She sighed and said to me, "It seems it's no longer our era. When I was young, my brother and I came to this other world with the Great Roc. The human world I remembered was always filled with the shouts of soldiers, the tears of crying civilians, and the raging flames of war. I watched them repeatedly ravage that fragile land, watched vibrant lives perish one by one, until the mountains and rivers were stained red with blood, and yet, I was powerless."
She sighed again, tears welling up in her eyes, and continued, "Now, hearing you say that people live happily today, I am relieved. As a descendant of Nuwa, I failed to save the common people in times of chaos and have merely survived in this other world. I have no face left. Let me do this one last thing to fulfill the mission of the Nuwa clan to save the world and aid all beings. This is the only thing I can do for you."
Listening to her words, I was moved to tears. I suddenly recalled Lu You's poem "To My Son": "I knew all things would turn to dust after death, but I grieve for the disunity of the Nine Provinces. When our army retakes the Central Plains, do not forget to inform your father at the ancestral rites." Though my circumstances were beyond my control, my heart remained with the people of the world, longing for peace and prosperity.
She cut the rope and said, "This is not a place you should be. Go east from here and find Celestial Master Zhang. He will know how to send you back. You must return to the human world safely. Hurry, go now."
At that moment, dark clouds gathered even more densely in the sky, accompanied by thunder and lightning. A fierce wind suddenly swept across the land, stirring the clouds and wind. It was not difficult to imagine that a great calamity was about to unfold. Seeing her let me go, my mind went blank, and I stumbled forward, running uncontrollably.
Suddenly, heavenly lightning struck the paper figures scattered around Ziyu. Then, more bolts of lightning, like silver dragons, descended directly upon Ziyu. Ziyu raised her hand, shielding herself with her true qi, and managed to block a few bolts. Just as Ziyu was concentrating, a flash of lightning struck her from behind, hitting her directly in the back.
"Ah!" Ziyu cried out in pain, staggering forward and half-kneeling on the ground. Her mask was knocked aside, and her hair became disheveled. The heavenly lightning seemed to lose control, striking the open space haphazardly.
I turned back, hearing the deafening thunder, like the simultaneous crackling of firecrackers, echoing all around. I saw sparks all over the ground and lightning as sharp as swords, dense and numerous.
Watching Ziyu dodge amidst the lightning and thunder, a voice suddenly surged within me, shouting, "Save her! Save her!"
Gazing at the sky filled with heavenly lightning, I clenched my fists. I suddenly thought that I had never lived for anyone in my life, had not done many good deeds, and often complained about heaven and resented the world. But this time, if I could save Ziyu and contribute even a little to the Nuwa clan, even death would not be in vain.
Without hesitation, I rushed back into the open space and plunged into the midst of the lightning.
But how could I save her? How should I save her? In my haste, a sudden inspiration struck me: I remembered seeing people use lightning rods during thunderstorms at home.
Looking around, I noticed that all the flagpoles were made of iron, which could be useful. So, I gathered them all and ran towards the cliff face. Since there was no path, I had to climb with my bare hands.
At that moment, a bolt of heavenly lightning struck near me, knocking me down from several meters up the cliff. I landed with a thud, my head buzzing.
I looked at Ziyu and suddenly thought of a way. I shouted, "Send me up!"
She looked at me, utterly shocked, and berated, "Why have you come back! Are you trying to die!"
"Don't worry about that. Send me to the mountaintop. I have a way to save you."
She looked at my determined eyes, recognizing the resilience and confidence of a human. She believed I must have devised a solution, so she cast a spell to send me up.
Suddenly, another bolt of heavenly lightning struck her. The immense force knocked her to the ground, yet she uttered no sound, only watching me intently as I slowly ascended to the mountaintop. At that moment, I became her hope.
I tightly bound all the iron rods together and erected them on the mountaintop. I quickly moved to the side, but after waiting for a long time, the heavenly lightning was not attracted to the iron rods. It continued to strike the open space below the cliff as before.
I wondered, "Does this lightning have consciousness?"
Thinking this, I was at a loss. I looked down the cliff and saw Ziyu still desperately dodging the heavenly lightning.
In my desperation, I suddenly recalled the old saying: "Heaven sees what people do. If you seek death, even Heaven cannot stop you."
So, to save Ziyu, I decided to risk everything, even if it meant exchanging my life for hers.
I drew out two iron rods, striking them around, and cursed at the sky, "You call yourself Heaven, but you only give birth and not life. You let the good die young and let the wicked live for a thousand years. You ignore the wishes of the people. Your eyes are like those of the vain and greedy, only caring for your own glory and wealth, disregarding all living beings. You have eyes but do not see, ears but do not hear, letting the good suffer tribulations while the wicked rise to prominence. What kind of Heaven are you? Have you ever done a single good deed? You are numb, selfish, disgusting, and utterly worthless!"
Heaven was enraged by my scolding. The heavenly lightning exploded. If I was seeking death, then I would fulfill it! "Crack!" A dull, deafening thunderclap sounded in my ears. Before I could react, a beam of white light descended from the sky and struck me directly. "Ah!" I cried out, feeling a pain and numbness all over my body, as if a thousand pounds of iron had hit me, and countless venomous snakes were tearing at me.
Heavenly lightning was indeed not something ordinary people could endure.
I was struck to the ground by this immense force, spitting out a mouthful of blood with a "噗" sound. I marveled at the power of the lightning, which had nearly killed me on the spot. Fortunately, I was not dead yet. As long as I had a breath left, I would fight against Heaven to the end. I struggled to raise my middle finger and taunted, "Is this all you've got? Not very impressive. If you really have the ability, then strike me dead!"
"Crack! Crack! Crack!" The heavenly lightning rained down densely and erratically around me. The iron rods were also shattered, but they still did not strike me. I guessed this was Heaven's warning.
I closed my eyes slightly and smiled contemptuously, thinking that since I had decided to save Ziyu, life and death no longer mattered. Let it come!
So, I picked up a few scattered iron rods to support myself as I climbed up. Pointing at Ziyu, I shouted to the sky, "I will bear these few bolts of heavenly lightning for her. Use whatever power you have!"
My suicidal attitude was too much even for Heaven to bear. Perhaps it thought, since you say so, do not blame me for being merciless.
"Crack!" Bolt after bolt struck my body. In my eyes, I only saw flashes of white light. Amidst the chaotic heavenly lightning, I could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, my body scorched black. In an instant, my consciousness seemed to enter a vast, dark void, while the sound of thunder still echoed in my ears.
At this moment, Ziyu transformed into her true form, a giant purple snake. She flew into the sky and then to the ground, coiling and rolling back and forth between heaven and earth, tearing off a layer of her skin. She then transformed back into human form and fell vertically from the sky. In her weakened state, she was almost struck by heavenly lightning again. Fortunately, Ziye arrived in time and shielded her from the last bolt.
At this point, the dark clouds dispersed, and the heavenly lightning receded. A ray of red sun appeared from behind the clouds, and the world was instantly illuminated.
Ziye helped Ziyu up and anxiously asked, "Sister, sister, how are you, how are you?"
Ziyu weakly opened her eyes and slowly said, "Brother, you, you've come. First, go and see that, that little girl. She, she took several bolts of heavenly lightning for me."
Ziye was suddenly shocked. He never expected a human girl to do something he himself dared not do. He couldn't help but feel a profound respect for her.
"Where is that little girl?" he asked.
"On, on the mountaintop."
"Good. Brother will take you all back now."
Ziye, carrying her, flew to the mountaintop. He saw a person lying on the ground, completely unharmed. He was stunned, yet couldn't help but feel curious, thinking, "What is her origin? She endured so many bolts of heavenly lightning and is still like nothing happened."
Despite his doubts, he picked me up and took us back to the Tai Shen Palace together.
Upon returning to the Tai Shen Palace, he placed me in a room to rest. Holding Ziyu, he shouted outside, "Butler! Come quickly! Butler!"
Steward Liu heard the shout and hurried over. Seeing the Great General, he quickly bowed and asked, "What are your orders, Master?"
Ziye pointed to the room and said, "Take good care of the person inside. She is Ziyu's savior. Do not neglect her."
The steward nodded quickly. "Yes."
With that, Ziye, holding Ziyu, went to the Thousand Year Ice Mountain to recuperate.
The steward entered the room and looked at the person lying on the bed, puzzled. "Didn't Madam want to eat her? How did she become a savior?"
He didn't know what had happened, so he didn't understand how the original piece of meat had become a savior.
He muttered to himself, "If this little girl is a savior, then should the young man who came with her be released?"
After thinking for a moment, he went outside and called a servant, instructing him, "Go to the west courtyard and bring the one named A'li here."
"Yes."
The servant responded, then turned and left for the west courtyard. Soon, he arrived at the somewhat desolate courtyard, where two guards stood at the gate.
A'li was sitting on the floor, idly playing with pebbles. Suddenly, he heard the sound of the door opening. He looked up and saw a strange man entering.
The man asked him, "You are A'li, aren't you?"
A'li nodded.
The man said, "I have been sent by the head steward to invite you over."
A'li, worried about Muye's safety, anxiously inquired, "Where is Muye? How is she?"
The man shook his head. "I don't know. Perhaps you will know when you see the steward."
"Alright, take me there quickly."
"Follow me."
A'li stood up and followed the man back. Before long, they arrived at the door of the guest room and saw Steward Liu waiting at the entrance.
Steward Liu waved his hand. "You may go. Young Master A'li, please come with me."
After the servant left, A'li followed the steward into the room and saw Muye lying on the bed, unconscious.
"Muye! What happened to you?" He rushed over, leaning over me, touching my forehead, then my hand. Everything seemed normal.
A'li looked at the steward, puzzled, and asked, "Muye, why is she like this?"
The steward shook his head helplessly. "I'm not entirely sure what happened. I only know that Madam's brother brought her back. Master said that this young lady is Madam's savior, and we are to treat her well. Madam's millennium tribulation requires her to undergo the tempering of heavenly lightning and be reborn to regain vitality. Surviving the heavenly lightning is already a great fortune, let alone saving Madam. This little girl is truly extraordinary."
Speaking of this, the steward couldn't help but admire.
A'li listened to his words, his heart filled with worry, and he chided, "Muye is so foolish. She has no divine or demonic power, yet she still wants to save people. She's too silly."
The steward, however, did not think so. "I think Miss Liu is truly a person of great benevolence and righteousness. Even Master would not dare to face that heavenly lightning tribulation alone, yet she was able to save Madam without regard for past grievances. It is truly rare."
Listening to the steward's words, A'li also felt a sense of realization. He recalled their days of playing together, and she was always like this, always standing up for what was right. Compared to her, he felt truly insignificant.
The steward yawned and stretched. "I'll leave this to you. If you need anything, just tell the people outside. I'm going back."
A'li nodded slightly, and the steward left leisurely.
At night, the entire Tai Shen Palace was illuminated, just like the scene he had seen in the woodshed that night. A'li got up and walked to the window, looking at the crescent moon hanging in the sky, resembling a small boat.
He then looked at the fiery red lanterns filling the courtyard, feeling a surge of emotion. It had been some time since they arrived at Tai Shen Palace, yet they had never witnessed such a beautiful sight.
Suddenly, there was a gentle knock at the door. A'li opened it to find the older brother who had guarded them earlier, holding a meal and a bowl of porridge, standing at the door with a smile. "I heard that Miss Liu was injured, so I volunteered to bring her food and check on her."
A'li let him in. The older brother placed the food on the table and then went to the bedside to look. "Word has spread throughout Tai Shen Palace that Miss Liu underwent lightning punishment to save Madam. I didn't believe it at first, but seeing her now, it's true. Miss Liu is truly miraculous. She suffered lightning punishment but has no injuries at all."
A'li chimed in, "I don't know if she suffered lightning punishment or not. I only know she's too foolish, getting hurt for others."
The older brother shook his head. "I knew from the beginning that Miss Liu was a rare good person, and also very brave. Is she still unconscious?"
"She's been unconscious the whole time."
"It must have been hard on her."
After looking at me, the gatekeeper felt satisfied. He then said, "Young man, take good care of her. It's inconvenient for a big man like me. I'll be going back now."
"Alright, big brother. Thank you for bringing the food."
"It's just a small gesture."
With that, he turned and left the room. A'li looked at the porridge on the table, thinking that Muye hadn't eaten for a day and a night. Given her large appetite, he wondered how hungry she would be if she missed a meal. He picked up the bowl and sat by the bed, feeding me spoonful by spoonful.
Afterward, he went to the table and ate his own meal. He couldn't help but tease, "Muye, it's so good to be with you. I get to eat so much delicious food. It seems I can't leave you, even if I wanted to. You have to take me to eat more delicious things in the future."
As he spoke, he ate with gusto. After finishing his meal, he lay down on the table and fell asleep.
He slept soundly until the next morning, when a cold breeze blew in from the window, carrying petals that fell onto his head.
"Achoo!" A'li sneezed and woke up from his sleep.