GB Chapter 66

“I and Daoman once studied the qi (sha qi – evil energy) on Qin Jiu, this is a power beyond the Heavenly Dao, born from humans and only effective against humans. But Yin and Yang are relative, and the mutual generation and restraint of all things is the core of the Heavenly Dao. It’s impossible to shake with human power. So, in the end, we concluded that the power that can eliminate resentment is the power of merit. The so-called merit only looks at the result, not the process. One must successfully save the world to be considered merit. If a good result is not achieved, even if someone like Fang Suihan dedicates their entire life, it will not work. You are the son of a cursed Ghost God. According to reason, you should have become the strongest demonic entity in the world. Now, except for your demonic cultivation, you’re no different from ordinary people. It was Daoman who used his merit of saving the world to transform you into a human.”

Those past memories, though still filled with resentment, were lightly glossed over by Lüling in front of Qian Ren, only revealing the most useful information for the present.

Hundreds of years have passed, and the people of that time have mostly died. There’s no need to make his son suffer anymore. If possible, he would prefer that he remain the carefree Lüling in Qian Ren’s eyes. Though a bit strange, at least he lives happily every day.

At first, it was just a theory, and he and Daoman didn’t really know if it would work. Before his death, Daoman had asked him, if the resentment on Qin Jiu couldn’t be resolved, would this merit save his son or his wife? He remembered Qin Jiu’s despair when she discovered the Ghost Mother Curse and knew that even if Qin Jiu came back to life, she wouldn’t be happy if this child continued to be entangled by the curse. In the end, he chose to let his child be reborn as a human.

At that time, Bifang didn’t expect that Daoman would also die. Perhaps he had underestimated that immortal’s determination to save the world. He didn’t really understand humans. When they were evil, they could cause a bloodbath for a little desire, but when they were good, they could give up endless life just to bring a glimmer of hope to the world.

Even now, Lüling still doesn’t like humans. That’s why he hasn’t set foot in the human world for hundreds of years. But thinking of Daoman, looking at Qian Ren, the anger that even sacrificing the world couldn’t quell finally slowly dissipated.

He sighed slowly, finally answering the question Qian Ren was most concerned about: “The Demon Lord is dead, and the immortal beast Bifang no longer exists. Now Lüling is just a spirit walking in the Ghost Domain. This is the prosperous world Daoman created with his life. Whether it’s good or bad depends entirely on the people of this world. Everything in the human world has nothing to do with me anymore.”

These words indicated that the Demon Lord would not appear again, and he would not be opposed to He Huan, who was determined to protect the world. Hearing this, the two of them relaxed. Zhuge Qingtian then turned his attention to his own situation, “In other words, as long as a cultivator achieves merit, the curse on a Ghost God can be eliminated? Can a Ghost God accumulate merit themselves?”

If it comes to merit, probably no one in the world can compare to the Xuanmen, which was established to save the world. Now He Huan and He Ku also have a master-disciple relationship with Qian Ren. Logically, it should be easy to ask them for help. However, Zhuge Qingtian understands Qian Ren’s nature. Precisely because he is the master who raised him, he is unwilling to ask for anything, especially something as rare as the merit of saving the world, which sounds like it would greatly aid ascension.

However, He Huan also understood his disciple. Just as Zhuge Qingtian was trying to find another way, Qian Ren’s expression shifted, and he suddenly said, “Actually, before I left, Master gave me a book.”

He Huan often did such things in the past. Qian Ren only thought they were frivolous books meant to amuse him and never looked at them. Now, thinking about it carefully, He Huan had been here a long time ago and also bore the Xuanmen inheritance. He probably guessed some of the truths of the past. This book might not be simple.

Sure enough, when he took it out, though the book was covered with a spring palace cover, it contained a unique array of the Bliss Palace. Once unlocked, a faintly golden pearl fell to the ground along with a letter.

The Bliss Gong that He Huan practices now is a technique derived from Buddhist cultivation. It seemed he had condensed merit into a form according to the Buddhist method of becoming a relic and sent it to his disciple. Because he knew Qian Ren’s temper, he never reminded him of the existence of this object. When He Huan was young, he fought against the demonic path in Xuanmen to quell the world. After entering the demonic path, he also restrained the demonic path and secretly resolved several conflicts in the world. In the past few years since re-entering the Xuanmen, he had dealt with countless events similar to the Ghost Domain turmoil. It was precisely because he only cared about the results and not human relations that he incurred the curses of cultivators. However, because the results were extremely good, though the people in the pugilistic world cursed his methods harshly, they never actually fought against him. Two hundred years of merit like this was more than enough to offset the resentment of the world.

Silently gripping the pearl containing his master’s two-hundred-year life experience, Qian Ren opened the letter. What met his eyes was an elegant and flowing handwriting, just like the unconstrained life of that man who was never bound by anyone.

To my disciple Qian Ren,

He Huan has wandered the pugilistic world for two hundred years. I have been to the clouds and seen hell. I have been a rising star of the righteous path and also a leader of the demonic path. I have glimpsed all the facets of life. Now that He Ku has successfully transcended his tribulation, he should also ascend to the immortal realm and cause some trouble there in a few days. I asked the abbot of the Great Thunderclap Temple, and the merit of Buddhist cultivation can resolve all love and hate in the world. My disciple has found a Ghost God as his cultivation partner, and this master just so happens to be cultivating Buddhist techniques. Isn’t this heavenly will? Your master has been causing you trouble for sixty-eight years, and I have to leave something good for you in the end. This hundred years of merit is for you to use as a betrothal gift.

No need to reply, and no need to be reluctant. As long as you are safe and sound and I can leave without any worries, then I will not have failed in our master-disciple relationship. The pugilistic world is vast, and we must all take care.

“Master…”

Qian Ren murmured a sigh. He had always been a cold and detached person. No matter what kind of tragedy he encountered along the way, he always maintained a calm expression. But now, his eyes were, for the first time in a long time, a little hot.

He finally understood why He Huan had repeatedly probed Zhuge Qingtian on Huanhun Island. It turned out that his master already had this intention at that time. So, he had to be sure whether this Ghost God was worthy of accepting everything he had given to his disciple. Though not his biological father, he had always treated his disciple as his own son, making plans for Qian Ren in everything, only hoping that he could have a stable and happy future.

Qian Ren thought that he had grown up and could understand his master’s deep thoughts now, but the result was still the same as He Ku had said: No one could immediately see through that person’s true thoughts except himself. And by the time they finally understood, they had already missed the chance to respond.

His master, who had always guided him forward since he was young, was finally ascending? From now on, they would truly never see each other again in the mortal world…

He lowered his eyes in great loneliness. Qian Ren unconsciously tightened his grip on the letter. Seeing him like this, Zhuge Qingtian also felt his heart ache. Just as he was thinking about how to speak, he suddenly noticed there were words on the back of the letter and quickly reminded him, “Wait, there are words on the back! It seems to be written by Senior Master He Ku!”

Hearing this, Qian Ren paused, and when he flipped it over, it was indeed He Ku’s much more frivolous handwriting. The tone was also completely different from He Huan’s.

Don’t believe these words. Your master is used to saying one thing and meaning another. He’s afraid you’ll be swindled out of your money and good looks. If he doesn’t see you settle down with his own eyes, he would be able to resist even the heavenly tribulation splitting his head open. I’ll be keeping him in the northern desert for some time. You have to bring the wife back properly!

Now, He Huan was no longer the Palace Master of the Bliss Palace who could only gaze at the lonely moon in the sky and bear the burden of the world alone. Finally, there was someone who could tell others those thoughts he could not speak aloud at the right time. Perhaps, just like He Ku once told him, as long as you don’t give up, the world will always get better.

He Huan taught Qian Ren how to survive cautiously in the pugilistic world, while He Ku taught him how to hope for the future and how to treat the world with gentleness. Perhaps from the time he changed his address and called that person master, he had already realized this. However, due to his nature, he couldn’t really say it out loud.

Though his heart had calmed down a lot in an instant, he still looked the same on the surface, only saying indifferently, “Those two people must be bothering You Jiang again. It’s better for such scourges to ascend sooner rather than later.”

He and Qin Jiu were both straightforward people. Who did this child learn his indirect nature from?

Shaking his head helplessly, Lüling had already seen through his thoughts when Qian Ren’s expression changed. Time had passed so long, but in the end, it was He Huan, Daoman’s disciple, who raised his son, perhaps even better than he himself could have. Fate was truly a mysterious thing. Though unpredictable, it wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

Others had done this much as a master. As his biological father, he couldn’t lose to the younger generation. With just a raise of his head, Lüling chuckled lightly, “He Huan has given you his dowry, aren’t you going to quickly tie him down?”

“Father…”

There were two Ghost Gods here, but there was only one share of merit. Who to give it to was truly a dilemma. Qian Ren had thought of this the moment he regained his reason. However, before he could think about it carefully, his father had already made the decision himself.

“Your own wife has to be saved by yourself. I am the omnipotent Demon Lord. I have plenty of ways to save her.”

Looking at Qian Ren’s questioning gaze, Lüling didn’t hesitate. He didn’t even leave him an opportunity to continue the conversation and headed to the silent thatched hut by himself, “I’m going to see your mother. Don’t bother us if there’s nothing important for us to have a heart to heart talk.”

“These old guys are really more willful than the last, not giving us any opportunity to make a choice.”

Sighing helplessly at the back of the purple-clad man leaving, Zhuge Qingtian looked at the silent Qian Ren. After thinking for a while, he still smiled and said, “Actually, as long as I have some sensation, whether or not I become human doesn’t matter. Anyway, you prefer demons and ghosts more.”

Only Qian Ren, who had always been watching him, knew how much Zhuge Qingtian wanted to return to human form. He discovered that the way people around him loved him was really just as overbearing. They seemed to treat him like a stubborn child. Everyone liked to stuff the best things into his arms without saying a word, wanting to resolve all the problems outside and shield him from the storm. If he was really a child, he would probably have been spoiled rotten long ago. However, those two were elders, so he couldn’t control them. But this disciple had to be taught a lesson from time to time.

Lightly raising an eyebrow, Qian Ren pulled the young man into his arms, and simply rubbed his head as he said softly, “You always give way to others at crucial moments.”

“Maybe. Although I want to become willful, I’m still not used to being the one who is loved.”

Hearing this, Zhuge Qingtian also realized that he rarely considered himself when encountering major events. Perhaps it was a habit from when he was alive. From the beginning, Zhao Huai’an had always wronged himself to complete Zhao Jicheng. This was just his nature, if he loved someone, he would give his all to make that person happy. And Qian Ren was much more worthy of being cherished than that wolf cub.

Zhao Jicheng killed him. He would hate him and personally bury his younger brother. But if it was Qian Ren who wanted him to die, he would calmly fulfill that person’s wish and just quietly disappear. Indeed, he was worthy of being a demon from the Bliss Palace. He had bewitched him so thoroughly in such a short period of time.

“You really are a demon…”

He said a line that made Qian Ren a bit confused. Before the thin-skinned protector of the Demonic Cult could lose his temper, Zhuge Qingtian asked seriously, “Are you really going to give it to me? Won’t you wait and see if your dad can find another way before making a decision?”

Zhuge Qingtian’s words were not a test. The master of the Tian Shu Pavilion had long been used to acting rationally. He would rather wait himself for such a crucial decision and not let Qian Ren regret it later. However, the always-serious Qian Ren was surprisingly not rational with him this time. He only glanced at him sideways and asked in a cool tone, “It’s already a betrothal gift, are you trying to refuse the marriage?”

As soon as these words came out, Zhuge Qingtian knew that it would be bad if he continued to be serious. He wouldn’t dare refuse the marriage, so he could only agree. He only sighed, “Grand Master is ruthless. A hundred years of merit, ah. I can’t take out a more valuable betrothal gift. I can’t call you ‘niangzi’ in the future.”

“I once thought that I was destined to live a lonely life without love or hate, and I had already accepted this reality. If I hadn’t met you, I probably would never have come here to pursue my past life, and I wouldn’t have had the chance to know that in this world, my parents, my master, and you have always loved me deeply.”

Slowly stating these words that he would never have said in the past, Qian Ren’s eyes slowly softened. The young man was very cold, so cold that it always made people want to get closer to him and warm him up a little.

He was not good at getting along with people. Many things that were the simplest for ordinary people were very difficult for him to do. In the past, he had never confided in anyone because he was convinced that it was useless. Problems that he could solve himself must not trouble others. But only in front of Zhuge Qingtian, he would involuntarily pour out his feelings.

In the past, Qian Ren had also asked He Huan, why, among all the beauties in the world, he had determined that He Ku was his lifelong partner. At that time, his master had only smiled, then told him, “Your temper is like mine. You want to be strong in everything you do, and you strive for perfection. You never want to lose to others by even a little bit. Even showing weakness is seen as an extremely shameful thing. When someone like you meets a person who is willing to be seen in their vulnerable state and is able to compromise and give in every single time, then you will understand.”

At that time, he insisted that he would never be weak in his entire life and would never compromise with anyone. He only took his master’s words as wind in his ears. Only now did he understand that they were the wisdom of someone who had gone through it. Perhaps, from the first time he compromised with Zhuge Qingtian, he had already faintly felt a stirring in his heart.

Hugging the person in his arms tightly, Qian Ren inherited his father’s nature of not wanting to lie. He was speaking the truth at this moment, but they were the most tender truths he had ever spoken in his life, “Thank you for letting me discover that I am actually a very happy person. This is something that the great protector of the demonic cult, Bi Qianren, would never have dared to think of in the past.”

“You’ve talked so much today that it makes me want to cry.”

Zhuge Qingtian had never heard him speak in such a soft tone. He was still not used to receiving such a response without having to sacrifice anything. Though his heart was uneasy and he wondered if there could be such a good thing in the human world where one could obtain what they wanted without having to pay a price, he still grabbed hold of his words and expressed his most genuine thoughts, “But keep going, I like you like this.”

Perhaps it was his past experiences that made his heart cold. Zhuge Qingtian’s distrust of human nature was even worse than Qian Ren’s. Because he knew this, Qian Ren would never reduce his words at this time to make him guess his thoughts. He only said calmly, “Don’t worry, I’m He Huan’s only disciple. A disciple should surpass his master. The merit he can accumulate, I can also do it in the future.”

“Then, I will also work hard to surpass Master for the sake of my third uncle. Daozu said that one person cannot save the world. Now we have gathered so many people from the righteous path, demonic path, and Ghost Gods. We should be able to create a warm and wonderful human world, right?”

Smiling as he answered him, Zhuge Qingtian finally felt at ease. They were not like He Huan and He Ku, who were of one mind and had the same thoughts. The differences in their growth environments, natures, and habits were very big. However, as long as this person could always be honest with him about everything, Zhuge Qingtian believed that they would definitely be able to go a long way and then understand each other better than anyone else.

“The desires of humans will never disappear. Whether we can overcome them depends on our abilities. This experience has taught me a truth, that if you don’t do it, you’ll never guess what the result will be.”

Qian Ren had always been a rational person. Even if he decided to do something, he would not make predictions about the future. Looking at his firm expression, Zhuge Qingtian smiled lightly and simply held the man’s hand, “Regardless of success or failure, I will walk with you.”

Everyone in the world is different. Their personalities are different, their habits are different, and the paths they choose are different. However, even with so many differences, as long as they do not let go of the hands they are holding, and they adjust their pace to each other’s, they will one day find a common rhythm and then tacitly walk towards forever.

Bi Qianren had many faults. As a demon cultivator, he was cold and aloof, and stubborn. When something happened, he liked to keep it to himself to resolve. If he didn’t take the initiative to ask, he probably wouldn’t even say a single love word. However, he was gentler than anyone else in the world, and he cherished him more than anyone else.

Zhuge Qingtian also had many faults. Born into the royal family, he was naturally good at hiding his emotions. He could not fully trust human nature. He always forced a smile to hide his inner unease. Perhaps he would never dare to take off his disguise and live honestly in this lifetime. However, no matter how many faces he changed, no matter how many wounds he suffered, the point that he used his heart to love people would never change.

Zhuge Qingtian naturally loved Bi Qianren’s strengths, and he also liked his faults. The reverse was also true. This was their relationship.

The question that the God of Lamentation had first posed could finally be fully answered now.

Those who are only concerned with their own thoughts while they are together are lovers. Those who can support each other and walk hand in hand are cultivation partners. And Zhuge Qingtian was Bi Qianren’s cultivation partner.

The author has something to say:

He Huan: Master has settled the betrothal gift, quickly get married!

Lüling: Your dad has taken care of the dungeon, quickly get married!

Qin Jiu: Your mother is no longer a human, quickly get married!

He Ku: You know what I will say, quickly get married!

You Jiang: I’m just a passing copycat, quickly get married!

Zhuge Qingtian: What a terrifying marriage urging force. Having lots of family members is truly different.

Qian Ren: After we leave here, come back to the Demonic Cult with me.

Zhuge Qingtian: Not easy, I’ve finally been tricked into going home by you.

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