Murim's Weakest Princess-Chapter 264: Corroded Brass Candle Holder

Anji never thought she would dig up bodies and rob graves. Without sight, it was even harder than it first sounded. Despite all the difficulties, she gathered all the materials required for the soul rebinding ceremony. Lady Mang Yuan was extremely grateful when she heard how everyone agreed to meet up one more time before returning to the cycle of reincarnation.

With barely enough time to catch the auspicious hour, Anji hurried herself to gather everyone. She might have scraped herself on sharp rocks and twisted her ankle from a nasty fall in the process, but she could not stop. Worried for the child, the spirits told her to slow down, but Anji would not listen. Just as they had helped her, it was finally her turn to return the favour.

Against all odds, with a splinted ankle, Anji hobbled and crawled to Lady Mang Yuan’s cave, carrying the soul-bound temporary totems with her in the backpack. It was quite challenging to secure everything in the bag when it was already full. Somehow, Anji managed to stash away other items that were not needed in advance with Lady Mang Yuan so she could bring the soul-bound items with her. The most challenging item had to be a very damaged candle holder that someone was very attached to for some reason. Anji did not know the full story, but she was not going to judge. The brass candle holder that had been exposed to the elements for a long time was barely holding on. The metal crumbled easily, and Anji was so afraid the soul bound to the item might not last until she reached Lady Mang Yuan. She sacrificed a sock to wrap it safely. It was not a big deal, seeing how she had to splint her ankle, and the splint was too bulky for her sock.

By a stroke of miracle, Anji arrived thirty minutes before the auspicious hour with all the gathered shrine worshippers. Lady Mang Yuan was still preparing to open her small world, so Anji waited outside with everyone, resting as she chatted. Time passed quickly with everyone high in excitement, sharing stories about the past. Anji also noticed how the fainter souls were now slightly brighter. The shrine keeper’s soul was almost able to take physical shape. Perhaps this was the effect of being close to Lady Mang Yuan’s spiritual energy. The souls seemed more stabilised.

Slowly but surely, the auspicious hour of crossing arrived. Anji heard a rattling sound and gathered her belongings. Lady Mang Yuan was preparing to open her small world.

"Stay close with me," Anji advised the souls following her. "We are crossing the barrier between realms to see Lady Mang Yuan. It would be terrible if you were to become lost in the rift. Do not stray far from me. I cannot bring you back from the rift if the spiritual undercurrents sweep you away."

It was true. Although it was easy for Anji, a living human, to cross into Lady Mang Yuan’s spiritual world as a soul, the same cannot be said of these weakened souls. With no stable physical anchors, they would be easily drawn to the spiritual world, as they should have been there long ago. To get from the physical world to Lady Mang Yuan’s small world, they had to jump across a small part of the spiritual world. Anji was their only guide, but she was unsure if she was capable of bringing all eight souls with her safely.

Thankfully, the process was quicker than Anji had expected. Without having to meditate to meet Lady Mang Yuan, Anji crawled through the narrow cave entrance and instantly fell into a new world. Lady Mang Yuan must have prepared a lot to receive these many guests because the power and magnetic field of her small world were much stronger and vaster than Anji remembered.

Unlike before, they were no longer in the small cosy room. Instead, it was a full reception hall that smelled strongly of incense. Although Anji did not know why the great snake spirit chose such a scene, she quickly learned why they were here.

"Lady Mang Yuan!" Anji heard a young boy’s voice. The pitter-patter of little feet running across the wooden floorboard startled her a little.

One by one, the souls that came with Anji turned into children. They must be the orphaned children Lady Mang Yuan adopted who grew up to become her most devoted shrine guardians. Among them, Anji spotted a girl of almost fourteen years old. She was taller than Anji but had the same childish joy on her face as she gathered behind her younger siblings, greeting their beloved saviour. Anji instantly knew she was the shrine keeper.

With a grace rivalling the Goddess of Mercy, Lady Mang Yuan stood up and received the bombardment of affection from the children. She returned their hugs and patted them on their heads. It had been such a long time and there was much to say. Before long, the great temple hall turned into a place as noisy as the wet market. Anji stood further behind and observed with a small smile. For all the chaos it took to make this moment possible, it finally paid off with interest.

The auspicious window was short. It did not even last a full day. Anji knew they had centuries worth of stories to catch up with, but there were only six hours before they had to say their goodbyes. Yet, nobody seemed in a hurry. They spent time gathered around the table, with snacks and tea that Lady Mang Yuan had prepared, as they would have when they were alive.

Watching such a scene play out, Anji could not help but feel a little sad. Reunions that brought joy were always met with bitter partings. Suddenly, watching them, Anji thought about her family. How did she part with them the last time?

If she ever had to leave permanently, Anji thought it would be great to see everyone at least one last time. That way, Anji knew she would be able to leave without lingering regrets like these poor children. To wait several thousand years to say a proper goodbye, Anji could not even imagine the kind of loneliness they must have endured. Even so, she could understand their resolve to wait for so long until their identities eroded.

Despite the passage of time that corroded even the brass candle holder, it could not dull their immense love for Lady Mang Yuan, who, for all her karma, would forever be a saint in their eyes.

As the hours passed, Anji had to look away. Soon, they would have to bid goodbye, and she wasn’t sure if she could refrain from shedding tears in the final moment. Perhaps it was not only the children who had grown attached to Lady Mang Yuan but also Anji, who knew the real ending.