Chapter 82 Transcendentalism 3
In the end, Lu Youxun's attitude was exceptionally solemn.
This is outside a barbecue restaurant, and there are steaming skewers on the plastic table between us. It's not exactly a formal occasion. However, his overly serious gaze overshadows these elements, making one involuntarily feel the urge to take the invitation seriously.
I thought for a moment, then said, "Before I answer you, I have a question for you."
"Go on," Lu Youxun nodded.
“I now understand that Luo Shan is destined to become the ruler of this society, but as you mentioned before, the goal of both Zhu Shi’s faction and your Transcendental faction is to become the ruler, only the methods of rule are different. In that case, why should I choose you instead of Zhu Shi?” I countered.
"Did you choose Zhu Shi because you like her?" he asked curiously.
“Zhu Shi is my friend, so naturally I would choose her first,” I said. “Besides, I have another reason why I find it hard to accept you.”
He asked earnestly, "What is it?"
“You superhumanists want to use violence to enslave ordinary people. I won’t say that this is unreasonable, but I feel it’s a bit tasteless,” I said.
“Tasteless…” He paused, taken aback.
At this point, I realized that this seemed like an opportunity to ask a very important question to me.
"Moreover, the methods you used in the past also struck me as tasteless."
He looked puzzled: "What have we done to you?"
“Not for me, but for that girl with a mental disorder.” I tried my best to maintain my acting skills. “Detective Kong mentioned to me that you used fabricated charges to smear that girl whose morality was still unknown, and you even wanted to act first and ask the public security department to establish this charge, right?”
"Even if that girl with amnesia could be a clue to a cure for amnesia, what you've done is still far too unscrupulous. Since you believe you represent the overwhelming force of the times, why not show some integrity instead of resorting to such underhanded methods?"
He seemed stumped by my question, and a complicated expression appeared on his face: "This..."
However, that's not what I really want to ask. I have absolutely no interest in moral accusations. What follows is what I'm after.
"You don't need the police; you have the skills to find that girl with amnesia, don't you?" I said. "Take you for example. Don't you have divination skills? Although I don't understand the principles of divination, finding a missing person should be a piece of cake for you. We were able to find that strange person before because of your help, weren't we?"
"Even if you yourself are not capable, there should be demon hunters skilled in divination on the mountain you are on, or on other mountains. Are you the only one responsible for finding that girl with amnesia, and no one else can participate?"
Upon hearing this, he immediately sighed, "Quite the opposite..."
"On the contrary?" I asked, puzzled.
“There are far too many people in Luoshan who want to find that girl with the amnesiac disorder; they can’t be counted. Among them are those on the mountain I’m on, as well as other mountains. And there are many of the ‘other fortune tellers’ you mentioned.” He gave an answer that was beyond his expectations.
My doubts deepened: "Then... according to you, why is she still missing?"
“Because of the competition,” he said. “There are too many people who want to find the girl with the disordered soul, but there is only one girl with the disordered soul. Whoever gets her first, everyone else will have to go home empty-handed. Some people realize that they are too slow to be the first to get her, so they think, ‘Since I can’t get her myself, I can at least not let my rival get her,’ and then they try to sabotage her.”
"In other words, the reason why she couldn't be found by the diviner..." I vaguely realized the reason.
And he did indeed give that astonishing answer: "The hospital where she used to be has biological materials such as her blood and hair. Some people intend to use these materials as a medium to predict her whereabouts, while others use them instead to provide her with a powerful anti-divination protection since she doesn't know where she is."
"The reason I was able to access her photo from the land's memories last time was because the person I was supposed to divine was someone completely unrelated to her, which was a lucky close. Now that I've become aware of her, even if I were to repeat the same actions, I wouldn't be able to get the same result."
I was completely dumbfounded.
Right, I was just being presumptuous. Even though I knew that Luoshan had many peaks, I still unconsciously regarded Luoshan as a whole and thought that they would all be in agreement to search for Mazao.
However, that's not the case at all. I was wondering why I was able to hide Asahi in my house for so many days in the past, and why such an all-powerful organization couldn't find Asahi now—they actually started fighting amongst themselves behind the scenes before they even found Asahi.
The "undercurrents surging behind the scenes" that I used to worry about all the time have actually been surging just like that!
"So, the reason you acted that way first and then reported it was because..."
"I won't make excuses about this matter. It's true that we weren't fair and aboveboard enough," Lu Youxun sighed. "Some of us, seeing so many competitors, inevitably felt anxious. When people are anxious, they easily become irrational and think of taking shortcuts, even if it means using any means necessary to achieve their goals."
"So that's how it is..." I felt as if the cloud of doubt that had been hanging over my head for so long had finally dissipated.
“I hope you won’t misunderstand us too much. That kind of unethical approach is not our usual way of doing things,” he said. “And as for you, we will try to maintain the most peaceful way of interacting.”
When he steered the conversation towards me, I couldn't help but feel wary: "For example?"
“If you want to conceal your true level of power from others, I will help you do so.” He actually said this. “My previous probing of you was merely to fulfill my duty as a patrolman of Luoshan. But now, I am expressing goodwill to you on behalf of the transcendentalists.”
"What if I wanted you to keep it from your colleagues and superiors as well?" I probed.
He nodded without hesitation: "Okay, I'll do as you say."
Is this really possible? Is he serious? Or is he lying to me? I couldn't figure out his intentions for a moment.
“Now that it’s been confirmed that you are a super strong person who can even master elementalization, I will naturally respect your will and at least not do anything that would anger you.” He said seriously, “In addition, you said before that we transcendentalists would enslave mortals, right? This view is also a misunderstanding of us by Zhu Shi, a stereotype.”
"What?" I was surprised again.
“I can’t just say what I’m about to say. I just gave you the Black Rope Heart-Locking Ring earlier, you can use it on me.” He gestured.
"Are you serious?" I asked back.
He made a "please" gesture.
This is a good opportunity to use a new tool, and I'm eager to try it out, but is it really okay to use it on someone I know? After observing him for about ten seconds, seeing that he didn't seem to be bluffing, I took out the ring he had just given me, which looked like it was made of wire, and put it on the middle finger of my right hand.
Suddenly, I felt my right hand become incredibly light, as if my entire hand had vanished. In reality, my right hand was still there, but it had become translucent, like a phantom. I couldn't even grab a skewer of grilled meat with that hand; it was as if it had become the hand of a ghost.
Looking at Lu Youxun again, his expression was normal. He placed his hands on the table, straightened his back, and stared at me. If I continued to hesitate, I would inevitably be looked down upon. So I no longer held back and reached out to grab his chest.
My right hand passed through his clothes, through his flesh and sternum, and then touched something firm yet lively, strong and rhythmically pulsating, wet.
It was his heart.
I grasped his heart, and a realization dawned on me, as if the ring were whispering to me—from that moment on, he could neither lie nor remain silent; he could only answer my questions.
"You say that transcendence will enslave ordinary people, which is a misunderstanding by Zhu Shi. What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"This is not only Zhu Shi's misunderstanding, but also the misunderstanding of some transcendentalists. In fact, the world that transcendentalism really wants to depict does not need to enslave mortals at all."
Even with his heart gripped in his hand, Lu Youxun remained unfazed, simply saying, "Once the world of transcendence is achieved, just as demon hunters will become cultivators, Luoshan will no longer be Luoshan. It will be transformed and given a more fitting name. It might be 'Heavenly Court,' or something else... We will stand in the heavens. Do you understand what this means?"
"I don't quite understand." I looked into his eyes.
“In ancient mythology, even the servants of gods were not positions that mortals could hold,” he said frankly. “Just like in Journey to the West, those who could guard the homes of gods and Buddhas had to be mythical beasts; and even the lowest-ranking soldiers in the Heavenly Court were not positions that mortals could fulfill. Of course, our transcendentalism is far less prestigious than the Heavenly Court in Journey to the West, but there is really no need for mortals to do our work and run errands for us.”
“You’re exaggerating too much. While ordinary people may not be as physically strong as witchers, their mental abilities are a different story. They can still manipulate technological creations and generate immense power.” I questioned him while holding his heart, but I couldn’t detect any hint of lying in his steady heartbeat.
"So this is the argument of the mountain where Zhu Shi is located. However, the status between cultivators and mortals is vastly different. Even differences in skin color and facial features among humans are enough to ignite mutual contempt and hatred, let alone such a vast difference in power?" He said in a deep voice, "Transcendentalism does not care about the life and death of mortals. This ruthless rule is actually the justice for mortals."
"On the other hand, what about those cultivators like Zhu Shi who want to live in harmony with mortals? I can bet my heart that it will be them, not us, who will truly enslave mortals and turn them all into slaves."
"Their thoughts are the most dangerous."
His heart was beating steadily as always.
Even after I got home, the feeling lingered in my palms.
(End of this chapter)
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