Li Shutong lost his smile.
Shen Qingmang said calmly, "I've never been to the county hospital, but I know its conditions aren't very good. But when I first woke up, everything I saw looked very familiar. It was the structure of the large hospital near my school when I was an undergraduate."
"Really?"
"Qingqing's mother cooks delicious food and often brings me meals. But her mother left here when she was in the second year of junior high school and eloped with another man. I don't let anyone in the class mention this, for fear of hurting her."
Li Shutong was silent.
"And..." Shen Qingmang calmed himself down and said, "I know I'm dead. I've tasted death. It's a road with no return. No matter how much I miss the past, I know that those are all things I've lost and can never get back. With a new life, I should look forward."
"Teacher Shen, you're as serious as ever." Li Shutong clapped his hands slowly. "It seems it's not my illusion that's the problem, but you... No illusion, no matter how realistic and elaborate, can hold you back. But what if the conditions were different?"
"What other conditions can you offer?" Shen Qingmang looked at her calmly.
Li Shutong adjusted his glasses and said, "For example, Gu Suihan's secret. I'll tell you his true story. Believe me, after listening to it, you won't want to get involved in this mess again."
Shen Qingmang raised an eyebrow. "What a coincidence, great writer! Are you referring to him sacrificing the Heart of Heaven and Earth to reverse time, or are you referring to him loving me? I know everything, and I won't back down."
"This is truly... unexpected. It seems you've had a fulfilling life in Chaohua Palace." Li Shutong remained undeterred and continued, "In that case, I'm sure you're aware of his physical condition. I can heal him and restore his previous life's extraordinary talents. As long as you stop interfering with the plot and get everything back on track, how about that?"
"How could you save him?"
"It's true that you're not a character in my writing, but he is one after all. I only need to use my mind to influence him."
"But I still remember how much you hated him." Shen Qingmang stared into her eyes. "You've repeatedly sowed discord between him and me, trying to convince me that he's the culprit, that he has ulterior motives. You seem to harbor an inexplicable hatred for him. Let me guess... He overturned your preconceived plot. Was he also the one who influenced you to come here?"
Li Shutong narrowed his eyes. "You know too much. We're from the same hometown, and he's just a paper man. Why are you helping him and not me?"
"How dare you say we're from the same hometown? Who was the one who took advantage of my trust and destroyed my spiritual home? I'm being kind by not hating you."
Li Shutong sneered. "Then should I thank Mr. Shen for his mercy? Don't you teachers always claim to be the standard of morality? But Shen Qingmang, don't you think you're being hypocritical? You previously scoffed at An Yanxiang and called him a lunatic, but how much better is Gu Suihan? I've known for a long time that he had ulterior motives towards you. To get you, he played dumb and lied profusely. And yet you're still protecting him? Don't you hate teacher-student relationships? Don't tell me you're already involved with him."
Shen Qingmang frowned. "Don't say such harsh words."
"Oh, I really got it right? Then aren't you even more hypocritical, Shen Qingmang? An Yanxiang doesn't know how to love, but Gu Suihan can? He grew up in that environment and doesn't know how to love at all. Just wait and see, he will be full of hostility towards all men around you, using all kinds of means to make sure you only have him by your side. When he goes crazy, I'm afraid he will be even worse than An Yanxiang."
"I can teach him," Shen Qingmang said solemnly. "It doesn't matter if he doesn't know how to love. I'm willing to teach him how to love. If you want to accuse me of hypocrisy, I do hate An Yanxiang and don't want to change him. I like Sui Han and am willing to help him grow. But An Yanxiang disregards all living things for his own selfish desires. Sui Han will never go as crazy as he does."
"Your love for him is truly unwavering. Shouldn't you agree to my terms? Although I hate Gu Suihan, for more important things, I can help him and restore his health. Then, we can go our separate ways without interfering with each other."
"But can the promise you made to me truly come true? If you truly possess such powerful control over the characters in your book, why did you only manage to escape after twenty years of inhabiting my spirit realm? Why didn't you become stronger or more famous after your escape? You can't change anything, otherwise you wouldn't have used me as a pawn."
Li Shutong's fists tightened and unclenched, and finally he spoke: "Shen Qingmang, you guessed right, I was indeed deceiving you. Then I will tell you the truth. Gu Suihan's dilapidated body cannot be cured no matter what. This is the price he paid for defying the author's will. Even if you seek help from the Qihuang Sect, they won't be able to prescribe any good medicine. One day, the two of you will be separated by Yin and Yang. You are not far from achieving enlightenment and ascending to heaven, but he will never reach that height in his lifetime. I am waiting to see the day when you two will part ways!"
After saying that, she disappeared from the spot. Shen Qingmang opened his eyes and looked towards An Yanxiang.
"You are courting disaster." She said coldly.
"She didn't trap you. This is the will of heaven." An Yanxiang's face turned pale. "Who the hell are you?"
"Sorry, I said the wrong thing just now. If you think she is Tiandao, then I am not Tiandao's daughter, but Tiandao's ancestor." Shen Qingmang said sinisterly: "She is a little girl who wants to play with me in the palm of her hand, but she is still a little naive. I will not be fooled a second time."
An Yanxiang's eyes were filled with fear. Shen Qingmang, remembering Li Shutong's words, rubbed his brows, trying to appear less hypocritical. "Stop, Brother. I know all about your plan, and you won't succeed. Some people in the Taichu Sect did you wrong, but not the entire Taichu Sect. You can take revenge and grudges, but don't take your anger out on others."
"Revenge if there's a vengeance, and grievance if there's a grudge?" An Yanxiang laughed. "So, in your opinion, which vengeance should I avenge? Is it my father for forcing me to marry his junior sister and give birth to this bastard child, or is it my mother for tricking me into drinking honey water that was actually poison? Don't take your anger out on others. Who turned a blind eye to all this? Are they all innocent? My mother wanted to run away, but who persuaded her to accept reality, and who helped my father keep an eye on her to prevent her from escaping?"
"This is a grudge from a previous generation, and most of them are already dead." Shen Qingmang said, "There are still so many people in the Five Peaks who know nothing about this. What do they owe you? There are still many people who respect and trust you. You are the leader of a peak, and you are going to hate and abandon even your own sect?"
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