Chapter 187
What could Kama say? She could only nod calmly.
"You are also my descendant," Dasha said again. "Looking closely, you are now of suitable age and should find a suitable young man to be your husband. You should no longer do the work of a servant. Prepare yourself well!"
After saying these words, the Progenitor Daksha turned and left. Then, the maids came in, helped Kama, who was still kneeling obediently on the ground, to her feet, and changed her into a servant's clothes.
"Praise Progenitor Daksha."
"Homage to the Great Immortal Kashyapa!"
Upon returning to his temple, the Progenitor Daksha encountered another sage in the open space outside.
The man had a beautiful beard and piercing eyes; he was tall and strong, with neatly combed silver hair.
This is the Kashyapa Immortal, who married more than a dozen of the daughters of his Progenitor Daksha and created more than a dozen large family lineages over nearly a century.
In fact, within Kashyapa Immortal's family, some already secretly referred to him as "Lord of Life." However, this had no connotation of Lord; it was simply because Kashyapa was truly prolific.
Kashyapa Immortal was also the most trusted son-in-law of the Progenitor Daksha, but even so, the two sages still bowed to each other first.
Only after the ceremony was completed did Daksha step forward and embrace Kashyapa as a father-in-law.
"Kashyapa Immortal, what brings you to me at this time? Please come in quickly. I have prepared some fine milk balls and pure Soma wine."
The two immortals entered the temple and sat down around the fire.
Daksha himself brought over a tray containing food and water, and the Kashyapa Immortal asked Daksha to take some first.
The Progenitor Daksha then chuckled and picked up a dumpling made of honey, flour, and milk, while the Kashyapa Immortal picked up the milk tea beside him and put it in his mouth.
After the two immortals ate a few bites of food, they returned to their previous topic.
"Progenitor Daksha, please forgive my intrusion." Kashyapa shifted to a more relaxed posture. "Do you intend for that 'Kama' to replace Sati in a marriage alliance with the 'Wrathful Lord'?"
"Let me put it this way, Kashyapa Immortal," Dasha pondered, "Sati is my most beloved daughter, and her talent is the greatest I have ever seen. She can visit the Snow Mountain Pure Land while sleeping naturally without drinking Soma wine. Given time, she may be able to replace me and become the leader of all the sages."
"If Sati can ascend higher in the Snow Mountain Pure Land, the more profound the Dharma we receive will be, and the stronger the Maya Illusionary Power will become..."
The Kashyapa Immortal sighed softly, "If Vyasa were still here..."
"Don't mention her!" Dasha waved his hand angrily.
Kashyapa Immortal simply smiled.
The Progenitor Daksha called himself Sati, which means Parvati, and his talent was extraordinary.
But both he and the other immortals knew that this statement was simply not plausible.
Even though Parvati had never drunk Soma wine, he still needed to fall asleep to see the outline of the snow-capped mountains in the far distance of the wilderness.
Vyasa sat down and meditated on the spot, and in an instant crossed the boundary between the present world and the wilderness, walking back and forth several times at the foot of the snow mountain.
The Brahma was also shaken by this and directly bestowed upon her the title of "Immortal".
She has not yet attained the true form of an immortal, but she already possesses the title of "immortal"... This is Vyasa. She has not yet completed her apprenticeship, but she is already regarded by the immortals as their future leader.
But what is heartbreaking, or rather infuriating, is that Vyasa disappeared ten years ago.
She vanished like a bubble.
No matter how powerful the immortal was, they could not find her through prophecy; it seemed as if she had never truly existed.
As for curses, there's no target to be found.
The Bhrigu Immortal was so enraged by this that he left Mohenjo-daro five years ago and began wandering and ascetic practices in the mortal world.
As for the Ant-hill Immortal, he filled the void left by the Bhrigu Immortal.
But because of this incident, his influence has been greatly reduced.
Kashyapa Immortal didn't have any particular thoughts about this; in fact, he was even a little pleased.
—The next era is called the Vedas, originally led by the Ant-hill Immortal, but now it's hard to say.
Kashyapa understood Daksha's actions and did not care about Kama's fate.
He was just worried that this act of impersonation would be exposed by the "Wrathful Lord".
"No, you're overthinking it, Kashyapa." Dasha chuckled and shook his head. "That child has my blood flowing through his veins, and he looks almost exactly like Sati. The only difference is his temperament, which is due to his living environment."
"'Wrathful Lord' is an outsider, and he is destined to destroy this old civilization. He won't care about such a trivial matter. I sent the child away only to show the priests' attitude."
Daksha's gaze was somewhat cold. "'Wrathful Lord' is an invincible, invincible, invincible being. In other words, he will one day be ranked alongside Brahma. But the 'Wrathful Lord's' subjects are still mortals, still have desires that need to be enjoyed and vented."
"Then let them vent, let them enjoy themselves," Dasha said with a slight smile. "Mohenjo-daro has accumulated nine hundred years of wealth and population, which is enough to satisfy them."
Kashyapa still somewhat uneasy. "But what if that child named 'Kama' learns of this, harbors resentment, and deliberately exposes it?"
Daksha gave Kashyapa a cold look.
"No, Kashyapa Immortal, you think too highly of that 'Wrathful Lord.' He is more of a beast than a human, so he will surely kill Kama in the most cruel way."
"As for the Aryans? They won't care whether it's real or fake." Dasha picked up a cup of Soma wine and drank it down. "Compared to the entire Bharata that is about to be ours, what is a fake marriage partner?"
261 Kama dreamt of visiting Fangcun Mountain, where the Patriarch Bodhi imparted profound teachings.
"This is not a sacrifice, but a blessing from the Lord."
A group of middle-aged maids surrounded Kama, skillfully arranging Kama long hair, dressing him in a dress embroidered with gold thread, and draping him with ribbons adorned with flowers.
They were quick and nimble, their movements gentle, as if they were treating a supreme princess.
"How enviable, Kamadiya!" The servants called out Kama's full name in unison, their eyes brimming with joy. "You will marry the king who conquered the land, the object of countless girls' dreams. Now you will enjoy this happiness all to yourself!"
The servants brought out freshly picked flowers, of which there were as many as ninety-nine varieties.
Kama could tell at a glance that gathering such a large quantity of flowers would not only require a great deal of time, but also that the gatherer must be of a sufficiently noble status.
Of these nearly one hundred types of flowers, almost 40% are not allowed to be touched by those who are not involved in the ritual.
Progenitor Daksha had already made this decision long ago.
Naturally, he didn't care about Kama, nor did he care whether she would have any objections to it.
Kama sat calmly by the fire, tilting her head slightly upward to look at the temple dome, which she could never normally set foot on.
This series of ups and downs in her life left her feeling lost and disoriented, but fortunately, she learned to accept it early on.
Besides, what does it matter if he marries in place of Parvati? Kama already knows who he is going to marry.
That was a foreign king known as the "Wrathful Lord," who, according to legend, possessed a third eye like obsidian between his brows, from which he could spew forth flames that could incinerate all things.
This king, leading his royal court under his military banner, came from the west.
They had pale skin, rode chariots and steeds, and possessed unparalleled strength. Even Bharata's most valiant warriors were torn apart and shattered by their casual blows.
They conquered all visible lands like a whirlwind, cutting through mountains and building bridges across rivers, their conquests seemingly endless. Legend has it that every city-state they conquered was ruthlessly slaughtered.
Kama had heard this legend—that the conquerors took up wheels and placed them at the entrance to the city.
All men taller than a cartwheel were beheaded, and all women were tortured and killed. Their remains were not wasted, but dried and used as military rations.
At first, some children barely below the wheel survived, but because of the hatred in their eyes, the conqueror laughed and kicked the wheel over.
Her own father disappeared without a trace after going to the battlefield.
Kama felt a sudden pang of anxiety. She would rather her father had fled the battlefield like a coward and lived in seclusion in the mountains like a monkey... Anything would be better than becoming food to fill someone's hungry stomach.
But she still couldn't say anything. She could only silently and calmly let people dress her up, listen to them praise the fate that didn't belong to her, and look at their eyes, which were half jealous and half envious.
Some of the servants left, while others stayed to continue throwing flower petals into the sacrificial fire.
They murmured prayers that Kama could not understand. The only thing she was certain of was that even these servants were of higher status and birth than herself.
Since even they've started to envy my fate, it must be a happy future, right? She knew it was hopeless, yet she still managed a self-deceptive smile.
In that instant, Kama's eyebrows, which resembled distant mountains, relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
But her eyes drooped, making it look more like she was about to cry than to laugh.
The servants prayed around the fire, and after they finished their work, none of them looked in their direction again.
The flames flickered as night deepened.
Kama was drowsy.
In the stillness of the night, she looked around blankly.
The servants all seemed to be asleep, and mercury spilled out of the doorway.
Was it moonlight, or heavy snow, or something else entirely?
Kama didn't bother with putting on shoes; her soft soles gently trod through the night, the moonlight, and the water, trudging through the thick white fog.
She didn't know why she was doing this, but some kind of impulse was urging her on.
A fog had risen all around, and the shimmering water replaced the buildings.
Kama walked forward, and the water gradually became shallower. She saw a strange yet familiar mountain forest in the white mist.
She saw the clouds part and a white deer emerge from the deep forest.
The white deer had gentle features, and nine-colored flowers grew among its branches, with twelve bronze plaques hanging on it, making a tinkling sound.
Kama stood there, stunned.
The first emotion that welled up in her mind was not joy, but rather shame and inferiority.
—You are still as beautiful as ever, but I have been tainted by the world and become this ugly creature.
Kama raised his hand to cover his face and turned to leave.
As she made this movement, a gentle force lifted her back, and when she looked down, she found herself on the back of the white deer.
The magnificent mountain scenery of her childhood appeared before Kama's eyes once again, like a painting; as she gazed at it, a tear fell onto the broad back of the white deer.
The white deer remains unchanged, but that happy little girl has been killed by her own hands.
The little girl was already dead when her father went to war and never returned, and when her mother died and started to stink on her bed!
Countless scenes flashed before Kama's eyes like a whirlwind, and just when she thought this gallop would continue forever, the white deer stopped.
A stone tablet that she had only glimpsed ten years ago now stood before her.
It was still the kind of text she couldn't understand, but could comprehend: Spiritual Terrace, Square Inch Mountain, Slanting Moon, Three Stars Cave.
While Kama was in a daze, the white deer nodded to her, then stepped over the stone tablet and walked towards the back.
Kama followed behind the white deer.
Beyond the stone tablet lay a tall gate, with two lines of text inscribed on the pillars on either side, in a language that Kama could not understand but could comprehend.
The inscription reads, "The Immortal Abode of Immortals Who Live Long and Divinely, the Daoist Family Who Lives as Long as Heaven!"
Immortals? The Progenitor Daksha, was an immortal; the great immortal Kashyapa was an immortal; and so was the Ant-hill Immortal.
But which of them has such courage?
Kama looked up at the two lines of text, and a stronger sense of inferiority arose in his heart.
Just as I was thinking this, the vermilion gate suddenly opened to both sides with a bang, and the surrounding scenery was hazy, with only a blue stone path extending under my feet.
Kama staggered a few steps and saw an enormous Bodhi Tree, firmly rooted at the end of the road, as if the entire Fangcun Mountain was built around it.
The white deer that had always been by her side suddenly transformed into a gentle breeze and flew towards the Bodhi Tree.
Kama wanted to go further, but he could not make an inch.
"Kamadiya!"
A voice came from beneath the Bodhi Tree: "The ten-year period has come to an end. Do you harbor hatred or resentment in your heart?"
Kama wasn't surprised that the other person could call her by name, but she really didn't remember anything about a "ten-year agreement".
"I'm sorry, Immortal!" Kama knelt down respectfully. "I didn't know about the ten-year period you mentioned, nor did I know why I have hatred and resentment in my heart."
"Haha. Let's just forget about it."
A faint sound of laughter seemed to come from under the Bodhi Tree.
"How can you not feel hatred and resentment in your heart? Do you know what your fate will be?"
Kama shook his head.
Then the voice from under the Bodhi Tree rang out again.