Chapter 86: Millennia-Old History Part 1

Wang Ya shifted her gaze from Ye Zi and examined her surroundings. The sky above was overcast, as if rain could fall at any moment. A vast white mist enveloped everything around her, and the ground was covered in a type of stone garlic plant—Manjusaka. Manjusaka had another name: Other Shore Flower. In the human world, Other Shore Flowers sprouted leaves in early winter and bloomed around the autumn equinox in September or October. But now was their blooming season, yet the flowers before her lacked even a single bud. Instead, the leaves, which should have withered, grew extraordinarily lush.

She recalled Ye Zi’s words: “It hasn’t bloomed in a millennium,” and connected it to her own origins with the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Demon. A sudden discomfort welled up in her heart. After a brief pause, she suddenly remembered sensing Old Tang, Zhang Qingshui, and the others jumping into the well after her when she had leaped in. Yet she had landed long ago and hadn’t seen them! She asked, “Where is this? Where’s my dad and the others?”

Ye Zi slowly turned around and said, “Follow me.” With that, she stepped into the mist.

Wang Ya then noticed a narrow winding path behind Ye Zi. She followed Ye Zi along the serpentine trail that led to who-knows-where, proceeding slowly. The shifting mist beside her made the place feel dreamlike and utterly unreal, as if she walked through a dream.

Wang Ya followed Ye Zi for about four or five minutes before emerging from the thick fog. Without warning, an ancient, quaint courtyard appeared before her, and she and Ye Zi already stood on the steps in front of its gate.

Wang Ya was stunned by the sudden change in scenery: Was this a dream, or had she fallen under an illusion? Seeing Ye Zi step into the courtyard, she followed. Rounding the decorative screen wall that blocked the view from the gate, she spotted a familiar figure standing in the courtyard, gazing at her with eyes full of affection, as if having waited there for a long time.

Wang Ya cried out in surprise, “Grandma!” She quickened her pace and rushed to her grandmother’s side, exclaiming, “It’s really you? How are you here? Is this the Bardo Realm?” It was truly her grandma—the familiar eyebrows and eyes, the head of graying hair, the gaze brimming with love. Wang Ya excitedly reached for her grandmother’s hand but grasped only air. She was startled and cautiously extended her hand toward her grandma again, touching nothing.

The Feng Yuqin standing before Wang Ya said, “Yaya, what you see now is merely my projection here.”

Wang Ya steadied herself and asked, “I haven’t reached the Bardo Realm yet, have I?”

Feng Yuqin nodded and said, “This is the Tri-Junction of the Three Realms.”

Wang Ya asked, “Grandma, what happened? Why haven’t you returned to the Yang Realm from the Bardo Realm?” That night when her soul had left her body and entered the Bardo Realm, her grandma had sent her back. If her grandma could send her back to the Yang Realm, she could surely return herself.

Feng Yuqin said, “I’m already dead.”

Wang Ya felt as if someone had smashed a hammer into her heart upon hearing this, struck a heavy blow. She stared blankly at Feng Yuqin, tears instantly filling her eyes. Her throat choked up, and for a long while, she couldn’t make a sound.

Feng Yuqin said, “Everyone dies eventually. There’s no need to grieve over it.”

A single tear overflowed from Wang Ya’s eye, followed by a flood from her tear-filled sockets. The tears blurred her vision, making her grandma’s figure hazy. She had never considered that her grandma might die. Even knowing her grandma’s advanced age and condition made Opening Yellow Springs and entering the Underworld unlikely to spare her life, Wang Ya had never dared think about it or believe it. Now her grandma told her herself—how could she not believe? What one saw wasn’t always real; it could be an illusion. Moreover, the grandma before her was just a projection, so she could choose disbelief. But she couldn’t help believing.

Grandma was dead! Wang Ya felt panicked and lost, as if she had instantly lost all support and every hope extinguished. She trembled uncontrollably, her choked throat and chest filled with tears. She couldn’t even ask, “Grandma, you’re lying, right?” She knew her grandma never lied to her.

Feng Yuqin let out a heavy sigh, raised her hand to stroke Wang Ya’s head, paused when it reached her, then lowered it.

Wang Ya painfully closed her eyes, shedding silent tears.

“Yaya!” A deafening stern shout rang out. She opened her eyes, quickly wiped away the tears blurring her vision, and looked at her grandma, only to see her glaring with a stern face.

Wang Ya drew in a breath and nodded lightly, indicating she understood her grandma’s intent. Be strong, don’t grieve—how could she not grieve?

The Leaf Demon standing nearby couldn’t help glancing sideways at the grandmother and granddaughter, a cold glint flickering in her eyes.

Under her grandma’s compelling gaze, Wang Ya forced back her tears. She took a deep breath, suppressed all her emotions, sorted her chaotic thoughts, and softly called, “Grandma, I originally wanted to save you and get you out of danger, but now…” She bit her lip hard, turned her face away, and forced back the tears welling up again. She said through gritted teeth, “This grudge goes unavenged, and I’m no person!”

The Leaf Demon’s brow twitched as she sized up Wang Ya, seemingly muttering inwardly: You’re not human to begin with.

Feng Yuqin said, “Yaya, Leaf Lord, since you’re both here, I’ll say everything that needs to be said.”

The Leaf Demon nodded lightly.

Wang Ya murmured in agreement and asked, “Grandma, was my previous life the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Demon?” She had already guessed she was the reincarnation of the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Demon, but she still needed her grandma’s final confirmation.

Feng Yuqin said, “Yes.”

Wang Ya gave a miserable smile and said, “So even though I wear human skin, deep down I’m nothing but a thoroughbred Millennium Great Demon.”

The Leaf Demon frowned and said coldly, “What’s wrong with being a demon? Have you stayed too long in the human world and gone mad?”