Chapter 1126: Eternal Parting
“Find an answer?” Li Qiye bitterly smiled: “You entered the Buddhist doctrine because you were finding an answer? That, that really isn’t like you.”
Qian Suyun looked at Li Qiye. Her eyes were extremely clear with a childlike innocence, showing off her peerless charm.
She said: “I know what you are thinking. I have never doubted you. Even now, I believe in your determination and abilities. No, I believe in everything about you.”
“But you still didn’t come to me.” He spoke earnestly: “I don’t know what condition you were in before coming to the plateau. Whether it was a sense of loss or confusion or something else, it doesn’t matter. If you are willing or if you think that you are forced, that there exists something beyond your own will, I can take you away right now even if this place is the plateau.”
His eyes became incomparably profound and sharp to the point of being quite frightening. Anyone would be moved by this glare. He could massacre everything through any means necessary.
“I believe your words and your ability to carry it out.” Qian Suyun nodded seriously: “Just like back then, even in the middle of the mighty army while being chased by emperors and deities, you were still able to take me away from peril. You have always been able to keep your word.”
“But my decision to adopt Buddhism does not have much to do with the plateau itself. They neither converted nor tempted me. I might be a weak woman, but you should know that nothing can convert or make me give in. There is no power that can invade my mind.” With that, her clear eyes seemed to be able to illuminate the entire world. Everything was put to shame by her innocent and limpid gaze.
She continued on freely: “I joined the plateau because it is connected to me. It shares my same beliefs, so I chose to stay here to cultivate and become a Buddhist Lord.”
The current Qian Suyun was incredible, but in the past, she was a little girl that looked just like a frail elf. Despite her seemingly fragile appearance, her heart had an extremely powerful ability while she had an incomparable mental fortitude!
Li Qiye paused for a bit before speaking: “You should know that the Buddhist Funeral Plateau will still not be able to avoid the inevitable fate. In the end, it will still require a baptism of blood.”
Qian Suyun was as calm as the water at the base of a well: “I know. No one will be able to escape the eventual fate. If they want an answer, they must pay with blood.”
She glanced at him in a serious yet innocent manner: “I know that you require an answer as well, but the answer you seek is completely different from mine. All I want to know is who listens to the prayers of all sentient beings.”
“Right, an answer...” Li Qiye smiled wryly after hearing her response. He sat down right on the ground and gently sighed: “Since time immemorial, the rarest thing is to have a pure heart. After so many years, you are still the same. You’re still you without any changes.”
“The same goes for you.” She replied: “After millions of years, your heart is still the same. Your determination has never been shaken, even during the dark era, even during the rainy storms. You have never doubted or wavered before.”
He sighed again, allowing the silence to return. After so many long years, it would be difficult to find someone who understood you. Eventually, he smiled and continued: “We both want an answer. You wish to find an answer for all sentient beings while I want to search for it for myself, just because I need to know.”
“No, in my mind, no one is more remarkable than you.” She calmly added: “Who would dare to say that you are selfish? Throughout history, you have been guarding the nine worlds the whole time. Even in that other place, you were working for the human race, to open up a place for them to live.”
“I don’t think that I am that great at all.” Li Qiye freely smiled: “I have never been a savior or a guardian of the human race. Even though I destroyed the Ancient Ming, even though I made the gods bleed in that sky, I can only say that I did it for my own sake. My hands are stained with their blood and also the blood of the human race.”
“This is your courage. You will not compromise your own ideals or show mercy just because they are of the same race.” Her innocent eyes flashed brightly: “You are you, you will never make compromises or falter. The human race and the nine worlds are not enough to earn your mercy. This is a type of perseverance. You were able to make it this far and earn this glory because of your rigidity. This is why the nine worlds still exist while the human race brought about the extremely prosperous Emperors Era.”
“If you put it like that, it seems like I don’t have anything to worry about.” Li Qiye laughed out loud: “For as long as I can remember, I never cared about what others said, but if Su’er says so, there’s no reason for me to not keep on going.”
She looked at him deeply and said: “No matter the time, I will always see you as a source of pride. You are the one true to your heart, only you will be able to trample all things, whether as the protector or the butcher. In this, I lack your courage.”
“Even when you kill to the end of the world and cause rivers of blood to flow and regardless of how people curse you for an eternity, scold you as the evil hand or the devil, you still keep walking forward. Blood was not a reason for mercy, criticism was never a reason to waver! You will always be you!” Even her calm eyes were slightly shaken at this moment.
Li Qiye stayed silent for a long time. Many things still couldn’t be let go. Just like in the past when they fought together and faced the same perils. They held hands to surpass the arduous and difficult periods — this past made them unable to truly feel indifferent towards each other.
Eventually, he lifted his head to look at her: “I’m satisfied to hear you say this. Whether I’m the dark hand behind the curtains or the guardian of the nine worlds, none of it matters.”
She revealed a faint smile. Despite her lack of supreme features, her smile was extremely pretty; it was peaceful like a lotus blooming in the snow. This was a gentle beauty that softened the hearts of others.
“No matter how vast this world is or if the reincarnation cycle truly exists, I will always be proud of you.” Her words engraved themselves into his heart.
He eventually sighed and said: “Regardless of how much time passes and the eventual end, I will still be the same.”
She commented: “You and I are like that, not even time can erase us.”
The two of them gazed at each other before smiling together.
They immersed themselves in tranquility at this moment. Everything else became insignificant as time seemed to stop.
Qian Suyun eventually broke the silence: “Let me touch you.”
Li Qiye stood up and inched closer towards her. She gently reached out with her fair hand and caressed his face.
After a while, he gripped her slender hand tightly while staring at her radiant eyes. She met his gaze and said: “I am sorry that I cannot fight with you and follow you to the end of this world.”
“No, we can only say that our dao are not the same.” Li Qiye kept on holding her white hand: “Back then in that world, during my most difficult period, you were my friend and always supported me until we returned to the nine worlds. When you left, I understood that we didn’t share the same path. Your will is for the common people while my path is one paved with blood. No matter the era, I can only sleep on a sanguine ground.”
“Goodbye, you who I love the most. I have nothing worth remembering or worrying about in the mundane world, I am very satisfied to see you one last time.” Eventually, she withdrew her hand and restored her calm and transcendent temperament. At this moment, she was the Buddhist Lord of the Buddhist Kingdom, freed from the Samsara.
Li Qiye took a deep breath and spoke decisively: “Goodbye, Su’er. No matter how long it takes, one day, I will stand at the end of the world!”
With that, he left without looking back. This was the last time for him. Everything would disperse into smoke afterward.
Qian Suyun watched him leave. She eventually closed her eyes. The moment she opened them again, they became a pair of Buddhist eyes. A hymn surged into the air while a Buddhist wheel descended.
From now on, Qian Suyun no longer existed in this world. The little girl from the past was gone as well. Only a Buddhist Lord that focused on all sentient beings remained!