Xia Kuduo arrived at the boundary of the two domains, stepping lightly onto the surface of the Du Shen Spring, creating ripples. Above the sea, Yan Li sat cross-legged, his halberd horizontal, gazing down at Xia Kuduo.
Xia Kuduo smiled friendly at Yan Li, then ambled towards the small island and the bamboo forest.
He entered the bamboo forest. For some reason, the rustling bamboo suddenly fell silent, only to resume its rustling a moment later, the stalks swaying and leaves dancing.
Passing through the bamboo forest and crossing a winding mountain stream, he arrived before the bamboo hall. First, he saw Cheng Xilin, who sat with no regard for posture, and then Tata, sitting properly on a stone stool.
Xia Kuduo smiled and asked, "Are you Xiaobai?"
Tata nodded and returned his smile, saying, "Yes, I'm Tata, Qiao Tata of the demon race."
Xia Kuduo grunted, then looked at Cheng Xilin, bowed slightly, and said, "Greetings, senior. You seem very at ease."
Cheng Xilin waved his hand dismissively and replied, "At ease, at ease. If there's nothing to do, that's being at ease."
Xia Kuduo hesitated, then suddenly asked, "Did I do the right thing?"
Cheng Xilin lowered his propped leg, rested his left hand on the stone table, and fanned Tata with his right hand, saying casually, "You've already done it, and now you ask me? Besides, I didn't stop you, did I?"
Xia Kuduo smiled happily, then his expression turned a little troubled. "I'm not asking about killing all the Man Gu True Gods. I'm asking if it was right to warn the God King and the Desolate King. I don't know if what I did was right or wrong."
"After all, I am leaving. To kill all the Man Gu True Gods, I severed the River of Time. Because I severed the River of Time at the God King realm, my past and future selves have been imposed upon me from the River of Time.
Cause in the past, effect in the future. I cannot bear it. I must go into the River of Time to slumber, splitting past, present, and future.
Before I leave, I am worried about my kin, and about Heli, and... Ishu God Lord."
Cheng Xilin put down his fan and turned to look at Xia Kuduo standing outside the bamboo hall, on the steps. His gaze was serious and deep, as if trying to see through Xia Kuduo.
He asked, "Why did you do this?"
Cheng Xilin paused and continued, "With your talent, you could have continued to lie low and waited for Heli to become King. Your talent is even greater than Heli's. In this epoch, no deity possesses greater talent or a more tranquil state of mind than you. You didn't need to do this."
Xia Kuduo shook his head and gave a self-deprecating smile. "A person without ambition, no matter how talented, is useless. An epoch does not allow for two Kings, let alone three.
With me here, it won't be easy for Heli to become King. I'm blocking his path.
The new King has appeared, and the old King should make way."
"Moreover, if I hadn't come, those Man Gu True Gods would have devoured Heli and seized the laws of time he had just mastered. I couldn't just watch Heli suffer calamity."
Cheng Xilin raised a finger and pointed at Yan Li, who was sitting cross-legged on the surface of the Du Shen Spring. "He has already rushed over. Even if he's not as powerful as you and cannot kill all the Man Gu True Gods, he can risk his life to send them back into the River of Time."
Xia Kuduo smiled. "He is Heli's brother, his kin."
Cheng Xilin frowned. "But you are also Heli's kin."
Xia Kuduo fell silent, his expression a little unnatural. "I suppose I am, but ultimately, I blocked his path. I must make way."
Xia Kuduo stood at the steps. Cheng Xilin pointed to a stone stool and invited him to sit. Xia Kuduo shook his head and said, "No, I'll leave after we talk. Time is short, and I have someone else to see."
Cheng Xilin sighed, as if regretting Xia Kuduo's fate. "I understand the meaning of your two slashes. One slash for the God King, warning him not to touch the people of the Yu Ling Divine Race. One slash for the Desolate King, warning him not to touch Ishu God Lord in the Eastern Battlefield.
And by dissolving yourself into the River of Time, you eliminated the threat of three Kings coexisting. Besides making way for Heli, you are also seeking a path to survival for the people of the Yu Ling Divine Race in the subsequent great battle.
But have you thought of yourself? Have you considered a foolproof plan?"
Xia Kuduo shook his head. "No, I've thought for a hundred thousand years and still can't figure it out. Perhaps I'm not suited for such thinking. Since I can't figure it out, thinking more would only be a waste of my mind. Rather than being filled with sorrow, I'd rather enjoy the remaining time. These years, I've lived happily. A while ago, I learned to drink. Chocolate is also delicious. Roasted chicken should be held and gnawed whole, and pig trotters are best eaten while still steaming hot, so they are soft and tender."
Xia Kuduo smiled knowingly. "It's good. I'm not truly dead, just struggling in the River of Time for a few epochs. If, one day, I emerge from the River of Time, perhaps I'll become an ordinary human somewhere, and experience the life Heli lived. That would be nice too."
Cheng Xilin did not reply but frowned, his gaze fixed, his fingers constantly rubbing. Seeing Cheng Xilin like this, Tata knew he truly regretted Xia Kuduo's situation and was also thinking of a solution for him.
Finally,
Cheng Xilin sighed and said, "I'm sorry, I cannot intervene to save you. I can break the River of Time and forcibly pull out your past and future, but I have reasons why I cannot act.
Wait for Heli. Wait until he fully masters the laws of time, and he will save you."
Xia Kuduo smiled, seemingly unconcerned. A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo. The things he wanted to do were done, and his heart was free of burdens. He had secured a path for his kin, made way for Heli to become King, and not confessing to Ishu meant he hadn't failed her either.
"I'm leaving. I wish you success in your plans. If fate allows, let's share a drink."
Without waiting for Cheng Xilin's reply,
Xia Kuduo turned and walked into the bamboo forest, his figure gradually disappearing within.
"You seem to value him greatly, even more than Heli," Tata said.
Cheng Xilin nodded sincerely. "Tata, don't you think his personality is very much like someone?"
Tata was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, "Chang Qingshan?"
Cheng Xilin smiled slightly. "Yes, Brother Shan. The two of them are indeed very similar. Both give people a feeling of warmth like a spring breeze, both possess extraordinary talent. They could reach the heavens with a mere extension of their hands, but their hearts are narrow, so narrow that they can only hold a few people."
"Guys like me and Heli are not worth valuing. We were born different, shouldering certain missions. But they are different. They were born into the ordinary and mundane, yet they are born with innate knowledge, naturally profound and hidden.
If I were like Brother Shan, and Heli like Xia Kuduo, in their positions, Heli and I would not even have the chance to see their backs before being left far behind."
Cheng Xilin's expression was complex, and he finally let out a soft sigh.
Tata looked at Cheng Xilin, somewhat puzzled. Being born different and being born with innate knowledge are both extraordinary; what is the difference?
...