Qian Duo surveyed the raging inferno around her. No longer searching for the vanished Qin Junyao, she climbed onto a platform that had yet to catch fire and lay down, her expression softening from ferocity to peace.
She remembered. In her previous life, before she died, she had prayed to Buddha for another chance.
To have a reason to live, Qian Duo became a devout follower of Buddha, burning incense daily and eating vegetarian meals. She didn't pray for this life, only for the next.
The fire reached the roof. Burning beams, along with dry earth, rained down on Qian Duo, but she didn't stir.
Choked by the thick smoke, Qian Duo struggled to breathe, her body pinned and unable to move. She clutched her throat, her eyes alight with excitement. Soon, she could start again.
As her consciousness blurred and she lost feeling in her body, she heard a sigh.
The voice was neither male nor female, neither old nor young, seeming both distant and like a whisper by her ear.
'Faithful daughter Qian Duo, do not be obsessed. All beings are equal, and opportunities are given to all. You know the future path, she possesses spatial items. What you sow, you shall reap; it all depends on your own choices.' Dan Xiao novel website.
What you sow, you shall reap; it all depends on your own choices. This was the last sentence that remained in Qian Duo's mind.
Had her choice been wrong?
The fire burned until dawn. Qin Junyao endured the suffering within her spatial dimension, waiting for morning.
She couldn't save Qian Duo. Her spatial dimension, besides herself, could not bring in any living creatures.
If she hadn't been pregnant, she might have fought and struggled.
But now, she could only selfishly preserve her own life.
Several groups of people arrived throughout the morning. Some looked like ordinary villagers, others like yesterday's bandits, and some like well-trained soldiers.
Qin Junyao remained quietly in her spatial dimension, waiting for Deng Zi and the others.
As night fell, Deng Zui and his companions arrived, guided by Hua Niang, whom they had met in Yangshu Village.
Under the cover of darkness, Qin Junyao emerged from her spatial dimension and waved to Deng Zui, who was about to begin the search.
"Yan Song, Liu Yu, I'm here."
"Madam."
"Quick, the Madam is over there."
Everyone was overjoyed to see Qin Junyao unharmed, as they had prepared for the worst.
Liu Yu held Qin Junyao's arm and took her pulse. Finding no issues, she hugged Qin Junyao's arm and wept like a child.
Qin Junyao patted Liu Yu's shoulder and said to Deng Zui, "There's a corpse there. Dig it up and bury it properly."
"Many people came this morning. See if you can discern any traces. We'll discuss the rest after leaving here."
Qin Junyao nodded to Hua Niang, then walked away. Seeing the ruins and Qian Duo, who had turned to carbon, her heart remained heavy.
Back in the carriage, Qin Junyao asked Liu Yu what had happened after she left and how Hua Niang ended up with them.
"The medicine and water Madam left were enough to counteract the effects. When we followed the tracks to an intersection, we discovered multiple sets of similar wagon tracks."
"Yan Qinwei had no choice but to order people to search separately."
Liu Yu wiped away her tears. "I followed Yan Qinwei along one of the tracks, and we eventually found an empty carriage."
"We only returned to the original intersection this noon and found many people returning, all of whom had found empty carriages."
"When we were at a loss, Hua Niang arrived. She said she had gone to Yan County and found the people at the Sui family's grain store to be acting strangely. Fearing something had happened, she rode after us."
Liu Yu lit the oil lamp in the carriage and said with admiration, "Madam, Hua Niang is amazing. After hearing about our situation, she said we had all been looking in the wrong direction."
"If not for the many traces on the road, Hua Niang would have found this place much earlier. Madam, next time, you mustn't leave me behind again."