Wang Lin looked at the cold woman and then his gaze fell on the baby wrapped in the quilt. After pondering a bit, he nodded.
The woman's expression was still cold and her eyes seemed to contain the howling of the cold wind. She looked at Wang Lin as if she was looking at the world behind Wang Lin.
"Mister's name is very famous in my Suzaku. Even in the distant Xue Yu, I have heard of you.
Mister is a great scholar and has answered the questions of many cultivators. You have comprehended the world and pointed out the wrong path.
"Today, I came here for this child."
The woman looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms and her cold eyes revealed a hint of softness.
The coldness in the woman's voice dissipated a bit as she looked at the baby in her arms and calmly said, "Everyone says that Mister has seen through the world and understands karma. You are indifferent to life and death and walk between reality and illusion. Can you point out a path that belongs to this child?"
"When this child was born, her parents died. I saw her by chance in the snow. At that time, her body was already stiff and she was on the verge of death.
"I felt pity for her, but after taking a closer look, I found that this child's talent is very high. She was born with the aura of the five elements, and if she can survive, she will definitely become a proud sun of my generation in Suzaku!
"However, her life is full of ups and downs. I am good at divination and divinations, so I calculated that this child will face a calamity. This calamity will appear at birth, and since I encountered it, I will become the person who will help her overcome this calamity.
"The more she grows, the more the calamity of life and death will arrive. My cultivation is limited, so I can only use spells to limit her growth and keep her in the form of a baby.
"I heard that Mister is very talented, so I wanted to seek Mister's help …"
The woman's voice was cold and she softly spoke.
Just at that moment, a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed through the rain. Soon after, thunderous rumbles echoed in the world. Perhaps it was because the thunder was too loud, but it woke the baby up from his sleep. He opened his eyes that were completely devoid of any impurities and started crying.
Even after the Thunder passed, the baby's cry still echoed.
"Let me hold him," Wang Lin said softly as he looked at the baby.
The woman was silent for a while before she handed the baby to Wang Lin. Wang Lin gently took the baby and held it in his arms. He lowered his head and looked at the crying baby.
It was a baby girl. Although she was crying, she looked quite cute and delicate. There was a red dot between her eyebrows, as if it was pointing at her soul.
Tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, wetting the quilt beside her.
Strangely enough, the baby girl had been crying loudly in the woman's arms, but now that she was in Wang Lin's arms, her tears slowly stopped. Her innocent eyes were wide as she looked at Wang Lin.
A smile slowly appeared on Wang Lin's aged face. He scratched the baby girl's nose with his right hand, and the baby girl immediately smiled happily.
"What is her name?" Wang Lin asked softly.
The woman was silent for a while, then shook her head. Her voice was still a bit cold. "Her parents died early, so I don't know … I haven't given her a name in all these years. Why don't you give her a name, sir?"
Wang Lin looked at the happy baby girl who was smiling at him. He could vaguely feel a sense of familiarity from this child. After a long time, Wang Lin raised his head and looked out at the curtain of rain.
Under the rain, the shade of the trees in the distance was covered. He could vaguely see a colorful butterfly hiding from the wind and rain under the leaves of the trees.
If the butterfly's wings were wet by the rain, it would not be able to fly.
If the butterfly's body was blown by the wind, it would be like a hurricane had descended on a person.
Looking at the butterfly under the leaves of the trees, Wang Lin's eyes lit up with understanding. He silently looked at the butterfly for a long time.
"Let's call her Red Butterfly …. The butterfly in the rain, with a tender and beautiful red glow, walks a proud and beautiful life."
Wang Lin's voice was soft, and his expression was filled with an indescribable emotion. He lowered his head and looked deeply at the baby girl in his arms. The baby girl seemed to understand Wang Lin's words, and her laughter grew even louder.
"Wang, you don't understand divine abilities, so you don't know how to help this child avoid the calamity of life and death. I saw something in my dream, and I'll draw it for you. If you can understand it, you can save her from life and death."
Wang Lin sighed and handed the baby girl to the woman from the Snow Domain. Then he lifted his right hand, which was wet with rainwater, and began to draw a complicated pattern on the stone table in the pavilion. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be recalling something. Stroke by stroke, he began to draw a complicated pattern.
This pattern was a spell formation. It was extremely profound, and when the woman from the Snow Domain saw it, she was moved. She focused her attention and began to memorize it.
After a long time, Wang Lin finished the last stroke and opened his eyes.
"After you understand the spell formation, take a strand of hair from the baby girl and place it inside …." A complicated expression could be seen on Wang Lin's face as he looked up at the dark clouds that were beginning to dissipate.
Slowly, the pattern on the stone table in the pavilion faded away. The woman from the Snow Domain closed her eyes for a moment, then bowed deeply to Wang Lin. Then she turned and walked off into the rain with the baby girl in her arms.
Wang Lin didn't watch the woman leave. He stood there in the pavilion, staring blankly at the gradually lessening rain outside. His eyes were filled with confusion.
"Karma …. Is this Karma real? Past life, present life …. Or is it fake? Am I just trying to complete it on my own …?" Wang Lin didn't understand. Outside the pavilion, the rain finally stopped, and a rainbow appeared in the sky.
The butterfly that had been sheltering from the rain flapped its wings and flew off into the distance. Wang Lin watched as it flew off into the distance.
Sighing, Wang Lin walked out of the pavilion and off into the distance, in the direction of the sea.
Fifteen years after leaving the State of Zhao, Wang Lin traveled around the continent he was in. He arrived at the seashore, where he sat on a merchant ship that traveled between the two continents. He went to the other side of the sea, to the land there.
The sea was boundless and magnificent. The wind howled as the waves rolled up and down the merchant ship. Wang Lin stood on the ship and smelled the sea breeze. His white hair fluttered and the sea breeze blew past the wrinkles on his face, but it couldn't take away the traces of time.
The sun, the moon, and the stars on the sea were very different. This was Wang Lin's first time out at sea, but he didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. Instead, he looked out at the sea, his chest filled with energy.
In the sky above the sea, a flock of seabirds flew, facing the blazing sun and covering the entire surface of the sea.
One month, two months, three months …. Five months later, the merchant ship entered the boundless sea. As the wind and waves battered it, and the sailors sang their unique songs, Wang Lin revealed a happy smile.
On one day in the sixth month, when the sky and the sea connected, the sun rose and shone brightly, and Wang Lin was woken up by cries of surprise. He walked out of his room and saw the sailors who had been with him for half a year kneeling on the ground, worshipping the east.
Wang Lin looked in that direction, and his body suddenly trembled.
He saw an illusory image appear on the hazy surface of the sea in the east.
In the image was the mouth of a volcano. The volcano was erupting, and as the mountain trembled, two huge cracks that looked like dragons entangling with each other appeared. It was like a mark.
Endless magma sprayed out, and black smoke came out, covering the sky in the image.
There was no sound, only the image. The scene of the volcano erupting caused everyone on the ship to kneel.
From a distance, the illusory image seemed to connect with the heavens and earth. It was extremely real, but it also gave off a hazy feeling, making it hard to tell what was real and what was fake.
Wang Lin stared at the illusory world in a daze, and his mind roared.
"Real and fake … real and fake … The books said that there is a spirit in the sea, and its name is Sea Spirit. Its breath creates illusions, and it is like a celestial realm … this scene … this scene … is it real or fake … does it really exist somewhere in the world, or is it an illusion?"
"Sea Spirit, please calm down … Sea Spirit, please calm down …" Trembling voices came from the mouths of the kneeling mortals. They saw this incomprehensible scene, and their hearts trembled. This wasn't the first time they had seen something like this, but they hadn't seen many in their lives.
According to ancient legends, anyone who saw an illusory image when they went out to sea meant that the Sea Spirit was angry, and it wanted to punish all living beings that lived in the sea … As Wang Lin stared in shock, he didn't see the mortals around him take out large amounts of goods and throw them into the sea. They were trying to offer them to the Sea Spirit so that its anger would dissipate.
"This is most likely fake. It's not real, it's completely illusory. It's impossible for something like this to happen in this world. This isn't happening somewhere in the world …. This is most likely caused by a certain Celestial cultivator cultivating at the bottom of the sea, using a Celestial Art!"
Wang Lin murmured. He had comprehended many truths of the world, but what he was seeing right now was something he couldn't imagine.
"Fake … This is fake …" Wang Lin took a deep breath. Just as he was murmuring, his voice suddenly stopped. His eyes widened and he stood there in a daze. His right hand subconsciously pointed at the illusory volcano in the distance, and a look of disbelief appeared on his face.
"This … She …"
In the illusory image, a woman appeared in the black clouds of the erupting volcano. She wore white, and although she wasn't a peerlessly beautiful woman, there was a hint of gentleness in her beauty. Her long hair fluttered in the wind, and her clothes fluttered in the wind. An otherworldly aura surrounded her, and she looked like a celestial fairy!
The woman walked out from the black clouds and pointed down with her jade-like hand. The erupting volcano trembled and showed signs of extinguishing.
The moment Wang Lin saw the woman, he felt as if he had lost all strength. He was completely stunned, and an indescribable sadness surged through his body. It was like a storm had swept over him, and at the same time, two streams of tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
"It's her …" Wang Lin was old to begin with, but now he seemed even older. He leaned against the wall of the ship and looked at the woman in white in the illusory world. His gaze seemed eternal.