18 Ultimate Beauty (3)

Heavens. I felt so rough, and my head hurt. 

Where was I?

The last thing I remembered was Jie Moshu calling my name. Worriedly calling me. My chest was aching so much that I even coughed out blood... and fainted. I twinged at the thought of him. Oh well, that was so me. Why did I keep fainting on his muscled arms? Damn! It was the perfect timing to feel, not a black out... I shook my head, and chanted in my mind: 'Huayu, be a saint. Huayu, be a saint.'

Ding! The sound of the temple bell rang in my head. Peace. Sadhu.

Somehow I mustered my calmest condition. 

Now, where was I? 

I staggered up onto my feet as I paced from one place to another. Glancing over the area, I found the familiar eerie, ominous atmosphere creeping over to me—it was this place, again. An unimaginably deep and cold place where there was only endless darkness. Fathoms of swirling blackness beneath me as the intense darkness and quiet slipped through.

"I've been waiting for you so long, pretty soul," The quiet musical voice of a female that shattered the tranquility made me jump. Heavens, that almost scared my soul out of me. In the gathering darkness, it felt like she was looking through me.

"Who are you?" I ventured cautiously.

"You don't remember, pretty soul?"

Should I remember? Ah. That kind of strong wise was impossible to recognize, I knew that female voice. That freaking voice I had grudge with. "You... you're the one from that four years ago!"

"Oh," a loud chuckled voice called from behind me, making me jump again. "It's more than that—our relationship are much more than four years."

As far as I was concerned, I was never in relationship. Crucially, not to a ghost. Then, I heard rippling water ringing in my ears, and felt a gush of wind on my face as if something was just dancing beside me. 

"Stay away from me!" I warned in a sound that supposed to be strong and fearless. But it came out trembling a little, which I least expected that.

"Are you really going to act like that, when I know the cure for your missing heart?" her docile laughter started again behind me. "I've protected you like you had asked me to. I've expected your gratitude not resentment, but it seems like you've forgotten it all."

"Gratitude? Resentment?" I was appalled, "I don't even know you if I should, I only could say that you're the cause I cannot finish my competition that year."

A soft snicker sounded, and I realized she was laughing at me. "So that is your cause to resent me, as a human now."

What did she mean by now? Of course, I had been human for the rest of my life. It was the same riddles that happened last time she had spoken in my head. About escaping Him. About encountering what I shouldn't have. And now she was saying something about my cure and my existence as a human-being. Gosh, this was all too much for me to digest!

"You have so many questions in your little head—different but as headstrong as ever," her voice was stern as she explained. "It's not up to me to answer them. You'll have your time for the answers revealed. Regarding who you are and what you are meant to do."

Maybe I should be more humble, or maybe I should be more respectful, but now there was some mystical being—a ghost probably. I couldn't help asking questions that burned in my heart.

"Just cut straight to it. You're saying about a cure, Jie Moshu also said something about that... What do you guys mean? Am I really poisoned? What am I supposed to do?"

"The poisonous flower inside you has been blooming from your very own heart, pretty soul," the voice echoed, her voice was still strong. "Right from your anger, hatred, and vengeance that grown stronger each day.

"But I never really hated anything—"

"Or do you?" the voice suddenly changed to one of horror. "Do you even know about yourself? Since you're born, your body has already overflowed with the poison and just waiting for the right moment to burst. Mark my words, your amount of time is limited. Six petals define six times of occurrence. Each time a petal fall, you'll experience unfathomable pain—I believed you know better yourself. Soon the last petal will fall and when that moment comes, you'll face a mortal death."

Six petals, six occurrence? Me, death? I was shocked, frozen and almost scared. Vivid memory hit me as I remembered. My hand moved unconsciously to my chest, feeling a place over the heart, which, even it still thumped weakly because of the pain.

Finally I managed to articulate a word. "How? The cure."

"The cure is something you've traded; an agreement."

"An agreement? What agreement?" I asked. "Can this cure help me be normal again?"

"The agreement is about you and the Goddess of Souls. And the cure has its own purposes."

Goddess of Souls. This was ringing the bells in my mind. I knew I had heard it before—

"You mean... the goddess who helped those who reincarnate? The goddess of life and death?" Now I was fascinated to hear more, "She existed? I thought it was all a myth."

It was all coming to me now. When I was a child, Baba used to tell me stories about Gods. One of them includes the story about the demigoddess and the God of Sun. He told me that it was Goddess of Souls that made a contract with her to keep her child safe from being cleansed for seven lifetimes.

"Everything was never a myth, pretty soul," her voice was as solemn as ever. "It is so called a myth to be remembered, and not forgotten."

"What does that goddess has to do with me?"

"Because you've made a contract with her."

"Wh—what?" I stammered. "I did?"

For God's sake.

I made a contract with the Goddess of Souls. Me? Liu Huayu? Like seriously. Legend told that the goddess' role was to guide to the underworld for the spirits of the dead. Baba always told me that she was scarier than Meng Po, the goddess of forgetfulness, who gave bowls of forget soup. Goddess of Souls had the power to summon the undead for becoming her slaves. And she said that I made a contract with her. My mind went on the possible question: 'Hey, Goddess, want to trade souls with me?'

That goddess would probably kick my ass off her territory. I assumed. I mean, the only thought that came to me was a contract to be a zombie. What else would a goddess that had necromancy ability over the undead do?

Okay... Just calm down, I instructed myself firmly. It was a joke. Obviously it was a joke.

"You... said she had my cure because we had a contract? Is that... a joke?"

The inconvenience of speaking to air was that you couldn't see other's faces. Which was kind of frustrating.

"A matter of life and death can that be a joke?" the voice asked me back.

"Okay, I'm sorry," I said apologetically. "Then, I should know what I traded for...?"

"You asked too many questions, pretty soul."

Did she just avoid my question? That bluntly? Hell. It was as though she was saying nothing at all. She sent me mad with frustration. Another riddle again...

I was barely able to control my patience, and snapped, "Fine. Whatever! Being secretive as you'd be. At least you can tell me who you are, right?"

There was a total silence, as my question was still hovering in the air. Well, I wasn't expecting silence. She was probably too dumbfounded to reply. At last, I plunged in.

"Hello? Ghost voice...? Weeping lady...?" I said wildly, hesitated on what nickname I should call her.

"You sure have a good taste in picking names." Her voice was calm and soothing. "But I should admit that it was rude to give me names like that."

"You know," I said defensively after a pause, "you're the one who is being rude first. You're not showing me anything. Not saying your name, and keep calling me pretty soul. And don't you think it's a discrimination? I mean, I am an intact whole body human. I'm not a 'pretty soul' yet."

There was another weird silence between us—what exactly? I couldn't make it out. Was she taken aback? Was she amused? Or disquiet? I glanced around—what was going on?

A cold breath brushed over my shoulders and I jumped, startled, nearly stumbled to the ground. Okay, I was starting to have a panic here. The cold aura was actually pretty creepy, I realized, and this recognition made me shuddered. What if that woman was an actually a ghost with all dark and glittering thing? Or maybe an evil soul that had huge hatred and vengeance? Wouldn't it be the death of me as well?

Sharply, I turned my head. And then I saw her—I mean, 'it'. A giant. A beast.

Uncommonly four-legged enormous serpentine was standing right before me, only an inch away. Its raspy breathing sent down chills to my spine. I could hear a low growl under its breath.

My gaze travelled downward, incredulously. The creature had a snake-like body with shiny blueish scales looking as cold as ice. But rather than expecting long sharp claws like Huashe's, I was seeing strong shiny charcoal hoofs. My insides froze with fear when the creature cocked its head to the side, letting its golden reindeer-like horn visible. And the creature swayed back and forth its long writhing tail that was burning in blue flame.

Before I could do anything, the creature then lowered its head. I gasped at the sight of its eyes. They were full of clammy and intensely cold mist hardly seen any hint of pupils, but I could feel the creature's gaze looking right through me. My ears twitched when it gave another low growls, almost sounded like a purr. The corners of my eyes caught the creature revealing its razor-shap fangs that could rip any man's flesh in an instant.

I was too astonished to do anything except gape.

What the hell was that?

I swallowed a mouthful of bile. Cold sweats slicked down my forehead. I clenched my hands into fists, so the creature wouldn't see how badly my fingers were trembling. But I was betrayed by the unsteadiness on my feet. "Um... Hello? Nice to meet you... pretty dragon?"

"Not dragon," it countered firmly. "I'm the water kylin, your protector."