The Otherworldly Flower Across Seven Lives

I am a Red Spider Lily, also known as Manjusaka. I grow by the banks of the Yellow Springs, with no hope of becoming an immortal or a god. That is, until one day, the Great Emperor of Fengdu, with nothing better to do, dug me up and planted me in a flowerpot on his desk.

He watered me diligently every day and even read scriptures to me.

At last, I gained a mind of my own. That was when I discovered that the lofty Great Emperor of Fengdu could be so long-winded in private.

I love the sound of his deep, resonant voice. It makes me feel safe. I don't know why a flower should need to feel safe, but I also really want to see his face.

Then one day, on a whim, he let a drop of blood from his fingertip fall onto me.

And so I became the only Manjusaka in the world to take human form.

The Great Emperor of Fengdu has two faces. When he goes to work, he looks rugged and imposing, with a long beard. When he returns home, he looks so refined and handsome that it makes people jealous. I prefer his first face. It makes me feel safer, and doesn't make me feel inferior.

I became the darling of Fengdu City, simply because he had brought me to life with his divine blood. Day after day, I watched life in Fengdu, my heart always as still as water.

He said, “Plants and trees have no feelings.”

What are feelings?

Then Meng Po told me, “Only humans can experience the full range of emotions and desires.”

I wanted to try them for myself, so I secretly slipped away to the Wheel of Reincarnation and chose seven lifetimes of rebirth.

By the time he discovered what I had done, I was already in the human world.

He sent a hellhound to follow and protect me.

In my final lifetime, he came to meet me himself...

And that is where my story in this life begins...