From the end of the world

Chapter 301 Choose one of the two
Strange events are no longer a secret. Long before the nuclear explosion caused by Yin Yue, countless people on the Internet claimed that they had personally experienced strange events, but they were not taken seriously by the general public. To be honest, I was also half-believing and half-doubting at the time, or even completely doubting it. After all, every time I went to the door according to similar clues, I ended up with nothing.

After the nuclear explosion, especially after the government publicly acknowledged the existence of amnesia and strange events, information related to strange events was all over the Internet. A large number of netizens who had personal experiences actively expressed their opinions. For a while, it was difficult to tell which ones were true and which ones were just joining in the fun. The government also stopped any information control and allowed relevant information to spread freely on the Internet.

Having said that, the majority of people are probably half-believing and half-doubting. Strange events are generally carried out in the dark, and those who act recklessly like amnesia are a minority after all. As far as I know, this supernatural phenomenon that has enveloped both the mountain and the town is the first since the government acknowledged the existence of strange events.

As a result, the number of people who believe in the existence of supernatural things should increase dramatically.

From what people around me were saying, the fog covered at least 2,000 square kilometers. People inside couldn't get out, and no one outside was seen coming in. The officials must have been extremely worried. It seemed that it was wise for them to publicly admit the existence of strange events in advance. If they had waited until the current event happened before admitting it, the public's reaction would probably have been different, and their distrust of the government would have certainly increased.

Fortunately, this incident did not happen in a first-tier city, but in a tourist town like Yueyin Mountain City. If it was just a period of time when it was unable to exchange information and traffic with the outside world, the problem would not be that big. In addition, there was also the Gua Tianshi in charge, which curbed the possibility of Yinyue killing the town residents through the law of heaven and earth.

If there is anything to worry about, it is that some evil people with bad intentions may take advantage of the chaos and do some petty thefts. In this regard, perhaps we can only rely on the local security forces.

It is not convenient for Ma Zao and I to exchange information and travel with the outside world. I originally planned to contact the Zhu family after I got down the mountain and ask about the relevant matters with Xiaowan's photo. Maybe Xiaowan is really a relative of Zhu Shi and Mr. Zhu, or a bloodline that has been lost outside, etc. In short, I will know it with just one question.

If they see the photo, they will probably ask about the origin of the photo. Let them ask, I won't answer. But I can tell Zhu Shi more, because Zhu Shi already knows a lot of secrets between me and Ma Zao. But I can't contact him at the moment.

It is not impossible to temporarily leave the range of Yinyue Fatianxiangdi. Ma can come and go freely even in the fog on the mountain, not to mention the fog near Yueyin Mountain City.

And I don't know if it's because Gua Tianshi has suppressed some of the effects of the Silver Moon Law, this extremely thin fog doesn't seem to cause any confusion in time, at least that's what I feel, so we should be able to go out first and come back later. But compared to something that can be done at any time, Ma and I decided to focus on the matter at hand after discussing it.

I first retrieved the fake Water Moon from Ma Zao, intending to use it to invade Yin Yue's spiritual world later.

"Zhuang Cheng, are you sure?" Ma Zao asked.

Although I didn't really want to admit it to her, I had to honestly admit that I was not sure.

Not to mention that the possibility of invading Yin Yue's spiritual world is not even one in ten thousand, and now we can't see Yin Yue hiding in the deepest fog on the mountain. Even Gua Tianshi vaguely expressed that I couldn't succeed.

He did say that there was only one choice between "saving Chang'an's soul" and "obtaining the elixir from the water master Xuanwu", but on the other hand, his words implied that Yin Yue and I were destined to destroy each other in the end. And it was difficult for me to read from his tone that the underlying meaning was "there was a chance to destroy only the Yin Yue part of Chang'an's soul".

However, because of this, I have the urge to challenge myself.

Even including the predictions of the Gua Tianshi, I have the desire to challenge them. Can I only choose one from the two? No matter which one I choose, in the end, his prediction will come true. I have to admit that I have some rebellious emotions in this regard. When others say that I can't do something, or can only do a certain thing, I want to do something beyond the other party's prediction. For example, now, what if I want "all"?

Using one's own wisdom or courage to break the prophet's prediction is also part of the prophecy story. Although such stories usually end with "the attempt to break the prophecy eventually fulfills the prophecy", since I am qualified for the Great Impermanence and have the opportunity to become the Great Impermanence in the near future, there is no reason why I cannot break the prediction of the Great Impermanence of Gua Tianshi no matter what I do.

"I think... it's better to be on the safe side." Ma Zao said cautiously.

"To be on the safe side—what do you mean?" I asked.

"Since we can only get one between 'Zhu Chang'an's Soul' and 'Xuanwu's Panacea' in the end, it is better to choose which one to achieve in advance and then go all out in that direction," she said.

I understood what she meant.

"Do you want me to give up Xuanwu?"

"Yes." She nodded. "My soul trauma is not a very urgent problem. Even if I leave it alone, I just can't recover to my complete form, and there won't be any bigger problems. However, Zhu Changan's situation cannot be delayed, and it would be better to deal with it properly in a short time." "I understand what you mean, but it doesn't mean that as long as you give up one side, you can get the absolute realization of the other side. Both sides cannot be obtained without trying your best, and even if you try your best, you don't know if you can get them. Shouldn't we try our best in both directions?" I still want to challenge Gua Tianshi's prediction.

She pointed out: "Even if we try our best, we can't succeed - this is correct, but what if we try our best and succeed on one side first?"

Hearing this, I reacted quickly.

"I see. I will meet Xuanwu in an hour. If he is willing to hand the elixir to me in advance even if he knows that I am a person with fire superpowers, it means that according to the prophecy, I will not be able to save Chang'an's soul anymore." I said.

This is a very simple logic. Giving up one side cannot exchange for the realization of the other side, but achieving one side will cause the failure of the other side.

I was full of ambition to challenge the prediction of Gua Tianshi, but I didn't even see such a simple truth in advance. Instead, Ma realized the problem earlier. Although I can't say that I was blinded by desire, I was indeed affected by my own character.

Of course, if I get the elixir of the water master Xuanwu first, it can be said that it is just convenient for me to challenge the prediction of Gua Tianshi in the matter of "saving Chang'an's soul". However, do I really want to make a thrilling bet on the life and death of my friend to satisfy my desire for challenge?
I can stay away from my friends for my own desires, and I can cut off all contact and communication with them, but I can't put my friends' safety above my own wishful adventure. No matter how much I want to challenge the prediction of the hexagram master, I can't ignore my friends' lives.

Thinking of this, I felt a sense of boredom rising in my heart.

It would be nice if everything was destroyed. Society, interpersonal relationships, and everything else. I hope that the end of the world will come, and everything will be destroyed in a disaster. In the end, what will be left will be a world full of dangers, excitement, and freedom. How wonderful that world would be - this thought flashed through my mind.

I am very clear that this is something that I should not think about too deeply, it is a taboo.

"Zhuang Cheng, you should go save your friends."

Ma Zao's voice called my attention back, and she stared into my eyes with a very serious look.

"Don't go to see Xuanwu, and give up asking him for the panacea." She said, "I'm fine. There will definitely be opportunities to heal the soul in the future. I don't want to see you showing regret every time you think about not being able to save your friend in the future..."

Maybe she had experienced nights like that, too.

Before she knew that Xiaowan didn't die in the flames of the Great Demon of Disaster and other doomsday disasters, she must have often thought about her inability to save Xiaowan and tossed and turned in regret at night. It was because she knew how painful it was that she didn't want me to fall into the same torment.

However, the problem I faced was different from that of Mazao. We were different personalities after all. Because I knew myself very well, I knew exactly what I would become after giving up saving my friends.

I probably won't regret it by then, nor will I dwell on the past. Because I'm a person who can easily let go. In a positive way, this is a character that is easy to enter a positive state of mind and self-heal; in a negative way, it is that I can easily forgive my own mistakes and shortcomings, and even rationalize them as part of my personality, and then accept myself with peace of mind.

If I really watched my friend die, I would quickly transform into a more evil person who "thinks it doesn't matter if my friend dies" - even though that is a change that I find difficult to accept now.

"I figured it out," I said.

Ma Zao's expression softened.

And I continued, "Let's go see Xuanwu first."

(End of this chapter)