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Chapter 121: The Heart of Loyalty and Treachery
Zhong Po stomped his cane on the ground, and I immediately felt a chill from the hook blade that had been entangled around my feet, a wave of cold penetrating to my bones. Then, everything went dark, and I could not see, as if I were fainting.
This inability to see lasted for about a minute, during which I heard Cao Qilong's screams. As my vision gradually returned, I looked down at my feet and saw that the hook blade that had been entangled around them was gone, yet my feet were still there.
I felt a surge of joy in my heart, thinking that I had not guessed wrong; Zhong Po was indeed testing our hearts. I then looked at Cao Qilong, who was frowning with a pained expression. His feet were also intact, but he remained trapped in an illusion of pain and fear.
I hurried over to pat his face to wake him up and told him that his feet were still there and that everything was Zhong Po's intention.
Upon hearing this, Cao Qilong looked down at his unharmed feet and was instantly filled with mixed emotions, excited as if he had come back to life. He shouted, "Junior Brother, our feet are still here! We really still have our feet!"
Seeing him so excited made me smile as well; indeed, it had been too dangerous just now.
At this moment, Cao Qilong asked me, "Didn’t Zhong Po want to use the hook blade to trip us? How come our feet are still here? Did she change her mind?"
I replied with a smug smile, "Zhong Po was testing our hearts just now. The bond of brotherhood is based on loyalty. If I hadn't agreed to take punishment for you, and you hadn't agreed to accompany me in taking punishment, then we would have truly faced the hook blade today."
Cao Qilong looked puzzled and urged me to explain it clearly. Seeing how confused he was, I shared my thoughts with him.
In fact, when Zhong Po said she could let me take the punishment of being tripped by the hook blade for Cao Qilong, I already sensed something was off about her. You see, Zhong Po is known for distinguishing between loyalty and treachery; she would never harm good and loyal people. Since I believed I had not committed any evil deeds, how could she possibly harm me? And as for Cao Qilong, I had always trusted that he could not be a treacherous person. Therefore, when Zhong Po deliberately put us in such a predicament, I felt there must be a purpose behind it.
Since both of us are loyal individuals, why would Zhong Po still want to make things difficult for us? After some thought, I realized that it was because of the bond between brothers that she was testing us. She came to discern loyalty and treachery on the road to the underworld; in order to pass through it, we needed to prove ourselves as honest and good people.
At this point, I finally understood that Zhong Po was indeed testing our hearts. To put it simply, she was probing into human nature because Cao Qilong and I are sworn brothers; the essence of brotherhood is loyalty. Although Cao Qilong is clearly a good person, Zhong Po insisted he was treacherous and wanted me to abandon him. To save him would require sacrificing my own life—this was her way of testing my character and my loyalty towards Cao Qilong.
It is known that moments between life and death can reveal true human nature; if one's loyalty towards their brother is not strong enough at such times, they would surely abandon their brother for their own sake. If that were the case, it would be dangerous; we might not escape the punishment of being tripped by the hook blade today.
Of course, my determination to take punishment for Cao Qilong stemmed largely from my understanding of him. Last time in front of the Black and White Impermanence, he willingly stood in front of me to take punishment on my behalf. This time when I took punishment for him, he certainly wouldn’t abandon me either. Sure enough, he agreed to accompany me in taking punishment as well; I truly breathed a sigh of relief. If he hadn’t agreed to accompany me this time, he wouldn’t have been able to stand on solid ground anymore.
Cao Qilong exclaimed how fortunate he was upon hearing my words. He then said, "Since Zhong Po has recognized us as honest and kind people, she hasn't used the hook knife to trip us. But why do I still feel as if I've truly been tripped by a hook knife, with pain piercing my heart?"
Seeing his dazed expression and recalling the look of pain and fear on his face when he had his eyes closed earlier, I couldn't help but be amused. I said, "Isn't this your own fault for lacking virtue? As the saying goes, it's not about making mistakes but about speaking carelessly. Those who gossip and speak too much harm their own moral standing more than those who commit crimes. You cursed Zhong Po earlier, so naturally, she had to teach you a lesson. You brought this upon yourself; you can't blame anyone else."
Upon hearing this, Cao Qilong was taken aback, scratching his head and chuckling foolishly, muttering, "It seems I was a bit too harsh in my cursing earlier, heh heh..."
"That wasn't just harsh cursing; it turned into a full-blown tirade that made Zhong Po so angry she nearly jumped!" I rolled my eyes.
Cao Qilong chuckled and suddenly said, "I say, junior brother, if you hadn't realized that Zhong Po was questioning our conscience, would you still be willing to take the punishment for me?"
I rolled my eyes again and replied, "The hook knife punishment has already passed; doesn't that prove my loyalty?"
Cao Qilong broke into a silly grin and said, "Junior brother, you are my only family in this world!"
Hearing his lukewarm statement touched me because I believed he meant it sincerely. I patted his shoulder, wanting to say something but unable to find the words. Instead, I said, "Let's go; stop talking like a sentimental woman; it's giving me goosebumps."
After saying that, we continued walking forward. At that moment, we saw Zhong Po ahead of us walking slowly with her back hunched. Wherever she passed, Wandering Souls would suddenly scream in agony before collapsing on the ground rolling around. If you looked closely, you'd notice that those Wandering Souls had lost their legs...
Watching those Wandering Souls who had committed great evils in life being tripped by the hook knife and rolling on the ground in agony was truly heartbreaking. The pain, reluctance, resentment, despair, desolation, helplessness, and endless regret...
Indeed, whether it was those Wandering Souls who had lost their legs or those who were moving normally, they all wore expressions of unwillingness and regret. The unwillingness stemmed from not wanting to leave the world so easily, while the regret came from not appreciating what they had in life—perhaps family ties or love—until they arrived at the Underworld and realized how fleeting life is. Some people and things they would never have the chance to possess again.
Those Wandering Souls who had lost their legs due to the hook knife felt even more regret for their past actions. In life, they may have committed heinous acts for money or power or for personal gain. Now they were suffering from the pain of being tripped by the hook knife. They regretted it deeply; however much they regretted it was too late. All they had left was endless despair and helplessness. How could one know about the world after death during their few decades of life?
Before long, we caught up with Zhong Po. Because she walked slowly, she was harvesting the legs of those who had committed great evils along the way. Upon seeing us, she smiled slightly. I hurriedly bowed in gratitude for her mercy.
Zhong Po smiled back and simply said, "The hook knife distinguishes Loyalty and Treachery; it's not that I show mercy but that you hold loyalty in your hearts."
Indeed, Zhong Po has guarded the road to the Underworld for thousands of years, encountering countless Wandering Souls along the way. She doesn't need to show compassion to anyone; we were able to escape the punishment of the hook knife because we still held loyalty in our hearts.
At this moment, Zhong Po suddenly asked, "Aren't you all going back to Yang soon?"
I nodded and asked Zhong Po if she had any instructions.
Meanwhile, Cao Qilong muttered softly, "If not going back to Yang, are we supposed to accompany you on the Yellow Springs Road... play with you?"
Although his voice was low, Zhong Po heard him. She chuckled and said, "You young man, so you're still angry with me. I just made you suffer a bit to help you understand the consequences of your unkind words. If you don't change your ways, when you really descend to the Underworld in the future, you might suffer the pain of having your tongue pulled out."
Upon hearing this, Cao Qilong was startled again. He chuckled and quickly shut his crow's mouth.
At this point, Zhong Po looked at me and said, "I have a descendant who is truly honest and kind-hearted. Recently he has encountered great disaster, and I would like to ask you to help him after you go out. Is that possible?"
Hearing that Zhong Po wanted us to help, I naturally couldn't refuse. I immediately asked her how we could assist.
Zhong Po told us, "My descendant is named Liu Xi. He will find you when the time comes. You just need to tell him to stay at a place called Hu Qing."
This left us a bit confused. Zhong Po smiled and said, "Hu Qing is the descendant of my enemy, Hu Yuanwai, who caused my demise. I want Hu Yuanwai to repay my descendant Liu Xi. When the time comes, you will meet them; just remember what I said and tell Liu Xi to stay at Hu Qing's house."
Although I was still dizzy from what Zhong Po said and didn't understand her meaning fully, since she mentioned that this person would naturally find me later, I assumed she had her own arrangements. So I didn't ask further and directly agreed to this matter.
After bidding farewell to Zhong Po, we continued forward. Soon, a bridge appeared before us; I thought that must be the Naihe Bridge!
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