Kapitel 35: Chapter 2621: Who Said That Erzhu Was Not Smart?
When Cao Erzhu heard this, he initially thought it sounded very profound. However, he felt the knowledge quickly slipped from his mind.
"What do you mean?" he asked, scratching his head.
"Alright, I will put it in simpler terms..." Jin Ren had no intention of praising Kui Leihan's merits or boasting about Cao Erzhu's cultivation level. Although such words would certainly leave a good impression, sincere people should be treated with sincerity.
If Jin Ren wanted to, there were countless ways he could have tricked Cao Erzhu into joining the First Pavilion in the Sky, which would undoubtedly benefit him. Yet, he chose not to and decided to be straightforward.
"Please accept my condolences on your father's passing."
"You know Elder You Tu, and Elder You Tu is on good terms with Master Siren. I am Master Siren's student."
"In that case, you, Cao Erzhu, can be considered my friend. I don't want to see you fall into a quagmire. So, I want to ask you…"
Friend... Cao Erzhu was momentarily distracted upon hearing this.
He had always been the one to take the initiative to befriend others; very few people had ever approached him as a friend.
Even if this friend didn't quite look like a human.
Cao Erzhu hugged the head of the array wheel.
He treated nature as his friend, including the mountains and rivers. Even if this was merely a lump of iron that could speak, he wouldn't underestimate it.
In the end, he felt it wasn't right to look down on him, so he raised his friend before him and looked at him eye to eye.
"Brother Shou…"
In Erzhu's eyes, this lump of iron could speak, so it must have cultivated a spirit. It was older than him and deserved respect.
Had the other party not said he wanted to be his friend, Cao Erzhu would have actually addressed him as Senior Xiaoshou.
"Brother Shou, what do you want to ask me? I'll answer you truthfully!" he asked his new friend.
"Erzhu, what are your plans for the future?" Jin Ren went straight to the point.
Cao Erzhu's eyes flashed with confusion.
For twenty-six years, he had only known his small town and Qingyuan Mountain. He knew nothing of the world beyond.
His only plan was to bury his father...
Nothing more.
Maybe he would leave the town and go somewhere else.
Or perhaps he would enter the Spiritual Cultivation world, but he had no idea how to enter, where to go, or what to do.
Cao Erzhu looked helplessly at the old immortal, but he also felt this wasn't something an outsider could decide for him.
Independence was the mark of a true man.
He lowered his head and said in a somber tone, "I don't know. My father said I'm not smart and that I'd be easily deceived if I went out. Maybe I should stay in the town."
"Is that what you want?" Jin Ren asked. When he saw Cao Erzhu opening his mouth to answer, he added, "Just answer this according to your conscience."
Conscience… Cao Erzhu touched his chest and quickly shook his head, firmly. "No!"
"You've already told me what you yearn for."
Jin Ren didn't need to ask more. He understood that someone who was so thrilled about the demi-saint battle wouldn't be content to stay in a corner.
Cao Erzhu would certainly enter the Spiritual Cultivation world!
Dao Qiongcang already knew about this 'peerless genius' and would not let him go.
"If you want to join the Spiritual Cultivation world, I personally recommend joining… the Holy Divine Palace," Jin Ren said.
Mei Siren, who stood behind, turned to look at the head of the array wheel in shock.
He had thought Xu Xiaoshou would lure Cao Erzhu into the Saint Servant or his First Pavilion in the Sky.
What was he thinking when he suggested joining the Holy Divine Palace?
"Holy Divine Palace…" Cao Erzhu muttered, though he didn't actually ask what it was. He had clearly heard of it before.
"The Holy Divine Palace is the number one righteous faction on the continent. It is backed by the Five Great Holy Emperor aristocratic families. It has deep roots and limitless potential."
"You only need to go to Jade Capital City or any large city, find a branch of the Holy Divine Palace, and say that you want to join the white-clothed faction."
"Remember, only go to the white-clothed people. Don't join the red-clothed faction; it's too complex. You're overqualified for the Holy Divine Guards, so you don't need to consider it."
"There will be plenty of talents, and they'll certainly recognize your abilities. You can expect a bright future."
"And finally, Erzhu, don't join the elites."
"With your personality, you're not suited for the headquarters on Saint Mountain. It's a quagmire there. You're better suited to be a fierce general fighting on the front lines."
"Even if they offer you the position of Ruler of the white-clothed faction, don't accept it!"
"However, by then, it might not be entirely up to you whether to accept… But if you could decide, you might truly refuse."
After Jin Ren finished speaking, he sighed.
He knew that if he hadn't possessed the Infernal Fire Seed at that time and hadn't encountered the Night Guardian or Bazhun'an, then this path…
After the main body left the Spirit Palace and grasped the reality of the world, it was the best way forward if he sought reliable allies.
He placed the path he had never traveled before before Cao Erzhu.
Cao Erzhu didn't agree immediately. Instead, he asked, "Brother Shou, are you all from the Holy Divine Palace?"
He even looked at the old immortal Mei.
Mei Siren smiled, shook his head, and glanced at the head of the array wheel.
Regardless of Xu Xiaoshou's sincerity, Mei Siren respected Xu Xiaoshou's choice and would naturally support his student.
"I am not. I am from the First Pavilion in the Sky."
"The First Pavilion in the Sky?" Cao Erzhu's gaze changed.
The name felt pleasant to Cao Erzhu's ears and suited his taste. Most importantly, there was still the old immortal around.
This old immortal gave him a sense of 'family,' even though it was just a chance encounter at the foot of the mountain.
It was a feeling that others, no matter how long they were together, would struggle to achieve.
After his father's death, the old immortal and Xu Xiaoshou were the only things Cao Erzhu felt he could hold onto in this world.
"Don't listen to Master Siren's nonsense. The First Pavilion in the Sky is nothing. If the Holy Divine Palace wanted to, they could crush it with a flip of their hand," Jin Ren said quickly, with a slight tone of reproach.
Mei Siren chuckled, choosing not to respond.
He understood that Xu Xiaoshou was genuinely looking out for Cao Erzhu's best interests, not his own.
Just as expected from his old student!
"Brother Shou, what about you?" Cao Erzhu looked at the head of the array wheel. Although he didn't consider this lump of iron to be someone of high status, he respected him as an equal.
"What matters most right now is you. Your attitude is what counts!" Jin Ren didn't give a direct answer.
"I…" Cao Erzhu hesitated. "Anything is fine."
"Maybe it's not so urgent?" Mei Siren spread his fan, recognizing that Cao Erzhu lacked understanding of this world and should gather more information before deciding.
"Elder Dao the Flamboyant won't give him that time." The voice from the head of the array wheel was serious. "Passive selection and active selection are very different."
Mei Siren fell silent, knowing his student's past well.
Xu Xiaoshou understood this point best.
"Dao… is that him?" Cao Erzhu pointed to the sky. He was already piecing together the person Brother Shou mentioned.
"Yes, his name is Dao Qiongcang. He's as famous as your father, and they're both from the Ten High Nobles," Jin Ren said bluntly. After all, what needed to be known would be known.
"What faction is he from?" Cao Erzhu felt the name Dao Qiongcang was familiar, as though he'd heard it a few times.
Jin Ren hesitated briefly. This situation was delicate.
He knew that saying it outright would certainly cause Cao Erzhu to misunderstand. He was still considering…
"He is the current Hallmaster of the Holy Divine Palace!" Mei Siren replied with a smile, as if expecting his student's words to sound contradictory.
"Ah?" Cao Erzhu's face immediately showed strong resistance, and he waved off the array wheel. "Then I won't join the Holy Divine Palace. He's not a good person."
"Hiss… How should I put it…" Jin Ren sighed helplessly as images of Elder Dao the Flamboyant flashed through his mind.
"He's not a good person strictly speaking, but he's not an absolute bad person either. Let's just say… he's neutral."
"The Holy Divine Palace is much bigger than Elder Dao. He's certainly tolerant and won't hold a grudge over the punch you just gave him."
"The philosophy of the white-clothed people aligns well with your personality."
"If you avoid getting involved in other matters and focus solely on eliminating dark factions across the continent, the white-clothed people would be the best place for you."
Dark factions… Cao Erzhu's gaze shifted from the empty night sky to the old immortal Mei. Then he turned back to the head of the array wheel.
"The white-clothed people are good?"
"Yes!"
"And the First Pavilion in the Sky is bad?"
Jin Ren was at a loss for words.
He didn't see it that way, but the outside world likely would.
Mei Siren laughed, waving his fan. "Nothing is absolute in this world. Not everything is black or white."
"But some things are," Cao Erzhu said with conviction. "There's no gray area between right and wrong on major issues."
Both Jin Ren and Mei Siren were surprised. Was this Erzhu's viewpoint?
Who said Erzhu wasn't wise? He seemed to possess a deeper wisdom!
"Father said so…" Cao Erzhu added sheepishly.
"Your father is correct," Jin Ren said seriously. "Judging by current circumstances, the First Pavilion in the Sky is indeed seen as bad. It opposes the Holy Divine Palace and is part of the dark factions."
Cao Erzhu looked back at the old immortal.
Behind the old immortal, he imagined thousands of students bearing swords—a testament to true respect.
"The Holy Divine Palace may not be entirely good, but the white-clothed people still hold a righteous purpose…"
"The First Pavilion in the Sky may belong to a dark faction, but the old immortal must be a good person…"
Cao Erzhu muttered to himself, still feeling traces of confusion. "I don't fully understand, but I think I can accept it."
It was indeed complicated, unclear, and difficult to explain. Jin Ren understood Erzhu's struggle.
Cao Erzhu quickly gathered his thoughts and asked, "What about my father?"
"He was like You Tu—free and unbound, never truly aligning himself with any faction," Mei Siren said.
"No!"
This was the first time Jin Ren spoke so decisively against his teacher.
Mei Siren looked at him, intrigued. "Alright, let's hear it."
Jin Ren's spiritual sense had been to Changde Town, so he knew something of Kui Leihan's beliefs. "A passive wild crane on an idle cloud is different from an active wild crane on an idle cloud," he said earnestly.
Cao Erzhu fell into deep thought.
Had his father been confined to a small town?
Suddenly, he yearned for his father's lifestyle. Perhaps that was what he truly wanted.
Jin Ren continued.
"As you can see, though I've never met Elder You Tu, I'm certain that he only accepted his role temporarily."
"When there are changes in the outside world, he won't remain idle."
"Once he entered the game, he lost control over his choices. He would become even more passive than your father!"
Cao Erzhu's eyes grew even more bewildered.
He thought deeply but couldn't grasp a clear answer.
"What I said sounds rather jumbled, right?" Jin Ren sighed.
"No, I actually understand what you mean," Cao Erzhu replied, shaking his head before nodding again.
"I just don't understand why good isn't always good, and bad isn't always bad. Whether it's active or not, why does it always seem to end up being passive?"
Mei Siren's eyes grew melancholic. Erzhu's words often touched a chord in him, leaving him with a desire to speak but no words to offer. Mei Siren, even with all his wisdom, had no answer.
"This is a 'mistake'!" In the stillness, Jin Ren suddenly had a revelation, drawing startled looks from both Cao Erzhu and Mei Siren.
"Erzhu, don't doubt yourself," Jin Ren continued. "It's not your father's fault, nor Elder You Tu's, nor the Holy Divine Palace's, nor the Saint Servant's, nor the First Pavilion in the Sky's. What's at fault is the chaos itself—the 'mistake' of the current times and circumstances."
After a pause, Jin Ren felt clarity in his thoughts. "Erzhu, you've opened my eyes."
He continued, "Once, I asked Bazhun'an a similar question, seeking an answer. His response was 'freedom.' At the time, I agreed with him. But after everything I've seen, I think that even the Saint Servant's ideology is biased. This might be one reason why Elder Sang and Bazhun'an eventually parted ways."
"In a situation like this, true peace will only come when the problem is tackled at its root or from a vantage point that encompasses everything."
The cold night wind sent a shiver over Mei Siren, leaving him pensive. He understood Xu Xiaoshou's meaning: the current chaos was like a tree, with the Saint Servant as the root and the Holy Divine Palace as the peak. No matter which side prevailed, the 'mistake' would be addressed. But in a world as complex as this, it was hard to identify one's true self, and both the root and the peak were suffering, as was everything thriving on or beneath the tree.
The Saint war in the Shengshen Continent still raged, encapsulating the depth of this dilemma.
Cao Erzhu listened attentively, trying to comprehend the profound meaning behind these words.
Turning to Mei Siren, Jin Ren smiled. "Master Siren, I now understand why the First Pavilion in the Sky exists."
"Why?" Mei Siren asked.
"To end the mistakes and rewrite the future!"
Mei Siren nearly couldn't believe what he heard, feeling a growing headache. You're going against the will of Heaven! he thought. You're even more audacious than Bazhun'an!
"What do you mean?" Cao Erzhu asked, looking down.
Jin Ren laughed. "When a tree is beyond saving, the best solution isn't to treat it from the top or the bottom. It's to cut it down and plant a new one. The soil is still fertile, after all."
Cao Erzhu seemed to understand something and fell silent in thought.
Mei Siren marveled at Xu Xiaoshou's boldness, feeling both admiration and worry for the future of the First Pavilion in the Sky. What began as a random name had, indeed, evolved to match its meaning.
The moonlight shone brightly, and the mountain wind brushed gently over the plain. On Qingyuan Mountain, everything appeared unchanged, yet somehow it felt brighter.
After a moment's silence, Cao Erzhu broke into a laugh. "Brother Shou, I know about Bazhun'an and the Saint Servant."
"Your Eighth Uncle? You mentioned him before." Jin Ren looked surprised, yet he figured Kui Leihan must have taken precautions to keep Cao Erzhu from joining the Saint Servant.
"They're considered a dark faction, but they're not entirely evil, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"And the Holy Divine Palace has the white-clothed people, but I don't like them. I won't join."
"Why? Is it because of Elder Dao the Flamboyant?"
"Yes, Brother Shou. Father warned me not to mix with a Divine Sorcerer, not even to get close."
"Well… your father's not wrong…"
"Brother Shou, you're a good person." Cao Erzhu's shift in tone was swift, like snapping a branch.
"Huh?" Jin Ren was taken aback. "No, no!" The sudden praise left him dumbfounded, wondering if Cao Erzhu was teasing him.
"Brother Shou, are you also part of the First Pavilion in the Sky?" Cao Erzhu's question made Jin Ren pause.
Who said Er Zhu wasn't clever? Jin Ren thought, surprised at how perceptive Erzhu was.
"No!" he objected emphatically. "I'm not from the First Pavilion in the Sky."
"Eh?" Cao Erzhu's momentary pride faltered, and he seemed crestfallen. "Was I wrong?"
"Well, not exactly," Jin Ren replied with a soft smile. "It's just that… the priorities are all tangled at the moment."
"The First Pavilion in the Sky belongs to me."
Cao Erzhu's heart pounded. Looking at the array wheel head, he sensed an immense force.
Mouth agape, he turned to the old immortal Mei for confirmation.
Mei Siren simply smiled and folded his fan, nodding. "It's his."
At that moment, Cao Erzhu finally understood. Brother Shou's confidence and decisiveness toward the First Pavilion in the Sky made sense; he wasn't merely involved—he was the owner.
"Ending the mistakes, rewriting the future…" It was an enormous dream, and for Cao Erzhu, who was just beginning to understand the world, it was the first light he could see shining over Qingyuan Mountain.
Brother Shou had the vision and the right companions, people like the old immortal who commanded immense respect. His father once said that birds of a feather flock together…
When dawn approached and the night retreated, snow and dew blanketed the ground, and a new day began at Qingyuan Mountain.
"Father, I have to make a bold decision," Cao Erzhu whispered to himself, clenching his fists with a resolve that closed all doors to retreat. He would choose his own path and become a real man.
"Brother Shou…"
"Cao Erzhu…"
They spoke at the same moment, their timing perfect.
"You go first," Cao Erzhu offered, extending his hand.
"No, you go first," Jin Ren replied.
"No, really, Brother Shou, you go first!" Cao Erzhu unclenched his fists. His determination could be interrupted by the smallest gesture, and he couldn't insist.
"Why don't we say it together?" Jin Ren suggested.
Cao Erzhu's face froze, then broke into laughter. Brother Shou's suggestions always matched his own taste—unexpected, yet fun. Erzhu enjoyed them.
"Alright."
There was no count, no eye contact, no hesitation.
Amid the snowfall, Cao Erzhu and Jin Ren spoke in unison.
"Can I join the First Pavilion in the Sky?"
"Are you willing to join the First Pavilion in the Sky?"
Their words overlapped, and both burst into laughter, squatting down in the snow. One clapped, the other patted the array wheel's head, clearly overjoyed.
"Aren't they just like children?" Mei Siren murmured with a smile, watching as his thoughts drifted on the wind and snow.
Heroes cherish each other, unyielding in their youth. This resemblance filled him with wonder.
Was this the reward of a long life? In his eyes, nostalgia mixed with envy. It felt as if he were glimpsing two young men from a long-ago snowstorm, wild and defiant.
The scene wavered, the laughter fading, and Mei Siren felt briefly out of place in the world. When his gaze fell on the Taicheng Sword's purple-red hue, he traced its edge, feeling lost in thought.
The snow and wind only deepened the sense of longing.
— Bald kommt ein neues Kapitel — Schreiben Sie eine Rezension
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein