xijiu exclaimed in reassurance.
The Firmament Stone was obviously guilty. It shrunk into a ball and said nothing more.
Gu Xijiu put it on her palm and questioned it even more, "Speak. What has been going on between us? You'd better tell the truth."
The Firmament Stone decided to respond. "Master, the matter is related to the heavenly law, so I am not allowed to tell you anything more. However, I do have an advice for you. You should look forward to the future, as there is still a long way to go. Why do you have to get yourself entangled with the fragments of your past? Let bygones be bygones!"
Gu Xijiu sealed her lips and refused to comment.
The Firmament Stone continued, "Master, I can only tell you that you are indeed linked to the previous Lord, but like what you have been told, he did not ascend to heaven. He is not among the Mighty Immortals. He has truly immortalized and will never come back again. If you keep on thinking about your past, you will never be able to move on. No matter what happened, let bygones be where they should be – in the past. Both of you were only destined to meet and fall in love once. When the relationship ended, it ended. You should look ahead."
Gu Xijiu stared at the leather suit blankly. She knew the Firmament Stone was right. She really should put her past behind and look forward to what lied ahead. However, she could feel a huge piece of the puzzle was missing from the picture, like a void that could never be filled. It was very depressing.
She recollected the dream that she had in heaven. There was a voice that gave her a sense of direction. If she wished to find what she wanted, she had first to accomplish a mission. She decided to dismiss other thoughts and focus on the mission.
Without further question, she used her spiritual power to put the shattered piece of the Kunpeng's skin into one again. She put it on and took a casual turn. The vivid blue dress was very light and soft. Most importantly, it fitted her perfectly.
A conversation flashed before her eyes. "The dress is a perfect fit. You have not taken my measurements. How did you know my size?"
"I am afraid that I know your body better than you do."
Gu Xijiu tried to focus on the conversation, but as usual, it faded away. The conversation sounded very intimate. Had they not any sexual interaction before?
Gu Xijiu shook her head to dismiss the thought. Intuitively, she did not wish to think about the matter. She should dismiss the thought and focus on the mission.
She took another stroll in the Buddha Fire Land. As a security measure in the blazing flames, she performed a firetrap spell to keep her safe. Gu Xijiu realized that her memory about the place was intact. She could still remember the particular spot where the Purple Cloud Mushroom grew.
She returned to the spot again, but there was nothing. The mussel had completely swept everything away, leaving no traces of any mushroom behind. She circled the area as her intuition told her that a clue must have been hidden here.
There were many flaming rocks around. Having found nothing, she was a little disappointed by the result. She heaved a long sigh and was finally ready to leave. However, a sudden flash occurred before her eyes. She could clearly see a white shadow sitting on one of the flaming rocks. There were some shattered pieces of golden fragments, glistening glamorously in the shadow's hand.
The white shadow was only a faint image, so Gu Xijiu could not tell its identity from its appearance. The white shadow could be seen staring blankly at the shattered fragments. Gu Xijiu stood quietly as she watched the shadow's every movement with close attention from a distance. She was afraid that the shadow might be alarmed at the tiniest distraction and instantly disappear.
The hallucination lasted longer this time. She wanted to observe it a little longer. The white shadow could be seen falling into a trance. A few moments later, he sighed and opened his palm. A box appeared, as dark as crimson.
Gu Xijiu was surprised at the sight of the box. The box that she saw in her dreams finally reappeared!
The shadow rubbed the box thoughtfully for a moment. Suddenly, the box opened up, allowing the shadow to keep the fragments in it. Soon, the box was closed again.
The white shadow put his palm on the cover of the box while mumbling some incantations. She did not know what the spell was about, but there was a faint glow of light slowly emerging.
The figure then rose and hit forcibly on the rock that he sat on. The rock did not shatter right away. Instead, a hole appeared. He kept the box away in the hole and performed a spell to seal it.
Gu Xijiu watched in awe as the scene passed before her eyes. She took one step closer in order to recognize the shadow's face. One step later, the white shadow disappeared from sight.
Gu Xijiu stood her ground and heaved a sigh of relief. The hallucination lasted longer this time, about four minutes or so. Was this a sign of improvement? She took another step forward and realized something; it might be more than just a hallucination.
Usually, there would be two characters in all the images that she had seen before. Although she could not see their faces clearly, she could almost tell that the woman must be a representation of herself.
The hallucinations that she used to have were the events that she had gone through personally, the ones that had been unfortunately forgotten. This one, however, was different. There was only a shadow throughout the entire vision.
The vision could be a real event, not just a hallucination. It could have been captured by some interactions of magnetic fields. Gu Xijiu was aware of the possibility of such occurrences.
When a storm raged in the past, some old houses would suddenly display the signs of the people who had previously lived in the house. By a strange combination of circumstances, the rare sighting was captured when the lightning hit the wall and accidentally recorded a small piece of the ongoing event. Under the same circumstances, the same sighting would be played again like a rewind.
Was it happening here, for what she had just seen? Her heart started to throb anxiously. If the vision was true, the box could still be in the rock. Gu Xijiu turned and stared fixedly at the huge rock from a distance. It was the rock that had been hit by the white shadow.
Quickly, she took a huge leap towards the rock and paced around it, trying to find the correct angle. Once the spot was located, she started to split the rock open.
The rock was far more solid that she thought it would be. She used an ordinary sword to split the rock, but it could not even cause a small crack on its surface. Gu Xijiu tried using different weapons, but none of them worked. However, the golden ruler emerged from her storage bag eagerly, jostling for prominence.
Gu Xijiu felt a surging hope. Quickly, she got a grip of the ruler and aimed directly at the rock.
"Bang!" There was a sound of a huge impact. The golden ruler bounced back, leaving the rock perfectly untouched. How could it be so solid? It seemed to be even tougher than a diamond!
Gu Xijiu frowned, obviously in disbelief. She saw it with her own eyes, how the white shadow split the rock open simply with a punch. Why didn't her weapons work? Was the white shadow's strength very much stronger than hers?
In skepticism, she clenched the ruler tightly and tried once more. However, there was a sharp pain on her palm like she had just been bitten! She let go of her grip and found a bloody wound on her palm. It seemed like the ruler had cut her flesh open. Blood was oozing out from the wound and slowly dripped along the edge of the golden ruler.
The golden ruler failed to cut the rock open. Instead, it slashed her flesh open.
She tried to stop the bleeding, but something on the rock caught her attention. When her blood touched the surface of the rock, it did not evaporate despite the raging fire. Slowly, it continued to flow.
She decided to keep her blood flowing. The blood flowed in an assigned pattern on the rock. Slowly, the rock presented itself in the shape of a box amidst the stirring blood.
Gu Xijiu was surprised. Without a second thought, she hit the rock again with her weapon along the path of her blood. It was rather easy, this time, like cutting soft tofu. The rock was starting to take a boxy shape. Finally, she exerted her force for the last time.
One side of the rock was cut open, revealing what was inside. Within it lay the crimson box. She could finally see the shape of the box. The box accentuated a unique, vintage design, and looked heavy. On its cover, there was an emerald of lively luminosity.
She finally found the box! Gu Xijiu was relieved to know that her trip was not in vain. She put the box away in her storage bag. Another look at the rock reminded her of a phrase. 'Fate has brought the lovers together, with a love that lasts for an eternity. When the love comes to an unpalatable end, one's heart must be buried away, deeply in a sealed box.'
The box had indeed been buried here. Did it end up here because of a heartbreak? Gu Xijiu pondered for a moment at the scene. The place was burning with extreme temperatures after the rock had been shattered. Now that Gu Xijiu had found what she desired, she was reluctant to stay any longer. Swiftly, she exited.
She returned to her bedroom, sitting and studying the box attentively. The box was considerably light for her. She twisted and turned the box several times, but failed to figure out the opening mechanism.
She shook the box to hear what was inside, but no sound was heard. She tried to recall the dream again. The man in her dream held a bracelet in his hand, while the man in her vision held a handful of shattered pieces instead. Did the bracelet become shattered?
Was the box carrying the pieces of the bracelet? If there were pieces in the box, surely there would be noise, but she could not hear anything in it.
Gu Xijiu was an expert in unlocking different mechanisms. However, it was different this time. After hiding in her bedroom for a couple of weeks, she still could not find out a way to open the box. There did not seem to be an opening.
She tried many different ways, even with the help of the golden ruler. The box remained uncut. She clearly saw that the white shadow had opened the box and put some pieces away in it. Why couldn't she open it now?
She was circling the box, helplessly trying to figure a way. A voice suddenly spoke in her head, "The box is a heavenly secret box. Only the destined one can open it. You should not waste any more time."
Gu Xijiu finally heard the voice again, from the messenger of the heavenly secret with a voice of indistinguishable gender.
"Who is the destined one?" Gu Xijiu was eager to find out.
"It is a quest for you to find out." The voice then continued, "It is the only way."
"How does the person look like? Where should I start?"
"What is the person's identity?"
Gu Xijiu continued to bombard the messenger with a series of question, but the voice was gone again, obviously refusing to answer her inquiries. Gu Xijiu took a look at the box that had been bothering her for a while and decided to change the direction of her search. She should start looking for the destined one.
The destined one should be the white man in her vision.
Although she had not seen his face clearly, she could tell that the man was tall and possibly attractive. Moreover, he seemed like a powerful person. A man as such should not be a difficult find.
After so long, Gu Xijiu finally found a new direction for her life. She finally felt more alive. However, before she could embark on her journey, Mu Feng came to report, "My Lord, the Feixing Kingdom has recently welcomed the arrival of a new prince. The prince is quite special. As soon as he was born, the room shone in glistening red light. Many magpies circled in the air as if forecasting good news."