Chapter 1532: Reunion and Hypothesis

Reunion and Hypothesis

Su Zhiwei was silent for a moment.

"This is an internal matter among the Nine Monarchs. I will find a way to handle it."

Since Su Zhiwei had said this much, Chen Ling naturally had no objections. He fished out a piece of fatty beef from the pot, swirled it in the sesame paste, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Gulp—

A clear sound of swallowing saliva sounded from behind.

Chen Ling turned his head and glanced at the few people who were still sitting ramrod straight:

"The Lord of the Red Dust isn't a man-eating tiger, what are you afraid of? If you want to eat, come over and eat."

Jian Changsheng and the others looked at Su Zhiwei. The latter, holding a piece of fatty beef with her chopsticks, smiled slightly and also signaled them to come over.

"Excuse me... Your Excellency, Lord of the Red Dust."

Then he picked up his small bowl and started wolfing down food.

With Jian Changsheng taking the lead, Jin Fugui and Jiang Xiaohua also immediately followed, the five of them surrounding the small table airtightly. Especially Jian Changsheng and Jin Fugui, they frantically plundered the ingredients in the pot like two starving ghosts, seemingly completely forgetting that the Lord of the Red Dust was sitting right next to them.

Su Zhiwei superficially picked up a few pieces with her chopsticks at first, but later she never saw any cooked ingredients left in the pot. She silently put down her chopsticks and started drinking water.

Chen Ling originally wanted to kick these guys under the table. After all, this was the Lord of the Red Dust's soup base, ingredients, even the chopsticks and bowls were hers. What was the meaning of snatching everything so that she didn't even have a chance to eat?

But Su Zhiwei didn't seem to care about this. She signaled Chen Ling not to bother, and spoke softly:

"I'm full... Will you take a walk with me?"

"Alright."

Chen Ling and Su Zhiwei got up from their seats, completely yielding the hotpot to Jian Changsheng and the others, and walked side-by-side straight along the riverbank.

The bright stars twinkled in the night sky. Su Zhiwei hesitated for a long time, but still took the initiative to speak:

"You are currently already preparing to overwrite the next world's Save Point, right?"

"That's right."

"Did you... see Yao Qing?"

Chen Ling froze.

It seemed that Su Zhiwei made this special trip to find him not just for the Nine Monarchs' "official business"... she also had some selfish motives.

"Mm."

Su Zhiwei pursed her lips slightly. She seemed to have many questions she wanted to ask, and many things she wanted to say, but when the words reached her lips, she didn't know what to say...

"You want me to keep him alive in the next world, right?" Chen Ling spoke her inner thoughts for her.

"...From a selfish perspective, yes."

"In the end, he died because his lifespan ran out, not because he was killed by someone... On this point, I can't help you." Chen Ling answered truthfully. "Moreover, his hundreds of years of effort were all to extend your life... Humanity cannot be without the Lord of the Red Dust."

"Perhaps... there will always be a way?"

Looking at the cautious Su Zhiwei, Chen Ling sighed heavily in his heart.

"Dr. Su, you have to know, even if I save Yao Qing in the next world, the him in the next world won't be the him you know, and even the you in the next world... won't be the you of this moment anymore."

"I know." Su Zhiwei paused for a moment. "The us in this world are already separated by heaven and humanity... I just hope to not leave too many regrets in the next world."

Chen Ling suddenly seemed to remember something and stopped in his tracks.

"Do you... want to see him one more time?"

Su Zhiwei froze in place.

"...Can I?"

Chen Ling raised his hand and beckoned, and a Red Paper Umbrella appeared in his hand. As the paper umbrella opened, a blurry ghost was slowly sketched out in the void beside Chen Ling...

The moment she saw this ghost, Su Zhiwei's whole body trembled. Her lips parted slightly, and she called out that name in disbelief:

"Yao... Qing?"

"I snatched his ghost back from the Ancient Vault of the Ghost Path." Chen Ling slowly spoke. "However, because his soul was split in two, most of the ghost doesn't possess the ability to communicate. I can't guarantee whether you two will actually be able to converse."

Chen Ling checked the time and didn't disturb them anymore, turning and walking towards the other side.

"This is the world of the living. A ghost's survival time outside the umbrella is very limited... You guys, hurry."

After giving his instructions, Chen Ling's figure completely vanished into the darkness.

Su Zhiwei definitely had many things she wanted to say to Yao Qing. Although Yao Qing might not be able to answer, for her, being able to see Yao Qing one more time was already extremely rare... Chen Ling didn't plan on being a third wheel.

After he left, Su Zhiwei stared blankly at Yao Qing in front of her. She subconsciously raised her hand, wanting to touch that face engraved deep in her memory...

But in the next second, her fingertips passed lightly through Yao Qing's body.

At the same time,

A faint, blurry voice sounded from within Yao Qing's ghost body:

"Zhiwei... Sis... ter..."

...

Chen Ling kept track of the time. When he returned from his stroll, only Su Zhiwei was left standing alone by the dim river channel, staring blankly at the wreckage of the Tower to Heaven in the distance.

Chen Ling didn't know what they talked about, but Su Zhiwei's expression seemed even more calm and peaceful than before. The residual tear stains at the corners of her eyes told of the past that only belonged to her and Yao Qing.

Yao Qing's ghost had already been taken back into the red umbrella. After all, Yao Qing wasn't killed by Chen Ling personally, so he couldn't use [Abyssal Ghost Ferry] to allow him to remain in the world of the living for a long time. If he stayed in the world of the living for too long, he would become an Annihilated Soul.

"Are you okay?" Chen Ling walked to Su Zhiwei's side and asked softly.

Su Zhiwei nodded.

By the shimmering water's surface, Su Zhiwei turned her head and looked into Chen Ling's eyes... Her eyes were sincere and earnest.

"...Thank you."

"No need to thank me, you saved me once, this is what I should do."

"I have a question." Su Zhiwei paused for a moment. "If the world reboots, can the souls in your Red Paper Umbrella... be brought to the next world?"

Chen Ling froze in place.

Chen Ling had never thought about this question, nor had he ever tried... The past Red Kings weren't the Calamity of Mockery, so they didn't have the Red Paper Umbrella skill, and therefore left him no experiential reference.

But logically speaking, the Red Paper Umbrella was his own skill, which meant it was a part of the Calamity of Mockery... If he personally rebooted the world, it should, perhaps, probably... not disappear as the world was reset?

"I... I'm not sure either." Chen Ling answered truthfully. "I haven't tried."

Su Zhiwei looked into his eyes, her expression becoming increasingly serious. She closely followed up and asked:

"If... I'm saying if..."

"If your Red Paper Umbrella can bring the souls within it to the next world... Does that mean that people who die in this world could potentially... gain new life in the next world?"