Chapter 129: The Curtain Falls

Lo Hanya struggled to lift his eyelids and finally opened his eyes. A faint golden light flickered gently before him, though most of his vision was swallowed by an endless sea of darkness.

“You’re awake,” a weathered yet magnetic voice sounded beside him.

“Ah, it hurts so much,” Lo Hanya groaned, barely able to lift his body. As he moved slightly, a wave of unbearable soreness swept over him.

“Pain is a good sign—you’re alive, at least,” came the calm reply.

Lo Hanya glanced at Marcus sitting beside him. For some reason, although Marcus remained natural and wise as always, Lo Hanya sensed an odd feeling—as if Marcus’s time was near, his life drawing to a close.

“What happened to you?” Lo Hanya asked.

“Huh? Right, wasn’t I poisoned by the Black Mandala? How come I suddenly feel better?” he wondered aloud.

“Why are you the only one here? Where’s the Stone Silkworm? Where did he go?”

...

Like a clingy child, Lo Hanya stuck close to Marcus, bombarding him with questions as if trying to unravel all the mysteries accumulated over the years.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” Marcus smiled kindly, his expression gentle and affectionate—like a grandfather watching his mischievous grandson, freely bestowing his love.

“Huh?” Lo Hanya’s heart trembled, and he shook his head vehemently. He neither believed it nor dared voice his final suspicion.

Marcus patted Lo Hanya’s head and sighed, “If my grandson were alive, he would be about your age.”

“Then just treat me as your grandson. Don’t abandon me here, please.” Though his eyes felt warm, no tear could form; his cheeks were dry as dust.

“Poor child,” Marcus murmured, his trembling hand gently brushing Lo Hanya’s face. “Who sealed away your tears?”

Lo Hanya shook his head helplessly. “I don’t know. Ever since Xiye said she would restore me to wholeness, my tears have dried up.”

“Xiye?” Marcus asked with curiosity.

“Xiye is another personality within me...” Lo Hanya bowed his head and recounted everything about Xiye to Marcus in detail.

“Sigh... Another foolish child trapped by love,” Marcus sighed deeply. “But he didn’t understand that his kind intentions inadvertently harmed you.”

“A simple fusion could never restore you completely. At best, it only added a soul. Everything else is incomplete, and it has clouded the essence of your soul. Without clarity at the core, the body is out of tune, causing your tears to dry up utterly.”

“Unfortunately, I can no longer help you merge your soul,” Marcus said with a regretful sigh.

An ominous premonition tightened in Lo Hanya’s chest. He gazed earnestly at Marcus. “Is it true that only one of us can survive here?”

“Perhaps. Survival depends on fate. Even my death is fated. It’s not your fault.”

“Is there truly no way to save you?”

“Look at me now. Do I look like there’s hope left?” Marcus smiled faintly, the furrows on his face deepening, yet his demeanor grew more serene and sacred.

“But—”

“I am already a dead man. This world was never meant for me. You needn’t hold onto me,” Marcus interrupted, waving a hand like a transcendent monk. He slowly settled into a cross-legged position and softly chanted, “I was once a wandering soul, drawn to this place; today I ride the light, illuminating all around.”

A radiant light burst forth from Marcus’s body, concentric halos gathering around him. The sacred Buddha light bestowed an extraordinary aura. He resembled a pure and detached old monk, serene and unsullied by worldly affairs.

Daisies blossomed in the void, their yellow petals clustering like halos, slowly revolving around Marcus. A tranquil smile graced his face as he pointed to the flowers and whispered to Lo Hanya, “These are wild daisies—common and resilient, flourishing like wild grass, blanketing the hillsides in golden blooms.”

“It’s as if fate tied me to these flowers. Before my soul was drawn here, I was buried beneath this very wild daisy. Upon arriving, it chose me immediately, as if it had been waiting a long time.”

“Now I must journey to the Yellow Springs. Come, we shall accompany each other along the path,” Marcus chuckled heartily, gently cupping a wild daisy in his hand.

“Old friend, let’s go!” His clear laughter echoed through the vast emptiness, as if even the gloom yielded to his cheer.

The void trembled slightly, and a small flower suddenly sprang into existence. Its rhizome crawled low, thick tubers clustered densely along its roots like fleshy growths on a stone silkworm. Beneath delicate pink petals, lush green leaves dripped with crystal-clear dew, poised to fall at any moment.

“Oh, I almost forgot you, Ganluzi. It’s time to go—no more sleeping,” Marcus said, pulling a figure from the darkness and leading him deeper into the shadows.

The figure was bent and ugly, yet radiated a pure white light. It exuded a comforting presence, as if the soul itself were cleansed in an instant—a healer of hearts, a god of restoration.

“Let’s go!”

A murky yellow stream slowly flowed through the void. Lo Hanya recognized the ferryman he had seen before, pole in hand, as if waiting to escort Marcus and the Stone Silkworm.

“The wandering soul is gone; Ganluzi is newly born; today we journey to the Yellow Springs; darkness turns to light,” Marcus sang cheerfully. Embracing the Stone Silkworm, he stepped onto the ferryman’s boat.

Marcus’s voice echoed continuously in this space. The flickering light seemed to absorb vast radiance, spreading outward, growing stronger—a faint glow thriving, preparing to shatter the darkness.

Over half an hour, the faint light blossomed into brilliant radiance. Sacred beams pierced the darkness, expanding their domain, driving shadows beyond sight, transforming this realm into a golden ocean.

Lo Hanya stood motionless, gazing sorrowfully toward where Marcus and the Stone Silkworm had vanished, like a statue carved from stone, unwilling to move.

...

The Stone Silkworm, also known as Ganluzi, is a herbaceous plant classified as a spiritual medicine. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, the Stone Silkworm—or Ganluzi—is found in the wild south of Jingxiang and Jianghuai, and is also cultivated by people. Seedlings sprout in February, growing nearly a foot tall, with square stems and paired joints. Narrow leaves have serrated edges resembling chicken feathers but are wrinkled and hairy.

In April, small flowers bloom in spikes like those of purple perilla. Its seeds resemble those of the Schizonepeta plant. The roots grow in connected beads, resembling aged silkworms.

In May, the roots are dug up, steamed, and eaten; they taste like lily bulbs. Sometimes they are preserved with radish brine and salted vegetable water to prevent blackening, or pickled with soy sauce and honey. They can be used as vegetables or fruit substitutes.

Chen Cangqi noted that Stone Silkworm leaves resemble those of Selaginella, though this may differ from Ganluzi.

(To be continued.)