The Way of The Dao

Guardian Angel?

"What do you mean?"

"That you became the symbol of good fortune for the family."

"Symbol of good fortune?" Ling Tian was surprised by this. How could he become a symbol of good fortune?

"I was surprised too, lil' brother." Ling Guosheng sighed with some confusion and then finally explained, "The first generation of children, who were my own children and nephews on my wife's side, had some mishaps where they got lost while playing and somehow ended up in this place.

At first I thought it was pure coincidence, but then I realized it happened a few more times, where my children would tell me that whenever they felt lonely, sad or lost, something always drew them here and made them feel safe and full of courage and peace."

"Was it really coincidence?" Tang Wanying asked in amazement, wondering if coincidences were just that.

"I thought so too." Ling Guosheng nodded and continued, "After that, when it was my grandchildren's generation, the same thing happened; they would get lost sometimes when they didn't know the surroundings and ended up in this place, also feeling safe and relieved somehow.

That's when one of my granddaughters was lost for two days and we found her in a hole that hadn't been plugged, where apparently she had fallen in and couldn't get out..."

"And she was fine?" Ling Tian asked somewhat oddly, feeling that somehow that might be the case.

"Mysteriously, yes." However, Ling Guosheng nodded with some bewilderment and said, "When we found her, unexpectedly she was not crying and on the contrary, she was sleeping peacefully while holding a photo in one of her hands."

"Photo?" Ling Tian asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That photo was yours, li'l brother." Ling Guosheng nodded slowly, showing that he was confused about it then too. Then he said, "When we asked her what had happened to her, she had told us that when she accidentally fell into that place, she had felt scared and afraid, and then she would start crying if it wasn't because a girl a little bigger than her had peeked into the hole and talked to her."

"A girl?"

"Yes, a girl a little older than her, about 16 apparently."

Ling Tian couldn't help but frown, thinking about whether there would be someone to watch over the family on the sly all these years, besides Ling Guosheng.

"So, my granddaughter wanted to tell her to ask for help, but at the same time she was afraid and didn't want that girl to leave her alone. Therefore, that girl stayed and even entered the hole where my granddaughter had fallen.

My granddaughter said that that girl was with her all the time and told her not to worry, that everything would be all right and that soon we would find her without problems, that they would just have to wait..."

"Did you find that girl?"

"Unexpectedly no. When we found my granddaughter, she was alone sleeping, with no one else in and around the hole.

My granddaughter said that the two of them had talked and played the whole time, and that she told her that she had a cute little brother that she loved very much. That's when that girl handed that picture of you to my granddaughter, saying that she could borrow her cute and big prince for the meantime so she wouldn't feel lonely and scared..."

Wan'er?

The first image that came to Ling Tian's mind was his older sister's lovely face!

"Spirit?" Ling Tian whispered unconsciously, thinking it would be too much of a coincidence.

"I thought so too." Ling Guosheng managed to hear Ling Tian's voice and immediately added, "But then my granddaughter described that girl's image and she certainly looked like Wan'er. When we went to pay respects at this place, my granddaughter claimed that it was her when she saw the photos above on the grave where you were, with your sister, uncle and aunt. Your photo that I had placed with them was the same one my granddaughter had, so in the end we thought that maybe Wan'er's soul was still here..."

Ling Tian opened his eyes a little wider finally due to surprise, thinking if there was something in this place that attracted others, especially children. At once, he released his spirit sense all over the place, thinking if there was something that made it possible for his elder sister's spirit to appear...

"So, every time some of the children would get lost, they would feel someone embrace them and then hear a soft voice whispering to them not to be afraid and that everything would be all right. Your photo would somehow disappear from this place and appear near them, as if it was a means of comfort and relief for all of them.

By the time my great-grandchildren's generation came along, the legend of the little guardian angel was already known to all of us. The children would be told the legend of this place and that there was someone who watched over them all, referring to you as their guardian angel every time they described you.

In one of those moments, when I was arranging this place and wanted to change the paintings and portraits of the whole family, your portrait strangely flew through the air even when there were light breezes of air, finally crashing and staying hanging on this tree which was what brought a strange warmth and peace to one. I thought it was the children that would move your photograph near the tree, but then I realized it wasn't so.

That's when I made the decision to move your picture and carve your image on the tree, whereupon the legend reasserted itself and you became the family's protective angel, a symbol of safety and good fortune."

Ling Tian looked around, visualizing every space of the place, realizing that indeed, there were some children playing near the place and two of them were approaching them.

Ling Guosheng chuckled amusedly and then said while shrugging his shoulders, "Now you are the big brother, the super hero of the boys and the prince charming of the girls, haha." His expression showed that he was happy and amused to see that this little brother would never be forgotten for generations, being a symbol of good fortune.

Ling Tian had not imagined in that he would have become a symbol of safety, peace, joy and good fortune for the family!

His spirit sense finished searching the place and indeed, he found small traces of Yin energies, especially a trace of slightly stronger Yin energy that had blended in with the surroundings....

"...Big Sis?" Ling Tian whispered and a gentle, almost imperceptible breeze blew across his face, bringing him a warm and familiar yet distinct feeling. His heart calmed down and he received a familiar feeling lost from long ago.

Ling Tian took a deep breath and smiled broadly; it wasn't that her sister's soul was alive, but that a slight part of her spirit had mingled with this place and became one with nature! Hence the strange familiar feeling!

This was the resting place of his entire family, so there was a sense of mingling of the Chi of everyone who rested here and created a unique atmosphere full of peace and tranquility, different from all burial places and graves. Ling Tian knew this because this large family always harbored love and more, leaving positive feelings full of purity and joy, peace and tranquility. Ling Tian could even feel his mother's and father's feeling, as well as that of others.

* Giggles *

At once, innocent and childish laughter could be heard, drawing the attention of everyone there.

"Hehe, they won't find me!"

A precious little girl of about 10 years old arrived first and when she saw Ling Tian she was stunned, suddenly standing near the tree. Then she would shift her gaze to Yun Mengxin and the women, showing a face of awe and adoration, and finally she would notice Lan Yin and Qing Sha beside Ling Tian holding his hands, realizing that they were the same age and height as her.

However, the little girl's gaze did not last long on Lan Yin and Qing Sha as she again shifted her gaze to Ling Tian, causing the latter to slightly narrow his eyes before smiling warmly at her.