Wing-Fire Snake stood where she was, head tilted back, watching those crystalline droplets of water.
She watched them sparkle in the golden sunlight like transparent gems.
She watched them slowly drift down, landing on her face, her hands, and her body.
“Is this... rain?”
A water droplet landed on the charred half of her face, letting out a soft sizzle as a wisp of white mist rose. She hurriedly tilted her face further up, letting more rain fall upon her.
It was very light.
It was very soft.
What was it like?
It was... like the words someone had spoken to her a long, long time ago.
“Rain is cool and wet; it feels wonderful on your face.”
“Sunlight is warm; when it shines on you, it feels like being held.”
“What are you doing? Kill them!”
“Shut up.”
“You shut up!”
Both her hands rose at once, each gripping the other's wrist.
Wing-Fire Snake’s body began to twist, half leaning forward and half leaning back, as if two people were fighting for control over this single form.
“Get back! I am the jailer! I am the jailer personally appointed by Lord Zhu Pan!”
“I beg of you... let me see just a bit more... just for a moment...”
The left hand squeezed the right hand with a death grip, and the right hand refused to be outdone, squeezing the left hand in return.
Her feet also began to fight, the left foot kicking the right and the right foot striking the left. The impacts thudded loudly, causing her to stagger and stumble.
Flames surged around her, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, sometimes fast and sometimes slow—one moment exploding into a towering inferno, the next shrinking into a tiny flicker.
Plague Rat watched, dumbfounded. “Holy shit, is this broad actually going crazy?”
Wu Gou studied Wing-Fire Snake and suddenly noticed something.
When the water of purity landed on her and seeped into her charred skin, the flames on her body seemed to weaken slightly.
While the droplets were evaporated by the high heat, they also carried away some of the scorching aura, as if gradually purifying the internal heat within her. Simultaneously, something was being washed out of her body.
Tiny black threads, like wisps of smoke, were seeping out of her charred skin before being washed away by the rain, dissipating into the air.
The threads carried a heavy sense of death qi and resentment, along with other things he did not understand.
A thought struck Wu Gou. He looked at Nie Chaoxi and whispered, “Benefactor Chaoxi, keep the rain falling. Do not stop.”
Nie Chaoxi nodded, her lips trembling. “Okay... I’ll try my best.”
Nie Chaoxi was already a white variety of sea snake, and even her human form was so white she was almost transparent. Currently, her face was pale, but since she was always like that, Wu Gou didn't notice anything unusual and assumed she was just nervous.
Plague Rat frowned. He suddenly realized that Nie Chaoxi’s face seemed even whiter than it had been moments ago.
It was an unnatural whiteness. Plague Rat felt that something was wrong.
“Little Six,” he suddenly called out.
Nie Chaoxi opened her eyes and looked at him nervously, her pink pupils trembling slightly.
“Why do you look so terrible?” Plague Rat scowled. “You’re being way too fragile. Can you handle this? If not, get lost and rest for a bit. Lord Rat can hold out for a while longer.”
Nie Chaoxi blinked, then shook her head. Her voice was shaking, but her tone was firm. “I’m fine. I can definitely do it.”
“Really?” Plague Rat stared at her.
Nie Chaoxi nodded and closed her eyes again.
Plague Rat watched her for a few moments, feeling uneasy, but Wing-Fire Snake was still losing her mind over there. He couldn't afford to be distracted, so he turned back to keep his eyes on the madwoman.
Nie Chaoxi grit her teeth, desperately forcing the fusion of her Clean Water Body and the Golden Buddha trait within her, squeezing out the last of her spiritual power.
The pain intensified.
Every inch of her skin hurt.
Every single bone hurt.
She bit down hard, refusing to let herself scream, telling herself over and over: Just a little longer. If the rain falls a little longer, I can be of help.
She could feel that the madwoman needed this rain.
She couldn't stop.
The flow of water grew more abundant and the rain fell harder. Wing-Fire Snake collapsed to the ground, rolling back and forth.
Hands choking hands, feet kicking feet—the left and right sides of her body were like two mortal enemies locked in an inescapable brawl.
However, the temperature of the flames had clearly dropped.
Plague Rat felt the pressure on him plummet. He breathed a sigh of relief and glanced back.
Wu Gou had sat back down cross-legged. With his palms pressed together, he began to chant the Cleansing Heart Mantra.
This was the most basic scripture of the Buddhist Sect, used to quiet the heart, soothe the spirit, and steady the mind.
Golden Sanskrit characters poured from his mouth, dancing through the air before converging into streams of light that merged into Nie Chaoxi’s rain.
As Wu Gou chanted, he suddenly channeled vow power.
The faith the little demons in the stone forest had for Chen Zhou was now summoned by him, transforming into wisps of golden thread that integrated into the Cleansing Heart Mantra.
This power of faith came from little demons who lacked food and clothing, living in constant uncertainty. They had no great abilities and their cultivation was low, but they shared a single common wish.
They wanted to live.
These wishes were humble and small, but they were pure.
Pure enough to shake a heart that had been mad for ten thousand years.
Wu Gou had already realized that they couldn't match Wing-Fire Snake in raw strength. The best way was to attack her heart.
The golden light grew more radiant, and the sound of the Cleansing Heart Mantra grew louder, echoing throughout the stone chamber.
Wing-Fire Snake’s movements slowed down, and her consciousness seemed to become a bit clearer.
Those chaotic, mad, and argumentative voices didn't seem quite so loud anymore.
The agonizing memories that had haunted her incessantly didn't seem to hurt quite as much.
She lay on the ground, her hands still gripping each other, but the force was no longer so violent.
She looked up at the falling raindrops. As the golden light spilled over her face, she suddenly saw something.
The rain was still falling.
But the stone chamber had vanished. The flames had vanished. The charred human skin on the ground had vanished.
Wing-Fire Snake found herself standing upon a vast, crimson land.
Above her was a real sun, its warmth shining down on her body, feeling very comfortable.
Surrounding her were rolling mountains, rushing rivers, and vast stretches of golden fields.
The wind blew past, carrying the fresh scent of vegetation.
“Where... is this?”
Confused, Wing-Fire Snake began to walk. As she walked, she saw many, many little demons.
Tiny demons—some looking like geckos, some like rats, some like snakes, and some like cicadas.
They were huddled together in a pitch-black underground cave, lacking food and clothing, their bodies so thin they were just skin and bones.
They seemed to be the lowest class of little demons, living every day in fear—fear of starving to death, fear of dying of disease, and fear of being eaten by other demons.
Then one day, the light at the cave entrance was momentarily blocked.
A person in a red dress walked in. Her face was unclear, only a blurry silhouette could be seen.
But the little demons weren't afraid of her, because that person gave them food.
Delicious food that was fragrant and melted in the mouth, making their whole bodies feel warm after eating it.
That person led them out of the underground, out of the cave, and toward a new home.
A place with sunlight, clean water, houses that wouldn't rot, and many, many companions.
Rate on N.U.
