Sang de fantôme animal

Chapitre 11

Then they went home together.

---Fish and shrimp

Reply [81]: Smoke began to rise from You's house, You's bed became warmer, You's clothes became cleaner, You began to laugh, and the prey he hunted began to increase... A strange woman of unknown origin appeared in You's house. The villagers began to gossip. Soon, everyone knew that the woman wore a blood-red stone around her neck. Panic ensued.

That year, a severe drought struck, the crops failed, and even the wild animals in the mountains fled. The village's eldest clan leader, leaning on a cane, led the villagers to find You. The villagers surrounded You's thatched hut, making it impossible to get through. You shut the door tightly and embraced Naishi, who was curled up in the corner. Outside, the villagers shouted angrily, "Burn this woman who brought disaster!" "Kill her!" "Kill this monster!"... Suddenly, You picked up Naishi and kicked open the tightly closed door. The crowd outside was stunned by the sudden scene and fell silent. You roared in grief and anger, "As long as I live, you will never touch my woman!"

The villagers exchanged bewildered glances, all turning to the clan chief. The chief, his eyes bloodshot, pointed tremblingly at You and said, "This is an ominous woman. She will bring disaster to our entire village. She is cursed."

You hugged Nai Shi tightly and said gently, "Nai'er, don't be afraid, I'll take you away from here."

Naishi's eyes welled up with tears. Wasn't this the very sentence he had been waiting for all these centuries? After countless reincarnations to complete the tracing of the origins of this life, wasn't it all for the hope of a moment of true companionship?

You carried Naishi in her arms and walked towards the temple. The clan chief's hoarse voice sounded behind her, "You are cursed, you are destined to be punished."

You hugged the person in her arms tighter and strode away.

He brought Nai Shi to the temple where they had met. You Wuxian said gently, "Nai'er, don't worry, with me here, no one will dare to hurt you."

Nai Shi nodded gently, leaning wearily against him. You stroked her long, loose hair, comforting her, "Nai'er, I'll go get you something to eat. Stay here, don't go out. They wouldn't dare come in."

Naishi opened her eyes wide in fear, grabbed his hand, and sobbed uncontrollably. He cupped her face, wiped away her tears, and said, "Don't cry, I'll be back soon."

As he reached the temple gate, she suddenly called out to him. She took the bloodstone, bound with a blue silk thread, from her neck and whispered, "You, wear this. This stone has been with me since my birth; it will protect you and help you find me..." She helped him fasten it. He patted her head reassuringly, "Don't think too much. I'll be back soon."

As he turned, he suddenly saw the stone tablet standing in front of the temple gate. He remembered that she had said that it might be inscribed with "Never to be reborn"... ---Fish and Shrimp replied [82]: Too long to read---wjssatan replied [83]: Naishi stood quietly in the hall. The rustling wind mixed with dust swirled in the air. The ever-burning lamp swayed in the wind, making a "creaking" sound that echoed throughout the hall. The marble-carved walls had been weathered by hundreds of years of wind and rain, and were mottled.

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps, the snapping of branches, and the clamor of a crowd rose from the temple, growing louder as they approached… “Hurry, hurry!” “Pile some here!”… Soon after, smoke billowed in. Raging flames flickered with a bluish-purple light, their eerie and menacing faces devouring the weeds on the ground and walls. The majestic temple burned fiercely in the inferno. Naishi knew she could not escape this inescapable fate. She stood like a phantom in the scorching hall, flames leaping and tumbling wildly around her, greedily licking her body, scorching her long hair, hissing with triumphant laughter. She smiled eerily.

Under the ever-burning lamp, the Buddha said: You must repent.

She said: I refuse to repent.

The Buddha said: You must forget.

She said: Refuse to forget.

The Buddha said: Karmic entanglements.

She said: I just love him, is love a sin?

The Buddha said: You are destined not to have a good outcome. This life is only to settle the grudges from your past life, when you loved him so deeply that your tears turned to blood and stone.

She said: Please spare us. You are a high and mighty god, all-powerful. Please guide us to the right path.

The Buddha said: In this life, you are destined to meet but not to be together. A beautiful woman is a source of trouble, bringing ruin to the country and its people. Perhaps in the next life.

She gave a bitter laugh: "Next life, next life... After hundreds of reincarnations, we still can't be together. What's the use of a next life? Please, have mercy! I'm willing to become a stone by the Bridge of Helplessness. As long as I can see him in each reincarnation, I'll be content..." Buddha said: "Don't you regret it?"

She said: My mind is made up. I wish to become a blue stone and guard the banks of the River of Oblivion for all eternity... I have heard that there is a road called the Road to the Underworld, a river called the River of Oblivion, a bridge called the Bridge of Helplessness, and a blue stone called the Three Lives Stone beside the bridge. The Three Lives Stone records everyone's past and present lives. The stone is as red as blood and has four words engraved on it: "Reach the other shore early"... Those who want to be reincarnated must cross the Bridge of Helplessness, drink Meng Po's soup, forget their three lives, and enter the cycle of reincarnation anew.

The Three Lives Stone has always stood by the Bridge of Helplessness, gazing at the people in the mortal world who are reincarnated, searching for the man in the crowd who is dressed in white like snow, with a face as sharp as a knife, eyes like lightning, and a bright red stone the size of a bayberry tied around his neck... --- Fish and Shrimp replied [84]: You hugged the Nai Stone in her arms tightly and said gently, Nai'er, don't be afraid, I will take you away from here.

Naishi's eyes welled up with tears. Wasn't this the very sentence he had been waiting for all these centuries? After countless reincarnations to complete the tracing of the origins of this life, wasn't it all for the hope of a moment of true companionship?

This is the sentence that touched me the most!

---Fish and shrimp

Reply [85]: The tenth classic story: The Bridge of Helplessness

Author: A stray cat on the street

A foul-smelling river, stained with blood, meandered through the water. Countless souls reached out for help, their heads constantly submerged in the blood, and tiny insects gnawed at their bones. An old man ferried people across the river on a raft. The souls passing by trembled with fear; those destined to cross did so, while those not were lost in the river.

This is the crossing for the departed souls.

Those who had fallen in were screaming in agony, yet they still stretched out their withered, branch-like claws, trying to pull the souls on the raft down to suffer with them. They couldn't bear to see others have it easy.

I sat on the raft, tirelessly breaking off countless ghostly claws, which made them scream in agony. But the broken claws would immediately grow back, and they would reluctantly try to pull me back.

After crossing the river, a young man in white stood waiting for me on the bank. His white robes were so spotless in this underworld that they seemed even more dazzling, and he appeared to be enveloped in a layer of white light. He took my hand and smiled, "Naihe, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

I forced a smile: "Wuji, I didn't expect it would be you who came to pick me up again." Yes, when I was born from the River of Oblivion, it was Wuji who stood on the shore, took my hand, and pulled me out of the chaotic maze. Today, as I return to the Underworld, it is he who comes to welcome me again.

Wuji laughed and said, "With your departure, I am left all alone and feel very lonely. There is no one else who can talk to me as well as you do."

I asked in surprise, "Really? What about Black and White Impermanence? What about the Eighteen Kings of Hell?"

Wuji laughed and said, "They are very busy. The mortals in this world are foolish and difficult to break free from their ignorance. They are both angry and greedy, and countless people fall into the underworld every moment. The guilty are sent to various prisons to be punished, and the good ones are reincarnated. Isn't that enough to keep them busy?" He sighed again, "I am the only one left idle in the underworld."

Passing through a city filled with the sounds of sobbing and weeping, I wondered, "Where is this?"

Wuji sneered, "Have you forgotten? This is the City of the Wrongfully Dead. The souls of those who died unjustly are all here. They are unwilling to reincarnate here and insist on waiting for the souls of their enemies to come so that they can see them being punished before they can finally vent their resentment. But they forget that they have been waiting here for decades, suffering torment every day."

Upon closer inspection, I saw that some of the unjustly killed souls had swords stuck in their vests, some were pale and coughing up black blood, some had their limbs mangled beyond recognition, and some had white silk ribbons tied around their necks with their tongues dragging down to their chests. Suddenly, a pair of hands gripped my legs tightly, startling me. Looking down, I saw a woman with a deathly pale face, her body coiled with many venomous snakes, and her two bloodied legs dragging behind her. She cried out, "You killed me! Give me back my life!"

I was horrified: "It wasn't me, let go!" But I couldn't break free from her no matter what I did. She struggled to climb onto me, still yelling, "Give me back my life!"

I cried out, "Wuji! Wuji! Help me!" But Wuji had vanished without a trace, leaving me alone in this city of the unjustly dead. Countless wronged souls surrounded me, each shouting, "Give me back my life!" I struggled fiercely, resisting with all my might, crying out, "It wasn't me! It wasn't me!"

"Did you have a nightmare?" Mi Wu gently nudged me, and I woke up covered in sweat.

While wiping my sweat, Mi Wu laughed and said, "You did something bad in your dream and got caught, so you were so scared that you kept shouting, 'It's not me, it's not me!'"

I got up and stood there in a daze for a while. I had forgotten most of the scene in my dream, but I vaguely remembered that there was a young man in white standing on the shore looking at me with a pitiful expression.

"Hurry up and wash up. There's a big banquet in the palace today, and Master said he'll take all the young ladies with him." Miwu brought me warm water to wash my face.

Perhaps I was still shaken by the dream; I felt a bit tired and said listlessly, "Is it alright if I don't go?"

Mi Wu laughed and said, "Don't talk nonsense. It's rare for the master to take you out to see the world. If you don't go, you'll upset him. Besides, all the princes, nobles and ministers are here today. Maybe you'll catch someone's eye, and someone will come to propose marriage tomorrow. Then you can leave this dark place."

I couldn't help but sigh. Though my father was a high-ranking official, I was merely an illegitimate child, conceived through a secret affair between him and a maid. Now, though I had maids serving me and lived a life of luxury, I was ultimately unloved. I was often bullied by my older siblings, and in my spare time, my mother would take my anger out on me. My father simply let me fend for myself, utterly indifferent. Even my name revealed how lowly I was. Alas, alas, alas, what can I do?

Lost in thought, Miwu had already dressed me up. Looking in the mirror, I saw a clean and refreshing oval face, pale lips, and deep, dark eyes like a midnight cloud. My hair was tied up with a gold ring, and a small pearl adorned my earlobe, making my cheeks look sparkling and lovely. My sky-blue dress vaguely revealed a glimpse of moon-white undergarment.

Mi Wu nodded and said, "You shouldn't dress up too extravagantly, otherwise Madam and the young ladies will get angry again. However, you are naturally beautiful, and you are much prettier than them even without dressing up." Although she was a maid, she was like a sister to me, so when we were alone, she would often say "you, you" to me, which I found endearing.

When I went to the flower hall with Miwu, the ladies were already dressed in magnificent attire, as if they were wearing the sun on their bodies. Seeing that I was dressed simply and did not steal their thunder, they only snorted and no one gave me another glance.

Before long, his brothers and father also came in.

My father, General Fu Ting, was an imposing figure, rarely speaking a word. I felt nervous whenever I saw him and never dared to look him in the eye. In truth, who in this family wasn't afraid of him?

The family traveled by carriage and sedan chair to Liangji Palace.

---Fish and shrimp

Reply [86]: Classic~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Strongly support~~~

Request to be marked as a featured post

---flyinuniverse

Reply [87]: I rode in the same sedan chair as my third sister, Jiao Li. She was the kindest of my sisters. Her round face was full of joy. She whispered to me, "But Mother said that the Crown Prince and Princes Jing Ren and Jun Zhe will be coming today. Jing Ren and Jun Zhe are not yet married. If I could win the favor of one of them..." She squinted her eyes and dreamed of marrying into the royal family.

I know that my eldest sister Chanyuan, second sister Sefei, and third sister Jiaoli are all of marriageable age but have not yet been engaged because our father hopes that one of them can marry into the royal family to solidify his position in court. And which official with daughters of marriageable age doesn't think the same way?

Ryokichi Palace was bustling with activity, filled with insincere greetings and feigned enthusiasm. I kept my head down and followed behind my sisters, not daring to make a single wrong step, lest I be scolded by them when we got back. When we got tired of walking around, we rested and had tea in a pavilion.

"Hey, hey, who's that?" a lady next to her asked in a low voice.

"Which one?" another noblewoman asked, looking around.

"That one, from General Fu Ting's household, here it is."

"Oh, she's General Fu Ting's youngest daughter, named Naihe."

"Naihe? Why did you choose such an awful name? And your clothes are rather shabby too."

"Heh, didn't you know? This child is the offspring of General Fu Ting and a maid, without any official status. So..." "Oh, so she's an illegitimate child." The noblewoman immediately lost interest.

Chanyuan glared at me and said, "Why are you following us? Aren't you afraid of what people will say?"

Serphie also said, "Go, go, go find somewhere where no one is around. Don't get in the way."

I had no choice but to lower my head and walk out of the pavilion. I heard giggling behind me.

In fact, many children born out of wedlock were born to high-ranking officials and nobles, but their mothers were all concubines who had been formally married into the household. A child like me, born to a lowly maid, was actually even lower in status than a maid. If my father wanted, he could have kept me at home as a maid and never let me show my face. However, my unfathomable father actually gave me a title and status, allowing me to live a life of luxury like the daughters born to his wife. But he never gave me dignity or honor.

It was so hot that the ground was scorching; no one would want to come to the garden at a time like this. I walked to a tree and sat down in its shade, not caring if I got my clothes dirty. Even if I were clean, wouldn't they see me as dirty?

I don't know if it was because the sunlight was too warm, or because I didn't sleep well last night, but before I knew it, I fell asleep under this tree.

In my dream, it was that young man in white again who took my hand and said with a smile, "Come, I'll take you to see someone."

I was in a daze, having forgotten what had happened before, and asked, "Who?"

Wuji led me to a platform inscribed with "Platform of Oblivion," where a woman was distributing medicinal soup to ghosts. Those who refused to drink it were forcibly forced down their throats by ghost soldiers. When the woman saw me, she said, "Naihe, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

I vaguely remembered hearing this before, so I laughed and said, "Why is everyone waiting for me?"

The woman said seriously, "That's true, we were indeed waiting for you. Alas, how come you've become so lost since you left that you don't even remember us?"

I asked in surprise, "Who are you?"

The woman said, "I am Meng Po."

I pointed to the herbal soup in front of her and asked, "What is this?"

Meng Po said, "This is the water of the River of Oblivion, brewed with herbs from the mortal world to make the Soup of Oblivion. These ghosts who are about to be reincarnated will drink it and forget their past lives, and be reborn peacefully as humans."

Before I could ask any more questions, a woman cried out, "I won't drink it! I don't want to forget this life!" A ghost soldier forcefully pressed her head down, shouting, "Stop arguing! Drink it quickly and be reincarnated!" The woman struggled, crying, "I don't want to forget! Why are you telling me to forget?" Suddenly she looked up and saw me, and tears of blood streamed from her eyes. She cried out, "It's you! I will remember you! In the next life, I will seek revenge!" She then pleaded with Meng Po, "Respected Meng Po, please don't make me drink this potion of forgetfulness. She wronged me too much in this life, and I will take it back in the next. How can I accept forgetting all this?"

Meng Po shook her head and said, "Foolish child, remembering these things only causes you pain. Why not forget them so you can start anew and be a better person? That would be much easier."

"

The woman cried out, "I'm not reconciled, I'm not reconciled..." She glared at me angrily, the hatred in her eyes turning into sharp arrows that shot towards me, striking me squarely in the chest. The pain made me scream and wake up.

I opened my eyes, and the sunlight was so bright that I couldn't see anything for a moment. A shadow leaned down on me and said softly, "What's wrong? Did I scare you?"

I quickly stood up, rubbed my eyes, and then I could see that it was a tall and handsome young man wearing a jade crown and a yellow robe. He was probably a member of the royal family. He smiled gently at me and said, "I saw you sleeping here and was afraid you would catch a dampness, so I was about to wake you up. I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm so sorry."

I quickly said, "No, I just had a nightmare."

He asked, "What dream made you so scared?" He reached out and squeezed my hand. "Your hands were ice cold. You were so frightened."

---Fish and shrimp

Reply [88]: Wow, that's so long!

---Sweet Words and Rainy Day

Reply [89]: My face flushed, and I couldn't remember what I had dreamed about for a moment.