"What do you think they're thinking?" an old man leaned down and asked Su Chen.
Su Chen thought to herself that the old man was quite gossipy, but when it came to strangers she wouldn't see tomorrow, Su Chen never hid her feelings and told the truth: "They are very noisy."
The old man stroked his beard and smiled. "So, in your eyes, they are noisy."
Su Chen countered, "Then what are they like in your eyes, sir?"
The old man laughed and said, "Everyone is living their own life, and whatever they feel they are, that's what they are."
Su Chen, puzzled, asked, "So what do you personally think?"
The old man laughed heartily as if he had heard the funniest joke, before saying, "My personal opinion is not important."
"Who exactly are you?" Su Chen sensed that the old man in front of her was not simple. His words seemed simple, but every word contained profound wisdom.
"Just an old man," the old man laughed. "And who are you?"
"Me?" Su Chen was stunned. Right, who exactly is she? Is she Su Chen from her past life, Su Chen in this life, or Su Chen from these dozen or so worlds?
Before Su Chen could answer, the old man disappeared.
Everything happened so fast, as if the old man had never appeared at all. Su Chen even wondered if she had been hallucinating.
She looked around but couldn't see the old man. Just as Su Chen was wondering if she really had something wrong with her head, she saw a small clay statue under the tree.
The small statue was sculpted to resemble an old man, and this old man looked exactly like the one who had just spoken to her.
Su Chen looked at the clay sculpture thoughtfully for a while, then turned around, carefully picked a few fresh flowers, placed them in front of the sculpture, and bowed three times.
Su Chen asked the clay sculpture, "Are you the spirit that protects the village?"
The clay sculpture didn't speak, but its body shimmered with light.
Do they still idolize you?
The luster of the clay sculpture dimmed, like a flame about to be extinguished.
Su Chen understood, looking at the still arguing vendors and the onlookers.
"Do you think it's worth protecting these people?"
The clay sculpture finally opened its mouth and said, "There is no question of whether it is worth it or not. They created me, so I have an obligation to protect them. I will stand here until all those who respect and believe in me have disappeared from this world."
Su Chen said with some melancholy, "They've probably forgotten about you by now."
"Everything in this world has its end, and I accept my fate." The aged voice seemed to have long since come to terms with it, and when it spoke these words, there was no sadness, but rather a sense of relief.
Su Chen sighed. If it were her, she might take some revenge on these humans who had forgotten them.
In this year, those who can still maintain their true selves—spirits, humans, immortals, demons…—are extremely rare…
Su Chen thought, "The god who instigated the war between immortals and demons back then must have once had a heart to protect all living beings, right? But sitting in that position for too long, his heart changed. He could no longer feel the suffering of the common people."
At that time, their vision was not expansive, but rather limited to the narrow upper class.
As Su Chen pondered, her mind grew tired and her mood soured, so she decided to stop thinking about it.
She finally understood what it meant to be blissfully ignorant.
Living too consciously in this world can be painful; it's better to live in a daze, not understanding anything.
But ultimately, remaining confused is also deceiving oneself...
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