Chapter 346 - 166: A Battle of Wits

Chapter 346: Chapter 166: A Battle of Wits

"There’s nothing worth remembering."

"I spent the first half of my life as a dog."

"A good dog in front of my master."

"A vicious dog in front of outsiders."

"So—"

"I’m not going back to Riyue Square. I’m done being a dog. I want to be a great roc, just like I saw on the plaque over the gates of Fuyao City. I want to be ’A great roc rises with the wind in a single day, soaring ninety thousand li straight up’!"

"I want to do one thing, something worth remembering before I die."

"I want to do something magnificent."

"I used to be afraid of death."

"But now, my biggest fear is dying without a single thing worth remembering. That kind of life would be too much of a failure, too boring."

"..."

The Battle Pavilion member looked at Hu Zi with a strange expression. The first time he’d observed Hu Zi on the City Wall, the guy was just a punk who spat on the ground and cursed constantly, looking like one of those mad dogs that run with rich brats.

After getting punched by him...

’Did it completely change his personality?’

After all, judging by Hu Zi’s expression, it didn’t seem like he was lying.

"What kind of thing do you think is worth remembering?"

"I haven’t figured that out yet. I need to give it some serious thought."

"Go on, then."

The Battle Pavilion member watched as Hu Zi and his brother disappeared into the crowds of Mortal City, then shook his head with a helpless expression.

At first, he thought the Domain Lord was going to demand a ransom.

But when no ransom was paid, the Domain Lord simply ordered their release.

He couldn’t quite figure out what the Domain Lord was thinking either.

Then again...

If he knew what the Domain Lord was thinking, he’d be the one sitting in the Domain Lord’s seat.

In any case, his escort mission was complete.

He had to hurry back to Fuyao City.

"’A great roc rises with the wind in a single day, soaring ninety thousand li straight up...’"

He muttered the line of poetry to himself. He’d never realized before that the name "Fuyao City" had such a connotation. But he quickly broke into a grin. It was certainly fitting.

When the Mortal Realm began its push south from Fuyao City...

That would be the starting point of its ninety-thousand-li journey!

...

After finishing her work, Big Fish didn’t return to the mess hall. Instead, she went to a teahouse in Mortal City. An old man was sitting by a window on the second floor.

Seeing Big Fish approach, he showed no reaction, simply calling for Xiao Er to add a pot of hot tea.

Although she looked to be in the prime of her youth, her actual age was only a few years. In the Mortal Realm, she couldn’t find anyone she could connect with. There was only one person.

That was Gongyang Yiyue of the Sheep Race.

The Sheep Race’s Night Watcher, known throughout all of Jiangnan.

These past few days, the Sheep Race and the Mortal Realm had grown quite close.

After the rainy season ended, Gongyang Yue had come to Mortal City at the first opportunity. She was waiting in Mortal City for Qi Yue, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time. All she knew was that the Domain Lord had sent Qi Yue on an important mission, so Gongyang Yue waited in Mortal City for Qi Yue’s return.

Gongyang Yiyue was responsible for accompanying her.

As they were both Night Watchers, they were naturally drawn to each other. In time, the two of them got acquainted.

"What’s wrong?"

Gongyang Yiyue looked at Big Fish, who had sat down and was now staring silently out the window. He chuckled softly. "Feeling lost again?"

Today, Big Fish wasn’t wearing her Mortal Realm Robe. Instead, she had on an Ordinary robe, making her completely unrecognizable as the Vice Pavilion Master of the Mortal Realm. She looked just like a member of any one of Mortal City’s many merchant guilds.

Big Fish didn’t answer. She didn’t drink her tea, either. She just sat there, looking out the window.

Gongyang Yiyue took a sip of tea before turning his gaze to the window and speaking softly.

"I am a Supreme Elder of the Sheep Race."

"I have only been ’activated’ once."

"Everyone calls me Supreme Elder. They respect me and see me as an old man, but in reality, I’m not even as old as their children. But look at me now—don’t I play the part well? I slowly learned the habits of the elderly, constantly improving myself to properly fill this role."

"The fate of a Night Watcher is a tragic one from birth."

"Don’t think about your own value."

"The Mortal Realm wouldn’t be affected in the slightest if it lost any single person."

"To put it bluntly..."

"Wang Kui currently holds a high position, looking for all the world like the Mortal Realm’s second-in-command. But even if Wang Kui were to suddenly die today, the Mortal Realm would be back to normal within three days. His death wouldn’t affect it in the least."

He knew why Big Fish was sad. Her only value was in being activated. Now that the Mortal Realm didn’t lack for a Night Watcher who could be activated, her value was greatly diminished. Her subordinates didn’t respect her, and her superiors had no missions for her. Big Fish was now in a position where no one paid her any mind. Although she held the rank of Vice Pavilion Master and was respected on the surface, heaven only knew what they said about her behind her back.

But...

...this wasn’t Big Fish’s fault.

When the Mortal Realm was still in its infancy, there was no opportunity to use Big Fish.

And now that it had grown powerful, it no longer needed her.

"You’ve already contributed your worth to the Mortal Realm."

Gongyang Yiyue continued slowly, "It’s like how I haven’t been activated in a long time, but I still have value to the Sheep Race. I believe that even if the Mortal Realm never activated you, you were still its greatest trump card back in its early days. You provided the confidence for many of its operations and served as a deterrent to outsiders."

"That is enough."

"You’ve thought yourself into a dead end."

"You’re trying too hard to prove your worth."

"In truth, a person doesn’t need to have worth."

"Just being alive is enough."

Big Fish didn’t have much time left; she only had another fourteen or fifteen years to live.

Big Fish said nothing, just sitting there quietly. After a long while, she finally got up and sat down next to Gongyang Yiyue, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes, as if that could ease her burden.