Chapter 1010: Chapter 254: Flowers Bloom Unseen, Flowers Wither Unmourned (Extra for Alliance Hierarch Chen Zeqing 2/6)
Within the grand hall of Gu Huaixin, the Heavenly Gate Power once belonging to Ji Shaoqing was resurrected!
This scene, if witnessed by those who had watched the battle at the End of the World Platform, would have surely caused tremendous shock.
But Gu Huaixin was, after all, Gu Huaixin.
He sat there, without even lifting an eyelid.
"This isn’t the true Heavenly Gate," he said lightly.
Zhu Bijing looked at him, "If we treat it as real, then it can be real. You could tell me more details about the Heavenly Gate Power. It can then become even truer."
"Even if it’s lifelike, it’s not real. What’s the meaning in that?" Gu Huaixin asked.
Of course, he knew how formidable a display it was, and of course, he understood its significance.
Hence, this question was still a test.
Zhu Bijing only asked, "To be your disciple, does one need to face opponents like you?"
Gu Huaixin laughed.
This was his second laugh of the day, different from the restrained chill of the first, this time, he truly smiled.
He couldn’t help but think that, after all, this Zhu Bijing did once belong to his lineage.
But...
He looked at the vague portal in the void, lifted a finger, pointed it downwards, and said, "Beneath the Heavenly Gate, flying is forbidden."
His finger then lifted upwards, "Above the Heavenly Gate, I hold it up."
Before Zhu Bijing could breathe a sigh of relief, he added, "This is what I once told Shaoqing."
His voice was so gentle that it was filled with sorrow.
At this moment, he was no longer Elder Jinghai, no longer the True Man of the Age, but an old man lost in memories, grieving for a cherished disciple.
The atmosphere turned solid in an instant.
"As the leader of a faction, countless people rely on me for their sustenance. I need to consider interests; every choice, every decision I make requires weighing pros and cons. But does this mean I must erase all emotions? I am a True Man of the Age, able to see the truth in the world, yet unable to guard the truth in my heart."
"People behind me who want meat press me to wipe away sorrow. People before me have grand plans and forbade me to grieve."
Gu Huaixin gently furrowed his brow, with a confused and angrily filled gaze, looked at Zhu Bijing, "How come you, a tiny, completely unrelated insect, also dare to disregard my feelings?"
The terrifying oppression, unimaginable to those who haven’t faced it personally.
A mountain collapse and tsunami are insufficient to describe the pressure a True Man can bring.
But Zhu Bijing, instead, stood up.
The ancient portal that hovered between existence and nonexistence on the grand hall’s dome had dissipated.
She stood there, for the first time, like a sword.
She had seen many times that upright silhouette.
Now she stood the same way.
This gave her boundless strength.
"Master Gu, it is precisely because I respect your emotions, I respect them more than anyone else. That’s why I’ve come, to demonstrate my value to you."
"I dare not conceal, and for a True Man of the Age like you, I couldn’t hide it even if I tried."
"It goes without saying, Jiang Wang risked his life for me, and I’m deeply grateful to him. But at the same time, you detest him to the bone. Indeed, some people do not respect your feelings, using rules and the greater picture to suppress you. But I know that hatred cannot be suppressed forever, emotions will erupt one day. No matter how many shackles, they can only restrain you temporarily; no one can bind you for a lifetime."
"I want to live well, and I also want Jiang Wang to live well. That’s why I came to you."
"I demonstrate my value to you not because I think you only care about worth. Rather, I want you to know that I am more outstanding than Brother Ji, more worthy of cultivation. I can do everything Brother Ji did, and do it better. On the level of value, I can replace Brother Ji."
"Brother Ji’s life spanned merely decades. In your experienced life, it was but a fleeting moment. I can spend more time with you; I will give my sincere heart and nurture the mentor-disciple relationship between us. On the emotional level, I can also replace Brother Ji."
"Brother Ji could do foolish things; I will not. Brother Ji could commit evil; I will not. Having experienced the sorrows of the world, I understand better how to cherish."
"I dare not hope that I can influence your decision. I only wish that one day when you also regard me as a beloved disciple, you will consider my feelings and not do things that would sadden me. I hope to use all my efforts to make up for your tangible losses and emotional wounds."
Zhu Bijing slowly concluded, "This is my humble wish."
After listening to this long confession, the anger in Gu Huaixin’s eyes dissipated.
As Zhu Bijing had said, to deceive a True Man who could see the essence was nearly impossible.
Just like the Heavenly Gate that seemed almost authentically real—he could recognize it as false at a glance.
Just as every minute emotion of Zhu Bijing at this moment was laid bare before his eyes.
Dongzhen, Dongzhen.
For a True Man, the so-called skin, bones, and Divine Appearance are not important. One look is all it takes to see the essence.
He could tell. Zhu Bijing was speaking the truth.
"You’ve made me interested," Gu Huaixin said slowly, "but how can I trust that you won’t harbor resentment towards me because of what Ji Shaoqing and Biqiong did? You’re so fond of Jiang Wang, how can I believe that one day you won’t stab me in the back for his sake? The affection between master and disciple, ha... Can human emotions truly be bought with utilitarian goals?"
Zhu Bijing met his gaze: "I’m sure you know everything about my time in the Diao Hai Building. You know how simple a person I am, always at peace with the world, never causing harm to anyone."
Gu Huaixin didn’t deny it, but he added, "Yet now, you’ve changed."
"A gentleman judges by deeds, not intentions; judging intentions, there’s no perfect person in this world," Zhu Bijing bowed respectfully, "Master. You shouldn’t guess what I’m thinking; you only need to see what I’m doing."
"Why didn’t I realize before that I had such an interesting child in my sect?" Gu Huaixin looked at her with interest, "Can the brink of life and death bring about such tremendous change in a person? It’s as if... you’ve become someone else."
"What demon or ghost could deceive the eyes of a True Man? Master, you stand above everyone else. What we need to show people now is the future." Zhu Bijing’s voice was calm and resolute: "I can be that future."
Whether she was right or not, Gu Huaixin knew best.
A faction needs both a leader and successors. If there is no one to take up the mantle, it will inevitably be taken lightly by others and lose sight of the long-term. Why was he so eager to keep Ji Shaoqing? It wasn’t just due to the affection between master and disciple; beyond that affection, among all his disciples, only Ji Shaoqing could enable people to see a future.
But...
"Do you really have a future?" Gu Huaixin asked.
"I believe I do," Zhu Bijing said calmly, "Belief makes it so."
"I’m curious about one thing," Gu Huaixin’s voice softened, "If I still refuse you, what will you do?"
Without hesitation, Zhu Bijing replied: "Master Qin used to like my sister very much."
Gu Huaixin neither agreed nor disagreed: "Master Qin is fierce by nature, he liked her previous gentleness and calmness, but that doesn’t mean he liked her later extremeness and narrow-mindedness."
"But I believe," Zhu Bijing said confidently, "Even if Master Qin doesn’t like, he will not refuse a prodigy."
Who could imagine, that once innocent and timid little girl... now saw herself as a prodigy!
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha..."
Gu Huaixin’s laughter echoed through the grand hall.
...
...
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ps:
A little white flower blooms amid the ruins.
Unnoticed in bloom, unlamented in withering.
—Ashan
...
...
My birthday is at midnight, and I spent last year’s birthday writing Red Heart Touring the Heavens.
This birthday, I’m still in this world.
I won’t write a special birthday speech; I’ll save the time for updating.
In any case, I’m very, very grateful, thankful to all the readers who support my book.
I’m satisfied writing on my birthday. I can see, in the vast boundaryless darkness, there’s already a faint light of dawn.
That’s not the break of day.
That’s the candlelight you’ve lit for me.
Thousands of lights illuminate the long night.
Just like on End of the World Platform, the moon above, the moon in the sea, the moon in the human world.
Within the book, the old Lost World was breached, and thousands of human race cultivators went to the sea in a day.
Outside the book, when my fighting spirit wanes, you respond to my calls for help and pushed me to rank fourteenth on the leaderboard.
The human race lights up the human world; you illuminate the Red Heart world.
Dawn is coming.
Not because of daylight.
It’s because every one of you uses your strength to support me.
Thank you.
Thank you again.
My birthday wish—
May all the friends of Red Heart be well-fed and warm, live a life without shame, and do everything with a heart full of dedication without regret.
