Chapter 15: I Want to Give You This Breath of My Soul Qi

What is this thing?

Jiu Jiu looked at the skin she had unlocked on the screen, her pretty face slightly flushed; mainly, she had never seen such strange and bizarre content before.

And what surprised her most was actually that Gu Jiangming did not mind her identity at all, nor did he even show any disdain for it.

On the screen, he, dressed in green robes and white garments, his face full of the weary look of one who had traveled far, revealed a smile of long-awaited reunion.

At this moment, Jiu Jiu decided to tell Gu Jiangming the whole situation, hoping this blockhead would not stubbornly insist on acting recklessly.

【"This is not the time for reminiscing, come with me." You said to Gu Jiangming: "With the Hundred Demons Night Parade unleashed after the ban was lifted, all kinds of demons will reveal their true nature. Their supernatural powers are strange and varied; if you are not careful for even a moment, you will likely lose your life here. Follow me and leave this place to ensure your safety first."】

This was not a joke, nor was it an intentional deception to make Gu Jiangming follow her.

It was because this time, the demons entering the world were clearly great demons with immense Demon Power who had truly lost their tempers, determined to stir up a bloodbath in the human world.

Although Jiu Jiu did not know the cause and effect of this turmoil, retreating into the mountains and forests to protect oneself was by no means a wrong choice.

【"This time... no." He rejected your proposal to retreat into the mountains and forests together, "The world is suffering a great disaster. As a cultivator of the Human Race, I should protect the myriad common people from peril."】

【"Since the founding of my Shushan, what we have preached is the righteous Qi within our chests. I am the Shushan Venerable Master, and as their mentor, I taught them the principles of conduct. Yet, at such a critical juncture, to abandon my disciples and leave them alone to eradicate evil in the world—how could that be the ambition of a cultivator like me?"】

Gu Jiangming looked at Jiu Jiu's persuasion and, without the slightest hesitation, refused directly.

On the issue of stance, there was no room for him to make any concessions.

His disciples were fighting in a bloodbath, burning every drop of their vital essence in accordance with the moral principles he had taught them, while he hesitated in a bed of comfort behind them.

Would this be worthy of his disciples, worthy of the Shushan he established?

To act this way would be more than just losing his backbone.

The whole person would have no roots, do you understand?

Therefore, Gu Jiangming could not accept Jiu Jiu's proposal.

He wanted to uphold Shushan, he wanted his disciples, and he could not fail this wife he had picked up, but in the face of great right and wrong, Gu Jiangming had his own ideas.

In this way, it was Jiu Jiu who became somewhat unable to understand Gu Jiangming.

For humans, are these concepts of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and shame, or even this so-called Dao, really that important?

For thousands of years, Jiu Jiu had seen far too many people who knew nothing of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and shame, and knew not where this so-called Dao in their hearts lay.

In order to fight for the property left by their ancestors, they would not hesitate to launch sneak attacks and harm their own relatives and friends.

For the sake of high official positions and salaries, they could climb upward by stepping on the heads of their students, subordinates, and even their mentors.

For the sake of momentary pleasure, they could betray the childhood sweethearts to whom they had once sworn eternal love.

In the human world, besides profit, can there really be Dao?

Furthermore, Jiu Jiu believed that this was not Dao for Gu Jiangming; this was stupidity!

Even with Gu Jiangming's current profound cultivation, facing such a dangerous human world, the difficulty of him surviving this tribulation was extremely high.

Jiu Jiu wanted to try her best to persuade Gu Jiangming not to be a fool.

【Seeing that you still intended to persuade him, he waved his hand and said: "My mind is made up, Jiu'er, you need not persuade me anymore."】

【"To hear the Dao in the morning, one can die in the evening; this is the Dao I have chosen for myself."】

【"You still remember me, which proves that I have been here, the traces of my existence."】

【"You are a demon, I will not force you to help me, but I must shoulder the responsibility of a sect leader, I must shoulder the moral righteousness of a Human Race cultivator, I must go to save people."】

【"This is the creed of Shushan."】

The screen finally froze.

【After a long while.】

【Jiu Jiu looked at Gu Jiangming, "I will not persuade you anymore."】

【At this moment, Jiu Jiu had also understood Gu Jiangming's thoughts, and she said: "My name is Yin Jiujiu."】

【"I don't like this surname, but I don't want you to not know my real name."】

【"Do you know, when we Guhuoniao die, the last breath we inhale is actually our own Soul Qi."】

【"With this breath, our entire life will slowly emerge before our eyes like a fleeting glimpse."】

【"However, the world does not know that the last breath of Soul Qi of a Guhuoniao can be given to others."】

【The words fell.】

【Yin Jiujiu looked up at the moonlight in the sky, smiled, and said: "I want to give this breath of my Soul Qi to you."】

【"Humans, after inhaling this breath of mine, can neither see our lives nor is there any other great use for it."】

【Yin Jiujiu wanted to say something more, but Gu Jiangming quickly took over the conversation.】

【"However, I think the person who can receive the last wisp of a Guhuoniao's Soul Qi must be very important to her," Gu Jiangming said softly.】

Jiu Jiu looked at this line of text on the screen, feeling inexplicably sad.

Indeed.

The person who receives the last wisp of a Guhuoniao's Soul Qi—when he dies, the Guhuoniao who gave him this Soul Qi will immediately be able to sense it.

Anyway, anyway, this was just one accident in countless cycles of Reincarnation, what did it matter if she gave something away.

Jiu Jiu tried hard to refute the possibility that she had already developed a slight fondness for this human before her, but her actions could never be faked.

【Yin Jiujiu walked toward Gu Jiangming. Seeing the other party's approaching steps, Gu Jiangming also did not stop in place to wait for her to come over, but ran straight forward to meet her.】

【A wisp of Soul Qi drifted out from Yin Jiujiu's mouth. She gently embraced you, and you let the Guhuoniao's Demon Power rush into your body just like that.】

【Gu Jiangming did not stop this Demon Power from penetrating, because he knew that the demon before him would not harm anyone; she was a silly demon who didn't even know how to harm others.】

【And if she were truly capable of harming people, she would not have appeared as a pitiful little beggar when they first met.】

A line of invisible text slowly appeared.

【The last wisp of a Guhuoniao's Soul Qi is also known as the love of a Guhuoniao.】

【It will tell you that, at the very least, in this world, you once won the heart of a girl.】

【After a deep, affectionate kiss following a long-awaited reunion, she urged you to take good care of yourself and left, filled with worry.】

For her, this was perhaps a parting from which they would never meet again.

And you, too, must eventually welcome the Dao that belongs to you.

You do not want your teachings to your disciples to become mere empty talk on paper, nor do you want to be a sanctimonious, hypocritical cultivator who turns into a spineless coward at such a critical juncture.

You returned to the inn, and when you faced Zhang Tianze's slightly curious questioning, you only said indifferently: "I just met an old acquaintance."

At daybreak the next day, a letter was found in the inn; Ma Yang of the Eastern Yi had already departed.

He believed his Daoist attainment was shallow and he was powerless to face a monster like the Paper-Clamping Demon, and he felt even more that his techniques were completely useless against it; rather than staying here and causing trouble for everyone, it was better to return to the Eastern Yi and fight demons together with his clansmen.

Ma Yang's departure caused the atmosphere to fall into silence.

Begging for recommendation votes! Begging for monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)