The Law of Heaven

Chapter 105 A Fateful Choice, The Forbidden Path

Aihara and Kang Yuqing were never strangers.

They attended the same high school, and even their classes were on the same floor. Occasionally, they would bump into each other at the bathroom door when going to or from get out of class, passing by each other as lightly as two cherry blossom petals falling from a tree.

Their real interaction occurred during the Physics Olympiad. They were occasionally assigned to the same group, but aside from discussing problems, they didn't say much. Time slipped away quietly, and countless dust particles rippled in the sunlight falling on the desks.

Sometimes we even bump into each other on the rooftop.

Aihara likes to gaze into the distance and daydream on the rooftop.

Jiang Youqing found the food in the school cafeteria to be terrible, so she would occasionally bring her own homemade lunchbox to eat.

There was nothing particularly eventful when they met.

They either made eye contact or nodded in greeting.

At that time, Aihara knew nothing about the world and had no idea where he would go in the future. Like all students his age, he had his own unique sensitivity and loneliness.

At that time, Jiang Youqing was clearly studying in high school, but she seemed to be far away from the world.

Even when they finally met at Deep Blue Union, they never really crossed paths. At that time, Jiang Youqing was the chairman's student, while Xiang Yuan was a newcomer who had just started out. The two were not on the same level.

They are like two streams on the plateau, occasionally converging but never merging, each flowing off into the distance.

And this moment.

The streams of fate finally merged completely.

"It's really you."

"really?"

“I had a gut feeling about it before.”

"What intuition?"

"Women's intuition."

When did you start to doubt me?

“I never doubted you, nor did I have any evidence. Many people possess telekinesis, but very few have such powerful telekinesis. That day at the science museum, when I saw you take to the air, it felt somewhat familiar.”

"Were you curious about me back then? Actually, I even used a living spirit to cover up my abilities, but I didn't expect to be discovered anyway."

"Not really. Your abilities did seem a bit different back then. I just sensed a familiar feeling from your behavior and habits. People like Jian Mo and Xiao Li didn't suspect it was you at all."

"Why do I feel like you're subtly implying that they're both stupid? That's why I took the initiative to ask to meet you under my real identity. Because you're smart, and you'll figure it out sooner or later if we have too much contact."

Aihara shrugged.

Abilities can be concealed, but a person's language and behavioral habits are difficult to change. Even if someone is very careful, they still cannot escape the observation of someone with a keen eye.

"You're such a good actor."

Jiang Youqing said expressionlessly, "Aihara-kun."

The identity of the weirdo has finally been revealed.

It turns out that the other party's true identity is Aihara.

did not expect.

He actually possesses such strength.

It also hides so many secrets.

"Cough cough cough."

Aihara said in a deliberately serious tone, "When we're working, we should address each other by our job titles. Call me Weird Guy, thank you."

Jiang Youqing looked suspicious: "Weren't you embarrassed when you pretended not to know me? Not only that, you also pretended not to know your second uncle, and you pretended not to know yourself when you mentioned yourself..."

Aihara paused for a second: "Okay, stop talking, I've almost torn my shoes apart."

Jiang Youqing remained unmoved and continued to add insult to injury: "You clearly know what kind of password your uncle would leave behind, but you still pretend to want to extract the corpse's memories..."

Aihara covered her face: "Okay, I was wrong."

Jiang Youqing persisted: "All this time, you've been investigating your uncle's affairs all by yourself..."

Aihara became increasingly embarrassed: "Actually..."

"Thanks a lot."

Jiang Youqing remained expressionless, but her fair face, as cold as frost, seemed to thaw as if an ice river was melting, and her indifferent eyes seemed to hold the gentle flow of a stream, clear and captivating.

"oh oh."

Aihara couldn't figure out what she meant.

Jiang Youqing got up and searched the corpse, finding only a strange codebook. Then she poked the gluttonous bear's belly, and the bear's mouth opened slightly.

It's an amazing storage creature. It looks like the gluttonous bear can only hold a small amount of space, but it can eat the entire codebook without its belly getting full.

"What are you going to do next?"

she asked casually.

"Of course, we're going to venture onto the forbidden path."

Aihara also stood up, feeling the tremors from the ground and the dragon's might that enveloped the heavens and earth, and said softly.

Jiang Youqing paused in her play with the gluttonous bear, giving him a deep look: "Back then, your ancestor also failed to complete the forbidden path, and he died not long after returning. You may also get lost in it."

Aihara looked at the dust that was being shaken off his head and shrugged: "Just because others can't do it doesn't mean I can't."

People are different, and they will make different choices when faced with unknown risks. Some people will be cowardly and turn away, while others will muster their courage and cross the thorns.

There is no right or wrong choice.

But only the brave can enjoy this world first.

"You're gambling too."

Jiang Youqing frowned: "What if we lose the bet?"

"Then you'll take good care of my sister for me. You know who I am, you'll remember my story, and of course you'll also remember someone who, at this moment, made a gamble with fate... just like a hero."

Aihara paused for a second, then whistled softly: "Don't you think this is cool? This feeling of being born with a mission. Rather than living a mediocre life, it's better to burn yourself out and take a gamble."

Ruan Yun was willing to risk everything for his sister, and of course I'm willing to risk my life for her too. This is something my second uncle entrusted to me; he's the most important person in my life, how could I possibly let him down? I've tracked him all the way here, isn't this the moment I've been waiting for?

Retreating is easy; you could just turn and run away. But for the rest of my life, every time I think back to that day, I'll be filled with regret. What if I had been braver? What if I had taken that one more step forward? I can't forgive that cowardly version of myself, and I don't want to become that kind of person.

There's a saying that goes something like this: you can choose to run away from difficulties, but fate will keep giving you the same questions until you come up with a new answer.

Life is full of risks. Sometimes, being afraid to gamble is essentially gambling that you'll lose. We only live once, so we might as well live it to the fullest. Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance, I'll gamble that I'll win.

Aihara raised his eyes, his fierce golden pupils shining in the darkness, flickering like fireflies.

Jiang Youqing, however, seemed to see the sun.

Intense.

Dazzling.

"If it were you, wouldn't you want to give it a try?"

Aihara smiled and said, "I'm leaving."

The instant he turned around.

His hand was suddenly grasped.

"I'll accompany you."

Jiang Youqing hugged the gluttonous bear and held his hand.

The girl's hands were soft and slightly cool, but a warmth gradually emerged, as if it could dispel the chill of the rainy night.

Aihara glanced at her: "You don't have my eyes. If you go in rashly, it's possible..."

Jiang Youqing shut him up with just one sentence: "Do you know where the Forbidden Path is?"

Aihara hesitated for a moment: "Uh."

Jiang Youqing said expressionlessly, "You talk so coolly, but you can't even find your way. I won't go in with you, but I'll stay there and watch over you. I heard from my seniors that when the Deep Blue Alliance went to challenge the Forbidden Path, one person would go in while another guarded the outside. They communicated with each other via walkie-talkie, maintaining their sanity through conversation. It was like a faint line between them; the person attempting the challenge could gradually find their way back by listening to the voices of the person guarding the outside."

Aihara smiled silently: "Are you afraid I won't come back?"

Jiang Youqing said calmly, "You should take care of your own sister. I'm not good at dealing with people, and I don't know how to tell her about her brother's death."

Aihara couldn't help but laugh.

"Just say you're her sister-in-law."

Aihara lifted the girl into the air, his powerful mental field blasting open the warehouse's dome, piercing through the rocks like a cannon firing, and hovering amidst the torrential rain.

Boom.

Thunder and lightning.

The dark clouds in the night sky seemed to be on fire, lightning was brewing deep within the clouds, and torrential rain fell like a waterfall. A faint image of an ancient dragon splitting itself could be seen, its crimson and golden vertical pupils flickering in the darkness.

The overwhelming dragon's might swept across the sky, like a raging tide engulfing the world. Two extremely powerful fields of will collided in the high sky, like ancient gods clashing.

Two figures could be vaguely seen colliding in the wind and rain, their merging mental field resembling a vacuum.

The mountains trembled violently.

Terrifying elemental turbulence was scattered across the sky.

It was clear that Ruan Yun and Ruan Qi were fighting.

No one can interfere in a battle of this caliber.

According to Ruan Yun's plan, Ruan Qi will eventually have no choice but to devour him to complete the final evolution.

Even the unevolved hosts of the Heavenly Principles are so terrifying.

What magnificent creature it would be once it has fully evolved!

"How terrible."

Aihara said softly, "We need to hurry."

Jiang Youqing hummed in agreement.

Almost all the experimental subjects in the mountains died.

The Shi family's troops have also been annihilated.

The battle formations were all concentrated at the Shi family's headquarters.

The journey was smooth and unobstructed.

It was only when he was suspended in the sky that he realized that the location of these experimental bases was not without reason. Each fortress looked like a tomb, and their distribution and arrangement subtly followed the rhythm of some kind of feng shui, as if they were suppressing something.

What was suppressed was most likely the forbidden path.

With Jiang Youqing, a seasoned hunter, as their guide, the path in these deep mountains was not difficult to find. After passing through dark forests and traversing muddy and rugged paths, they finally saw a clue in the deep and dim canyons.

"This is the original tomb."

Jiang Youqing whispered in his arms.

Aihara narrowed his eyes.

He remembered the video he had watched that day.

The dark sky was obscured by dense tree shadows, and the air was filled with bluish mist that flowed like water. Within the mist were lush camphor trees with luxuriant leaves that swayed in the wind like the hem of a young girl's skirt.

The muddy ground was covered with tattered gauze curtains, much like the shed skin left by a giant python after it shed its skin. The remains of experimental subjects, who had been dead for who knows how many years, were scattered everywhere.

The vines, like spider webs, crisscrossed the forest, and there were actually dilapidated ancient coffins hanging from the withered vines, with sticky snake skins hanging on them, as if they had survived for thousands of years.

This is the forbidden path.

The most special place in this opposite side.

God's treasure is buried here!
"When the cells of the mirage dragon were activated, they polluted the life in this deep mountain, causing all plants and animals to mutate into snakes. This is almost an inexplicable miracle in biology. But a hundred years later, those mutated things have long since died."

Jiang Youqing offered an explanation, then suddenly said, "Your palms are sweaty, Aihara-kun."

Aihara said calmly, "It's not unreasonable for me to be a little nervous about coming to a godforsaken place like this, is it?"

They continued their levitation journey, passing over the silent tomb, and amidst flashes of lightning and thunder, they came upon a mountain path covered in some kind of viscous liquid.

It looked like spider silk, or perhaps the slime spewed out by a giant beast, blocking the mountain path like a giant membrane.

Inside the giant membrane was a deep, dark, crimson hole that, at first glance, resembled boiling lava at the bottom of a volcano, writhing and churning like a living thing, emitting strange noises.

From a distance, it looks like a tunnel from another world.

It was as if ancient divine power was spreading out from the black hole, like a scorching wind blowing from hell.

It's terrifying.

"What the hell is this thing?"

Aihara landed with the girl in his arms, taking a deep breath.

"This is the forbidden path."

Jiang Youqing said softly, "It's not too late to go back."

"You really don't want me to come in?"

Aihara approached the entrance to the forbidden path and felt a mysterious and vast aura rushing towards him.

His hair was ruffled by the wind, and his eyes revealed a hint of confusion, like a mortal worshipping a miracle.

"I just feel that even if you have such talent, these things shouldn't fall on your shoulders alone. After all, it was Deep Blue Alliance's mistake... Anyway, if you die here, I will avenge you."

Jiang Youqing's voice remained icy.

Are you also going to defect?

Aihara turned around and asked with a smile.

"The teacher was already dying."

Jiang Youqing didn't feel a sense of belonging to the company, but suddenly wanted to ask about his relationship with the Jiang family. However, he didn't know how to bring it up, so he fell silent again.

Aren't you afraid?

She asked calmly.

"Of course I'd be a little scared if I were alone."

Aihara suddenly took out her own spirit and stuffed it into the mouth of the gluttonous bear in her arms: "But luckily, I have someone here with me, so I'm not so scared."

Jiang Youqing pursed her lips and handed him a walkie-talkie: "Make sure to contact me after you go in."

Aihara took the walkie-talkie and grunted in response.

At that very moment, Aihara suddenly reached out and hugged her, greedily inhaling the fragrance of her hair and feeling the unique softness and grace of the young girl.

Jiang Youqing's body suddenly stiffened.

"Don't move. Just let me experience the beauty of this world one more time. Give me the motivation to come back alive."

Aihara patted her on the back and said softly.

"Thank you."

Aihara suddenly let go of her hand.

Jiang Youqing hugged the gluttonous bear, her waterfall-like black hair was tossed by the wind, and the strands of hair messed up her eyes.

Aihara left her and fell backward.

Boom!
Jiang Youqing's eyes widened. The faint murmurs in her ears were drowned out by the furious roar. The crimson black hole, like a man-eating demon, wriggled and swallowed the boy.

In the end, all she saw was the boy's face, slightly damp from the wind and rain, and his lips moving slightly.

"wait me back."

(End of this chapter)