Monument of Life and Death

  ***

  Xia Ni hugged Aunt Long, leaning against the wall absentmindedly.

  It is white all around.

  Everything is white.

  Amidst the whiteness, a dazzling bright red appeared.

  Xia Ni's little red snake quietly climbed onto his shoulders, put its forelimbs behind his ears, and quietly stared at Xia Ni and Aunt Lu.

  Like observing.

   After a long time, it crawled along Xia Ni's arm and landed on Auntie Long's face.

  Xia Ni is still absent-minded.

  The little red snake moved little by little, and slowly moved to Auntie Obscure's lips.

  It hesitated for a moment, then raised its head, as if looking at Xia Ni.

  Xia Ni's eyes were scattered all over the pale room, but none of them focused on Aunt Obscure.

  Little Red Snake twisted her neck back, and took a deep look at Auntie Wu.

  It moved its slender and weird limbs, slowly, and crawled into Aunt Oboro's slightly opened lips.

  ***

  Xiao Lan pressed her chest, pondered for a while, and finally walked to Xia Hua.

  Xia Hua was sitting alone on the bank with her back hunched over. Seeing Xiaolan approaching, she was going to turn around and respond politely, but she still had no strength in the end.

   "Master Xia Hua," Xiao Lan pulled her clothes and sat down next to Xia Hua, "That...you...do you have anything...uh...I don't know what to say..."

   "It's a bit weird." Xia Hua said lightly.

  Xiao Lan looked at Xia Hua's side face seriously. After a while, as if she had confirmed something, she unbuttoned her chest and showed Xia Hua the strange mark.

  Xia Hua widened her eyes and stared at the mark for a long time.

   After several minutes, Xia Hua asked, "When did this appear?"

   "Shortly before you came here," Xiaolan said, "the exact time... I may not be able to determine it. At that time, I felt my chest was hot, and then..."

   "Did you see me?"

   "Yes," Xiaolan nodded, "I looked at the water, and I saw you in the water."

  Xia Hua's gaze moved back, and after a few seconds of wandering, it landed on the water.

  Xiao Lan pursed her lips, thought for a while, and decided to press on.

   "Sister Xia Hua, so what is going on..."

   "Liao Yilan."

   "Hey," Xiao Lan was suddenly called out, feeling a little guilty for some reason, "Sister Xia Hua..."

  Xia Hua turned her head suddenly, her sharp and deep eyes seemed to carry weight, and fell on Xiaolan's face with a bang.

   "Do you want a bug?"

  Xia Hua asked this question endlessly, Xiaolan's mouth opened and closed, and she couldn't figure out how to answer it.

"…insect…"

   "What are you talking about?" Qin Yin walked over, "Tsk, Xiao Lan, put your clothes on."

  Qin Yin looked like a strict mother, frowning and fastened Xiaolan's clothes, then sat at the other end of Xiaolan, looking at the two of them.

  Xia Hua's dark eyes flicked around Qin Yin's body, then retracted, shook her head briefly, turned her head back, and continued to look at the void where she was.

   "What's the matter, why didn't you talk when I came?" Qin Yin scratched her head and had reasonable doubts, "Aren't you secretly talking bad about me?"

   "Sister Xia Hua just asked me if I want..."

   "I'm talking nonsense," Xia Hua interrupted Xiao Lan, her tone sounding unfriendly, "Don't worry about it."

   "Nonsense?" Xiao Lan was really confused, "But..."

   "I just saw the mark on your body, and suddenly I was thinking wildly." Xia Hua smiled and turned her face away, but the smile seemed a bit forced, "You don't need to pay attention to that mark, it's not a bug mark."

   "This...isn't it?" Xiao Lan was dumbfounded, "But this shape looks like a snake."

   "But it's really not a bug mark," Xia Hua patiently explained, "We Sixia people all have life bugs first, and then insect marks appear on our bodies. You don't even have life bugs, so how can there be bug marks?"

  Xiaolan quickly filtered the bugs that she had come into contact with recently in her mind. After thinking about it, it seemed that only the strange little guy Xia Ni was there, but...is that thing really a bug?

   "Then... Sister Xia Hua," Xiao Lan suddenly asked at the thought of this, "Does Xia Ni have insect marks on her body?"

   These words seemed to touch a switch somewhere on Xia Hua's body, and the smile on Xia Hua's face disappeared in just a split second.

  Xiaolan felt that she had touched the crux of the problem.

  ***

  Jasli hugged Miaozhen and stepped on the sea of ​​flames.

   "Oscar." Jasmine called softly.

  The little golden figure fell to the ground with a clatter. As soon as Oscar came into contact with the flames, he jumped up on the spot, and his feet should be very hot.

   Oscar turned his head to look at his master aggrieved, seeing that the master had no intention of playing with him at all, he snorted and melted into a puddle of golden water on the spot.

The golden water spread out on the ground, and not long after, an irregular circle was drawn on the ground, enclosing Jasmine and Miaozhen in the circle, the flames could not break through the circle, and could only lick the air around them , as if in a demonstration.

  Jasmine shook her head, "Oscar, after I lost sight, your circles became more perfunctory. You used to draw very circles..."

  Oscar couldn't react, but he should be able to hear and be angry.

  Jasmine suppressed the smile on her face, leaned her left hand behind her, muttered something silently, and slowly withdrew her left hand.

  The pendant hanging on her chest swayed gently.

  Lock spirit whip.

  Jasmine's left hand is firmly holding her spirit-locking whip.

   "Crossing."

  Jasmine placed the spirit-locking whip horizontally on her chest, and softly recited the formula, causing the air around her to tremble.

  The spirit-locking whip immediately flew into golden shavings, and the shavings flew all over the sky, spinning gracefully, leaping into the flames and into the chaotic air.

  Countless bright crumbs quickly touched the edge of this space.

  Jasmine smelled the fragrance of the evil spirit being transformed.

  She suddenly thought that when she saw Xiaolan for the first time, she was crossing the spirit.

  At that time, I still...

  Jasmine felt sour in her heart.

   I don't know where Xiaolan is now, what's going on.

  Is she still alive?

  Jasmine raised her hand and touched the pendant on her chest.

   It was hot, but Molly knew it was only because the air around it was too hot.

  If possible, she really hoped there was a connection between them.

   But not particularly desirable.

   After all, if she died suddenly, Xiao Lan would be very sad...

  The breath of the flames gradually weakened, and Jasmine shook her head vigorously, forcing herself to concentrate.

   Something was rubbing against her ankle, Jasmine smiled, it was Oscar.

   Oscar has changed back to his original form, and the fire has gone out.