Signing in across all the heavens and myriad realms

Chapter 1

Chapter 1, First Chapter: Sandalwood Buddhist Beads

On their third day in the city, Qi Yu led Chu Xiyin to a residential complex with the elegant name "Mountain and Water Dwellings." The name was quite poetic, seemingly deliberately contradicting the modernity of the city. However, its location certainly lived up to its name—very remote!

The room the agent recommended to Chu Xiyin wasn't very big; it just barely fit a bed, a desk, and... a wardrobe made of sandalwood.

Chu Xiyin's mother, Ms. Wang Qin, was a devout Buddhist. To further her faith, she converted the room in the northwest corner of her house into a Buddhist shrine to enshrine the Bodhisattva. Wang Qin was not only devout in Buddhism but also very particular about incense, preferring only the finest sandalwood. Perhaps influenced by her mother, Chu Xiyin developed a fervent love for sandalwood from a young age.

Five years ago, a temple was built near Chu Xiyin's hometown. This temple, which seemed to have sprung up overnight, was named Xixin Temple. It is said that the abbot of this temple had traveled around in his early years and received the true teachings of a high monk. He was not only well-versed in the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams, but also proficient in the legendary art of Qimen Dunjia.

During the time when Chu Xiyin was preparing for university entrance exams, Wang Qin would often go to Xixin Temple to pray to Buddha for a miracle to help her daughter pass the exams. Perhaps her sincerity moved Buddha, or at least that's what she thought, because her quiet daughter unexpectedly got into a top university. From then on, she became even more convinced of her faith, and would often take Chu Xiyin to the temple to pray.

After graduating from university, a whole host of miscellaneous things kept Chu Xiyin extremely annoyed. Wang Qin told her to go to a temple and pray.

This was Chu Xiyin's first time visiting a temple without her mother. The temple was located in the suburbs, where the air was exceptionally fresh. Stepping inside, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. Chu Xiyin closed her eyes slightly, listening intently to the ethereal tolling of the temple bells and the murmuring chants of the monks. She inexplicably felt a powerful force, perhaps what physics calls a magnetic field. However, Chu Xiyin felt that this magnetic field did not originate from her time; it was like a vast, boundless universe, seemingly existing for a very, very long time.

"donor"

Chu Xiyin's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound. Opening her eyes, she was startled to find a gaunt old monk standing before her. The old monk frowned, squinting as he carefully examined Chu Xiyin's face, and Chu Xiyin instinctively took a step back.

"Who are you?" Chu Xiyin asked, her brows slightly furrowed.

The old monk smiled calmly, but a hint of panic flashed in the corner of his eye.

"My Buddhist name is Yicheng, and I am the abbot of this small temple."

"Are you the legendary Master Yicheng?" "Can you tell fortunes? Could you please tell me when my luck will change..." After asking a series of questions, Chu Xiyin spread out her palms and waved them in front of the old monk.

The old monk seemed not to have heard Chu Xiyin speak at all, nor did he notice Chu Xiyin waving her hand in front of him for so long. He stared at Chu Xiyin's face, sometimes nodding and saying "looks like her," sometimes shaking his head and saying "doesn't look like her."

In a fleeting moment, the faint smile on his face vanished, replaced by a cloud of sorrow. The old monk focused his gaze and slowly asked, "Does the benefactor particularly enjoy the scent of sandalwood?"

Chu Xiyin took a deep breath of sandalwood incense and nodded.

“She likes this taste too.” The old monk’s eyes no longer met Chu Xiyin’s, gazing instead into the depths of the sky. Through his cloudy pupils, Chu Xiyin saw a few pale, cotton-like clouds drifting quietly in the blue sky. Perhaps the old monk also had a sweet past! Hmm? The mysterious love affair of a highly accomplished monk? Quite newsworthy! For a journalism student, curiosity is absolutely essential.

"Her?" Chu Xiyin asked tentatively.

The old monk snapped out of his reverie, completely ignoring Chu Xiyin's question. "Those who appreciate sandalwood are those with an affinity for Buddhism," the old monk said, pulling a string of prayer beads from his wide robe. "These prayer beads are made of thousand-year-old sandalwood. Legend has it that this sandalwood, having grown in the temple for so many years, gradually acquired a spiritual quality. Later, for some unknown reason, the sandalwood suddenly disappeared, leaving only a withered branch lying in the temple courtyard. A highly accomplished monk, traveling through the area, saw the branch possessing a certain spirituality and crafted it into prayer beads."

"Is the string of prayer beads made by the enlightened monk the same one you have in your hand, Master?" Chu Xiyin asked.

The old monk nodded. "It must be fate that we meet today. I will give you this string of prayer beads." The old monk breathed a sigh of relief and murmured to himself as he rolled the prayer beads in his hand. "I can finally put my mind at ease by finding the owner of these prayer beads."

The old monk's words left Chu Xiyin completely bewildered. "How can the master be so sure that I am the owner of these prayer beads?"

The old monk stroked his beard and said mysteriously, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. There is plenty of time in the future, and you will know in your own time. However, please remember to take good care of these prayer beads."

Strangely enough, ever since she started wearing the sandalwood prayer beads given to her by the old monk, Chu Xiyin's personality has changed without her realizing it. Things she wouldn't have dared to do before, she suddenly had the courage to do. She quit her job and went to a strange city alone to pursue her dreams... It seems that Chu Xiyin's fate is being pulled forward by some force, but the direction ahead is full of unknowns.

Chapter 2, The Second Chapter of a Thousand Years of Summoning

Chu Xiyin closed her eyes, leaned closer to the wooden cabinet, and took a deep breath of the sandalwood scent.

"This wardrobe is made of thousand-year-old sandalwood. It is said that a very tragic love story once took place under this thousand-year-old sandalwood tree..." The real estate agent, like an old scholar, pushed up his rusty gold-rimmed glasses and continued with great interest.

A stirring melody of "Burning Like Fire" accompanied by the muffled vibration of a cell phone echoed mournfully in the "old scholar's" trouser pocket.

The agent, while taking out his phone, said, "The female protagonist of the story seems to be named... Chu... Chu... That's right, Chu Xiyin!"

"Chu Xiyin?" Chu Xiyin and Qi Yu exchanged a surprised glance and asked almost in unison.

"Yes, let's call her Chu Xiyin." The agent hung up the phone and said with absolute certainty.

“Alright, since the female protagonist shares the same name as me, I’ll rent this room,” Chu Xiyin said with a smile, leaning against the wardrobe.

This time it was the agent's turn to be surprised. He looked at Chu Xiyin excitedly and asked, "You said... you want to rent..."

Chu Xiyin nodded

"Then come with me to sign the contract now!" The agent immediately changed his expression. Compared to his previous self-righteous old scholarly demeanor, his current sinister and creepy expression was much more likable.

Chu Xiyin reluctantly moved away from the wardrobe and lazily said to the real estate agent, "Let's go."

"Don't go," came a soft sigh, seemingly from an old man, coming from somewhere. The voice, both strange and familiar, seemed to come from a distant horizon, lingering in Chu Xiyin's ears, heavy and painful.

Chu Xiyin looked at the agent in surprise, "Did you just talk to me?" The agent shook his head nervously, his gaze towards Chu Xiyin flickering.

Qi Yuteng stood up abruptly, "I'll go with you!"

Qi Yu was a burly man. The moment he stood up, the light and shadow on the real estate agent's face changed drastically. He had been standing facing the sun, the bright sunlight making his thin, pointed face appear deathly pale, like a thousand-year-old mummy. Now, he seemed to be overwhelmed by Qi Yu's imposing presence, completely enveloped by Qi Yu's towering figure. His jaw dropped in terror, and he stood there motionless, like a headless demon in hell awaiting the King of Hell's command.

Qi Yu's eyes were sharp and slightly disdainful. Chu Xiyin thought this was probably related to his profession; he was a photography assistant, dealing with scenery and people every day, seeing countless beautiful landscapes and all sorts of people. Naturally, his eyes carried a sharpness and disdain. Chu Xiyin and Qi Yu met on set. At the time, he was pursuing a pretty girl named Siqi. Siqi was quite individualistic; no matter how much Qi Yu showered her with sweet talk, she consistently ignored him. During that period, Qi Yu was constantly distracted, completely out of sorts at work, and was scolded every day.

On the night before filming was about to wrap up, Siqi had a family emergency and had to leave. Upon hearing the news, Qi Yu anxiously paced around the hotel. He finally managed to arrange a meeting with Siqi, but to his surprise, she came to confront him. She said she had a boyfriend and didn't like Qi Yu because his eyes looked fierce and he didn't seem like a good man. Qi Yu later said that at that moment he wanted to gouge out his damned eyes and put them in front of her so she could see if he was really a good man.

That night, Qi Yu dragged Chu Xiyin out for drinks. Drunk, he slurred, "What's Liang Siqi? That fat, big-eared pig she found, what makes her think she can compare to me? Can she even compare? I… Qi Yu, so charming and handsome, I've dated countless beauties. Someone like her? Pshaw, one more or less doesn't matter, one less… one…it doesn't matter." Later, completely drunk, he slumped on the table, muttering nothing but "Siqi." Ultimately, what you can't have is always the best.

Qi Yu couldn't smile; if he did, his eyes would curve into two cute little crescents, completely losing his domineering aura. At this moment, he stared directly at the trembling, nervous real estate agent, the sharpness in his eyes gradually fading, his eyes slowly squeezing into two thin crescents, making him quite adorable. He patted the agent's tightly hunched shoulders and said with a smile, "Brother, could you please lead the way?" The agent breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes darting around quickly as if pondering something, then he lowered his head, turned around, and hurried towards the door.

Qi Yu turned around and winked at Chu Xiyin. Chu Xiyin followed him out the door. The instant the door closed, that familiar yet strange call, that intimate yet distant sigh, rang in Chu Xiyin's ears again, like a summons from lifetimes past, like a long and arduous wait... Could it be that Chu Xiyin was hallucinating again?

Chapter 3: The Ghostly Arrival

Qi Yu glanced at the contract and told Chu Xiyin there were no problems. Chu Xiyin nodded trustingly, signed her name on the rental contract with a flourish, and paid the money. The agent counted the money with a grin, saying as he did so, "By the way, the lock on the rosewood cabinet in your room is broken and can't be opened. It will probably be the weekend before someone can come and fix it."

Qi Yu grabbed the real estate agent by the collar in anger and yelled at him, "Why didn't you say so earlier? What are we going to do with her clothes?"

The agent, relying on their numbers, had lost his initial awkwardness. He said with a sinister look, "Sorry, brother, I just forgot."

Qi Yu was furious, but Chu Xiyin quickly pulled him back and said, "It's okay, it's okay, anyway, I don't need that wooden cabinet now."

After leaving the real estate agency, Qi Yu accompanied Chu Xiyin to buy some bedding and other miscellaneous items. On the way back, Qi Yu complained about the shifty-looking agent the whole time. Xiyin looked at the two angry caterpillars above his eyes and found it amusing. Qi Yu became even angrier at her laughter and started nagging her as well.

After angrily escorting Xi Yin back to her room, Qi Yu went home. Watching Qi Yu's departing figure, Chu Xi Yin thought to herself, "Si Qi missed out on a good man."

After tidying up, Chu Xiyin sat by the window, lost in thought. Before she knew it, the sky was shrouded in the deep darkness of night. Through the large glass window, she silently gazed at the quiet night. The sky was beautiful tonight, with countless stars hanging against the black curtain, twinkling softly. Chu Xiyin loved the night. Some said that those who love the night are lonely, but Chu Xiyin was never lonely. At this moment, looking at the starry sky, Chu Xiyin thought that if this house were her own, she would definitely put a window in the ceiling. That way, on starry nights, she could fall asleep looking at the stars, bathed in starlight. Thinking about this, a happy smile appeared on Chu Xiyin's lips.

She got up and opened the window. A cool autumn breeze silently crept into the room, seeping into every corner. A gentle breeze rustled through the sandalwood cabinet, releasing a fresh, intoxicating sandalwood fragrance. The scent of thousand-year-old sandalwood was exceptionally strong, so captivating that Chu Xiyin couldn't resist moving closer. She took a deep breath, wanting to inhale the aroma. However, as she drew nearer, she noticed the cabinet's fragrance had lessened. It now emitted a faint, delicate scent, somewhat similar to the aroma of the temple back home—no, it was more like the scent of the Buddhist prayer beads on Chu Xiyin's wrist. But this sandalwood cabinet seemed to have another peculiar smell. What was it? Chu Xiyin sniffed intently, trying to pinpoint the scent. Suddenly, a chill ran through her—the smell of blood! Yes, the smell of blood! Looking at the tightly closed cabinet, a series of terrifying images flashed through her mind: murder? Dismemberment?… A series of horrifying images played out in Chu Xiyin's head.

Chu Xiyin took a step back in fright, staring nervously at the wardrobe. Curiosity drove her to approach it again. Another cool autumn breeze swept by, like the autumn wind's slight sigh, like the trees' final song. This time, Chu Xiyin heard the old man's call so clearly.

"Xi Yin, Xi Yin, I have waited for you here for a thousand years... Why did you break your promise that day? Why did you betray your vow that day? I thought that by borrowing this ancient tree I could gain immortality and be with you for all eternity. But who knew that after a thousand years of reincarnation, you still do not remember me, my Xi Yin."

The wind died down, and the old man's sorrowful murmurs ceased with it. Was it a dream? Why did it feel so real? Was it a dream? Why did her heart ache inexplicably upon hearing those murmurs? It must be a dream! How could there be such a devoted man in the world? It must be a dream! Who would wait alone for someone for a thousand years? Fear was replaced by deep sorrow. Chu Xiyin wanted to see him, wanted to listen to him. At the very least, Chu Xiyin hoped to give him some warmth, so that this lonely soul could be reincarnated in peace.

She turned off the lights, lay quietly in bed with her eyes open, the sorrowful sighs and desperate murmurs echoing in her ears again and again, each breath causing her heart to ache. Curled up on her side, tears finally streamed down her face uncontrollably. The faint scent of thousand-year-old sandalwood wafted through the air once more, still fresh, but without the previous stench of blood. Breathing in this scent, Chu Xiyin felt a strange peace, and before she knew it, she seemed to drift off to sleep.

The somber moonlight bathed the room, turning the white walls a sinister blue. Chu Xiyin's heartbeat pounded in unison with the ticking of the alarm clock. The rosewood wardrobe shook violently, creaking open like a prelude to a ghostly descent. Darkness! A vast expanse of darkness lay deep within the wardrobe.

"Thump, thump, thump..." In the abyss of despair, Chu Xiyin heard heavy footsteps, like dragging iron chains, approaching her step by step. Unable to move, she held her breath, waiting for the ghost to appear. The footsteps suddenly stopped; the ghost seemed to be engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

"Who are you?" Chu Xiyin asked, but the heavenly voice clearly did not belong to her.

The ghostly voice was hoarse and low, like that of an asthmatic old man. "Who am I? Over a thousand years have passed, and I've almost forgotten my own name." The ghost paused for a moment, then suddenly, as if transformed, her voice became unusually cold. "You truly are as my mother said, the coldest woman in the world. A woman as cold as you has no heart, no love..."

The ghost suddenly fell silent, seemingly lost in painful memories.

"Can you come over here so I can see you?" Chu Xiyin heard that heavenly voice again.

As if hearing a lover's call, the ghost took a small step forward.

By the dim moonlight, Chu Xiyin seemed to see that the ghost had a slender and upright body, but before she could see it clearly, the ghost quickly disappeared into the darkness.

"No, I can't let you see me like this." The ghost tore at its own face, struggling in agony.

The sandalwood prayer beads emitted a strange purple light in Xi Yin's hand, flashing as if soothing ghosts.

Chu Xiyin's consciousness began to blur, and she could vaguely hear the sound of a woman sobbing in her ears.

Chapter 4 The Pain That Breathes

Chu Xiyin spent the night in a state between dreaming and not dreaming. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep in the morning, her phone started vibrating incessantly in her ear. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, which felt incredibly dry.

Strange, why are there tear stains in the corners of my eyes?

Chu Xiyin stared blankly at the sandalwood wardrobe beside her.

It seemed she had a dream last night. She tried hard to recall the dream, vaguely remembering the ghostly screams of pain and the woman's sorrowful sobs.

With a splitting headache and her phone still vibrating incessantly, Chu Xiyin picked it up and saw that it was Hua Shao calling.

"Hey, Hua Shao, why are you calling me so early?" Her voice sounded a little lazy.

"Oh my god, is it still early? It's already 9 o'clock! Didn't you have an appointment with Teacher Mo to discuss the script today? Get up! Hurry up!" Hua Shao urged impatiently.

Hua Shao was also a friend Chu Xiyin met on set; he was a typical post-90s generation. While on set, Chu Xiyin and he barely spoke, and when they left, they didn't exchange any contact information. On her first day in this city, if he hadn't happened to be with Qi Yu, their lives probably would never have crossed paths again.

"Why are you so uncooperative? Hurry up, or I won't take you." Hua Shao urged Chu Xiyin again when she didn't respond for a while.

Chu Xiyin froze for half a second, then sprang out of bed. She had to see Teacher Mo today! How could she have forgotten something so important! She quickly dressed, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. Everything was ready, and she set off!

As Chu Xiyin closed the door, she glanced intentionally at the rosewood cabinet. The cabinet stood silently in the sunlight, its upright posture remarkably like that of a general about to go to battle, and it seemed… quite similar to the ghostly figure from last night. Strange? Why hadn't she heard that sorrowful sigh today?

Disappointed, Chu Xiyin closed the door and stepped into the elevator. The ghostly words from last night kept replaying in her mind. Could it have just been a dream?

The elevator doors opened unexpectedly for Chu Xiyin, and a handsome face suddenly appeared in front of her, startling her so much that she gasped.

"Hua Shao! This is terrifying in broad daylight!"

"You're such a coward!" Hua Shao said, stroking his curly hair in front of the glass mirror next to the elevator. "But people who have done too many bad things are cowardly."

Chu Xiyin was too lazy to argue. Even if she told him about the supernatural event she experienced last night, he wouldn't believe her. Forget it, she'd better not tell him!

"Let's go! Little friend, you're already very handsome!" Chu Xiyin shook her head helplessly.

"Alright, alright, you're really urging me on. I'm a 'big man' who's been standing here waiting for you for an hour or two this morning." Hua Shao emphasized the words "big man," seemingly quite dissatisfied with Chu Xiyin's earlier way of addressing him.

"By the way, Yi Chuan took on a role in a movie and went to Yunnan." Hua Shao turned to the side, staring intently into Chu Xi Yin's eyes, as if trying to discover some secret within them.

"Oh," Chu Xiyin replied casually, as if she were talking about someone unrelated to her.

Hua Shao looked at Chu Xiyin with disappointment. "Don't you remember what you said to me that day?" Hua Shao rarely spoke so seriously.

"What did I say?" Chu Xiyin looked at Hua Shao in surprise. That night, she and Hua Shao did drink a lot of alcohol, but she only vaguely remembered talking to Hua Shao a lot, and as for the specifics of what they said, she couldn't remember at all.

"Never mind, it's nothing." Hua Shao turned his face away, looking ahead without saying a word.