Chapter 322 Muddy Flesh (Two-in-One) "...You are a god..."
"So that's what you were after." Bi Sheng's voice was hoarse, but he didn't utter a sarcastic remark.
She looked up and saw a wisp of wind swirling between her slender fingers, with tiny blades of grass twirling within. However, she only looked for a moment before looking away.
Through her slightly parted fingers, she saw a snow-white figure flying in from the sky—the white bird she had been keeping with her.
Behind the white bird, the thunderclouds receded, and the vast, unbroken land behind it seemed to be torn apart, gradually dissipating. The layers of formations laid out within it disintegrated on their own, and the vast grasslands receded, revealing the dark sky.
The enormous astronomical instrument had rolled to the ground at some point, and the room remained cluttered, with Ding Yi's manuscripts scattered everywhere.
The group reappeared in the room, but Ding Yi ignored them. He remained standing in front of the railing, paused, and glanced back at Li Changfeng, who was dusting off, and Bi Sheng, who was trapped in the magic array.
He showed some surprise in his eyes, but did not speak. He gave Lin Fei a meaningful look, then turned his gaze to the white bird.
It stayed by Bi Sheng's side the whole time. Even now, it just jumped onto her lap, its gleaming wings stained with her blood. It didn't chirp softly, but just looked at her silently.
Bi Sheng was trapped in the magic array and could not escape. After saying those words, she did not speak again and just sat there.
Everyone was exhausted at this point, so they fell silent for a moment.
After a moment, Ding Yi broke the silence first: "Since you brought it, why not use it?"
He was referring to the white bird perched on Bi Sheng's lap.
Li Changfeng chewed on two pills, then turned to look at them and asked, "Senior brother, what are these?"
After thinking for a moment, Ding Yi explained the whole story: "This is a spiritual object given to her by the Dao Lord. It is not a living thing, but just a piece of refined iron."
I guess that perhaps a wisp of the Daoist master entered it, thus giving it spirituality, and later it became the divine bird that spreads the gospel in Esoteric Buddhism.
This bird isn't actually that powerful, but it has a significant impact on those of us who were reborn alongside fellow Daoists.
His expression was calm, and he saw right through Bi Sheng's thoughts: "You brought this bird here just to control my mind and use it for your own purposes, to use my strength against me. Why didn't you use it just now?"
Bi Sheng sat cross-legged on the ground, coughed a few times, and upon hearing this, he only looked up at him but still did not speak. Instead, he turned to look at Lin Feiran.
"Wasn't your mother very powerful? I was so careful back then, but she still managed to get into the Heavenly Palace entrance every time. Why can't she do it now?"
Before Lin Feiran could speak, Jin Lan stepped forward and said, "Who told you I can get in every time? It's just a lucky break. Besides, the ice pillar has cracked, and the only confirmed location is gone. Time is of the essence right now, how can I have time to try my luck?"
"What a lucky accident."
Bi Sheng's lips paled, but her expression remained unchanged. She sneered and looked at Ru Xian: "How do you plan to uncover my secrets? With your curses?"
She was about to say something when Lin Feiran, who had been silent all along, spoke up: "There's no need to argue anymore. We won't use any spells or touch the forbidden curse placed on you. Even if you want to take this opportunity to end your life, it's impossible."
Bi Sheng was stabbed in the left chest, the same spot where Lin Feiran had been stabbed in the chest. The stab was swift and decisive, not intentional, but now it seemed like fate.
The death trap that Bi Sheng set for her back then has now come back to haunt her.
After she spoke, Bi Sheng's gaze gradually turned cold. Her purple robe was stained with blood, turning it plum-colored, which made her face look even paler. She spoke.
"I thought you enjoyed debating with people, and you would argue with anyone you fought, spouting nonsense. I only agreed to have a chat with you before I died because of the fact that I killed your mother many times."
"Aren't you the type of people who love to talk a lot? Why aren't you appreciating my kindness?"
Lin Feiran supported Ru Xian, unmoved by the sarcasm in her words. She took a step forward, and the array beneath Bi Sheng immediately expanded.
"What kind of person am I? What kind of person am I? Isn't this just how people my age are?"
On the surface, they seem quiet and reserved, but in reality, they have a lot to complain about, enough to fill a basket in three days and three nights. They don't like wearing colorful clothes, they want to show off their sword skills, and they have to be vain in secret.
If you can't stand something, you should say it; if you don't like something, you should say it; if you don't understand something, you should say it even more.
"I'll ask why anyone who kills me, I'll ask why anyone who hates me, I'll grab anyone who comes and argue with them, because some things can only be resolved through debate."
She was not usually a talkative person, but now she spoke like beans pouring from a bamboo tube, losing some of her previous composure but gaining a more spirited air that suited her age.
She even stated bluntly: "Just like the grudge between you and my mother, if I were to ask, I would never let you 'stop there' like that."
I'm just that serious. If there were more people like me in the world, I don't think you would have said, "There's no hope for humanity."
“…” Bi Sheng looked at her, his lips parted for a moment, and he said in disbelief, “You’re sick.”
Having lived in this world for many years and been reborn many times, she had actually met people like Lin Feiran before, but no matter how many times she met them, she would always be astonished, just like seeing a rabbit eating meat or a flying fish soaring in the sky for the first time.
Now Lin Feiran is trying to reason with her, but she doesn't want to waste her breath on such a person.
Coincidentally, Lin Feiran didn't really feel the need to discuss philosophy with Bi Sheng. She might have had some curiosity and confusion about Bi Sheng in the past, but now those feelings had dissipated, just like there's no need to persuade a bear to eat vegetarian food.
Bi Sheng's path was clear and bright; she had no confusion or doubts. Therefore, among those who reincarnated with the Dao Master, only she reached the state of selflessness.
Lin Feiran stepped forward, and a few crisp sounds came from her feet. She looked down and saw that it was a shattered piece of the glass bow, crystal white and flawless, but with countless facets when she picked it up.
She turned her gaze back to Bi Sheng: "There are bears, birds, fish, and rabbits in the world. A bear cannot say that a fish's way of life is wrong, and a bird does not have to look down on a rabbit."
Lin Feiran brushed aside the shards on the ground and stopped in his tracks: "Everything is clear, what else do I have to discuss with you? There's no need for argument, I just need to know how to enter the Heavenly Palace on the Cloud Top."
Upon hearing her words, Bi Sheng actually chuckled. It wasn't out of joy, nor did it sound sarcastic; the chuckle was much more genuine.
"Then I will tell you that incantations are useless, and I will not tell you either."
Lin Feiran helped Ru Xian forward and looked at her, saying, "Who said I was going to use a spell? Aren't you curious why I didn't let Ru Xian do anything before?"
Ru Shan's right hand opened slightly, and the swirling wind rose up with her, then stopped above her head.
Lin Feiran said, "His realm is the same as yours, the realm of no self. If he didn't conserve his strength, how could he have the spare power to search the soul? After all, the divine platform of cultivators above the Divine Travel realm is still quite difficult to pry open."
Bi Sheng's pupils contracted. She had stopped struggling and wanted to struggle again, but she was powerless to do so. With the array suppressing her and her fatal injury, how could she resist?
Lin Feiran stared intently at her. This magic array was set up based on Ru Xian's realm. If he wanted to search her soul, she would have to break the array. In the meantime, there would be a brief gap.
Lin Feiran raised his hand to form a hand seal, and a soft sound came from the expanding magic circle below, as if the lock tongue was being stirred.
A faint clicking sound came as the magic circle was deactivated. Bi Sheng seized the opportunity to make her move, but she didn't intend to retaliate. Instead, she wanted to use this moment to trigger the spell and erase all memories.
Both sides moved extremely quickly. Golden thread-like incantations appeared on her face, and like hailstones, they had already invaded her altar, prying open those long-sealed memories.
There was still a breeze at the observatory at night, and a cool breeze brushed against Bi Sheng's cheeks, blurring her vision. At that moment, she held on to her last breath, grabbed the white bird on her lap, and released it out the window.
Ding Yi looked at the bird and suddenly realized that there was a wisp of the Dao Lord's divine soul in the bird's body. On the day of his birth, this wisp of divine soul would be taken back, and the bird would not live for much longer.
Using it, Bi Sheng and he might not be able to win even if they joined forces, but if they lost, this bird would perish today.
Does she actually think that living one more day is better than nothing?
Ding Yi turned her gaze and saw Bi Sheng sitting cross-legged on the ground, the golden lines on her face spreading downwards. Her expression gradually faded, but her eyes were looking out the window at the white figure that had flown away.
The soul search didn't take long, but the flood of memories was enormous. Ru Xian frowned slightly, glanced at Lin Feiran, raised her hand to cover her eyes, and transmitted what she had seen to her.
A distorted and complex scene quickly flashed before my eyes, jumping and changing several times before finally settling on one scene: a snowy landscape.
...
A few birds chirped in his ears. Young Bi Sheng stepped into a patch of red water and looked up warily. He saw a white-tailed tit fly out from the sparse woods, carrying a string of red berries in its beak.
Such a round and cute thing might be interesting to others, but not to Bi Sheng, nor to the people around her who were rummaging through food.
For a moment, everyone in the snow looked at the titmouse; it was practically the only living creature in their eyes.
Many people crossed the river of blood, stepped over the rotting corpses of monsters, and trampled over the mangled human heads and bodies, silently approaching the tree branch where the mountain sparrows perched, their hungry eyes all fixed on it, and Bi Sheng was no exception.
But she's too young, only six or seven years old. How could she possibly compete with anyone?
She swallowed hard, turned around and started rummaging through the monster on the ground, trying to find a piece of good meat. But perhaps because she was too young, her sense of smell was still very sharp, and she was immediately choked by the stench.
The sound wasn't loud, but it was enough to scare away the birds on the branches.
Startled, it flew away, leaving behind a string of sour red berries. Its wings flapped so fast that it disappeared into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.
Everyone else turned to look at her, their gazes unfriendly. Bi Sheng felt a chill run down her spine and couldn't help but take a step back: "I didn't mean to..."
This was the most intense moment of the war between the two realms. With a single finger from an immortal, mountains could be cleaved and rivers blocked; with a single step from a demon, flames would burn endlessly, destroying fields and homes. Mortals were less than ants.
They have endured too many years of hardship and hunger. Right now, they still have monsters to feed them, but how can that be enough? They are so hungry that sometimes, even humans are food for them.
Bi Sheng trembled with fear. Amidst her repeated apologies, she slowly retreated into the village behind her and left the crowd.
Orphans were not uncommon at this time. If they could live, they would live; if they couldn't, it was considered bad luck. Bi Sheng didn't want to be a person with a bad fate. She wanted to live. She stayed in the somewhat dilapidated house with her eyes open for half a day. When it was dusk, she went out with her head down.
She walked through the tangled shadows of the trees and trudged through the cold snow, surrounded by people like her, searching for food in the mountains and forests.
She had expected to return empty-handed again today, but somewhere in the forest, she suddenly saw a strange object that emitted a fragrance. She looked around, but no one else seemed to have noticed it.
Is this fleshy-smelling thing a demonic beast?
Hunger urges Bi Sheng to hurry over. She quickens her pace, and the others look up when they hear her footsteps, but the place is clearly empty. Seeing nothing there, they all look away and look for their own food.
Bi Sheng kept walking until she got close enough to realize that it wasn't a demon beast.
It resembled a wisp of mist, yet it wore clothes made of flesh. Wolves, fierce tigers, and various other monsters were huddled together, along with a few clumps of rabbit fur.
It doesn't resemble a demonic beast; rather, it's more like a mixture of mud and flesh gathered together from various parts of a demonic beast, with the flesh solidified by mist, thus forming this clump.
It's weird, but it looks delicious.
She stared intently, then suddenly said, "I'm so hungry."
The monster suddenly trembled, seemingly surprised that she would see it, but it didn't show much emotion. A single, lifelike eye slowly emerged from the mist.
A glint of gold occasionally flashed in his eyes. He looked at her quietly, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Eat something if you're hungry. It should be human nature."
This is a monster that can speak human language; perhaps we should consider him one of our own, but Bi Sheng is too hungry.
Without a moment's hesitation, she immediately took out a small knife with a slightly dull blade, stared straight at him, and then, with a swift motion, cut off half of the demon wolf leg meat that was fused into it.
The golden eye watched her cut her flesh silently, without any emotion, as if she weren't cutting her own flesh. Perhaps it felt no pain.
Whether she survives or not, she needs to live first.
Bi Sheng didn't think any further and said nothing. She tucked the leg meat into her clothes and ran home as fast as she could. Not daring to make a sound, she secretly buried a handful of meat in the brazier to cook it with the embers. She swallowed every bit of the meaty aroma, not letting anyone else smell it.
And so, she ate a wolf leg for three days. Every day she went to that dense forest to keep watch. The monster was there every day, and still no one else noticed it.
Only she can see him.
Upon learning this, Bi Sheng was overjoyed. She had survived thanks to this monster. After eating it for a month or two, she felt she should have a chat with it.
After all, there's a saying that goes, "When the granaries are full, people know etiquette." Her father often recited this before he was murdered, and now that she thinks about it, it makes some sense.
She no longer needed to search for food; she could simply sit beside the monster and chat with him.
The monster had only one eye, but it always looked towards the sky, so she asked, "What are you looking at?"
The monster was somewhat surprised by her conversation, but it was only a brief emotional reaction. He slowly replied, "I am waiting for the sun and moon to meet."
Bi Sheng's eyes darted around, but he couldn't see a glimpse of the half-moon in the sky: "What is that? What are you waiting for?"
He replied, "When the sun and moon shine together, and yin and yang are reversed, that is when I can take human form."
Bi Sheng then looked at him. She sized him up and couldn't help but swallow hard. Luckily, she had eaten today: "Are you... a demon beast?"
"I am not."
Bi Sheng, still retaining a childlike innocence, said, "Then what are you? You don't look human to me."
He paused for a moment: "...I am nothing."
Bi Sheng secretly affirmed in his heart that this monster was definitely not a demon beast. Those demon beasts were always involuntarily attracted to him, only to be killed and devoured by him, and then transformed into his body.
He must be that wisp of fog, Bi Sheng thought.
That time, she waited with him for a long time and ate him for a long time. The sun and moon never came together. Bi Sheng stayed by the Dao Lord's side and endured the most intense period of the war between the two worlds.
She couldn't understand what this monster was, but she could vaguely sense that it also wanted to live, just like her.
He doesn't need to eat to survive, but he needs something else, which she doesn't have, so let her gnaw on something for now and keep her alive.
In chaotic times, human life is the least valuable thing. She has experienced a lot: exchanging children to eat, filling her stomach with yellow earth, wanton killing, and so much more. Even a seven-year-old child would rip open a bird's belly.
What she pulled out was the very same white-tailed tit that she had startled away at the beginning.
Those were the little birds she secretly raised after she had enough to eat and was overcome with kindness.
She dared not make a sound, but only looked at the entrails thrown out on the ground, then turned and ran into the forest. When she reached the monster, she did not cry, but was filled with anger, saying that one day she would rip out the child's intestines too.
The monster then started to reason: "You and he are the same kind of people."
"I know! You don't need to remind me!"
She hated these people, but she also knew very well that she was no different from them. Just as she clearly knew that the mist could speak and that it was alive, she still despicably cut off its flesh and ate it.
He never refused. Of his entire body, only one eye was human-like; the rest was a composite of monsters, so he was a monster too, she told herself.
Whenever she cut meat, he would just watch her quietly, without disgust, fear or forbearance in his eyes. He didn't feel much joy or sorrow. In his eyes, there seemed to be no difference between her taking a bite and a starving rabbit taking a bite by the roadside.
A passing rabbit actually nibbled at him; that was the first time Bi Sheng realized that rabbits were carnivorous.
The monster paused for a moment: "Since you know, why are you angry? I don't understand you humans."
Bi Sheng felt a tightness in her chest, but she didn't know why. She just snorted and said, "I don't understand you either!"
And so, she survived.
I almost survived.
On an ordinary morning, as she was washing the ashes off her hands with pale red water in the courtyard, a dark shadow rose behind her, and she lost her life.
There was no deep-seated hatred, no argument or disturbance, it was just that someone became suspicious of her and then found a lot of monster meat in her house and wanted to take it away.
In chaotic times, human life is so fragile and cheap.
She thought her life would end in this way, unwilling and timid, but then she woke up. When she woke up, she was still in that snowy field, with silvery birds flying out of the forest carrying mountain fruits, and the others quietly approaching.
She stared blankly, not even understanding what was happening, but when the others approached, she made a sound, startling the titmouse away.
She immediately ran into the forest, her eyes filled with disbelief, even doubting that her previous death was just a dream. It wasn't until she saw the strange lump of flesh in the dense forest that she finally came to her senses.
That wasn't a dream; she had returned to the past!
This time, she tiptoed over. Still a child, she hesitated whether to tell the monster about it, since he was the only adult she knew.
If he were a human being.
She walked up to the monster, her tattered clothes nearly torn to shreds. After a long silence, the monster broke the silence by speaking first.
Are you hungry again?
Bi Sheng was surprised, but she clutched her empty stomach and nodded subconsciously.
The monster asked in bewilderment, "You get hungry so quickly. Are all people like this? Or is it just children who get hungry so fast? What does it feel like to be hungry?"
Bi Sheng couldn't answer him. This monster wasn't surprised by her appearance, and even asked her if she was hungry as before. He clearly remembered her.
She hesitated for a moment, a thought forming in her mind: "Is it you...? Is it because of you that I returned to the present?"
The monster was silent for a moment: "In human folklore, this is called rebirth."
It took Bi Sheng a long time to accept this fact, but she was so hungry that when she subconsciously wanted to cut the meat, she found that he was a little different.
The monsters were no longer as chaotic as before. Although they were still lumps of flesh from various monsters, the condensed mist was no longer hazy and intangible. It had taken on a few outlines and seemed... somewhat like a human.
Bi Sheng was shocked. He immediately cut off a piece of flesh and said, "You... have absorbed the essence of the sun and moon? You seem to have changed a lot."
The monster continued to gaze at the sky: "It wasn't the essence of the sun and moon, it was waiting for the sun and moon to shine together, but I didn't get to see that. The change is so great because I've returned to the present. Every time I return, I change a little."
He paused, then turned his single eye to look at her: "Besides, you may think it's just a moment, but it's actually been hundreds of years since I last saw you. After such a long time, there should be some changes."
Bi Sheng asked blankly, "What do you mean?"
The monster then looked up at the sky: "It means you've been dead for a long time. Because I couldn't wait for the sun and moon to shine together here, I left. From the end of the great war until the two realms gradually recovered, I still didn't see it."
So, on the day approaching the end of my cycle, I returned, and brought you back with me.
Bi Sheng sat on the ground, still holding a piece of meat in her hands: "Why..."
The monster said, "Have you forgotten? Before you died, you begged me to live."
Bi Sheng still didn't understand. She looked at the meat in her hand, which had been cut from his body. After a long silence, she looked up and asked, "...Are you a god?"
"I am not."
Bi Sheng pressed further: "Then what exactly are you?"
"I am nothing."
And so, Bi Sheng stayed by his side, whether she died sooner or later, he would not interfere, but simply carried her through three rebirths.
Each time she traced back, the Dao Lord's outline became clearer, gradually approaching human form. Finally, on one occasion, she knelt down and bowed her head. Although she still looked like a child, the childishness in her eyes was gone.
"My lord, I make a wish... I want to cultivate myself. I no longer want to be a mortal who is at the mercy of others."
She embarked on the path of cultivation and became the Bi Sheng she is today.
She discovered that this monster was completely different from humans; it was neither human, nor demon, nor immortal, but like the immortals described in the book, it was without desires and had an indescribable gentleness and kindness.
One day, she asked, "My lord, are you doing all this... because you want to become human?"
This time, he was no longer as indifferent as before. He opened one eye wide and looked at her: "Yes, I want to live."
He is different from others; he is unique. He is not as filthy and despicable as anyone else; he just wants to live.
She thought, "Heaven is unjust, why can't I take its place?"
Bi Sheng looked at him, knelt down and kowtowed earnestly: "I will help you... Perhaps, you are the embodiment of the Dao."
I don't know when it started, but the flesh that was cut off has filled a child's heart.
His answer remained the same: "I am nothing."
This time, Bi Sheng gave the answer: "It's not important."
At least in her heart, he already was.
Author's Note: [Heart emoji]
The underlying theme is the war between the two realms. Although it's not explicitly stated, it's mentioned quite a bit indirectly... Does anyone remember that we said earlier that the appearance of the Dao Lord, Bi Sheng, and the Secret Sect first occurred at the end of the war between the two realms?
So, the theme of this book is actually "stopping war!" (X)
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