Chapter 95 Coming-of-Age Ceremony: From Earth to Heaven
"You have mastered the art of mind and gained the ability to summon rain, but you must understand that as long as you display extraordinary power, there will be people who covet your abilities. At that time, the myriad copper coin eyes will help you discern people's hearts."
As Shen Cangyu spoke, he turned and walked out: "As for your mental techniques, once you've mastered them, they'll become yours, and I won't interfere anymore. You can teach them to whomever you want, whether you take on disciples or expand your organization, it's all up to you... But you should also keep your eyes on your own hearts, in addition to looking at others."
Shen Cangyu waved to Pei Wenjing.
"Just like that, you're leaving?" Pei Wenjing asked.
Shen Cangyu intended to pass on the art of rainmaking to the mother and son, hoping to use their strength to change the famine. However, the strength of the two of them alone was far from enough. Shen Cangyu advised them to find trustworthy people to spread the art and expand its influence.
But people's hearts are fragile. Pei Wenjing had seen countless people rise up in rebellion after gaining power, wanting to become kings and establish their own forces. They claimed that their abilities were bestowed by Heaven and that they should be the emperors, thus deceiving the ignorant people.
Pei Wenjing felt that their encounter with the mother and son was purely by chance, yet Shen Cangyu had already passed on her mental techniques to them—it was too fast. At least the old Shen Cangyu wouldn't have done this; she preferred to prepare everything thoroughly and make sure nothing went wrong before taking action.
"Are you really comfortable entrusting your mental manipulation abilities to them like this? Aren't you afraid they'll use them for evil purposes?"
"Will it? Maybe, who knows?"
The rain is still falling.
Pei Wenjing felt that this was not the answer he wanted to hear. He followed and was about to speak when he heard Shen Cangyu say, "Even if they don't have the intention to do bad things now, it doesn't mean they won't in the future. People change. Even if they are cowardly good people now, they may become bullies in the future. I can't see everyone's future."
"Then why..."
"Whether they use their cunning to profit or to blackmail others, that's their choice. One thought can lead to godhood, another to demonhood; it's all their own destiny. No matter what they choose, the future may be for the better or for the worse. I don't need to bear the karma of others. Therefore, Pei Wenjing, do what you want to do. Don't worry about what will happen in the future; just focus on the present."
Pei Wenjing stopped in his tracks. He suddenly felt that he had not gained any new enlightenment despite reincarnating so many times. On the contrary, after hearing Shen Cangyu's words, the shackles that had been binding his heart suddenly loosened.
Shen Cangyu continued walking forward, her steps light and graceful, feeling incredibly carefree.
This was what she wanted to do; she felt sorry for the mother and child, so she stepped in to help. Helping others gave her satisfaction, and her wish was fulfilled. As for what would happen in the future, what did that have to do with her?
[Isn't the saying that if you're going to do a good deed, you should see it through to the end?]
"I'm a wicked woman, not a good person," Shen Cangyu thought to herself when she saw this comment appear in the live chat.
These past few years have been too long. Apart from cultivation, Shen Cangyu's life has consisted of daily lectures and enlightenment. Many readers have left, and few new ones have joined. Gradually, the bullet comments have become sparse, not as numerous as they used to be. She has become adept at distinguishing which comments were posted by readers and which were posted by the author in the bullet comment section.
Ever since her IP address was exposed, that guy has become adept at changing his IP address and speaking style, trying to pretend to be a real reader. But Shen Cangyu could easily recognize her in the crowd with just one glance.
This is probably the tacit understanding between the character and the author.
[Now you're admitting you're a villain? Didn't you swear before you'd never follow the author's predetermined path?! And why would a villain like you help those two people? Isn't that out of character?]
Even through the words, Shen Cangyu could almost picture the person's furious expression.
"Mind your own business," Shen Cangyu replied cheerfully.
"...Then go be the Virgin Mary."
“Alright,” Shen Cangyu paused for a moment before replying, “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted? Your initial idea was for the protagonist to be that kind of person, right?”
【！！！】
"Because you're afraid of being criticized. A flawed protagonist will always be condemned by readers. You're afraid that you'll be criticized one day too, so you want your protagonist to do good deeds and be a good person. Even though my character is a villain, you keep an eye on me and try your best to prevent me from killing people. You're worried that my behavior will be tainted and become evidence of my crimes that will be condemned by the world in the future."
【。。。】
"Yes, they worry that the protagonist will be wronged, that the protagonist will have their spotlight stolen by others, they want the protagonist to be the center of the world, and they hope that the protagonist can be a little selfish, so the concept of a villain came about. But deep down they don't want the villain to really be a villain who does all kinds of evil, they hope that she has good intentions and her behavior is spotless. I've read everything they've said, I know what they want, and I know what you want."
Shen Cangyu was speaking to the author behind the words. Over the years, she had been seeking enlightenment, not only for herself, but also for the world and the creator behind it.
The author always wanted to create a perfect protagonist, but kept trying and kept failing.
"That's why you used the causal thread to guide me here, to clean up the mess for Wan Qianzhong. Similarly, in all the reincarnations after my death, you used the Heavenly Voice to tell Wan Qianzhong what to do, so that Wan Qianzhong would repeat my actions and do what I didn't finish, right?"
From his past conversations with Wan Qianzhong, Shen Cangyu realized that Tianyin had a significant influence on Wan Qianzhong. Reflecting on this, it's not hard to deduce the reason why Wan Qianzhong did so many things.
Wan Qianzhong inherited the Copper Coin Eye technique from so many mortals, and stole the secret manual of mental arts from Kunlun, establishing a school to spread the mental arts. Her actions corresponded to those of Shen Cangyu in her first life. It was because the author saw Shen Cangyu's actions that a new person was found to replace Shen Cangyu in a world without Shen Cangyu to do these things.
This means that, in the author's eyes, whether it is passing on the art of mind to more people or helping people break free from the concepts of good and evil and confront the five evils, these things are very important to the author.
"Was my rebirth this time your doing?" Shen Cangyu asked.
She had asked the author this question many times. Whenever she caught the author in the comments section, she would ask her this question. But the author never answered. Once she saw Shen Cangyu ask this question, it meant that their conversation for the day was over.
Later, Shen Cangyu stopped asking her about these things. She focused on cultivation and occasionally argued with the author. Everyone tacitly moved on from the topic.
But now Shen Cangyu has asked this question again.
After a long time, so long that Shen Cangyu thought the author was going to turn the page on this matter again, she suddenly gave an answer.
I never expected you to show up.
Now, Shen Cangyu finally knew the answer he wanted.
The rain stopped, the dark clouds gradually dispersed, and the sunlight fell again, penetrating the moist air, creating a long rainbow across the sky.
Shen Cangyu heard Pei Wenjing behind him say, "Your birthday is in a few days."
Shen Cangyu was born in autumn, amidst the chilling atmosphere of autumn. She had mentioned it once before, and Pei Wenjing remembered it for countless lifetimes. This birthday was different; it coincided with her coming-of-age ceremony, which, according to the customs of this world, was a very important day. After the ceremony, she would be considered an adult.
In the past, Shen Cangyu's coming-of-age ceremony was held in Kunlun, a time of universal celebration, with everyone offering their blessings to Shen Cangyu.
But this time, Shen Cangyu's coming-of-age ceremony took place in the mortal world outside the mountains, surrounded by desolate villages and scorched earth. There were no fine clothes, no hairpins, and no ceremonial attendants or guests... Pei Wenjing wanted to take her to a better place.
After hearing Pei Wenjing's words, Shen Cangyu looked up at the rainbow in the sky and said, "Yes, how fast time flies. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye."
Shen Cangyu's gaze fell upon the dilapidated temple on the distant yellow earth, and he said, "That should be the Guanyin Temple. Let's go take a look."
The clay that the woman ate came from this Guanyin temple.
The famine had dragged on for so long that the village was deserted, the incense at the Guanyin Temple had been extinguished for who knows how long, and the statues were covered in dust and cobwebs.
The mother and her two children were merely passing through, stopping by for a while. They had visited the Guanyin Temple and eaten some white clay from beneath the statue of Guanyin to fill their stomachs. But they left no offerings for the temple. Indeed, they could barely save themselves; where would they find offerings?
Looking at the statue before him, Shen Cangyu said, "There's no time like the present. Since we're here, let's hold my coming-of-age ceremony here."
Pei Wenjing looked at her in shock. He felt that Shen Cangyu deserved the best things in the world, and that this dilapidated temple was not worthy of her.
But Shen Cangyu didn't care about any of that; fine clothes and golden houses were nothing but external things to her. Shen Cangyu took out three incense sticks from her sleeve, lit them with a candle holder, and placed them in the incense burner. She bowed her head and paid her respects to the statue.
This ceremony expresses gratitude to her mother who gave her life, her grandmother who raised her, and also to the land and Guanyin who bestowed the land.
She was born from a clay body; without them, she wouldn't be who she is today. They are her starting point.
Shen Cangyu raised his head and looked at the smoke climbing upwards, which flew out through the gap in the roof of the dilapidated temple and blended into the sunlight.
The person she should be grateful to is herself.
The author said she never imagined that Shen Cangyu would reappear in this novel; her appearance was not due to the author, but rather to her own will.
She gave herself a new life, allowing her to open her eyes to the world anew.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
