Chapter 107.1: Thank Heaven Youre Here, Little Bride
At the Nine Plate Mountain...
The canary went pale. The moment she saw the Myriad Phenomena Gate vanish, she clutched at her skirts and sprinted madly up the mountain path.
"Blood Drop!"
Her cry echoed, but the familiar figure did not appear. The mountaintop lay empty and silent. A hollow ache rose in her chest. The Myriad Phenomena Gate had vanished, and with it, Blood Drop was gone.
Everything felt strange and unreal. It was too much for the canary to accept. The wind swept across the peak, lifting strands of her dark hair. She tilted her stubborn petite face toward the sky.
"Blood Drop... you're not really that Buddha they spoke of, are you?" she whispered. "And I... am I that demoness you killed?"
Ever since the origin of the Myriad Phenomena Gate had been uncovered, whispers had spread through Nine Plate Mountain. They said that whenever the Myriad Phenomena Gate appeared, so would a being called Blood Drop. It was a droplet of blood shed by the Great Demon himself.
Words spread that the Blood Master taught the Demon Binding Art to atone for his sins. Some scoffed at the tale, others took it at face value.
The canary stood alone upon the peak, a tiny silhouette against the vast sky. She hated the story of the Buddha who killed his beloved, the demoness.
***
Rain began to fall, heavy and unending.
In the City of No Return, Yuan Qi pulled his straw raincoat tighter around his shoulders. When he looked up at the man standing atop the city wall, a chill of terror crept through his heart.