Once my father, believed that Lao Qin's arrangement was right, and could even marry Yin Yang.
My steadfast opinion changed his thoughts.
And his contact with Huāyán Yíng has changed him more, plus he lives in Huāyán's home, making it even more detailed understanding.
However, at present, Qi Yōuyōu's unwilling to leave, the reincarnated knot of emotions, always affects my father.
His expression seemed to be a slight sigh, but no sound was made.
I calmly took the mobile phone without changing my face, and Huāyán Yíng's trembling voice only entered my ear: "Xian Shen, it's good that you're fine. You've been missing for so long. The Daoist faction is in opposition to each other, and the songqǔ mountain has issued a death warrant. You haven't been back to the Siku Mountain for a long time, and I have even contacted Si Yan. I always thought..."
"I won't, don't worry." I answered in a gentle voice.
"How can one not worry... Si Yan said that was your last contact with her, asking for the contact information of the elder at Jǔqǔ Mountain. I'm afraid you went to Jǔqǔ Mountain all by yourself in order to maintain peace between the Daoist factions..." Huāyán Yíng finally voiced her concern.
"Jǔqǔ Mountain..." I muttered.
"Don't worry, they can't do anything to me, nor will they do anything to me." I didn't explain too much about the relationship between us to Huāyán Yíng.
"Dad said... you need to return to the Great Xiang first." Huāyán Yíng shifted the topic, and her usage of title made me pause for a moment.
However, this is also correct. We are basically only lacking a formal title. Because of the astrological issues mentioned by Mao San, we did not act together.
Of course, gradually, Huāyán Yíng has lagged far behind me in terms of power. Even if there are certain actions to take, I would not take Huāyán Yíng along. It's too dangerous; it's truly a life-and-death situation.
"Mm, go back to Daxiang and rest for a while. I need to think about what I should do next and what I should do." I answered.
"Hmm." Huāyán Yíng's mood was much more joyful.
I always feel a sense of silent observation behind me, resentful and sad, which causes me to be disoriented.
"Let's not talk about it for now, we need to take a rest before continuing on our journey." I said.
"Alright." Huāyán Yíng appeared to be very obedient.
The phone call ended, and I handed the phone back to my father.
He sighed and then said, "The arrangement of yin and yang marriage is not bad. Xian Shen, you sometimes need to be enlightened. This matter, you should tell Huāyán Yíng the truth. She should not think too much."
It's fortunate that it's daytime now, and Old Gong has no way to come out. Otherwise, he would definitely shout and scream about being blessed with a wife, what a good fortune for a man.
"Perhaps." I said with a slightly complicated tone: "But Dad, do you know why? The old Gong asked me to call Mao Zhen one son and let me kneel down to him. I did not do it."
My father's face showed confusion, and then he said: "The father is also a father. If you kneel down to him, I won't have any objection. He has helped you so much and us so much that he even put his own life at risk. Why don't you kneel down or call him? Xian Shen, it's not that Dad is saying anything about you. This is your stubbornness. To be a Taoist, one cannot be taken as a narrow-minded old ox!"
I shook my head, and the complexity in my eyes was more and deeper.
"I call him one name, and I give him a bond and obsession. He will always follow me. In fact, the boundary between two lives has already been clarified. He should break free from the shackles and not be 'used' by me."
"But he has soul and spirit scattered. If I had known that this was the result, would you kneel down to him? Would you call him out? Let him leave more at ease, more satisfied, and with no regrets?" My dad's words were like a sharp arrow piercing my forehead, causing my face to slightly change color and my heart to suddenly contract.
I had originally wanted to explain to my dad the reason for this; it was because of this that I couldn't deepen Qi Yōuyōu's obsession, making her feel hopeful. But my dad's words completely closed off that point.
Even... this has become the thing I should not have done at all!
A strong pressure in the chest, my breathing has become uneven and heavy.
"Ah, I know the whole process. You didn't know he would be soulless, and you didn't know how difficult the former Xinbo would be to deal with. In the end, it was his realization that made it possible. He has no attachments in the world anymore. He just wants the new you to live out your life well. That's why he resolutely ended his life with the former Xinbo."
"Just, this is the comforting words of my father. Saying so may reduce your sense of guilt, but if I say another thing... if he had a desire for attachment, he wanted to have a happy family. Even if separated by death, he might have tried every possible way to continue existing, might have exhausted all his strength to obtain more power, and might have been able to destroy or confine the former Xinbo while also dragging you and us away."
"That, are all unknowns."
"When one is involved, it is difficult to see clearly. My father's words make my heart go up and down, and I feel even more heavy and uncomfortable."
"I know what you want to do. You think that Qí Yōuyōu following you is a mistake, and you think that being reincarnated as a human is the best for her. But is this really a mistake? You can't be sure whether she will be willing to go through the process of rebirth after you completely cut ties with her. You can't even be sure if she is willing to truly cut ties with you."
"You also don't know what will happen after you do this thing."
"You are not the Master. Even the Master doesn't dare to say that there is a 100% guarantee for any thing, and he has to consider the possibility of one in ten thousand. Why can't you be so confident and say that you do this for someone's good?"
"It's like I went into the Hei Cheng Temple, and I thought it was good for you, but you followed in, resulting in a series of unexpected changes."
"If I had properly consulted with you, perhaps your grandmother wouldn't have died, Lama A Gong wouldn't have become the living Buddha, and perhaps our father-son relationship might have found a better way."
"Listening to others' opinions is not a bad thing, and listening to others' thoughts is even better. Don't make decisions for anyone else, you are not anyone, and you are not the constant correct answer."
"Whether human or ghost, everyone has the right to choose."
"Rest, please."
When I finished the last three words, my father walked to the bed by the wall and lay down, then he fell asleep deeply.
I lay on the bed by the window, staring blankly at the ceiling.
For a moment, my mindset was once again engulfed in confusion.
I always feel that I am quite clear-headed, but is this really true clarity?
Or is it that my personal opinion is too strong?
But isn't it right for a person to have personal opinions?
My father is right, but it seems like it's not right.
So I am.
What is Dao?
The words Mao Zhen spoke to me made me realize that choice is one of the most critical aspects of the Dao.
I suddenly felt a sense of fear, as if a tidal wave was coming.
Mao Zhen said that the previous life of Mao Xianjun and the present life of me have the same Dao. The difference is that I have gained strength.
But is this Dao really the same?
I also seem to have another question. I'm not just like Mao Xianjun, and the things I want are the same, to live in peace in a small family.
I am also very similar to Mao Zhen.
The former Mao Zhan was one who believed in what was right and imposed it on everyone else.
Including the fact that he wanted Mao Xianjun to gain strength, he cultivated him in various ways, but not only did he fail to achieve his goal, but he even killed Mao Xianjun himself, his son-in-law Qi Yoyo, and himself. This led to the disruption of the core of the transmission at Jiuqushan Mountain and made the Taoist practices and skills at Jiuqushan Mountain impure and bizarre, making them ominous.
My Dao is not at all what I think it is, but two paths!
But this also brings up another problem.
The Dao requires single-mindedness!
I must make some sacrifices!
This creates a contradiction, making it impossible to make a choice or judgment!
The throbbing pain in the depths of my mind arises, and my instinct tells me that I shouldn't continue thinking. I haven't attained enlightenment yet, and this is not the answer I can think of at my current level of cultivation and state of mind.
Mao Zhen only comprehended everything just before his soul and spirit scattered...
It's possible that understanding all of this could lead to another level of cultivation.
For me, it would be the realm of the true man?
Physical fatigue was eroding my consciousness, and I had not slept well for a long time, far too long. I had been maintaining my energy through meditation and using the things given to me by Xinbo.
My consciousness sank into darkness, and I fell into a deep sleep.
When I finally woke up, the sky outside was dark, it was night.
Old Gong was looking out of the window, humming obscene tunes.
My father was sitting on the bed, making a phone call with a very gentle tone.
"Xian Shen has woken up, I won't talk to you anymore, we need to set off on our journey." My father said before hanging up the phone.
"Grandpa, the word 'set off' can't be said recklessly. It means to start the journey, not to die." Old Gong stopped humming the obscene tune, he laughed out loud and reminded my father.
My head started to feel foggy, but quickly I fully regained consciousness.
I originally thought that I had slept for an entire day, but my father walked over to the bedside and told me that I had slept for two days and one night, which was already late at night on the second day.
There were some snacks on the bedside table, and he told me to eat.
I shook my head and then picked up the food box, eating voraciously like a whirlwind.
In comparison, ordinary food may not be as nourishing, but the taste is much better, and it will not make one feel sick or nauseous.
After leaving the hotel, we first bought a phone, and then we went to the nearest high-speed railway station.
There was another little incident. I had to apply for a temporary ID card, as my dark skin made it difficult for facial recognition to pass several times. It also drew the attention of many staff from relevant departments, who asked me various questions. Finally, I was able to obtain the document.
We just barely made it on the last train to Daxiang City, and Lao Gong was still muttering to himself, had he known it would be so troublesome, he would have simply used his supernatural abilities to board the train without even needing a ticket.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all, and I didn't bother to explain anything.
Humans have human integrity, and ghosts have ghost integrity. Wu Zhongkuan's simplicity, combined with Lao Gong's cunning and mischievousness, has formed the interesting and capable Lao Gong of today.
Since we were buying last-minute tickets, we could only get second-class seats, which were very crowded.
Fortunately, my father and I were seated on one side of two rows, so we didn't have to worry about sitting next to strangers. Old Gong chatted with me for a while, and then he leaned his head back on the chair and cast his cunning eyes around the entire carriage.
Soon, he activated his ghost eyes, and without a second thought, he sprinted in the direction of one of the carriage windows.
I knew that a woman who was similar to "Lü Sister" was about to be possessed…
But Lao Gong won't harm anyone; he just has this bit of interest. I can't restrict him even on this matter.
I looked up and scanned the front of the carriage. Before getting off, I planned to give compensation to the person who was possessed by Lao Gong. A few talismans should be enough.
As my eyes fell on the scene, I confirmed that Lao Gong had indeed possessed a woman who was around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. She had a good appearance and figure, which matched Lao Gong's taste.
She quickly stood up and came towards me with an expression of urgency.
"Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom." She spoke more politely and asked for a path through the people inside.
My father seemed to be uncomfortable, his mouth twitched slightly.
