Chapter 21

Listen to the night.

Though the bright moon is the same, the spectators have a hundred different flavors.

The crescent moon had just climbed over the treetops, the night had just dyed the mountains and forests, and even Feng San had not yet arrived near the city god temple. Suddenly, two passersby with hurried expressions appeared in the shade of Que'er Mountain, behind the city god temple.

These two were both women, or perhaps a grandmother and granddaughter—it was hard to tell. The one in front had white hair and deep wrinkles, wearing a small blue floral dress, with a rough hemp cloth wrapped around her head, covering most of her face. She carried a large bundle in her right hand and half-dragged a child with her left hand, hurrying forward. Sometimes, when she pulled too hard, the girl had to rush forward a few steps, panting and staggering, but she bit her lip and endured, not uttering a single complaint.

The girl had delicate features, but her face was already smeared with dirt, making it hard to distinguish. She wore a lotus leaf jacket that seemed to be a boy's clothing, and sweat had already traced black streaks down her cheeks. Yet, she paid no attention—she just focused on the road ahead, afraid of falling.

The woman who looked like a grandmother was the same; her clothes were already covered with countless mud stains, but she had no time to brush them off, only rushing forward as if pursued by a flood or a beast.

They had been walking like this for a long time, and it was clear that both were at the end of their strength, barely holding on. Just as the grandmother stepped over a round stone, she suddenly felt a tremor in her legs and fell to the ground, half-kneeling!

"Grandma!" The girl quickly ran over and grabbed the grandmother's hand, "Are you okay? Get up quickly..." She tried to pull her up with all her might.

As soon as she pulled, she not only failed to help the grandmother up but also fell forward herself—she had forgotten that her own limbs were weak and numb, how could she pull up the grandmother?

"Yan'er!" The grandmother quickly supported the girl, "Be careful!"

Yan'er steadied herself and forced a smile, "I'm fine, Grandma. What about you? Are you hurt?"

The grandmother pressed her hand to the ground and sat cross-legged in the mud, shaking her head and sighing, "The wound hasn't changed much, but I'm out of strength—let's rest for a moment and then continue. Otherwise, if we encounter pursuers on the road, we won't be able to resist."

Though she said this, she kept looking back, and even though there was nothing but vast emptiness, her anxious expression did not lessen.

"Okay." Yan'er sat down next to the grandmother, took out a cake from her chest, and handed it to her, "Grandma, eat." She pushed the cake into the grandmother's hand and then began to gently massage her legs, "I'll rub your legs, Grandma. It will help you relax!"

"Yan'er, you eat," the grandmother's wrinkles eased, and her eyes filled with affection, "I'm not hungry!" She returned the cake to Yan'er's hand and held her small hand, "Don't rub my legs, you're tired too. Rest for a while."

"I'm not tired!" Yan'er insisted on rubbing the grandmother's legs, but just as she reached out, she suddenly heard a distant deer call!

"There's a deer!" The grandmother's face lit up with joy, "There's always a way out. It seems heaven is helping us—come, Yan'er, help me up and let's take a look."

They looked toward the foot of the mountain and saw a cluster of yellow and white spots moving in the dense forest, clearly a herd of deer advancing. The grandmother, with a broader view, had an idea:

"These deer are going to drink water. Yan'er, use the method I taught you to knock one of them out. Then Grandma will have a way."

Yan'er nodded and skillfully took a box from the grandmother's bundle, then pulled out several small bottles... She chose one and headed toward the river where the deer were going.

When the girl had walked far enough, the grandmother groaned and lifted her clothes, revealing the blood-soaked bandages beneath!

The bandages, though wrapped around her abdomen several times, were completely soaked through, the blood almost dripping out.

Unwrapping the bandages, a palm-wide knife wound appeared on her abdomen.

The wound was peculiar: the edges were blackened and burned, but the center was filled with tender pink flesh connecting the two sides. Now, this flesh was torn open, and countless blood droplets were gradually forming and flowing down the wound.

What was terrifying was that the flesh was still slowly moving, inching closer and healing... Each time the flesh connected, there was a faint crackling sound, and the flesh was immediately torn apart again!

On one hand, it was healing, and on the other, it was constantly tearing. This pain was beyond what an ordinary person could endure. Yet, this ordinary old woman not only endured this pain but also had to escape from her pursuers!

How could she be an ordinary person?

The old woman's eyes showed a hint of pain, but she only let out a light hum, muttering to herself, "Do you want me dead? I won't let you have your way! Even if I have to give my life, I will deliver Yan'er to her grandmother!"

She reached into her chest and took out an object, which looked like a finely carved jade gourd. She squeezed it slightly, and it turned to powder, with a drop of liquid dripping onto the wound.

The liquid hissed on the wound, and a white smoke rose. The old woman gritted her teeth, her hands gripping tightly, the veins on her fingers standing out, the bones white with strain!

She endured this pain for a reason, and at least the wound began to heal!

The black marks on the wound disappeared, and the flesh connected, pulling the wound tightly closed. Then, as if by magic, new flesh and skin began to grow, and the dead tissue withered and fell off...

In just the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the wound was completely healed!

However, during this time, her white hair had increased significantly!

Only then did she let out a long breath, seeming slightly more comfortable. She looked at the wound and sighed, "I can hold on for another seven days... sigh, seven days, then another seven days, and another seven days. By the time I find her, I'll probably be a cripple!"

"Grandma!" Yan'er's voice came from a distance, filled with joy, "Come over, I caught a deer!"

"I'm coming." The grandmother quickly responded, then wrapped the bandages around her waist again, tidied her clothes, and headed toward the river.

Sure enough, next to Yan'er, several strong male deer lay by the water, their ears occasionally twitching, but they were unable to move.

"Hehe," Yan'er laughed, jumping and holding the bottle, "I did what you taught me, dropped the medicine on the grass by the river, and the deer ate it themselves—so stupid!"

"The water itself attracts the deer, not because they are stupid," the grandmother walked over and chose a male deer, "Yes, this one. It's strong, though it won't last long, but it can run far."

Without delay, she flipped her wrist, and two yellow papers appeared in her hand.

The grandmother quickly folded and stacked the yellow papers, and soon two lifelike paper deer appeared in her hand. She poked the chest of the male deer with her finger, and blood immediately spurted out.

She used one paper deer to catch some blood and then drew a pattern on the yellow paper with her finger: three leaves on the left, nine petals on the right, six pendants hanging down, and a drop of dew at the top, forming a lotus flower on the moon.

Then she placed the paper deer on the ground, took out an incense stick, and inserted it into the center of the lotus, pushing it into the soil. She then found some reeds, removed the dead branches and leaves, and divided them into six segments, arranging them in a circle around the paper deer, forming a hexagonal shape.

After that, the grandmother found some duckweed by the river, mixed it with some dead branches, and burned it to fumigate the male deer. Except for the one with the punctured skin, the others all stood up unsteadily.

The deer shook their heads and snorted, then ran off into the mountains.

Seeing the deer run far away, the grandmother picked up the other paper deer, flicked some deer blood, and shouted:

"Flowing life, borrowing soul, saving the suffering, guiding the way—come and go! Follow my command! Guide the path of heaven and earth, the Mother of the Unborn, the Buddha Maitreya descends! Go! Three liberators! Return! Establish the command!"

At the same time, she formed the Lotus Eight Treasures Seal with her hands, her index fingers pointing forward, directly at the paper deer.

"Okay!"

In the call, the paper deer slowly grew, its fur sprouting, and in no time, it turned into a real male deer, shaking its head and tail, just like a living creature!

"Pop!"

A crisp sound, and the incense stick in the first paper deer burst into a red light, then the incense burned on its own.

"Hold on!" The grandmother quickly lifted Yan'er onto the deer's back, then mounted herself, and without any command, the deer ran straight up the mountain.

Only the paper deer, the incense stick, and the now listless male deer were left on the ground!

Paper and ink draw the dragon,

Borrowing the soul of the living, all is at ease;

A wisp of incense guides the spirit,

The Mother of the Unborn displays her power.

※

The deer ran up the mountain without regard for direction, but it had already left the pursuers far behind. Seeing that there was still plenty of time, the grandmother's heart eased:

"At least we've shaken them off! If we cross this mountain tonight, we can find a boat to go down the river tomorrow—then we can rest... sigh, Yan'er has suffered these past few days..."

Just as she was thinking about the next day, she caught a glimpse of a flash from behind!

Firelight?

Not good!

Could the pursuers already be on the mountain?

The grandmother didn't dare to delay, immediately stopping the deer and dismounting to dispel her magic—the deer's fur gradually thinned and shrank, then retreated into the skin, shrinking like a deflated bag, quickly turning back into a yellow paper.

She put the paper in her chest and whispered, "Yan'er, something seems amiss ahead. Be careful and follow me to check the situation. If it's not right, we'll change our path—be very careful, don't alert anyone!"

No matter who it was, they couldn't let anyone see their movements!

Because... friend or foe, it was hard to tell!

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