Chapter 32: Investigation in the Open and in Secret
“Brother, what kind of person do you think Kuang Tianyou is?” Situ Liwen did not answer her brother's question.
“Only describable as mysterious and unpredictable.”
“Mysterious?! Maybe. As long as Kuang Tianyou did not harm Sister Wenwen, I still love him. For my dream, this love is worth it!”
“What dream? You can't live in a dream!”
“This dream has no answer yet, so I will not give up.”
“Liwen, he already has a lover. Judging by the situation, you have not the slightest chance.”
“Love is not only about taking and getting, it is also about dedication and sacrifice! As long as he can be happy, I can be happy too!”
“This is just the kind of Platonic spiritual love.”
“If this feeling can last long, why care about day-to-day life? Even a single lifetime romance is enough!”
“Liwen, you are easily satisfied, and what you are satisfied with is still a vague and elusive love.”
“Contentment brings happiness!”
“Being satisfied will lead to obsession and constant submission to fate.”
“Wrong, brother! If it is for love, the situation will change.”
“That is indeed a strange notion.”
“Brother, do you know how powerful the love for someone can be?”
“How powerful?”
“It can change fate. Although father said that fate is no longer in our hands, fighting and struggling for love, even in defeat, is glorious! Even if fate is not in our hands, it will never be far from us!”
“Liwen, I admire your courage and persistence. But some things cannot be changed by only these qualities.”
“Brother, courage and persistence are the first steps to change!”
“Courage and persistence are the first steps to change…” Situ Jun muttered repeatedly.
“Brother, the loved one is gone, but you remain. Whether the love you once had becomes your motivation or your burden depends on your own choice!”
“Liwen, I know what to do. Everything I do is just to have a clear and definite outcome.”
“A clear outcome?”
“Yes. I want to find Uncle Tang's diary. It might contain some useful clues. Perhaps all the mysteries will be solved.”
“Sometimes it is better not to know than to know. Is it necessary to do this?”"Are you afraid that I will find out Kuang Tianyou's true identity?"
"I am curious, but not worried."
"What do you mean?"
"I really want to know Kuang Tianyou's real identity, but I am not worried that he is a bad person."
"Why?"
"Birds of a feather flock together, and people form groups. Look at Madam Kuang by his side, his daughter, Yuan Yue, Bai Xia, and the people they frequently interact with, including us — who among them is a malicious person? If they truly were immortals or monsters, look at their lives — so plain and peaceful, with not a trace of that 'superior' vulgarity. The man I love not being bad is the best thing. Because if he is not bad, he won't be bad to me."
"Is this what you look for in a man?"
"Brother, sometimes you don't understand women at all. Not all women think a man must succeed to be good—put nicely, it can motivate a man to improve, but actually, it's just satisfying one's own vanity. I, Situ Liwen, am not that kind of woman. I want to believe that if a man treats me well, he will do his best for me. Constantly giving directions from the side, over time, he will think of it as a burden!"
"Is this your understanding of love?"
"Yes."
"Today, I gained a new understanding of women and love."
"Brother, I have something I've always wanted to tell you."
"There's nothing inconvenient about telling your brother."
"Do you really love Sister Wenwen?"
"Liwen, what do you mean by that?! You know how I feel about Wenwen!" Situ Juncai jumped up from his chair.
"If you truly loved her, you should have chosen to stay at that time!"
"Liwen, you…!"
Outside the window, a bolt of lightning split the sky.
"Life and death together, never to be separated, that is true love!" Situ Liwen said calmly.
"There were so many strange people back then, I left just to save—" Situ Juncai realized the so-called reason seemed flimsy in front of his sister's words.
"I am leaving." After speaking, Situ Liwen left, leaving a stunned Situ Juncai behind.
Situ Juncai slumped in his chair, muttering to himself: "Do I really love Wenwen? Why didn't I stay at the time? Was I too selfish…"
Click, another lightning bolt streaked across the window.Situ Jun Cai suddenly stood up vigorously and took out a bottle of aged XO from the wine cellar. He threw away the cap, gulped down more than half the bottle in one go, stood by the window, and shouted, "God... God, you... you tell me, do I love Wen Wen or not, do I love her or not!!"
Crack! Another lightning bolt streaked across the window. The flash illuminated Situ's helpless and confused face...
On a high mountain in the West, there stood a hall. "Now broadcasting breaking news. Today, the United Nations Security Council dispatched an inspection team to the 'explosion site.' It confirmed that the recent rumors about China conducting a micro-bullet experiment were false. There were no unusual radiations in that area. As for what actually caused the unidentified 'major explosion,' the working group is conducting further investigation. Norway..." The TV flickered and turned off.
"Is everything you said true?" a woman's authoritative voice asked.
"Great Lord, every word we report to you is true."
"Are you sure those two people are gods?"
"Those two people clearly display divine power. Of course, compared to the Great Lord, they are slightly inferior."
"Get to the point! You said one is called 'Demon Ancestor'? The other is referred to by the celestial domain as 'Great God'?"
"Yes, Great Lord!"
"Convey my sacred decree: Find the Demon Ancestor and inform me immediately. I want to see exactly who this god is that is stopping my plan."
"Obey the sacred decree!"
"God Messenger Madra, you have achieved great merits; go to Angel Rola to receive your reward."
"Thank you, Great Lord! We are willing to dedicate ourselves to the Lord!" The messenger was extremely happy as his cultivation could be immediately enhanced, saving him a lot of arduous training time.
"Good. You may leave." The messenger's footsteps gradually faded.
"Thousand God Guard Nietzsche!"
"Present!"
"You handle this matter. If there are any difficulties, report back to me immediately!"
"Obey the sacred decree!" The footsteps gradually faded.
"Goddess, is this Demon Ancestor the same Demon Ancestor?" a man asked.
"Highly likely to be the one you 'think of day and night.'"
The man choked and his face turned red, but after all, he had a thick skin. "Decades ago, we lost contact with them. It's unlikely to be him!"
"You hope it's not him, don't you?"Hehe, the man forced a laugh: 'We are old friends! Goddess, please don't misunderstand.'
'Hmph! You are full of bad intentions, who knows what you are thinking?!'
'No matter how bad I am, I would never dare show any disrespect to the goddess!'
'Then back then, when I advised you all not to fight over the kingship of the "Five-Colored Heaven," who listened to me?'
'Beautiful goddess, men live for two things: faith and women. Back then, we gods fought because of different beliefs, but there was also a factor involving women.'
'A femme fatale, I presume?'
'Goddess, that is not what I meant!'
'Poseidon, tell me honestly: do you want him to live or not?'
'Goddess, as a man, everyone wants to dominate the world and face strong opponents. When he was alive, he was hailed as one of the top three among humans since Pangu, so I wanted to challenge him! For this reason, I wish he were still alive! But also because of you, I don't want him to live. I am not afraid of competition, but I fear having no chance at all.'
'You are telling the truth! However, it is I who do not give you the chance, not him.'
'That is because of his existence.'
'Sea God, I have been here for many years. Now, I can call the royal capital the pinnacle of kingship because you have supported it. I am very grateful! For such a long time, I have rarely looked at you directly; do you hold any resentment?'
'No!' The Sea God seemed very moved; after countless years, it was the first time the goddess spoke to him in such a tone. 'Hearing these words from the goddess today, I am fully satisfied! I would go through fire and water for the goddess without hesitation!'
'No, Sea God, I do not want you to fight for me, nor for anyone else. Fighting cannot solve all problems; only reconciliation and coexistence are the long-term solution.'
'Goddess, I know you dislike slaughter, but reconciliation and coexistence cannot work without strength as its foundation. This world is one of the survival of the fittest. To win survival, to earn respect, to live a carefree life, one must be strong and must fight.'
'As an individual, I share your belief that, within a community, respect is not earned through fighting, but through mutual understanding and concession.'
'What the goddess means is...'
'Sea God, I have a feeling: things have reached their end.'The gods will gather once again to resolve the problems of the human world!”
“Goddess, have you forgotten that our efforts failed?”
“Sea God, think about when was the last time we quieted down like now? Sea God, I really miss the time when all the gods were joyful together. Back then, everyone had only one goal: to explore this world! Since the creation of the human world, our steps in exploring it have come to a halt. We have locked ourselves in an ideal realm, and as a result, the so-called ideal realm has only become a place where the gods' personal desires are banished. I want to change this situation, so I want to start the change with you!”
“Goddess, what do you need me to do for you?”
“I want to reconcile and shake hands with him!”
“What?!”
“The conflicts between you and him, when you think about it, competing against each other was only a minor reason. The real problem lies with the True God! Once we overcome the True God, the problem will be resolved!”
“Goddess, there is something I'm not sure whether to say.”
“Please, say it.”
“Goddess, differences in beliefs are not easily resolved. Moreover, it's uncertain whether they are still in this world. However, I, the Sea God, swear: as long as you give the word, I will set aside everything and follow you.”
“Sea God, the True God is my dear sister. I have my own plan on how to persuade her. The most critical thing now is to find her. Until then, I don't want you to have any further conflicts with them.”
“Goddess, my word counts. I won't have conflicts with them; on the contrary, I will help you find them.”
“Good. With your help, I believe the day when the gods gather again is not far off!”
“I will definitely help the Goddess achieve her heart's ideal!”
“Thank you for your efforts, Sea God!”
“Goddess, I won't disturb your rest any longer; I'll go back and prepare.”
“No see-off needed!”
Watching the Sea God gradually depart, the Goddess twisted a spherical knob on the armrest of her grand chair, and the ground in front of her cracked open, a staircase extending downward. She walked down.
An old man stood there. “Supreme God Weikangde, have you been here long? I apologize for keeping you waiting!”
“Master God, I've just arrived.”
“Do you think the Sea God keeps his word?”
“Master God, I don't know.”
“Kangde, you've been with me the longest, speak directly.”“Lord God, as far as I know, there has been activity on the Sea God's side.”
“It seems he won't wake up unless he runs into obstacles.”
“Lord God, the Sea God respects you. I think he may use the opportunity of helping you search for the True God to attack the Celestial Domain Weizheng Pavilion. He should know that those people breaking the seal indicate that the True God might be very weak right now, and with the Demon God absent, he could devote more energy to dealing with him, so he is confident he can take the Celestial Domain Weizheng Pavilion and in turn do a favor for you.”
“Being able to do it is the perfect scheme! Enough about her, tell me about what you accomplished.”
“Thanks to the Lord God's great blessing, the life demon has been found!”
“Good! You all have worked hard!”
“Lord God, we suffered the loss of two Thousand God Guard warriors—they were seasoned veterans of the battlefield. Just thinking about it is painful!”
“Kang De, I also deeply regret it. However, for the ideal in my heart, this sacrifice is worthwhile!” The goddess paused and asked, “Kang De, am I being selfish?”
“No, Lord God, our lives and combat skills were all granted by you! To sacrifice ourselves for you is our...
