Chapter 49 Starting Over with You and Me
Hearing someone's voice, my heart sank.
Before the joy of seeing Wenren Jing again could even begin, he was doused with a bucket of cold water.
Upon hearing this, even a fool could tell that Wenren Jing had forgotten them.
Although he had prepared himself, Wen Rensheng's face still showed sadness when he learned that the clan leader had lost his memory, and even his pupils turned gray.
"Chieftain..."
He Mu patted his back and comforted him, "It's okay. The memories of a soul are inherently unstable. Talk to him and maybe he'll remember."
Hearing a voice, her eyes lit up, and she looked at He Mu: "Really?"
He Mu smiled and said, "There's still plenty of time. I'll wait with you."
Hearing this, he felt much more confident. He nodded vigorously and quickly stepped forward to grab Wenren Jing, lest he get lost in the crowd again.
"Your name is Wenren Jing, right?" Wenren Sheng stared at him intently. "I need to talk to you about something."
Wenren Jing was timid. When he saw Wenren Sheng grabbing him so aggressively, he immediately began to shrink back and tried to break free with his hands.
"I haven't done anything wrong!" Wenren Jing shouted. "Why are you arresting me? Are you some kind of ghost?! I...I...I'm fifty years old, and I've never done anything bad! I...I have about a hundred rabbits and grandchildren under my command, and a little wolf cub that's just been weaned, please...please don't arrest me..."
"Little Wolf?"
He Mu and Wen Rensheng exchanged a glance.
"Is this from when you were a child?"
Hearing the voice, he realized what was happening and quickly went over to ask, "You adopted a wolf cub? What's its name?"
Wenren Jing asked in surprise, "A name? He's still young, he hasn't even learned how to transform into human form yet, why would he need a name?"
But halfway through his sentence, he muttered to himself, "Name...name, I really need to think about it..."
Hearing the voice, she looked at He Mu again, her expression somewhat anxious: "The clan leader's memory seems to have regressed to when he first found me, what should we do?"
"Sheng Sheng," He Mu leaned down slightly and rubbed his neck, "Think carefully about what you want to say to the clan leader."
"I……"
After a pause at the sound of someone's voice, they lowered their voice.
"I want to tell him that I miss him very much, and ask him to visit me in my dreams more often. Also... I want to know when he will be reincarnated, so that I can secretly take a peek at him in his next life."
He Mu nodded and said, "Try asking him about the little wolf first, and see if he remembers you."
Wenrensheng then grabbed Wenrenjing and pressed him for an answer: "What does this little wolf you picked up look like?"
Wenren Jing looked at Wenren Sheng with a strange gaze.
Why are you asking about this?
He muttered a couple of things to himself, as if he was questioning Wenrensheng and He Mu's identities.
But after a few seconds, he started describing things to the people in exaggerated gestures.
"I rescued this little wolf from a stinky fox. It looks cute, like a puppy, and it makes a 'whimpering' sound. You've definitely never seen this little thing before."
He gestured more and more excitedly, even reaching out to touch Wenren's braid: "Oh, his fur is the same color as your hair, a mix of gray and black. Do you know how I kicked that fox over?..."
He talked on and on for a long time, recounting in detail how he kicked the fox over, how he found the human voice, and how he took it home and cared for it.
Hearing people talking for half a minute made him feel sleepy, and by the end, even He Mu started to doze off.
“You talk too much,” He Mu yawned. “I thought rabbit spirits didn’t like to talk.”
Wenren Sheng still refused to give up and continued to subtly guide Wenren Jing to recover his memories.
Half an hour passed, and just as Wenren Sheng was about to interrupt, Wenren Jing slammed his fist down and exclaimed in realization:
"I see!"
The two quickly perked up and went over.
Hearing a voice, he blinked and asked expectantly, "What do you know?"
Wenren Jing lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "I know what to call this little wolf."
Hearing the voice, he let out a disappointed "Ah," not particularly curious about the secret.
He Mu, however, got excited and asked, "Hey, I know what he should be called too."
"You?" Wenren Jing looked at him with disbelief. "How do you know Wenren Sheng's name?"
“I just know,” He Mu shrugged and said, “His name is ‘Idiot Who Hears Human Voices,’ right?”
"Oh right—hmm? No!" Wenren Jing denied it outright.
"No!" Wenrensheng retorted anxiously.
What? What time is it? Mu and I are still in the mood to play here!
"What's this about kids being stupid or not? How can you talk like that, young man!"
Wenren Jing preemptively began educating He Mu before Wenren Sheng could even speak.
"Could it be that your child was born a child prodigy? Even if he is, don't look down on people. Judging from his voice and appearance, he's a smart child and will be successful in the future. Maybe he can even ascend to heaven. Stop hoping he'll do bad things!"
He Mu: "…………"
He raised an eyebrow helplessly, thinking to himself that when he ascended to immortality, Wenren Jing's father hadn't even been born yet. The dignified (former) Cangyu Zhenjun was actually being scolded by a rabbit spirit one day.
That's outrageous.
However, Wenrensheng seemed quite happy, hiding behind Wenrenjing and giggling like a child who had stolen a dessert.
"Childish," He Mu pulled him back to his side and scolded, "You're only helping your clan leader, not your mountain god brother?"
Upon hearing the voice, he quickly suppressed his smile and replied seriously, "Respect for the dead is paramount."
He Mu pointed to his own soul body: "Then I am also a dead person now."
Unable to argue with him, he resorted to shameless behavior, saying, "You deserve to die badly, so I'll punish you."
"You have no conscience," He Mu said, feigning sadness. "I'm heartbroken."
Hearing someone say, "You can punish me too, I didn't say I couldn't."
"oh……"
Hearing this, He Mu narrowed his eyes.
"Did you say that?"
Hearing the voice, he had no idea what the man was thinking. His expression was very calm: "A great man's word is as good as his bond. If I do anything wrong in the future, as long as I have a legitimate reason, you can punish me however you want."
However, he said this because he was certain that Mu wouldn't punish him severely; at most, he would just give him a couple of spankings, like when he was a child.
He could easily get over that little punishment by just yelping in pain a couple of times.
He Mu didn't delve into the topic. He pointed to the ivory tablet in Wenren Jing's arms and said, "You should have your birth date and time checked."
“Oh right,” Wenrensheng hurriedly stepped forward and tugged at Wenrenjing’s sleeve, “Clan leader, may I see the ivory token in your hand?”
Wenren Jing quickly stepped back to protect them, watching the two warily.
"Why?" he said. "What if you come after me in my next life if I show this to you so easily?"
He Mu said, "We are also dead people. After crossing the Bridge of Helplessness, we won't recognize each other anymore. What's wrong with taking a look?"
"But I don't know you at all! Who are you?!"
Hearing the voice, he quickly stopped He Mu, lest he say something rude and scare Wenren Jing away.
Then, he lingered and took the initiative to step forward, grabbed Wenren Jing's arm, shook it, and said to Wenren Jing in a coquettish tone, "Clan leader... don't you remember me? Then look at my eyes?"
"Eye?"
Wenren Jing frowned and looked into Wenren Sheng's eyes, and He Mu unconsciously followed suit.
The eyes of the creature that heard human voices were beautiful, like bright blue jade, a color that no river, lake, or sea in the world could match.
Although it still retains some of its naivety, it does not diminish its captivating power.
He Mu loved those eyes. In the past, his own image was always reflected in those beautiful eyes, filled with undisguised love.
Wenren Jing looked at it for a few seconds and quickly noticed the special feature of Wenren Sheng's eyes.
It looks exactly like the little wolf he found.
He stopped yelling and stared blankly at Wenrensheng.
"How could you..."
His lips trembled slightly as he shook his head and murmured,
"No, I placed you in Fangze Mountain, where there is a mountain god's barrier. You couldn't possibly die..."
Upon hearing the voice and seeing his expression, she realized that the clan leader might have misunderstood that she was dead, so she quickly leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Clan leader, I'm not dead. I secretly ran down here to see you."
"Secretly...?" Wenren Jing asked hesitantly.
"Mmm!" Wen Rensheng's eyes crinkled into a smile. "I missed the clan leader, so I came to see you."
Wenren Jing only half understood what he was hearing. Much of his memory had faded, and he didn't remember how he died. He was also unfamiliar with Wenren Sheng's human form.
But no matter what, he wouldn't mistake those eyes that could hear human voices.
This is a color that is unique in the world.
Wenren Sheng was still thinking about the birth date and time, and pointed to the ivory tablet in Wenren Jing's hand: "Can I see it now?"
"Oh..." Wenren Jing came to his senses and slowly handed him the ivory token. "Look, look."
Hearing the voice, he quickly took it, glanced at the eight characters on it, then silently recited it in his mind, and hurriedly conjured up paper and pen to write it down.
After writing, he folded the small piece of paper and clutched it in his palm, looking excitedly at He Mu.
"Got it!"
He nodded to Mu Chong and gave him a "well done" look.
Acting cute is still the most effective method.
Hearing the voices, he excitedly hugged the clan leader and said happily, "Thank you, clan leader!"
Wenren Jing was jolted by his lunge and barely managed to regain his balance.
He looked at Wenrensheng with a complicated expression, and hesitated before asking, "Are you really... that little brat?"
"Yes, I am Hearing Human Voices, the little wolf you picked up."
After saying that, Wen Rensheng pulled He Mu over and whispered, "This is the mountain god of Fangze Mountain, but he has been demoted and is now an ordinary but unparalleled master."
He Mu pinched his cheek: "Is this how your master taught you?"
Hearing a voice, it cried out and moved away from him.
“That’s exactly what they said,” he retorted. “They used to be invincible, so now they’re just ordinary, right? But compared to others, they’re still unparalleled masters, so what’s wrong with that?”
He's quite the smooth talker when he's being sarcastic; he's definitely been taught by the God of Literature.
He Mu lifted his forehead and sighed softly.
If I had known this would happen, I would have been better off teaching him myself. If I had taught him to be a little fool, he would only follow me, and I wouldn't have had to worry about him running away at the sound of people.
Wenren Sheng, being so boisterous, sidled up to Wenren Jing, not caring whether Wenren Jing believed her or not, and immediately started pestering him, chattering on about the ups and downs she had experienced in Cangzhou City over the past two years.
He Mu stood to the side listening, while secretly observing Wen Rensheng's expression.
This time, her joy came from the bottom of her heart. Mu had not seen that same happy look in his eyes for two years, like the flowing spring sunshine, so bright and beautiful.
He secretly turned his thumb ring under his sleeve.
Upon reflection, it seems that back then, he was determined to ascend to heaven and pursue the ultimate truth, but he rarely stopped to look at such a perspective or such scenery. In his pursuit of freedom, he missed out on even more freedom.
Now he feels—
If we could stay in this moment, that would be wonderful.
*
The three of them stayed in the underworld for seven days.
During these seven days, Wenrensheng patiently recounted in detail the stories that Wenrenjing had forgotten.
Although the clan chief didn't remember much in the end, his gaze towards Wen Rensheng held a hint of longing, indicating that he believed him.
At midnight on the seventh day, it was almost time for the Soul Separation Technique to be lifted.
Wenren Sheng clung to Wenren Jing, dawdling and refusing to let go, until Mu Xiaosheng reminded him, at which point he reluctantly released Wenren Jing.
“It’s time, clan leader,” Wenrensheng said softly with regret, “I have to go back now.”
Wenren Jing didn't say anything to persuade him to stay. He gently stroked Wenren Sheng's hand and said softly, "Don't be sad, the Mountain God is still with you."
Hearing someone's voice, she hummed in response, took a step back, and took He Mu's hand.
"Chieftain, I have grown up now."
He lowered his head slightly, his face showing some embarrassment.
"Originally, I came to the underworld because I couldn't let go of the clan leader, but I didn't expect that I would be at peace before I even saw the clan leader."
He paused for a moment, then looked up and met Wenren Jing's gaze.
"Now that I have found my Dao Heart, I can properly say goodbye to the clan leader."
His Daoist heart awakened at the moment he sought revenge for the clan leader.
The first ability bestowed upon him by the Heavenly Spiritual Root was the ability to sense all things; he could perceive the heartbeat of all things a hundred times more delicately than ordinary people.
But the world is full of suffering, and one person's ability is too small to support many suffering people.
Tianlinggen has always been reminding Wenrensheng not to look at the world with any warm or empathetic gaze.
Having a profound sensitivity to all things in the world can ultimately lead to indifference towards everything; this is a form of self-protection.
Hearing human voices, he vaguely felt that his own aptitude was naturally suited to the ruthless path.
At the moment he drew his sword, he did indeed feel a sense of despair, wanting to sever the root of all his suffering.
But at the last second, he heard He Mu's voice, and his own heart.
Mu and I have already walked this path.
What he needs to do is not to follow in Mu's footsteps, but to find his own Dao heart.
It is to step back from the ruthless high ground, to accept all beings and have compassion for them, and to experience all the love, hate, compassion, and resentment in the world without reservation.
And after all this, he still retains a gentle heart and treats all things in the world with kindness.
This is the Daoist mind that hears human voices.
"It's good to be grown up."
Wenren Jing gently ruffled Wenren Sheng's hair.
His soul's color had faded somewhat, but one could still sense the warmth of the action when hearing human voices.
The clan chief said to himself:
Good child, see you in the next life.
...
In the underworld, there is no sun or moon shining. The deceased will spend endless time here, recalling countless things from their past lives little by little, and then gradually losing those memories, their souls cleansed anew by the waters of the River of Oblivion.
Although Wenren Sheng was unable to witness Wenren Jing's passing, he knew that this kind old man had already accumulated enough merit for his next reincarnation.
He clutched the birth date and time in his hand, and looked at the altar of death with lingering affection.
Tens of thousands of souls walked slowly, appearing from afar like a wisp of smoke.
Wen Rensheng stood in front of the earth god temple where he had come from, quietly watching this scene.
He Mu stood beside him, leaning against the wall, tacitly not disturbing him.
After gazing for a long time, a voice spoke: "Having walked the path of rebirth once is like dying once, and suddenly my mood becomes lighter."
For some reason, He Mu suddenly felt a little nervous after hearing those words.
He quickly straightened up, moved closer to Wen Rensheng's side, and softly replied, "Sheng Sheng."
"The clan leader is going to start his life anew."
Hearing the voice, she pursed her lips and looked up at He Mu.
"Do you think we should give it a try and start over?"
At this point, Wenren paused, a gentle smile spreading across his lips.
"It doesn't start when we become family..."
"It starts with you and me."
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