Chapter 799: In the Heart
"What should I do... Monkey Man..." Zheng Yingxiong said painfully, tears streaming down his face. "Did you see that? That 'Dao' is gone..."
The Monkey Man looked toward the direction where the Dao had vanished, then reached out and gently placed a hand on Zheng Yingxiong's shoulder. He said in a deep voice:
"Every single 'Dao' here is ultimately nothing but a floating weed in a troubled world." He let out a soft sigh. "There are countless 'Daos,' and no one will care about one that disappears, because old 'Daos' will be eliminated and new ones will be created to replace them."
"But... but right here!" Zheng Yingxiong pressed his hand to his chest and sobbed, "I feel so awful here...! I can't breathe sometimes... I'm always so sad..."
The Monkey Man's eyes flickered at that, and he couldn't help but think of that figure as well.
Her voice and smile were still fresh in his memory.
The Monkey Man sighed, then reached out and placed his hand over Zheng Yingxiong's chest, his cold palm gently covering the boy's hand. Even though this child had survived here for over ten years, he still carried the mind of an eight-year-old. Not only had he never received the education he should have, but he had also endured many joys and sorrows that a child his age should never have to face.
"You won't lose it again." The Monkey Man forced a smile. "The world is vast, and each of us loses our things. But as long as you keep them in your heart, they will never truly be lost."
"Really...?" Zheng Yingxiong looked up at the Monkey Man.
"Mm. Look."
The Monkey Man lightly tapped Zheng Yingxiong's chest, then closed his hand into a fist as if he had pulled something out. Slowly moving his fist in front of Zheng Yingxiong's eyes, he blew gently into it and then opened his palm to reveal a radiant 'Dao' shining brilliantly.
"As long as you remember her, she will always shine brightly, right here in your heart."
Zheng Yingxiong reached out and took the Dao, nodding thoughtfully. "The things that matter to us... they are always in our hearts."
"That's right." The Monkey Man nodded. "As long as someone remembers her, she will never truly disappear."
"I understand..."
"Let's continue the game." The Monkey Man said. "My turn."
"Okay."
Zheng Yingxiong held the Dao in his hands and watched as the Monkey Man took the last Dao from the box and placed it on the table. Now the box was completely empty.
According to the rules, "whoever gets the last Dao wins." The current winner was the Monkey Man.
"You win." Zheng Yingxiong said.
"Not necessarily." The Monkey Man shook his head in denial. "Whether I win or not, you should verify it yourself."
"Huh?"
Zheng Yingxiong didn't understand what the Monkey Man meant, but he saw the Monkey Man reach out and lightly tap the empty box from which he had just taken the Dao.
"Rely on yourself." The Monkey Man said.
Zheng Yingxiong seemed to understand. He reached his hand inside the paper box. With just a slight movement of his palm, he discovered a crumpled piece of paper in the corner of the box. His eyes flickered at that moment.
"Whether I win or not doesn't matter." The Monkey Man said to Zheng Yingxiong. "Sooner or later, someone here will win. And to me... it doesn't matter who wins."
Zheng Yingxiong withdrew his hand, clutching the paper ball tightly, and nodded. "I understand."
"My steps might have stopped here, but yours won't." The Monkey Man said. "Go on. Your 'ticket' will stay with me."
"I won't stop." Zheng Yingxiong said. "Even if I lose all my 'tickets,' I won't stop!"
"Mm."
"I will move forward with 'the Sword' and 'the Swallow.'" Zheng Yingxiong, with tear stains on his face, looked at the Monkey Man with resolute eyes. "Until someone here wins!"
"I believe you."
...
Yun Yao and the other two had only waited outside for about ten minutes when they saw Zheng Yingxiong walk out of the room.
He looked like he had cried heavily, but his mood was inexplicably good, as if a heavy stone that had been hanging over his heart had finally fallen.
The Monkey Man followed him slowly out of the game area and then stood back outside the door as if nothing had happened.
"Little brother Yingxiong, are you okay?" Sweetie asked, looking at him with concern.
"I'm fine, big sister." Zheng Yingxiong replied. "Don't worry."
Hearing Zheng Yingxiong call Sweetie "big sister," the Monkey Man glanced at her a couple of times.
She really did resemble an old acquaintance, except the aura between her brows carried more sorrow.
"But I'm sorry..." Zheng Yingxiong added. "I lost two 'Daos.' Now I only have one left."
He opened his palm, revealing a brand-new, radiant 'Dao.'
"You can keep this one too." Sweetie said. "You used this Dao to play the game at the Monkey Man's venue—consider it a souvenir."
Zheng Yingxiong thought for a moment and nodded. "Thank you, big sister..."
After they left, neither Zheng Yingxiong nor the Monkey Man mentioned what had happened. They just glanced at each other and then averted their eyes.
This was a reunion that was never meant to be hoped for, and a farewell where neither could speak the other's name.
"Let's go, big sister." Zheng Yingxiong said. "Let's find the people you're looking for."
"Alright." Yun Yao nodded. She picked up a rusty iron rod from the ground and casually tossed it into the air.
The iron rod spun in a wide arc, landed on one end, stood briefly upright, and then fell straight in a certain direction.
"Let luck decide." Yun Yao said. "The first time I threw the rod, we found the person little brother Yingxiong was looking for. This time, it's our turn."
They determined the direction and started walking toward where the iron rod pointed.
Before leaving the alley, Zheng Yingxiong looked back at the Monkey Man one last time. The Monkey Man just gave a slight nod.
As he had said, he was stopping here.
From now on, the only one who could move forward was himself.
After leaving the alley, Zheng Yingxiong took the crumpled paper from his pocket. The one he had found inside the box. This should contain the words Gu Yu had wanted to say but hadn't spoken aloud.
Zheng Yingxiong recalled that before the game started, the Monkey Man had taken the box aside and busied himself for several minutes. He must have been preparing this note.
Slowly, he unfolded the paper. A single sentence was written inside:
"Zheng Yingxiong, go find 'Cause and Effect.' The path she has chosen is most likely correct. No matter what happens from now on, absolutely never choose to become a 'Zodiac.' Goodbye."
Zheng Yingxiong gently traced his fingers over the word "Goodbye," feeling an indescribable sadness.
He looked up at the three girls walking ahead. He felt it was time to make a decision.
Though he had sworn never to join any organization again, here before him were people he could trust.
"Big sisters."
Zheng Yingxiong slowly raised the note in his hand, called out to them, and said, "There's something I want to discuss with you."