Douluo 2: This Dragon God has too much martial virtue

Chapter 611: Haven’t you faced the reality yet?

Once the floodgates of memory are opened, they can never be closed again. Wang Dong naively believed that if he subconsciously chose to forget the unpleasant past, he could truly start over with a new name and a new identity.

However, during her short study period at Shrek Academy, a teacher's seemingly casual but meaningful words now rang in her mind like a warning bell.

[There is nothing in this world that can be truly forgotten. It’s only whether you are willing to remember it or not, and whether you dare to remember it.]

She didn't think deeply about it at the time, but now she felt that every word was heartbreaking.

At first, because Mu Xing refused to grant her unreasonable request to transform into a dragon and carry her flying, and only remained silent, the young girl threw a tantrum in the Forest of Life, crying incessantly. The Goddess of Life, helpless, brought her a cup of precious Water of Life to comfort her, but she knocked the cup of precious Water of Life to the ground during her struggle and crying.

Her mother, Xiao Wu, was present at the scene. In front of the Goddess of Life, Xiao Wu simply smiled and said in a seemingly helpless but actually indulgent tone, "Xiao Qi is still young and naive. Please don't mind her, Xiao Lu."

With a lighthearted "The child is still young," she brushed aside all the mistakes and offenses. She didn't even glance at Mu Xing, let alone apologize.

However, upon returning home, Xiao Wu's words to Tang San were completely different. Wang Dong now vividly recalled Xiao Wu's words to Tang San, filled with dissatisfaction and a hint of contempt: "That's just a beast burdened with original sin. How dare he act so arrogantly in front of Xiao Qi and give her the cold shoulder!"

Then, in order to appease her daughter who was still sulking, Xiao Wu promised her: "I will definitely tie up that dragon for you to play with in the future! If it doesn't behave, I will whip it until it obeys!"

Her so-called "love" was based on this distorted and condescending perception from the very beginning. Her mother's defense of her child by saying "the child is still young" after she spilled the water of life only fueled her willfulness and prevented her from truly reflecting on the inappropriateness of her behavior.

However, among these chaotic thoughts, there was a deviation in one key cognition.

She didn't know that Mu Xing also had murderous intentions towards her.

In Wang Dong's jumbled jigsaw puzzle of memories and cognition, Mu Xing's figure was always absent. From her perspective, looking back on the tragedy that nearly cost her her life, the only clear image she could remember was Di Tian's ruthless, devastating blow, and Long Yan's relentless pressure before that.

Therefore, she naturally placed all the blame on Di Tian. She believed that the root cause of this fatal disaster was her previous provocation and sword-drawing against Di Tian, ​​which had completely angered the ferocious black dragon. Her feelings for Mu Xing, which she also considered "liking" him, might have been seen by Di Tian as coveting his property, thus inciting even deeper murderous intent.

Mu Xing might have been preoccupied with other important matters and failed to appear in time to stop Di Tian's reckless retaliatory sniping.

This cognitive bias filled her heart with fear and resentment towards Di Tian. She would rather believe that Mu Xing was "unaware" or "too late" than think of other possibilities.

So, in front of the goddess who had watched her grow up, Wang Dong, filled with grievance and fear, began to complain: "Aunt Lu, that black dragon is so abominable! He... he must have evil intentions towards the stars, that's why he is so hostile to me!"

She tried to explain her experience as revenge driven by jealousy: "He wanted to teach me a lesson before because I saw through it, and this time...he wants to kill me!" The more she spoke, the more her reasoning seemed reasonable, and her emotions grew agitated. "Xing must have been deceived by him!"

The Goddess of Life listened quietly to this accusation, which was completely detached from the truth. She neither confirmed nor denied Wang Dong's conjecture, but looked at her with increasingly pitying eyes. Deceitful? She simply didn't understand. In the race to "purge the court of corrupt officials," who could possibly win against the Dragon God's personal guard? That person was someone who could directly sit on the judges' panel! Little Qi, do you even understand how to properly purge the court of corrupt officials?
So, the goddess of life stopped dwelling on this unanswered question and cleverly changed the subject, bringing the focus back to the childhood memories Wang Dong had just recalled: "Do you remember all those things from your childhood?"

Then, she added in a relaxed tone, as if she were talking about a trivial matter: "Actually, it doesn't matter if it's spilled. Second-level gods are not originally qualified to drink the water of life, and besides, you weren't even a second-level god back then."

Seeing that Wang Dong was so easily diverted from the key issue of "whether he was imprisoned", the Goddess of Life couldn't help but feel a complicated ripple in her heart.

This phenomenon might indeed be a consequence of the damage to the soul caused by Tang San forcibly tearing it apart, resulting in difficulty concentrating. Such trauma is fundamental for a deity, and could very well leave behind hidden dangers such as difficulty concentrating and a tendency for logical thinking to break down.

But then the image of Xiao Wu, who often seemed simple and even a little... mentally retarded (as described by the God of Destruction himself), came to the mind of the Goddess of Life, and she couldn't help but shake her head secretly.

Perhaps, this is also partly due to genetic factors?

Seeing Wang Dong being imprisoned in disguise, the Goddess of Life couldn't help but feel a complicated emotion in her heart.

If, back in the Lower Realm, after Tang San's execution, Wang Dong hadn't clamored to stay with Mu Xing, but had wisely chosen to follow the God of Destruction back to the Divine Realm, she might have been able to stage a "righteousness-sacrificing-family" drama before the gods, publicly distancing herself from Tang San's crimes, thereby proving her position and gaining a foothold in the Divine Realm. Although she would bear the reputation of having rebelled against her biological father, at least she could have preserved her own safety and perhaps even gained some sympathy or recognition.

Or, if she could stay by Mu Xing's side and behave like a good child, then when Mu Xing returned to the divine realm with the dignity of a Dragon God in the future to settle old scores, she might be able to use this early following to gain the merit of following the Dragon and secure a place in the new order.

Unfortunately, she chose neither.

She neither decisively cut ties with the past nor remained truly loyal to a potential new master. Instead, she chose the most willful and dangerous path, relying on her twisted childhood love and possessiveness, ultimately angering the very dragon she could not afford to offend.

However, the environment here was much more comfortable than the cells where her parents and her uncles and aunts were imprisoned. After all, this was her old home in the divine realm when she was a child, and every table and chair looked familiar to her.

However, this tranquility is destined to be temporary. The Goddess of Life knows clearly that Wang Dong's future is not controlled by her, or even by Wang Dong himself.

What she waited for here was definitely not salvation or freedom.

Even though Di Tian had said some polite words to the Goddess of Life, "Let bygones be bygones," how could the Goddess of Life take it seriously? After all, Di Tian had later promised Mu Xing that he wouldn't fail next time, so he was certainly putting the king's will first.

As long as Mu Xing's murderous intent never dissipates, Di Tian's promise will be like a sharp blade hanging over Wang Dong's head, ready to fall at any time.

Pitiful. The goddess of life gave the same assessment as Shepherd Star. She knew all too well that when that day came, not only she, but all the gods would have to remain silent.

(End of this chapter)