Chapter 199: Chapter 199: Choice in the Darkness (Seeking Full Subscription)
That night, Qiao Xing didn’t rest. Instead, he opened Qiao Xiao Mi’s letter.
The letter was short, and Qiao Xing read it slowly.
[During my recent trip to the amusement park, I encountered danger. But in my most perilous moment, the first person I thought of was Daddy.
My daddy is a hero; he’s the best. That’s something I’ve always firmly believed.
This time, I nearly didn’t get to see him again. I was so scared! I’ll definitely listen to Daddy from now on! —Qiao Xiao Mi]
After reading his daughter’s letter, Qiao Xing silently retrieved a pale blue longsword from his room and began to wipe it down slowly.
The sword was called Cold Frost, a one-handed blade. For nearly ten years, Qiao Xing had never used such a light weapon.
He looked at the sword, his expression serene.
"Transcending the mundane world and re-entering it is not so easy."
He rose, went to his desk, and placed the sword on it. Then, he took out a pen and paper and began writing a reply to his daughter.
[Raising you is not a favor but a biological instinct driven by blood ties. Therefore, since I have shown you no favor, you need not repay me.
Instead, I should thank you, because your presence makes my life more complete.
I just happened to become your father, and you just happened to become my daughter. I am not your prequel, and you are not a Chapter I am continuing to write.
You are an independent individual, a soul different from mine. You did not come to be because of me; you came because of a longing for life.
You are free, and I love you.
But I will never control your life "in the name of love."
In your eyes, I am the best father; in my eyes, you are no less the best daughter.
Don’t stop running; don’t look back at where you’ve come from. There’s nothing to yearn for in the past—the only things worth anticipating are ahead. —Qiao Xing]
After finishing, he put the letter in an envelope and tucked it into Qiao Xiao Mi’s backpack.
He kissed his sleeping daughter and shared a quiet look with his wife, who had already awakened.
With the sword in hand, Qiao Xing left the house.
"Husband!"
"Hmm?"
"Come back early."
Qiao Xing turned his head slightly and nodded.
"Okay."
「...」
The clown Zhou Ke’er had just arrived at the Church district and happened to encounter Qiao Xing stepping out.
"Uh? Mr. Qiao Xing, I came on behalf of my master, Noah..."
"No need for apologies. Let’s go."
"Go? Where to?"
"To the place you came from."
「...」
Later that night, Lu Luo found Ludie again, who seemed to be in a somewhat strange state.
Pang Ding and You Xiaoqi said that Ludie hadn’t been to the club for a long time, several months in fact—setting a new record!
He was on the rooftop smoking, seemingly waiting for Lu Luo’s arrival.
"Another Eighth Order Exotic Species has appeared, huh."
Ludie seemed to be lamenting, yet also stating a fact.
Lu Luo noticed that Ludie looked much cleaner than before. His hair, no longer messy, was carefully combed, and his stubble was cleanly shaven.
His Hunter uniform was a bit faded from washing but was far more presentable than his formerly greasy state.
The Ludie before him seemed like a young man anticipating a date, ready at any moment for certain people, certain events.
Lu Luo hadn’t expected that news about Qiu Guling would cause such a profound change in Ludie.
He wasn’t sure whether this transformation was for the better or worse.
"If you’re so devoted, why did you spend all your time freeloading at the club? That wasn’t right, was it?"
Ludie’s face stiffened, but he still offered a somewhat awkward explanation.
"At that time, I thought Qiu Guling was already dead. I was disheartened, so I sought out other women."
"Then why didn’t you just find a decent girl to marry? A decent person should be better than those club girls, shouldn’t they? You’re always going to those places; that must be self-indulgence, right?"
Lu Luo felt he had a point, but Ludie offered a different line of reasoning.
"Lu Luo, answer me. If you met a girl who doesn’t want a house, a car, savings, or a diamond ring; who doesn’t want you to treat her to meals, take her shopping, or buy her things; who won’t bother you and just wants to talk to you when you’re tired, give you a massage, and help you relax your body and mind—is giving such a good girl 150 too much?"
I’ve never seen anyone describe such activities in such terms. The thing is, I think he actually has a point. What do you think, Lu Xiaoluo?
Damn it, I actually think he makes a lot of sense too! No, no, freeloading, no matter how good, can’t compare to a sugar mommy. I was almost led astray by this guy.
"Didn’t you always freeload before? What’s this about 150?"
"I used to pay at first. The freeloading only started about three years later."
Ludie’s eyes were full of stories, and he looked like he desperately wanted to share them with Lu Luo, but Lu Luo wasn’t interested.
"Forget it. I don’t want to hear about your past freeloading escapades in clubs. Besides, I’ve already gotten out of that life."
"Gotten out of that life? You’re so young. Why give up the whole forest for one tree? That’s an irrational choice."
Lu Luo pursed his lips disdainfully.
"You don’t know squat. I have two trees, not just one. And one of my trees... is *this* big! \(^o^)/ Your entire forest is just little saplings and flowers. Is there even a comparison?"
Ludie looked at Lu Luo’s smug face, a bitter taste in his own mouth.
"So you latched onto a rich woman, what’s there to be so proud of? Childish!"
"Don’t be bitter. Aren’t you still waiting for Qiu Guling? You’re just as childish as me."
Ludie’s expression turned serious.
"You’re right. I do feel quite childish, but I’m still full of hope."
Lu Luo looked at Ludie’s hopeful face, then thought of the Nightmare Demon’s crazed and bizarre expression and couldn’t help but warn, "Maybe the outcome you’re hoping for isn’t a good one."
Ludie understood Lu Luo’s implied warning, but he still appeared nonchalant.
"If the outcome I’m hoping for isn’t good, then I’ll just have to work hard to make it good."
Lu Luo didn’t know if Ludie had truly come to terms with things or if he was just being delusional.
He felt that as a friend, disciple, and brother, he should show some concern for someone like Ludie, who seemed starved for affection.
"Hey, Ludie! That kind of inspirational talk is for others, not for you to get high on yourself. I think you’ve entered a state of self-delusion."
Ludie lit another cigarette. He had quit many bad habits during this time.
He was living seriously, taking care of himself, no longer visiting clubs, and had stopped gambling too.
The only thing unchanged was the cigarette in his hand. He was still Ludie, but not the Ludie of the past.
"Lu Luo, I know what you’re worried about, but I can tell you very clearly, your concerns are unnecessary. The ’me’ you once knew might not have been the real me."
"Then what is the real you?"
Ludie walked to the edge of the rooftop railing, took a drag from his cigarette, and his fingers suddenly began to vaporize.
BANG!
An unidentified Exotic Species suddenly materialized out of thin air, only to explode into a cloud of blood mist right in front of Ludie.
Blood splattered towards Ludie, but a closer look would reveal it was all blocked by a layer of fog in front of him.
He remained perfectly clean, spotless, his expression unchanging.
Lu Luo looked at the bloodstains on the ground. One hit was all it took; the creature had been reduced to pulp, with no recognizable parts remaining.
[Exotic Species on ground: Unknown Fourth Tier Aberration. Preliminary speculation: Possesses invisibility. Attributes: Unknowable.]
An instant Dust Storm? Too strong!
But a Fourth Tier Exotic Species suddenly appearing here? This is supposed to be *inside* the Wall!
"Recently, the Dark Energy Level inside the Wall has increased, and Exotic Species have started appearing! This Exotic Species isn’t from outside the Wall; it likely self-mutated!"
"Self-mutated? Fourth Tier?"
"Yes, the current Dark Energy Level within the Wall should, at most, only be able to spawn Fourth Tier Exotic Species. But in the future, who can say for sure? Besides, none of that is very important. What’s important is the path you choose for yourself in the future."
"The path I choose for myself in the future?"
Sss~ha! Ludie took another puff of his cigarette. After the fog from his hand cleaned the bloodstains off the railing, he slowly said,
"Everyone has a period of darkness they must walk through alone. During that time, no one can help you; only you can find your way out.
"This darkness isn’t external. It’s devoid of fear, sorrow, or sadness. It lacks those kinds of chaotic, emotional thoughts.
"Truly, this darkness... it’s actually empty. There’s nothing there!
"Yet, this dark path still exists. Only when you walk out of this darkness can you see the light.
"Everyone goes through it; there are no exceptions. This path is entanglement.
"The entanglement of thought and perception, of consciousness and knowledge.
"You understand everything with perfect clarity, yet you still can’t let go. You’re still entangled.
"You already comprehend it all completely, yet your ingrained habits continue to bind and pull you. You’re still unwilling to let go of what you’re used to.
"During that period of my life, I was still relying on my habits, still bound by all my past cognitions.
"Everyone has this darkness, no matter how awesome you are.
"Walk out of it, and the light will be right before your eyes.
"Actually, this ’darkness’ isn’t really darkness; it’s the gloom in your own heart.
"When your heart is filled with gloom, it’s not that there’s no sunlight. The sunlight is there; you’re just shrouded by the gloom.
"The gloom veils your heart, preventing you from seeing that sunlight. But the sun has always been there.
"No matter how thick they are, dark clouds can never permanently obscure the blue sky.
"There’s no one who can’t walk out. When you truly reach the end, you absolutely will make it through.
"If you haven’t walked out, it only means you haven’t reached the end yet."
Hearing Ludie’s words, Lu Luo was momentarily stunned. If someone from the Church, like Han Shiyu, Qi Xinzhu, or some of the older Priests, had said such things, Lu Luo wouldn’t have been surprised at all (Qiao Xing, of course, being an exception). But hearing these words about darkness and light from Ludie, of all people, felt incredibly strange to Lu Luo! He understood, because he too had experienced such darkness before.
Looking at Ludie now, Lu Luo was finally sure that he had truly walked out of it. A relieved smile touched Lu Luo’s lips.
"Congratulations."
"Heh, let’s not talk about me. Tell me about yourself. What exactly did you go through today?"
Seeing that Ludie didn’t wish to discuss his own situation, Lu Luo didn’t insist and recounted the events at the amusement park to Ludie in greater detail.
Then he listened quietly to Ludie’s review of his combat performance and analysis of various matters.
The two talked all night, their conversation only ending when a light rain began to fall in the early morning.
「...」
A few days later, in the early morning, Lu Luo stood alone on the school’s sports field.
His training had lasted all night—or rather, it had been like this for several nights in a row.
"Thunder Breath!"
Holding the Fenrir Type VI, Lu Luo tried to replicate the sword strike that had instantly severed all eight of the spider queen’s legs inside the Doomsday Disc.
But in the real world, he consistently failed to reproduce that strike.
Back then, it had felt so easy, as if strength, will, Sequence, and energy had all perfectly merged into one. Only now, when trying to execute that same strike again, did Lu Luo truly feel its difficulty.
Sigh!
Seeing the school grounds already bustling with people, Lu Luo knew his practice time was over.
He wasn’t a member of the Church, so he couldn’t freely use the Church’s Training Ground.
Thus, the school’s sports field was one of the few sufficiently spacious training areas he could find within the Walls.
His training session had been fruitless, and Lu Luo felt a little dejected.
Forget it. I’ll go get some breakfast. Lu Yu should be waiting.
「...」
In the cafeteria, Lu Yu was buying breakfast for Lu Luo.
Lately, Lu Luo had been eating with her every day, which made Lu Yu very happy.
Her second brother said he’d become a boss and had even offered her a job, but Lu Yu declined.
She felt she could live independently; everyone should have their own life and pursuits.
Lu Luo was very handsome, and his speech that one time had been incredibly impressive. His presence earned Lu Yu a lot of ’face’ among her classmates, a feeling she truly enjoyed.
She didn’t know how her second brother, whom she used to dislike, had suddenly become so capable, but it was undoubtedly a good thing.
The only real downside was Lu Luo’s appetite! He would eat more than twenty people’s worth of breakfast each time, which was a bit outrageous.
Fortunately, Lu Luo had given her some money for expenses; otherwise, she really couldn’t have afforded to treat him.
"Uncle, I’ll take 21 standard breakfasts."
"Buying breakfast for your brother again? You siblings really have a good relationship. It’s just, your brother eats so much! If he were in an ordinary family, they’d probably be eaten into poverty."
"Hehe, it’s fine, we both have some income of our own."
Lu Yu placed the breakfast portions, one by one, on the nearest table, quietly waiting for Lu Luo to arrive.
"It smells so good!"
While waiting, Lu Yu noticed that today’s breakfast smelled particularly fragrant.
Actually, it wasn’t just today. For the past few days, the cafeteria food had been getting increasingly delicious. This was a stark change from its formerly bad reputation, leading many to assume the cafeteria had hired a new chef.
But Lu Yu knew the chef was still the same Master Liu; he hadn’t been replaced.
After setting down all the food, Lu Yu saw a student at the next table already wolfing down their meal.
It looked like today’s breakfast really was especially tasty.
It looks so good. Maybe I should try a little first? No, no, I’d better wait for Second Brother. Still, Master Liu’s cooking has improved so much; he must have a secret. I’ll have to ask him about it later.
「...」
In the cafeteria, the uncle serving meals called out to the back, "Old Liu, sales are great today! We’re almost sold out, and there’s no meat left. How about you make some more?"
The chef known as Old Liu smiled honestly.
"Sure!"
With that, he headed to the back kitchen. He took the Bone-Slicing Blade hanging at his waist, pulled a massive piece of meat directly from the freezer, and slapped it onto the cutting board.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
The Bone-Slicing Blade easily chopped through the large piece of meat.
A purplish mist began to spread!