Chapter 177: Chapter 177 Reincarnation Palace Horse-Faced Man
Chapter 177: Chapter 177 Reincarnation Palace Horse-Faced Man
Tao Ti turned around and saw a horse-face mask approaching her, through the two holes of the mask she could see a pair of eyes as dark as obsidian.
He had long, shiny black hair that reached his waist; the front half was braided into small braids tied with blue ribbons, while the back half draped down. As the breeze blew, his hair gently fluttered.
He wore a blue cross-collared robe; the inner layer was light blue, the middle layer had wide sleeves in sea blue, and the outermost was a deep blue chiffon-like fabric, vaguely revealing the flame motifs on the hem of the middle garment.
His movements gave the impression that he was surrounded by burning blue flames.
Tao Ti’s eyes widened with brilliance, filled with amazement. She had never seen such beautiful attire, looking at him with envy. When he stood up straight, he was very tall; Tao Ti had to tilt her head back to look up at him.
“Honorable guest, welcome to the Reincarnation Palace.”
He gently opened his hand in an inviting gesture, and as he moved, the dense red and yellow fog completely dispersed, revealing the full view of the place.
The entire floor’s walls were interwoven with dark red and gold, with the gold resembling gold and the red like blood or burning flames. Four thick pillars were carved with fierce beasts.
“Let your grandfather from this life depart, and I’ll show you around this floor, honorable guest.”
The Horse-Faced Man placed his right hand over his heart, bowed his head slightly, and lowered his gaze.
He appeared to be extremely respectful, as if he was performing a ritual.
But he quickly lifted his head, making one think it was an illusion, merely a nod of respect.
Tao Ti still clutched tightly to her grandfather’s sleeve, not letting him drink the soup.
“Grandfather, don’t go,” she cried out softly, covering her mouth and nose, trying not to make any sound while crying.
The sight of the little girl trying to hold back her tears was so heart-wrenching that even Granny, who had been expressionless and silent, couldn’t help but look over several times.
The Horse-Faced Man let out a soft sigh, squatted down, reached out to tousle her fluffy hair, and said patiently, “Right now, his future mom is in labor. By delaying and not letting him go, you’re causing her suffering. In the worst case, he’ll be born, but his mom might wear herself out, and he’ll be a child without a mother. Do you still want to keep him here?”
Upon hearing this and thinking of the children without a mother’s love, like a lonely blade of grass, Tao Ti envied those children who were loved. She envied them so much that she often cried secretly, failing to understand why her own mother did not love her.
She didn’t want her grandfather to be born without a mother, so with small, struggling, reluctant hands… she let go.
The old man’s eyes were red with tears as he struggled with the feeling of letting go and sadness, tilting his head back to drink the soup in one gulp.
After the soup was finished, the Horse-Faced Man pointed in a direction, towards one of the four pillars. The old man drifted towards that pillar, turned back to look at Tao Ti, and she looked at him, their eyes met in a gaze of parting and blessings.
“Tao Ti, be happy, grow up well.”
“Grandfather! You be happy too!”
As the old man approached the pillar, the various memories of this life played rapidly in his mind like a fast-forwarded film, only to be swiftly erased.
The Fierce Beast on the pillar turned into a shadowy figure that moved aside, the pillar, no longer guarded by the beast, opened up a passageway, and the old man was drawn into it.
“Grandfather!” Tao Ti cried out in sorrow, no longer able to hold back, she began to wail loudly.
The Horse-Faced Man let out another soft sigh, squatted down, and gently wiped her tears with an ice-blue handkerchief, “Don’t cry, he will have a good life in his next reincarnation.”