Chapter 954: Chapter 200 When I Return to the Human World
"You really are formidable, Ji Shaoqing,"
Within the grand hall, a voice spoke thus.
And Ji Shaoqing, clad in black brocade robes edged with gold, stood with his head bowed in the center of the hall, uttering not a word.
The huge incense burner wafted curling wisps of blue smoke.
Even through the haze of smoke, one could still discern the man with streaks of black and white in his long hair—a middle-aged man.
Or rather, a man who retained the appearance of middle age.
He stood sideways, hands clasped behind his back, exuding the air of one accustomed to high authority.
The side of his face, trembling slightly with the movement of his lips and chin beard, actually appeared quite refined and elegant.
"But the formidable one is not you, it isn’t you who can withstand Eternal Winter Island, withstand Hua Ying Palace. Can you not see that in front of those people, you are not sufficient? The formidable one is Diao Hai Building, and you, you are simply expending Diao Hai Building’s reputation."
He took a deep breath.
Turning around, he could not help but raise his voice, angrily questioning, "Who permitted you to guard the End of the World Platform?!"
"With such pettiness, how can you achieve greatness!"
"Petty yourself is one thing, but to do something so foolish, you make outsiders belittle my vision!"
"Do I teach you to do things this way on ordinary days? Would I, in response to an obligation to Biqiong, personally step in to confront Jiang Wang? Would I force a completely unrelated young girl, to be tormented to death? Especially since she was from our Diao Hai Building!"
"How will the world perceive Diao Hai Building, how will they perceive me, Gu Huaixin?"
He raised his finger, pointing sharply at Ji Shaoqing, "Ji Shaoqing, Ji Shaoqing, you truly disappoint me. There are many ways to enact revenge, yet you chose the most foolish. It does not weaken the enemy, but rather, adds new enemies to yourself."
"Master, your disciple merely... felt indignant on your behalf. In matters of strategy and cultivation, how could Third Elder surpass you?" Ji Shaoqing gritted his teeth and said, "And yet, even the Tower Master seems to favor him. Can it be merely because he is older and more senior? Your disciple cannot accept this on your behalf! I won’t let go of anyone who has thwarted your grand plans!"
It would have been better had he not attempted to justify himself, but this defense caused Gu Huaixin’s repressed anger to surge forth once more, and suddenly, his pointing finger closed into a fist.
Bang!
Caught off guard, Ji Shaoqing was overwhelmed by a tremendous force, crushed to the ground.
Gu Huaixin, who had excellent control over his emotions, even began to roar, "Do I not know what I’m doing, that you must take action for me?!"
"Are my methods of retaliation to force the death of a little girl who was completely irrelevant and had already lost her cultivation?"
Pressed against the floor tiles, Ji Shaoqing spit out a mouthful of fresh blood on the ground in front. His appearance was utterly pathetic, yet he still clenched his teeth and said, "Jiang Wang first killed Elder Hai Zongming, then Elder Biqiong, he is the enemy of our Diao Hai Building. His disruption of our plans at the End of the World Platform makes him our enemy as well. Am I supposed to just watch him become celebrated in the Near Sea and return in triumph? I want to make his efforts futile, I want to see his shocked, despairing, and agonized expression! Master, those people of Qi, so arrogant, respect only power and not kindness. If they do not taste pain, they will not recognize who commands the sea!"
The more Ji Shaoqing spoke, the more agitated he became, but Gu Huaixin’s words were almost squeezed through clenched teeth, "You still dare to talk back."
"I was wrong, Master," Ji Shaoqing immediately conceded.
He knew his own master was truly angry, and this was not the time to argue further.
He fiercely closed his eyes, then opened them again.
Then, with his hands bracing against the floor tiles, he struggled to rise, "Qi Country wields great power, indeed I should not have provoked people of Qi... What am I? One misstep and it’s an abyss. I alone am responsible for my actions, and if there are any ensuing grudges, I will take them all. If one comes, I will face one, if a pair comes, I will face them both."
His words clearly conveyed Resentment Qi.
He wiped away the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth, "Rest assured, I won’t mention your name."
Then, staggering, he turned and strode out of the grand hall.
Gu Huaixin remained silent for a long time, until his peerless disciple had left the hall, no longer in sight. Only then did he sigh deeply, "Unrepentant."
...
...
Jiang Wang stood quietly before the moon gate.
Not until the moon gate vanished, the moonlight split in two, and the Full Moon Pond returned to its placid state.
A shallow pond, so minute, its water clear and cool.
Looking up, the moon was gone, only the vast sky remained bright.
Jiang Wang still stood there quietly.
He had stood alone by the Perfect Moon Pond for an entire day.
He was merely contemplating, not waiting for a miracle. And indeed, no miracle happened.
The grand rescue effort that set out from Qi Territory ended, after all, in failure.
When he emerged from the Lost World, he was full of hope. Burdened with heavy debts, he felt invincible, capable of overcoming any hardship, not to be blocked by any challenge.
He had accomplished something monumental, saving a girl who was to be sacrificed at the grand sea ritual ceremony of the Near Sea Archipelago!
This feat, unprecedented.
This feat, a source of pride.
But what of the end?
He truly respected the Diao Hai Building, its great history and glorious legacy, all of which he admired.
He revered such a Sect for its great contributions to the Human Race.
But if there was never any intention to offer any hope from the very beginning, why then outline such a cruel, illusory bubble of terms?
Why play such a game, why heap such humiliation upon a person of great pride?
Jiang Wang just stood there.
He did not want emotions to interfere with his decision, but he thought very seriously.
He asked himself.
Hate?
Hate.
Resent?
Resent.
And so he had his answer, knowing what he must do.
He turned and walked away, not looking back at the Perfect Moon Pond ever again.
The affairs of the world have nothing to do with Zhu Bijiong. She grew up in a fabricated world, and now she is buried in another that’s been woven together.
Perhaps her timidity, unfamiliarity, and fear can all be properly soothed now.
In Zhu Bijiong’s final moments, when she could no longer speak, Jiang Wang could no longer know her innermost thoughts. But that very faint breath of life was just like her perseverance on the End of the World Platform over the past ten days.
Old Su said she should have succumbed much earlier, but she endured the pain and held on for a few more days.
She was clearly not a strong person, yet she was stronger than many in the world.
"I bless you."
In his heart, Jiang Wang said, "We all know, ’reincarnation’ is the coward’s lie. Not everyone can withstand the true risks of reincarnation, not all memories can be retained, not all lives can be lived again. But I wish for you, may you meet your sister in the place she departed from. May she continue to protect you, no matter where you are."
"If you no longer reincarnate, I hope you dissolve together in one place, be forever connected. Never alone, never afraid."
"If you unluckily fall into reincarnation once more, back to this world. I then wish, at that time, it no longer makes you a stranger."
Jiang Wang walked on air, flying straight out of Heavenly Mansion City.
Here I make my vow—
When you return to the Human World, may the Human World be different.
