Though he didn't recognize the completely transformed face before him, the man had remained a persistent thorn in his heart for so long that he would never forget him.
The beginning of betrayal, the reason for the rift...
A dry, burning pain constricted his throat: "Ren Huang..."
Beside him, Liu Jiang Fusheng stared up at Ren Huang. He had clearly heard Ren Huang's previous address of "my wife." He mused that after getting rid of one annoying, bug-like fox, another, even more shameless tick had appeared. He lightly ground a piece of scorched earth beneath his foot, a cold, abyssal smile curling on his lips.
"Does Master know him?"
She was as calm as if nothing had happened, yet Cheng Hong felt a chilling sensation, as if being watched by a venomous snake.
Cheng Hong lowered his eyelashes and said, "Ren Huang, the one and only Ghost King of Fengdu City."
"So, a body of evil spirits," Liu Jiang Fusheng exclaimed with feigned realization. He then softly uttered, "All evil that causes fear and heresy should be purged. What does Master think?"
A person who embodied holiness, yet harbored such profound jealousy and killing intent.
Cheng Hong, by nature quiet and reserved, never forgot to pity all living beings and the suffering human heart. It was from within the sea of suffering that he understood true hardship, which was the reason for his worldly cultivation.
"Benefactor Liu Jiang, one cannot force matters. Obsession is a demon, a miasma. Your destiny is like that bright holy fire, illuminating the path ahead, leading you to the summit. If you deviate from your destined course and turn towards the profound depths, both you and she will face the obstruction of this realm."
Liu Jiang Fusheng sensed hidden meaning in his words. He pondered quietly for a moment before asking, "Has Master learned something?"
To what extent a Buddha's son could achieve was beyond his own guessing. Buddhist cultivators always held a different attitude towards life and death than Daoists. Buddhism sought "Nirvana," liberation from the cycle of birth and death, ultimately achieving tranquil stillness, neither born nor extinguished. Daoism ultimately sought unity of heaven and man, the universe is me, I am the universe. Although in the end, they both reached the same destination, their paths and methods were distinct.
Cheng Hong knew that Liu Jiang Fusheng and Gu Junshi's fates were inextricably intertwined, and advising him was akin to advising her.
"She is an anomaly, a variable, while you are the immutable heavenly mandate. You were never meant to merge. The talk of defying heaven, though passionately spoken, is in practice a matter of a single thought separating heaven from hell."
Liu Jiang Fusheng knew Cheng Hong's words came from the heart. Even if he had harbored resentment towards him before, he knew Cheng Hong was a supremely accomplished monk with profound Buddhist wisdom. The destiny he had perceived was supposed to be ineffable, yet he still revealed it to him, solely to caution him against the approaching consequences.
He raised his eyes and looked at Gu Junshi's figure, unable to discern the emotions now conveyed in his expression, only hearing his sorrowful voice: "Master's counsel is perhaps too late. Through countless cycles of life and death, my entanglement with her transcends the love and hate of this life. Unless time reverses, mountains and seas topple, and the world undergoes vast changes, no god or Buddha can… stand against my will."
The current Liu Jiang Fusheng was no longer the boy with a heart as clear and pure as ice from his amnesiac days. Nor was he the Dragon Ascending Heaven protagonist who, after recovering his memories, should have severed ties with his former evil sect wife and dedicated himself to justice, becoming a leader of the righteous path. He had been fractured by the anomaly who was meant to be a mere stepping stone, transformed into an unpredictable, uncontainable existence. He was no longer beholden to the Heavenly Dao, nor bound by religious rules and missions.
Therefore, the root of young Gu Sijun's rebelliousness and running away from home perhaps lay with his father, rather than his mother, who, upon becoming a powerful CEO, had consistently focused on earning money, raising their family, and expanding their business empire.
Of course, children are too young to conceal their feelings, but Liu Jiang Fusheng, who had long known that the Heavenly Dao constantly arranged "eyes" to supervise his progress and missions, had silently learned the art of outwardly appearing one way while inwardly being another, of secretly making arrangements.
The current "Cheng Hong" was not the true Cheng Hong of this lifetime. The true Cheng Hong was the main body, and "he" was merely using his clone to see an old acquaintance.
Cheng Hong had long foreseen that his mission's journey would conclude in Fengdu, so he had proactively requested this assignment from the abbot.
Older people are more capable of seeing through certain matters and more prone to dwelling on the past.
For instance, he knew that no matter how much more he said to Liu Jiang Fusheng, he wouldn't truly listen.
For instance, the reunion with Ren Huang was something he hadn't yet factored in.
He knew that the Ren Huang of this life was not the one who held a special place in Gu Junshi's heart, yet he still couldn't help but be bothered, and he had still come to her side.
In her past lives, she had never deliberately sought out any old acquaintances. Each life, she had reiterated her own journey, her own path. Those from her previous lives were cast aside by her, no longer approached.
But in this life, everything seemed different.
—
Shuofang Ghost City, Fengdu
Pfft—
Upon the White Bone Throne, the Ghost King, clad in an eccentric black robe with red markings, suddenly changed color, spitting out a mouthful of dark blood onto the steps below. His pupils dilated, his breathing ragged like a bull, conveying a danger signal that sent shivers down the spine.
"Ghost King..."
The ghosts below looked at him with surprise and tension, seemingly bewildered by the scene unfolding before them, and a sense of dread about what might happen next began to creep in.
The Ghost King would not bleed without reason. For ghost cultivators, blood was a vital source of energy and a guarantee of their physical strength. Once blood was expelled, it indicated a serious injury.
Gu Ye Jin, hearing the commotion and sensing the restless atmosphere around him, turned around. Though he didn't know what had happened, his sharp gray eyes swept over everyone like the gaze of a cold, scorpion-like creature.
"The meeting is adjourned. Everyone, withdraw."
They had been discussing the Poison Thorn Forest, and the meeting's sudden interruption caused hesitation. "But..."
At this moment, the Ghost King on the throne above finally took a deep breath, as if breaking free from the suffocating depths of water and emerging onto the surface of a lake. His gloomy, cold face was terrifying. He slammed a palm onto a stone lizard sculpture below the steps, causing an explosive shattering sound. Following that, he roared in furious destruction, "Get out—"
The sound wave kicked up dust. The bronze-nailed doors slammed heavily against the walls, creating chaos and terror that plunged everything into disorder.
Unable to withstand the Ghost King's oppressive ghost aura, the ghosts scrambled out of the conference hall as quickly as possible, not daring to delay or hesitate for another second.
Hoo hoo hoo...
The Shuofang Ghost King pressed a palm against his forehead, his heavy, rapid breaths revealing his agitated and violent inner turmoil.
In the silent, eerie hall, the Ghost King's hoarse, low voice sliced through the silence like a sharp blade against gold, emitting a grating, jarring sound: "Ye Jin, the Blood Gourd is broken, and those old nuns have escaped!"