It was just news from around the world playing on a loop.
Earthquakes, tsunamis, flash floods, unstoppable forest fires, and unrelenting volcanic ash swallowing up cities and annihilating crowds. Ruins everywhere, a landscape of desolation, and the wails of the living amidst the widespread death.
I know these are not fabricated; they are real events. Especially in recent years, where such news has become more frequent.
The images on the screen flashed in his apathetic eyes. He remained silent for a long time, then turned to ask us, "You've seen all this, but have you seen the people behind these scenes?"
He walked up to a Westerner with a gray beard and dressed in a suit and tie, hooked his finger towards the man's chest, and a energetically beating heart emerged from the old man's body, falling into his palm. He walked to the scales, placing the heart on the right pan and a feather on the left. The result was evident; the scales tilted completely to the right.
He then spun the wheel, and the needle slowly stopped on the black side.
"Hehe, Anubis's rule is that only those whose hearts are lighter than a feather can go to Heaven after death. The Wheel of Fate says that this man can only go to Hell." He clapped his hands and tossed the heart aside. "Parn Stanley, the head of Stanley Industries and the world's largest arms supplier, is very keen on arms smuggling."
"Stop!" I jumped out to intervene but was held back by Ao Chi, "You are not his match."
Another heart fell on the scale.
"Khalid Faisal, the richest man in the Middle East, is also a supporter of dozens of so-called biochemical research institutes. About half of the viruses that are now rampant around the world are his products, whether successful or not."
The third heart, the fourth heart, the fifth heart…
"Junichi Inamoto, a genius nuclear physicist, has been employed by numerous great nations that love nuclear warfare. Until the day before he came to me, he was still conducting tests in an uninhabited area. But that uninhabited area used to be a bustling village."
"Jin Wanfeng, who barged into the richest people in the world list and has ranked in the top three for three consecutive years, owns countless industries. His hobby is cutting down vast stretches of forests to establish industrial zones and, unnoticed by the public, dumping various industrial waste into the mountains or the seas. Oh, he also takes pride in mass hunting of all kinds of wild animals."
He spoke one name after another, contemptuously tossing aside each heart while listing evil deeds that made me hang my head in shame for the human race.
He wiped his hands, "It's really such a pity, not a single heart lighter than a feather." He picked up the feather and blew it into the air, "They desire too much, and their greed is too heavy; how can their hearts be light? The human race has always been so ugly."
"That's a different matter. Even if you kill everyone here, I won't let your wish come true." Ao Chi walked up to him, a gleaming snow-white long knife appearing in his hand, "If you insist, I'll make history repeat itself."
"I just want you to face me, that's all. I won't lay a hand on you, just as I didn't resist at all back then." There was indeed no hint of killing intent on his face, "Ao Chi, you're my only brother. Remember when you only wanted to have fun and got trapped by the mountain god's spiritual stone? It took me three days and three nights to tear that stubborn rock into pieces with my claws. I remember my blood stained your entire body. I don't want to fight you, and you never wanted to either, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have hidden from me."
His voice was as gentle as a lullaby.
Ao Chi's hand, gripping the knife, was trembling violently.
"A thousand years ago, I only wanted to get the key from cousin Ao Kong. You know, to bring about change, sacrifices are inevitable. Cousin Ao Kong was so kind; he wouldn't mind sacrificing his life. We, the East China Sea Dragon Clan, have always guarded the Axis of Time. We have more power than anyone to change this terrible world. But in spite of everything, we never use it." A hint of helplessness appeared on his face, "Because of Ao Kong's death, Grandfather ordered you to enforce the clan rules against me. Their vision is truly not far-sighted enough, and they don't handle things wisely. I always regarded them as idols and thought they would support me, but I was mistaken."
"A bunch of nonsense! You don't even have a trace of remorse?!" Ao Chi, evidently provoked by his tone, suddenly aimed the blade tip at his glabella, but the other party didn't even blink.
He smiled at Ao Chi's sharp blade, continuing his narrative with a gentle tone, "Your blade turned me from a member of the East China Sea Dragon Clan into a lingering ghost. At that time, I was truly lost. I wandered to the Fulong Mountain and stayed there for a long time, contemplating the direction of my future. I was already dead, unable to return to my old world. So what should I do? Haha, coincidentally, one day I saw the minions of the Lord of the Underworld chasing down a strange thing with the head of a wolf and the body of a man. Since I have always been willing to help others, I helped it hide its whereabouts. It turned out that the creature was one of Anubis's underlings who had sneaked back from exile thousands of miles away to spy on the Underworld's happenings. I followed it to Egypt and met that hapless 'feudal prince.' It had been exiled to that desert by the Lord of the Underworld for too long. It was very old, and the most terrifying thing was that it had lost its fighting spirit completely. But I was different. Although I was already dead, I still retained the power of the East China Sea Dragon Clan, albeit different from before. I turned that Anubis into a pile of sand under my shoes and took charge of this region for it. I really enjoy change, including transforming myself from the royal descendant of the East China Sea Dragon Clan into what everyone refers to as the Egyptian God of Death. I've been doing this job quite well, and the pharaohs all respect me. And I'm willing to lead them to the Eternal Paradise."
I feel that even the best and most imaginative minds in the world may not be able to conceive such a crazy story. He is indeed Anubis! When I saw those flocks of skeleton birds, the wheel and the scales, as well as the men and women turned into black sand, I had considered the possibility that he was Anubis. After all, these things are all symbols of this god of death. He can drive skeleton birds born from the souls of the dead, his army is entirely made of black sand, and he controls the wheel and scales that determine the future of the dead based on the weights of human hearts and feathers - all unique ways of this Grim Reaper.
I don't know much about Anubis. I only heard that it was a monster with a wolf's head and a human body. As early as when this world was not fully formed, it was accepted as a subordinate by the then Lord of the Underworld, responsible for guiding the spirits of the dead. But later on, this fellow's wild ambitions grew bigger and bigger, even wanting to overthrow the Lord of the Underworld. As a result, the Lord of the Underworld stripped away most of its power and banished it to the distant desert, which is now known as Egypt. Since then, Anubis has appeared in various legends as the Egyptian god of death. No one knew that Anubis was just a traitor to the Underworld.
And what I didn't expect even more was that this guy who failed in rebellion back then ended up being replaced by the man before me. And this man even claims to be the twin brother of Ao Chi, born of the same parents. Unbelievable.
"You had a chance to start anew," Ao Chi's knife showed no sign of being lowered, "if you were willing to stay in Egypt peacefully and be Anubis. Ao Shuo, why couldn't you be content? Why are you still clinging to those crazy ideas of yours?"
"My dear brother, I believe that one good turn deserves another." He suddenly laughed and pulled Mu, who had been treated as an invisible person beside him for a long time, into his arms, "Five hundred years ago, I returned to Fulong Mountain." He looked at me, "I came to look for you. But you were no longer there. I was resting in the low-lying ground at the foot of the mountain and heard this poor little locust tree crying. It turned out that it kept calling for you, Big Sister Shaluo. It told me a lot of things about you. It seemed she had been too lonely for a long time, without anyone to talk to. More importantly, I knew that it wanted to become like you." He kissed Mu gently on the cheek, "That touched me. Although the woman I most wanted to be by my side was you, since we missed each other, it's better than nothing. Bringing this little thing to my side, just like Zimiao did to you, my regret isn't so heavy anymore."
Hearing him repeatedly say "Zimiao" as he pleased, I couldn't control the disgust in my heart and berated loudly, "Stop comparing yourself to Zimiao! What you 'cultivated' is just a monster like you! You two are indeed a perfect match."
"No, no, you're too subjective." He wagged his finger at me, speaking in a good-natured manner, "Mu is not a monster; she is very kind, especially to me. You know, two hundred years ago, I accidentally got sealed under the Sphinx by the previous Lord of the Underworld. It was Mu who worked tirelessly to collect souls from all over the world for me. It took me almost 180 years to break the seal of the Lord of the Underworld with the power of those departed souls and get my freedom back. Can you call such a good girl a monster?"
If he truly is Ao Chi's twin brother, then I have to admire his eloquence; it's indeed on a much higher level than Ao Chi's. What I admire even more is that there is actually someone who can describe their own mistakes and evil deeds as if praising the noblest actions in the world, and that too with an unchanging expression and total sincerity.
He is indeed a monster, from means to mind.
"I've told you before that it is best for you to stay in Fulong Mountain." I looked at the expressionless Mu with disappointment, feeling deeply that this girl is the saddest in the world. The desire to teach her a hard lesson, which I had entertained earlier, gradually weakened.
"Mu, you are not me. Our temperaments, thoughts, and even our respective experiences, cannot be the same. You can't be me," I sighed, puzzled, "Why do you have to be me? Does being yourself make you so miserable?"
"Are you jealous of the birds in the sky? Have you ever envied those people who come and go freely? Have you ever been afraid of endless loneliness?" Mu lifted her long eyelashes, "If you have, then you have no right to lecture me. You are not much better than me."
Her hostility and resentment towards me were evident in every word she uttered.
Alright, I'll try hard to stop blaming her from now on. Her cultivation is lower than mine, and the one who brought her into the world is a man with a devil's soul, an exiled god of death. Proximity to pitch makes you black.[1]
I suddenly remembered the book "On the Harms of Regional Autonomy" that I'd seen in Musheng when I first met her, and finally understood why she reacted so strongly to such historical facts. What a silly child! She is so wholeheartedly aggrieved for this fake Anubis that she is dead-set on living under his wholly shady wings.
Others may not understand, but I can.
She is just a woman who carries the name of her beloved in her heart and is willing to be ensnared by the spell called "love." Just like I was with Zimiao back then. If Zimiao had been harmed by someone, my reaction might have been even crazier than Mu's.
I am indeed not much better than her, just luckier. Fate gave me the chance to validate "craziness," but it also gave me people to stop me from going through with it — Zimiao, Ao Chi, and all the folks I later considered friends.
I can't imagine if my life had not been shaped by these people, would I still be who I am now?
As for Mu, her world from beginning to end, only had that madman, all in the name of love.
But, silly girl, is it really "love" between you and him?
You are desperate for him, but I see no hint of anything related to love in that man's eyes. Even the kiss he gave you is nothing more than a reward from a master to his plaything.
Must you stay so humbly by this man's side just because you envy my fate with Zimiao, just because you want to be another me?
"You're going to get yourself killed." I looked her straight in the eye.
The more I expressed my denial of the fact that Mu was together with Ao Shuo, the closer Mu moved to him, sneering, "You're so hypocritical. Back then, I begged you to take me away, but you ignored me and left me alone in that hellhole to fend for myself. Now you pretend to care about my life and death. If I were you, I'd be more concerned about myself right now." She paused and looked at Ao Chi, "If I hadn't failed to anticipate just how shameless Ao Chi could be, splitting himself into two and hiding in the bodies of two earthworms, deceiving everyone, I wouldn't have been careless enough to let you escape that drowning disaster." She laughed louder and louder, "Do you know what that amber-colored liquid is? It's a venom refined from the resentful spirits wandering in the mortal realm, unable to go to hell or heaven. It is potent enough to turn the magicless you into a puddle of watery blood, so I wouldn't have to see your hypocritical and disgusting self or hear your voice ever again. You..."
"Shh..." Ao Shuo's finger gently covered her excited lips, shaking his head at her. "This is where you disappoint me."
Mu froze, her beautiful eyes flashing in panic, like a kitten afraid of being forgotten.
"We agreed, it's just a performance. They are not our enemies, but friends who can help. Yet you went behind my back and tried to destroy our friends." His finger slowly slid on her cheek, his expression revealing nothing. "I don't like disobedience, even if it's just once. Mu, you used to be so obedient."
Bam!
My fist hit Ao Shuo's face with a loud noise, knocking the man to the ground.
He had the nerve to label us as "friends"!
"Shameless!" I was so infuriated by his words and his attitude towards the woman by his side that I was trembling. I hadn't even noticed that a large gash had ripped open on the right shoulder of my wedding gown because I punched too hard just now.
Ao Chi's mouth dropped open. He pulled me aside, saying, "Let me handle the thrashing. You look ugly fighting in a wedding dress!"
His mood is always so jumpy, always liking to say inappropriate things at inappropriate times. Just a moment ago, he was having a deep and serious conversation with his brother, and now he was criticizing me for not looking good while fighting.
They are true brothers no doubt; two freaks flying wing to wing[2].
Ao Shuo got up from the ground rubbing his jaw, and said with a laugh, "I've been beaten and scolded, now give me what I want, dear brother. I've done so much, just waiting for you. I have already obtained the dragon heart and tree body, I only need your key now."
He walked towards us step by step, his face always calm. But from each step closer, I could see the pursuit that had been buried in the dark for thousands of years. It was like a hand systematically destroying all obstacles, eventually choking the life out of everyone.
In fact, his grandeur has never been lower than Ao Chi's.
"No wonder this jerk's... East China Sea Dragon Clan 'aura'... is dead..." Jiu Jue gasped for air as if lacking oxygen. He looked particularly bad.
Before he could finish speaking, he swayed and fell to the ground, unable to get up.
"Jiu Jue!" I was alarmed, rushing over to help him up, but countless halos of all sizes suddenly floated in front of my eyes. The lake-blue spheres were like soap bubbles blown out by mischievous children, flying towards the luminous body in the wheel, sprinkling light like stardust along the way. However, these weren't soap bubbles; it was the spiritual essence dispersing from Jiu Jue's body, which is a demon's life.
Why is this happening suddenly? Are his injuries so severe? Impossible! This old ba*tard Jiu Jue has been through hundreds of battles. Even if he loses his spiritual power and cannot use magic, his body won't be so weak.
"What tricks did you play again!" I shouted at Ao Shuo, my palms urgently covering Jiu Jue's forehead as I tried to pour my spiritual power into him, hoping to prevent his life from slipping away.
It was futile, wholly futile. No matter what I did, those halos continued to rise, burst, and their speed only increased, and Jiu Jue's body also began to show signs of gradually becoming transparent.
"Dead but still unrepentant!"
Unable to contain his anger, Ao Chi's sharp blade cut through Ao Shuo's head in a snowy flash.
Swish! A crack spread from the top of his head, extending all the way to his feet, leaving a large crater where he stood.
"I said I won't touch you, no matter what you do to me."
Ao Shuo's body, like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle torn in half, fell apart and collapsed. The strange smile that cannot be expressed with any adjectives remained intact on his broken face.
I watched as this man turned into a pile of black sand, swirling on the ground. It wasn't fleeing or dispersing, but rather freely flying in all directions before dissolving.
Mu ducked to the front of the wheel, sat down, and rested her head against it. She had a serene expression, her long hair dancing around her, and her body covered in bloody clothes. She formed a gorgeous picture with the black sand swirling around her.
"You still made a move in the end," she cackled as she mocked Ao Chi. "But you can't even find your brother, so what are you going to do?"
Ao Chi furrowed his brow tightly, and the hand holding the blade slammed down, forcefully stabbing the long knife into the solid ground.
He's genuinely angry.
I know he's not angry with the elusive Ao Shuo, but with himself.
I fear nothing else, only Ao Chi's "self-weakening."
Ao Shuo, who had ulterior motives, tried to avoid him at every turn, but in fact, he was skillfully using words to strike at Ao Chi's vital points in all respects. Killing without a knife is the ultimate realm. As long as Ao Chi loses his composure, he will have an opportunity he can exploit. How hateful!
Jiu Jue's life force was like threads. I had to find a way to save this old man before he breathed his last.
His spirit was being sucked into the wheel continuously.
As I stood up, a bout of dizziness hit me, and everything around me swayed left and right. I blinked hard, shook my head, and regulated my breathing. Only then did I regain my footing, and my dizziness gradually disappeared. However, a foreboding feeling flashed through my heart.
I discreetly glanced at my right hand and noticed tiny points of light seeping out, much like Jiu Jues spirit, flying towards the wheel.
I quickly grabbed my hand, walked up to Ao Chi as if nothing was wrong, and held his hand that had been clenched into a fist. Holding hands is such a common gesture between men and women, but I had never taken the initiative towards him. This was the first time.
He turned his head, looking at my face with a complicated expression.
"I don't know what kind of history you have with your shameless brother," I smiled at him, more naturally than ever before, "but I believe that what you did is right."
Those eyes, always proud and stubborn, seemed to reflect a suddenly clear sky.
In the gaze we exchanged, for the first time, there was no confrontation like thunder and fire, but rather the support of sharing weal and woe.
Actually, what's wrong with being soft once? It’s not like I'll lose a piece of flesh, right?
In the past, neither of us understood this truth. I hope it's not too late to realize it now.
"You..." Ao Chi held back for a long time and finally spoke, "You… are stepping on my foot!"
I looked down and saw my left foot arrogantly occupying most of his instep.
Umm... I quickly withdrew my foot. This guy is really a wet blanket. It's hard to come by such a good atmosphere like a moment ago.
"Where is he?" Ao Chi's face changed, and he caught Mu like lightning, "Give me the answer, and I won't hurt you."
"You have plenty of time to find him," Mu was completely unafraid of his coercion, looking at me with a smile, "Only let me remind you, you have time, but she doesn't have much left. And that guy with lake-blue hair on the floor, as well as your fox and dog friends[3]."
Both Ao Chi and I were shocked.
Footnotes:
[1] 近墨者黑 is part of the saying 近朱者赤，近墨者黑 i.e. "Proximity to cinnabar makes one red, to pitch makes one black." Different environments provide different influences; who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl; nurture determines a person's character.
[2] 比翼齐飞: This is actually for married couples and means to be together day and night; to help each other and move forward together; inseparable. Ao Chi and Ao Shuo are dragons so the literal translation works here.
[3] 狐朋狗友: (derogatory) disreputable friends; evil associates; gang of scoundrels.
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