When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in a vast field of crimson spider lilies.
The blood - red petals swayed gently, as if a multitude of cute little sprites were clustered around me, peering at me curiously.
I gently shook my head to clear my mind a bit, then sat up from the flower field and gazed into the distance.
Not far ahead stood an enormous stone stele. At a glance, it was as tall as a dozen - story building.
If I guessed correctly, it should be the legendary Stone of Three Lives. Since I'd already seen the Stone of Three Lives, the Naihe Bridge couldn't be too far away.
I thought to myself that the Earth God was really reliable. He'd directly sent me near the Naihe Bridge.
I got up from the ground and walked through the field of spider lilies. The petals clung to my body, adding a splash of color to my otherwise plain clothes.
I didn't shake off the spider lily petals until I stepped onto the Yellow Spring Road.
This broad road was paved with yellow petals that flowed like a spring towards both sides. From afar, it resembled a long river paved with gold.
No wonder it was called the Yellow Spring Road. Maybe it had something to do with these yellow flowers covering the ground.
I waded through the yellow flowers on the ground and walked towards the gigantic Stone of Three Lives.
When I reached the middle of the road, I realized that I wasn't alone. There were men, women, old and young of all kinds walking on this road.
I wasn't curious about their identities. I just followed them forward.
My destination was the Naihe Bridge up ahead. Once there, it would be the end for a soul.
I'd heard from Gu Yuan that those who were willing to walk this road and go to the Naihe Bridge to drink the Soup of Forgetfulness were mostly people without attachments or those who were completely disheartened and had no lingering attachments to the world.
Despite their different death appearances, they were non - aggressive. So there was no need to be afraid when seeing them because they had no interest in you at all.
The only exception was the souls who were forced to the River of Forgetfulness and refused to drink the Soup of Forgetfulness. Those were the resentful spirits full of grievances. They would linger around the Naihe Bridge, constantly looking for a chance to return to the human world. If you ever saw them, remember never to open your eyes to look at them no matter what means they used to tempt you. Then you'd surely be able to hold out until the next day. As soon as the Lady Meng appeared, you must leave immediately, or your soul would be taken away.
Thinking of Gu Yuan's words, I looked at the Stone of Three Lives in the distance. The road was long, and these people didn't walk very fast. When we got not far ahead, they neatly lined up in a row. I joined the queue with them.
As I got closer to the Stone of Three Lives, I finally understood why they had lined up.
It turned out they were all queuing up under the Naihe Bridge to get the Soup of Forgetfulness.
I was a bit relieved. Fortunately, I wasn't at the end of the queue. If I were, I was afraid there wouldn't be any soup left for me by the time it was my turn. After all, I wasn't really a soul about to cross the Naihe Bridge.
There was only one person left in front of me. Once he climbed up the Terrace of Remembering Home to look back on his past, came down, and finished drinking the Soup of Forgetfulness, his life in this world would come to an end.
With eager eyes, I watched as the person in front of me walked down the Terrace of Remembering Home, shed the last tear for his relatives. The tear turned into a glowing dot and flew into the boundless River of Forgetfulness behind the Lady Meng.
When that person came down from the terrace, he picked up the bowl of soup in front of him and drank it without any hesitation.
The wrinkled face of the Lady Meng twitched slightly. She said to the person, "Drink a bowl of the Soup of Forgetfulness, and forget all your past. Break the porcelain bowl, and may your reincarnation be smooth and prosperous."
The person smashed the porcelain bowl in his hand onto the ground and then stepped onto the Naihe Bridge obediently.
At this moment, I was extremely nervous. I slowly stepped onto the Terrace of Remembering Home in front of me and stood there, looking into the distance.
All I could see ahead was the boundless sea of crimson spider lilies and the petals on the Yellow Spring Road I'd just walked on.
What was there to look at? In my understanding, the Terrace of Remembering Home should be a place to look back on one's past, but why couldn't I see anything?
I stood there for a while, still seeing nothing. I thought it didn't matter. As long as I could get the Soup of Forgetfulness.
I walked down from the terrace, still thinking about how I could avoid drinking the soup in front of the Lady Meng after getting it and then manage to leave with it.
While I was still scratching my head, I'd already walked in front of the Lady Meng. I lowered my head, not daring to look at her. I reached out my hand to pick up the bowl of soup in front of me.
"Wait..." The Lady Meng's hoarse voice stopped me from taking the soup.
My hand hung in the air. In the end, I didn't dare to blatantly snatch it.
"You seem to have forgotten something to give me," said the Lady Meng. Her lips were full of wrinkles, and because she had few teeth, her words were a bit slurred.
I looked at the Lady Meng puzzledly and directly asked, "What?"
The Lady Meng's droopy eyelids twitched, and she reached out to take back the bowl of soup.
I watched helplessly as the Lady Meng put the porcelain bowl in front of me back into her bosom. I had an urge to snatch the bowl back from her.
The Lady Meng took back the bowl and didn't answer my question. Instead, she asked me, "What did you see when you climbed up the Terrace of Remembering Home?"
"I..." I hesitated for half a second. I couldn't tell her that I'd seen nothing after climbing up. That didn't seem reasonable.
"I saw my family. They're doing well," I said.
"Is that all?" the Lady Meng asked again.
I was at a loss for words for a moment.
Seeing that I didn't answer, the Lady Meng said in her slightly hoarse voice, "This bowl of the Soup of Forgetfulness doesn't belong to you. Go back where you came from."
After she finished speaking, she waved her sleeve, which looked like a washed - out blue cloth, in front of me.
I was swept out of the queue.
"Next..." The Lady Meng pushed the bowl of soup in front of the person behind me who was waiting to get the soup.
"Grandma, please tell me what it is. I'll go and get it no matter what," I pleaded.
She completely ignored me. I talked myself hoarse beside her, but she turned a deaf ear to my words and remained unmoved.
I just stood beside her and waited until she gave the last bowl of soup to the last soul, then packed up her stall.
"Lady Meng, I'm begging you... I really need it..." Before I could finish my words, the Lady Meng's figure gradually became transparent and finally disappeared.
The hoarse voice of the Lady Meng echoed in the air, "Leave... This isn't a place for you. The night at the Naihe Bridge is not easy to get through."
As the Lady Meng's voice faded away, the whole Naihe Bridge became pitch - black. All that was left were the faint green ghost fires flickering on the River of Forgetfulness and the red Kongming lantern hanging in the sky.
I stood there, looking at the place where the Lady Meng had disappeared, not knowing what to do.
As time passed, ripples appeared on the green light on the River of Forgetfulness. Along with it came the cries of the resentful spirits, which were shrill and full of sorrow.
It felt as if I were in a prison, with countless death - row inmates about to be beheaded stretching out their hands through the iron gates and wailing at me. The sound gave me goosebumps, and I didn't want to stay here for a moment.
At this moment, I really wanted to leave. This place at night was really no place for a living person.
But I knew I couldn't leave. If I did, it would be very difficult for me to come back.
So no matter what happened, I wouldn't leave.