The Distant Shore 2

"Snow falls endlessly between life and death. I keep on walking, and the higanbana continues blooming," a melodious tune exuded from the approaching woman's mouth along with the flowers swaying to the rhythm.

"The distant shore calls to the dead in the never ending flow."

The mists rolled back swiftly from the ground where her feet landed and in its place, a spider lily sprang up on its glorious red bloom on the previous steps behind. With each parting of the mist, Alex could make out a clear part of the reddish sky.

A sudden realization hit Alex. Bi-an or Higan when symbolized by two old Chinese scripts referred to the other shore, or the distant shore, another name for the netherworld.

The translucent remnants of the souls placid in their pace towards an unknown destination in their final journey under the mysterious influence past the trail of flowers, unmolested and untouched, unlike the earlier scene with their counterparts in the endless red cluster on each side of the bank.

As she approached closer, Alex gazed up at the starless skies where a blood-red moon eclipse revealed itself, bathing the area from the soft edges of its reddish glow and then at the approaching woman.

Her face bore an elegant, refined sharpness with red lips that were as equally scarlet as irises in her eyes. A scarlet glint shone on her loose, waist-long black hair to the back. She donned a long black flowing silk overcoat, with red spider lilies emblazoned to the side, emphasising her willowy figure and highlighting her graceful movements.

Between Kanghui and the woman, they spoke no words between, as though they were sizing up each other. A sweet dimpled smile appeared the woman's face as their eyes met, then she turned to Arahabaki who nodded in silence.

Alex pondered the intentions of the newcomer when he noticed her eyes moved onto him. As tall as him, her eyes peered into his, as though searching his soul for answers. Her reddish irises in the eye mesmerized him as he felt light, almost weightless.

He could feel her closing in on him, like a predator stalking its prey.

Leaning towards one ear, she whispered, "Free from the long nights of suffering, stuck in a clouded dream in the darkness."

The aroma of flowery fragrance emanated from her mouth and drifted steadily into his nostrils as his eyelids grew heavier from the soothing scent, while his mind drifted into a sleepy lull.

A pinch made him snap out of the trance-like spell. Arahabaki was staring at him with a slight shake of his head, a signal for Alex to stay silent.

Alex turned to his side where she was. To his surprise, the woman was standing in front of Kanghui, as Arahabaki dragged him a few paces behind.

He noticed the long red petals of the spider lilies billowing from the red spider lilies surrounding them towards the woman, gathering around her to swirl like a shield.

"Fight?" Alex whispered to Arahabaki, who gave him an inconspicuous nod.

"You are learning fast," came his husky reply.

"Bi-an—" Kanghui said.

"Higanbana," the woman cut her off in a soft-spoken ire and ran her fingers lightly across an unflinching Kanghui's right shoulder. "Surely we don't have to rehash old times?"

"Looks like more of a lover's tiff," Alex nudged Arahabaki playfully, who stared at him.

"Do all young human males fantasize about girl on girl action all the time?" Arahabaki muttered, irate at his comments, causing Alex to shrink back from the glare.

Kanghui cleared her throat politely. "Higanbana, to what do we owe the honour of your presence?"

A wry grin appeared on Higanbana's face as her gaze wondered to Alex. "Green is his eyes to the leaves of my flowers…"

With a dramatic pause and a feigned sigh, she looked straight at Kanghui. "I'd preferred if you came in…"

Then Higanbana paused while leering at Kanghui from head to toe and said, "your old form."

Alex widened his eyes at her words. He quickly recalled the image of Kanghui as a handsome man with similar yet more masculine features in the Mirror of Truth. Did Higanbana and Kanghui have some relationship before?

A smirk grew on Kanghui's face. "Are you worried about competition?"

"Competition?" Alex muttered.

What competition, unless there was some sort of unknown pageant contest going on in the hidden dimension.

Arahabaki leaned in and said in a very low tone, "souls keep their characteristics almost the same way as they are alive - visual appeal still matters unless you are fighting or trying to scare the shit out of someone."

"That's why you all look pretty."

"Duh," Arahabaki stifled a laugh.

A silent impasse stood between Kanghui and Higanbana.

Then Higanbana fluttered her eyelashes with the smile still frozen on her face and said slowly, "Hardly, I just miss the old you. Power, beauty and a certain iciness."

"My memory is rusty but I don't seem to recall any dalliance with you," Kanghui replied while still maintaining her smirk.

Higanbana's eyes glinted with a certain malice as the tip of her tongue flicked over the side of her rosebud red lips. "You were always at the top and I the bottom."

Arahabaki smacked a drooling Alex. "Fuck my life, a horny soul."

"Come on, man, I had little action in my life," Alex groaned.

"Well, pity," Higanbana interrupted them with her eyes still focused on Kanghui. "The girls must be blind, especially with your gorgeous green eyes."

Alex froze at her words, then for some stupid reason, he noticed how slender her neck was. Higanbana definitely exuded a heavier appeal than Meihua-gu in the Plum House.

As though noticing his attention on her neck, she flipped the loose strands of her hair over the shoulder to reveal her unblemished porcelain skin, sending the smell of fragrance to tempt his nostrils.

Arahabaki suddenly swung an awe-struck Alex around just in time to catch the long black enameled finger nails of Higanbana going past inches from his face.

That was too close to call. Another second late and those nails would gouge out his eyes.

"She was going for my EYES —" Alex blurted out, only to have Arahabaki cover his mouth to muffle the curse he was about to throw out.

"I like pain and pleasure," Higanbana replied while inspecting the fingernails on her hand. "They can't exist without the other."

"Enough," a woman's gruff voice echoed through the fields of red spider lilies, causing them to sway.

Kanghui furrowed her eyebrows and surveyed Huangquan. Nothing but the vast number of energy waves in the guise of the translucent bodies.

Higanbana pouted and looked towards the blood red skies. "I am only trying to get him to follow me."

"Sounded more like a honey trap to me," the voice retorted as Higanbana twirled the strands of her long hair.

"A Celestial Crow?" Kanghui threw an accusatory look at Higanbana, whose smile widened enough to show her dental-perfect white teeth.

A sigh came from the skies.

Higanbana started giggling. "The living cannot cross into the realm of the dead."

"Living?" Kanghui questioned.

"Not your concern," came the swift reply.

"Suicide can help," Alex offered sarcastically at whoever was speaking from above, only to get his ear pulled by Arahabaki.

"The only one suicidal here is you," Arahabaki warned while pointing at the skies.

"What if I decline to agree to your request?" Kanghui called out.

A sweep of Higanbana's hand and the path seemed to narrow between the two sides of the spider lilies.

"I still have to obey those above me. No hard feelings," Higanbana winked.

A shimmering onyx-like orb appeared in front of them with a muted glow of a golden symbol in the middle of the black circle, catching Kanghui's attention.

Kanghui retreated as though she recognized the symbol. Alex noticed her trembling hands, which tightened into fists, ready to pummel someone or something.

"Why him?"

The orb floated up to Alex, hovering in front of his face. And then to Kanghui, who took another step back.

Higanbana shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and said, "if it is up to me, I would try to devour him, but that fire inside him might burn my delicate stem. Not good for me, even on the distant shore."

An eerie greenish fire emerged from the ground around Alex as the familiar thirteen stone guardians rose in the surrounding fire. Higanbana glided away in time, but the force-field threw Arahabaki to the side.

Fortunately, a swift somersault saved Arahabaki, who landed on his feet shy of the predatory red spider lilies.

"Come on. We know you don't care for humans or their souls," Higanbana called out.

"Rules of Kotodama, truth in words spoken binds us to honor agreements," the voice from the sky replied.

Kotodama, the spirit of the language, Kanghui knew it well. A Celestial Crow will never back down on an agreement, even if it meant violating their own rules and incurring punishment. Like the one who freed her from the Void several millennia ago.

Whoever this Celestial Crow was, the presence seemed strangely familiar, like she had encountered it before in her long existence.

"As do the rules of marking apply to myself," Kanghui said aloud.

"Good. We have an understanding then. The said agreement exists between Chongli and I for his seventh wave until he can transit independently."

"Transit independently?" Alex asked. "What's so important about the seventh energy wave of his?"

"There's a seal on it for a good reason," Kanghui muttered.

"Why?"

"I don't know. There is a reason he made all these arrangements," Kanghui shrugged, but her facial expression emanated an aura of uncertainty.

"Follow Higanbana and I'll tell you more," the voice replied.