By the time she reached the fifth level, Wing-Fire Snake had only half a body left.
She walked past rows of cells, past neatly arranged charred remains, and whispered, “I am sorry.”
“I am sorry.”
“I am sorry.”
After saying it many times, she continued her journey, moving further upward.
By the time she reached Underground Level One, she was reduced to a head and half a shoulder, but she kept moving, using her remaining shoulder to inch upward bit by bit.
Finally, she saw the light.
Wing-Fire Snake poked her head out of the humanoid opening and looked at the world outside.
A gray sky, a pale sun, a gray-green earth, and pitted rocks.
There were also many little demons gathered in small groups around the opening, staring at her with wide eyes.
“Ah—!”
“Another hundred corpse patchwork is coming out! Run!”
“Wasn’t this mark already purified? Why is a hundred corpse patchwork still coming out?”
The little demons screamed in terror, scattering and hiding far away.
Wing-Fire Snake was also startled; it had been a very, very long time since she had seen so many lively beings.
They were full of vitality, running freely under the sunlight. In a daze, charred figures appeared before her eyes once more.
One after another, they appeared ahead of her, standing among the little demons, on the sand, under the pale sunlight, surrounding her.
The rate at which her remaining body disintegrated accelerated. The skin on her face peeled away, her flesh dissolved, and her white bones turned to ash.
She seemed to be on the verge of death. Finally, she could die.
“Monarch.”
Wing-Fire Snake suddenly heard a voice. She strained to open her eyes, trying to determine where the sound was coming from.
“Monarch.”
Another call. It turned out to be coming from the mouth of a charred corpse. They were all speaking, and she could finally hear what they were saying.
“Monarch, the sun is perfect today. My wife worried about your hard work these past few days and prepared a table of food and wine, all your favorites.”
“Yes, yes, hurry home. The food is getting cold.”
“Monarch, I have led my unit back to the ranks, awaiting your orders at any time!”
“Monarch, my little brat is a month old now, and you haven’t given him a name yet!”
“Monarch, this year’s harvest is wonderful. The granaries can’t even hold it all!”
“Monarch, a new tavern opened in the east of the city. The owner’s Blazing Fire Brew is top-tier. Shall I take you to try some?”
“Monarch, my daughter says she wants to marry the blacksmith’s son from the west of the city. Could you give your blessing?”
...
Voice after voice, sentence after sentence, all so familiar and kind.
“Monarch, we are all here, waiting for you to come home.”
“Monarch, you saved my life. Without you, I would have died on the battlefield long ago. Dying by your hand, I have no regrets.”
“And... I know that wasn’t you.”
“We do not blame you!”
“Not at all!”
“Monarch, there is no need for self-reproach.” A charred corpse pointed at the little demons nearby. “Look, they are all alive.”
“They are happy.”
“You should be happy too.”
Wing-Fire Snake followed his finger and looked.
The little demons were hiding in the distance, peeking over and chattering among themselves.
“Why does that hundred corpse patchwork look a bit strange?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t look like a hundred corpse patchwork. It looks a bit pitiful, with only half a face left...”
“Should we help her?”
“How? We don’t have any pills...”
“We can share some fruit with her. Do you have any left? I’ve finished mine.”
The little demons discussed it, and some actually took a few berries from their pockets, placed them on the ground, and pushed them toward her.
Wing-Fire Snake could no longer make a sound.
Her jawbone had completely vanished, with only half a face barely maintaining its shape. She looked at the berries on the ground and watched as more and more charred figures appeared around her.
There were generals in armor, civil officials holding bamboo slips, women holding children, and elders carrying medicine baskets.
They walked out from behind the little demons, out from the gray-green sand, out from the pale sunlight, coming from all directions.
“Monarch.”
“Monarch, we’ve come to pick you up.”
“We’ve waited so long. We thought you had forgotten us.”
“Monarch, let’s go home together. Everyone is waiting for you.”
Wing-Fire Snake strained to turn her head and look into the distance.
There was nothing there but the gray sky, the pale sun, and the gray-green earth.
But she seemed to see something.
She saw towering palaces, red city walls, and broad streets.
Bustling crowds, talking and laughing, stopping and starting.
A city full of lights, fragrant taverns, and lively markets.
And finally, a woman in a red dress, sitting on a throne, looking down at her subjects with a gentle smile on her face.
“Home...”
The last segment of Wing-Fire Snake’s body began to disintegrate.
Ash drifted from her, flake by flake, like snowflakes, like willow catkins, like the rain she had imagined countless times long ago.
The ashes scattered, falling to the ground and mixing with the green sand, until it was impossible to tell which was her and which was the original color of the earth.
Wu Gou stood not far away, holding the unconscious Nie Chaoxi. He looked at the pile of ash and softly recited a Buddhist invocation.
Then he turned and walked toward several little demons.
“Lend a hand,” he said. “Take her to the benefactor Su Xue.”
The little demons were stunned for a moment, then quickly gathered around.
“What happened to this white-haired sister?”
“Did she faint?”
“Is it serious?”
Wu Gou gently placed Nie Chaoxi on the ground. Several little demons hurried forward, using all their hands and feet to lift her up.
“Careful, careful! Don’t drop her!”
“Slowly, slowly, I’ll support the head!”
“Be gentle, she’s so light...”
The little demons carried Nie Chaoxi, slowly moving toward the underground cave. After a few steps, one little demon looked back at Wu Gou. “Master, aren’t you coming?”
Wu Gou shook his head. “This monk still has things to do.”
The little demons nodded and continued forward. After a few more steps, another little demon looked back. “Master, who was that person who looked like a hundred corpse patchwork just now?”
Wu Gou thought for a moment and said, “Someone who wanted to go home.”
The little demons only half-understood, but they continued forward and soon disappeared into the opening.
Wu Gou walked to the ashes and crouched down. The ashes were very fine and light; they would drift away if the wind blew.
But when Wu Gou crouched down, the wind stopped.
He reached out and gently sifted through the ashes.
The ashes were still warm, carrying a faint residual heat like a fire that had just gone out.
After sifting a few times, he found a speck of red light within. It was bright and piercing, like a red-hot bead.
Wu Gou picked it up. It was a crimson light-orb, only the size of a thumb, but the hot, destructive energy contained within was extremely abundant.
This was a complete divinity, and it was exceptionally violent, carrying heavy resentment and unwillingness, yet also a trace of ethereal tenderness.
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