Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

The Fifth Ring Road, an unnamed mountain.

Mu An saw everything Mu Ling'er said and did, and his emotions inevitably fluctuated.

The human heart is the most unpredictable thing; no one can control everything.

It's perfectly normal for Mu Ling'er to have her own thoughts as a human being.

From Mu An's perspective, the little girl was well aware that Mu An knew everything she said and did, but she still said it and made her own choice.

In Mu An's memory, this was the first time Mu Ling'er had ever said no to him.

A rare act of rebellion, a rare act of unwavering resolve.

Mu Ling'er has always been a very well-behaved child, and she knows exactly what Mu An likes.

Whether it's being silly or acting cute, it's all within Mu An's acceptable range.

Naturally, compared to the usual bickering in ordinary families, the arguments between the two of them were extremely rare.

The occasional quarrels are all over trivial matters, nothing to get angry about, and are just a little bit of fun in life.

In nearly a century of companionship, this is the first time that Mu An has been directly criticized on such an important matter.

It's not hard to imagine how unwavering Mu Ling'er was in this matter.

……

Mu An wasn't angry. He didn't think Mu Ling'er was wrong, nor did he think he was wrong.

Mu An himself did not have a clear answer as to whether humanity or divinity was superior.

This is a question without a definitive answer.

It will spark heated discussions in any era, and different people, at different stages of a person's life, will often have different opinions.

Humans are inherently self-centered, and civilization is achieved through education.

In times of peace and prosperity, when there is no longer a threat of life and death, people's hearts become complicated. The calls for divinity grow stronger day by day, and people only pursue individual interests, fantasizing that they are the high and mighty gods.

In this process, perhaps to escape reality or to release pressure, people often ignore an obvious fact—that they are not gods, but one of millions of ordinary people.

In chaotic times, people live like weeds. Those who can't survive naturally hope that there is a "god" or "human" with humanity who can stand up and give those who live worse than dogs a chance to survive.

The "god" or "person" who steps forward can be you or him, but it cannot be yourself. Most people prefer to reap the benefits without sowing.

This point has been repeatedly proven throughout the history of human civilization, leading one to doubt that human nature is inherently evil.

Whether it's the Nine Realms or a past life whose existence is uncertain, both worlds are like this.

In reality, selfish people often live better lives.

The results that contradict education will naturally make countless people feel unfair and sad, angry and resentful for their less selfish lives, and completely deny the value of education.

It was during this process that many people gradually forgot.

It is this somewhat "hypocritical" education on goodness that has allowed society to remain stable.

It was precisely these views, which were out of step with the world, that shaped the earliest forms of human nature and laid the foundation for civilization.

Even if we know that many viewpoints are not suitable for reality or meet actual needs, we must make it clear in the initial education what is right and what is wrong.

Freedom that moves downwards is not freedom.

The reason why a bottom line is called a bottom line is because once this line is crossed or abandoned, the original order will cease to exist.

Crossing the line is a never-ending process; it will continue downward until it eventually sinks into a bottomless abyss.

The reason Mu Ling'er said no to Mu An was because, in her view, Mu An was now breaking through his own bottom line.

It may not be obvious now, but in the end, you will definitely lose everything you once had.

……

In his past life memories, which may be real or illusory, Mu An lived an ordinary life, which was neither particularly smooth nor too bad.

In the vast and magnificent Nine Realms, Mu An's experience can be described as smooth.

He neither felt that he was good nor that he was evil.

Just like in the very beginning, Mu An doesn't mind showing some goodwill.

This act of kindness is small, just a tiny bit, and won't affect Mu An herself, but it's enough to change many people's lives.

It was this kindness that filled Xiao Lü's sketchbook with joy.

This made Mu Ling'er firmly believe that her Da'an was the best person in the world.

Mu An used to stand up for beggars, offer a little shelter to families who had lost their support, be angry at the actions of bandits, and silently support the good deeds of Lin'an Hall...

All of these factors together constitute the path he took to get here.

Mu An had always understood that on the path to the Great Dao, pursuing only one's own interests and ignoring the divinity of all other living beings might be the most perfect state.

But he also understood that if everyone in the world were filled with divinity and pursued only their own interests, disregarding the lives of others, then human civilization would eventually return to dust.

Perhaps one day in the future, Mu'an will see human civilization disappear, and all the beauty that humanity has created vanish with the passage of time.

When that time comes, will the divine self hope that one day it can regain some of its original memories?

And would you expect someone to leave you with such a message?

"We used to call ourselves human beings."

……

……

Mu An had no answer; his thoughts kept changing.

He used to look down on other terrestrial immortals, Meng Yan, the Crimson Fire Demon Lord, and all those beings who treated all living beings like dirt.

He is now gradually becoming similar to these terrestrial deities.

If human emotions are the path he took when he came to Mu'an, then are these emotions his final destination, or an obsession that needs to be cut off?

That's where the disagreement lies.

Xiao Lü is conflicted. In the picture book, she hopes that Mu An can always remain the same as before, but she also doesn't want Mu An to be bound by the past.

At different times, Xiao Lü wrote down completely different words.

"I'm so scared, so scared. I'm afraid that the young master will become someone I won't recognize, someone as terrifying as a god in a story... I just want the young master I know."

"My life is mostly over, but the young master's life has clearly just begun. He is an immortal, destined for eternal life..."

"If we are destined to forget everything, then I hope that young master can remember for a long time, until a very long time from now, before forgetting us and forgetting what it means to be a human being."

"After all, the young master used to be so adorable and kind, making people feel happy without realizing it."

……

"I regret it. Thinking about it carefully, how can immortals and humans be the same? Rather than being obsessed with making the young master remember us and the things from his childhood, I would rather the young master pursue what he wants without any constraints."

Unlike the ever-contradictory Xiao Lü, Mu Ling'er is resolute. She is doing her best to awaken Mu An's humanity. In her eyes, the divine Mu An is not Mu An.