owlsbooks Chapter 46: O Soul, Return!
Chapter 46: O Soul, Return!
Between heaven and earth, the raging sandstorm continues to roar.
However, in the center of this dim light, where Zou Yun stood, an absolute domain had strangely formed.
With his toes as the center, within a radius of several feet, the ground remained as smooth as ever.
Against the backdrop of the swirling yellow sand, his dark robes appeared spotless.
It was as if an invisible, intangible, clear barrier enveloped Zou Yun, shutting out all the filth and noise of the world.
Wherever the immortals went, not a speck of dust was stirred; the ground they trod remained unblemished for countless eons.
Grand Master Zou Yunjing stood quietly in this small patch of pure land, his expression remaining as serene as ever.
His deep pupils reflected the earth-shattering scene before him.
This detachment, in contrast to the disheveled crowd around him, made the figure appear even more ethereal and mysterious.
"The...the Grand Master?!"
Fusu had just brushed the dust off his face when he saw this scene, and he froze on the spot as if petrified.
Feng Zhixue, Zheng Ze, and Meng Xuande were so shocked that they stared in disbelief, their mouths agape, almost forgetting to breathe.
Even though this was not the first time they had witnessed the divine power displayed by the Grand Master.
But each time, this power, which transcends human comprehension, leaves an even deeper sense of awe in their hearts.
It is humanity's instinctive fear of the unknown, and also a magnificent fantasy of myths and legends.
Of the group, only Meng Tian, after the initial shock, noticed it with the keen observation of a military general.
At the edge of the spotless ground beneath Zou Yun's feet, scattered were tiny, translucent ice crystal fragments.
They are like the dust left behind after the purest crystal has been crushed.
Under the dim light, it reflected a mysterious and cool glow.
"What is this?!"
A huge question mark appeared in Meng Tian's mind.
He suppressed his shock and pondered to himself, trying to connect this detail with the miracle before his eyes.
But next second.
A sudden, piercing, inhuman wail rang out beside him, abruptly interrupting all his thoughts!
"Kira... my husband... sob..."
Meng Jiangnu, who had been slumped on the ground, seemed to be suddenly awakened by some mysterious force.
She fixed her gaze on a certain spot of ruins exposed after the Great Wall collapsed.
Before she could even cry out in despair, driven by instinct, Meng Jiangnu, like a moth drawn to a flame, rushed headlong into the ruins.
Gravel tore at the hem of her skirt, and dust covered her face. Yet, she was completely unaware of it all.
Even when she tripped, she only let out a short groan and staggered as she struggled to run towards the other side.
That figure seemed resolute, but in reality, it was at its wit's end, and could only place all its hopes on it.
If gods truly exist, Meng Jiangnu believed this must be a revelation given to her by the gods.
"Danger! Come back!"
Fusu instinctively cried out in alarm and reached out to stop him.
However, his hand froze in mid-air, and his shouts came to an abrupt halt.
Meng Jiangnu collapsed heavily onto the ruins, her hands already bloodied and mangled from days of futile digging.
At this moment, it seems as if one has completely lost the sense of pain, becoming the most primitive, the most insane, and the most robust tool.
Little by little...
Mechanically, numbly, they ripped away the rubble and debris covering it.
The sharp edge of the stone cut her flesh again, and bright red blood mixed with dirt gushed from her broken palm.
Fusu didn't know how to persuade such a person, so he could only stare blankly at the scene.
Meng Jiangnu, however, paid no attention to anything else; she poured all her energy and life into the movements of her hands.
Driven solely by an intuition from the depths of my soul, I desperately rummaged and searched...
Each touch of the cold stone by the fingertips was accompanied by the most desperate persistence, as if trying to dig one's own life into this land.
The wind howled, and dust swirled.
In the vast expanse of heaven and earth, only this silent and tragic scene remains.
Everyone was deeply shocked by the tragic scene that defied description, and stood there dumbfounded.
They forgot to breathe, forgot to speak, forgot everything.
"Snap... snap... snap..."
Only the faint sound of those hands digging through the ruins resonated in everyone's hearts.
As she dug deeper, her movements became slower and lighter...
A cruel truth, long foreseen, is gradually becoming clear with each stone that is moved.
When my fingertips finally touched that cold outline.
The first thing that came to mind was not the expected heart-wrenching pain, but a sense of bewilderment that swallowed everything.
The sounds and colors of the entire world seemed to be completely stripped away at this moment, leaving only an endless expanse of gray and white.
quiet!
Time stands still at this moment!
A powerful impulse exploded in Meng Jiangnu's mind, frantically screaming for her to stop and not dig any further!
It's as if the cruel reality hasn't happened until you see it with your own eyes.
but......
after all!
Meng Jiangnu stretched out her palm, her movements becoming extremely gentle, as if she were holding a fragile treasure.
Extremely slowly, she lifted a decaying corpse from the ruins, its white bones exposed.
It's him!
Even though that once gentle and smiling face is no longer the same, Meng Jiangnu's soul is absolutely certain—it is him!!!
When the cold corpse was completely lifted up, some tattered dark brown clothing remained on it.
The fabric, the color, the stitching...
She sewed it by hand, stitch by stitch, countless nights before her departure, under the dim yellow oil lamp, her eyes red and swollen.
This time, however, no one will both complain about her clumsy stitches and cherish the dress with a smile as they wear it.
Overwhelming grief instantly gripped Meng Jiangnu's throat.
It made her feel suffocated, it made her heart stop suddenly, it made her feel as if she was about to shatter completely in the next second.
But she couldn't even cry; grief was stuck in her chest.
She could only manage to squeeze out broken, disjointed sobs.
"...Heh...Heh heh..."
That voice, weak, hoarse, and desperate, pierced the heart more than any wailing.
Meng Jiangnu trembled violently all over.
She held the cold skeleton tightly to her chest.
As if trying to merge this mutilated body into its own bones and blood, it used the last of its life force to give him one last, and most desperate, embrace.
"Green is my garment, green with a yellow lining. My heart is filled with sorrow; when will it end?"
Tears welled up in Fusu's eyes, and a long, mournful sigh echoed across the wilderness.
Just as this deathly despair permeated the air, threatening to engulf everyone,
Suddenly—
An ancient, desolate shamanic lament, seemingly traversing the ages, resounded throughout the heavens and earth.
The voice was deep and resonant, carrying a sense of vastness and compassion for all things in the universe.
The eerie sounds echoing above the ruins, intertwined with the mournful winds, add to the sense of mystery and desolation.
"The body returns to the earth, the soul returns to the ruins..."
"The vast ruins are desolate, yet spirits descend..."
The song is like a banner summoning souls, telling of life's destiny to return to the earth, and calling to wandering spirits.
I lingered for a long time on this collapsed section of the Great Wall.
Mourning the deceased, lamenting the living, telling of eternal sorrow and fate.
"Oh, spirit, come down! But trouble will return..."
"Return, return, the beginning is back..."
Everyone was drawn to the sudden, divinely radiant lament, and involuntarily looked in the direction of the sound.
Zou Yun stood solemnly at the edge of the ruins, where the smoke and dust had not yet cleared, his hands slightly raised.
They chanted ancient and obscure syllables as if in prayer.
His posture was like that of an ancient shaman communicating with the underworld and praying for peace of souls.
It was as if a deity from the heavens, with eyes lowered, was gently making a promise.
After reciting the last line of the proverb, Zou Yun's dark figure appeared even more aloof and ethereal amidst the billowing smoke and mournful songs.
His expression was sorrowful, his eyes lowered, gazing at the joys and sorrows amidst the ruins.
That posture was just like a deity bowing his head and looking down in a temple.
"O soul, return! All is over; let us not go on."
After saying this, Zou Yun did not look back and slowly left, leaving Meng Jiangnu behind, wailing and crying.
"This is inhuman!"
Feng Zhixue watched Zou Yun's departing figure and sighed in a dry voice.
Not just him, but everyone who witnessed this scene.
From Fusu to Meng Tian, and then to ordinary soldiers and laborers, they were all absolutely certain in their hearts.
The collapse of the Great Wall and the appearance of the corpses must have been the result of this mysterious and unpredictable Grand Master intervening out of compassion.
In their view, Zou Yun stepped forward and gently touched the city wall, which then collapsed in response.
After the collapse, the remains of Meng Jiangnu's husband, whom she had been searching for in vain, were revealed.
If the first "coincidence" still had some doubts, then this series of precise and chilling "coincidences" completely shattered all conventional perceptions.
This is neither a natural disaster nor a coincidence; it can only be... a miracle!
At this moment, only Zou Yun himself could sense that the panel floating deep in his consciousness trembled slightly.
However, he felt no joy whatsoever.
The appearance of Meng Jiangnu, along with various other details, made Zou Yun vaguely feel that something was amiss.
He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but it all felt like a tiny yet incredibly resilient thorn, quietly piercing into Zou Yun's heart.
Although it wasn't sharp or painful, the subtle feeling of a foreign object was always clear.
Like a hidden reef beneath the surface of the water, it constantly reminded him that there might be more to this matter than met the eye.