Zodiac Guardian

This is the second chapter of the day, and another will be released around 8pm. It's a triple update today. Please support Little Three with your votes. If Little Three can be pushed to the top of the new book rankings, there will be another triple update tomorrow to express the gratitude for your support. Shower me with lots of votes, and if you haven't added this book to your library, please do. Thank you.

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"Huh, why are the flags hanging in those Tibetan houses so unique?" To lighten the mood, Qi Yue pointed at a few sparse houses on the prairie and asked.

Shui Yue explained: "Those are prayer flags, they're common in Tibet. They can be seen on rooftops of dwellings, beside holy mountains and rivers, around Buddha statues, etc. The five-colored prayer flags, made up of blue, white, red, green, and yellow colors cannot be arbitrarily altered because each color represents a different meaning. Blue represents the sky, white represents clouds and snow mountains, red represents the sun (some say it represents fire), green represents the trees, and yellow represents the earth. The scripture printed on the prayer flag, Tibetans believe that each wind flutter is equivalent to them reciting the sutra once, seeking peace and good luck."

Qi Yue smiled and said, "Isn't this your first time here too? You seem very familiar with it!"

Shui Yue replied: "I wouldn't say I'm familiar, but my father has been here many times and he often tells me about Tibet and shows me photos. For Tibetans, Potala Palace is their sacred place. My father said, if you haven't visited Tibet, you'll never truly appreciate how beautiful our Yan Huang Republic is."

"Oh? What's the Potala Palace like?" Qi Yue, of course, wasn't so ignorant as to not know the Potala Palace, but at that moment his thoughts turned to the golden structure from his dreams. That magnificent building that seemed to be built on a mountain, although unclear, its sacred feeling intrigued Qi Yue.

"The Potala Palace rests on Marburi Mountain in the northwest of Lhasa, Tibet. It is a famous palace fortress and the epitome of Tibetan architectural artistry. The Potala Palace was established in the 7th century AD, by Songtsen Gampo, a Tibetan king, for his bridal Princess Wencheng from the Tang Dynasty. Its location, at an altitude more than 3700 meters above sea level on Red Hill, houses 999 rooms. The palace, built into the hillside, currently occupies an area of ​​410,000 square meters, and is 115 meters high with 13 floors, entirely a stone and wood structure. The roofs of its 5 palaces are covered with gold-plated copper tiles, their brilliant golden radiance is majestic and impressive, marking it as the pinnacle of ancient Tibetan architectural artistry. It is hailed as the Plateau Temple."

Upon hearing Shui Yue's detailed explanation, a shudder ran through Qi Yue, especially at the words "brilliant golden". It stirred up a powerful urge within him. Though his trip to Tibet came about by running away, he had secretly concluded to visit the Potala Palace regardless. The clarity of his dreams brought about feelings utterly different from his former life, even though it was just a dream. But in his consciousness, this dream seemed to really exist.

Shui Yue looked back at Qi Yue and smiled, "It's a pity you slept for so long, you missed the majestic Kunlun Mountain Range, it's remarkably beautiful. We took the train past the highest peak of the eastern segment of the Kunlun Mountain Range - Yuzhu Peak - it's over 6,000 meters above sea level. We are now at the Nyenchenthanglha Mountains, one of the most significant mountain ranges surrounding Lhasa. These mountains don't seem very high because our current altitude is already quite elevated. 'Nyenchenthanglha' in Tibetan means the 'god of the Lingying grassland'. It's a sacred mountain in Tibetans' hearts. The highest peak reaches 7117 meters. Near the main peak, there are four peaks above 7,000 meters high that line up from east to west, closely adjoined to one another. Around them, there are also more than 30 majestic towering snow peaks over 6,000 meters high, unbroken and continuous. We are getting close to Lhasa now."

She spoke with a tone of admiration, her demeanor expressing complete absorption into the snowy scenes outside.

Qi Yue refrained from saying too much, watching the towering snow mountains outside, he wasn't sure why, but he suddenly lost his playful mood to tease Shui Yue. The grandeur of the mountains was impactful not only externally but also within his heart. He found his chest broadening in a way he had never experienced before and the pressure he had felt when leaving the Capital City was completely swept away.

By the time the train arrived at the terminus of Lhasa, it was already 9pm. Qi Yue and Shui Yue alighted from the train together. Far away, he saw someone holding a big sign with the name "Shui Yue" written on it at the reception platform.

Shui Yue stopped in her tracks, looked deeply at Qi Yue and said, "I think it's time to part ways. My father has a friend in Lhasa who is a doctor and he is coming to pick me up, after which I will go to their hospital to intern. Their school has some special arrangements, so the break starts earlier! I plan to stay here and intern until the end of August before I return to the Capital City. I really hope to do more for the Tibetan people. If destiny wills, perhaps we will meet again in the Capital City." She finished her words, a naturally holy light graced her face. Qi Yue knew what this light signified, kindness.

Despite a slight regret, it was impossible to feel otherwise. Qi Yue frustratingly realized as he looked at this beautiful and pure girl, his heart lacked carnal desires, instead, he felt a touch of admiration. "Could you leave me your phone number?"

Shui Yue bared a radiant smile, like a blossoming lily, "If it's meant to be, we'll meet again." Leaving those words behind, she quickly dragged her luggage toward the large sign welcoming her, without looking back at Qi Yue.

Qi Yue stood still, only snapping back to reality after watching Shui Yue and the wooden tablet bearing her name disappear into the crowd. "What's wrong with me?" he cursed quietly. "Could I actually be falling for her? No way, the only thing I like about her is her seductive appearance."

He pulled out a slightly squashed pack of cigarettes from his pocket, put a bent one in his mouth, but when he tried to light it with his lighter, he found it had stopped working. Only then did he remember that in high-altitude areas like Lhasa, there wasn't enough oxygen for regular lighters to operate properly.

He pulled out a phone number given by Tian Shu and dialed Tian Shu's home.

"Is this Tian Shu? It's Qi Yue."

"Boss, where are you now?" Tian Shu's voice was full of surprise.

Qi Yue looked around, took his simple luggage to a corner before continuing, "I've arrived in Tibet. How are things over there? Did YanXiaoyi die?"

Tian Shu chuckled bitterly, "That guy has a tenacious life, like a cockroach. My dad sent people to inquire, he's not dead, just a moderate concussion, still in the hospital. He already announced that he won't let you off, you should hide for a few days more. Wait until things calm down, then come back."

Qi Yue breathed a sigh of relief; after all, if a man is not dead, then it cannot be a big deal, "All right, let's not thrown the word 'thanks' around between us brothers. How are things on your dad's end? Are they giving you a hard time?"

Tian Shu answered, "Not much, Just a confinement punishment. Boss, you also know that Yan Xiaoyi's family has some influence. My dad always has to facilitate things. Don't worry, I will be fine." Naturally, he would not tell Qi Yue that due to this incident, he was heavily scolded and was transferred to a strictly supervised prestigious boarding school, never getting a chance to hang out anymore.

"Well, I won't talk much then. Take care of yourself." Qi Yue hung up the phone. Although he had known Tian Shu for only a few years, he understood his good brother very well. Words weren't necessary; he would always remember what he owed Tian Shu.

Now, where should he go? Qi Yue was a bit at a loss; Tibet was definitely a mysterious place for him. Not only didn't he know anyone here, he couldn't even distinguish directions. He hesitated with his luggage, patted the ten thousand yuan or so in his bag, and made up his mind.

At night, the magnificently lit streets of Lhasa were beautiful. But as soon as Qi Yue stepped out of the station, he was astounded again because he vaguely saw golden glory shrouding areas not far behind these grand streets - the dusky gold color was almost exactly the same as what he had seen in his dream.

What place was that? After asking a few simple questions, Qi Yue quickly got the answer – that was the Potala Palace, the most sacred and highest of holy places in Tibet. Under the multi-colored lights, the Potala Palace seemed even more solemn and mysterious against the curtain of the dark night.

Looking at the grand Potala Palace, Qi Yue felt as if he heard a voice beckoning him. His gaze seemed a bit dazed, his body, seemingly out of his control, arrived onto the streets of Lhasa, where he hailed a cab. Ignoring his hungry stomach, he headed straight towards the Potala Palace.

The staircase in front of the Potala had a unique zig-zag shape that, when viewed from the bottom up, accentuated the might and grandeur of the highest castle-like architectural complex in the world. When Qi Yue arrived at the foot of the mountain, he suddenly realized that the summoning voice inside him had disappeared. The near-golden palace looked stunningly beautiful, the scene from his dream emerged before his eyes again, but this time it was indeed real.

"Is it beautiful here?" A gentle voice resounded not far from Qi Yue, it sounded familiar because it was in the authentic Capital City dialect, not the Tibetan language which Qi Yue couldn't understand at all.