If it had been someone else, they might have pretended not to hear and used their strong willpower to not investigate the truth of the story. Or they might have calmed down and moved their frozen right hand again, immediately forgetting the story as they kept wiping the old man's bony back. Because this story of killing his teacher, no matter how one looked at it, was definitely about Ji Yi, the person Li Pifu wanted to forget the most in his glorious life.
But Xu Le could not make such a reaction. His stiff right hand let go of the towel and let the light green military towel scatter into a messy flower in the milky hot spring water. Then, he slowly moved his body to the side of the old man and stared at him with wide eyes. His thick, straight eyebrows were deeply furrowed until he had a headache thinking about the past he just learned. He directly opened his mouth and said, "Have you … ever regretted it?"
"I am a soldier."
Of course, War God Li Pifu was a soldier. He was the most exemplary soldier in the Federation and even in the entire universe. So, although his answer was calm, it was full of weight. When it fell into the quiet hot spring water, it sank straight to the bottom without any ripples.
"He is my enemy."
"Killing the enemy on the battlefield is a soldier's natural responsibility."
"So, regarding this matter, I do not regret it, nor do I feel too much sadness or disappointment in a literary tone. It's just that sometimes when I think about it, I feel that life is indeed a little strange. If Hua Jieyu … teacher knew that he would die in my hands back then, would he have directly used that dusty travel bag to suffocate a little brat?"
A trace of a smile that had nothing to do with wisdom appeared on Li Pifu's wrinkled face. It was a sincere smile. Different from the noble and even sacred image in the hearts of the Federation citizens, the War God in real life often wanted to be an interesting person. But his status and responsibilities had long made him uninteresting for many years, so he could only be boring.
Xu Le was a high-ranking officer of the new 17th Division, and from the sharp and even wretched fighting style of the army, he had long since caught a glimpse of the commanding style of the old man, as well as his personal temperament. Thus, when he heard these words, he did not find it strange. But just as he was about to ask more questions, the old man spoke again.
Li Pifu slowly turned his head and calmly looked into Xu Le's eyes. He said, "I do not regret, loss, sadness, or anger, but that does not mean that person does not regret, loss, sadness, or anger."
Xu Le knew who the War God was talking about. That person had a mouth full of rotten teeth, that person liked to visit prostitutes, that person liked to wear blue denim overalls, tightly wrapped in blue cloth with a string of mechanical repair tools hanging behind his perky buttocks like wind chimes, that person liked to sit in a mine pit and stare blankly at the gray sky, or hold a glass of red wine and stare blankly at Jian Shui'er on the screen. When the War God was mentioned, he liked to disdainfully call him old man.
That person was the most famous person in the Federation, because he was George Carlin, Professor Jin of Ewha University, Feng Yu of a certain mechanic's genius mechanic. But at the same time, he was also the most unknown person, because almost no one in the Federation knew his real name. He was the War God Li Pifu's blood brother, he was the national idol Jian Shui'er's father, and he … was also the most beloved student of that Imperial youngster called Hua Jieyu.
The cool breeze from the outdoor lake drifted in through the window lattice, blowing the hot steam above the hot spring into tangling strands. It was like a story from a long time ago. He narrowed his eyes as he watched the strands of steam intersecting, destroying, and regenerating. He thought that he had a rough understanding of why this pair of most amazing brothers in the universe would be so tangled up in their love and hate.
"This is a very unoriginal story." Li Pifu's expression was calm in the hot spring. He said, "Afterwards, he came to ask me, tried to kill me, and made a scene. So I gave him a slap, shattering many of his teeth."
"The two of us brothers never saw each other again after that."
Never saw each other again. These were very simple words, and the tone of the old man Li Pifu was also extremely calm. But as the only listener, Xu Le was still shocked to the point of being somewhat at a loss.
This pair of brothers, whose blood was thicker than water, were undoubtedly the most talented and most amazing people. If they could walk side by side, they would definitely be able to write a more brilliant and indelible chapter in history. However, in the background of that magnificent era, they could only play out the most common melodramatic drama in soap operas. Thinking carefully, the sorrow of the big and the small could be interconnected. It turned out that they were still so sad.
That battle that no one witnessed with their own eyes must have been a world-shaking battle. As for the final result of the uncle's crushing defeat … After seeing the uncle's magical ability, Xu Le would not believe that there was anyone in the universe who could hurt or defeat him. But since it was Li Pifu who said this, he had to believe it. Especially when he recalled the ruthless way the uncle chewed the beef with his mouth full of rotten teeth and the palm of Madman Li in the Linyuan that made his gums numb and bleed.
Xu Le held the warm water with both hands and splashed it on his face. After a while, he replied in a low voice, "I don't dare to comment on the fight between the elders."
"This is just a story, you don't need to comment on it." The old man closed his eyes tiredly and continued, "There is a lot more to the story. Now that I think about it, if I had killed him directly, maybe this story would have been much simpler and better."
Xu Le's thick eyebrows were tightly knitted today. He came to Philadelphia to ask for the help of the Army God and wanted to figure out the story. But the tone of the old man when he told the story, especially when it involved the uncle, always made him feel quite unhappy.
"Don't blame me for saying this to my own brother." The old man's eyes were still closed. The wet hot spring water accumulated in his wrinkles, as if he had been accumulating words for many years. "If you can clearly see what kind of person he is, perhaps you will come to the same conclusion."
"Until today, I still insist that the uncle … is at least not a bad person." Xu Le stared at the old man's face and insisted in a deep voice.
"The two of us studied under the teacher at the same time. We learned the same skills, but we chose two different paths." The old man closed his eyes and slowly changed the topic. "When you were in Donglin, he must have been very young in your eyes, right?"
"Yes." Xu Le agreed after a moment of silence. This was what he was puzzled about.
"To be honest, he could make the benchmark chip that even the teacher couldn't make. He could hide from Zhang Yang's eyes. When it comes to learning, I can't compare to him."
"But, I have always been stronger than him."
"Because I put all my time, energy, and even my entire life into learning or cultivation. I am focused, I am cautious, I am hardworking …"
The old man suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Xu Le quietly. He said in a deep voice, "The Federation needs the protection of me and many other warriors, so I devoted all my life to making myself stronger. That is why, in this universe, there is no one who is stronger than me."
Xu Le was speechless. An indescribable feeling rose in his heart. These words sounded so narcissistic, so self-righteous, so arrogant, and so detestable. However, coming from the old man's mouth, they sounded so powerful. This was because he was not boasting. He was just stating a fact that the entire universe knew. But what did this have to do with the uncle?
"Emotions make one grow old easily. Worries make one grow old. Responsibility makes one grow old. Training makes one grow old. My life is one where I quickly burn my life in exchange for power."
"But he is not such a person. He doesn't seem to care about anything in this universe. He is not willing to make sacrifices for anything. Perhaps the word 'sacrifice' doesn't even exist in his dictionary. "
"His life is one of freedom and indifference. He has nothing to worry about. Naturally, he is able to see time more slowly."
After a moment of silence, Xu Le shook his head and said, "When we were in the Empire, Huai Caoshi, that Lunatic Great Teacher, and you are also saying that the uncle is a cold and emotionless person. But I don't understand. What part of him is cold and emotionless?"
"If he is cold and emotionless, why would he turn against his own brother for the sake of the Empire's teacher?"
"If he is emotionless? Why would he become George Carlin, crying out for those oppressed people? "
…
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(If he is so cold and emotionless, how can Fat Cat write so beautifully?)
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"Please don't say that the reason he could bear to ignore his own daughter for 16 years was because he was wanted by the Federation."
"Wanted? No, that's something that happened even later. " Li Pifu slowly narrowed his eyes. His aged gaze was not turbid, but calm, so calm that it made one's heart palpitate. "He is a person who only does things according to his own likes and dislikes. His heart desires absolute freedom. He does everything on impulse. It was like this when he took revenge for his teacher. It is the same for George Carlin. Just like Mu Zi. Isn't it the result of his impulsiveness once again?"
"His heart desires absolute freedom. What's wrong with that?" Xu Le retorted.
Li Pifu glanced at him indifferently and said, "Absolute freedom requires absolute power. It will never bring about true fairness and justice."
"As for George Carlin …" A strong hint of mockery flashed in the old man's eyes. "Sometimes, the upper echelons of the Federation are like a pile of dog sh * t, but the freedom and fairness of the people have received the best guarantee in history. At times like this, those guys from Green Dragon Mountain only want to blow up this pile of dog sh * t, but they don't think about what will happen after the dog sh * t is blown up."
"It will be a pile of dog sh * t."
"The George Carlin that he is playing is the role of a sh * t stirrer."
"You don't have to rush to refute me. Since he is still alive, you can ask him personally when you have the chance in the future. Why did he come up with the George Carlin Doctrine?"
"Actually, this is just the continuation of hatred. I respect and try to protect the foundation of the Federation, so he tries to destroy this foundation."
"The order of society is part of it. The Glory Of The Charter is the more important part."
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