Chapter 25 Chapter 24

Xiangsi knelt helplessly in the gravel. What she held in her hand were two fragments, which were the two halves of the prayer axis in the hand of the idol. This statue is not a statue of a warrior in uniform, nor is it Brahma at the time of salvation.He is only as tall as a real person, with one head and two arms, a lotus flower in his left hand and a scripture scroll in his right hand.There is no battle armor fringe on his body, only a long robe hanging down casually.It doesn't look like a god who created the world, but like a hermit practicing in the mountains. The scripture scroll in the hands of the god statue was broken into fourteen pieces, among which the scripture shaft was split into two pieces, which was the best preserved, and Xiangsi quickly found them out of the broken stone chips.

However, when she put the two sutras together, the bad luck experienced by the heavy robbery also happened to her.No matter how viscous the glue is, it can't resist the force of disintegration, and the warp beams shattered again the moment they were put together. After countless attempts, Acacia finally gave up. She knelt down among the stone chips, at a loss.She wanted to tell Chong Jie that the oracle of Riyao was wrong, and she couldn't put together the statue.However, since the bell rang, Zhongjie has never appeared again. It's not that she didn't think about running away.It's just that this palace seems to have been restricted by secret demons, and it's surrounded by dense silver-gray vines, like an overwhelming cobweb, blocking all exits.

The nightmare-like pain from being wrapped by vines is still on her body, and Xiangsi dare not try to find a way to escape from these vines no matter what. Her eyes gradually fell on the stone gate. The stone room was not too big, but after Chong Jie walked into that stone door, he never came out again.Perhaps, there is an exit to the outside world in this stone chamber—that may be the only hope of escaping from here. Xiangsi hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't resist the temptation, and walked towards Shimen. The stone door opened lightly, and behind it was a long corridor.At the end of the corridor are the murals of the Three Linked Cities and three real city gates.

Xiangsi hesitated, not knowing which one to push open. She leaned on the door and listened attentively, wanting to find out what was going on behind the gate.But the thick door seemed to completely isolate the sound, and no sign could be heard. Her hand slowly slid across the black iron gate and the silver gate, and finally stopped at the golden gate. With a soft creak, the heavy door was pushed open by her. Brilliant gold rushed towards her face, making her unable to open her eyes for a moment. A golden curtain hangs heavily from all around, surrounding a pool made of feldspar.The feldspar is clean and tidy, showing a clear golden color under the setting sun.The pool is sparkling and filled with clear water.The water is knee-deep, and under the reflection of the stone slabs at the bottom of the pool, it shows a brilliant color.

In the center of the pond, a stone platform stands abruptly, like a reclining chair.A huge pot was placed on the stone chair, and opposite the pot, an extremely wide and heavy wooden bed was half submerged and half floating on the water. The bed was carved from white hardwood, surrounded by four serpentine bedposts that interweave into a giant disc at the top.A thick curtain hangs down from the disc, like an airtight golden tent, completely blocking the sight of others. Although all the bedding is golden, it still can't hide the disharmony between this bed and the surrounding environment. It is probably moved from other places, not old here.

Xiangsi searched carefully around the pool, but found no exit.Her eyes stopped on the big bed in the center of the pool. Very few people put their beds in water.Not to mention the coldness and humidity surrounded by clear water, which is not suitable for sleep, and only babies like the feeling of shaking slightly in the dark, which makes them feel like they are back in the cradle. Or is the bed just a cover, with the stairs leading to the outside entrance beneath the curtain? If this is really a dormitory for serious robbery, it is also the safest way to place the entrance of the underground city under one's bed.

Xiangsi couldn't help hesitating a little, would there be the freedom she wanted in that impenetrable curtain? A gust of wind blew by, and the outermost curtain floated up gently, as if sending a tempting invitation to her. Xiangsi plucked up her courage, tapped her toes, and landed gently on the stone chair in the pool. The inclined stone chair shook a few times, and the lid of the stone jar was slightly loosened. Xiangsi leaned down and carefully opened the lid of the jar, but her face changed in shock. In the stone jar, seven snakes of different shapes are intertwined with each other, forming a colorful group.

One of them glowed crimson, as if shrouded in a ball of flames, the coiled snake body was covered with mucus, and there were cracks like burnt wood under the mucus. Xiangsi recognized that this was the fiery snake that tortured the young woman in front of the tombstone.She didn't dare to look any more, and hastily covered the stone jar. The curtain of the big bed was within reach of her hand, and with a light lift, the secrets hidden inside would be revealed to the world. She couldn't help but hesitate. What would she do if the demon was sleeping in the veil? While hesitating, she accidentally found a small blue flower on the bottom of the stone pot.

Acacia leaned over to pick up the flowers, but saw that there was still clear dew on the delicate and weak petals, as if they had just been picked from the forest not long ago. She has seen this kind of flower many times, and it was once used as a shelter and placed on the hairpin; it was also given to Yang Yizhi as a blessing. It definitely does not come from the underground city where life is cut off. This is the only flower that blooms in the deserted city. Xiangsi was overjoyed, and became more and more convinced that under this golden curtain, there was a passage leading to the deserted city!

She stretched out her hand to lift the bed curtain, her movements froze instantly, her eyes filled with horror, as if she had seen the most incredible scene in the world. Under the luxurious and exquisite bed curtain, unknown blue flowers are densely piled up, covered with the softest velvet mattress, like stars twinkling in the golden sky. There are thousands of petals, but none of them withered. It seems that every flower here has been carefully selected, and new ones are replaced every day. A yellow withered bone is sleeping peacefully in the embrace of flowers and velvet! Misty clouds.

The heavily robbed white robes fluttered and danced in the mountain wind. His pale hands trembled on Yang Yizhi's face, and his eyes were filled with sorrow: "It is said that the men of the Asura tribe are extremely ugly and the women are extremely beautiful. I thought I was an exception. But I never thought that I would not be able to escape this fate... Years of asceticism Damaged my otherwise perfect face. I can no longer face the face under my mask now." He took a deep breath before he stopped the ups and downs of his chest, and stroked Yang Yizhi's face and neck with his fingers: "But you are different, firm, persistent, compassionate...you have all the virtues in the world, and you also have a face like a god .Sometimes I can't help but think that maybe even Brahma would be moved by such a face..." His hand suddenly exerted force, and his long nails pierced Yang Yizhi's shoulder.His eyes were filled with despair, and he hissed, "These are things I never had and will never have!" Yang Yizhi closed his eyes, his body was shaken by the sudden pain, and the chain on his wrist shattered. Chong Jie looked at his pale face, frowning tightly, sighed, and withdrew his hand: "So, I want you to be my substitute." There was some helpless sadness in Yang Yizhi's eyes: "What do you want from me to let her go?" Chong Jie gently wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead, and said with infinite tenderness: "You don't have to do anything. Just stay forever." He parted Yang Yizhi's loose long hair: "Stay in my palace, wear the most gorgeous clothes Clothes, sit on the throne, and become the most beautiful king of the Asura tribe." His voice sank and became extremely sad: "My appearance, my body, and even my entire life will be dedicated to this endless asceticism, to the great cause of rebuilding the Three Linked City, and to Brahma, the god of creation. But you are different. You are the me who has not been polluted by the godhead, you don’t have to do asceticism, you don’t have to haunt plague-ridden cities, and you don’t have to turn yourself into a pale monster... You will always sit proudly and alone on the throne, like the underground sun, hanging down According to the four directions." Yang Yizhi slowly raised his eyes: "You want me to be your puppet?" Chong Jie smiled: "You can also treat me as your puppet. You are me, and I am you." Yang Yizhi took a deep breath, he couldn't understand the crazy thoughts of the man in front of him, but he had to rescue Xiangsi. He nodded: "you let her go, I will stay." There was a trace of familiar sarcasm in Chong Jie's eyes: "Don't you want her to stay with you? In the years to come, you will live deep in a desolate city. Say goodbye to sunshine, relatives, and friends forever. You don't want to be with her." Did she spend it together?" He paused, and his smile was instantly clouded by resentment: "In order to please you, I did not hesitate to take her away from Brahma's altar. Because I know that you like her." Yang Yizhi interrupted him: "If you want to please me, let her go." There was deep-seated jealousy in Chong Jie's eyes: "You will regret it." Yang Yizhi looked at him and said lightly, "I'm not you." These words pierced Chongjie's heart like a sharp blade, and his voice suddenly sharpened: "You are!" Yang Yizhi turned his face sideways and cast his eyes on the floating clouds in the abyss. This move of his enraged Zhong Jie even more, he grabbed his broken skirt, and the cold mask almost stuck to his face: "You will become me, and you will die before you die." At this moment, a cold bell rang. The sound of the bell is faint, as if it is close to the ear, but also seems to be far away in the sky, revealing an inexplicable desolation. The angry look on Chong Jie's face gradually cooled down. He abandoned Yang Yizhi and walked towards the city gate behind him. Xiangsi stared blankly at the dead bones surrounded by flowers, not knowing what to do for a moment. She apologized for her inadvertent disturbance and was about to back away when suddenly there was a soft knock from the golden gate. someone is coming. Acacia's face changed in horror, but she didn't know how to hide. The door was pushed open, and a pale and slender hand rested on the lintel. Who is it if it’s not a robbery? Xiangsi gritted her teeth, no longer caring about disturbing the undead, and dodged to hide behind the thick curtain on the bed. The golden veil hung down to conceal her figure, but it opened just enough to allow her to see the outside scene.She didn't dare to move, held her breath and looked out. Chong Jie slowly walked towards the pool.Pick up a transparent cup from the bottom of the pool.The cup was immersed in the water, it was indistinguishable from the color of the water, Xiangsi hadn't noticed it just now. Xiangsi prayed silently, hoping that he would only come here for this cup, and leave as soon as he got it, but he unexpectedly walked down the steps and walked into the pool slowly. The pool water soaked his loose white robe, but he didn't seem to notice it, and slowly walked towards the stone chair in the pool. The sound of the water is soft, and every step is like stepping on the heart of lovesickness.She couldn't help closing her eyes. After a while, the sound of water stopped. Xiangsi plucked up the courage to look outside, but saw Chong Jie was soaked all over, sitting quietly on the stone chair, holding the crystal cup in one hand and the snake pot in the other. There is still half a glass of water in the glass.Chong Jie stared at the cup, suddenly sighed softly, and stretched out his hand towards the snake pot. A pitch-black snake was held in his hand, struggling to spit out a long message, but he never dared to attack him. His slender fingers firmly clamped the snake's lower jaw, forcing the poisonous snake to open its mouth, and the two curved snake teeth fully protruded.He handed over the cup in his left hand, letting the snake teeth get stuck on the wall of the cup. The black thick juice dripped into the clear water, and the clear water suddenly turned into an ink-colored chaos. Then, the red, blue, silver, brown, purple, and yellow venomous snakes were also treated in the same way. Soon, the half glass of clear water became a cloudy mass, and the color could not be distinguished at all. Acacia's heart tightened in bursts. Chongjie’s words in front of the tombstone echoed in his ears again: “These seven kinds of venomous snakes represent seven kinds of suffering in purgatory. Such as freezing, burning, ant biting, car cracking, mausoleum... Each of them is like Rebirth and death are beyond any kind of torture in the world, and beyond your imagination." In the desolate cemetery, she had witnessed these tortures with her own eyes. It is hard to imagine what kind of pain you will suffer if you get even a drop of this extremely poisonous water. Chong Jie raised the cup to his eyes and stared at it for a long time. The smile in his eyes was indescribably teasing. Then, he raised his head and drank the cup of venom. Behind the curtain, Xiangsi bit her lips tightly to keep herself from exclaiming, but her body couldn't help shaking. Suddenly the curtain was lifted. Xiangsi was so frightened that she almost fainted, and even the scream was choked in her throat. However, Chong Jie didn't look at her, but gently picked up the hand that was hanging by the bed with dry bones, moved it to his chest with great cherishment, and hugged her tightly again. His voice was hoarse and sad, echoing in the empty surroundings: "Mom, I finally found the pupil of Brahma." Mother? Acacia was stunned. Could it be that this withered and yellow skeleton wrapped in gorgeous velvet and countless flowers is the mother of the heavy robbery? Chong Jie's thin body couldn't help shaking, as if he was sobbing softly.He took off the Brahma pupil on his chest, put it into the hand of the bone, and wrapped it with his hands, as if to warm the bone: "Mom, with the pupil of Brahma, the curse will be broken." If it is lifted, Brahma will come to our city again and give us the blessing of the gods. Then, the Three Linked City will be rebuilt, the sun will shine again, the day and night will alternate again, the spring will spring again, and the flowers will bloom... This is what I dream of For your city." His voice became hoarse: "Mom, I promise you that your tragedy will never happen again. From now on, no one will die because of that shameful ceremony. Our flag will fly in every corner of the world. We will build an empire as vast as ever, and a capital that will never die." He put that withered hand on his cheek, and gently snuggled up: "I will be the greatest prince among the Asura clan for thousands of years, and you will be the most beautiful queen." Chong Jie stopped talking, and seemed to be completely immersed in the warmth given by this hand. After a long time, he sighed softly and said: "If there is no such thing, I would rather be by your side forever. Be your child , is far more important than being a great king. I really would rather just be your child." He held this hand tightly, and his voice was full of pain and despair: "But I can't. My blood has given me such a mission, and I must go on." His breathing became short of breath: "I have to live in the dim yellow wasteland, I have to drink poisonous medicine every day, I have to endure purgatory asceticism, I have to turn into a plague and a killing demon... That is the sinful fate my father bestowed on me , I will never be able to escape." He pressed his forehead against the back of his boned hand, his body trembling uncontrollably, as if he had fallen into heart-piercing pain. After a long time, he raised his head, and his voice became gentle again: "Just like the beauty you once gave me..." He raised his hand and gently slid across the mask: "Mom, you once gave me amazing beauty, and it must be the same as yours back then. However, it was completely destroyed by that damned asceticism!" He looked at the water The pale reflection shook his head with infinite sadness: "I can't face this monster-like face..." His voice was like a cry of despair, and together with the dark water waves, it was endless. Acacia's heart couldn't help shaking, she had never seen a person who was so desperate, hated and abandoned herself so much. I don't know how long it took, but everything gradually calmed down. There was a soft "pa", but it was Zhong Jie who lifted the cold mask. "Only by your side can I take off the mask." "Because only the mother will not dislike the ugliness of the child, no matter what kind of monster he becomes." "Mom, do you know that I can fall asleep only by your side. Only when I curl up in your arms can I forget the boundless fear..." His voice trembled, as light as if it came from the sky. He kissed the withered hand, and put it back into the curtain very tenderly. It seemed that what he was holding was not a rotten bone, but a priceless jade. He got up from the stone chair and leaned towards the big bed covered with flowers. Could it be that he really wanted to climb onto the flower bed and fall asleep with this dead bone? Acacia is in shock, he has lifted the bed curtain.