Outside the City of Rebirth, lights burned eternally. In this world filled with ugliness, wars, ignorance, and greed, there must be light, no matter how insignificant – in this age of rumors and misinformation, most people believed the irresponsible media reports, convincing themselves that Qinchuan was a heinous scumbag as Luo Zishang had revealed. Yet, amidst this one-sided narrative, a small voice still believed that their Death God, their Changsheng Temple, could not be such a bad person.
What does it feel like when years of faith crumble overnight? Luo Zishang’s deep-water bomb left countless fans of Qinchuan devastated. In this mundane world, the blind are many, the awake are few, and these few believers held onto the faint light in the darkness. Even as the world’s tribulations and fires scorched their brows, they did not fall.
To await Changsheng Temple’s return, they formed a guild named “Changsheng Sect,” dressed in black robes with hoods, holding torches, declaring themselves followers.
Outside the City of Rebirth, three thousand members of the Changsheng Sect stood with torches, solemn and desolate, hoping the winds of the vast wilderness would remember their cries and waits under the city’s immense shadow. Our City Lord, you will return one day, and the City of Rebirth exists because of you. Without you, it’s not the human world. Whether you are a god or a demon, we know this land is beautiful because of your steadfastness! Changsheng Temple! If you ascend to godhood! We will be the eternal light before your throne! Undying for a thousand years! If you are destined for hell! Then let us fall with you into the eternal cycle! Never to recover! After ten thousand years! It will be another human world! The Lord of the East stood atop the mountain, quietly observing everything. Beyond the faint lights, more people revealed their greed, with the Northern Church, no longer restrained by Luo Zishang, and the Southern Army, once guarded by the Red Medicine Hall, now setting up camps hundreds of miles from the City of Rebirth, advancing like caterpillars.
The three thousand members of the Changsheng Sect vowed to protect the city, but they were too few, and their strength would eventually be exhausted, leading to a breakthrough.
In the city of Wusheng without its lord, everyone wants to have a share of the pie. The underground world protected by the Longevity Hall has been the coveted wealth of many. Now, the day has finally come, the day when the damned guardian finally leaves. The emerald flute returns to the fingertips of Wang Shenmu. He smirks into the distance, perhaps those blinded by wealth have forgotten that even without the lord of Wusheng guarding it, there is still him, Wang Shenmu, the Lord of the East. If Wusheng were truly to fall, he would not hesitate to cleanse the world with his summoning spells. However, he knew that from the day the flute was sent back, someone, like the Longevity Hall, would never appear again—not even waiting for a word of forgiveness.
The wind from the mountaintop brings songs from billions of years ago. Su Yao sat beside Wang Shenmu, watching his screen. She whispered, “He won’t come back.”
Wang Shenmu remained silent, unsure if Su Yao was referring to Qin Chuan or Gu Chaoyan. These two, as if they had evaporated from the human world, along with the Hong Yao Tang. Su Yao often watched Wang Shenmu wander in the game, but she herself had no desire to touch it anymore. Even when classmate Ah Cao defeated the Grass Mud Horse to obtain the divine artifact, she had no heart to congratulate. Qin Chuan, are you, like before, silently starting anew, hiding in an unknown world? All those loves and hates, in the end, were but a dream, yet this was the best outcome, wasn’t it? It’s not that there was no love, but too much love; because they cared too much, they chose to leave.
Su Yao understood that if she were in Qin Chuan’s shoes, even knowing she was misunderstood and wronged, faced with a world she couldn’t change alone, she would choose to hide quietly, waiting for the day when time’s winds would heal the wounds, even if that day might come in the next life or the one after. She would go to a place unknown, live a life under an unknown identity; for only in this way could she avoid implicating those she cared about most. All the storms and pains of the human world, all the hatred and vengeance, all the disgrace and ruin, let her bear it all.
The only thing she could do was to pray from the bottom of the storm, in a life perhaps without sunlight, that the remaining warmth of the human world could shine upon the one she loved, hoping for their peace and happiness. This is love.
Wang Shenmu used to be a regular here, and conveniently, Su Yao’s new job as a secretary was nearby, so the two often came here to sit by the window. This lifestyle seemed to have lasted for over a month. Days without Qin Chuan seemed to pass so quickly. Brief memories replayed in slow motion countless times in dreams, but the passage of time proved he was gone, not here, not coming back.
Perhaps she didn’t want to complain to Wang Shenmu, maybe just sitting quietly was enough. Wang Shenmu seemed to understand nothing, yet also seemed to understand everything. After listening to her past with Qin Chuan, Wang Shenmu simply said, “Perhaps there’s no purer love in the world than yours.” Su Yao smiled; she knew he had seen too many worldly couples driven by greed.
However, good people don’t always get good outcomes, while those greedy couples seem to live happily. Holding her teacup and looking out at the street, where couples embrace and children run joyfully with their parents, she said, “Actually, there are still many beautiful loves in the world, don’t you…?” “What love? I don’t believe in such intangible things,” Wang Shenmu interrupted, his fingers tapping on the table. “You don’t have to deny it so firmly; I don’t believe it.” Su Yao smiled earnestly, “The creator of this world, who has made countless people cry with game plots, you say you have no emotions?” “Games and reality are different.” “How so? Are the emotions in games not real? There are no swordsmen in the world anymore. Your written plot has inspired countless fanfictions and animations online.” “Then you—” Wang Shenmu, at a loss for words, pushed his computer away with a cold smile, “Do you know why there are no swordsmen in the world?” Su Yao blinked, “I don’t know.” Indeed, she didn’t know; from the start of the game, she had been killing monsters, neglecting the game’s quests and storylines. She thought it was more satisfying to kill monsters than to flirt with NPCs.
Later, seeing players cry over the “No Swordsmen in the World” plot on forums, she was already at the max level, and then she was busy managing state affairs for Xia Country, with no time for quests. Over time, she realized that in the game, she was playing others, while others were playing the game.
Wang Shenmu, you cunning genius.
“So, I suggest you take care of yourself first.” Wang Shenmu moved back to his computer. “You really don’t plan to look for your Qin Chuan?” “No.” “Why?” “Because it’s what he wants.” Su Yao finished her last sip of tea. The tea was bitter, but she felt nothing. She just said softly, “Anyway, having had that time with him, I am already content. This is good, he will always be vivid in my memory. True happiness, if you’re willing, a day is a lifetime, whereas many people love for a lifetime, yet don’t know what they love.” “No wonder the world is full of sorrow.”