The moment it awoke, it saw a young girl standing at the bottom of the lake, smiling at him.
“Will you… accompany me forever?”
“I don’t know how long forever is, but in my past life, I could hear your voice. Now that I’ve died… I want to accompany you. I want you to be part of my next life.” At this moment it came to understand that… it was the spirit of the boat. Listening to the voice of the lake over the countless years had caused the boat’s spirit to come into being.
Before dying, its life had been the waters of the lake. After death, its spirit would protect the lake forever, into eternity.
It was then that a boat once again appeared on the surface of the lake. Inside the boat was a young girl warming a bottle of alcohol. Together, they floated to and fro across the lake.
Meng Hao’s mind shook as he saw all of this transpire in front of him. Everything grew blurry for a moment, and then came back into focus. He was once again in the boat. The old man was there in front of him, grinning at him and holding his cup of alcohol. The girl looked up at him, smiling, her chin resting in her hands.
The old man took a drink. “This is my heart. Do you understand… successor of the Demon Sealing Sect?”
Meng Hao was silent for a moment. Frustration shined in his eyes. He… did not understand.
“Don’t search too hard for an answer. If you do, the answer you find might be false. At some point in your life, perhaps you will be able to find the answer. Don’t give up.” The old man looked at Meng Hao solemnly.
“Big Brother,” said the young girl, “its aura … is beneath your feet. Don’t provoke it. Remember… the great path of Demon Sealing…” Waves once again surged across the lake in all directions, great, tall waves that seemed to touch the sky. Everything turned dark amidst the thunderous roar. The boat sank into the water.
Meng Hao didn’t leap out of the boat. Instead, he closed his eyes. After some time passed, he opened them, and found himself sitting cross-legged on the lakeshore. The lake was still. There were no waves and no boat. What that had just happened had been an illusion.
The girl had not appeared, nor had the old man. Everything had occurred in a dream.
“Its aura is beneath my feet….” Meng Hao’s eyes shone with confusion. He looked down at his feet. He saw nothing but his shoes.
“The great path of Demon Sealing, a concept like a scripture.” Meng Hao frowned, still unable to comprehend the meaning of the words. He slowly got to his feet, then clasped his hands and bowed a third time to the lake