Chapter 59: 58, Zhou Eryang's Past Reverie

58, Zhou Eryang's Past Reverie

"I can take you to the bottom of the pool, but if you risk losing your soul down there... I will have to summon Bai Ma." Bai Xiue spoke up, "By then, she will know everything you do not wish her to know."

"Agreed." Zhou Chang nodded.

Bai Xiue hesitated, then added, "You... once you are down there, do not act rashly."

"Certainly." Zhou Chang gave his assurance once more.

"That is good..." Bai Xiue rose from the poolside and looked at her father, "Father..."

Her father looked at her, then at Zhou Chang, could only let out a long sigh, and waved his hand: "Go quickly and return quickly!"

Zhou Chang spread a pelt covered in deep black curly fur beside the fire, flicked the bone thumb-ring on his thumb, and a wisp of floating light emerged from the hole in the ring, drilling into the pelt.

In an instant, the pelt swelled into a shaggy giant dog over half a man's height.

It was Ao Duoji.

"Guard him well here.

If there is danger, take him and run first." Zhou Chang pointed to Bai's father beside them and gave the dog a few instructions.

Ao Duoji bared his blood-red jaws, barked twice with a "Wang Wang," and indeed sat obediently beside Bai's father.

Bai's father, who had been somewhat fearful, seeing this, calmed his heart and urged the two to go quickly and return quickly.

Bai Xiue approached the pool's edge, turned her head to look at Zhou Chang beside her, her expression calm, and extended her lotus-like arm toward Zhou Chang.

Zhou Chang was not shy, reaching out to interlock his fingers with Bai Xiue's.

If he descended into the deep pool alone, he feared he would sink all the way to the bottom and see only mud filling the pool, with no way to witness the strange scenes from before—only with Bai Xiue guiding him could he glimpse the true appearance of the bottom of the Bride's Pool.

Bai Xiue lowered her eyelids, rose onto her tiptoes, and gently stepped into the dark, ink-like pool water.

Hum...

Rolling reveries instantly boiled up from the pool water, transforming into various illusory, mottled colors.

Zhou Chang followed Bai Xiue into this five-colored, mottled pool, instantly feeling as if his whole body was wrapped in soft mud—the illusory, mottled pool water surrounding him suddenly turned into young women.

They kept their eyes tightly shut, their skin as white as snow, their heads full of black hair like clouds and waterfalls, washing away the ink color with the pool water, for a moment falling like snow.

Pale white, translucent lotus threads embraced Zhou Chang's body, dragging Zhou Chang toward the pool bottom.

Zhou Chang saw amidst the black mud at the pool bottom, sections of snow-white lotus roots rooted within them; they connected to one another beneath the mud, then unfolded their forms from the silt, blooming nine-sectioned lotus roots in the mottled pool water.

Colorful clothes hung on those nine-sectioned lotus roots, swaying with the water.

Clusters of lotus threads swam out from the holes in the nine-sectioned lotus roots, densely wrapping around another lotus root at the bottom of the pool.

That lotus root was wrapped layer by layer by the lotus threads, faintly revealing the outline of a human figure.

"Zhou Eryang..."

Zhou Chang immediately recognized that human-shaped lotus root.

As Zhou Chang's gaze turned toward that human-shaped lotus root, a strange attraction also emanated from it, pointing toward Zhou Chang.

Zhou Chang glanced around; Bai Xiue, who had pulled him down to the pool bottom, had now become one of the main sections of those nine-sectioned lotus roots. He withdrew his gaze, his eyes deep, spread his arms, and swam toward that human-shaped lotus root.

The last time he descended to the bottom of the Bride's Pool, up until now, his mind had been on the verge of scattering under the erosion of the rolling reveries.

Yet this time, stepping here again, although Zhou Chang could still feel the impact of the reveries and thoughts upon himself, his mind was strong and firm, showing absolutely no sign of imminent scattering.

—The appearance of such a situation was not because the reveries at the pool bottom had weakened.

The reveries at the pool bottom flowed as before, unchanged.

The reason lay solely in Zhou Chang's spiritual power having been strengthened once more.

But now that his mind had not lost a shred of clarity, and was not 'infected' by the reveries, it was actually disadvantageous for him to access the contents of the 'Great Essence Heart Sutra' while in a state of near soul-loss.

"Let's try."

Zhou Chang swam close to that human-shaped lotus root, then turned his head to glance once more at Bai Xiue, who had transformed into one of the nine-sectioned lotus roots.

Bai Xiue's form pressed closely against the White Family Matriarch wearing a scarlet wedding gown; seeing the look Zhou Chang sent her, her expression immediately grew tense.

At this moment, Zhou Chang had already turned his head back, threads of thought winding and intertwining on his body surface.

In the palm of his left hand, a pair of purple-black lips grew forth;

In the palm of his right hand, a golden-red official seal inlaid with dragon scales, radiating majestic power.

He extended both hands and suddenly seized that human-shaped lotus root, Zhou Eryang, embedded in the mud and covered in lotus threads—threads of thought swam out from the back of his hands, connecting to the lotus threads wrapping Zhou Eryang's shell!

At this moment, the attraction emanating from the human-shaped lotus root had, for Zhou Chang, almost become substantial.

He heard a silent call issuing from within that human-shaped lotus root.

That silent call reminded him of the situation when he was carried in a coffin to raise the spirit.

"Zhou Chang!"

"Zhou Chang!"

"Zhou Chang!"

The silent call turned into deafening shouts!

Zhou Chang saw that on the face of the human-shaped lotus root he was gripping tightly, eyes, ears, mouth, and nose gradually appeared from beneath the lotus threads; that face, identical to his own, now opened its eyes and gazed at him with eyes full of malice!

Rolling reveries poured out from the eyes, ears, mouth, and nose of 'Zhou Eryang,' surging toward Zhou Chang's eyes, ears, mouth, and nose!

All the thoughts boiling in 'Zhou Eryang's' mind were fully perceived by Zhou Chang!

Snow-capped mountains surrounded, the sun first shining upon the palace.

Prayer flags fluttered in the wind, prayer wheels turned with the wind.

The golden statue of 'Lord of Wealth' sat cross-legged upon a copper lion; countless maroon-robed monks wearing rooster-crested hats clasped their hands and bowed.

The grand sound of sutras echoed through the Buddha hall; after the morning recitation, many maroon-robed monks dispersed in various directions.

A small monk in gray robes, carrying a wooden bucket and a broom, stepped into the hall in small steps; he stood in the corner of the Buddha hall, gazing longingly at the majestic golden statue of the Lord of Wealth, his eyes fixed; holding a mud coffin no longer than a palm, he clasped his hands and bowed before the Lord of Wealth.

He murmured softly, praying and bowing with sincere devotion.

Yet the deity he sincerely prayed to was not the Wealth Heavenly King before him: "I beg the Holy Mother of Lishan to bestow the 'Life Shell' upon me, to aid me in seeking the Great Method of Liberation!

I vow to take the Holy Mother of Lishan as my adoptive mother; I vow to enter the Holy Mother of Lishan's sect!

May the offering be received—"

The mud coffin held in his palm, responding to his sincere prayer, turned to ash and dust, crumbling and falling from his palm.

His palm was empty.

Only a 'door'-shaped seal was branded upon it; as his gaze fell upon that door, he saw within the coffin behind the door, the 'Life Shell' he had prayed for, lying quietly.

……

"The fate of this woman, Bai Ruyu, is extraordinary; it is the 'Lotus Womb Child Fate', weighing seven taels and seven mace. This fate of seven taels and seven mace is enough to extract seven taels and three mace of 'Fate Gold'!"

"Seven taels and three mace of Fate Gold is enough for the Noble Consort to consume for a month!"

"If we send her away to marry outside, would she not be free from then on? Unburdened by resentment and suffering, how shall we extract her Fate Gold?"

"Think of a way!"

Outside the brightly lit ancestral hall.

Zhou Eryang, whose face closely resembled Zhou Chang, squatted in the corner, diligently building a brick wall.

He appeared to work earnestly, but in truth, he had quietly pricked up his ears, listening carefully to the conversation of the Jingbai Clan elders inside the hall.

"Bai Ruyu, the Lotus Womb Child Fate...

If I can get my hands on her, this 'Life Shell' of mine will have served a great purpose."

Zhou Eryang lowered his brows, lost in thought.

Not far away, within the brilliantly lit ancestral hall, the elders of the Jingbai Clan cast their gazes quietly upon Zhou Eryang for an instant, then, understanding each other without words, all shifted their eyes away.

The Jingbai Clan elder standing in the middle, with an ambiguous look in his eyes, formed the word "Frame-up" with his lips to those around him.

……