Chapter 1602: Dark Night Without Light
The Golden Ship of Salvation sailed out of Netherworld City and arrived at the Ancestral Court. Moon Venerable, accompanied by Ling Venerable, sought out the place where the Primordial Spirit Heavenly Realm and the Unity Heavenly Realm had collided. She used her divine abilities to send Ling Venerable into the Primordial Spirit Heavenly Realm, startling Tai Chu into fleeing.
Ling Venerable did not say much to Cloud Venerable, only telling him about the fall of Kai Huang.
Cloud Venerable was silent for a moment, then said, "When you return, tell Mu Venerable. In the long years from Long Han to now, we have endured hardships darker than this, and we have walked through them, emerged from them. He will emerge from them too."
He thought for a moment, wanting to say more, but didn't know what to say.
Moon Venerable brought Ling Venerable back, and saw that Qin Mu was still lying there, whether asleep or unwilling to wake up.
"Where should we go?" Heaven Duke asked, bewildered.
"To Yan Kang," Netherworld Venerable said.
Qin Fengqing hugged his knees, hiding in a corner of the golden ship, muttering softly, "I want to go home, want to go to Carefree Village. Kai Huang should still be there..."
The golden ship arrived at Yan Kang.
Yan Xiu Emperor Ling Yuxiu heard the news and came. She boarded the ship, and saw that Moon Venerable, Ling Venerable, and the others had already stepped aside. Qin Mu had gotten up at some point, sitting on the edge of the golden ship, staring blankly into space.
Ling Yuxiu came to his side, climbed onto the ship's edge, and sat with him.
She turned her head to look—Qin Mu's temples, where tears had soaked, now had some white hairs.
He was no longer a young boy, but had gained the steadiness and maturity of a young or middle-aged man.
The cowherd boy from the banks of the Yong River had grown up, his heart somewhat weary.
"Let's get married."
Qin Mu looked down, gazing below. Beneath them was Yan Kang's Lower Capital, shrouded in mist under the Primordial Tree. His expression was calm. "Let's get married. I don't want to be Yan Kang's National Teacher anymore. Do you still intend to continue being emperor?"
Ling Yuxiu leaned against his shoulder, whispering, "I will find my father and step down from the throne. Once I find my father and Jiang Baigui, we can lay down our burdens. Just wait a few more days for me. Do we need to stop the Yan Kang reforms?"
"If the human race wants to survive, the reforms must stop."
Qin Mu leaned against her, his soul feeling empty, leaving only a walking corpse. He murmured, "There's no hope of turning things around anymore... When you go to find the emperor and the National Teacher, I will go to the Heavenly Court."
Ling Yuxiu nodded gently. "After we step down, will you go to the Yong River?"
"Yes. I was originally a cowherd boy by the Yong River. It's time to return to being myself..."
"I'll go with you."
...
After Ling Yuxiu left, Qin Mu took off his clothes, baring his upper body, wearing only his pants.
He took ropes and thorny vines, binding himself. The thorns were covered in sharp spikes that pierced his skin.
Netherworld Venerable watched this scene, did not step forward to stop him, and slowly put on his ghost-face mask.
Moon Venerable stepped forward to persuade him, but Qin Mu showed a smile and said, "Back when Cloud Venerable fell in battle, you all retreated into seclusion in utter despair. Don't try to persuade me."
Moon Venerable was speechless.
Ling Venerable thought for a moment but didn't try to persuade him either.
Heaven Duke hesitated, then steeled himself and stepped forward, saying, "Mu Venerable, when will you resurrect Earth Lord?"
Qin Mu said gently, "Brother, rest assured. I will go to the Heavenly Court, kneel before the Southern Heavenly Gate, and beg for forgiveness with thorns on my back. If Hao Venerable allows me to live, then Yan Kang and Carefree Village can be preserved. At that time, I will return and resurrect Earth Lord. There is one more thing—I ask you to go and inform the Western Emperor, Northern Emperor, and Eastern Emperor not to rebel. Let them come with me to kneel at the Southern Heavenly Gate."
Heaven Duke stood frozen.
Qin Mu walked down the golden ship. From the ship's shadow, Qin Fengqing called out weakly, "Little brother, I want to go home..."
Qin Mu smiled. "Go back. I'm sorry, big brother. I shouldn't have made you bear such heavy responsibility, shouldn't have made you become Earth Lord. I can protect you. Go back and tell Mother and Father that I'm fine."
Qin Fengqing stared at him blankly, not moving to leave.
Qin Mu walked toward the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge in Yan Kang's Lower Capital. Ling Venerable blocked his path and said, "Cloud Venerable told me to tell you: even the darkest times have been walked through and emerged from. He also said you can emerge from this."
Qin Mu smiled faintly. "But I can't emerge. I see no chance of victory. Perhaps in the future I will emerge, but for now, I'm tired."
Ling Venerable looked at the white hairs at his temples, was silent for a moment, then said, "Give me fifty thousand years. I will unravel all the mysteries of the Mirage Palace Master's red-string knot. At that time, no one will be your match!"
"Fifty thousand years..."
Qin Mu's smile was fragile. He shook his head. "I can wait, but Yan Kang cannot wait. The human race cannot wait. If we continue to resist, the human race will be erased. Sister Ling, don't block me."
Ling Venerable fell silent and stepped aside.
Qin Mu continued forward. Ahead, Lang Wu stood there, graceful and elegant, waiting for him quietly.
Qin Mu stopped and asked, "Lang Wu, have you also come to stop me from going to the Heavenly Court to beg for forgiveness and surrender?"
Lang Wu shook her head. "I've come to go with you."
Qin Mu was stunned.
Lang Wu said calmly, "If you go to beg for forgiveness, you can only save Yan Kang and Carefree Village, but not the remaining creators. I intend to go with you to the Heavenly Court. You will kneel before the Southern Heavenly Gate, and I will go see Hao Venerable. Perhaps I can become his empress and preserve the creator race."
Qin Mu's expression was complex. After a moment, he said, "I am unworthy of being the Sacred Infant of the creator race. You placed your hopes in me, thinking I could lead your race to glory again, but all of this was actually my lie. I am unworthy of you and your people. If you trust me, I will do my utmost to protect the creators in Carefree Village."
Lang Wu shook her head. "Hao Venerable wants me to be his empress—that is the victor's right. As a loser, you have no standing to bargain with him."
Qin Mu was silent, then continued on his way, carrying the thorns on his back.
Suddenly, Moon Venerable rushed over with Village Chief and Medicine Master from the Earth Virtue Primordial Lord's heavenly palace, then vanished again.
Village Chief steadied himself, his expression grave, and shouted in a deep voice, "Mu'er! Has a single setback crushed you? When you were young, how did I teach you? You are the Overlord Body, the unparalleled Overlord..."
Qin Mu's voice was hoarse, and he whispered, "Grandpa Village Chief, the Overlord Body was just a lie. It inspired me for a time, but it can't inspire me for a lifetime. The dream of the Overlord Body should have been shattered long ago. I am just an ordinary person, an ordinary child you picked up by the riverbank. I'm even worse than an ordinary person. I don't even have my own soul, and my body is my brother's. I'm tired..."
Village Chief looked at him, his expression complex, and finally let out a long sigh. "Medicine Master, you try to persuade him."
Medicine Master was silent for a moment, then said, "Mu'er, the Overlord Body is indeed fake, but you have walked this path with that belief and have been unstoppable. Ask yourself, who in this world has achieved what you have? Who has your talent? You are not the Overlord Body, but you have accomplished what even the Overlord Body could not."
"Grandpa Medicine Master, you see my successes, but do you see how much blood and sweat I've poured in?"
Qin Mu suddenly lost control and shouted loudly, "From the moment I knew I was the Overlord Body, I started fighting with all my might! I started racking my brains! I was afraid, afraid of letting down your expectations of me! I was afraid of failing the name of the Overlord Body! I was afraid of the looks behind my back! I risked my life time and again, nearly died time and again—not because I believed I was the Overlord Body, but because I didn't want to disappoint you!"
His voice was hoarse and desperate: "And then? Then I came to Yan Kang, became the Heavenly Saint Cult Leader. I shouldn't have learned about reforms, about revolution, shouldn't have listened to the teachings of the sages, shouldn't have become Yan Kang's National Teacher! Once I took on these burdens, I had to fight even harder, gamble with my life! The Overlord Body? There never was any Overlord Body! All there was, was ordinary people like me trading their lives for what they achieved!"
Medicine Master was stunned and fell silent.
Qin Mu panted heavily, then his expression softened. He walked over to Medicine Master and Village Chief, his voice filled with exhaustion: "Grandpa Medicine Master, Grandpa Village Chief, I'm tired. I don't want to pretend to be the Overlord Body anymore. Your expectations of me are too high. I can't meet them. Don't stop me."
Village Chief opened his mouth but could only let out a sigh.
Qin Mu staggered forward. Suddenly, space shifted, and Moon Venerable appeared out of nowhere, placing Granny Si, Blind, and Mute in front of him. She said hurriedly, "I'll go find Heaven Saber, Painting Saint, and Ma Tathagata!"
Qin Mu shook his head. "Moon, there's no need to bother."
Moon Venerable said nothing and vanished.
Qin Mu looked at Granny Si, Blind, and Mute, tears in his eyes as he smiled. "Granny, Grandpa Blind, Grandpa Mute, I'm tired. I don't want to fight anymore. I want to go home. I want to go back to the Crippled Elderly Village, back to when I was young."
Granny Si had originally come to persuade him, but her heart softened at his words. She wiped away her tears and said, "Then go home. Don't any of you say a word!"
She glared at Blind and Mute. "Don't persuade him! Going home is good too. This world shouldn't have been your burden to bear! Go home, Mu'er. Let's build another Crippled Elderly Village."
Qin Mu walked past them with heavy steps. Blind and Mute turned their heads, staring blankly at his back. Blind opened his mouth, trembling as he said, "Mu'er, if we go back, what about Lame? Can Lame still come back?"
Qin Mu stopped, his body trembling.
"Lame... can't come back anymore..."
Blind's voice trembled. "The Crippled Elderly Village isn't the same anymore either. We can't go back, Mu'er..."
Thud.
Qin Mu fell to his knees, lowering his head.
Blind walked behind him, grabbing his shoulder. "If Lame were here, he wouldn't want to see you like this..."
"I can't see any hope anymore—"
Qin Mu let out a howl like an old wolf, his head bowed to his chest, sobbing loudly, "I can't see any hope anymore! Don't push me anymore! We've already lost! I can't gamble with everyone's lives!"
He wept bitterly, then turned around and kowtowed heavily to Village Chief, Granny Si, and Blind. "I've failed Grandpa Lame, failed your expectations. But I..."
He raised his head. "I have to do this."
Village Chief sighed and helped him up. "Mu'er, go ahead. We'll wait for you to come back."
Qin Mu turned and walked toward the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge. Lang Wu followed behind him.
In Yan Kang's Upper Capital, Ling Yuxiu stood with the civil and military officials of Yan Kang, watching this scene in silence, her heart aching but her expression calm.
"Your Majesty, won't you stop the National Teacher?" a minister asked.
Ling Yuxiu shook her head. "There's no need to stop him. He is no longer your National Teacher, and I will no longer be your emperor. Once the Emperor Emeritus arrives here, I will abdicate. I will leave Yan Kang with him and live in seclusion..."
The officials looked at each other, no one speaking.
Qin Mu climbed the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge step by step, looking at the spiritual light ahead. He took a deep breath and was about to step into the bridge.
Suddenly, Yu Chenzi ran over from a distance, shouting loudly, "National Teacher, wait! Wait!"