Chapter 455: Chapter 410, A Xiu Dies.
Jin Naluo nodded, forcing a smile as he said, "I understand!"
"I’ll head back first. Don’t sit out here too long, it gets very cold at night!"
"Okay!"
Jin Naluo watched A Xiu hop and skip joyfully towards the Red House, disappearing directly into it. The doors of the Red House closed, separating two worlds.
After a moment, Little Green quietly poked out her head to take a glance, then retracted it and turned to A Xiu,
whispering, "Miss, he has already left."
A Xiu immediately turned around, quickly ran upstairs into her room, and opened the window. Outside, she could see the stone bridge and the flowing water, but the figure that had been on the bridge was no longer visible.
A Xiu sat in front of the window, gazing at the stone bridge with a sense of loss as if she could still see the silhouette on the bridge. She sat there all night, thinking, little monk, I’ve said I would never see another guest again.
...
The next morning in the Red House, A Xiu sat in front of the dressing table, meticulously getting dressed up in a bridal gown of red, enhancing her already striking beauty.
Little Green hurried upstairs and stood outside the door, speaking softly, "Miss, that Qiu Ji has arrived."
"Little Green, you can go now!" A Xiu’s voice, void of any emotion, drifted from inside the room.
Little Green called out anxiously, "Miss, are you dismissing me? Did I do something wrong? Where should I go if I leave you?!"
"Return to the Royal Palace!"
Outside, Little Green stiffened, murmuring lowly, "Miss, you knew all along."
"Thank you for taking care of me all these years. I’ve left some money in the brocaded box downstairs for you, take it all!"
Little Green silently bowed to the room, turned around, and walked away, not touching the money in the brocaded box, heading straight out of the Red House. She belonged to the Royal Palace, and it was time to go back.
Moments later, A Xiu, dressed in a radiant red bridal gown, descended from the upper floor, looking as stunning as a blooming lotus, face framed by her ceremonial headdress, an extraordinary beauty.
Qiu Ji and the awaiting monks were all utterly astounded.
A Xiu walked downstairs, calmly stating, "I want the sedan chair and the drums."
Qiu Ji snapped back to reality with a hearty laugh, "Are you preparing to marry the Great Elder?"
A Xiu looked calmly at Qiu Ji.
Qiu Ji’s smile faded as he immediately commanded, "Go prepare the sedan chair and the drums!"
Immediately, two monks scurried off, unable to help but turn their heads for another glimpse; A Xiu was breathtakingly astonishing today.
Shortly afterwards, A Xiu, seated in an ornate sedan chair and guarded by two rows of monks, proceeded to Dahua Temple amidst the clangor of gongs and drums, in a scene of great excitement.
...
In a wooden hut outside the city, Jin Naluo sat cross-legged before a statue of Buddha, head bowed in chanting.
"I vow to liberate all sentient beings. Having liberated all sentient beings, not a single sentient being has actually been liberated. Why? Xu Puti! If a Bodhisattva holds onto the notion of self, of person, of sentient beings, or of a lifespan, then he is not a Bodhisattva..."
Jin Naluo, with eyes closed and brow furrowed, chanted the sutra, but his mind was filled with fragments of memories with A Xiu. As the cadence of his chanting grew louder, sweat beaded on his forehead, and the Prayer Beads in his hands spun faster. Within the depths of his being, his Primordial Spirit pulsed, his face contorting with twitches.
Snap—The Prayer Beads in Jin Naluo’s hand broke, scattering beads clattering to the floor, rolling in every direction. The scene in his mind displayed A Xiu reclining in the sedan chair wearing a bright red wedding dress, with a crimson Dagger plunged into her chest.
Jin Naluo’s face turned instantly pale as he abruptly stood up, his figure vanishing in a flash.
On the bustling street, merry music sounded as two rows of monks guarded the sedan chair, moving forward. The city’s residents gathered at the roadside, pointing and whispering about the sedan chair, and through the spread of rumors by those with interest, news of A Xiu’s journey to Dahua Temple spread fast. Many were discussing the affairs of A Xiu and Jin Naluo, disdainful towards A Xiu and sympathetic towards Jin Naluo.
Hum—Suddenly, a burst of Buddha Light shone forth in the center of the street, within which stood a young Monk in robes.
The sedan chair came to an abrupt halt, and the two rows of monks quickly closed in, forming a protective ring around the chair.
Qiu Ji roared furiously, "Jin Naluo, what do you think you’re doing?"
Jin Naluo strode towards the sedan chair.
Qiu Ji shouted furiously, "Kill!"
Numerous monks, all brandishing weapons, charged at Jin Naluo, their eyes filled with ferocity.
With a flick of his sleeves, Jin Naluo unleashed a wave of Buddha Light that rippled out like water waves, pummeling the monks.
All of the monks were instantly sent screaming into the air, crashing back towards the street, the cluttered noises of the chaos below, as they landed amidst the debris of the thoroughfare, their weapons spinning high in the air and clattering to the ground one after another.
The surrounding common people let out cries of shock.
"Jin Naluo has actually come?"
"I knew Jin Naluo wasn’t a heartless and unrighteous man!"
"But isn’t he afraid of the Great Elder?"
"Why would Jin Naluo take an interest in that wretch A Xiu!"
...
The bearers of the sedan also hastily set the chair down and turned to flee in panic.
In a flash, Jin Naluo appeared before the sedan chair, reached out to lift the curtains, and saw A Xiu dressed in a red wedding gown, a Dagger buried in her chest with fresh blood flowing out.
Pain pierced Jin Naluo’s heart, alongside a boundless fury. He hastily reached out, and a glow of Buddha Light enveloped A Xiu.
Under the Buddha Light, A Xiu slowly opened her eyes and forced a smile, "Little Monk, you’ve come! I’ve deceived you~"
Jin Naluo’s mouth twitched twice, the Buddha Light intensifying.
A Xiu’s gaze gradually grew hazy, murmuring, "It’s no use, this Dagger has been with me since I was born, it is called the Axiu Blood Dagger, no one can save me now.
Little Monk, I want you to hold me."
Jin Naluo, feeling powerless, let go of his hands and nodded in grief, "Alright!" He bent down to pick up A Xiu.
"Little Monk, do I look beautiful today?"
"Beautiful!"
"I dressed up like this for you. I hoped to marry you, cough cough~."
"Alright!" Jin Naluo, holding A Xiu, walked towards the outside, tears uncontrollably streaming down his cheeks.
"Little Monk, today is the day I marry you. You must be happy."
Jin Naluo forced a smile and with a cry in his voice said, "I am happy!"
"Hold me tight, I’m so cold!"
Jin Naluo tightened his grip around A Xiu, trembling slightly.
The citizens inside the city stood on both sides of the street, watching Jin Naluo holding A Xiu as he took heavy steps away, with silence falling over the moment.
A Xiu’s hand slowly drooped, her eyes closed, a smile on her lips as she lay in Jin Naluo’s arms.
Jin Naluo halted in his step, and with a thud, he knelt down and cried out to the sky, "Buddha~" His resounding call echoed above the city.
Thud~ Thud~ Thud~ Amidst the dull sounds, thousands of soldiers clad in armor and wielding spears swarmed in, the city filled with an air of murderous intent, and all the citizens instantly scattered in panic, ensuing in chaos and commotion.
The Great Elder rushed over with the monks from the Dahua Temple.
Seeing A Xiu dead, the Great Elder also trembled, and enraged, he shouted, "Jin Naluo, you dare to cause trouble at the Yun Brahman with your Divine Skills, causing A Xiu’s death. Today, I must have your life, kill~"
All the soldiers bellowed in a chorus, "Kill!" Murderous intent converged as a dense flurry of arrows flew up, darkening the sky like a swarm of locusts, heading straight for Jin Naluo.