The Eldest Brother was very calm when he said this. His eyebrows were still straight and his eyes were still straight. But one could feel that behind this calmness, there was a deep and cold pain.
The Drunkard was also calm when he heard this. But his calmness was serious, because the invitation from the Academy was related to betrayal. But he had to believe it since it came from the Eldest Brother.
— For thousands of years, he and the Butcher did not have many grudges with the Academy, or with the Headmaster of the Academy. Until the death of the governor last night, if they could let go of those grudges and join hands, they might be able to destroy the Peach Mountain, burn the Divine Halls, and destroy Taoism, and shake the foundation of the world of Haotian!
It was quiet on the green mountain outside Linkang. He looked at the world in the autumn rain and said nothing. The flagon tied to his waist swayed gently in the wind and rain, like a small boat in the surging waves.
The rain gradually thinned, and the clouds above the mountains became thicker and thinner. The light gradually shifted. As time went by, he remained silent and did not reply to the invitation from the Academy. The mountain path was filled with tension and suffocation.
The answer, to a certain extent, would determine the direction of the human world. It was reasonable to think about it for a long time. As the sun gradually set and the sky darkened, the twilight dyed the clouds red and then burned them to ashes. The night finally came, and the bright moon appeared in front of them. Finally, he broke the silence and gave his answer.
The Drunkard's answer was very simple. He only said two words, "No."
The moonlight shone on the Eldest Brother's cheeks, and he looked a little pale. "Why?"
"Because Haotian is omnipotent."
The Drunkard looked at the moonlight on his face and said calmly, "That spring rain, Hengmu, the barbarian youth in the north, and the former Abbey Dean are all proofs … For countless years, the Butcher and I have hidden in the human world and watched Taoism rule the world. I have seen too many similar scenes. Although Taoism has never had a human as powerful as your Headmaster, Haotian has proved too much."
Hearing this, the Eldest Brother shook his head and pointed at the night sky. He said, "The Headmaster once said, and more than once, that Haotian is omniscient and omnipotent. But he never really believed it. That's why he went up to the sky and fought against Heaven. That's why there was a bright moon in the human world."
His finger was pointing at the beautiful moon in the night sky.
The Drunkard followed his finger and said, "But look … the face of the moon has been changing secretly. Ordinary people can't see its darkening, but how can you and I not?"
In the eternal night, the Headmaster was the only moon. The dimming of the moon meant that the Headmaster was gradually weakening.
A powerhouse like the Drunkard would not be wrong about the astronomical phenomenon. In fact, the Academy was well aware that it was a fact. The disciples, including the Eldest Brother, had been in a state of anxiety.
"But since it's still lit up, there's hope," Eldest Senior Brother said.
The Drunkard shook his head and said, "Even if it can shine for tens of thousands of years, what's the point to me? What I want is eternity. Apart from Haotian, who can grant me eternity? If your teacher can't do it himself, how can he help me? Since the Academy can't give me what I want, how can they convince me? "
Eldest Brother was silent for a long time before he asked, "Are these … really that important?"
The Drunkard looked at him and said, "The meaning of life is to survive."
The Eldest Brother said, "Shouldn't it be experience?"
The Drunkard sneered, "Only those who can't be eternity will ignore the meaning of eternity. Only those who can't eat grapes will say that it's sour, and say such sour and useless nonsense."
Eldest Brother sighed and said, "Then in your opinion, the word 'love' must be sour and useless."
"As I said before, I have no love for the human world … What is love? After all, you are still too young and not old enough. You don't understand that in the face of time, these words are really insignificant. "
Speaking of this, the Drunkard's eyes revealed some sadness and nostalgia. He said, "I am old enough, I have lived long enough, and I have seen enough things. Joys and sorrows, parting and reunions are constantly replayed in front of me. For me, there is nothing new in the world, so why can't I see through it?"
"Time will kill all your old friends, turn your new friends into old friends, and then kill them again. You will become a wise man who is indifferent to love, and you will become a walking corpse whose body and soul are rotten. But at the same time, you will think a lot, and you will finally understand that the meaning of life is to exist, and there is nothing else to ask for."
He looked at the night sky and said calmly, "I have been with this damn thing, time, for too many years. I know very well how invincible it is, so I will not miss any opportunity to defeat it."
The Drunkard tonight was a little different from before. In the past, no matter in the small town or in the Xuankong Temple, he was not powerful, like a stone in the wilderness. But now, he was a steep mountain.
Because in the past, he restrained himself without thinking and went with the flow, like a rotten wood or a stone that could not speak. But tonight, he was thinking and expressing his thoughts, so the mountain came to life.
Hearing this, Eldest Brother was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Then, what about freedom?"
The Drunkard said, "What is freedom? It is mastery, understanding, and the boundary of knowledge and vision … Indeed, it is more wonderful than love and desire. But who can be free? "
The Eldest Brother shook his head and said, "There is no absolute freedom, but we will yearn for it, so we will pursue it … The Headmaster used to fly in the dark sky. I think he must have been very happy even though he was lonely at that time."
The Drunkard squinted and said, "Even if touching the boundary will lead to death? Even if breaking the boundary will lead to death? "
"Because of what happened to Sangsang, Youngest Brother once taught me that we should not destroy all possibilities just because of a bad possibility, because life is the combination of countless possibilities."
Eldest Brother said, "… Then to live without possibility is to die."
The Drunkard said, "Maybe the outside world is never as good as you think."
"Youngest Brother once said that the destined journey of mankind is the sea of stars."
The Eldest Brother looked at the stars in the night sky, as if he was looking at the real stars outside the night sky. He smiled brightly and said, "Although I don't like to travel far, every time I think about it, I feel excited and overjoyed. I feel that there is a great joy in it, which can even surpass the fear of death."
The Drunkard thought for a long time and asked, "What is the name of such a joyful journey?"
The Eldest Brother said, "It should be called 'Free and Unfettered Travel'."
Hearing the words "Free and Unfettered Travel", the Drunkard looked at the stars in the sky and forgot how to speak.
…
…
(Surprise! Don't you feel surprised? Yes, I said in the comment section that I wouldn't update today. But I feel better, so I wrote it. It's mainly because I like this chapter and attach great importance to it. Yeah …)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
