"Everyone had their own thoughts, and every organization had its own goals."
"That was their freedom."
"But just as Alpha Academy said... freedom meant learning to give things up. If you tried to grab eyebrows and beards all at once, you would end up clutching nothing but air. That wasn't freedom. That was emptiness."
Mr. Wu reclined in a broad lounge chair, holding a copy of the I Ching in his hands. As the chair slowly rocked back and forth, he spoke at an unhurried pace.
It was nearing evening. There were no customers in Sanyou Bookstore, only a Yellow Flower Cat sitting on the counter beside Mr. Wu, leisurely licking the clotted cream from a small porcelain bowl.
The cold wind battered the glass windows with a fluttering rattle, yet the room was warm as spring. Beneath the orange-yellow lights, it felt cozy and tranquil.
After listening to Mr. Wu's remarks, the Yellow Flower Cat raised its head, licked the fur around its mouth, and let out a dissatisfied purr.
"I'm talking serious business here... and you keep going on about all that nonsense." In front of Mr. Wu, the tabby showed none of the aloofness she displayed around strangers. She seemed casual, even somewhat long-winded. "I'll ask you just one thing: are you going to do anything about the mess at First University or not?!"
"No." Mr. Wu's answer was firm. At the same time, he picked up the purple clay teapot beside him, took a loud sip straight from the spout, then sighed in satisfaction.
"You're not going to deal with that Xuanhuang Wood in the Black Prison? You're not going to deal with the loosening seal on the foreign god at the university? And you're not going to deal with Shi Hui and that old man