Chapter 204: Tang Monk Sweeps the Pagoda

A voice echoed in Chaosheng’s mind:

“She’s dead.”

Chaosheng stared in shock at his sleeping mother before him.

“Dea… Dead?”

The voice in his head was full of Enchantment:

“But I can bring her back to life. The price… is that you live here forever, in this world where your mother is alive.”

Chaosheng couldn’t understand. Immense fear filled his eyes, and he shook his head.

“No, she can’t die!”

The voice in his head continued:

“Then let her live!

Isn’t your mother… what you want most?

Think about it. Think of all the hardships you’ve suffered in your life.

Heheheh, your will has long been broken, hasn’t it?

According to you humans, this is called a mental illness.

Difficulty with empathy?

Hehehehe, if it were me, I’d have a mental illness too.

Do you have any idea what’s going to happen to you next?

Let me tell you.

After your mother passed away, you lost all your emotions.

In the orphanage, you became an outcast. Even the most loving teachers were repulsed by your coldness.

Later, you went to an even poorer mountain village. The family valued sons over daughters, and they wanted you to take their surname, Liu, to carry on their family line.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. How could they have known what kind of monster they had adopted?

They got scared. Scared of your coldness. And so you were abandoned again, like an unwanted puppy.

And then, later on, you became the Manager of Antique Shop Zero.

Did you know?

Those Taboo Items, aside from possessing Extraordinary Power, are all filled with lingering regrets.

You take in these regrets, take in these puppies who have also been abandoned by the world.”

The voice’s tone shifted from mocking to sympathetic as it said sorrowfully:

“But why should you have to? You take in all those with regrets, but who will take in yours?”

Chaosheng didn’t understand the meaning of those words. He just cried, hugging Liu Niu’s body.

The voice gave two awkward, dry coughs.

“Alright, none of that is important. What’s important is, do you want to bring your mother back to life?”

Chaosheng wailed, nodding his head frantically.

“Yes, I do! I don’t want anything else, I just want my mom with me!”

The voice laughed.

“Good. Good boy. Starting today, you have a mother again. Enjoy it.”

As soon as the voice faded, Liu Niu’s eyelids twitched.

A look of disbelief appeared in Liu Niu’s eyes.

Suddenly, the small boy threw himself into her arms, his tears soaking the front of her shirt.

Liu Niu looked at Chaosheng in her arms, her face full of motherly love, and gently patted his back.

“Oh, Chaosheng, what are you crying for?”

Chaosheng lifted his tear-filled eyes.

“I thought I’d never see you again, Mom!”

Liu Niu wiped away Chaosheng’s tears and said with a smile:

“Mommy just fell asleep. Don’t cry now. Big boys aren’t supposed to cry. How about Mommy takes you to play by the river tomorrow?”

Chaosheng nodded amidst his sobs.

…

「The next day, by the river.」

Liu Niu rolled up her pant legs and skillfully built a fish trap by the riverbank.

The small fish were trapped inside, darting about frantically like headless flies.

Chaosheng clapped his hands.

“Mom, you’re amazing!”

Liu Niu looked at Chaosheng on the bank and said with a grin:

“Chaosheng, come on down and catch fish with Mom!”

“Okay!”

Chaosheng patted down his pants and made to get into the water.

Just then, a lamenting sigh echoed in his mind:

“Are you really willing to sink into this illusion?”

Chaosheng froze for a moment.

‘This voice is completely different from last night’s.’

‘Last night’s voice was full of malice and deceit.’

‘This voice… is full of majesty.’

Chaosheng asked:

“Who are you?”

The voice echoed in his mind:

“You want to know? Then come and see.”

The next second, Chaosheng passed out.

He had a dream, a very real, very strange dream.

…

「Inside a rustic tower, candlelight flickered.」

Chaosheng looked around him in surprise.

‘Wasn’t I just catching fish with Mom?’

‘How did I end up here?’

“SWISH… SWISH… SWISH…”

The sound of a broom sweeping the floor rang out.

Chaosheng followed the sound, climbing the steps up the tower.

He saw a man in a black robe sweeping the steps.

Chaosheng asked doubtfully:

“Who are you?”

The man in the black robe said sullenly:

“I am Tang Monk, sweeping the pagoda.”

Chaosheng blinked his eyes.

“Are you an idiot? Who sweeps from the bottom up?”

The black-robed man said nothing and continued sweeping the pagoda.

The dust from his feet fell onto the step below.

Chaosheng coughed, choked by the dust. He covered his mouth and nose, looking back down at the dust-covered steps.

“Aren’t you just sweeping for nothing?”

The black-robed man paused.

“Not for nothing. At least the step I am standing on is clean.”

Chaosheng was confused.

“What’s the point of that?”

The black-robed man turned around, revealing a face that was very familiar to Chaosheng.

That face was identical to his own, but grown-up.

‘Huh?’

‘Why do I know what I look like when I’m older?’

The black-robed man looked down at the clean step and said:

“It’s clean now.”

He looked down.

“The dirt below is the past.”

The black-robed man crouched down and affectionately tapped Chaosheng on the forehead.

“I know your life has been very hard. But, Chaosheng, you must live in the present.”

Chaosheng furrowed his little brow at the touch of the man’s finger.

The black-robed man said seriously:

“No matter how dirty the past was, it is still the past.”

He looked down at his feet.

“It’s good enough that the present is clean.”

He then turned to look at the unswept steps behind him.

“The future is hazy. Even I cannot see it clearly. What’s important is that every step you take is clean, that every step is the present.”

The black-robed man turned back again, looked at Chaosheng, and patted his head.

“You should do the same. Learn from Tang Monk sweeping the pagoda, and live in the present moment. Deceitful and Wily is an expert at toying with people’s minds. I fell into his trap back then. You mustn’t follow my old path.”

A profound power slowly began to emanate from the black-robed man’s hand.

The confusion in Chaosheng’s eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by determination and maturity.

Jiang Chaosheng was back.

Chaosheng narrowed his eyes and looked at the black-robed man.

“The Last Human Emperor?”

The black-robed man smiled.

“Yes. That is what they used to call me.”

Chaosheng asked:

“Who exactly are you? Which Human Emperor from history are you?”

The black-robed man said with a smile:

“Yin Shou. In my time, they called me Emperor Xin. Later generations… call me King Zhou.”

A look of realization dawned on Chaosheng’s face.

“So it really is you! Ever since Daji started calling me ‘husband,’ I’ve been wondering if I looked a lot like Emperor Xin.”

The black-robed man fell silent.

“Daji… I have wronged many people in my life. But I owe Daji the most. Chaosheng, I hope you will treat her well. I know your principles. Daji is very useful. Do not fail her.”

The black-robed man enunciated the words ‘fail her’ with force.

Chaosheng’s eyes narrowed again.

“From the sound of it, when you say ‘fail her,’ you don’t mean failing her emotionally. Let me guess. In the future, is Daji supposed to sacrifice her life to complete me? And by ‘do not fail her,’ you mean you hope I will accept the offering of her life?”

The black-robed man paused, looking at Jiang Chaosheng in surprise.

“You’re very clever. Daji is my gift to you.”

A mocking light appeared in Chaosheng’s eyes.

“Daji’s feelings for you are true and deep, yet you want her dead?”

The black-robed man was silent for a moment.

“I love her, but for the sake of the Human World, I must fail her love.”

The black-robed man looked up at the sky and slowly exhaled a heavy breath.

“A Human Emperor’s first duty is to all living beings. I can only be… a lonely king!”

A mocking smile slowly formed on Chaosheng’s lips.

“I will fail her.”

The black-robed man frowned, looking at Chaosheng.

“Based on your principles, that magic of Daji’s would be of infinite benefit to you. Why are you unwilling to devour the Nine-tailed Demon Core and inherit her ‘Human Peak’ power?”

Chaosheng said darkly:

“Human Peak? I can reach it through my own Cultivation. I don’t need to trade the life of a pitiful, lovesick woman for it.”

The black-robed man was stunned for a moment, then smiled with relief.

“You really are like me.”

Chaosheng frowned.

“I’m not like you, and I am not you.”

The black-robed man nodded.

“You are stronger than me.”

A confident smile appeared on Chaosheng’s lips.

“Whether I’m your reincarnation or something else, I am not you. Of course I’m stronger than you. You died. You didn’t accomplish what you set out to do. But what you couldn’t do, I can.”

The black-robed man smiled and shook his head.

“Yes, you are not me.”

The scene fell quiet for a moment.

Both the black-robed man and Jiang Chaosheng were processing the information from their conversation.

The black-robed man suddenly asked:

“Have you ever loved? After your mother died, it seems you haven’t loved anyone.”

Chaosheng was silent for a moment, then answered honestly:

“Besides her, I don’t love anyone.”

He tried very hard to love the members of the Taboo Association, but…

At most, it could be called ‘like,’ but it was far from love.

“Hahahaha…”

The black-robed man burst out laughing.

“In this, we are very much alike. You and I don’t love any single person, but we love all the people in the world!”

Chaosheng frowned, his eyes narrowing sharply.

“I don’t love any single person, and that includes all the people in the world.”

The black-robed man looked at Chaosheng mockingly.

“In your debate with the Evil Qilin, you won. Do you know why you won? Because you looked at Fallen Paradise from the perspective of all the people in the world.”

Chaosheng scoffed.

“I only won by a fluke.”

The black-robed man grew serious.

“You bear my karma. Destiny is vast, and you will take on my responsibilities. Chaosheng, the turning point is coming. You must be prepared.”

Chaosheng frowned and asked:

“What exactly is this ‘turning point’ that you and Emperor No. 0-01 talk about?”

The black-robed man shook his head.

“I can’t say right now. If I told you, you would despair. All the answers are hidden within the Taboo Items. The moment you find the answers, you will have enough conviction to face this seemingly unwinnable outcome.”

Chaosheng really hated the riddles from the Last Human Emperor and the Taboo Sculpture!

The black-robed man pondered for a moment.

“As for that statue, I also hope you will treat him well. Don’t short him on the Soul Power he needs. Even though he took the opportunity to kill me when Deceitful and Wily had me under his Enchantment, he is still my only friend.”