Chapter 1, the Seven-Colored Dragon Boat, the Azure Pearl Flower

The tomb had already fallen into disrepair, revealing a small portion of the coffin. With a "crack," a grayish-white hand suddenly emerged from the dilapidated coffin.

For a small beggar who might not be able to have a full meal even after several days of hunger, nothing is more tempting than being able to eat to satisfaction at every meal. Moreover, there exists in this world a formidable force known as power, exemplified by the palace-dressed woman who can ride the winds in a colorful dragon boat, showcasing the strength of the celestial beings he imagines in his mind. The neglected boy, however, witnesses this person in the coffin demonstrating such power. Now, this person in the coffin claims he can help him attain the same freedom to come and go as he pleases, and to see the girl again. The neglected boy, filled with both fear and surprise, gazes at this strange figure in the red robe, his frail body trembling slightly, yet he finds himself at a loss for words.

"When have you ever seen the master so serious?" said the woman in palace attire on the right. "Let’s go, so we don’t get entangled with the disciples of Mount Shu."

The new moon resembles a hook, as several old crows pick through the cold branches, unwilling to roost, lamenting mournfully in the night.

"Do not be afraid," the young man shook his head.

A gasp escaped her lips, as at that moment the girl began to doubt whether she was dreaming, dreaming of the Dragon Boat Fairy. Unconsciously, she wanted to rub her eyes, but inadvertently she tugged at the wound on her leg, causing her to cry out in pain

Suddenly, the two palace-dressed women on the colorful dragon boats, who were just about to leave, simultaneously let out a soft exclamation. Although the girl appeared pale and thin, her bones were exceptionally delicate, resembling the highly gifted figure of the Nine Cha Xuan Nu from the physiognomy illustrations. After exchanging glances, the colorful dragon boats of the two palace-dressed women suddenly descended. "Little sister, would you be willing to come with us?"

The dragon boat appears to be carved entirely from purple jade, emanating a soft purple luster throughout. Measuring several zhang in length, the dragon's head at the front of the boat holds a red gem the size of a fist in its mouth, while the body of the boat is adorned with various colored gemstones, the dazzling hues emanating from these gems.

Hmm? Lowering my head, I glanced at my faint shadow in the night, then scrutinized the ragged little beggar once more. The person in the coffin snorted, "I didn't expect your innate talent to be so poor, yet your courage is quite substantial"

The two palace-dressed women glanced at the young man, but both shook their heads simultaneously, saying, "His aptitude is too poor; he cannot be taken away."

The young man gazed at the person in the coffin, and the events from the appearance of the colorful dragon boat to the present felt inexplicably strange and bizarre to him. Originally not particularly clever, he was stunned for a while before he couldn't help but ask, "Who... who are you, and how did you end up in the coffin?"

"So, do you wish to no longer suffer from hunger in the future? To no longer have to come to this desolate graveyard to eat such things, or to be able to come and go freely like them? To see that little girl again?" The person in the coffin, with grayish-white pupils, turned slightly and, as they spoke, pointed a finger. A thread-like red light suddenly shot towards the dry, hard bun in the boy's hand. The boy felt a sudden heat in his palm, and in a moment of daze, the bun had already turned into charred black powder, falling from his hand.

The girl still wanted to say she wouldn't go, but the palace-dressed woman on the left was already impatient, her long sleeves swirling as she said, "Let’s go!" The girl felt as if she were soaring through the clouds, and by the time she realized what was happening, she found herself on a dragon boat high in the sky. The boy below had shrunk to the size of an ant, barely visible. "Put me down," she cried out in a panic, bursting into tears. She noticed that she was already on the dragon boat high in the sky, and the boy below was only the size of an ant, hard to see clearly. "Put me down," she cried out in a panic, bursting into tears. The palace-dressed woman in purple on the left ignored the girl, while the woman in pale yellow felt a bit sorry for her and comforted her, saying, "Little sister, don’t be sad. When you grow up a bit, you can come to fetch him yourself."

Really? The girl almost jumped up, but it seemed she suddenly remembered something and pointed at the boy beside her, saying, "Isn't he coming with us too?"

People in the world are often blinded by illusory things, who am I, why am I in a coffin, and what does it matter? The person in the coffin glanced at the youth, still sitting motionless in the dilapidated coffin, yet extended his right hand, spreading it open. The youth unconsciously followed his hand, and the few feet of distance before him suddenly brightened. He saw a bead the size of a thumb nail, its brilliance surging, emitting waves of deep blue light from the hand of the person in the coffin. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that within the smooth bead, ripples were constantly undulating, and the lustrous surface occasionally shimmered with a faint red glow.

"Little child." Seeing the boy's pained and sorrowful expression, the person in the coffin suddenly smiled and said, "By the look of you, it seems you haven't had a proper meal in many days, have you?"

Looking at the dim shadow of the youth elongated by the brilliance of the bead in his hand, the person in the coffin said calmly: "As long as you consume this bead, you will never suffer from hunger or cold again. All things in the world are bound by the principle of cause and effect. I am here, you are here, this is fate. As long as you promise me one thing, I will give you this bead."

The boy, who had been carrying the girl for a long time, was now blinded by sweat, and the oppressive aura of the wild graves around him sent chills down his spine. Yet, he dared not breathe heavily, striving to conceal his fear and exhaustion to the greatest extent possible. However, the girl, who had spent every day with him and was naturally intelligent and graceful, could not be unaware of his thoughts. After gently wiping away his sweat, she gazed at the chaotic graveyard and could not help but ask softly, "Will we die too?"

"It won't happen." The boy forced a smile to comfort the girl

Found it! Suddenly, the boy's eyes lit up. After searching for offerings for most of the evening, he finally saw a bowl of pastries placed on a new grave. The bowl was broken, and the pastries were destined to be cold and hard, but in his eyes, they were more precious than anything else, for he was uncertain whether she on his back could continue to endure if he went hungry any longer

"Senior sister, do you really think that item is so important? It has caused us to mobilize so many people to search for it?" asked the woman in palace attire on the left.

Carefully placing her down at a distance from the new grave, he found a stone and laid some dry grass on it for her to sit on, then staggered away. As the old saying goes, taking food meant for the souls is a very inauspicious act that can shorten one's life. Although the youth had been lonely and suffering since childhood, which had forged a resilient character in him, he certainly still feared the spirits. Thus, he bowed deeply at the grave, knocking his head nine times, and feeling that this was insufficient, he bowed another nine times. Only then did he take a steamed bun from the bowl, turning to look at the girl, and secretly took a barely noticeable bite from four or five buns. He murmured to himself: "This bun is taken by me; if demons and ghosts come looking, let them find me alone. I have bitten it, so it belongs to me. If my life is to be shortened, let it be just mine."

... ...

"Immortals do not die." The young boy opened his mouth, his lips cracked and bleeding, quietly licking away the bloodstains. He had a set of snow-white teeth, which formed a stark contrast against his dark face. He held the girl tightly and gazed towards the distant, shadowy mountains. "Grandpa Wu said there are immortals in those mountains. Once you recover, I will take you there. Perhaps we will encounter an immortal, and then we won't die."

He suddenly saw a beam of colorful light sweeping in from the distant horizon, which at first glance resembled a shooting star. However, in an instant, it drew much closer to the positions of the boy and the girl. Moreover, as it approached, the colorful light became increasingly bright. Even the girl, who had her back turned to the light, noticed it. "What is that?" she exclaimed in shock, pointing with her finger, and then, in disbelief, she covered her mouth as both she and the boy saw that the colorful light was, in fact, a colorful dragon boat soaring through the air.

The young boy nodded. If he had not been starving for many days, to the point where he lacked the strength to run, and if the girl had not vanished from his side, he would have been overwhelmed by sorrow. Even upon discovering that the figure sitting up in the coffin was a living person rather than a ghost, the sight of that person, draped in a full red garment with a pale complexion, would likely have sent him fleeing without a second thought, leaving him no reason to stay here.

"Why are you not afraid? Don't you fear ghosts?" The person in the coffin looked strangely at the ragged boy.

The woman on the right, dressed in a pale yellow garment, nodded and said, "I also believe he wouldn't come near Mount Shu; Master insisted that we check this place."

The two women in palace attire smiled slightly and said, "We will take you to a wonderful place, and in the future, you will become as beautiful as us, wearing equally beautiful clothes"

The magnificent multicolored dragon boat soars through the sky

"Prosperity has turned to dust, the common people suffer, all have become earth. Destruction has turned to dust, the common people suffer, all have become earth." Surrounded by countless mounds of graves, the girl could only muster her voice for courage. Although her complexion was pale, her voice was remarkably light and agile. This was something she had occasionally heard from storytellers, and with a flash of inspiration, she decided to sing it in her unique soft and tender tone. At such a young age, caught in a chaotic world, she did not understand the grand principles of preferring to be a peaceful dog rather than a person in troubled times. Instead, she randomly mixed together the hearsay of "Lishan Huai Gu" and Zhang Yanghao's "Shanpo Yang," singing it from her tender lips. If it were to reach the ears of someone with a discerning heart, it would surely evoke a unique flavor of bitterness.

"Are you following us?" The little girl, with her naturally mischievous temperament, exclaimed in delight. After that, she looked at the two women in palace attire and asked, "You two sisters are truly beautiful, and your clothes are lovely as well. Are you fairies?"

He ran back to the girl and crouched down, handing all the steamed buns to her.

The young boy, feeling extremely hungry, looked at the girl's smiling face and deliberately took a big bite out of the steamed bun. Although he had not yet swallowed the mouthful, his stomach, which had been in a state of panic from hunger, seemed to feel much better. Just as he was about to smile at the girl, his eyes suddenly widened in surprise.

"Eat quickly." The girl took small bites of the steamed bun, glancing at the boy who was foolishly still and engrossed in his book, and chuckled softly.

This sound unexpectedly came from a nearby desolate grave, causing the boy, who was crying loudly, to shiver with a sudden chill

The person in the coffin, who easily created the effect of a glimmer of hope amidst darkness, showed no surprise at the boy's reaction, a slight curve forming at the corner of his mouth. "The Buddha said that if one has not cultivated good karma in a past life, one will suffer the consequences of hunger and cold in this life. But do you believe that I can help you escape this sea of suffering?"

As the girl placed the cold, hard steamed bun into his hand, the boy felt as if he were holding the rarest delicacy in the world

Hearing the person in the coffin say that he has poor aptitude, the young man was once again shaken all over and could not help but gaze in the direction where the colorful dragon boat had disappeared

"Then I won't go either." The girl was momentarily stunned, and then suddenly anxious; when she turned to look at the boy beside her, tears were already welling in her eyes. "You fool. You should agree to them quickly." Upon hearing the two palace-dressed women say that he could not take her along, the boy felt a buzzing in his mind. However, upon hearing the girl say she wouldn't go, he became even more anxious than she was, and for the first time in his life, he scolded the girl angrily.

What left the two individuals even more astonished was that on the colorful, radiant dragon boat stood two women. On the left, one was dressed in a purple palace gown, with a green hairpin inserted in her hair, her skin fairer than snow. On the right, the other wore a goose-yellow palace gown, with a small flower mark on her forehead, both possessing bright eyes and white teeth, exuding an extraordinary beauty.

In the gaze of the youth, the brilliance of the colorful dragon boat soared further and further away, eventually disappearing from sight

There are four, the young girl exclaimed joyfully

The boy and the girl had never witnessed such a scene; for a moment, they found themselves unable to breathe, as if time had come to a standstill.

"His qualifications are too poor; he cannot be taken along..." The voice of the woman in palace attire echoed repeatedly in the boy's mind. Although his character had been tempered to be extremely resilient, he was still just a twelve or thirteen-year-old child from the mountains. The dragon boat and the woman in palace attire appeared even more real than the fairy he had imagined. Filled with hope, he was disdainfully abandoned, not even given the chance to exchange a few more words. He recalled the times he had relied on the girl, thinking that he might never see her again. Despite his hardened character, he was still just a child from the mountains. The dragon boat and the woman in palace attire were more real than the fairy he had envisioned. With a heart full of hope, he was scornfully cast aside, not even given the opportunity to speak a few more words. He thought of the days he had spent with the girl, realizing he might never see her again. Looking at the few cold, hard buns in his hands, the boy was overwhelmed with sorrow and could not help but cry out loud.

She returned three to the young man, keeping one for herself, her smile radiant like summer flowers, and said: "I have a small appetite, one is enough for me. You eat two, and we will save the remaining one to eat on the way."

In the play, it is often said that no one can escape death, and Grandpa Wu has also passed away. The girl said with a heavy heart; she was a very intelligent child. Although she could not engage in the arts like the children of wealthy families, she could recite poetry she had only heard once. The Grandpa Wu she referred to was a fortune teller with whom they had spent some time. Whenever he had the chance, the old man would share tales of the supernatural or teach the girl some songs and verses that were mixed up. Ultimately, he died of exposure on a night filled with heavy snow, which left the girl with a profound aversion to death.

Seeking immortality through the pursuit of immortals, these few words may seem simple, yet they are far more difficult than traversing the treacherous roads of Shu by a hundredfold. Perhaps the old man merely spoke these words casually to satisfy the curiosity of the two children. For a poor family, the pursuit of immortality and cultivation is already an unattainable aspiration, let alone the ethereal and elusive immortals.

You have a shadow, but ghosts do not have shadows

With a loud bang, the coffin lid was lifted, and a person sat up. He had a hawk-like nose, narrow eyes, and a face so pale that it lacked any trace of color; even his pupils seemed devoid of black, appearing entirely grayish-white. A robe as bright red as blood enveloped his entire body.

"Hmph, I never expected that the so-called prestigious sects claiming to uphold the righteous path of the world would resort to such bandit-like behavior." Suddenly, a sinister voice echoed in the young man's ear. "But rest assured, little girl, being favored by them is a blessing that others can only wish for."

In the desolate graveyard, a pair of emaciated figures moved between the rudely piled mounds of earth. A ragged boy carried a girl of similar age on his back. The girl's face was sallow, and despite the hunger and cold, her eyes still retained a glimmer of spirit. The boy, burdened with the girl, wore a worried expression, carefully avoiding the wound on her thigh inflicted by a wild dog. Both of them were beggars from several dozen miles away, begging during the day and relying on the offerings left at graves to fill their stomachs at night. In the region of Shu, there is a custom where some steamed buns and pastries are placed on the grave on the day of burial. It is said that this is for the souls of the deceased to consume on their journey to the underworld, or to appease the wandering spirits nearby so they do not trouble the souls of the deceased.

Oh? The boy, whose crying had ceased, still bore tear stains on his face, yet he did not flee as I had imagined. The figure in the coffin, dressed in a bright red robe, turned its grayish-white eyes towards the boy and said: "What, are you not afraid of me?"

The boy and the girl stared in astonishment at the dragon boat that appeared before them, momentarily taken aback. "It turns out to be two wild children from the mountains," the beautiful woman in palace attire on the left seemed oblivious to their presence, frowning as if no one else was around. "Senior sister, let us go; he should not be hiding in a place like this."