funbook-pk Chapter 1581 - 810: The Key to the Maze—The Shift Between Being and Nonbeing (Part 2)
Chapter 1581 - 810: The Key to the Maze—The Shift Between Being and Nonbeing (Part 2)
"And you, stubborn with existence, yet puzzled by non-existence."
In those murky eyes gleamed a penetrating light which overlooked everything, reflecting Ji Jue's face, just like a craftsman delivering a decisive judgment on a creation before them, telling him firmly:
"What you fear and what you pursue have always been entwined.
If you cannot grasp all that is yours, you will be anxious and lost, unable to find peace throughout the day. If you cannot truly understand your own fears and realize your own non-existence, you cannot be complete, and the direction you pursue cannot be wholesome.
Yet, Ji Jue, as you are now made by material possessions, when you truly lose everything and have nothing left, what remains then?"
Ji Jue remained silent, bowing his head.
Speechless, with no words to utter.
After a long while, he sighed self-deprecatingly: "It always feels like I am quite the troublesome fellow..."
Carrion Eater shook his head, saying calmly: "It's not troublesome; trouble is self-inflicted. If you can let go and see clearly, it naturally won't be a trouble."
Ji Jue lifted his head, solemnly pleading: "Grandmaster, can't you guide me through my confusion?"
"The existence of a Carrion Eater, the non-existence of a Carrion Eater, how could they be your existence or non-existence?" the old lady retorted, "This is your own issue; you need to see it clearly and find the answers yourself."
Ji Jue fell into silence once more, after a long time, he sighed, asking, "What if I can't see clearly or think it through?"
"Then it doesn't matter."
Carrion Eater's words left Ji Jue stunned on the spot, incredulous.
"So what?"
Carrion Eater sipped her tea with ease: "Must every problem be solved? Letting it be is also a way. Is your trouble just this one?
Besides, I never said it must be this way."
"Ah?"
Ji Jue stood dazed, wanting to speak but pausing.
"Seeing clearly doesn't matter; these days, who can see clearly? Even the Heavenly Furnace has things it can't see clearly or understand."
The old lady laughed: "If you truly manage to understand everything, you might as well pursue Ascension. If you can disregard everything and care for nothing with a heart of stone, wouldn't the Ruins Path be broader?"
She paused, looked at Ji Jue, and laughed softly.
Not just pity and sympathy, but also a form of appreciation Ji Jue couldn't comprehend, perhaps even a hint of... recognition?
"You see, so-called craftspeople are such awkward and pitiful things. Wandering between spirit and substance, yet unable to find a resting place on either side.
Chasing after change with self-assurance, yet like a boat against the current, to advance means not to retreat. Solve one problem, and there are more problems; deal with one trouble, and there will still be more troubles.
Until there is nowhere to advance or nowhere to retreat."
Watching Ji Jue's bewildered expression, Carrion Eater's smile grew ever more pleased. She reached out, like an elder, and lightly tapped his head.
"So, don't force yourself to change, nor fear and reject; Ji Jue, regardless of existence or non-existence, these are your ingrained instincts, the key to your existence.
Also, these are the questions you'll face for a lifetime, the answers you'll search for a lifetime."
She said, "I guarantee that no matter the final outcome, whether the questions have answers, you will certainly achieve where your expectations lie."
Ji Jue remained silent.
Looking at her.
The pair of old eyes still warm and gentle, like an old man reminding a youngster, a senior promising a junior, a teacher acknowledging and anticipating the seeker.
Thus, Ji Jue lowered his head deeply.
Unable to speak further.
Subsequently, Carrion Eater no longer talked about craftsman topics, instead, she chatted as though at an afternoon tea party about other things.
Though seemingly old, the old lady's mindset was youthful to a fault, even showing keen interest in the newest off-road vehicles launched by Coastal Industry, matter-of-factly asking him to discreetly bring her one, assuring nobody would know.
She planned on taking a couple of leisurely spins when free.
Only when the bell rang did Ji Jue realize, unknowingly he had been lying on the recliner on the other side, utterly relaxed, holding an unfinished tea snack.
"Young people from the Association always make a fuss; I'm at least a Grandmaster, not weak and fragile, talking to a person won't tire me out."
Carrion Eater stood up, sending Ji Jue to the door, still offering advice and reminders: "Don't rush; the Realm of Transcendence, take it slow.
At this stage with Water Mill Skill, it is not a trouble at all; short as a week, long as a month, it should achieve fruition."
"Understood, understood."
Ji Jue nodded repeatedly, still holding two bags of homemade tea snacks by the Grandmaster, which he dared not refuse as the Grandmaster insisted on giving them.
As he walked out, Jiang Tongguang took a box unceremoniously for pairing with wine.
"How was the harvest?"
"Quite a bit of trouble, many issues." Ji Jue thought a while, exclaiming, "But overall, I feel much stabilized, much more grounded."
He paused and looked at Jiang Tongguang, his newly changed outfit, and subtly the smell of blood: "Have you been busy?"
"Just took the stage for a round, warmed up." Jiang Tongguang smiled gently, his smile growing increasingly bright, outside the window, cheers and shouts from Tianshu could be heard.
The old captain, stained with blood, dragged his sharp harpoon in hand, walking slowly back.
In the distant rumbling, the Pillar of Descent shook again, visibly shorter!
Just like a retreating iceberg.
Yet, the ever-sharpening outline always brought Ji Jue a sense of unease, as if something was brewing silently.