Chapter 9 — Guardian of the Frescoes

“Minh Duong, go home.”
I stood in front of them. Five years locked inside a double wall, iron nails pierced bones, bad reputation weighed heavily. I used to wait for them, blamed them, and hated them. By the end, I just felt tired. The lights in the exhibition room turned on. The thousand-armed Guan Yin statue on the mural seemed to be looking at me. I heard bells echoing from afar. Teacher Ha suddenly raised his head.
“Minh Duong?”
Chu Nam Chi also looked into space.
“Is it the wind?”
In front of my photo, the restored knife gently fell, the tip of the knife pointing towards the fresco. That was the last da.a.o I ever held while alive. Chu Nam Chi laughed and cried at the same time.
"I know. Don't worry, I will continue to restore it."
Luc Nghien Chu rushed forward, wanting to grab something.
“Minh Duong, don't go.”
I don't turn around. He knelt on the ground, his voice cracking in the exhibition room.
“I still haven't loved you yet.”
I paused a bit. But I don't need it anymore. My name has been cleared. The mural I protected has returned. The person who harmed me had to pay with his life. As for those regrets that come too late, let the survivors slowly endure them. The wind blew in from the exhibition room door. The three words "Tham Minh Duong" on the board were brightly illuminated by the light. I finally left the ancient temple that had imprisoned me for five years. Also leave those who did not choose to trust me while I was alive.