Five days later.
The flower garden was finished.
Su Xue and the plant demonlings had spent five days carving out a small oasis in this stretch of yellow sand.
The pale purple Purple Cloud Vetch was in full bloom, its layers of petals swaying gently in the wind.
A ring of drought-resistant sandland cypress was planted around the edges, their emerald-green branches forming a hedge for this small flower garden.
In the center of the garden, a small path was paved with gravel.
At the end of the path was a smooth green stone.
That was prepared for Lian.
It was so she could sit there, look at the flowers, feel the breeze, and bask in the sun.
Lian had gone nowhere for these five days.
She simply squatted by the edge of the garden, watching the flowers grow day by day.
Sometimes she would reach out and gently touch a petal with extreme caution, as if terrified she might break them.
Chen Zhou stood not far away, watching this scene.
It was about time to head back.
There was a pile of matters waiting to be handled at the provincial capital, and he also needed to check the construction progress at the City of the Wrongfully Dead.
He turned his head and looked at Tuoba Feng.
Tuoba Feng was sitting on a stone slab, with Xiaoyun leaning in his arms, quietly basking in the sun.
Sensing Chen Zhou's gaze, Tuoba Feng quickly stood up.
"Great One."
Chen Zhou spoke.
"I am heading back."
Tuoba Feng was stunned for a moment, then bowed low in salutation.
"This sinner sees off the Great One."
Xiaoyun also followed in salutation, her youthful voice soft and tender.
"Safe travels, Lord God."
Chen Zhou nodded and was about to turn away when his peripheral vision caught a figure by the flower garden.
Lian had stood up at some point.
She stood by the garden, looking at him eagerly across the pale purple sea of flowers.
The eyeballs in her sockets were shriveled and grayish-white, making it impossible to see her expression.
But Chen Zhou could feel her emotions.
There was reluctance, apprehension, and a flustered sense of not knowing how to ask him to stay.
Chen Zhou thought for a moment and spoke.
"I will visit the Western Region again later with Jian Huaishuang."
Lian's eyes widened slightly, filled with joy.
This was wonderful; the Great One would grace the Western Region again.
"At that time, I can help Xiaoyun reconstruct her paper body."
"Her soul-body is too weak now, she cannot remain without a vessel."
Tuoba Feng also trembled upon hearing this, his eyes instantly turning red.
"Great One..."
Chen Zhou waved his hand, stopping his next words.
"I said the Grave-keepers are free."
"Since you are free people, you should act like free people."
"Floating around like this indefinitely, what kind of behavior is that?"
Having said that, Chen Zhou gave Tuoba Feng no further chance to speak. His Ghost Domain expanded, enveloping himself, Su Xue, and the group of little demons who had packed their belongings.
In the next moment, their figures vanished into the yellow sand.
By the flower garden, Lian was still standing there.
She watched the direction where the black-robed figure had disappeared.
For a long, long time.
The wind blew from the depths of the desert, rustling the pale purple petals.
Tuoba Feng stood up and patted the sand off his knees.
He walked over to Lian's side.
"Lady Lian."
Lian turned her head.
Tuoba Feng's expression was somewhat unnatural, and he gave a dry cough.
"Um... we should pack up too and prepare to set off."
Lian was startled.
"Set off? To where?"
Tuoba Feng scratched his head.
"The City of the Wrongfully Dead."
Lian was even more confused.
"The City of the Wrongfully Dead? Didn't the Lord God tell us to wait in the Western Region for... for him and that Lord Jian to arrive?"
Tuoba Feng's expression became even more awkward. He lowered his voice as if afraid of being overheard.
"Before Lady Su Xue left just now, she secretly told me something."
Lian leaned in closer.
Tuoba Feng said, "Lady Su Xue said that the end of the year is approaching."
"The City of the Wrongfully Dead is preparing to hold a God's Grace Festival."
"She invited us to attend as well."
Lian froze. A God's Grace Festival?
Inviting them?
They were the sinners and monsters of the Western Region; could they really attend a festival for a god?
"I... do I have to go too?"
Lian's voice became cautious again.
"Will I... will my appearance scare others?"
Tuoba Feng looked at her.
To be honest, Lian's current appearance was indeed not very pleasant to look at.
Shriveled skin clung tightly to her bones, her eye sockets held two shriveled grayish-white eyeballs, her mouth was sewn shut with black thread, and she wore tattered ancient-style clothing.
Placed anywhere else, she had the kind of face that would make a child cry in terror.
But Tuoba Feng thought about what he had seen and heard in the provincial capital recently, as well as the strange-looking creatures under that Lord God's command.
He shook his head.
"Probably not."
Lian looked up.
Tuoba Feng recalled seriously.
"That Great One has many, well... eccentric individuals under his command."
"I've seen paper people, skeletons, and many demons. Compared to them, you... are actually not much different."
Lian: "..."
She didn't know if that counted as a comfort.
But it seemed that indeed... she wasn't as worried anymore?
After Tuoba Feng finished speaking, he turned and walked toward that stone slab.
His stone coffin was placed there.
It was a thousand-year-old object, its lid covered in knife scars, axe marks, and dried bloodstains.
He bent down and hoisted the stone coffin onto his back once more.
The coffin lid opened a crack.
"Xiaoyun," Tuoba Feng called softly.
Xiaoyun floated over and obediently crawled into the coffin.
She lay down inside, poking her small head out to look around curiously.
Tuoba Feng looked at Lian again.
"Xiao Lian, you should come in too."
"It is a long journey. I am used to carrying the coffin, and I have lined it with soft grass. It won't be a bumpy ride while lying down."
Lian hesitated for a moment.
She looked at the dark opening of the coffin.
A coffin.
The place where she had lain for tens of thousands of years.
The place she feared most.
And also the place she was most familiar with.
She took a deep breath and stepped forward.
She carefully stepped into the coffin.
Inside, it was indeed lined with a thick layer of dry grass, soft and carrying the parched scent unique to desert plants.
She lay down.
Xiaoyun was right beside her.
The little girl turned on her side and looked at her curiously.
"Sister Lian, your eyes are grayish-white!"
Lian instinctively wanted to hide.
But Xiaoyun reached out and gently touched her face.
"So cool."
The coffin lid slowly closed.
The light dimmed.
But it wasn't pitch black like before.
There was a small gap that allowed a sliver of light to peek through.
Tuoba Feng's voice came from outside.
"Sit tight. We're moving out."
The coffin swayed slightly and then began to rise and fall steadily.
Tuoba Feng's walking pace was calm and powerful.
Step by step.
Xiaoyun spoke in the darkness.
"Father."
"Hmm?"
"What is a God's Grace Festival?"
There was a moment of silence outside.
Tuoba Feng's voice drifted in, carrying a hint of uncertainty.
"It should be... a ceremony to thank the god."
"To thank the god for his protection, thank the god for his blessings, and thank the god for letting everyone live a good life."
Xiaoyun gave a soft "oh," seemingly understanding yet not quite.
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