Chapter 285: Chapter 285 Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

He could distinctly feel his back rubbing intimately against the ground beneath him.

Whizzing noises frolicked by his ears– buzzing insects, the rustle of leaves, the roars of wild beasts, the flapping of birds’ wings…

But in the end, all these sounds were drowned out by the breathing of the girl above him.

He noticed her slender back glistening with a fine layer of sweat; her snow-white dress was smeared with mud and blood.

The girl’s shoulders bore a thick vine, which was connected to him, lying on a net woven from branches.

Zhao Lang’s lips, nearly cracked from dryness, moved slightly, his throat as parched as a desert, emitting not a whisper.

Perhaps hearing his stir, Jiang Li stopped and turned her head.

Struggling, Zhao Lang opened his eyes and lifted his head.

Despite the surrounding darkness, her silhouette was strikingly clear, her whole figure glowing eerily white.

Her eyes, tranquil and cold, bore no trace of emotion, yet seemed to brim with the sorrow of the gods.

“Jiang…”

He had barely uttered a syllable when Zhao Lang fainted again.

When he regained consciousness, it was already early morning.

In the Primordial Forest, shadowed by tree canopies, a sliver of light broke through, turning the forest into a fiery furnace.

But Zhao Lang distinctly felt that his throat was less painful, permitting him to speak haltingly.

He tried to sit up from the ground but had barely moved when a voice near him spoke.

“Three of your ribs are broken on your back. I just managed to stabilize you using branches. If you move again, I might not have the strength to bandage you once more.”

Zhao Lang turned his head to look at the girl lying beside him.

Her features were veiled in a thin mist, revealing a touch of divinity in their partial concealment.

Zhao Lang slightly lifted his hand, but could only touch the thin mist.

He knew that Jiang Li had exhausted all her strength to weave a net and carry him away from the cliff populated with wild beasts.

If not for her, he might now be nothing more than scattered bones.

“Thank you for saving me.”

Jiang Li glanced at him and closed her eyes again.

“No need to thank me. We’re even now. If it wasn’t for you, it would be me with the broken ribs.”

They were indeed lucky.

There was a tree under that cliff that managed to hold them up.

But due to their combined weight and their exhausted state, the branch had soon snapped.

At the critical moment, Zhao Lang had shielded her in his arms.

She had merely received some minor scratches, but his back had harshly smashed onto the ground, breaking several ribs instantly, causing him to pass out.

Fearing that the night would render them vulnerable at the exposed base of the cliff, and worried that Chen Xing might be on their trail, Jiang Li had then dragged him into the forest.

Fortunately, the Mystical Skill of Xuan Sect also included knowledge of astronomy and geography. Even in this fog-enshrouded forest, she could barely make her way through without encountering many wild animals.

Zhao Lang chuckled softly, turning his gaze back to the misty sky.

“It seems that being with you really does bring good luck.”

Jiang Li followed with a cold laugh, “Barely clinging to life, how is that lucky?”

Zhao Lang’s gaze shifted to the string of beads on his wrist.

“At least I’m still alive, I’m already content with that.”

A light laugh floated over, and then Jiang Li grasped the Buddha Beads on his wrist.

“You should indeed be grateful that you’re still alive.”

“Let me tell you a story. Legend has it that Buddha once used the Monyi Pearl to ask the Four Heavenly Kings about its color, and each of them gave a different answer, leading to the saying, ‘The Monyi Pearl, unrecognized by man.'”

“My master once took me to see a Magic Artifact forged by a highly attained monk. The bead was completely black, but when placed under sunlight, it turned bright red, and when submerged in water, it became transparent. My master told me that this is the rare Monyi Pearl found in the world.”

Jiang Li finished with a laugh, “Although the one on your wrist is not the same size as the one I saw, its appearance and color are almost indistinguishable. I have tested it, and it indeed turns transparent when it meets water.”

“In Buddhism, the one who uses the Monyi Pearl as a Magic Artifact is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who controls Reincarnation, saves all beings, and does not fall into the three realms.”

“But that’s not so surprising, since you do not look like an ordinary person. It’s quite normal for you to have such a treasure. However, I’ve looked at your face and palmistry.” Jiang Li withdrew her hand, her gaze turning cold. “You are a man with a short life.”

Her few simple words had already pierced through all of Zhao Lang’s secrets.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, “I had even tried to keep it hidden; it seems it was all in vain. Master Jiang is indeed formidable.”

Jiang Li continued with a feigned smile, mimicking his tone, “Yes, Mr. Zhao, you’ve been wearing that headband for nearly a month, covering the most crucial part of a person’s face–the Yintang–very tightly, with no hint of ‘protesting too much’.”

Zhao Lang coughed awkwardly.

“Sorry, I had my reasons for doing so.”

“Oh, so your reason for being so guarded and investigating everything about me was?”

“Because you are an anomaly in all the cycles of Reincarnation.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Li froze, a cold light flashing in her eyes.

Could Zhao Lang also be like her?

If that was the case–

“Miss Jiang, don’t be nervous, although I am cautious, I mean no harm.”

Jiang Li looked at him, but he had already averted his gaze, pretending not to see her momentary lapse.

“Since we’ve already risked our lives together, and you’ve guessed it, I won’t hide it anymore. Consider it an apology for investigating you privately.”

Zhao Lang raised his hand, the Buddha Beads on his wrist turning a bright red under the direct sunlight.

“You guessed right, and calculated correctly, I am indeed not a normal person, but a man who has died six times.”

He was like a bug that had appeared in a set program.

The first time he began Reincarnation, he was confused and helpless–

He was just an ordinary mountain man, but one day, while returning from herding cows, he fell off a cow’s back and died unexpectedly, only to return to when he was three years old.

He thought he had been reborn, so he swore to live this life well to avoid accidents.

Yet, an accident came when he was 22 years old–he died again, and once again returned to when he was three.

After repeating this twice, he became anxious.

Afraid that he was cursed, afraid that he was forever trapped in this fixed fate.

He kept searching for a solution, and it was during this process that he gradually uncovered the mystery of his origins and learned of those dark secrets unknown to others.

By the fourth cycle of Reincarnation, he had calmly accepted the fact and began to use the power of Reincarnation to expand his influence.