Chapter 60: Stab the Heart
The scene suddenly became very quiet; even the long-lasting wind on the lake stopped.
Just jump into the lake, Qing Baimu looked eager to try.
Fortunately, everyone is a very kind person (ghost), and no one asked questions like "Why does Lingxi make a cat's meow?" that would embarrass both Lingxi and the cat.
I've gotten used to it after nine years. Think about it, I'm a cat too. Occasionally, when I sleep for dozens or hundreds of years and feel drowsy, I'll inadvertently make the purring sound that's unique to cats. Even adult spirit beasts can do this, so why should I be so demanding of the little cubs?
But his brows were slightly furrowed, leaving a shallow wrinkle between his eyebrows.
Boss Hong had a smile on his face. As long as he opened his mouth, he could not escape a few teasing remarks. However, there was a gentle gentleman who was secretly holding him back, so he had no chance to show it for the time being.
As for the water ghost, he was embracing the lotus root, whose spiritual mist had become calm and reserved after receiving the spiritual energy. He was overjoyed, as if his child's IQ had instantly soared by 145 points after receiving the spiritual energy, and his cultivation had been unimpeded from then on. He didn't think there was anything wrong at all... What's wrong with Lingxi meowing? Doesn't it look like a kitten?
Fortunately, the water ghost didn't reveal his obvious thoughts, and he even broke the silence of the lake pavilion with a very natural voice: "I can never repay your kindness! I have nothing of my own, and have been trapped in the lake for a thousand years with nothing to do. After all these years, the only skill I have left is my ability to plant flowers and grass. This year, the weather is good, and the harvest in the lake is very good. If you don't mind..."
At this point the water ghost was suddenly stunned, and looked cautiously at Boss Hong. His mind, which had been overwhelmed by joy, finally came to its senses a little - strictly speaking, now this lake, including the water, the aquatic animals, plants, microorganisms and the water ghosts, are all considered assets under the name of Boss Hong. His words really seemed like he was just borrowing flowers to offer to others and taking advantage of others' money. However, he had already said these words without thinking, so how could he change his words... Alas, water ghost, water ghost, if you don't have water in your brain, you are not a water ghost!
Boss Hong was amused by the water ghost's cautious look. He wasn't some profiteer who exploited his employees. Besides, the water ghost wasn't really his employee. At most, he was a bonus to inheriting the garden... an invisible asset? An anonymous farmhand?
Boss Hong coughed lightly, his manner generous and calm. "We were originally planning to give them some lotus seeds to take home. Since you have the same idea and have volunteered, why not go pick some fresh ones?"
The water ghost bowed gratefully to the red boss and then in the blink of an eye he dived into the lake with the lotus root, leaving only layers of ripples spreading out. He was really impatient.
Fortunately, several people didn't mind.
Pei Ci thought carefully: "Now is the flowering season. Although there are many early-blooming lotus flowers and lotus pods in the lake, there are not many. Fortunately, there are some saved from last year. I will go look for them."
Boss Hong rolled her pretty eyes and said deliberately, "Go ahead, I'll just stay here and chat with Xiao Qingbai for a while."
Qing Bai, who had just experienced social death, raised his eyelids and glanced at Boss Hong with displeasure. When did their relationship become so good? Not only was he just chatting with her, but he was also a little Qing Bai... Ugh.
Although Qing Bai thought about it, he didn't really stay long enough to offend Boss Hong, so he kept silent, which was considered as his agreement.
Jiu Nian was even more gentlemanly. He thought that Boss Hong meant to have a private chat with Qing Bai. He hesitated for only two seconds, then took the initiative to make room and went to get the lotus seeds with Pei Ci.
Even Boss Hong couldn't help but sigh: "Master Jiunian really is...broad-minded."
What you mean is, he's really generous, right? Qing Bai looked suspiciously at Boss Hong, who was full of emotion, and said politely, "Boss Hong, you're too kind. He trusts Boss Hong's character."
After hearing this, Boss Hong looked at Qing Bai silently for a few seconds, then said with a slightly odd look, "You two are quite interesting. One thinks the other is a child physically, and the other thinks the other is a child mentally."
"I didn't..." Qing Baihua got stuck just as he started. Was he okay? Didn't he think Jiunian was a child? Jiunian was certainly not a child. On the contrary, he was incredibly 'old', so old that even popular terms like 'old' and 'senile' weren't suitable for him. Only the end of time, the end of the world, the end of the sea, the end of the rocks, and other such vast and seemingly unchanging behemoths could barely rival that length of time.
Nine years like this naturally made him mature and steady. In such a long time, he had seen and experienced everything. What right did Qing Bai have to "help" him make amends and be polite?
What is my position? What qualifications do I have? Qing Bai asked himself in his heart.
Those two short questions were like being thrown into a bottomless black hole. Qing Bai waited for a long time with his heart hanging in the air, but there was no response. It was so long that the thread pulling at his heart was about to break under the weight. Only then did a small and weak voice come from the black hole: It would be great if he could be born into this world earlier.
It would be best if he were older than Jiunian, not too much, just two years would be fine. That way, he would be the older brother, and the two-year age difference wouldn't create a generation gap. He would just be one step ahead of Jiunian, but not too far. The obstacles he stumbled upon could be overcome by Jiunian, and the pits he stepped into could be bypassed by Jiunian... They would always walk hand in hand and walk together forever.
However, these can only be "ifs". The reality is that when he was born in the ninth year, he didn't know which cloud in the sky he was. When he stumbled and grew up in the ninth year, he didn't know which dust on the ground he was. It was not until he had suffered enough hardships in the ninth year and grew into the mature and steady person he is today that he finally came late.
It was precisely because he had walked through such a long nine years alone, witnessed too many changes in the world, and experienced too many vicissitudes of life, that the more mature, steady, and thoughtful he became, the more Qing Bai felt distressed and wanted to help him beyond his ability, even... to protect him.
Qing Bai didn't know how long he had been distracted. When he came to his senses, Boss Hong was already leaning against the pavilion pillar, weaving something carelessly in his hands. Qing Bai took a quick glance and it looked like reeds.
"Are you back to your senses?" Boss Hong didn't even raise his eyes, but he noticed Qing Bai's change at the first moment. He didn't know if it was intentional... It was intentional.
"What's so bitter and resentful about you at such a young age? You don't have any youthful energy at all."
Young, youthful, and lifeless...it can only be described as a precise stab.
Jiu Nian was away, and with no one else here, Qing Bai didn't bother to pretend anymore. He kicked off his hind legs and jumped onto the chair next to the pavilion where Boss Hong was sitting. He imitated Jiu Nian's black cat form, squatting on his hind legs with his front paws together, and the tip of his tail covering his paws. He didn't seem to care about Boss Hong's (interruption) words (knife) at all, and asked himself: "Why did Boss Hong make Yin Ci wait for a thousand years on the Samsara Platform?"
He had wanted to ask this question when he listened to Jiu Nian's "storytelling" before, but he thought that Jiu Nian was not the person involved and might not understand it very well, so he had been holding back and did not ask. Now was a good opportunity to find out, and he naturally could not miss it... He was really curious about where Boss Hong was during the thousand years that Yin Ci had been waiting at the Samsara Platform.
If Boss Hong's words just now were just a stab in the back, then Qing Bai was stabbing him in the heart.
Boss Hong stopped what he was doing and gave Qing Bai a half-smile, saying, "Killing people is not enough, why bother mentioning the reincarnation platform again?"
Qing Bai nodded knowingly. It seemed that he was also dissatisfied with the fact that it was difficult for Duan to achieve perfection on his own at that time.
Qing Bai consoled him: "Although waiting for a thousand years is very painful and very long, fortunately the result is good. It can be said that good things come after many hardships."
Boss Hong was very touched and said with a smile, "As expected of a top student who graduated from the Faculty of Letters of Kyoto University, you really know how to talk. Besides, I'll sew your mouth shut."
Qing Bai wisely shut up, but Boss Hong had no intention of moving on. He actually answered the heart-piercing question, though his tone was casual, making it unclear whether he was telling the truth or joking: "Because my soul was stuffed into a terracotta figurine and buried in a tomb, it suffocated my brain and I lost my memory... You know what amnesia means, right?"
Without waiting for Qing Bai to reply, Boss Hong continued, "That feeling was no different from being reborn, except that the gestation period was a bit longer, I don't know if it was dozens or hundreds of years. I was completely clueless and didn't know anything. In the darkness, I could only hear a few sounds, and they were all ghostly screams. This seriously affected the formation of my self-awareness. It wasn't until the terracotta warriors I was living in were stolen out of the tomb by tomb robbers that I finally knew what I was..."
At this point, Boss Hong sighed, feeling somewhat helpless and regretful. "How can a being that is neither alive nor dead, and doesn't even know what it is, wait for it on the stage of reincarnation towards a new life?"
One of them is already trapped in the underworld, neither alive nor dead, while the other is left with only a soul remaining in the underworld. It was a dead end from the beginning.
Qing Bai was stunned. Without any memory, was it like being reborn?
Boss Hong's fingertips flew, and the small object in his hand had already taken a rough shape. He was waiting for Qing Bai to speak. He knew that Qing Bai had many questions to ask him, some of which were inconvenient to ask for nine years and he couldn't find anyone else to ask.
Boss Hong had originally thought that since he had taken such an initiative, Qing Bai would probably follow up with questions about his encounter and acquaintance with the reincarnated Pei Ci after his 'rebirth', or how he recovered his memory. He had already seen that this little guy was very sensitive to the word 'amnesia' and was very concerned about it...
Who would have thought that after waiting for a long time, he would hear this sentence: "So, Boss Hong, your eyes were damaged because you were kept in the tomb without light for years, and when the tomb robbers stole them out and saw the light for the first time, they were dazzled?"
Boss Hong: “…” Good question. Don’t ask next time. You already have a valid reason, so why ask again?
Boss Hong pushed his gold-rimmed glasses down his nose with one hand, feeling a little tired. He had originally intended to help Pei Ci and Lingxi because they were so precious, but who knew this little cub was so cautious despite his youth, so full of questions that he couldn't contain himself. He kept his questions to himself and refused to reveal his true thoughts...
Although he was tired, Boss Hong admired his forbearance and did not test him further. After all, he had been given the opportunity and he had said enough today.
Qing Bai didn't know that Boss Hong had originally prepared to tell him everything he knew and answer every question, but even if he knew, he wouldn't ask. It wasn't because he didn't trust him, but because there was only one person who could answer many of the questions in his mind, regardless of whether the answer was what he wanted or not.
...But I can still ask him some questions that are harmless but related to the harmony of his current life.
Qing Bai thought of the anomalies in Tail Alley over the past nine years. After pondering for a while and carefully considering his words, he spoke cautiously and in a roundabout way: "Boss Hong, you know I just opened the door to this new world not long ago, and I don't know a lot of common sense..."
"What common sense?"
"So... for those who practice cultivation, ghosts, beasts, and monsters, is the 'Tao' very important?"
It is so important that if someone says they want to walk with him, he will feel awkward and withdrawn.
Boss Hong's answer was clear and easy to understand: "Nonsense! You've studied hard for over a decade. Is it important to choose your major in high school? Is it important to choose your major in college? Is it important to write your graduation thesis? Is it important to choose the school, the professor, and the project for your graduate or doctoral studies?"
Qing Bai's voice was hazy. "Then... if someone is willing to follow me and choose a department and major, leave their names in each other's papers, and stay together for graduate and doctoral studies, choosing schools and professors... we can always walk the same path and pursue endless exploration together..."
Boss Hong smiled and said, "Guess why Daolu is called Daolu?"
Qing Bai: “…”Okay, no need to guess.
What was the difference between his words that day, "The way you walk is the way I will walk from now on," and a confession in Jiu Nian's ears?
No, maybe there is a difference. In Nine Years' concept, that might not be called a confession... it's a proposal.
No wonder he became autistic for nine years. Anyone who is greeted by a stream of love confessions would then take a closer look and realize it's just a little brat. He would be upset, and the little brat would follow him around every day, laughing foolishly without knowing anything... Anyone would become autistic.
...Jump into the lake, the water is clear.
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