Chapter 221 Awakening
"Effective!"
Chen Changan felt a jolt in his heart; a bright gleam flashed in his eyes.
The moment he opened the "Invincible Dao," a profound and mysterious realization surged into his mind—the highest good is like water; water benefits all things without contention.
Water is the softest and weakest, yet it can wear through stone and split mountains; water neither contends nor seizes, yet it nourishes all beings.
True invincibility is not subduing others by force, but transforming others by the heart.
His "Talk no Jutsu" now perfectly aligned with the "Invincible Dao"—no killing, no threats, but like a trickling stream that moistens silently and reaches the softest parts of the heart.
Seeing Mingxin's expression grow dazed, clearly touched, Chen Changan seized the opportunity and spoke rapidly.
"Think about it—"
"If not for those monks who deceived you into committing patricide to prove your path, your mother would still be alive; what a beautiful scene that would be!"
His voice carried deep regret, as if painting a dream that was within reach but forever lost.
"In the morning, you push open the creaking wooden door and see her busy by the stove; steaming tofu rises from the pot, and in the mist she turns and smiles at you, saying, 'Wang Shouzhi, come eat'..."
"In the evening, you help her sit in the small courtyard; she fans herself while you tell her of the world outside, the dim sunset lighting her face, and every wrinkle shows contentment..."
"At New Year you paste couplets while she makes dumplings; flour dusts her graying temples, you laugh and wipe it away, and she slaps your hand, saying, 'You're still so clumsy at your age'..."
Chen Changan's voice grew softer with each word, yet every sentence struck Mingxin's soul like a hammer.
"These...should have been your days. Instead, she lies in a cold coffin and can no longer hear your voice, no longer call your name..."
Mingxin trembled all over; the golden light in his eyes flashed and waned, as if two souls fiercely battled for control of the body.
Chen Changan knew—water had begun to seep in.
Mingxin's body convulsed violently, as if two utterly different forces were tearing within him.
The left side of his face remained calm and Buddha-like, a faint compassionate smile at the corner of his mouth, while the right side twisted grotesquely—brows knitted, eye corners twitching, teeth clenching the lower lip until blood trickled from the mouth.
"Wang Shouzhi! Do not persist in your delusion!"
Mingxin's voice suddenly sharpened, as if two people spoke at once—one deep like a temple bell, the other hoarse as if bleeding.
"Abandon small love to attain great love; if your mother knew of your future achievement, she would be comforted!"
But this time the response was no longer confusion and compliance.
"Bullshit!"
A piercing roar burst from Mingxin's throat; the golden light in the right pupil shattered inch by inch, revealing the brown-black color of an ordinary human eye.
"My mother...my mother was there until she died, she was there..."
Wang Shouzhi's soul struggled like a madman; Chen Changan's words were a flame that ignited the long-suppressed remorse and pain within him.
"What fucking great love! I'm a beast who could kill his own birth mother—what right do I have to talk about great love?!"
Mingxin's right hand rose uncontrollably and clawed at his left cheek, nails digging deep into flesh, carving five bloody gashes across the Buddha-illuminated cheek.
"Shut up!"
The golden light in Mingxin's left eye blazed, trying desperately to suppress the half of the soul that had gone berserk—but Wang Shouzhi's obsession now burned like a wildfire.
"I hate it…"
Tears and snot streamed down the right side of Mingxin's face, his voice choking beyond recognition.
"Mother…"
That final word trembled with grief as if soaked in blood. Suddenly, the veins on Mingxin's right arm bulged violently, and with a savage motion, he tore open the robes on his chest.
A sharp sound followed.
His palm, like a blade, plunged straight into his own chest. Amid the spray of golden blood, he ripped out his still-beating golden heart!
The heart pulsed violently in his palm, covered in dense Sanskrit markings, and faintly within it, Wang Shouzhi's illusory face twisted in agony.
A sudden crack—
His fingers clenched tight. The Buddha's heart exploded, golden blood scattering like rain.
Mingxin's aura plummeted instantly. The oppressive might of an Immortal Venerable receded like a collapsing tide, and even standing upright became difficult—this incarnation was destroyed.
"Hahaha!"
He laughed maniacally, golden blood spilling from his lips.
"So now… what can you do to me?"
Chen Changan was truly stunned by such ruthlessness. He never expected the other to go so far as to destroy part of his Dao foundation and forcibly sever all karmic ties with Wang Shouzhi.
As Chen Changan was still considering his next move, a faint fragrance of orchid drifted from behind him.
"It's been a long time… Master."
Ji Hongli stood quietly at his side without him noticing, her slender, pale hand gently clasping his.
Her fingertips were cold, yet the instant they touched, a quiet warmth spread through his heart.
The two exchanged a smile—years of unspoken understanding passing silently between them.
Ji Hongli turned toward Mingxin, her eyes rippling with distant memories.
"Master, ten thousand years ago, you once taught me what true love and compassion meant."
Her voice was soft, almost like a sigh.
"At the time, I thought you had won…"
Sorrow filled her tone.
"But in the end, did you still lose?"
Mingxin suddenly froze.
He felt another consciousness stirring within him—not like Wang Shouzhi, a fragment that could be cut away, but something like a reflection in a mirror…
Another half of his own soul.
The Buddha light around him grew chaotic, his features twisting and shifting. When his face finally settled again, all the malice and distortion had vanished, replaced by pure and serene compassion.
"It's been a long time…"
The new voice was gentle as a spring breeze. He smiled faintly at Ji Hongli.
"Hongli."
That smile was exactly like the one from ten thousand years ago—the smile of the white-robed monk who once took her traveling across the world.
…
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