The surrounding light gathered, forming a small, enclosed space, like a fleeting glimpse in a dream. A Cheng watched Bi Li still dancing freely and guessed this was some kind of wondrous sacrificial ceremony.
Bi Li suddenly stopped.
"We're here."
A Cheng was stunned by her words.
The surrounding cocoon of light shattered, like a curtain being drawn back, revealing a whole new world.
It was a sea of flowers. A Cheng found himself in the center of the flower sea, standing on a smooth white marble platform. In the distance were large and small, tall and short Buddha statues, each with a different posture, lifelike. They stood in the sea of flowers, as if being consumed by the spread of nature's footprints. Religion, civilization, and wild vitality, an untamed spirit, converged in one place.
A Cheng's heart suddenly tightened.
This was completely, utterly, a foreign land!
Witnessing the strange and sublime surroundings, he felt completely out of place.
Looking up, a dark purple sky hung with a galaxy of stars, and on the horizon, a majestic, suspended four-sided mountain peak. The sun, like a golden bean, orbited the mountain.
That was Mount Sumeru.
A Cheng knew it, but he had never truly seen the full view of Mount Sumeru.
During the day, the sunlight was strong, and only the blue sky could be seen. At night, only the star-filled night sky was visible.
Now, A Cheng truly saw this pillar of heaven with his own eyes, and his heart was filled with both joy and disappointment.
Joy at witnessing a miracle, disappointment at the ordinariness of Sumeru.
The pillar of heaven was huge, but it looked rather dim and gray, not the brilliant golden or jewel-encrusted sight he had imagined.
Bi Li hummed a tune, leaping through the sea of flowers. As she passed, the epiphyllum would actively part, not touching her body at all.
A Cheng went to chase her. The epiphyllum treated him the same, also actively parting, which made him secretly marvel and, at the same time, feel a sense of doubt.
Where exactly was this place?
After walking for a long time, the two of them hadn't even approached any of the stone statues. They were simply too far away, and the statues were much larger than they appeared at first glance.
Bi Li stopped ahead. A Cheng's mind was already overwhelmed by anxiety, leaving him at a loss. Now, besides following the mountain ghost, he had no other thoughts.
"Home," Bi Li pointed ahead.
A Cheng strained to look in the direction she indicated, searching for a long time, and finally discovered a man-made object—a shed.
It was a crude structure, hardly deserving the word 'building,' looking more like a secret base a child might build.
Bi Li's face broke into a happy smile. She ran to the shed, crouched down, and then crawled inside.
"Come on!" she called out to A Cheng from inside, her voice muffled.
A Cheng scratched his head. It's not that I don't want to come, it's just that I don't think this thing can fit two people.
"No, I'll look around here."
A Cheng moved a little away from the shed, into the sea of flowers, sat down cross-legged, and quietly adjusted his breathing. Before long, he settled down.
He carefully considered his current situation.
What was certain was that he was very likely no longer on Virtuous Path Star.
After all, he had seen his hometown's celestial phenomena for over ten years; it couldn't change overnight.
So, first, he needed to determine what time it was in his hometown.
His thoughts focused in his mind, sensing the Pure Land, and he sent a message to A-Zhi.
A-Zhi happened to be in the Pure Land as well, and the two virtual figures began to communicate face-to-face.
"Where are you now?" A Cheng asked with a mysterious tone.
"At home."
"When are you planning to go to the academy?"
"At dawn, I guess. Why do you ask? Are you coming with me?"
"No, A-Zhi, have you had dinner yet?"
"Two hours ago."
A Cheng felt a sense of relief upon hearing this news; it was still early, the night was long. "Uh, okay, send me a message before you leave. Alright, I need to meditate. See you tomorrow."
"Don't be late again."
"Got it."
A Cheng's eyes were tightly closed, still deep in thought.
Bi Li was definitely out of the ordinary; she could carry people across the star river. To return, he would have to find a breakthrough with her.
"A Cheng."
Bi Li called softly.
He opened his eyes and met another pair of eyes.
Looking closely, her pupils reflected him.
"A Cheng, your eyes, they have me in them."
A thought surged from his heart.
If he couldn't go back, then living here with Bi Li might not be impossible.
Living with the woman he loved.
A Cheng was incredibly excited, his forced composure disrupted, a tangled mess, and he fell into it, unwilling to extricate himself.
"Yes, I know, my eyes have you in them."
A Cheng excitedly stood up. He gestured with his finger, "Let's farm here, build houses here..."
Bi Li tilted her head, "What are you talking about?"
A Cheng calmed down, "Bi Li, what do you usually eat?"
The mountain ghost reached out and picked an epiphyllum, took a petal, and placed it by A Cheng's lips.
"Eat."
A Cheng licked the petal into his mouth. The skin was thick and tough, like animal flesh. Gently squeezing it with his teeth, sweet juice burst out, flowing down his throat all the way to his stomach, comfortable and satisfying.
He found himself full.
Just a single petal.
"Then where do your clothes come from?"
Bi Li pouted, seemingly impatient. She sighed, stood up, and gently took off her clothes. A Cheng quickly turned his head, not daring to look at her.
Bi Li tore the epiphyllum in her hand into pieces, then scattered them over herself. Before long, the fragments transformed into a golden palace dress.
"Alright, look."
A Cheng still turned his head away. He worried that an innocent girl like Bi Li wouldn't understand anything. He asked in a hurried tone, "Are you sure you're wearing clothes?"
Bi Li didn't speak. Instead, she took A Cheng's hand and placed it on her waist.
The mountain ghost's temperament was cool, her body was cool, and her clothes were also cool.
The intricate patterns on the palace dress gently rubbed against A Cheng's palm, giving him a tingling sensation. A Cheng turned his head and saw Bi Li looking down at his hand. In contrast, the mountain ghost's palm was slender and fair, while A Cheng's hand was broad, yellowish, and rough, like a piece of decaying wood covered in dirt placed on a jade stand.
"Incredible..." A Cheng carefully caressed the palace dress on Bi Li. Such a tangible texture, just moments ago it was...
"I understand!" A Cheng was excited. "This is Shengdao Star! Shengdao Star!"
Bi Li looked bewildered. "Oh—" She blinked.
A Cheng excitedly walked around. "They say Shengdao Star can fulfill all desires, I wonder if it's true or false."
He immediately grabbed Bi Li's shoulders and asked, "How did you conjure your clothes just now?"
"You, yourself, didn't look!" Bi Li said huffily. "I won't tell you! A Cheng, you're stupid!"
A Cheng wasn't stupid; he was very clever. Before long, he discovered the wondrous use of the epiphyllum.
By crumbling the petals, one could create things, be it food, clothing, divine weapons, or even high walls and grand courtyards, anything one could imagine.
"Bi Li," A Cheng's gaze was serious, "I want to be with you..."
"With me?"
"To live here with you forever."
"That won't work."
"Why?"
"Because Xiao Luo, he will be sad all alone."
"Xiao Luo?!"
"You, a human. He, a human. I, a mountain ghost. Hehe."
You have someone else behind my back?!
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