Chapter 80 Heavenly Way (II) “…Because I can’t do it, so…
Even in this situation, this realization made Lian Qiang relax a little. Without hesitation, she asked, "Who are you?"
Even Qiang felt helpless after asking this question. Who else could she be in the Demonic Abyss? But the question was truly strange. Could it be that just because she was still breathing, she wasn't considered a living person?
But in an instant, Lian Qiang's thoughts shifted, and she understood her thoughts. Perhaps in their eyes, after years of suffering from demonic energy, she could no longer be considered a real person.
As expected, the woman gave a hoarse laugh and replied, "A person who wholeheartedly wishes to die."
She coughed violently, as if she wanted to cough out all the organs in her chest, and then she said, "Why don't you continue?"
"Why should I continue? I don't want to commit more murders." At this point, Lian Qiang had vaguely guessed her intention of attacking him.
"You must have been here for a while, right? I believe you have learned some of the tricks. We cannot be killed by our own kind. I see that your face is pure and your pulse is clean. You have not been possessed by demons. It's just that your aura is a little weak. I think it's not well consolidated-"
She saw through it easily, but then changed the subject: "You and I have gone our separate ways, but to die at the hands of a former comrade is a worthy death."
After hearing this, Lian Qiang simply half-knelt down to let her use the force to sit up. She then carefully held her wrist and examined it, and discovered the key.
This person, like her before her, wasn't possessed by a broken heart, but rather by the demonic influence of demonic energy, unable to resist. Therefore, strictly speaking, she couldn't harness the demonic energy for her own benefit, and thus couldn't be considered a demonic cultivator.
Moreover, she could tell at a glance that her spiritual power foundation was unstable, so her original cultivation level must have been very high. She also kept calling herself a "fellow practitioner". All these factors combined made Lian Qiang more suspicious of her origins.
If it is surprising that there are lives surviving in the Demonic Abyss, then where do these people... who are not originally demon cultivators, come from?
While she was thinking, the man remained silent, even after Qiang called out several times without any response. He had lost consciousness. She used her free hand to push back the mess of hair covering his forehead. She saw that his eyes were tightly closed and his lips were pale. Fortunately, he did not look in pain, just weak. His life was not in danger for the time being.
"Senior, wake up..." Lian Qiang called out softly, trying to infuse her with spiritual energy, "Wake up..."
Her spiritual power vanished like a drop in the ocean, and she showed no signs of waking up. Lian Qiang couldn't bear to abandon her, so she simply carried her on her back and continued on her way, searching for a safe place while continuing to look for Chi Xingji.
The person on his back looked shambling and light, so Lian Qiang didn't find it difficult to carry her. After searching aimlessly for an unknown amount of time, he finally heard the slight rise and fall of breathing on his back, and Lian Qiang quickly put her down.
"Senior? Are you okay?" Lian Qiang felt her pulse again. Although it was weak, it was much more stable. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"...Why did you save me?"
"I don't want to kill you. Even if it was an unintentional mistake, killing you is not my intention." Lian Qiang squatted down again and asked her for confirmation. "May I know your name, Senior? Can you still walk on your own?"
"...My last name is Tan, and I've completely forgotten my given name. I should still be able to move around on my own."
"Senior Tan," Lian Qiang readily agreed, "I've ventured deep into the Demonic Abyss this time to find someone. He... isn't a demonic cultivator either, and he's been here for quite some time. I can't guarantee he has a perfect solution, but he might be able to offer some wiggle room for the current situation. Have you... ever met such a person?"
Lian Qiang's words were ambiguous. After all, she couldn't be sure that Chi Xingji could solve all of this.
But at this moment, it is also good to give the people in front of us more hope.
Senior Tan's eyes once again showed a distinct emotion, but it wasn't hope, but disbelief. "You look so smart, how come you're just talking nonsense?"
Lian Qiang asked in return, "Why do you say that, Senior?"
"I was once hailed as the first person to ascend, the one with the greatest hope of reaching the Celestial Realm, but I failed in my attempt to reach the Heavenly Realm... and ended up like this, living in a daze all day, not even knowing how old I am... Who are you and that person? How dare you say you might be able to solve all this?"
Honest advice may hurt, but Lian Qiang could tell that Senior Tan's words were not meant to be sarcastic, but were simply his own practical opinions.
What shocked her the most was not the impossibility that was refuted in his words, but what Senior Tan said himself... the first person.
Back then, Chi Xingji was hailed as a rare genius of the last century, not only for his unparalleled mastery of swordsmanship, but also because he was the most likely to ascend to the Celestial Realm and actually succeed. If we were to trace back to someone else who could share this honor, we'd probably have to push back another two or three hundred years...
But digging into the matter at this moment wouldn't be wise. Lian Qiang carefully considered her words and continued, "Many hands make light work. Even if we can't find a solution, Senior, if you're free, why not join me? I don't think you mind wasting a little more time."
"...What if I really care? Why waste my energy on something that won't please me?" Senior Tan's eyes suddenly brightened, with a certain stubborn sharpness. "If I find nothing, after I find that person, how about you kill me as a reward?"
Lian Qiang noticed that her heartbeat seemed to stop for a moment, and an indescribable emotion enveloped her.
The haggard man before me must have had moments of vigor and ambition, of universal adoration. Did these hands stir up the world's storms? Could this heart have once been filled with pride and contentment?
But now, every word she spoke was a cry for death. Failure to overcome the tribulation didn't lead to her death, but to another end.
"I won't kill you," Lian Qiang answered slowly, as if speaking to herself, "I absolutely won't do that."
After hearing this, Senior Tan's face was filled with disappointment. He was about to turn and leave, but Lian Qiang spoke again, "...Senior, are you really willing to live a life worse than death, never to see the light of day again? After all these years of hardship, have you lost any of your fighting spirit?"
She suddenly stopped walking and turned around, her eyes filled with intense resentment, whether it was out of contempt for Lian Qiang's offense or unwillingness to be fooled by fate.
"...What do you know! Trapped in this hellish place day after day, year after year, what spirit can you possibly have left?" Her voice was torn and out of tune. "If I don't die, what else can I do!"
"You didn't even try—" "I tried!" She turned to face Lian Qiang, almost screaming, "I tried, but there's no way, no way!"
Senior Tan raised his hands and stared at his palms. "At first, I watched myself transform into a half-human, half-ghost form, and I consoled myself by telling myself I would get out, that I would eventually get out..."
"One day, two days, a year, a hundred years... I really don't know how much time has passed... I just feel that the days I spent in there were longer than the days I was alive."
As Lian Qiang saw, she didn't do it.
Senior Tan raised his eyes, and they returned to their stillness, like dead water. "I admit, I can't do it. But you accuse me so righteously, can you really do it?"
“…Precisely because I can’t do it, I hope that you, the seniors, can do it.”
When these words were spoken, the listeners were stunned.
"My cultivation level wasn't achieved through hard work, but it's different for you, Senior. You should have been admired by everyone, and you were far more tolerant than I am. I've probably experienced most of your pain, though only a tenth or a twelfth."
Lian Qiang's tone was flat and uninterrupted. "This is why I hope you can get out. If you can't do it, then I can't do it either. Right now, no matter what, trying again won't lead to any worse results. Besides, I really need your help."
The need for help was real, but exaggerated. Could this be considered sympathy? Lian Qiang didn't know. If this could make her desire to die less intense, then so be it.
Senior Tan remained silent, and the two of them remained in silence. After a long moment, she spoke first: "...I guess the person who helped you achieve this level of cultivation is the one you're looking for?"
"Yes." Lian Qiang told the truth. At this point, she had nothing to hide anymore.
"Is he important to you?"
"...Well, it's crucial." Lian Qiang breathed a sigh of relief after admitting this in front of a stranger.
Chi Xingji was her only and most important relative in the world. For others, Lian Qiang might be willing to risk her life, but for Chi Xingji, she truly wanted to live a good life with him.
"For someone like you to risk your life to jump down, he must be someone very important," Senior Tan said as he walked to Lian Qiang's side. "Let's go, it's time to find someone."
She took a few steps forward, and Lian Qiang hesitantly asked, "Senior, do you mean... to accompany me?"
"What else? Isn't this the purpose of your long speech? I promised you, but..." Senior Tan looked at her solemnly, "If there really comes a moment when I am completely desperate, I still hope that you can kill me.
“This is not to kill me, but to help me get rid of it.
"I'm not asking to trade with you. I'm... begging you."
This time, it was Lian Qiang's turn to remain silent. Just now, she thought she had effectively severed the other person's desire to die, but she hadn't expected that her intentions were even more firm and thorough than she had imagined.
Yes, during the days and nights here before, no matter how much I thought about it, in the end it could only turn into this one thought, right?
She couldn't refuse the request.
"...If that day ever comes, could you please tell me your name? In exchange, I'll swap names with you. Oh, and I haven't mentioned it yet, my last name is Lian."
"Lian... But the Lian in Lianmei?"
"Exactly!" Lian Qiang nodded in surprise. It was the first time she had heard someone talk about her last name in that way. She liked it very much.
"Fellow Daoist Lian, we will proceed hand in hand. I will entrust my own...safety to you."
Senior Tan spoke in a serious tone, and Lian Qiang nodded seriously.
"I hope you will live up to your mission."
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