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墨書 Inktalez
Yin Yang Demon Suppression
Old Ma woke up, sitting on the ground with a blank expression, his mind filled with the regrets in her eyes. He never resented himself until death; he only regretted not being able to see her one last time, not being able to accompany her until the end.
Old Ma was fortunate, fortunate to have met a girl who loved him so deeply in his lifetime. He was also unfortunate, having gained something only to lose it, experiencing the greatest pain in the world.
Buddha said: Life has eight sufferings: birth, aging, illness, death, love and separation, resentment and long-lasting pain, unfulfilled desires, and inability to let go.
For Old Ma, nothing else mattered. He lost both parents at a young age, and his only grandfather passed away when he was eight after raising him. He had to fend for himself, lived as a thug, and by chance met a Yin Yang Master and learned some rudimentary Yin-Yang Techniques. He had endured all kinds of suffering; he could bear any hardship. The only thing he could not bear was the death of his beloved, separated by the realms of yin and yang.
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Watching his strict father beat Stone with a broomstick while he cried loudly, Joan shook his head with a bitter smile and instinctively touched his own backside, which seemed to ache slightly.
Uncle Li kept persuading his father to let go, saying that teaching the child a lesson was enough and that he shouldn't hit him so hard or he might get hurt.
His mother remained silent, only covering her face and crying, feeling heartbroken for her son but knowing she couldn't let him go astray.
After a while, when the broomstick had broken into pieces from the beating, his father finally stopped. Stone's backside was covered in red and purple bruises.
His father repeatedly apologized to Uncle Li and offered some of their limited money as compensation, but Uncle Li refused to accept it. However, his father insisted on giving it to him, and in the end, Uncle Li took the money. But Joan remembered that in the days that followed, Uncle Li always brought him some of his favorite snacks; he must have been trying to return the money in this way. There were times when he felt hungry and even wanted to get beaten again just so he could have more delicious food afterward. However, remembering the dull ache in his backside made him abandon that thought.
Uncle Li left, and his mother cried as she applied medicine to herself. She told him to be diligent and obedient and not to cause trouble. At that time, he simply agreed but didn't really listen.
Joan glanced at his mother applying medicine before stepping outside. He saw his father sitting alone under the old locust tree in the yard smoking a pipe.
As he approached, he noticed how sad his father's expression was. Tears slid down his weathered face as he hurriedly wiped them away with his rough hand. He felt heartbroken. No one knew how much he loved his child; how could he bear to hit him when all he wanted was to protect him? But for the sake of his child, he had no choice but to act as a strict father; he didn't want his child to go astray.
Joan fell silent; in his memories, his father had never shed a tear. No matter how difficult things got, his father always wore a resolute expression. But now he was crying because he had struck his own child. The saying goes that when parents hit their children, the pain is felt in their own hearts—this saying held true.
Time passed slowly as Joan continued living with them. Remembering the beautiful moments from the past, even though he realized that this place was an illusion by now, he still did not want to wake up.
Thus, Joan lived here for two years. During these two years, whenever he followed his younger self around or sat quietly beside his parents, it seemed like he had grown accustomed to this life.
However, it eventually came to an end. He remembered that day when he fell into hell completely. That day he had gone alone up the mountain to pick wild fruits; getting lost as night fell meant spending a night alone in fear on the mountain. It wasn't until dawn that he returned home. But when he got home, everyone had died.
The father shielded the mother with his body, wanting to protect her. The fear in his eyes revealed the horrors they had experienced. He remembered that time; he remained silent for a long while. Yet, he did not scream or shout, simply walked over quietly and fell asleep in his father's embrace. He slept peacefully, as if his father were still alive...
The villagers were all dead...
It wasn't until a week later that Uncle Li's son returned from working in another town and reported it to the police. The officers were stunned by the tragic state of the village.
They searched the home of Shi Tou and discovered that he was still alive.
"Captain, there's a survivor here!" A young police officer shouted, and Shi Tou was saved.
All of this was witnessed by Joan from a distance. Unlike Old Ma, who cried and screamed, he remained calm, as if watching a movie that had nothing to do with him.
"What a poor child..." The gray-haired Old Captain sighed as he gently stroked Shi Tou, who was sleeping peacefully in his father's arms. With his experience, he could tell that Shi Tou had crawled into his father's embrace after his parents had died.
He didn't want to leave them. However, their bodies had already begun to decay and smelled foul. They could not come back to life.
Shi Tou was taken away for treatment. After the doctor's efforts and a period of hospitalization, his physical condition improved, but how could the pain in his heart be healed?
He was adopted by Old Captain, who had lost his wife early and had no children. He treated Shi Tou as his own child and even spoiled him more.
Gradually, Shi Tou became cheerful, appearing like an ordinary child. But who could notice that beneath his bright smile lay a deep-seated hatred?
Watching those past scenes, Joan remained calm, just like when Chuyi did not cry or make a fuss. He knew he still had things to do.
"This boring illusion should come to an end..."
Leaving the illusion behind, he felt a whirlwind spin around him as his vision gradually cleared from blur to clarity. Before him sat the Young Emperor on the dragon throne, smiling at him. The resurrected Nie Jin also looked at him with a changed expression.
Joan showed no surprise or shock at Nie Jin's death and resurrection. It wasn't that he already knew; rather, he simply didn't care anymore. If he hadn't died, then so be it; what did it have to do with him?
"You really surprised me!" The Young Emperor looked at him with admiration.
Joan calmly glanced at him without saying a word. He looked at Old Ma's vacant eyes and then at Ye Mingshang and Dunkong, who were still trapped in the illusion. He quietly sat down against a pillar and watched them silently.
Before long, Dunkong also woke up. His expression still bore a look of compassion, and there was an ethereal charm about him, as if he had attained enlightenment.
He too had experienced the joys and pains of life, but like before, he chose to inherit his master's will. His original intention had never changed; it had been ingrained in him since he ascended the mountain with his master.
Three individuals, three different attitudes: collapse, calmness, and enlightenment.
Now only Ye Mingshang had yet to awaken, and no one knew what he had seen. After darkness comes dawn, or is it endless darkness? No one could answer; it all depended on the choices you make.
Soon after, Ye Mingshang also woke up. At first glance, his expression seemed unchanged, but like Dunkong, his aura had shifted; it became profound and mysterious.
"I am curious, what did you see?" Young Emperor asked with a smile, his gaze fixed intently on Ye Mingshang. He was eager to know what the only variable in this Illusion had witnessed.
"What I saw is not important; what matters is whether you want to see it," Ye Mingshang replied after waking up, his words surprisingly profound. This change caught everyone's attention, including Old Ma, who had already collapsed.
"You seem a bit different now," Young Emperor chuckled lightly.
"I see you differently as well," Ye Mingshang's gaze shifted; there was no disdain or contempt, but rather a lofty perspective as if he were a deity overlooking all beings.
"I dislike your gaze," Young Emperor narrowed his eyes, his expression turning cold. In his view, only he was qualified to look down upon others; no one else could dare to do so, especially not at him.
"Chen Huaisheng," Ye Mingshang spoke plainly.
"You recognize me?!" Young Emperor exclaimed in surprise.
"The son of Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjian and the Chen Clan. After the Qing Army entered the pass, he lived in seclusion in the Central Plains with his mother from the Chen Clan and took her surname. Later founded the Earth Society and initiated actions to restore the Ming Dynasty against the Qing. With the help of General Nie Jin from the previous dynasty, he once seized a territory and reached a stalemate with the Qing government but mysteriously disappeared years later. Leaving the Earth Society leaderless, it was then helmed by his mother from the Chen Clan."
"What did you see? How do you know this?!" Chen Huaisheng squinted his eyes, cold radiance unmistakably emanating from him along with killing intent.
"I saw what I could see," Ye Mingshang replied enigmatically.
"That's good enough, but I don't care about that. What I care about is you—are you willing to follow me?" Chen Huaisheng smiled. "Are you all willing to follow me? You must have seen my power; I can help you reclaim your regrets. Reclaim those you've lost."
A heavy bombshell was dropped. Old Ma suddenly lifted his head, fervor evident in his eyes. Joan's calm face also showed some emotion but quickly suppressed it.
Dunkong and Ye Mingshang remained calm, unfazed.
"Don't you feel any regret? Lovers, friends, parents... they have left you, never to return, never to be seen again. I have the power to let you meet them."
Old Ma's breathing became rapid, ready to agree. A hand pressed down on his shoulder.
Joan said nothing, gripping Old Ma's shoulder and leading him to the terrace outside the palace.
"Look!" The two stood by the railing, Joan pointing at the village they had come from.
"Do you see? The villagers' faces, don't you find them familiar? How our loved ones left us. Do you remember?" Joan glanced at Old Ma. "Look at these villagers, think about those Wandering Souls under the willow tree. Are you sure you want to believe such a person?"
"I... I want to see her~" Old Ma's voice trembled.
"What he shows you is just an illusion. Would you rather indulge in fantasies than face reality?"
"I'm in so much pain~" Old Ma clutched his head.
"I don't know what you've seen, but I can guess that you've lost someone important, because I have too, haven't I?"
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