The Council of Elders (End)
Mi sat alone on the riverbank, lying on the grass, reflecting on the stories she had heard these past few days. The Grand Elder was a single father who had first lost his wife, then his daughter. And in the end, judging from his current state, he might have also lost his country; the nation he had once defended might have become an interstellar junkyard. This was the reason he had been in hibernation; he couldn't face it all. He kept saying, "Women must bear children," because without saying this, he couldn't bear the pain of losing his wife and daughter, even if he could choose not to endure such pain. He needed a reason to keep going: that men were born with the right to take women's lives, even though he knew this reason was utterly untenable.
Children, children are truly the greatest devils in the world. They are so adorable, so innocent, so alluring. Even the most resolute person will smile for a child, and even the most ruthless killer will show a tenderness they've never shown before. What devil in this world can compare to a child, making a mother give her entire life for them? What pain in this world can compare to the pain of childbirth? Yet, the innocent faces of children allow woman after woman to endure such excruciating pain time and time again. Even after experiencing excruciating pain that most people couldn't bear, just seeing that red-faced, furry child can fill a mother's heart with boundless tenderness, and she might even plan to have another one. Every mother, seemingly repulsive and hysterical, was once so drawn to that tiny life.
Mi shuddered. Children are the biggest lies and the biggest devils in the world. But children, the most wonderful little creatures in the world, you can see the whole world in their eyes, you can find the greatest comfort in their smiles, you can find the deepest dependence and the purest love in them.
The idea that children are angels is a complete lie, because angels don't ask for anything, while children want everything from their mothers. Getting milk isn't enough, getting hugs isn't enough, they also want love, their mothers' selfless love. But children, do you know that you have fathers?
Mi thought of the Second Elder and the Third Elder. They had once shared a man, but neither of them had children. Why? The Third Elder's childlessness could be attributed to her husband's incompetence, but what about the Second Elder? She had many, many men, so why didn't she have children either? Mi stared at the tightly closed dormant flower. She thought of the Second Elder's stunningly beautiful face, her affectionate eyes, and her charming demeanor. With just a wave of her hand, countless men would become her lovers.
Mi wanted to ask the Second Elder, "You're clearly toying with these men like a cat playing with a mouse, yet you pretend to be unbearable, praising every man around you as an unparalleled hero. You make those men who can't find self-satisfaction regain their virility in your presence. Every man who leaves you feels like a peerless hero. Once their courage fades, they'll return to you, becoming men again." This was the Second Elder's survival strategy. She had even developed a whole set of theories, all praising male greatness and strength. So, is impotence a physiological or psychological disorder?
Mi stared at the tightly closed flowers. The Third Elder, a strong woman, had achieved great success in wealth. In the end, she no longer needed a man to support her. She just had mixed feelings of love and hate for the Second Elder. She didn't understand why the Second Elder had stayed in the same place, even though she had already earned enough money for the two of them to live on.
The Third Elder couldn't understand why the Second Elder insisted on relying on men to support her, just as she was proud of her ability to be just as capable as men. She could carve out her own niche in a man's world. She didn't understand that it was the Second Elder's means of survival. No one wanted to give up their life skills because they were the only things women possessed. These skills gave her a sense of security, and skills would be wasted if neglected.
The Second Elder is like a dodder vine, clinging is her instinct; the Third Elder is like a pine tree, no matter how heavy the snow, she will still stand tall. The Third Elder pities the Second Elder's misfortune and is angry at her lack of ambition. Her pain lies in her inability to understand that people are born different. The prostitutes of Weiyuan Star have no property, and the Third Elder, wearing shoes, cannot understand the Second Elder who is barefoot.
Those standing on the shore always tell those who have fallen into the water, "Climb up quickly!" They pity their misfortune and are angry at their lack of willpower. But they don't know that those women weren't born willing to struggle in the mud. They spent half their lives learning how to survive in the mud, and without those skills, they don't know how to live.
The Second Elder lived in a brothel, a place where one could easily understand human nature, and human nature is the most untrustworthy thing. She didn't trust anyone; she didn't want to fall into a situation where she depended on anyone, so she could only stay in the same place. Did the ever-smiling Second Elder also suffer? She turned prostitution into a business and achieved lifelong success, so what made them need to remain dormant?
The Fourth Elder and the Fifth Elder were both identified as witches while still human; one was burned at the stake, the other bravely resisted. Mi could understand that the Fourth Elder needed time to recover; her face was covered in scars, revealing her ordeal at a glance. How hadn't she gone mad? Mi couldn't imagine how a soul burned to death endured the long nights, when fire no longer brought her warmth or light. Perhaps that's why the Witch Forest is never truly dark.
The Fifth Elder was agile and must have killed many people who wanted to kill her, but she still came here. Who killed her? And who was adding firewood to the fire that burned her?
Mi felt she couldn't think any further; this place was practically a disaster zone. Perhaps there was a happy woman here—Mother Morabi, the queen who had given birth to thirteen children, her offspring scattered across the planet, becoming kings or queens as noble as she was, fathering even more children, and then ruling the entire planet Morabi. The Sixth Elder was a queen bee, yet the queen bee remained dormant within the dormant flowers. Why? Mi tried to knock open each tightly closed dormant flower. These elders presented her with different lives, good and bad. Why were they all dormant here?
El and Joe finally appeared in the middle of the forest, Joe nestled on El's lap like a well-behaved girl. Mi remembered the strange packet of medicine; the thing El had taken out had transformed an elder. What was it? Mi sat down in front of El, carefully considering how to begin.
"What do you want to ask?" El's voice was gentle yet cool, neither overly enthusiastic nor unapproachable; she was like a kind and caring older sister.
"What did you give that white-haired lady? Was it some kind of witchcraft potion?"
“That’s salt.” El smiled. “You’re talking about the Seventh Elder. She hid in the mountains to escape debt collectors and lived alone there for twenty years. The mountains have everything, except salt, which is why the Seventh Elder looks like that. If someone gives her salt, she can recover.”
"Are they, I mean these elders, human or witches?"
“They are witches, but they haven’t been able to complete the transformation of their identity. They can’t forget the part of themselves that they were once human, which prevents them from becoming complete witches.” El thought for a moment and said, “To put it another way, they are people who have died but are still unwilling to accept their fate. They are witches who cannot forget the past and step into a new life.”
"Are they beings somewhere between humans and sorcerers?" Mi's mind was in turmoil. "Are they the dead, or sorcerers who were never born?"
“You can’t say that. They are witches, just witches who need to hibernate. Once they have finished hibernating, they will become the best witches.”
"How did they become elders?"
“I don’t know. When I arrived in the Witch Forest, they were already elders.” El looked around. “They are getting better.”
El stopped speaking; the elders were getting better. But Mi, the witch who knew nothing, had once again slumbered all the elders. What was so special about this witch? El thought of the commotion she had caused above the Witch Forest and stared at Mi again. Mi stretched her body, always making the shape of an arrow, part of her body bent into a bow, part folded into an arrow. Why did she always try to shoot a part of her body away?
El looked down at Joe. The last witch was Joe; she was as obedient and well-behaved as a newborn baby, quickly completing her witch training and acquiring witch form. The elders all loved her, calling her "well-behaved Joe," "adorable Joe," "obedient Joe," and "beautiful Joe." Joe loved the elders too; they would even break their hibernation to play with Joe in the forest. This witch, before returning to the Witch Forest, constantly received messages from the elders urging her to come back quickly.
"Are there any other witches in this forest?" Mi finally stopped all her movements and spread her body on the grass. The grass seemed to like her and swayed her around with its blades. After watching for a while, El felt dizzy and wanted to sleep.
“Oh, yes.” El closed his eyes and shook his head to clear his mind. “All witches, all sorcerers are born here.” El paused and asked, “Are you ready to accept everything in the Witch Forest?”
Mi sat up straight. "Ready? Oh, no. But I have nothing to do, don't I?" She slumped back down, letting the grass sway her around. "Where are the other witches? Why aren't they showing up?"
“Some of them didn’t return from outside, and some returned to the sea of consciousness.” El looked at Mi and asked again, “Are you ready to become a witch?”
"I don't know what would happen if I couldn't become a witch?" Mi only wanted to leave this cage, but she couldn't let El know her thoughts. Mi wasn't sure why El had come in. Surely it wasn't to help her escape?
"You will stay in the Witch Forest like the elders, and sometimes you will need to go back to the Consciousness Flower to hibernate."
"Will I become a member of the council of elders?"
“If you stay in the Witch Forest forever, long, long afterward, even the newborn little witches will call you ‘Elder.’” El smiled. Elder, elder, very old, someone who will live out their days here.
“Why don’t the elders leave?” Mi sat up and looked around. “I mean, leave. I don’t think they really like this witch’s forest.”
El thought for a moment and said, "The elders are witches who haven't found the guiding stone; they can't find their way forward."
"What is a guiding stone?" Mi heard a new word.
“For a witch, the guiding stone is her heart.” El pointed to the river that surrounds the witch’s forest. “That is the River of the Lost, and without the guiding stone, one cannot cross it.”
"Is the Lost River the cover?"
"What cover?" El had heard Mi use this word more than once.
“It’s the barrier that’s trapping me here; I’ve been unable to cross this river.” Mi decided to throw a straight punch to see what El would say.
"That's the Witch Forest's protection for new witches. Beyond the Lost River lies the Misty Forest, where there are no guiding stones; you'll get lost."
Mi never imagined that she could walk around tirelessly without eating, drinking, or feeling hungry. What difference was there between this small, bounded forest and the larger forest outside? Given enough time, she could still traverse the entire forest.
“There is a Conscious Flower here. It can put you into hibernation and restore your strength. The Misty Forest will only drain your strength. Once your strength is exhausted, you will—” El was trying to find the right words to explain the difference between the two.
"Will I die?" Mi Kan'er remained silent, her brows furrowed.
"No, the witch won't die. You'll just lose your way and keep going in circles."
"How is it different from now?"
"In the Witch Forest, you still have consciousness. But once you get outside, the consequence of constantly getting lost is that you'll end up like an animal marking out a territory with your urine and then just curling up there forever. Is that what you want?"
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