Chapter 289: Human Nature's Normalcy

Wen Daolun nodded after listening. Tong Kao took a few more deep breaths from Qingxiang before reluctantly returning to its dwelling in the underwater wood.

"No wonder you didn't feel anything," Wen Daolun said gravely, "she couldn't enter your sea of consciousness at all."

"Why?"

"The human sea of consciousness has, more or less, some instinctive defenses to repel external invaders. This Tong Kao of mine only appears young, but in reality, its shadow-age exceeds three hundred years, making it effortless for it to infiltrate others' seas of consciousness." A hint of curiosity was in Wen Daolun's eyes. "But she told me that the perimeter of your sea of consciousness is entirely a labyrinth. She got lost several times and almost couldn't get out."

"A labyrinth?" This answer greatly surprised He Lingchuan. "She couldn't force her way in?"

"You want her to force her way in?" Wen Daolun chuckled. "If she were to disrupt your sea of consciousness, you might become an imbecile."

How then did the divine being manage to enter last time? He Lingchuan had indeed felt drowsy and exhausted afterward, wishing he could lie down and sleep for three days and nights. But he was quite certain he hadn't become foolish or imbecilic.

Or had he?

Could this mean he was remarkably resilient?

"Tong Kao also mentioned that this layer of illusion was extremely tough, unbreakable with her level of cultivation; and she vaguely sensed that resorting to force to break it would likely have severe consequences." Wen Daolun leaned back. "What kind of spiritual power or magical art have you cultivated?"

He Lingchuan listed them one by one. Wen Daolun then said, "Given your age and cultivation, that protection couldn't have been built by yourself. The person behind it doesn't want to expose your true destiny. So that means—"

"Your profound blessings might also be a fabricated facade." He exhaled softly. "This kind of separation of body and soul, each corresponding to a different fate, is truly very rare."

"The fates of my body and soul... are different?" He Lingchuan's back felt a little numb. This was indeed his current situation!

"A person's good fortune is limited; it's impossible to always have good luck. Its backlash must be borne by your destiny, which is what's called external accumulation and internal destruction, or external blessings and internal disaster!" Wen Daolun explained slowly. "Accumulating blessings into disaster day after day will eventually lead to an explosion, which is called being unable to enjoy your blessings!"

He Lingchuan stroked his chin and asked, "Tong Kao couldn't even break into my sea of consciousness, yet you can conclude I have external blessings and internal disaster just by deduction?"

"There are still those two verses, aren't there?" Wen Daolun smiled. "Of course, most importantly, you are not an isolated case. This situation is rare, but I have witnessed it once before."

He Lingchuan blurted out, "Who?"

Wen Daolun shook his head. "It's irrelevant to you."

If he didn't say it, no one here could force him.

He Lingchuan felt stifled and sighed. "Since there's a disaster, you must at least tell me how to alleviate it, right?"

"After the cataclysm, fate is not entirely predestined by heaven; it is also in your own hands."

He Lingchuan immediately recalled the old turtle's exact words: "There is no outcome called 'destiny'." But what he needed now was a solution, a solution!

"Then let's take a look. Think of a character, and I will help you decipher it." Wen Daolun cleared the low table and placed a cup of water in front of He Lingchuan. "The first character that comes to your mind right now, consider it deeply!"

He wanted He Lingchuan to decipher the first character his subconscious mind brought forth.

Since Wen Daolun had said so, He Lingchuan didn't overthink it. He dipped his finger in the water, hesitated for a moment in the air, and then quickly wrote a character on the wooden table with a few strokes.

The character was—

He Lingchuan truly hadn't overthought it; he had simply written from his heart.

If he were truly beset by misfortune, he thought this character might be what he needed most.

Stroking his beard, Wen Daolun praised, "A promising young man. Are you a patrol guard, or have you already joined the Great Wind Army?"

"A patrol guard," He Lingchuan said earnestly. "I'm working hard to join the Great Wind Army."

"Good, good." Wen Daolun reached out and also wrote the character "勇" (yǒng, meaning "courage" or "bravery") on the low table. "This is your character '勇'. If you remove the '力' (lì, meaning "strength" or "power") from the bottom, it becomes '甬' (yǒng). This character can be interpreted in two ways: first, as the handle of a large bell, meaning others must go through you to use the bell, whether to hang it or strike it; second, as a narrow imperial passage, because the high walls on both sides are difficult to surmount, passing through you is the most convenient way."

Upon hearing this, He Lingchuan murmured, "To make wedding clothes for others?"

Didn't that align with the old turtle's verse?

"The character '甬' can also have the 'standing person' radical added to it, becoming '俑' (yǒng), which means a human figurine or puppet." There happened to be a ceramic child figurine on the shelf behind Wen Daolun. He turned, took it, and placed it on the low table.

The child figurine was not very refined; its clothes were either red or green. He Lingchuan looked at its exaggerated and false smile, instinctively shivering.

"I don't need to elaborate on the meaning of a puppet, do I?"

Sun Fuling whispered from the side, "What an apt 'body like a cage'."

"However, the premise for both these interpretations is that the '力' (strength) radical has been removed from '勇' (courage)," Wen Daolun said softly. "This '力' character, perhaps, is where your opportunity lies."

Great strength is the only way to change one's fate.

This principle seemed to apply in any world.

He Lingchuan dipped his finger in water and wrote the character '力' on the table. After staring at it for a long time, he lightly coughed and said, "Then the character '甬' can also have the 'walk' radical and the 'three-dots-water' radical added to it."

These would be "通" (tōng, meaning "to pass through" or "communicate") and "涌" (yǒng, meaning "to gush" or "surge").

The growth of power takes time. While he isn't strong enough yet, are there other ways to avoid disaster?

Wen Daolun countered, "What do you think?"

"Could these two characters be combined?" He Lingchuan mused idly. "Does it mean I should leave at the sight of water?"

"Perhaps," Wen Daolun chuckled. "As I said, after the cataclysm, the numbers of fate are no longer precise. Your destiny..."

"...is both predetermined and undetermined." He Lingchuan could already answer. "I understand."

This time, in seeking an answer, he seemed to understand, yet also not entirely.

It seemed both the old turtle and Wen Daolun liked to be mysterious. Perhaps they only had a partial understanding themselves, or perhaps such matters were inherently difficult to explain clearly.

Wen Daolun stopped at this point, pulled out a miniature chessboard from somewhere, and turned to Sun Fuling, saying, "Sun girl, let's play another game of Go."

Sun Fuling was equally straightforward: "Alright, Mr. Wen, what are you prepared to lose this time?"

Wen Daolun nearly choked, recovering after a long moment to say, "Last time was just carelessness!"

Sun Fuling stood still. "If you lose, then come and lecture five classes at Shuming Academy."

"Two classes," Wen Daolun shook his head. "I don't have that much time."

The two haggled, finally settling on three classes.

Of course, if Sun Fuling lost, she wouldn't have to pay anything. Given Wen Daolun's status, how could he ask for stakes from a junior?

He Lingchuan had no love for chess. He forced himself to watch for a moment but soon grew drowsy.

By the time Sun Fuling tugged at his sleeve, their carriage had returned to Panlong City. "We've arrived."

He Lingchuan immediately woke up. "Mr. Wen lost again?"

Wen Daolun's beard bristled, but he didn't deny it.

He had indeed lost again, even more badly than last time.

"At such a young age, your chess skills are truly..." He sighed. "They remind me of someone."

He Lingchuan asked on his behalf, "Who?"

"Lord Zhong's beloved daughter." Wen Daolun finished speaking, then dismounted the carriage, standing on the ground and stretching.

In fact, personal guards had already reported on the way that the monster beneath the Divine Descent Platform had escaped and hadn't been caught.

He Lingchuan simply recounted the strange incident with the old woman to Wen Daolun, then said, "I have no evidence, just a wild guess, for your consideration, Mr. Wen."

Wen Daolun didn't interrupt him from beginning to end. After listening carefully, he nodded and said, "This information is useful. Thank you."

"Ah, another meeting," Wen Daolun said, hastily turning back.

The large group of people also departed with him.

The cold wind in South Gate Plaza made Sun Fuling wrap her outer garment tightly. Having just stepped out of the carriage, which was warm as spring, she felt a bit unaccustomed.

Seeing this, He Lingchuan immediately said, "Let's go home."

After saying it, he himself paused slightly in surprise.

However, there was nothing wrong with the remark; their homes were right next to each other. Sun Fuling seemed to notice nothing unusual and nodded repeatedly, "Mm-hmm!"

As the two were about to climb into the carriage they had hired, Sun Fuling suddenly asked him again, "Your complexion hasn't looked good today. Did something happen?"

He Lingchuan subconsciously replied, "Nothing." This girl was too perceptive; he had thought he was good at hiding things.

Sun Fuling immediately stopped, tilting her head to look at him. "Tell me about it. It's not wise to suffer in silence in Panlong City."

He finally sighed. "I just lost a comrade... a good comrade."

Mao Tao had sacrificed himself, and He Lingchuan hadn't even had time to burn a couple of paper money offerings for his loyal subordinate.

And it seemed no one else cared about this matter or this person, except for him.

From the moment he was buried in the yellow earth, that name had vanished with the wind.

Sun Fuling gently pressed his wrist, the warmth from her palm seeping through. "Life is transient; birth and death are constants." She didn't ask which comrade it was; in Panlong City, parting and death were commonplace.

He Lingchuan nodded. What else could he do but think that way?

She then asked, "Have you released a lotus lantern?"

"What?" He didn't understand.

"Follow me."

Sun Fuling led him into a narrow street at the edge of the plaza. Several households had their doors open; it was unclear whether they were businesses or residences.

Such street-facing residents had the advantage of location; they could set up a small stall right at their courtyard gate and conduct business.

Sun Fuling chose one and walked over, immediately saying, "I'd like to buy an ice lantern."

The shop looked like it sold miscellaneous goods. Upon hearing her request, the owner turned and went back into the courtyard, soon returning with a string of ice lanterns hanging by a straw rope.

The ice lanterns were shaped like blooming lotus pedestals, the size of a bowl, with extremely delicate carving; even the texture of the petals was etched.

Inside the lotus core was a small piece of candle, only a third the length of a pinky finger.

Sun Fuling paid the money, took the lantern, and strolled outside.

"The lanterns made by this shop owner have the best craftsmanship."

Outside was the plaza, with a lake whose water had not frozen. He Lingchuan could see the lazy figures of fat fish swimming.

Sun Fuling handed him the ice lantern. "Just put it in the lake, and the underground hot springs will push it outwards."

It was already dusk; the sky darkened quickly after sunset.

He Lingchuan took out a fire stick to light the short candle, held the lotus lantern, silently recited a few words, and then gently placed it in the water.