Wang Lin looked at the cold woman and then his gaze fell on the baby wrapped in the quilt. After pondering for a bit, he nodded.
The womanās expression was still indifferent and her eyes seemed to contain the winter wind. She looked at Wang Lin and the world behind him.
āYour name is famous on planet Suzaku, I have even heard of you all the way in Xue Yue. Sir is a grand scholar that has helped many cultivators comprehend the world.
āI came today for this child.ā The woman looked down at the sleeping baby. There was a hint of softness in her cold eyes.
The coldness in her voice dissipated somewhat as she looked at the baby in her arms and said, āEveryone says Sir has seen through the world, understands karma, is indifferent to life and death, and walks between true and false. Could you give this child her own path?
āThis childās parents both died when she was born. I just happened to pass by when I saw her; she was already stiff and on the verge of death. I took pity and took a closer look, and I found out that she is extremely talented. She has the aura of the five elements in her body. If she survives, she will be a sun for planet Suzaku!
āHowever, her life will be a bumpy one. Iām good at divination and divinated that this child will face a calamity. Since I have encountered her, I got myself involved and will become someone to help her pass her calamity.
āThe more she grows, the more the life and death calamity becomes more clear. My cultivation is limited, so I can only use my spell to keep her from growing, keeping her in the state of a baby.
āI heard Sir is talented, so I sought you out for helpā¦ā The womanās voice was cold as she spoke softly.
Just at this moment, a flash of lightning appeared in the sky and thunder rumbled. The thunder seemed to be too loud and woke the sleeping baby. She opened her pure eyes and began to cry.
Even after the thunder passed, the cry of the baby still echoed.
Wang Lin looked at the baby and softly said, āLet me hold her.ā
The woman pondered a bit before handing the baby to Wang Lin. Wang Lin held the baby and looked down at her.
This was a baby girl. Although she was crying, she was very lovely. There seemed to be a red dot imprinted on her soul.
Tears flowed down from her eyes and made the quilt around her wet.
It was strange. The girl cried loudly in the womanās arms when she woke up, but in Wang Linās arms, she slowly stopped crying. Her innocent eyes were open wide as she looked at Wang Lin.
Wang Linās old face slowly smiled and his right hand gently rubbed the baby girlās nose. The baby girl immediately began to laugh happily.
Wang Lin softly asked, āWhat is her name?ā
The woman pondered a bit before she said, āHer parents died early, so I donāt know either. Over the years, I never gave her a name. How about you give her a name, Sir?ā Her voice still contained some coldness.
Wang Lin looked at the smiling and happy baby girl. He vaguely felt a familiar aura from this baby girl. After a long time, Wang Lin looked up at rain.
The distance was covered by the rain. For an instant, a colorful butterfly could be seen taking shelter from the wind and rain.
If the butterfly's wings became wet due to the rain, it wouldnāt be able to fly.
If the butterflyās body was hit by the wind, it was like a hurricane for a person.
Looking at the butterly under the leaf, Wang Linās eyes revealed enlightenment. He looked at the butterfly for a long time.
āLetās call her Red Butterflyā¦ The butterfly in the rain with its bright and delicate red light that will walk its proud and bright life.ā
Wang Linās words were soft and revealed an inexplicable feeling as he looked down at the baby girl. The baby girl seemed to be able to understand Wang Linās words and laughed even more.
āI donāt know spells and I donāt know how to help her avoid her life and death calamity. I have seen something in my dream, and Iāll draw it for you. If you can understand it, perhaps it can resolve her life and death calamity.ā Wang Lin sighed as he handed the baby girl back to the cold woman. He raised his right hand into the rain and headed to the stone table in the pavilion. He closed his eyes as if he was recalling something and began to draw out a complex pattern.
This pattern was a formation. This formation was extremely complicated, and it shocked the woman from Xue Yue. She carefully remembered it.
After a long time, Wang Lin finished the last stroke and opened his eyes.
āAfter you comprehend this, take a strand of the baby girlās hair and place it insideā¦ā Wang Lin had a complicated expression as he looked at the sky. The dark clouds began to dissipate.
The pattern on the table gradually dissipated with the wind and could not been seen clearly anymore. The woman from Xu Yue closed her eyes for a moment before bowing at Wang Lin. She held the baby and walked toward the rain.
Wang Lin didnāt look at the womanās back. He stared at the pavilion and watched the rain weaken. There was confusion in his eyes.
āKarmaā¦ Is this karma true like a past lifeā¦ Or false and Iām just completing it on my ownā¦ā Wang Lin didnāt understand. The rain stopped outside the pavilion and a rainbow appeared.
The butterfly that took shelter under the leaf from the rain flew into the air. It flew before Wang Lin and off into the distance.
With a sigh, Wang Lin walked out of the pavilion. He walked off into the distance toward the sea.
On the 15th year after leaving Zhao, Wang Lin had arrived near the sea. He boarded a merchant ship travelling between the two continents. He was going to see the world over there.
The sea was boundless and magnificent. The wind blew and the waves rolled by the merchant ship. Standing on the ship, Wang Lin smelled the sea breeze as his white hair fluttered. The ocean wind blew by, but it couldnāt blow away the traces of time.
The sun and moon over the sea had their own taste. This was the first time Wang Lin had been out to sea, but he didnāt feel any discomfort. He looked at the water and an aura filled his body.
The sky above the sea had a group of seagulls flying in circles. The bright sun shrouded the entire sea.
One month, two months, three monthsā¦ After five months, the merchant ship had completely entered the depths of the sea. As the wind blew and the sailors sang their unique songs, Wang Lin revealed a smile.
On a day in the sixth month, it was early morning when the sun had just begun to rise that Wang Lin woke up from all the noise outside. He walked out and saw the sailors he had been with for half a year kneeling on the ground. They were worshiping toward the east.
Wang Lin looked over and his body trembled violently.
On the surface of the sea to the east, among the hazy sky, an illusory image appeared.
The image depicted a volcano mouth, and it was erupting. The mountain trembled and two large cracks like two dragons entangled together appeared. It was like a sign.
Endless lava sprayed out and smoke flew out, covering the sky inside the image.
There was no sound, it was only an image. The scene of the volcano erupting caused everyone on the boat to kneel.
From far away, the illusory image fused with the world. It looked extremely real but gave off a sense of haziness at the same time. It made it impossible for people to tell if it was real or not.
As Wang Lin stared at the illusory world, his mind rumbled.
āTrue and falseā¦ True and falseā¦ The book said that the sea has a spirit named Shen and that its breath creates a mirageā¦ This sceneā¦ This sceneā¦ is it real or is it fakeā¦ Does it really exist somewhere or is it only an illusion.ā
āSea spirit, donāt be angryā¦ Sea spirit, donāt be angryā¦ā The mortals trembled and knelt on the ground when they saw this incomprehensible scene. Their hearts trembled. Although it wasnāt the first time they had seen it, they hadnāt seen it much before.
Ancient legends said that if anyone saw an illusion at sea, it was because the sea spirit had been angered and would punish all life at sea...
Wang Lin was a daze, so he didnāt see that the mortals had all gotten up and dropped a large amount of cargo into the sea. They were trying to give sacrifice to the sea spirit and appease its anger.
āThis should be fake. It doesnāt exist, itās a complete illusion. Something like this canāt appear in this world. This is not something that happened somewhere in this world...
āThis should be an immortal cultivating under the sea, and his spells are causing this!ā Wang Lin murmured. He had seen through the truth of the world, but what he saw now was unimaginable.
Wang Lin took a deep breath and murmured, āFakeā¦ This is fakeā¦ā However, his voice suddenly stopped and his eyes widened. His right hand unconsciously raised to point at the illusory volcano in the distance and disbelief filled his eyes.
āThisā¦ Herā¦ā
In the illusory image, as the black smoke filled the world, a woman appeared. She wore white, and although not a supreme beauty, she gave off a feeling of tenderness. Her long hair waved and danced with her clothes. She looked like a fairy as she appeared from the dust.
This woman walked out from the black cloud and her jade-like hand pointed downwards. The erupting volcano trembled and showed signs of extinguishing.
When Wang Lin saw the woman, he seemed to lose all his strength and was stunned there. An unreasonable sense of sadness surged and swept through his body like a storm. His entire body was drowned in sadness and two lines of tears flowed down from his eyes.
āItās herā¦ā Wang Linās body was already old, but now it was even older. He leaned against the boat as he looked at the woman in white inside the illusion. His gaze seemed to last for an eternity.