Chapter 2856 - What Does It Mean to be Destiny’s Appointed?
As he slumbered, Su Yi heard strange, soft voices.
It was just that they seemed endlessly distant, as if they were emanating from over the horizon.
“Destiny is bequeathed by the heavens, the origin of life! My Grand Dao has long since gleaned the mysteries of Destiny, and the Book of Destiny is mine to control!”
“Those are nothing but the ravings of a madman! Who among those restricted by destiny can ever truly escape its cage?”
“Destiny is impermanent, and impermanence is a cage. Those who cannot grasp it cannot break it!”
“Strange. That scholar, Xiao Jian, has long since perished. Why hasn’t the imprint he left in the Book of Destiny dissipated?”
“Xiao Jian, that damned liar. He deserves death by a thousand cuts!”
A clamor of voices arose. From time to time, fierce arguments broke out.
Su Yi suddenly awakened from his slumber, and the voices faded away without a trace.
His brow furrowed, and he looked at the yellowed tome.
It wasn’t particularly thick, and it was yellowed with age. It looked perfectly ordinary, but anyone who held it would quickly discover that its materials were extraordinary. They were like jade, yet not jade, like paper, yet not paper.
Su Yi had tried opening the tome before, but his efforts had been useless. He couldn’t open it in the slightest!
He’d tried to examine it with his divine sense, but all he discovered was a strange, invisible power enveloping the tome like a lock. It sealed the book tightly shut.
But this time, when Su Yi tried to examine it, he was surprised to discover that he could open it by a hair.
It was truly only by a hair, so subtle that he could barely see the difference with his naked eyes, but his heart nonetheless shook.
When he first reached the River of Destiny, Su Yi discovered that the Book of Destiny could absorb strands of power from the River. He instantly concluded that the River of Destiny was the key to opening the sealed tome!
Now, seeing the Book of Destiny open, even just by a hair, Su Yi concluded that he’d been right on the mark.
I’m in the River of Destiny, so perhaps I can try finding a way to open the Book of Destiny further, thought Su Yi.
The world beneath the surface of the River of Destiny was strange and full of all manner of unknown treasures. Perhaps some of them could help him open the Book of Destiny!
But there was one thing that Su Yi found confusing. What were those voices I heard while I was asleep? It sounded like a dozen people were arguing.
The only thing I can say for sure is that the voices emanated from the Book of Destiny!
Su Yi cast aside his scattered thoughts, then fell asleep again, but this time, he retained a thread of consciousness.
Unfortunately, he didn’t hear any strange conversations this time.
Strange. What exactly is going on here? Don’t tell me that there are numerous entities sealed within the Book of Destiny, and that they’ve realized that I’ve noticed them?
Su Yi pondered for a while, but he couldn’t reach any conclusions, so he set the matter aside.
With a wave of his sleeves, he summoned Innocence and Cen Xinghe.
“Master, I’m so happy to see you again!” Innocence said with delight and excitement written all over her little face.
Cen Xinghe inwardly sighed in relief, too. Outwardly, he laughed. “I just knew that your abilities would be enough to avert this catastrophe, Grandfather!”
Su Yi looked at Innocence and said gently, “You didn’t just suffer heavy injuries this time. You lost a whole group of Sin Souls. Do you resent me for it?”
The little girl shook her head like a rattle-drum and said hurriedly, “Of course not! I’m thrilled to be able to work on your behalf, Master!”
“Tell the truth,” said Su Yi.
Innocence paused, then lowered her head and clutched the hems of her clothes. She said nervously, “Well... I am a bit upset about it...”
“Just be brave and say it, then,” said Su Yi. “I won’t blame you.”
“Really?” Innocence hesitated.
“Really,” said Su Yi.
Innocence instantly burst into tears. “I’ve never suffered such a crushing defeat in my life! I want to rip that bald donkey to pieces!”
Tears poured down her cheeks, splashing onto the floor. Her little face was full of hatred, and she looked utterly aggrieved. “Master, I really don’t hate or resent you. I just can’t take this! I want to kill that son-of-a-bitch! He... he took things too far!”
Ceng Xinghe looked flabbergasted. I actually can’t tell if she’s being sincere or not.
Su Yi tousled Innocence’s hair and said, “Don’t cry. I’ll help you get even! And I can even grant you a request. Anything’s fine so long as it isn’t excessive.”
“Really?” The girl lit up, then wiped away her tears. “You can’t lie to me, Master!”
“Go ahead and make your request,” Su Yi said with a laugh. “You’ll see.”
The girl’s eyes darted about, and she said tentatively, “I... I don’t want anything right now. Can I have some time to think first, then ask?”
Su Yi nodded. “Sure.”
Innocence beamed at him. “Master, Master, I just realized that you really do think of me as one of your own!”
Cen Xinghe was flabbergasted. Grandfather just said that casually to comfort her, yet the master of all evils is this happy?
Su Yi suddenly looked at Cen Xinghe. “You did well this time, too. I’ll give you this jug of wine for now. Don’t disdain it. Later, should the opportunity arise, I’ll reward you properly.”
He tossed the jug of wine over, and Cen Xinghe hurriedly accepted it, his heart swelling with emotion. He was at a complete loss. “Grandfather, what could your grandsome possibly have done to deserve such generosity? I... I’m embarrassed to accept it!
Although he said that, he was grinning too broadly to even shut his mouth. He held the jug of wine tight as if he were afraid someone might steal it.
Innocence rolled her eyes. He’s sure mastered the essence of shamelessness!
Su Yi then issued a few orders. The gist of it was that he planned to stay here for a while. The two of them were welcome to cultivate; all he asked was that they didn’t go anywhere without permission.
Both of them were all too happy to agree.
......
Meanwhile, in the palace built on the mountaintop.
River Empress Peacock sat on a prayer mat. “He’s yet to truly master the Book of Destiny. He’s unworthy of the title of Destiny’s Chosen.”
The Star Toad sat on another prayer mat. His expression shifted slightly. “What do you mean by that, Ol’ Peacock?”
River Empress Peacock had taken on the form of a young, pure beauty, but she didn’t object to the title of “Ol' Peacock” in the slightest.
She said calmly, “He doesn’t even know the true secrets of the Book of Destiny. How could he possibly be the man of legends, the one with power over our life and death? I’m simply stating a fact.”
The Star Toad scratched his head. “But His Excellency Su carried the Book of Destiny. Don’t the rumors say that whoever carries the Book of Destiny is Destiny’s Chosen? The supreme ruler of all denizens of the River of Destiny, with power over our lives and deaths?”
“You don’t seem to understand what I’m saying,” said River Empress Peacock. He cannot open the Book of Destiny, so he cannot exercise control over our life and death. Call him Destiny’s Chosen all you like, but he doesn’t live up to the title.”
She paused, her eyes full of thought. “The moment we denizens of the river acquire our true names, we step onto a supreme, powerful path, but at the same time, acquiring our true names inextricably binds our lives to the Laws of the River of Destiny.
“During the Primordial Era, many of our forebears proved that the moment one of us acquires their true name, it is inscribed in the Book of Destiny no matter what!”
The Star Toad stiffened. “The rumors are true?”
River Empress Peacock nodded. “That’s right. That’s what makes the Book of Destiny so terrifying. Whoever controls it controls the true names of every last one of us, and they can kill or spare us at whim.”
River Empress Peacock sighed. “But I can tell that Su Yi has not yet taken that step.”
The Star Toad’s expression shifted erratically. “Ol’ Peacock, you... aren’t planning to try anything, are you?”
River Empress Peacock responded with a question of her own. “Are you really willing to serve a fake Destiny’s Chosen, all in the vague hope that his rise to prominence will benefit you, too?”
The Star Toad fell silent, a distressed look on his face. After a while, he took a deep breath and said, “It’s true that Destiny’s Chosen is in your territory, and that you might well have a chance at seizing the Book of Destiny for yourself. It’s no wonder you’d be tempted.”
River Empress Peacock said nothing.
The Star Toad suddenly gnashed his teeth, then pleaded, “Ol’ Peacock, please, listen to me. Don’t do it! Destiny is full of mysteries upon mysteries. His Excellency Su managed to acquire the Book of Destiny. That was surely an act of fate!
“In other words, he’s the one designated as Destiny’s Chosen! Even if he hasn’t grasped the book’s mysteries yet, he surely will later!
“What if you try to seize the Book of Destiny and something goes wrong? What will you do then?” The Star Toad said gravely. “I don’t want you to do anything stupid!”
River Empress Peacock said calmly, “Are you done?”
The Star Toad looked frantic. “Don’t tell me you’re dead-set on seizing it? No, you can’t! I absolutely won’t let you!”
He shot to his feet and roared, “I came here to help Destiny’s Chosen, not to help you hurt him!”
River Empress Peacock just looked at the frantic toad and laughed. “When did I say I planned to do anything of the sort?”
The toad gaped at her. “You mean you don’t?”
River Empress Peacock shook her head. “You and I once faced adversity side by side, and we’ve known each other all this time. When have I ever deceived you?”
She stretched out a long, slender finger and touched the five-colored totem on her forehead, her gaze deep and inscrutable. “Before running into that white-robed monk today, I might really have been tempted, but after seeing him, I’ve lost all interest in the Book of Destiny.”
The Star Toad still didn’t believe it. “What do you mean by that?”
“I believe in destiny, and I know destiny, too,” River Empress Peacock said slowly. “But until I’ve transcended it, I have no choice but to go along with its decisions.
“What happened today has helped me to understand on a deep, visceral level what they mean when they say that everything is predetermined!
“Su Yi survived, not because I intervened to help him escape, but because this death trap was all part of destiny’s arrangements.”
The Star Toad pondered briefly. He was starting to understand.
