Chapter 56: All in the Same Boat (V) We all come to fulfill our mission. …

Wei Yuanye came over. He was stunned when he saw Fei Mao, but he also recognized him. Fei Mao said, "Niu Zhuang almost killed Zhang Deng just now, but our brothers have saved him."

Zhang Deng asked, "Are you okay?"

Wei Yuanye recognized his voice and saw the purple mark on his neck, and his face looked unhappy.

Zhang Deng felt that this was a sign that he was going crazy, so he hurried to comfort him. Wei Yuanye saw Niu Zhuang's figure through his neck. He passed by Zhang Deng, then turned and left.

Zhang Deng couldn't catch him, and Feimao said, "He's still the same."

Zhang Deng also nodded with tears in his eyes.

Zhang Deng didn't ask how Niu Zhuang died, but he must have died tragically.

When Zhang Deng walked out of the alley, he found that the Yueke Hall was already a river of blood, with corpses everywhere. The ground was covered with the skeletons of humans, gods, and animals. The eyes were full of blood, brain matter, and tissue, and the sounds of killing were everywhere.

He saw a man standing under the plaque of Yueke Hall. He was wearing silver armor. When he turned his head to look at him, there was calmness in his eyes.

Zhang Deng murmured his name: "A Ping..."

Ah Ping seemed to have seen him too. He was carrying an inappropriate bag on his back, his hand on the knife at his waist, and he walked down step by step. At this moment, Zhang Deng seemed to understand.

The person he and Wei Yuanye were looking for was not Dong Yu, not Shi Hong, and not even Lin Yuzhou.

This person is Qiang Aping.

Ah Ping walked up to him. He had grown considerably taller, more than a head taller than Zhang Deng. His features were handsome and bright, yet tinged with a subtle depth and sophistication. Ah Ping smiled and said, "Long time no see."

Zhang Deng said hoarsely, "Long time no see."

Ah Ping said, "It seems you have suffered a lot."

"I've only been gone for three days..." Zhang Deng didn't know why, but he wanted to cry when he heard this.

He was not a very fragile person, and he was not suffering for himself. He felt that the reason why Aping could say this was because he must have suffered more.

How did a Qiang person reach the position of General Ping?

Zhang Deng contacted so many people and worked for so long, but he was unable to help Aping.

Zhang Deng asked, "Are you here to fulfill your dream as well?"

Ah Ping turned around to look at him and said, "Hmm?"

"I'm here to save you." said Aping.

Ah Ping said, "I should have died at the Martial Spirit Festival long ago. What Lin Yuzhou said was right. It was you who saved my life and gave me this kind of life."

Zhang Deng shook his head. He felt that this was not the case at all.

Ah Ping said, "But they fought very fiercely."

He said this with a smile, as if many deaths were a very common thing.

He wasn't indifferent or tired, he just felt it was inevitable.

Perhaps because of his Qiang identity, A Ping showed an indifference to human evil very early on. Unlike Zhang Deng, who hated human evil, he could accept it completely because he had seen far more cruel and evil. So, even when he saw this, he was indifferent. Just like what A Ping said to Zhang Deng when they first met: "Everyone will die."

Ah Ping said, "It seems like I've taken advantage of it."

Zhang Deng asked, "So what are your plans?"

"Me?" Ping said, "Oh, by the way, I brought you something."

Aping took Xiaoai out of his bag.

Zhang Deng was stunned for a moment, then he took it. Ah Ping said, "I remember you said you liked this 'cactus' very much."

"It doesn't need to be watered often, and it doesn't need sunlight," Ping said. "Isn't that right?"

"Thank you," Zhang Deng was truly touched. "You still remember it so clearly. You took really good care of me."

Zhang Deng held Xiao Ai in his hand and recalled the first time they met A Ping. A Ping was still a child whose age could not be determined. He thought A Ping was cool and thought he was a little boy who loved to act. He said A Ping was like the cactus he raised, but he didn't know what A Ping had experienced.

Zhang Deng was clearly making self-righteous assumptions about A Ping, but A Ping remembered his words very clearly.

"That's too polite," Ah Ping said, unconcerned. "I don't have any plans. In fact, it's good that they killed each other. Since these people came up the mountain, the world has been peaceful. There are fewer ceremonies and fewer deaths."

Zhang Deng asked, "Where are the demons? Where are the gods?"

Ah Ping shook his head: "I can't do so many things."

"As long as they don't interfere with other people's lives," Ah Ping said, "let them be. But I guess most of them are dead by today."

Just as he said, in today's battle, the gods were wiped out due to the human plague they brought with them. Humans wanted to kill all the gods, but they were all slaughtered by monsters. In the end, the 30,000 troops led by Aping killed all the monsters. In the end, only a few people, a lot of blood, and a mountain full of flowers, plants, insects and fish were left.

The blood dyed all the grass on Kunlun Mountain red, and the brocade flowers bloomed more vigorously under the nourishment of the blood.

Aping almost captured Kunlun Mountain, but he was not interested in it. He just took a quick look and ordered a withdrawal.

It was difficult for Zhang Deng to sigh from the perspective of a bystander. He could only say, "Why isn't the human world a Shura field?"

Dong Yu asked Ping, "Is there no one to help you? Do you have any books? Or is there a voice in your head?"

Ah Ping said, "I have a book."

"Zhang Lantern was given to me," Ah Ping said. "I can lend it to you to have a look."

Shi Hong was also injured, with blood seeping from his sleeve. He said, "The voice in my head has disappeared."

"This seems like a conspiracy," Shi Hong realized later. "Someone lured us here to kill each other. It doesn't seem to matter who wins in the end."

"Who wins is important," Zhang Deng said, seeing things more clearly because of his different perspective. "Ultimately, we're bound to lose because we're not on the side of justice."

Zhang Deng finally understood that Dong Yu was a Taoist priest, Shi Hong was a businessman, Lin Yuzhou was a god, Niu Zhuang was a monster, Zhang Deng and Wei Yuanye were mortals, and A Ping was a Qiang.

They fight each other, and although they seem to be in harmony, they are actually fighting for different purposes. Then, except for Aping, everyone else will lose.

Because except for Aping, everyone else has the mindset of a superior, and they all want to divide up some of the world's power and wealth. Only Aping has the mindset of an inferior, and he just wants those who destroy human equality to disappear.

Fundamentally, they are wrong.

Zhang Deng was honored to be participating in a mission for the first time, observing the battle as part of the defeated faction. This had a profound impact on his thinking.

Zhang Deng also realized that completing the task was not that simple, and it was really difficult to see through the essence of the situation.

Dong Yu said, "I just want to know who led us here and what his purpose is."

Lin Yuzhou walked over with his hands behind his back. He looked at everyone and said, "We have to say goodbye here."

"Where are you going?" Dong Yu glanced at him.

Lin Yuzhou also looked at him and said seriously, "Actually, I still remember you."

"Thank you," Dong Yu rolled his eyes and said, "Great Immortal."

Zhang Deng had long guessed that there must be some connection between the two of them, and Dong Yu seemed to have a strange attitude towards He Tongyu.

"Many years ago," Lin Yuzhou said modestly, "I was still young and hot-headed, so I didn't believe in fate. I spoke rudely to you, and I apologize."

Dong Yu explained the reason to everyone, saying, "When I was traveling, I met him once and told him about my book. I told him that he would die in the future, because that's what I wrote in the book. After his death, the world would redistribute power, but he fought me off."

Lin Yuzhou said, "Anyone who hears that they will die in the future will probably be in a bad mood, not to mention that I was arguing with my wife at the time."

Zhang Deng said: "Oh, so that's when you started to turn evil?"

"So actually..." Zhang Deng said, "In your world, you really do hate He Tongyu, and if He Tongyu dies, it's like revenge for you."

"What a fantastic fate. You both have the character 'Yu' in your names. You really do look like sworn enemies." Zhang Deng sighed. It was no wonder they initially thought Dong Yu was the protagonist of this world, because from Dong Yu's perspective, the protagonist who had always been above him was Lin Yuzhou.

Dong Yu has a very complete story line. Maybe even Dong Yu himself thinks that he must be the winner and will definitely win.

Fate gave everyone hope, but also rejected it one by one. It is just as Shakespeare said: "Nothing is more ordinary than hope."

When I first heard it, I didn’t understand the meaning of the lyrics, but when I heard it again, I was already the person in the song.

Lin Yuzhou said: "I don't have any plans yet. In fact, I can transcend this world and the universe right now, but I seem to have suddenly understood a lot of things. I want to see the world again, so I may continue to travel around."

Zhang Deng asked, "What do you mean, can you leave this world?"

"Sure," Lin Yuzhou looked at him with a smile, "and I also know where you are from."

Zhang Deng didn't feel offended, nor did he think it was strange. He said, "My identity is no secret. Now is the time, so it's okay for me to tell everyone."

Lin Yuzhou said: "That's right, but Zhang Deng, your destiny has just begun."

Zhang Deng asked, "Hmm?"

Lin Yuzhou gave him a meaningful look, then swept his gaze over Wei Yuanye, and finally said to Shi Hong: "We are still good brothers."

But it may be difficult for Shi Hong to think so anymore, although Shi Hong still shook hands with him and said, "See you later."

In Lin Yuzhou's eyes, he had completely assumed the posture of a superior. He had completed his mission, successfully overcome all difficulties, and avenged himself. Even the death of his wife did not seem to matter to him.

Zhang Deng completely saw in him the feeling of getting promoted, getting rich, and losing his wife.

"How fortunate I am to have such close friends like you." He looked at Ah Ping and said with admiration and approval, "You've done a good job."

Ah Ping asked, "What did you do well?"

Lin Yuzhou laughed and said, "Why are you so hostile to me?"

Ah Ping said, "I just don't know what I did right."

Lin Yuzhou said, "On the mountain, you saved us and wiped out the monsters. Down the mountain, you saved the Qiang people and gained your own supporters as a Qiang. Isn't that a success?"

"If this succeeds, wouldn't you be a complete failure?" Ah Ping exposed his hypocrisy. "You didn't save anyone on the mountain, and you stood by and watched, knowing full well that eating Qiang people was wrong. If I succeed, what will you be?"

Lin Yuzhou did not answer this question.

Perhaps in Lin Yuzhou's view, there was no need for him to answer this question. Their identities and status were different, and he no longer needed to prove himself to mortals.

Lin Yuzhou simply said, "Being young and energetic isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"Brothers, I really have to leave," Lin Yuzhou said finally, "I have a feeling we will meet again in the future, and everything will become clear."

Zhang Deng felt complicated. He had been with Lin Yuzhou for so long that he had already regarded him as his brother. Even though he knew that they were no longer on the same path, he still felt regretful.

"Don't worry about having no friends on the road ahead," Zhang Deng said, "everyone in the world knows you. I wish you a safe journey."

"You too," Lin Yuzhou said, "I wish you the best. Your road is a bit difficult, but the ending should be good."

Zhang Deng didn't take it to heart. He watched Lin Yuzhou lift up the corner of his clothes and turn to leave. They climbed up the long stairs one step at a time when they came. When Lin Yuzhou left, he disappeared quickly and was never seen again.

After going down the mountain, Dong Yu also said goodbye.

According to him, he wanted to calm down and think carefully about many things in the book that he did not understand at the time.

Dong Yu was still wearing his Foxconn work clothes. Zhang Deng smiled at him, as if he had just met him for the first time. Zhang Deng guessed that Dong Yu had experienced many failures before, and this was just one of them, neither fatal nor special. Perhaps he would soon forget it. Dong Yu was like a weed, always prone to dying, but the next spring he would be the first to sprout.

Zhang Deng said goodbye to him and asked the question he wanted to ask the most: "Where did your clothes come from?"

"I had it made by a tailor," Dong Yu said. "There are drawings in my book. If I wear it like this, people will recognize me."

Zhang Deng said, "I recognized him. Does anyone else recognize him?"

Dong Yu said: "I don't know, maybe we have to wait."

Zhang Deng knew that he had not given up his hopes and ideals, he still wanted fame and fortune, so he would continue to try.

"Well then," Zhang Deng said, "I wish you good luck."

Dong Yu smiled: "I don't have good luck, so why not just wish me to persevere."

Zhang Deng changed his tone: "I wish you can persevere to the end."

"I will definitely do that," Dong Yu said. "If we meet again, I hope we've both reached the summit."

"Ah," Zhang Deng was not interested in this, so he said, "I don't need it. You can stay at the top by yourself. I have to go back to write my novel."

He has many more ideas that will definitely make the story even more exciting.

Dong Yu said, "Then I wish your novel a bestseller."

"No need," Zhang Deng really didn't need it. He said, "Just wish Wei Yuanye and I happiness."

Dong Yu said helplessly: "I wish you two happiness."

Dong Yu said: "You are the most useless man I have ever met."

"But I like you the most," Dong Yu finally recognized Zhang Deng, "I have to say, you are cooler than me."

Zhang Deng smiled and bumped fists with him. Dong Yu waved and greeted Shi Hong. Shi Hong had nothing to say to him, so he just waved his hand to indicate that he could go. Dong Yu then turned and left. He left in a very cool manner, without even looking back, just like Lin Yuzhou.

Lin Yuzhou didn't look back because he had nothing to be nostalgic about, so he went to walk his own smooth road. Dong Yu didn't look back because he had the courage of a hero who would never return. Although he was timid, cowardly, and afraid of death, when it came to his dreams and career, he would never turn back until he hit a wall.

Zhang Deng knew that he would have to endure a lot of hardships along the way, including loneliness, hunger, and misunderstanding, but he held his head high and thought he should be able to get through it.

Shi Hong said, "I will go back to Yingzhou with you."

"You won't not go back, will you?" he asked again.

Zhang Deng glanced at Wei Yuanye, who seemed to have confirmed the status with the World Tree. He said, "The mission has been successful and can be settled."

Zhang Deng asked, "Are we still going back to Yingzhou?"

"Your bag is still in Yingzhou," Wei Yuanye reminded Zhang Deng, "it's your schoolbag."

Zhang Deng remembered that Chi Xiaoxia had brought his schoolbag to him. Zhang Deng slapped his thigh and said, "Then I have to go back."

He had carried that backpack for many years and had become attached to it. Zhang Deng had a serious nostalgia complex and fetish for it. Zhang Deng asked, "How are we going to get back?"

Ah Ping said, “I have a car.”

Zhang Deng thought it was a carriage. He was a little afraid of the long journey and was about to back out when he saw a familiar face approaching. He bowed his head and simply greeted A Ping, then said to Zhang Deng and the others, "Long time no see."

Zhang Deng exclaimed in surprise: "Li Xiao!"

Li Xiao said, "You still recognize me."

Li Xiaoming remained almost unchanged as he said, "General Ping, there is only one person left alive, Li Sen. We have captured him alive and killed all the monsters."

Zhang Deng remembered something and asked, "Where's Hongzhu?"

Shi Hong said, "He ran away."

"She ran away a long time ago during the chaos. You didn't see it," Shi Hong said. "Don't worry about her. She is the most self-loving woman I have ever met. Women like her will take good care of themselves."

Zhang Deng was skeptical about this, but looking at Shi Hong's expression, he thought that maybe Hongzhu had said something to him before she left, or maybe the two of them had already made some agreement. Zhang Deng didn't ask any more questions, but just nodded: "It's okay, that's all."

Li Xiao said, "The Xunlu Cart is ready and can set off at any time. We just need to stay here to finish the work."

Zhang Deng seemed to have heard of this term before. He thought about it carefully and remembered it. He said, "Is it the Xunlu in the West Mountain that can travel a thousand miles a day?"

"Yes," Li Xiao laughed. "Last year we planned to go to Kunlun. We went to the Western Mountains and caught a lot of them and raised them. Feimao designed the blueprints and built a deer carriage. It can carry twenty people and is very fast. It only takes one night to get back to Kunlun from here."

Zhang Deng exclaimed in surprise, "It's faster than the high-speed rail!"

Shi Hong said: "I have missed too much, let's go back and take a look."

Sitting in the Xunlu car, Zhang Deng looked at the passing scene and felt a great excitement in his heart. He suddenly felt relaxed and at ease.

It's like living in the millennium of his world. No matter what you do, you will get rich and succeed. Everyone is the pig standing on the cusp of the storm, and everyone will have a bright future.

Life really got better. Along the way, Aping told Zhang Deng a lot.

Ah Ping only regarded Zhang Deng as a true friend and only told him his true feelings. He didn't care that Shi Hong and Wei Yuanye were sitting next to him. He said to Zhang Deng, "I actually hope everyone dies and we can start over."

Zhang Deng was very happy that he thought so. He said, "Because we grassroots people are all like this, always thinking about reopening."

Ah Ping said: "This world is really too barbaric."

"All civilizations begin with barbarism," Zhang Deng said, "and they all eventually return to barbarism. A speck of dust from the past weighs like a mountain on a human's head. We poor people just have to live a good life."

Ah Ping said, "But your book says that awakening requires a certain amount of violence. Even when preaching the truth, sufficient force is needed to suppress it."

Zhang Deng ate his cake and nodded. "Just listen to it casually. I just wrote it casually. We writers can only write with our pens. We actually have no idea about the actual situation."

Ah Ping asked, "Can you stay with me for a while?"

"I'm afraid not." Zhang Deng also felt sorry.

"Why?"

Zhang Deng said, "I miss my kitten."

Zhang Deng didn't find it difficult to say it. This was the fact. For Zhang Deng, the world was already on the right track. It was just a difference between good and better. So this world was not as important as his Xiao Mi.

Zhang Deng swallowed the pastry, took the water Wei Yuanye handed him, and said, "But you are already great, just believe in yourself."

Ah Ping didn't force him to stay, but just smiled and said, "I don't even know how to repay you."

"You've rescued so many Qiang people," Zhang Deng patted the food scraps from his hands, "you've already repaid the debt you owe me."

Zhang Deng stuffed the delicious piece of food he had just eaten into Wei Yuanye's mouth and said, "I hope you can keep your original intention in the future. But it doesn't matter if you can't. You have already done a lot."

The journey back to Yingzhou was very fast. When going back, Zhang Deng felt that the feng shui here seemed to have changed. In the past, there was thick fog all day long, but now when he got off the car, he could actually see the hotel sign a hundred meters away clearly.

Zhang Deng was eager to go home. Ah Ping gathered their belongings and waited for the escort to arrive. Zhang Deng was about to say goodbye, but Shi Hong said unhappily, "Don't you want to say something to your brother?"

Zhang Deng looked at him. Of the comrades who had sworn blood oaths to form an alliance, it was Shi Hong who accompanied them on their final journey.

Shi Hong said to Wei Yuanye, "I really want to make you my brother, but it's a pity that you two don't want to stay."

Wei Yuanye also patted his shoulder. Wei Yuanye and Shi Hong had a very compatible aura, and they had been getting along well recently.

Zhang Deng asked, "Has the system in your mind returned?"

"No," Shi Hong was not in a good mood when this was mentioned. He said, "I must find out who is plotting against me."

Zhang Deng also felt that this matter was full of strangeness, as if someone was really guiding them step by step forward. Zhang Deng said, "Oh, never mind. At least I'm back alive."

Shi Hong said, "Yes, forget it for now. When will you come back? No, will you come back?"

Zhang Deng was still hesitant, but Wei Yuanye agreed and said, "I will definitely come back when I have the chance."

But the memory needs to be erased. Zhang Deng felt a little sad when he thought about this, but he also said: "I think we will meet again."

"I definitely will," Shi Hong hugged them both, "Even though we didn't become heroes, our feelings are real."

Zhang Deng felt sorry for having thought Shi Hong was a profiteer.

"In my heart, you are a great hero," said Zhang Deng.

Shi Hong felt a little touched, took a deep breath, and hugged him tightly again.

"Bao," Shi Hong said, "you're fine."

I'm afraid even straight men can't say anything more touching. Shi Hong is indifferent to the women he likes, which is already corny enough for them.

Zhang Deng said, "If you like her, you should be nice to her."

"Hmm?" Shi Hong reacted and said, "I can't say I like her..."

Zhang Deng snorted and said, "Don't deceive yourself."

Shi Hong smiled helplessly, with a touch of the bitterness of an older brother. He said, "She really isn't...an easy person to get along with. Isn't it a bit of a waste for me to be with her?"

Zhang Deng laughed, knowing that Shi Hong was joking.

Shi Hongfu became serious again: "I understand."

"It depends on fate," Shi Hong said, "I'm not in a hurry."

Their past relationship was too heavy, and it was not something that could be persuaded. Zhang Deng respected his thoughts and simply said, "Don't think of lovers as clothes and brothers as siblings. Lovers and friends are not meant to be compared."

Shi Hongdao: "I understand."

"I really understand." Shi Hong rubbed his head and said gently, "Actually, you are right."

There were endless farewell words, and Zhang Deng didn't plan to say any more. Ah Ping said he wanted to give him some money for the journey. Zhang Deng suddenly remembered something and took out a wad of money and put it in Wei Yuanye's pocket. Zhang Deng said, "This will be the interest."

"We're really short of money," Zhang Deng waved his hand. "We're really leaving this time."

"Wait," Shi Hong said, "I'll give you a gift too."

He placed the jeweled knife from his waist in Wei Yuanye's hand.

Wei Yuanye was a little surprised. Although he didn't understand why, he immediately said, "I can't accept it."

"A sword worthy of a hero," Shi Hong said, "I am not worthy of this sword."

Zhang Deng said: "But..."

Shi Hong stood with his hands behind his back and said, "Take it."

Shi Hong said solemnly, "I will find another weapon that suits me, and I will begin my cultivation journey anew. In the past, I didn't know how high the heavens were, and I thought I was strong and lucky enough to easily grasp both money and fame. Today, after seeing everyone's strength, I realized how ridiculous I was."

"Fortunately, I've always been a resilient person, and I never lack the courage to start over again," Shi Hong said. "Next time we meet, I'll definitely impress you."

At this point, refusing would be disrespectful, so Wei Yuanye put it away and said, "I'll keep it for you first."

Now Zhang Deng really felt that this separation was not forever.

As they left, the sun was setting in the west, and the crimson glow covered the earth. A few cranes that had escaped death followed them, soaring and dancing in the sky. Zhang Deng waved to them, and the setting sun stretched his shadow to infinity. Wei Yuanye held Zhang Deng's hand, and Zhang Deng said goodbye to them, saying, "See you again if we're destined to."

He was very free and easy, with only a little reluctance, while Wei Yuanye showed no emotion and pressed the communicator.

They just disappeared from the spot, as if they had never been there.

Only when he was leaving did Zhang Deng realize that he didn't like this world at all and he actually wanted to leave very much.

It is a barbaric, desolate and disorderly place. The people, monsters and gods here eat each other as if they were the lowest creatures.

Here, Zhang Deng saw the most naked good and evil, beauty and ugliness of human nature. Everything here was in rough shape, everyone was clamoring for the most primitive desires, and killing was the most common thing here.

However, Zhang Deng knew that things would get better. The seeds of enlightenment had already been planted in these people's hearts. It just took some time and opportunity.

But it is still difficult for Zhang Deng to fall in love with this world. This world is really an ugly and overly masculine child.

But he also had a very bad feeling, as if his fate with this world was not over yet.

He always had a nightmare feeling that this world would haunt him like a ghost.

God bless me.

Zhang Deng repeated it silently in his mind.

——The second volume of Wuwangshengmadness is finished——