Even if the guarding spirit didn't say so, I wouldn't come again. I don't want to get involved with the Coffin Gate.

It's best if the Yin-Yang lineage doesn't belong to the Eight Gates, so I don't have to meddle in the Coffin Gate's mess.

When Ye Yang and I went down the mountain, we saw the myriad of lights below.

The good New Year's Eve was stirred up by the Meng family, turning it into a bloody affair.

I was in no mood to watch the fireworks anymore. I quietly slipped out after returning to Liangjie Tang, and sat on the roof to drink alone.

When I was halfway through my drink, Ye Yang came over, took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, lit it, and handed it to me.

I took the cigarette and said, "Don't you not smoke?"

Ye Yang threw the cigarette pack beside me: "I lit it for you."

I held the cigarette in one hand, picked up the wine bottle, and took a sip: "Today is New Year's Eve. In the past, when we had reunion dinners, there was always one person missing in my family. My dad knew I was sad, and he didn't want to talk about my mom, so he kept putting food in my bowl, as if eating could shut me up."

"He didn't want to talk, and I didn't ask. Sometimes, I really think it's good for us two to live together, at least no one nags."

"My dad usually doesn't let me drink, but on New Year's Eve, he would pour me a glass of wine, saying it was a special day and I could have a drink."

"Actually, he wanted me to drink with him. My dad is very lonely, and he doesn't even have anyone to drink with him."

As I spoke, tears streamed down my face: "Ye Yang, I miss my dad. I haven't had a New Year's Eve dinner with him for six years."

"Meng Die said she could find my dad, and I didn't hesitate at all before taking her life."

"Leng Gou, tell me, am I a very selfish and cold-blooded person?"

"And..."

I could hear the choking in my own voice: "And the news about my mom, I never mention my mom, but that doesn't mean I don't want to see her."

"My dad never wants to talk about my mom, but I want to know!"

"The opportunity came! But I killed her!" I don't know if it was because I drank too much, or if I hadn't thought about what to say. I couldn't even understand what I was saying.

But Ye Yang understood.

Ye Yang took out his wine pot and clinked it against mine: "Actually, I don't know what to say either."

"From an ordinary person's point of view, you did make a mistake. If you met a Daoist scholar, you would be rebellious."

"But are we ordinary people? We are warlocks, walking the jianghu (martial world)."

"Don't say making a wrong judgment, even a slight hesitation could lead to death."

"Let's take a step back, what would happen if you didn't kill Meng Die?"

"First of all, we would have to block the Calamity Black Dragon for Meng Die. The only way to break the Calamity Black Dragon is to draw the calamity into our bodies. What if we succeed?"

"The Black Dragon won't kill us, but I bet you, we have a 70% chance of dying in the river, without even a chance to get ashore."

"Second, we have to help Meng Die break through the Dead Man's Gully and fight the guarding spirit? Are we his opponents? Even if we win, we will have to pay a considerable price."

"Taking ten thousand steps back, even if I was lucky enough to walk out of the Dead Man's Gully, would Meng Die definitely keep her promise?"

"You are very likely to be controlled by Meng Die until she squeezes out the last bit of your value."

Ye Yang paused for a moment and said, "So, I say, your choice is right."

Ye Yang saw that I didn't speak, and said again, "Stupid dog! Don't you like watching TV shows?"

"When you see those people in TV shows who are desperately saved by their relatives and friends, but still have to run back to die with their friends, aren't you always scolding them for being stupid?"

"Living is more important than anything else. Only by living can you find your old man. If you die, you have to let the Ancestral Master beat you to death first. They can't afford to lose that face."

"Get lost!" I scolded with a smile, "As if I haven't been beaten by the Ancestral Master enough?"

Ye Yang patted me on the shoulder: "If we have the chance, we'll kill Cang Tianji together and force him to take action."

"Thank you!" I asked back, "Are you really from Bei Yiye?"

Ye Yang picked up the wine pot and said, "Who I am is not important. What's important is that we two are the masters of Liangjie Tang, walking the world as Black and White Impermanence."

"The old man's whereabouts is just a hurdle. There are many bumps and obstacles in the jianghu (martial world). Every jianghu (martial world) person has his unerasable regrets, every jianghu (martial world) person has his story, and also secrets that he doesn't want to mention."

"Even if you are young when you return to the jianghu (martial world), your heart is old."

"Live happily!"

Ye Yang was about to leave with the wine pot when I said, "What is your regret?"

"It's not emptying your stomach full of diarrhea!" Ye Yang left without turning his head.

"Go to your dad!" I thought Ye Yang had gone far, but he stopped again when he reached the door: "Stupid dog, there is always someone behind you who is willing to draw a sword and fight the heavens for you, just like you can always draw a knife and slaughter the gods for him."

Ye Yang left!

I know what he meant by that last sentence!

He meant that if I was alone in the Dead Man's Gully, I wouldn't have killed Meng Die so decisively, at least I would have hesitated!

Ye Yang told me: No matter what I lost, I still have a brother.

A brother like Black and White Impermanence.