Chapter 63 Even if it sows the seeds of disaster, Nezha is willing to...
When Pingyu woke up, he was already in the mansion.
The moment she opened her eyes, a headache throbbed like a swarm of bees, and cold sweat soaked her clothes once again.
How did I end up on the tatami mat?
Pingyu covered his forehead, looking around in a daze. Everything, from the long table to the ornaments hanging on the four walls, was blurry and swaying.
She vaguely remembered...
It seems so. The woman in green said that Nezha went to the East Sea and she was going to find him.
Yes, Nezha...East Sea...
As if finding the exit of a maze, the names stirred the confusion in my mind:
Nezha!
Memories can only go back to this point; beyond that, they become indistinct.
Ping felt uneasy and immediately jumped out of bed and rushed towards the door.
She called out, "Green dress!"
The footsteps approached quickly, and the female slave, seeing the girl kneeling on the ground, was startled and hurriedly helped her up: "Miss, what happened?"
"Where's Nezha?" she asked, clinging to his arm. "Where did Nezha go?"
But there was no sign of Nezha around; she only woke up uncomfortably from her bed.
Could it be that everything was just a nightmare I was having?
"What are you talking about, Miss?" The woman in green summoned a slave to help Pingyu wash up. She helped the girl up, puzzled, and said, "Didn't you faint from a fever on the coast and that's why the Third Prince brought you back? He left after bringing you back, and told me to tell you... um, it seems he went to Qianyuan Mountain?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a thunderclap suddenly flashed across the previously misty sky.
The lightning illuminated Chentang Pass like a coffin, and thunder roared, shaking the Lin family mansion.
The man in green was startled and looked up at the sky in surprise, saying, "It was just fog a moment ago, how did it turn into rain clouds in the blink of an eye?"
It wasn't a dream; the female slave's voice flowed away from my ears.
Nezha followed her instructions and went to the Golden Light Cave to seek refuge with Taiyi.
Pingyu stretched her hand out from under the eaves, and a torrential downpour began amidst thunder. Large raindrops, like arrows shot from the sky, pelted her, stinging her skin. The rainfall was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, a pool of water formed in the girl's palm. The air lacked the scent of grass, trees, or damp earth; instead, it carried a soggy, salty, and fishy stench.
She twitched her nose; apart from the lack of blood, the smell was exactly the same as the one she had smelled on the coast.
Seeing that Pingyu had no reaction and was just staring blankly at the torrential rain.
The woman in green tentatively called out, "Miss?"
Her clothes were still wet; she mustn't let the fever get worse.
As they spoke, the sound of footsteps approached again in the rain.
Pingyu turned his gaze back to the courtyard.
"Miss, the Madam and Master summon you to the main hall."
She recognized the male slave; he was one of her father's men. The slave continued in a low voice, "General Li has come to visit, saying he has something to discuss."
"Uncle Li?" Ping Yu was somewhat surprised.
She knew Li Jing would come to the mansion to look for her, but she didn't expect him to come so quickly.
When she changed her clothes and went to the main hall, she sensed an impending storm even before entering. The three adults inside each had a gloomy expression, and the oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe. Knowing what had happened, she calmly stepped over the threshold.
"Father, Mother, Uncle Li."
She bowed to each of them, but then saw Li Jing suddenly stand up and take a few steps toward her: "Pingyu, do you know where my rebellious son is?"
The girl didn't answer, but asked instead, "Uncle Li, has something happened?"
"Today, I was practicing military drills at the training ground when I returned home to find the Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Guang, sitting in my residence. I had a brief acquaintance with him when I was cultivating in West Kunlun. He immediately told me that Nezha was causing trouble in the Nine Rivers Bay, disrupting the Dragon Palace with his divine weapons. He sent a yaksha to inquire, but Nezha killed the yaksha. He then sent his third son, Ao Bing, to investigate, but Nezha not only skinned Ao Bing but also pulled out his tendons!"
Lin Dong tried to smooth things over, saying, "Nezha is a good child, could there be some misunderstanding?"
"What misunderstanding is this!" Li Jing slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to rattle and spill water everywhere. He was furious. "That Dragon King is an old acquaintance of mine. How can he say that Nezha pulled out his son's tendons without mentioning others? This is no joke! He's demanding my son back, but I have no idea where Nezha is. That wretched boy must have known he'd caused trouble and fled, leaving me and his mother to face this mess. My wife and I waited three years for him to be born, only to find he's the root of our family's destruction!"
"Uncle Li, do you think all of this is Nezha's fault?"
Ping Yu's face instantly darkened.
Faced with the girl's unfriendly question, Li Jing asked, puzzled, "Otherwise?"
"Do you know why Nezha skinned the dragon and pulled out its tendons?" Pingyu was disappointed that even the parents didn't trust their own child. She continued, walking closer to him, "Today, someone came to us for help, saying their little sister was swept away by a demonic wave while collecting seashells on the shore, and they hoped Nezha would rescue her. When Nezha arrived, he learned that the Dragon King of the sea had already eaten the child, and not only that, but had also sent men to kidnap Nezha for dinner. Was he supposed to just obediently let himself be captured and eaten without fighting back?"
"this......"
"Uncle Li, how can you condemn Nezha based on just one person's word? An old acquaintance claims he suffered an undeserved calamity, but did he really suffer it? When he abducted the boys and girls from Chentang Pass to eat, did he even consider you, his virtuous brother?" Ping Yu was consumed by rage, momentarily forgetting about seniority and hierarchy, only wanting to unleash his fury on this East Asian overlord: "The people of Chentang Pass all praise Nezha highly, yet you still harbor prejudice against him! Besides, do you really believe he would dare to report this to the Heavenly Court?"
A series of questions forced Li Jing into a retreat.
On the way here, Pingyu kept thinking.
If Nezha also went to the Heavenly Court to complain, then as long as they could wait until the Jade Emperor issued his decree, everything would be fine. She didn't care about the little hero Nezha or the lotus-incarnated Marshal Zhongtan; Pingyu only wanted her friend Nezha to be safe and sound!
If Chentang Pass were to be flooded, flood control methods from the previous life could be used to buffer and block the water. This could include building rammed earth walls, stacking sandbags behind the gate to form a dam, clearing silt from the riverbed, and digging shallow ditches in low-lying areas to guide the water towards the outside of the pass or nearby rivers...
The knowledge he had acquired in modern times could also be useful at this moment. However, when he thought about this matter, Pingyu pinched his brow in pain.
"Pingyu, what's wrong?"
Xue Yue'e said worriedly, "Could it be that your illness hasn't subsided? Go and rest!"
"Mother, it's alright."
For some reason, Pingyu always felt that there were gaps in his memories.
It's like a part has been deliberately wiped away.
Perhaps the illness hadn't completely disappeared, she thought to herself as she replied, "Uncle Li, I have a plan."
*
Pingyu was discussing matters with Li Jing at the Lin residence, while Nezha had already returned to the Golden Light Cave.
He didn't come to avoid trouble; he just had something he wanted to ask his master.
Taiyi Zhenren had been waiting there for a long time. He flicked his whisk and said, "Nezha, you have something to ask me."
The word "immortal" is used in a declarative sentence.
Nezha, who knelt to pay his respects, remained silent for a moment before replying, "Master, I have caused trouble. To vent my anger over the death of the child who was eaten, I killed the sea patrol yaksha and the third prince of the Dragon Palace. I'm afraid this matter cannot be resolved peacefully."
"Anything else?"
He then replied, "Master, are you aware that Pingyu is not from this place?"
The immortal shook his head and stroked his white beard. He countered, "What difference does it make whether it is or isn't?"
Nezha was stunned by the question and didn't know how to answer it.
He had altered Pingyu's memories, covering up everything from his intrusion into her consciousness to her ability to return to the gate with fabricated stories. Even so, Nezha remained uneasy. That elusive feeling made his heart feel like a rootless duckweed. He only wanted to survive in Pingyu's lake, yet he was startled to realize that he had never truly entered her heart. She seemed kind to everyone, and he was just one of many stranded fish rescued.
Upon closer reflection, he realized that he actually knew nothing about Ping Yu.
His apprentice was almost supernaturally intelligent, yet utterly clueless and clumsy when it came to human relationships. He was a celestial pearl, born with few emotions and desires. No one taught him, and he didn't understand. He poured all his energy into that girl, feeling that holding her in his hands was the best course of action, like a hunter grasping at a prey.
Nezha looked at Taiyi Zhenren and asked, "Master, please ask."
"Why didn't you erase her memories, but instead covered them up? This will cause problems later, and it's not like you. Does Nezha know that doing this risks her regaining her memories? Can you guarantee that once she remembers, she won't harbor resentment towards you?"
"Disciple...I don't know." Taiyi Zhenren's question hit the nail on the head. Nezha looked at his hands in confusion. He had grabbed Pingyu's neck and pinned her head. He had threatened her and argued with her about these things, but Pingyu still refused to change her mind.
Even though he knew everything, the other party still wanted to leave.
Nezha had no bad intentions; he just wanted Pingyu to stay.
He didn't understand why he held back at the last moment; it was as if it were a habit.
Ping Yu would find a way to get anything he could think of for the other party.
Even if the other party wants to leave, Nezha will subconsciously leave her a way out.
This is wrong, it's not good.
The mere thought of Pingyu leaving made Nezha's throat tighten and his face turn pale.
But he had already held back, even if it meant sowing the seeds of future trouble, Nezha was willing to bear the consequences himself.
You shouldn't be harsh with Pingyu, nor should you force her to do things she doesn't want to do.
This sentence repeatedly lashed at his reason, which was on the verge of collapse, like an anchor point.
The affairs of the mortal world are too complicated and chaotic, making people's six senses impure, and even immortals and gods can fall into the demonic path because of this.
Taiyi Zhenren knew he should stop there, so he guided him to change the subject: "We can discuss this matter later. Let's deal with the trouble brought by the Dragon King of the East Sea first."
"He wanted to appeal to the Heavenly Court and ask the Jade Emperor to grant him the authority to flood Chentang Pass."
Mentioning Taiyi Zhenren, Nezha's nose tingled with emotion. He was still a child; his master was like a father to him. Parting from him was incredibly difficult for Nezha. Seeing his beloved disciple on the verge of tears, Taiyi Zhenren felt a pang of sadness himself. He quickly called him back, saying, "Why are you still so reckless? It's said that the Dragon Clan is vengeful. What if he still won't let the people of Chentang Pass go after you leave?"
"Master, please help your disciple."
"I see." The immortal sat down and came to Nezha. "Ao Guang needs to report to the Heavenly Court, but he must first go through Baode Gate. Go to Baode Gate and do this and that, then go back to Chentang Pass and tell your parents. You won't be a burden to them, and you still have your master to help you."
"alright."
The whisk grew longer, gently carrying the boy to the clouds outside the cave.
Killing Ao Bing was fate, and being sought revenge by Ao Guang was also fate.
The voice of an immortal drifted from afar: "Go, Nezha."
Though he was reluctant, his disciple needed to die before he could be reborn.
Author's Note: Actually, I suddenly realized that all the Li Jing characters, except for the Demon Child, are portrayed as East Asian fathers, even in The Legend of Nezha. In The Legend of Nezha, Lady Yin tells Nezha to do whatever he wants, and Li Jing locks Nezha up, saying, "Giving birth to you has brought shame to the Li surname." I'm truly speechless.
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