Chapter 1474: The Will of Heaven is Too Difficult to Determine [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"It's been more than half an hour, why is there still no reaction?"
Qi Shan had never felt that the phrase "time drags on like a year" could be so vivid. The sound of the water clock dripping inside the tent made him restless. An inexplicable unease was constantly growing within him, as if an invisible hand was choking him, squeezing his chest, and suffocating him.
Fang Yan had just finished taking the pulse when he stepped forward to inquire.
When will our lord awaken?
"The Lord's pulse is strong and normal, and Shao Bai also said that she will wake up when the time comes, but Chu Shangjun..." Fang Yan and Ji Moqiu exchanged a glance, feeling quite helpless, "Chu Shangjun's life force is constantly slipping away. I tried to activate her dantian with golden needles but it was ineffective. Shao Bai also failed with the Gu worms, saying that her true spirit is about to be annihilated."
Kang Shi became unsettled upon hearing the words "true spirit".
"Didn't Lord Jimo say before that the true spirit is the true self? The most important core of the soul? If the true spirit is annihilated, wouldn't a person die?" This is even more dangerous than what happened to him back then! This isn't just stepping one foot into the gates of hell, it's being dragged halfway in!
Ji Moqiu nodded: "That's right."
However, Chu Yao still retains a trace of his true spirit in His Highness's hands. Even if his physical body is annihilated this time, he can be reborn through the "Investiture of the Gods" after everything is perfected. To put it bluntly, everyone has only been separated for a few years. Therefore, Ji Moqiu is not saddened by Chu Yao's fate.
The only drawback is that Chu Yao, who was resurrected in the "Investiture of the Gods" series, will lose some of his memories. For those who value memories, this might cause them to worry about whether this Chu Yao is the same as the original Chu Yao.
"But hasn't the lord already taken action?"
Kang Shi refused to contemplate the horrifying reaction his mistress would have upon waking and seeing Chu Yao's corpse. Since his mistress was willing to intervene in the completion ceremony, she would undoubtedly risk everything to help Chu Yao and wouldn't allow anything to happen to him under her nose. What kind of completion ceremony couldn't even the two of them handle?
Ji Moqiu said, "It is the will of Heaven."
Even His Highness, facing the will of Heaven, could only sever a sliver of hope.
"Furthermore, Your Highness and Lord Chu have not met." Ji Moqiu frowned as he spoke of the inside story he had gleaned. "Lord Chu's path of the scholar involves areas that mortals should not be involved in. To grasp it, one must naturally go through countless hardships. The completion ceremony allows him to search for his true self amidst a myriad of illusions. Each time he makes a mistake, he loses a part of himself and his true self. The day his true self is exhausted is the day he dies."
The Way of Heaven is quite stubborn, rigid, and ruthless.
As long as all things are within His rules, they can cause as much trouble as they want. But once they exceed the rules He has set, no matter how noble or immortal they are, or how favored by fate they are, He will turn on them in an instant and do everything in his power to get rid of them.
Even if you're registered under the same household name as the Heavenly Dao, you'll still die.
He has extensive experience in elbowing his "children".
However, He also has a tender side.
If the person being elbowed manages to fight their way out and find a way to survive, He will be willing to let the unlucky guy go.
Qi Shan gritted her teeth and angrily said, "Is Chu Wuhui a pig-brain?"
He thought Chu Yao was a man of unwavering resolve; what difficulty was there in staying true to oneself? How could he be so easily undone by a simple ritual to distinguish truth from falsehood? These words, seemingly expressing anger at his lack of resolve, were actually expressions of concern for Chu Yao. He and Chu Yao were among the first to accompany the Lord, and even though they had many differences in political views and in assisting the Lord, it did not affect their mutual respect and admiration.
How could he not be heartbroken when such a person was about to die?
Unexpectedly, Ji Moqiu's next words infuriated him.
"You can't really blame Chu Shangjun; there aren't any real ones inside."
It would be strange to pick out the real one from a bunch of fakes.
Those who hadn't left for a moment broke out in a cold sweat; the entire camp was filled with murderous intent, making their brains feel like they were about to shut down. Kang Shi wondered if he was hallucinating: "Wait, what do you mean 'there's nothing real inside'? Even the most difficult perfect ritual can't be a dead end!"
The Great Way is fifty, Heaven evolves into forty-nine, and man escapes to one.
Even the most difficult and successful ceremony has a glimmer of hope.
It's impossible to set up a deadly trap to test a scholar's mind and spirit. A perfect ceremony devoid of hope isn't a test; it's murder!
Ji Moqiu couldn't understand why everyone was so shocked.
“Because it really is outside, isn’t it?” Ji Moqiu looked at the group of people who suddenly realized what was happening and said calmly, “No matter how good the illusion is, it is still just an illusion. All the glory and wealth there are fleeting. Only the present moment is real to him.”
Those illusions may simply be illusions, or they may have occurred in countless worlds, large and small, where a single thought creates the difference between the illusory realm and the real world. Each successful ritual writes the answer on the test paper: to understand one's true nature and see one's true self!
The answer is the correct one, but it's only briefly mentioned.
Test takers either get distracted by the fancy question prompts or go off-topic and go in the wrong direction while answering the questions.
How can one find the real answer in countless false illusions?
Kang Shi then said, "You mean to say..."
He pointed to his master, whose breathing was steady.
For the first time, I truly realized how cunning "divine will" can be.
Not only did they deliberately align him with Yu Zi's completion ceremony to increase the difficulty, but they also tricked him and Yu Zi into killing each other. The only correct answer was for both of them to give up their own path to survival in order to live through death. As for Chu Yao, the correct answer was even more obvious—it was right outside the examination hall!
The answers on the exam papers in the exam room were all fake!
Even someone as composed as Qin Li couldn't help but inwardly curse the insidious nature of the Perfection Ceremony. If the Lord hadn't intervened, Chu Yao would have undoubtedly died in this trial. No, going back even further, if the passive effect of "A Glimmer of Hope" hadn't been triggered, allowing young Chu Yao to retain hope after the excruciating punishment of the Broken Mansion, if Chu Yao hadn't sacrificed his life for the opportunity to rebuild his Dan Mansion and Wen Xin, what would have become of Chu Yao?
Qin Li said, "But the lord has already intervened."
Why hasn't Chu Yao found the right path yet?
Did the successful completion of the ceremony deliberately prevent the two from seeing each other?
Ji Moqiu said, "I thought it was common sense to cheat on exams and make them more difficult. Your Highness should also be given a test paper when you enter the exam room."
What everyone thought was assistance was that His Highness was helping Chu Yao with his homework.
In practical terms, His Highness was also given an exam paper.
Ji Moqiu pointed to the top of his head.
“Fate is sometimes quite easy to predict.”
Everyone: "...No, we don't feel that way."
Gu Chi and the others secretly observed Ji Moqiu, and hesitantly asked, "What has Young Master Ji Mo been through to be so familiar with this?"
Ji Moqiu: "...Don't ask."
The answer is that you gain a wealth of experience from being severely beaten.
Outside the examination hall, relatives accompanying their children waited anxiously.
Inside the examination room, Shen Tang, one of the examinees, was also exhausted.
She herself couldn't remember how long she had stayed in this wretched place, or how many illusions she had entered. Apart from the Wenxin Flower accumulating more and more points of light, she had gained absolutely nothing. Not to mention Chu Yao's figure, she hadn't even caught a glimpse of his ghost.
"Tell me honestly, are you playing me?"
"Huh? Look in my eyes!"
Shen Tang emerged from the illusion for what felt like the umpteenth time, sitting cross-legged to review the clues. Her mind was about to explode, and in a fit of temper, she started cursing the heavens again. The heavens silently endured the insults without retaliating. Only when they could no longer bear it did a small note float down, its contents not a gentle reminder, but rather, in Shen Tang's eyes, almost a provocation—"If you cannot endure this, you may leave."
Stop arguing, either continue or get out.
Shen Tang threw the note on the ground and stomped on it several times.
"...What rubbish!"
After venting for a while, Shen Tang felt her anger subside somewhat before continuing to enter the illusion. Little did she know that the moment her figure disappeared, the flower field beneath her feet vanished bit by bit, and the clear, watery sky reflected another identical flower field scene.
In this upside-down world, there is only one person.
It was Chu Yao, whom Shen Tang had been searching for in vain.
He still had graying temples, but his eyes were dull and lifeless, making him look like a wooden statue that had lost its soul, staring blankly and not very bright. He was looking down at the lines on his palm, seemingly pondering why he was in this place.
Who am I?
What am I doing?
His brain reacts extremely slowly.
Fortunately, every question was answered.
He seemed to have forgotten many, many things; some memories he couldn't recall no matter how hard he tried. Yet, a voice in his mind quietly told him he must find something or someone. Who was he looking for? And why did he need to find them?
The answers seem to lie right here in this endless field of flowers. Some flowers are wilted and listless, their buds withered or their petals decayed, while the stamens of the brightly blooming flowers are emitting a faint light, like that of fireflies.
However, there were far too few of these points of light.
It was so little that it made him feel inexplicably sad.
Only thirty or forty points remain, scattered and fragmented.
"[Chu Wuhui, are you still so stubborn?]" A clear, ethereal voice, its gender indistinguishable, echoed from the heavens, its majesty carrying an aura that sent shivers down one's spine, leaving no room for resistance. "[In these worlds, there exists the prosperous and peaceful era you yearn for.]"
A world free from war and powerful and prosperous.
[Not made by my own hands.]
He said: "He has supreme authority."
Chu Yao once played a legendary and powerful ruler in the series.
That's not what I'm looking for.
He said: "You have the family happiness you long for."
His parents were both alive, he had a loving relationship with his siblings, a virtuous wife and filial children, and he himself lived a healthy life to the ripe old age of 100, passing away peacefully without illness.
This is not something I can obtain; my ties with my family are weak.
With his parents gone and his siblings deceased, his only blood relative was his cousin, Jin Rui. Chu Yao lived a life without wife, children, or relatives, only having three students under his tutelage. Deep down, Chu Yao yearned for familial warmth, but he also knew that some bonds couldn't be forced, and those relationships were not meant for him.
Even if He said these were all his own, and that he could easily obtain any one of them—power, kinship, or anything else—if he wanted to choose, Chu Yao was simply stubborn and refused to choose them.
[It contains the simple happiness you yearn for.]
He spent his entire life only thinking about where to eat and drink, without worrying about making a living, without having to scheme against others, and without having to consider anything mentally taxing. He was peaceful and happy, and the people around him were also wealthy and content. There was no war in the whole world.
[Not me...]
That authoritative voice would occasionally come out to offer advice.
In these worlds, he could obtain everything he yearned for without paying any price; all he had to do was make a firm choice. Chu Yao could also choose not to, but then he wouldn't be able to leave this space. Humans are a short-lived race, and how much of Chu Yao's life had he lived before? The longer he stayed here, the smaller and less significant his past memories would become. Why give up a bright future for a past that's already gone?
The progress has indeed been as the voice predicted.
At first, Chu Yao could firmly and decisively refuse, but now, faced with His proposal again, he gradually began to hesitate. Chu Yao couldn't remember much, not even why he was here in the first place. As his true spirit faded, he slowly began to remember only the agonizing, endless imprisonment, and how every remaining fragment of his soul was screaming, trying to break free from this endless torment!
"...Let me be free..."
After an unknown amount of time, a look of childlike bewilderment appeared on his face. He murmured to himself, not knowing why he wanted to be free or what he was seeking to be free from... His mind was blank, and it felt as if a hole had been opened in his heart, letting in drafts.
He asked, "Are you going to give up?"
Chu Yao instinctively said, "I don't..."
Then you can't break free; you're too deeply entrenched in your obsession.
Chu Yao clutched his head in bewilderment and anguish, wishing he could bang his head against the ground to drown out the excruciating pain in his skull. Who was he? Why was he here? Why wouldn't he be allowed to seek release?
Who exactly are you?
He was questioning his own soul.
Why are you forcing me?
Why get so deeply entangled in your obsession that you prevent him from transcending it?
He was like a mad beast trying to break free of the flower field's boundary, but little did he know that this place had no end. No matter which direction he ran, there was only a sea of flowers. No matter how much he roared and shouted, no one answered anymore; only the countless flowers bloomed silently.
Instinct told him to find the answer.
The answer lies in this sea of flowers.
He can find relief once he finds the answer.
But where are you...?
Chu Yao makes no choice; when the time comes, he will be randomly placed into whichever flower. At this moment, he is like a blank sheet of paper, on which any world can scribble and rewrite his own life script—his parents sell him with tears in their eyes, his mentor abandons him heartlessly, and his childhood friend, whom he regards as a brother, knows nothing, leaving Chu Yao to swallow the bitterness of falling from grace alone.
In times of chaos and war, every living being is mercilessly consumed.
Like a rootless duckweed, he drifted passively from the State of Chu to the State of Xin, and after experiencing political turmoil, he drifted to a little-known northern town. Day and night, he huddled in a dark, damp corner washing the filth in the dishes, his back hunched and his head bowed. It was as if his vocal cords had been cut off; he remained silent and never mentioned his past.
The murky water reflected his increasingly graying hair.
The pimps and servants at Yuehua Tower all thought he was an old, foolish man. They would occasionally show him some pity and care, and sometimes they would take their anger out on him when they were upset by other customers. They would tirelessly make fun of him with dirty jokes, saying that he had never had the chance to understand human affairs or romance in his entire life.
He couldn't muster any anger in the face of those words that trampled on his dignity.
That's strange, why is he angry?
Being born as dust and trampled underfoot is the norm.
As time went by, people came and went in Yuehua Tower, especially the poor servants, who were completely replaced every three to five years. The old fool silently did his duty, lost in his own world, as if this would make time pass faster.
He woke up one day feeling inexplicably invigorated.
Even he didn't know what he was expecting.
"...Alas, do you think this old fool can be saved?" A few sighs came from outside the drafty woodshed, seemingly from one of the cleaning women in the back kitchen of Yuehua Tower, who was known for her kindness. Seeing that he was too ill to get up, she took out her own money to find a barefoot doctor to take a look.
The barefoot doctor shook his head as soon as he felt his pulse.
"This seems to be a terminal illness; he won't live much longer..."
"But he seems to be in pretty good spirits today."
The itinerant doctor sighed, "It's a final burst of lucidity before death."
The moment he heard those words, countless blurry images flashed through his mind like a fleeting glance. He tried desperately to grasp them, but couldn't reach them; the blurry figure receded further and further away. He stood up unsteadily, running his rough fingers along the corner of the wall, where he had painstakingly carved marks with pebbles.
There's a time listed above; it's today.
He was going to meet a very important person today.
"That person is at the door..."
He had to wait for the other person at the door.
Chu Yao didn't go through the main gate. Instead, he staggered around the backyard to the front gate, leaning against the wall. However, his current sickly appearance was quite frightening. Before he even got close, the pimp chased him away, telling him not to die at the gate and affect the business inside the building. He refused to leave even after being slapped twice.
The thug looked at him and felt a pang of sympathy.
"Go to the corner, so no one sees you."
In other words, the old fool was easy to bully and would do whatever he was told. However, when the old fool was about to die, the thugs showed a rare bit of kindness towards him.
However, that's all.
From the first light of dawn to the moon rising above the branches.
The person he was waiting for never came.
He sighed, but he wasn't surprised, as if he had experienced this disappointment countless times, and his senses had become dull and numb.
As he felt the last vestiges of life slipping from his aged body, his hunched and hunched form, which had hunched over for half his life, finally straightened out, shifting from lying on his side to lying on his back. In the shadows, through the gaps created by the eaves, he silently peered at a sliver of the bright moon on the horizon.
He quietly asked the moon.
Bright moon, oh bright moon, may you shine your light upon me?
The moon in the sky responded to him; the kind moon peeked out from the clouds and descended to earth, growing larger and larger before his eyes.
Ultimately, it hung less than an arm's length above his head.
Mingyue bent over and rested her knees on her hands: "Oh, Wu Hui has been so hard to find."
The transparent monogram reflects light like moonlight.
(ω)
A glimmer of hope appears: I already said it, five qian each of ginseng, rhubarb, aconite, and rehmannia, supplemented with three liang of moonflower essence, can reveal one's destiny and cure stubborn diseases. The prophecy was right.
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