Reflection

Zi Ji looked at Xuan Qing with a hint of worry in her eyes. He lay there, staring blankly at the sky, having not spoken for a long time.

"Senior, are you alright?"

Xuan Qing snapped out of his trance and shook his head.

"I'm fine, just thinking some things through."

He sat up and brushed the dust off his clothes. His gaze had become much clearer.

He understood now.

Why the Azure Dragon, relatively gentle among the Four Sacred Beasts, possessed such an overbearing weapon—ignoring defenses, doubling damage, forcibly binding upon recognition of a master, and ensuring death for those who attempted to seize it.

He recalled a saying from his past life.

True Buddhas possess the wrath of the Vajra; the lowered brows of a Bodhisattva and the glaring eyes of a Vajra are both manifestations of compassion.

Or to put it another way, to kill is to protect life; kill those who deserve to die, and save those who deserve to be saved.

He understood it all now—why the Azure Dragon governed the longevity of life while simultaneously wielding the world-ending thunder.

Wood governs benevolence; thunder governs slaughter.

Blind benevolence cannot buy lasting peace; sometimes, thunderous methods are the truest form of compassion.

Xuan Qing looked at Zi Ji and suddenly asked a very philosophical question.

"Zi Ji, what do you think is the meaning of life?"

Zi Ji was clearly stunned, not expecting such a question. She thought about it seriously before answering.

"This junior does not know. Aside from anomalies like Bi Ji, we soul beasts are born into a world where the strong prey upon the weak."

"Either you become strong and devour other soul beasts, or you are devoured by them. It is that simple."

Xuan Qing smiled, a complex smile.

"Indeed, you soul beasts are so simple, yet soul beasts and humans are actually both quite simple."

"To live, to live—it is simply to be born and to continue existing. Yet, some people live in a way that prevents others from living."

He paused, his voice turning cold, even carrying a trace of killing intent.

"Then they do not deserve to live."

Xuan Qing looked at the corpses scattered across the ground and extended his palm, a flame igniting within it.

He cast the flame, covering the entire village. A raging fire erupted, consuming the corpses, bloodstains, and wreckage until nothing remained.

"Dust to dust, earth to earth. May you find peace in the soil."

Xuan Qing reached out again, earthy-yellow soul power surging violently in his palm, burying all the charred traces deep underground.

"Let's go. Back to the Sunset Forest."

Zi Ji nodded and used her soul power to lift Xuan Qing. The two soared into the sky, flying toward the Sunset Forest.

Throughout the journey, Xuan Qing remained silent. He was deep in thought—about life, and about slaughter.

Half an hour later, they returned to the Sunset Forest and landed within the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. Dugu Bo heard the commotion and came out to inspect.

"Young Master, you have returned."

Only then did Dugu Bo notice that Xuan Qing's expression was somewhat abnormal.

Xuan Qing did not speak; he walked straight to a corner, sat cross-legged, and began to cultivate with his eyes closed.

Dugu Bo looked at Zi Ji and asked in a low voice.

"Senior, the Young Master... he seems a bit different?"

Zi Ji nodded without hiding anything, recounting what had happened on the road—from encountering the Fallen Ones to Xuan Qing's massacre.

She described everything in detail, from his words afterward to the final burning of the village, leaving nothing out.

Dugu Bo fell silent after hearing her account. The Fallen Ones deserved to die; that was a given. He had killed many in his youth and had never been soft-hearted.

But the phrase, "Some people live in a way that prevents others from living, so they do not deserve to live," weighed heavily on him. Yet, it was also true. As Dugu Bo followed this line of thought, he grew increasingly alarmed.

Those who prevented others from living were no different from the Fallen Ones: the nobility, the empires, the royal families.

Especially the Heaven Dou Empire's Emperor Xue Ye; he appeared benevolent on the surface, but he had committed his fair share of dirty deeds behind the scenes.

Slave trading was common in Heaven Dou, and nobles even treated it as a pastime. Were those slaves not human?

They also wanted to live, but no one cared.

Dugu Bo suddenly realized he had never thought about these things before. He had lived for decades, his eyes fixed only on cultivation, becoming stronger, and protecting his granddaughter.

He rarely concerned himself with the outside world. Now, awakened by Xuan Qing's words, he realized just how complex this world truly was.

The world was not black and white; it was gray.

Dugu Bo gave a bitter smile. "Who would have thought? I have lived for so many years, yet in the end, my perspective is not as broad as a child's."

Zi Ji did not speak; she only watched Xuan Qing. She felt that Xuan Qing had changed, though she could not quite put her finger on what exactly had shifted.

Was it the gaze? The temperament? Or something even deeper?

The next morning, after Xuan Qing woke up, he did not continue his cultivation but instead sat on a large rock, lost in thought.

His mind was still dwelling on the Red Dust Heart Inquiry. Could what happened yesterday not be considered a heart inquiry?

He had killed those who deserved to die, saved those who deserved to be saved, and understood the meaning of righteousness; was that not enough?

He scratched his head in irritation. The red dust is ever-changing, and human hearts are multifaceted; there must be other aspects to it.

Focusing solely on slaughter was definitely not enough; he needed to experience more and see through more.

A sudden thought popped into Xuan Qing's mind: if he were to become a great demon lord, would the Azure Dragon descend with thunder to strike him dead?

It was truly not impossible!

The Azure Dragon symbolizes auspiciousness and integrity, inherently carrying the meaning of purging evil and guarding the righteous path. It naturally leans toward justice and would never tolerate evil.

The Qilin is the same; its core meaning is peace and benevolence. If the person who inherited its power were a great demon lord, it is likely these two would personally clean house.

Xuan Qing shivered. It was a good thing he wasn't that twisted, or he wouldn't even know how he died.

He now understood why the assessment had no time limit.

If one could not even pass this stage, they would remain stuck forever, and there would be no point in proceeding to subsequent assessments; going would only be courting death.

But what exactly is the Red Dust Heart Inquiry asking?

Is it asking about good and evil? Is it asking about one's original heart, or about choices? Or is it asking about... the Dao?

Xuan Qing scratched his head, becoming more confused the more he thought about it. He stood up and wandered around the herb garden.

His mind was a mess, like a tangled ball of yarn. He forced himself to calm down and slowly sort through his thoughts.

Suddenly, he thought of a fundamental question: who am I, really?

Am I that corporate slave who worked overtime every day? Or the Xuan Qing of this life? Am I the incarnation of the Azure Dragon? Or am I just myself?

This question was very philosophical, but it had to be figured out. If one didn't even know who they were, what kind of heart could they possibly inquire into?

Xuan Qing sat by the spring and began to think seriously.

The memories of his past life were very clear: working overtime, resigning, getting hit by a car, and then transmigrating here to become Skinny Monkey.

After awakening his martial soul, he received the inheritance of the Azure Dragon and the Qilin, walking the path until now, killing people and saving people alike.

But these were all experiences, not the answer. He was Xuan Qing, yet he was also not Xuan Qing.

The Azure Dragon incarnation was an identity, not his essence. What was his essence?

A person—a person who wanted to survive, a person who wanted to live comfortably, a person who wanted to live a meaningful life!

The Red Dust Heart Inquiry asks about the original heart. What is the original heart?

It is one's most authentic thoughts and most fundamental desires. And what are those fundamental desires?

The other side of oneself? The dirtiest, most depraved side?

Every living being has desires; if one has no desires, it is only because they have not yet encountered what they truly want.

Xuan Qing admitted he was a worldly person; he wanted power, wealth, beauty, and strength.

But he had a bottom line and would not use unscrupulous means. This was a moral compass brought over from his past life, and it was also the bottom line he insisted on in this life.

He suddenly realized something and used a flame to draw a Taiji diagram on the ground—yin within yang, yang within yin.

The Red Dust Heart Inquiry does not ask about right or wrong, nor good or evil; it asks one to recognize oneself and accept oneself.

To accept one's kindness and also accept one's darkness—even the darkest, dirtiest version of oneself is still oneself.

Accepting one's own imperfections is the true self, but was that enough?

Not enough! Absolutely not enough.