Chapter 1371: Killing and Destroying the Heart

Although Leng Zongzhen had a residence in the college, the place Zhou Wen went to this time was not in the college, but an inconspicuous small courtyard in the old district of Luoyang City.

The small courtyard is very ordinary. Because the surrounding area is very humid, moss grows at the base of the walls and there are many plants like ivy on the walls.

The house inside is also the red brick structure that was often seen in the past. Although it is cleaned very cleanly, it is difficult to hide the traces of time. Some bricks on the wall have shown signs of weathering.

"Principal Leng, this is Zhou Wen. Are you home?" Zhou Wen knocked on the door.

"Come in." Leng Zongzheng's voice came from inside the house. When Zhou Wen pushed the door open, Leng Zongzheng was carrying a pot of cactus out of the house.

"Principal Leng, is this your home?" Zhou Wen looked around the house anxiously and saw that the various decorations inside were very outdated, but not ancient, giving people a mediocre and shabby feeling.

This was very different from the impression Leng Zongzheng gave Zhou Wen. Leng Zongzheng had an aristocratic air in both appearance and behavior, and his soul was something as majestic as the Magic Harp Throne. So people always felt that Leng Zongzheng was a person who paid great attention to the quality of life and details, and should not live in such a mediocre home.

In this yard, Zhou Wen couldn't see anything special at all. They were all household items, and even a lot of street goods.

"I lived here when I was a child. This is my grandfather's old house." Leng Zongzheng put the cactus aside, patted the dust off his hands, and continued, "I used to really dislike this place. I always felt that I had to make a name for myself, live in a beautiful big house, and live like a decent person. But then, I don't know when it started, I suddenly felt that living here was more comfortable and at ease, so I moved back."

"This should be your return to nature, right?" Zhou Wen said.

Leng Zongzheng glanced at Zhou Wen, curled his lips and said, "What do you mean by returning to basics? To put it bluntly, it's like eating too much braised pork and wanting to eat some vegetables to relieve the greasiness. I haven't reached that level yet. There are many good things I haven't tried yet, and I'm not tired of them yet."

Leng Zong sat down on a wooden bench in the yard and continued in the sun, "I've thought about why I want to move back. In terms of comfort, this place is definitely not as good as any place I've lived before. In terms of convenience, it's not convenient here either. In terms of a good and quiet environment, this place is far inferior to the villa I bought before. As for the neighbors here, they're not really nice or friendly. There are not many people here anymore. The old neighbors are long gone. Even if they were still here, I don't have a good impression of them. I don't like them from the bottom of my heart."

"Then why do you like living here?" Zhou Wen asked curiously.

"I thought about this question for a long time, and later I was sure that the reason I like living here is because I am afraid," said Leng Zong Zheng.

"Afraid?" Zhou Wen was even more confused.

In terms of safety, this place is far worse than the academy. There are no defense measures at all. It is just a dilapidated old city area. A terror-level monster can turn this place into ruins with just one hand.

"Yes, I am afraid." Leng Zongzheng said, "Everyone is afraid of death, but to varying degrees. Some people put the fear of death first, while others put it behind other things. So when they encounter certain things, they appear to be fearless. But in reality, no one is not afraid of death. It's just that they have encountered things that scare them more than death, so whether they live or die is not that important."

As Leng Zongzheng spoke, he took out a lighter and cigarette from his pocket, skillfully flicked out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, lit it, then took a sip, closed his eyes, and seemed to be enjoying it.

Zhou Wen stared at Leng Zong Zheng in a daze. This was so different from the impression Leng Zong Zheng usually gave him. If he didn't know that this was Leng Zong Zheng, looking at his appearance, he would have thought he was a decadent middle-aged uncle who liked gambling and drinking.

After a while, Leng Zongzheng closed his eyes and basked in the sun and continued, "Then I thought about it carefully. My fear of death should be ranked third. Before death, there are two things that rank before death. If I encounter those two things and have a choice, I would rather choose death."

"Are you sitting here because you're afraid of those two things happening?" Zhou Wen asked.

Who knew that Leng Zongzheng shook his head and said: "No, those two things have already happened."

Zhou Wen stared at Leng Zongzheng in a daze, not knowing what he wanted to say.

Leng Zongzheng continued, "I used to be terrified that I would become like my parents, but now, I'm essentially no different from them. I used to be terrified that Grandpa would leave me, and I'd be all alone in this world, but that day finally came. I live here because I'm afraid of being alone, but in truth, I've always been alone."

Zhou Wen didn't know what to say. He had occasionally had some flashes of thought about what Leng Zongzheng said, but he didn't think as clearly as Leng Zongzheng did.

However, looking at Leng Zongzhen, Zhou Wen felt that this Principal Leng was not as difficult to get along with as he had previously imagined.

Leng Zongzheng took another puff of his cigarette, pressed the half-remaining cigarette on the cement flower bed next to him, extinguished the spark, and reached into the trash can.

"Living here gives me an inexplicable sense of security. It feels like this is my own little world. As long as I hide here, I don't need to worry about anything, and I don't need to be bothered by anything. As long as I get a good night's sleep, it seems that all the bad things will disappear on their own."

At this point, Leng Zongzheng laughed self-deprecatingly: "But in reality, nothing can be solved. It's just deceiving oneself."

"That's not the case. Everyone needs a piece of pure land in their heart to cultivate and restore their soul. Maybe this place doesn't provide any substantial help in solving your problems, but it can bring peace to your mind and allow you to face those problems with a calm mind. This is very important." Zhou Wen said seriously.

"You're right." Leng Zongzheng said, and suddenly stretched out his palm and pressed it on the wall next to him. The entire courtyard and house collapsed in an instant, turning into fragments and rising up.

"You...what are you doing..." Standing in the ruins, the rubble around him kept rising. Zhou Wen looked at Leng Zong Zheng blankly, not knowing why he did this.

Amidst the shattering and rising debris, Leng Zongzheng turned and left, saying as he walked, "As you said, everyone has a piece of pure land in their heart where they escape, a place of fear closer to the soul than death. If one day you encounter an enemy who doesn't put the fear of death first, then you should think about how to find that piece of pure land that belongs to him. Killing someone destroys their heart, and sometimes destroying their heart is more terrifying than killing them. You are good in every way, but you are too kind. Sometimes, kindness is also a sin."

"Murder... destroy the heart..." Zhou Wen stood in the ruins, looking at Leng Zongzheng's receding back, and some emotions seemed to surge in his heart.

Good night.

(End of this chapter)