Chapter 119
Birth, aging, illness, death, resentment, fear, jealousy, greed, ignorance, the sorrow of parting, and the agony of desire...
The world nurtures all things, yet life is fraught with countless sufferings. Demons arise in the wake of these sufferings, enduring and indestructible.
Good thoughts ascend to divinity, while wicked thoughts descend into demonic forms.
Fortunately, all things in the world are born from darkness but seek the light.
In numerous battles between gods and demons, the gods always emerge victorious, banishing and sealing the demons within narrow, dark abysses. However, the demons never give up, constantly scheming to influence various worlds, unleashing humanity's inner pain and darkness, converting good intentions into evil, inciting sin, provoking wars, and ultimately turning the world into a dark, twisted hell of blood.
If the World Tree is corrupted, then smaller worlds will each become dark hells, spawning even more villains. When these worlds mature and enter the cosmic sea, the demonic clans will grow infinitely stronger, spreading like a plague across all worlds. Every person's innate wicked thoughts will be triggered, continuously devouring the light, and the gods will ultimately perish, ceasing to exist.
For as long as Phoenix God Monarch has been unconscious, the Heavenly Emperor has been worried...
He's sent every deity who might potentially awaken the Phoenix God Monarch, but a heart invaded by demons can only awaken on its own, regardless of external influences. The faces of the gods who returned from the small worlds were grim; their failures were catastrophic. Most chose to seal away the memories from these worlds, reluctant to revisit them for fear of becoming corrupted.
Not long ago, General An Long finally returned from the small world, no longer stubborn.
The Heavenly Emperor had great hopes for An Long. After all, he and the Phoenix God Monarch were close friends, guardians of the demon seal for many years, possessing natural combat prowess, unyielding bravery, and willpower ranking among the strongest in the divine realm. Fond of combat, he had no room for sentiment. When idle, he would spar with the Phoenix God Monarch to sharpen their skills, trading victories. He had once left the Phoenix God Monarch's beautiful face bruised and feathers missing, leading the gods to dissuade him, but he scoffed:
"Wu Huan is a man; why care so much about appearance? He has also plucked many of my scales, yet I never complained!"
"For men, it's not the face that matters; it's strength."
"I will never waste my life seeking some useless soulmate."
"Wu Huan, that worthless fellow, can't even see through such illusions. I'm going to the small world to mock him!"
The gods were left speechless.
And then...
Upon awakening from the small world, the first thing General An Long did was to slap himself twice. His expression shifted from red to black, and back to red again, cycling several times—a truly riveting spectacle. Both the Heavenly Emperor and the surrounding gods were stunned, extremely curious about what had transpired.
Using a term from a technologically advanced world, General An Long gravely declared, "That will forever be my darkest history."
Without waiting for further questions from the other gods, he quickly sealed off his memories from the small world.
"Damn embarrassing!" He swore he'd never revisit those memories in his lifetime! Otherwise, he couldn't face challenging the Phoenix in a duel!
"Cursed demons! I'm going to their territory to tear some of their leaders apart to vent my frustration!"
Transforming into a black dragon, he lashed his tail and stormed off, intent on slaying demons.
The gods: "???"
The Heavenly Emperor finally regained his composure: "Is anyone else still in the small world?"
The gods pondered: "Don't think so..."
It seemed that the Phoenix God Monarch was beyond saving; the divine realm was doomed.
...
After waking up, Song Qing Shi found his thoughts muddled due to completing so many tasks. He spent a long time sitting in a corner of the temple, organizing his memories.
The Heavenly Emperor finally remembered his existence and found him still dazed upon waking up, appearing no different from before. With low expectations, he walked over and casually asked, "How did your mission go?"
Song Qing Shi raised his head and pointed in the direction of the Phoenix Temple.
In the clouds above, a divine messenger flew over, jubilantly announcing, "He's awake! The Phoenix God Monarch is awake!"
Overwhelmed with joy, the gods didn't hesitate; they summoned celestial chariots, spread their wings, or hopped onto magical instruments, and raced toward the Phoenix Temple.
The Heavenly Emperor, awash with a mix of shock and delight, asked Song Qing Shi, "You succeeded?"
Song Qing Shi nodded.
"How did you manage this? What did you do?" The Heavenly Emperor inquired urgently. He couldn't fathom how this emotionless being could awaken the Phoenix, who had a heart intricate as a puzzle. Bombarding him with questions and noticing his befuddlement, he finally remembered that Song Qing Shi couldn't speak. Simplifying his question, he gravely asked, "Could it be... luck?"
After pondering for a long while, Song Qing Shi nodded again.
"I knew you were a fortunate child," the Heavenly Emperor exclaimed, patting him on the head. He showered him with countless treasures and books—millions of volumes, encompassing the essence of various worlds and the divine realm's collection, including the World Book left by the Creator.
The Heavenly Emperor was truly a great person.
Receiving such a massive reward, Song Qing Shi's eyes lit up with happiness; the allure of those books was incredibly tempting.
He felt an urge to rush back home and devote decades to reading.
Seeing his joy, the Heavenly Emperor was also pleased. He ordered the divine messenger to deliver the rewards directly to the Cloud Courtyard, encouraging Song Qing Shi to rest well, be a good child, and not emulate General An Long's penchant for picking fights upon waking. "Once the Phoenix God Monarch has fully recovered and all the small worlds are restored, courtesy of the World Tree's revival, you should go and express your gratitude personally," said the Heavenly Emperor.
Such grace deserved the most lavish of thank-you gifts from the Phoenix...
After comforting Song Qing Shi, the Heavenly Emperor was about to board his celestial chariot to visit the Phoenix Temple. As he turned back and noticed Song Qing Shi's happy expression, something seemed off. "Since when did this stone exhibit emotions? What kind of luck did you acquire to awaken the Phoenix God Monarch?" he couldn't help but ask.
Song Qing Shi turned around and spoke:
"It was the luck acquired after one thousand, three hundred and fifty failures."
The Heavenly Emperor was stunned.
His crafted stone could talk now?
...
Song Qing Shi made his way around to the Phoenix Temple, intending to see Wu Huan, only to find the area outside the temple filled with gods and divine beings, layered three deep, bearing gifts of comfort. They formed a long queue, vying to visit the convalescent deity.
He had heard that the Phoenix God Monarch was the most beautiful and beloved of all gods in the three realms. All beings adored him, and numerous souls scrambled to become his companion, including other divine beings.
Today, Song Qing Shi finally witnessed the extent of Wu Huan's popularity...
There was no way for him to squeeze through.
While the gods had tried to greet or talk to Lord Qing Shi in the past, they never received a response, making the exchanges awkward. Now, upon seeing him, they glanced curiously a few times but soon refocused on the joyful news of the Phoenix God Monarch's awakening.
Song Qing Shi peered in from the outside for a while, listening to the heated discussions among the crowd:
"The God Monarch must have suffered greatly this time; he would likely seal his memories, wouldn't he?"
"If General An Long has sealed his, then he would probably do the same..."
"Such painful past experiences offer nothing worth cherishing; they must be sealed."
"Knowing how much he values purity and perfection..."
"..."
Song Qing Shi found merit in everyone's arguments. The corporeal forms in the small world were illusions, and their souls merely fragments. Now purified, the spiritual bonds between them had disappeared. Wu Huan could simply seal away his memories, and any lingering extremism or pathology would vanish. He would once more be the free and joyful phoenix soaring through the sky.
After much contemplation, Song Qing Shi decided not to rush into taking responsibility for Wu Huan, allowing him the space to choose freely.
Born in the primeval world, the phoenix had lived for eons. Time spent in the small world was but a grain of sand in the hourglass of his extensive life; it hardly mattered.
Song Qing Shi knew the depth of the agony and injustice Wu Huan had suffered. If Wu Huan wished to seal away those memories, that seemed like a good choice too.
In any case, his journey to the small world in search of the phoenix had been unilateral; he had never expected anything in return.
The phoenix's awakening was reward enough.
The objective had been achieved.
And so, Song Qing Shi happily returned home to read.
...
In his celestial courtyard, Song Qing Shi spent a long time reading by the window. When tired, he would gaze at the clouds outside.
The white clouds would morph into various shapes in the sky, providing endless entertainment. Yet, what he loved the most was the strand of golden-red twilight that appeared each evening.
Song Qing Shi couldn't recall when the phoenix first made its appearance.
Was it ten thousand years ago, perhaps?
Upon first sight, he stared in awe, unable to identify the creature but noting its strikingly vibrant colors. Later, he scoured through books and finally found apt descriptors: resplendent, magnificent, dazzling, richly colorful, a natural wonder.
Thereafter, the phoenix would glide past his window daily, occasionally filling the air with ethereal melodies.
The monochrome clouds were now adorned with a different hue.
Literature called this beauty.
Thus, Song Qing Shi faithfully sat by the window each day, awaiting the phoenix's arrival, captivated by the most stunning scenery and enraptured by the most melodious sound. Gradually, this ritual became a cornerstone of his life.
Then one day, the phoenix was nowhere to be found.
He sat alone by the window, gazing at the distant clouds, waiting for what seemed like an eternity.
Night turned into day, and day back into night...
He waited blankly for many days, but the phoenix did not appear.
The books in his hands lost their allure; he could not make sense of the words anymore.
Where had the phoenix gone?
Song Qing Shi promptly took pen and paper, jotting down his questions to give to the Heavenly Emperor's divine messenger who came to deliver books.
The messenger, who had a genial disposition and had interacted with him for years, informed him about the predicament of the phoenix.
Staring out the window, Song Qing Shi pondered deeply and decided to embark on a journey to bring the phoenix back.
The Heavenly Emperor warned him of the task's difficulty in many ways.
Yet, he was unconcerned.
He was like a stone, devoid of worldly emotions and rationale. He only wished for the return of the phoenix that soared beautifully and proudly in the skies outside his window. It was the most significant landscape in his life, worth any sacrifice—even if it shattered him into pieces.
...
In the small world, the first emotion he learned was crying.
He discovered that humans cry when they reach the pinnacle of pain. As he wept, he noted this essential realization in a notebook. Later, he came to understand anger, the impulse to strike when infuriated. Then he grasped longing, fear, shyness, embarrassment, humiliation, and joy.
Wu Huan said he liked him, commenting that his smile was beautiful.
Ultimately, he understood what liking and smiling meant.
He loved books, education, research, medicine, solving problems, and watching clouds.
What he loved most was Wu Huan.
With each cycle of reincarnation, his affection for the phoenix grew more steadfast.
He was determined to bring the phoenix back.
...
"Wu Huan?" Song Qing Shi snapped out of his reverie, wanting to share an amusing thought that had just occurred to him with Yue Wu Huan. Yet he found that he was no longer in the small world. Yue Wu Huan was no longer by his side, and perhaps the phoenix had been absent from his window for a long time.
Where had the phoenix gone?
Holding a book, Song Qing Shi was lost in thought for a long while before he suddenly burst into tears.
So this was loneliness.
It turned out that he didn't like solitude, nor boredom, nor watching clouds alone. What he cherished most was not the beauty of the phoenix but its daily companionship as it flew past his window, making him feel less alone.
In a room stacked with books, an icy, deathlike silence prevailed.
Assured that no one was watching and he had no reason for shame, Song Qing Shi laid his head on the table and cried until he was almost out of breath.
He decided that once he had finished crying, he would diligently work through ten thousand scrolls and cast his sorrow to the back of his mind.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Was the divine messenger still delivering books?
Hastily wiping his tears with his sleeve, Song Qing Shi went to answer the door.
The gentle rays of the setting sun streamed in. The Phoenix Deity had already folded its radiant wings and, draped in golden-red twilight, stood at the doorway. Softly, it smiled, "I've grown tired from flying in the heavens. May I rest in your room?"
Its beautiful eyes were filled with anticipation.
Stunned for a moment, Song Qing Shi hurriedly ushered the Phoenix Deity inside, bringing forth cakes and spiritual tea to place before him.
The Deity watched his movements and chuckled, "You've always been like this. Anything I enjoy, you provide."
Song Qing Shi nodded in affirmation, "Yes, I will give you anything..."
He suddenly realized that the Phoenix Deity was referring to their time in the small world.
"The Heavenly Emperor asked me to thank you profusely, but there's nothing in the entire Phoenix Temple worthy enough as a gift for you. I couldn't think of what to offer," said the Phoenix Deity softly, wiping away the lingering tear stains from his eyes and adjusting his disheveled hair. Carefully, he asked, "So, I would like to offer myself to you. Would that be acceptable?"
The gift was rather grand, but he liked it very much.
Song Qing Shi gladly accepted, "Thank you, this is the most beautiful gift I've ever received in my life."
Whether the Phoenix Deity chose to seal its memories was good, but choosing not to was even better.
Since the Phoenix Deity had chosen him, he would take his responsibilities seriously.
Song Qing Shi dug deep within himself and vowed to be an attentive and doting partner, committed to spoiling his Dao companion to the core.
The Phoenix Deity chuckled and asked, "And how do you plan to spoil me?"
A man of action, Song Qing Shi immediately unwrapped the gift package and set to work on various tasks. He utilized all the skills he had learned in the small world. Confident about this 'exam,' he felt that now, being back in the divine realm, his body could handle anything; he wouldn't need to hold back.
Eventually, the room was filled with Blood King Vines, and the atmosphere was punctuated by a symphony of discordant gasps and sobs.
"Wu Huan, I love you."
"Mmm, I know."
"Oh, Wu Huan, I really love you."
"..."
Afterwards, the Phoenix Deity contentedly held Song Qing Shi in his arms, listening to his heartbeat as if he could never get enough. After contemplating for a while, Song Qing Shi finally voiced a question that had been haunting him:
"Wu Huan, there's something I don't understand."
"Hmm?"
"Why did you pass by my window every day?"
"There are millions of paths to the Phoenix Temple, yet I choose this one every day. Can you guess why?"
"Because you like me?"
"I've been waiting for a rock to grow a heart for a very long time."
"Wu Huan, my heart was born for you. It's yours."
"Thank you, this is also the most beautiful gift I've ever received in my life."