24. Meeting You Was a Blessing.

Various kinds of demonic corpses gradually surfaced on the shimmering sea.

Even in their inanimate form, those enormous, pale monsters possessed a terrifying ferocity and intimidating power. Their hard horns, unlike those of humankind, and their thick, hairless carapaces, faintly revealed ancient characters resembling those from the time of the Yellow Emperor, added to their mystery and profoundness.

This is a regular Honkai Beast that should have evolved in a later era. Even in the era that started in the millennium, it was considered Honkai Beast beyond the scope of ordinary people. In this era, it is even more beyond the understanding and courage of ordinary people.

In the land of Shenzhou today, almost all the demons that exist are cultivated and corrupted by the Heaven and Earth Qi from animals with half-flesh and blood bodies, and contain pure silicon-based life Honkai Energy.

Most of the silicon-based life forms that can be observed are Assault-type Honkai Beast with extremely low requirements for Honkai Energy environments.

Therefore, demons are not invincible in the eyes of ordinary people; even ordinary people have the potential to gather an army and kill them.

However, there are also different levels among demons, just as there are different levels among humans in terms of martial arts prowess and the strength of their qi techniques.

Xiao Zixian was certain of one thing based on the remaining Heaven and Earth Qi: none of these demons floating on the sea were enemies that he could handle, or even that the entire Dragon River Gang could deal with.

These are all special demons described in ancient books, having shed the constraints of flesh and blood, possessing a more powerful physique and various bizarre abilities that have arisen from mutations, making them invincible to anyone but the most skilled martial artists.

And...

Even if Jiang Rongyue hadn't informed them beforehand, upon witnessing such a large number of demon corpses and the Heaven and Earth Qi surrounding them, in order to prevent the fish and shrimp in the sea from being polluted, or even indirectly giving rise to weaker demons, and thus raising the bar for fishermen's skills, the Dragon River Gang would have had to take on the responsibility of bringing them ashore.

Otherwise, not only would their own family's century-old legacy be damaged, but the safety of Qinglong Town behind them could also be affected.

At this moment, the leader of the Dragon River Gang demonstrated excellent execution. His whole body was like a furnace, his blood and qi were boiling, and the Heaven and Earth Qi in his body formed a cycle. He took the lead and cast the fishing net with extremely skillful movements. Without hesitation, he took the lead and forcibly dragged a hideous pale corpse onto the ship, causing the deck to shake and a roar to break.

Xiao Zixian gathered his strength in his dantian and roared:

"What are you all standing there like idiots for? Sword Immortal Jiang is fighting bravely in the Nine Nether, fighting alone. It's one thing for us mere mortals to be powerless to help him, but can't we even do something as simple as collecting a few demon corpses to prevent this sea area from being polluted?"

"This is Dragon River Gang territory, our home! If you understand, then cast your net quickly!"

Seeing this, the gang members, who had initially been somewhat fearful, no longer hesitated and responded one after another.

However, due to the excessive weight of the demons, the members of the gang, who had only practiced rudimentary Qi techniques, could only work together in small teams to hold the ship back. Even a mere ten demons were enough to exceed the ship's weight limit.

Seeing this, Xiao Zixian pulled out a cylinder from his belt and released a firework as a signal, indicating that the gang members on the shore should bring more ships. He then led the ships back to put the demon's corpses into the warehouse for alternating operations.

Afterwards, gazing at the fading sunset, the man, oblivious to everything, sat atop the demon's carapace and sighed:

"I heard that Luo Jinyu, the Courtesan of the Wen Chun Pavilion, will be performing on the zither tonight, but I wonder if I'll make it in time."

"If I can't see the beauty and charm of such a woman, there's no point in being the gang leader. Why don't I return the position to my father sometime and let me take back the young master's seat so I can just eat, drink, and have fun Tiāntiān?"

The man seemed to recall the beautiful rosy hue in that woman's eyes, and murmured:

"She's even more beautiful than that Courtesan Luo, but unfortunately I dare not look at her too much."

That was not a girl that ordinary people could keep.

Only those who are truly sincere in their pursuit of martial arts can achieve such a level of accomplishment.

For such people, worldly emotions do not linger in their hearts. Only when they believe they have reached the end, there is no hope for the future, and there is no need to continue climbing, will they possibly add real constraints to themselves.

Judging from Jiang Rongyue's age and achievements, her future and path are still extremely distant, so distant that even after ten thousand tides rise and fall, and ten thousand sunsets, she will never have a day to look back.

"Have all the Dragon River Gang's ships hovering nearby come over; you're too slow."

Jiang Rongyue stood on the edge of the ship's deck, her clothes completely dry. An old leather belt cinched her dark-colored outfit, accentuating her slender waist. A finely crafted sword rested on one side of her belt, quietly sheathed, its exposed hilt engraved with delicate characters and cloud patterns, telling a story of a long history.

The girl's hair, which should have been tied up, was loose and swayed at her waist in the cool sea breeze. Her fingertips were holding the dark blue silk given to her by the immortal. It seemed that she had taken it off in advance to prevent it from being damaged during the battle. However, there was not a trace of Seawater on her body, which gave a glimpse into the difficulty of this battle.

Those demons that could inflict heavy losses on thousands of troops could not withstand even a single move from the opponent's sword, not even managing to slit a corner of his clothes.

The man stared at the figure silhouetted against the light, momentarily stunned by the penetrating aura and composure emanating from it. He looked back at the numerous corpses floating on the distant sea behind him, his expression complex.

At this moment, many of my speculations have come very close to the truth.

The Immortal's First Disciple, Jiang Rongyue.

She is truly someone who is unattainable.

He said:

"Good."

Half an hour later, the Dragon River Gang's ships were filled with the corpses of demons that had been retrieved in one go using the Heaven and Earth Qi as a network.

Jiang Rongyue sat upright in the center of the many pale monsters, stroking her sword without saying a word, seemingly protecting the food for her junior uncle, while inwardly calculating whether the current time had exceeded the original plan.

The girl gazed at the still-rising sun, her lips slightly pursed, and murmured:

"My master's initiation technique is really useful."

Just as that person said, the number of demons accumulated in the outer ring of the meteorological circle, which serves as the inner seal to intercept the flow of the Heaven and Earth Qi, is simply immeasurable.

If the outer realm of the Nine Nether Netherworlds weren't so vast, one would likely have faced attacks from dozens or even hundreds of demons simultaneously upon entering that realm.

Even if they don't get injured, they still feel somewhat powerless and find themselves in a rather embarrassing situation.

However, the technique of transforming the Heaven and Earth Qi into a perception domain that also serves as an external defense perimeter is enough to compensate for these inherent and unchangeable weaknesses of humankind. Even if one only learns the basics, the initial application is enough to turn what should be a dangerous battlefield into a pure tourist attraction.

Although this was somewhat beyond Fu Hua's expectations, Jiang Rongyue did manage to test her sword skills there, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

The girl glanced at the Xuanyuan Sword at her waist. Even though she had memorized the cultivation method, it still couldn't transform into its most suitable form during the brief battle.

Jiang Rongyue was not in a hurry. Although her master's initiation method had shown her what it meant to achieve success in one fell swoop, her own patience, honed through hard work, did not make her anxious.

Her fingertips brushed against the old leather belt, its edges and inside already showing many cracks and weathering. This was the zero-degree damage given by the restless Heaven and Earth Qi. Even if it had been well protected, things in the mortal world still could not survive for long under the Honkai Energy.

Compared to the sword blades that had broken time and time again, this belt had accompanied him through many more years.

The girl composed herself and said to the Udu-dust in her palm:

"Great Master Li, the demon's remains are almost ready to be moved to the warehouse in Haikou."

"Please tell my martial uncle that he can come at any time."

It was late at night, but for many people in this dynasty, life was just beginning. Compared to the Tang Dynasty, which was known as a golden age, the Great Song was even more prosperous at night. The absence of a curfew law made nightlife commerce incredibly thriving.

Su Qing'an remembered that the Capital City was like this; for some people, the night there simply meant stepping into a different kind of life, but it didn't necessarily mean that the day was over.

Even outside of the Lantern Festival, Capital City is usually a vibrant city with bright lights and bustling crowds.

As a boy, he could often peek through the wooden window of the Zhen'an Ward and see the scene of thousands of lights shining like a night sky. For him, whose memories were only of modern and ultramodern information, the feeling brought by this reboot should have been more subtle and fresh.

But knowing that he was in a state of disability, he had some unknown senses about everything, and thus naturally lost the emotions and feelings that should have appeared.

To avoid getting into trouble on the street, Su Qing'an habitually added a force field to weaken the presence of the people around him when he went out with Li Shishi.

As the saying goes, beauty is a curse. A girl as beautiful and elegant as Li Shishi would usually stay at home. If she went out with another "girl" who looked younger than her without any attendants, it would naturally attract a lot of attention and cause some unnecessary incidents.

The girl herself was aware of her own limitations, but knowing Su Su's abilities, she didn't choose to change her clothes before going out.

Dusk was falling.

From their direction, the iconic Qinglong Tower could be seen.

To the northwest of this pagoda, there is another pagoda called Longping Temple Tower.

Su Qing'an gazed at the distant Azure Qinglong Tower, her expression slightly dazed for some reason.

Fragments of memory, previously unknown, are now embraced in my arms.

The boy suddenly realized that he seemed to be witnessing the fate of this building thousands of years later.

At that time, the Qinglong Tower had fallen into disrepair, the stairs were destroyed, the eaves were gone, and even the pagoda body was leaning, making it extremely dangerous. In the end, this seven-story, octagonal brick and wood structure was reduced to just bricks.

The copper gourd on top of the tower had been blown off by a storm that swept through the ancient town even earlier. It fell onto the old stone slabs, rolled away into the distance, and was picked up again, as if it were a discarded piece of junk.

Only the inscription "[Seventeenth Year of Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty]" still whispers the story from a very, very long time ago.

Later, this object was sent to a museum.

And that's what he remembered about it.

This is the memory of [Su Qing'an] belonging to this world.

That other self, possessing the same qualities as itself, was swept away by the Honkai and turned into a handful of black ashes, leaving no trace.

He comes from another world—a world that can never be reached again no matter how much it is restarted.

Su Qing'an inherited this memory of his past self, continuing the fate that should have been lost in the long river of history, but now he has almost lost most of his self and become the young boy with a lot of blanks in his mind.

This is a question he would never consider in his complete state, nor would he ever realize the significance of it.

But now, with memories so few they're almost unremarkable and a period of confusion about self-awareness, Su Qing'an, having regained these memories, can vividly perceive a reality.

That is—I am very lucky.

No matter how many losses and defeats we have experienced, no matter how much despair and sorrow we have endured, no matter how much pain and death we have suffered.

Even now, the human named Su Qing'an still has the opportunity to rediscover himself, to live vividly in this world, to feel joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and to sigh and lament for time, for history, for the past, and for the future.

This is a situation that many people in the world have never experienced, and an ending that they themselves have never reached.

Now he can embrace the joys and sorrows of this era, bask in the sea breeze blowing from afar, and witness everything that will be worn away in the distant future.

Su Qing'an gazed at the twilight in the distance, glanced at the young girl beside him whose steps were both reserved and somewhat cheerful, and asked:

"Senior Sister Shishi, do you still remember the question you asked me back then?"

Li Shishi blinked, thought for a moment, and said:

"Are you asking if I killed Susu, wouldn't Susu feel better off alive?"

The boy nodded and replied:

"Um."

"Through recent memory and personality regression, I've discovered that my ability to recognize my past self so quickly means that, in fact, [the self] is one of the least important things to me."

He calmly and slowly recounted:

"I vaguely remember facing a very, very strong enemy, it was like fighting against the whole world, and the consequence of defeat was losing everything I cherished and the meaning of life. I chose to burn everything I had as a bargaining chip to gain a glimmer of hope."

"And the [self] within it is like a shell containing all the rest, so that everything else may slowly drift away from me."

"So, I used to be someone who didn't care about myself."

"For Su Qing'an, not accepting death might just be, as you said back then, a way to spare others from sadness."

The boy looked somewhat bewildered and continued:

"It's the same now. I haven't changed, and I won't so easily distort this inherent nature that's deeply rooted in my mind."

"But I still want to try to give a different answer to your question from back then."

"I want to try to feel that living is better, and not because of attachments or emotions, but just for myself."

Li Shishi patted his head and said softly:

"That's great, living only for yourself is the best thing ever."

"Su Su, it's a very lucky and rare thing for a person to have the right to live for themselves in this world."

"It's not that working hard for others or persisting for other reasons is a bad thing, it's just... I feel that if you have such an opportunity, you shouldn't give it up."

"This is your own life, it's okay to be a little more self-centered, right?"

"Look at me now. I know that traveling is dangerous, troublesome, and arduous. I also know that even if I had such an opportunity, I might regret it halfway through the trip."

"I might be tempted by the comforts and wealth of the Capital City, and I might regret not compromising more, so that life could be much easier."

"I will hesitate, feel unwilling, struggle, suffer, feel upset, be unhappy, and want to be willful but know there is no room for willfulness."

"Even so, if an opportunity were presented to me, I would still choose to leave the Capital City."

Even if some friends in Zhen'an Ward worry, my grandmother thinks I'm ungrateful, and many guests who came to Zhen'an Ward because of me are disappointed, I still won't change my decision.

She smiled and said:

"Because... regardless of whether it's foolish or not, regardless of whether making up for this regret will become an even bigger regret in the future, the temptation to seize an opportunity that was never possible and to fulfill a vision that was never possible is irresistible."

"I'm just an ordinary person. Even though I know that going on a trip with Su Su will only make me a burden and a useless person, I still choose to agree."

"This is both selfish and egotistical."

Su Qing'an listened to the girl's scattered ramblings and filled them in between, creating new memories.

Past memories resurface from time to time, while entirely new experiences are frequently etched into our memories.

For the first time since coming into this world, the boy felt a sense of anticipation and wonder for the future.

He gradually came to understand that the very fact that he would be born into a particular era, timeline, and place was itself the greatest unknown and surprise.

The encounters and meetings between people are always so wondrous.

An ordinary person's life is no more than a hundred years, and the opportunity to change their fate within that time may only be a dozen or so years.

That is why every encounter and acquaintance he had was a tremendous miracle unknown to anyone.

Su Qing'an was perhaps destined to meet Fu Hua. This was the result of accumulated Karma and effects and anchor points, and the inevitable and absolute convergence of countless threads of Karma and effect.

But he might not know Li Shishi, or Jiang Rongyue, and he might not interfere with their future fate.

Su Qing'an suddenly realized this; his encounters with the others stemmed from an unknown formula calculated by the timeline and fate.

The final number they arrived at was a unique kind of magic for each of them.

The boy gazed at the man's profile, his eyes reflecting the deep twilight and the shimmering brilliance of a starry river. He parted his lips slightly and murmured:

"Senior Sister Shishi, it's been a very lucky thing to know you."

These extremely understated words went unheard, fading away with the wind and disappearing into the grand tapestry of human life...