The other shore flower also has a poignant legend in Qian Xunji's previous life, which Qian Xunji even remembered.
Legend has it that there were once two people named Bi and An, whom Heaven decreed could never meet. They cherished each other deeply and admired one another. Finally, one day, they defied Heaven's decree and secretly met. As the saying goes, hearts that resonate understand each other perfectly. Upon meeting, Bi discovered that An was a beautiful woman, and An similarly discovered that Bi was a handsome young man. They instantly felt a deep connection, fell in love, and vowed to be together for eternity.
However, their fate was sealed. Because they violated Heaven's rules, their love was cruelly crushed. Heaven placed a cruel curse upon them, turning them into the flower and leaf of a single plant. But this flower was peculiar; it had flowers but no leaves, and leaves but no flowers, forever separated by the cycle of life and death.
Legend has it that after countless reincarnations, one day Buddha came to this place and saw a flower on the ground with extraordinary bearing, its crimson color like fire. Buddha approached it and examined it closely, immediately discerning its secret. Buddha was neither saddened nor angry; he suddenly laughed three times, looked up at the sky, and plucked the flower from the ground. The Buddha held the flower in his hand and said with emotion, "In your past lives, you longed for each other but could not meet. After countless reincarnations, you loved each other but could not stay together. The so-called separation and reunion are nothing but the arising and ceasing of karmic connections. You bear a curse from the Heavenly Court, which prevents you from parting even when your karmic connection ends, and from separating even when it is severed. I cannot help you break this cruel curse, so I will take you to the other shore, where flowers bloom everywhere."
On his way to the other shore, the Buddha passed the River of Three Crossings in the underworld and accidentally wet his clothes. There, the red flower he had brought was placed. When the Buddha reached the other shore, he found that the fiery red flower had turned pure white. The Buddha pondered for a moment, then laughed and said, "Great joy is not as good as great sorrow, remembering is not as good as forgetting. How can right and wrong be distinguished? Beautiful flower, beautiful flower!"
The Buddha planted this flower on the other shore and named it the Mandala Flower. Because it was on the other shore, it was also called the Flower of the Other Shore. But the Buddha didn't know that on the River of Three Crossings, the flower, its color faded by the river's flow, dripped all its red into the water, wailing incessantly, a sound that saddened all who heard it. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, possessing extraordinary supernatural powers, learned that the Mandala flower had sprouted. He came to the riverbank, took a seed, and threw it into the river. Soon, a flower, even more vibrant red than before, grew from the water. Ksitigarbha held it in his hand and sighed: "You have escaped and attained great freedom, why leave this boundless hatred in the already boundless sea of suffering in hell? I will make you a guide, leading them towards reincarnation. Remember this one color of yours; the Mandala already exists on the other shore, so I will call you Manjusaka."
There are many related oral stories, and Qian Xunji remembers one particularly interesting legend.
The legend says that once upon a time, an incredibly ugly ghost fell in love with a beautiful girl. Because of his ugliness, the girl did not love him. Out of love, he imprisoned her. Later, a warrior rescued the girl and fell in love with her. The samurai slew the demon, its blood splattering among the weeds. From that moment on, a red and black flower bloomed brilliantly there, its name being "the Red Spider Lily" (彼岸花). From then on, the Red Spider Lily bloomed in a place called "Wangchuan" (忘川) in hell, a place where the dead forget their past lives and are reincarnated. Love is perhaps like that too; just because the love is different, so much is lost, so much is forgotten. Thus, the Red Spider Lily became a messenger of love from darkness, for it witnessed a dark death.
Chihiro looked at this Red Spider Lily from another world, her expression solemn yet dignified, and murmured softly: "Red Spider Lily—Manjusaka, a crimson flower, a sorrowful flower. The Red Spider Lily—blooms on the other shore, only the flower is seen, not the leaf. Blooming for a thousand years, withering for a thousand years, flower and leaf never meet, love is not bound by cause and effect, fate determines life and death."
Qian Xunji didn't understand love, but recalling the legend of the other shore flower, he felt a longing for it. He couldn't help but wonder what he would become if he fell in love with someone.
Qian Xunji snapped out of his reverie and shook his head, thinking, "What am I thinking? My most important thing right now is to improve my strength."
Inside the Hell Slaughter Arena, the succubus stared wide-eyed at the large red light barrier blocking her path, a hint of seriousness flashing in her eyes.
She didn't understand what kind of power was so strong; it was beyond her comprehension, leaving her completely bewildered.
Suddenly, with a 'crack,' the dark red bat mark above Manyao's head shook a few times and then completely disappeared. Manyao's body finally regained sensation, no longer stiff as before, and she regained control of her body.
She looked at her martial spirit and fell into deep thought. She had felt she couldn't go on and wanted to give up, but recalling Qian Xunji's words, she struggled again, constantly fighting against the restrictions the King of Slaughter had placed on her.
Suddenly, she felt a warm, comforting sensation, and gained boundless power. Using this power, she successfully broke through the restrictions and regained control of her body.
She knew it was the power of her martial spirit helping her; it seemed her martial spirit was indeed mysterious and powerful.
Manyao looked at the succubus and said, "You've lost. Death is your only destination today."
Manyao's tone was firm and confident, like the judgment of the King of Hell. If the King of Hell wants her dead at midnight, who dares to keep her alive until dawn?
The succubus panicked instantly. She felt that Manyao was stronger than before, on a completely different level. This power suffocated her.
"Impossible! I won't lose! How could I lose? I don't believe it!" she screamed hysterically, her eyes filled with venomous hatred as she stared intently at Manyao.
She launched a self-destruction attack, determined to cripple Manyao for life, even if it meant her own death.
"Stubborn to the end, let me send you on your way," Manyao said.
With that, she gripped her black sword, her body radiating an eerie red light. In the next instant, Manyao vanished from her spot, appearing before the succubus. Looking at the succubus's狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face, she shook her head slightly, and with a single strike, the succubus was obliterated, body and soul destroyed.
Manyao had achieved her 100th victory in the Hell Slaughter Arena.
Stepping out of the Hell Slaughter Arena, Manyao took a deep breath. It was good to be alive.
Suddenly, she smiled at Qian Xunji in the stands and shouted, "I did it!"
Qian Xunji returned the smile, giving Manyao a thumbs-up in encouragement.
Their gazes met in mid-air, and Manyao understood Qian Xunji's meaning. Over the past few months, the two had developed a considerable understanding, and she knew Qian Xunji was encouraging her, saying she was amazing.
In a dark and spacious room in the City of Slaughter,
the King of Slaughter lay on a chair, engrossed in drinking Bloody Mary, a look of enjoyment on his face.
Suddenly, the King of Slaughter sat up, carefully sensing something. He became enraged, and with a thud, threw the Bloody Mary into the corner of the room with a crisp 'crack'.
"Useless! That succubus, that piece of trash, actually let Manyao succeed in her challenge! Even the restrictions I placed on Manyao were violently erased! Damn it!" the King of Slaughter roared furiously.
The surrounding maids trembled with fear, prostrating themselves on the spot. After
a long while, the King of Slaughter regained his composure, gazing in the direction of the Hellish Slaughter Arena, lost in thought. (End of Chapter)