Chapter 362: Huiwu Voices His Heart at the Hall

Huiwu never imagined that one day, he would actually be summoned by the Demon Lord.

Yet, he could not feel happy about it at all.

He did not know when it started, but Huiwu found his identity as a member of the Demon Race increasingly difficult to accept. It seemed to have begun after he was pricked by that strange light from Banxia; deep within Huiwu's heart, something seemed to have changed.

It was no longer about superior strength, nor was it about an obsession that was hard to let go, but rather a longing.

A longing?

What was he longing for?

Huiwu himself could not figure it out; he felt that he was likely ill, but could the Demon Race even fall ill?

Since coming to the Demon Realm, Huiwu had learned many things about the Demon Race.

The Demon Race also had Witch Doctors, but the Demon Race's Witch Doctors only understood trauma, because for thousands of years, no member of the Demon Race had ever fallen ill; they did not even know what "illness" was.

But Huiwu was different; he had fallen from human to demon, which was different from their innate nature, so who knew if he could fall ill?

Although he had technically obtained what he wanted, for these past three years, Huiwu had lived in extreme misery.

Huiwu wanted to shake off this feeling too much, but his identity was not tolerated in the Demon Realm; whenever he went to consult the Witch Doctors, those Witch Doctors would ignore him, wearing expressions of utter contempt.

Although the appearance of the Demon Race might not necessarily reveal their expressions, Huiwu felt it from their gazes and their words.

Regarding the matter of Lingxiang coming to the Demon Realm, Huiwu naturally knew; he had also thought about seeking her out. After all, as they were both of the Demon Race and both came from the human world, he thought Lingxiang would not ignore him.

But Huiwu could not find an opportunity.

Firstly, the disparity in their status was vast; even if Huiwu had the heart, he might not be able to see Lingxiang. Secondly, the two had a history of conflict; although Huiwu had been acting under orders, he had indeed dealt lethal blows at the time.

Huiwu did not believe Lingxiang would be magnanimous enough to forgive him, and Lingxiang was indeed a person who held grudges.

If one repays injury with kindness, then with what does one repay kindness?

But unexpectedly, the opportunity delivered itself to his door.

The Demon Lord dispatched Huiwu to Lingxiang's side, nominally to protect her personally and attend to her daily needs, but in the Demon Lord's words, he was to keep a close watch on Lingxiang.

In the early days, Huiwu intended to get close to Lingxiang, but whenever he wanted to speak, either he would lose his nerve and retreat, or Guihua would appear at the most inopportune moment, dispelling his intentions.

Most of the time, Lingxiang was in her own room, and Huiwu could not get near it; the rare times they did meet were when she was punishing Guihua.

A perfectly fine Demon Race palace was turned upside down by these two all day long.

Of course, the Demon Realm had neither chickens nor dogs, but it was a mess all day long.

Huiwu once thought that he had trusted the wrong person, but sometimes the feeling Lingxiang gave him was so hard to resist.

He did not know how many days had passed, but finally, one day, Guihua was sent away by Lingxiang. Although he did not know what she was sent to do, in the entire Shiyang Hall, only Huiwu was Lingxiang's close attendant.

After all, he had been sent to personally protect this Demon Princess.

And as luck would have it, Lingxiang finally walked out of her room.

In fact, Lingxiang was doing it on purpose; she had long since noticed Huiwu's hesitation. According to Lingxiang's temperament, she originally did not want to bother, but some people kept by one's side, even if they were not trusted, could not be allowed to become a hidden danger.

"I have secured an incense stick's worth of time for you; say whatever you have to say quickly!" Lingxiang sat with a face as calm as water.

It was not that Lingxiang was putting on airs; it was truly that she could not relax whenever she saw Huiwu.

"Are you pitying me?" Hearing this, Huiwu felt incredibly awkward. Although he did indeed have a request for Lingxiang, the feeling Lingxiang gave him was as if she looked down on him.

What had he done wrong?

Lingxiang did not answer, only looking at Huiwu with scrutiny—is this person sick? He seems quite ill...

She had kindly found an opportunity for him; it would be one thing if he wasn't grateful, but why was he acting like a lit firecracker?

In this world, it is truly hard to be a good person!

And Lingxiang's expression, seen through Huiwu's eyes, seemed to be looking down on him, which immediately reminded him of those days at the Taishang Sect—such torment, yet he could only endure it in silence.

But he had ability now! He could do whatever he wanted; he did not need to be pitied, nor did he need to live under anyone else's shadow!

"I only wanted to improve my cultivation, what crime is that!? Why should those with illustrious family backgrounds have such privileges?! What virtue or ability does that Shao Fengcheng have to dare bark orders at me!? And by what right does Zhao Wuyang receive the favor of that old man Qianyuan? Compared to him, where am I lacking!?" Huiwu roared and bellowed, as if all his persistence had collapsed at this moment, filled with resentment. He looked at Lingxiang, his eyes bloodshot, and suddenly his tone shifted, becoming eerily sinister, "Look at me now, neither human nor demon—is this particularly satisfying for you?"

At this moment, Huiwu's emotions finally erupted, unstoppable like a flood, as if all his suppressed grievances and all his unwillingness to be mediocre had been vented.

Lingxiang's face was calm, as if the person before her was still that stubborn youth from the Yanwu Stage long ago.

After a long while, Lingxiang finally sighed. She remembered a line from the notes of the Tumi Fairy: Saving a life is easy, healing the heart is difficult.

The person before her was still a child when he committed his mistakes; no one told him where he was wrong, and no one ever told him why he was wrong, which was why he kept making mistake after mistake.

And what she had to do now was to heal Huiwu's heart.

"I do not feel satisfied or vindicated because you have ended up in this state; in fact, I don't think you did anything wrong."

Hearing this, Huiwu's gaunt face was filled with disbelief; he couldn't react in time, as if he didn't believe his own ears, or didn't believe what Lingxiang had said.

"You... what did you say?"

"I said, I don't think there is anything wrong with you." Lingxiang said, turning to look out the window, "Admittedly, Wuyang has his own superior qualities, which is why Senior Brother Qianyuan favored him, and Senior Brother Lu Ying also has a kind heart, which is why he was favored by Senior Uncle Lieyang. In this sense, it is not to mock you for having a vicious heart; on the contrary, when I first saw you on the Yanwu Stage, I felt that you were actually a talent worth molding..."

Hearing this, Huiwu was full of surprise, his demonized face appearing even more ferocious.

"But everyone's Dao is different, and therefore what they experience will also be different. Just because talented people pay attention to you doesn't mean they are affirming your ability; perhaps when Heaven bestows a great mission, it is for you to explore on your own. Think of Senior Brother Chiyanzi; he was only my mother's nominal disciple, and after my mother died, over many years, has he ever sought to apprentice under anyone else?"

"I am also not judging the path you chose; that was your own choice, and whether it is right or wrong, Heaven will decide. But you must know, when a young child is learning to speak, they also learn to walk through bumps and bruises; who has never made a mistake?"

Lingxiang suddenly turned to look at Huiwu; his bloodshot eyes seemed to relax significantly, gradually regaining some spirit.

"As for the matter of you harming me," Lingxiang smiled, "You and I are merely mortals seeking the Immortal Dao; the seven emotions and six desires are common, and greed, anger, ignorance, hatred, love, desire, and attachment are things one cannot escape. Therefore, it is inevitable that desire is born from ignorance, and hatred is born from desire. While I cannot say I have forgiven you, I have not taken it to heart at all. If I were you, I might not even have had your courage."

"In my view, that stubbornness on the Yanwu Stage was your superior quality; it's just that you were lost in the situation and never saw yourself clearly, which is why you went astray. But so what? Perhaps this is your trial, so why be unable to let go? Look at me; I lived for over a decade before knowing that the reason I have a Residual Spirit Root was because my own mother caused it. I will never ascend to immortality in this life, so what of it? The sun and moon follow their cycle of Reincarnation as usual; since the Immortal Dao cannot be attained, then so be it, what is there to regret?"

This heartfelt talk left Huiwu speechless, and after a long while, he said hoarsely:

"Do you truly think so?"

Lingxiang looked at him, her face frank.

"Of course I am serious, not a word of falsehood!"

Life is unsatisfactory eight or nine times out of ten, but that is no excuse for sinking into despair.

"This is the Dao you chose yourself; even if you know it is wrong, as long as you can walk it to the end, even if you hit walls and grope in the dark, you cannot blame others, much less allow others to criticize you."

"Because you are you, and in this world, there is only one you."