It was a setting sun. The afterglow of the setting sun scattered on the ground, and at some unknown point in time, snowflakes floated down from the sky. They covered the ground and the world in Su Ming's eyes, but they could not cover the capital in that world.
Nor could it hide the fact that there was a figure wearing a straw cape and a bamboo hat standing outside the city gates. That figure held a wooden staff in his hand and stood silently outside the city gates, as if he had been waiting for thousands of years.
Su Ming looked over and stared at the figure outside the city gate. He felt as if he had returned to three thousand years ago, when he had just woken up in this world and saw Tian Xie Zi.
In the blink of an eye, three thousand years had passed. Su Ming's level of cultivation had become different, and he had gained quite a large amount of ancient air. Some of the scenes in his memories were still clear, but some … had become indistinct for some unknown reason.
It was just like how the world of wind and snow could make a person's vision become blurry, and they could not see too far into the distance. But sometimes, being able to see what was right in front of them, even if it was not very far away, was a form of happiness. If they looked too far away, perhaps their happiness would be far away until they could no longer see it.
Su Ming walked through the wind and snow. With the snow falling on his face, he arrived outside the city gate and stood in front of the figure dressed in a straw cape and a bamboo hat.
"You're here." The figure in the straw cape slowly lifted his head, revealing a face Su Ming was familiar with under the bamboo hat. It was Tian Xie Zi.
There was a kind look on his face. It was the kind look of a senior looking at a junior. It was a look of care and love that came from the bottom of his heart. It was as if Su Ming's growth had reached the sky in his eyes, but in his heart, Su Ming was still a child. Even if he no longer needed his protection, he still wanted to protect him.
"Master." Su Ming stared at Tian Xie Zi in the straw cape, then wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply. His voice was slightly hoarse. His Master had accompanied Su Ming his entire life since the ninth summit in the land of Berserkers, and he had been with Ancient Zang until then.
"Three thousand years ago, I told you that I would wait for you here and answer your final question. Have you … thought about your final question?" Tian Xie Zi, who was dressed in the straw cape, looked at Su Ming kindly. When he spoke slowly, a profound look appeared in his eyes, as if there was an indescribable wisdom contained within them.
Su Ming was silent. This was his final question. Three thousand years ago, he wanted to know just what sort of place this world was. Was it the world in Xuan Zang's body, or was it Xuan Zang's memories that appeared when he Possessed Xuan Zang?
However, this question gradually changed as Su Ming continued down the path, and it turned into a desire to know how he could leave this world …
However, as time passed, Su Ming's doubts changed again. He wanted to know whether the familiar faces he met in this world … were truly not connected to the people in his memories.
Questions rose in Su Ming's mind again and again during the three thousand years. When he was in Hao Hao's world, his questions changed again … to what was his Dao?
He did not understand what his Dao was. He wanted to obtain an answer from Tian Xie Zi, but when Su Ming thought about it seriously after hearing Tian Xie Zi's words, he suddenly realized that this was not the answer he wanted, because he did not know what his final question was.
There was only silence.
"Is it because you can't remember?" Tian Xie Zi, who was dressed in a straw cape, stared at Su Ming in the snow and wind outside the city gate. A hint of pain appeared on his face, as if Su Ming's current appearance made him slightly sad.
Su Ming was silent. He stared at the snow and wind, and after a long, long time, he sighed softly.
"I indeed can't remember. Perhaps I have too many questions, but if it's the final question … I can't find it. It's already lost in the passage of time. I want to search for it, but it's separated by space. I can't touch it, and I can't search for it, either," Su Ming mumbled.
Tian Xie Zi was silent for a moment before he said slowly, "Since you can't find it, then don't search for it. It's a blessing that you don't have the final question."
"Master, please choose one for me." Su Ming lifted his head and stared at the snow and wind in the sky. He stared at the city gate behind Tian Xie Zi. After a long while, he said softly, "Must I be persistent?"
"Must you be so persistent?" Tian Xie Zi looked at Su Ming, and his expression became even more profound.
"That's a method. It's bound to be filled with twists and turns and desolation. Since I'm already walking down this path, why shouldn't I be persistent?" Su Ming asked softly.
Tian Xie Zi fell silent. The Master and disciple remained silent for a long, long time in the snow and wind. When the sun set and snow covered the ground and piled up into a thick layer, their hair was also covered in white snow, as if their hair had already turned white. It made the ancient air around them become even stronger, and the feeling of time became even heavier.
"Stop. Don't continue walking down this path. Stop here. When you turn your head back, you will see all the faces in your memories. They will appear behind you. "They will wait for you.
"Turn your head back to the mortal world and become a carefree Immortal. Don't bother about what's real and what's fake. Don't cling to your path. Sometimes … the happiness you don't choose might be true happiness." After a long while, Tian Xie Zi's voice reverberated in the air and fell into Su Ming's ears in the snow and wind, causing him to slowly turn his head around in silence. As if he was turning his head back to the mortal world, he looked behind him.
When he turned his head around, he saw Bai Ling in the snow and wind behind him. She was dressed in a mink fur robe, and with a wild beauty, she was staring at him with a smile.
Beside her was Yu Xuan. She was smiling sweetly, just as she always did. Her determined gaze could melt Su Ming's heart, and as Su Ming stared at her, he felt as if he could hear the words "big brother" echoing in his ears once again.
There was also Cang Lan. With her elegance and gentleness, she looked as if she had been waiting for Su Ming for countless years, but no matter how long she had to wait, she would continue waiting. As she waited, she gradually turned Su Ming into the only person in her heart.
Xu Hui was still the same …
The elder smiled. There was a kind look on his ancient face at that moment, as if he was waiting for Su Ming to make a choice. Once he chose to turn his head back, he would speak …
Eldest senior brother, second senior brother, Hu Zi, all the faces were there. When Su Ming turned his head around, all of them were reflected in his eyes … but the bald crane was not there.
"If you continue walking down this path, they might not necessarily be revived, but if you don't continue, then when you turn your head back to the mortal world and become a carefree Immortal … they will be with you.
"Su Ming, you are my disciple. I don't want … you to be so tired. This is the most suitable choice for you," Tian Xie Zi said hoarsely. He stared at Su Ming's back when he turned his head around, and a pained look appeared on his face. It was just as he said, the twists and turns and desolation on this path made him unwilling to continue walking down Su Ming's path … until he reached a point where no matter how many cycles of reincarnation there would be, there would always be one person missing.
"Three thousand years ago, your kowtow has already bid farewell to the past. Now, when you turn your head back to the mortal world, why do you still have to be so stubborn? Why do you have to search for what is real and what is fake? Look at Di Tian, look at Lei Chen … Don't make yourself forever … disappear from those cycles of reincarnation." Tian Xie Zi sighed softly. There was anguish in his sigh, along with a hint of pity in his pained heart.
He saw Su Ming's entire life. It was full of twists and turns and desolation, just like how he sought happiness.
Su Ming fell silent. When he turned his head back, everything he saw was filled with warmth. The faces in his memories caused an urge to appear in Su Ming's heart. He wanted to nod and stop walking down this path. He wanted to stay here and become a carefree Immortal. He wanted to ignore what was real and what was fake and search for happiness, even if it was just an illusion.
"There are plenty of people here, and there are plenty of familiar faces, but the bald crane isn't here … The familiar faces here are all the faces in my memories. They live in my memories. Are they … still them …?
"They will no longer have any thoughts about the future, because all their thoughts will be given to them by my memories. In their current state … they will have no souls," Su Ming mumbled. Su Ming mumbled. Tears gradually fell from his eyes. The faces before him caused his heart to clench in pain. He slowly turned his head around, and at the instant he did so, the snow in the wind turned black. The world behind him turned black, and even the city in front of him and the world in front of him turned into night.
The descent of night seemed to represent Su Ming's choice. It turned into a darkness that could not be dyed away.
It was just like his path. When he turned his head back to the mortal world, he did not choose to become a carefree Immortal.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the path under his feet was not a path, and neither was it Su Ming's Dao. It was an attitude that was destined to be cold but persistent. He wanted to live for himself, for the truth … and also for others.
For this path, for the faces in his memories to have souls, so that there would not be a lack of bald cranes in the cycles of life and death, so that all the faces would not just smile, but also have intelligence, as if they were Masters of Fate, Lives, and Death, Su Ming … chose to not become a carefree Immortal after he turned his head back … but to continue walking down this path!
Even if there would be one person missing after many cycles of life and death, he would still seek to become a demon on the tortuous and desolate path and the persistent but cold path.
Seeking to become a demon was a method. It was destined to be tortuous and desolate. Seeking to become a demon was an attitude. It was destined to be cold but persistent. Seeking to become a demon was a life of darkness.
In the dark, Su Ming stared at Tian Xie Zi, who was dressed in a straw cape and wore a bamboo hat. In silence, he wrapped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply towards Tian Xie Zi. When he got up, Su Ming did not speak. He walked past Tian Xie Zi and walked towards the city in the dark.
Tian Xie Zi stared at Su Ming's back in the dark and mumbled softly.
"Who enters your life is decided by fate, and who stays in your life is decided by you. "Since you can't forget them, then you might as well not forget them. Even if everything turns to nothing, everything in the past is worth having …
"Su Ming, my disciple, is this … your choice? You will turn your head back to the mortal world and not become an Immortal, all for the sake of the face that represents all the memories, the true self, and the persistent … Master of Fate, Lives, and Death."
I'll resume updating tomorrow! I'm finally going to get through it! "With this body, even if I catch a bad cold, I'll be able to recover in three days!
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