Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 77 - 68: The Perfect Solution for Indecision
"Hey, sis, do you care about this money bag?"
Li Wushuang curiously followed her sister’s gaze and immediately found the Spirit Cat Money Bag on the bed behind her.
The little boy hopped to the bed, excitedly picked up the money bag, and came to the Communication Spirit Stone, boasting, "Mom specifically entrusted Ah Ping to buy this in the city; it cost a lot of silver."
Shen Qingming, however, paid no attention to the word "silver." She just stared blankly at the money bag, at the two cat ears and the cat tail on it, as a wave of déjà vu surged in her mind.
Li Wushuang continued, "Alas, Ah Ping was a bit lazy. Mom wanted him to line up early to buy a limited edition, but he only went half a day ahead and ended up with this regular version. But it’s still lovely! Cat ears and a cat tail, I love cats the most!"
Shen Qingming felt her expression freezing, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Until Li Wushuang asked concernedly, "Sister, what’s wrong with you?"
"I-I’m fine... Is this money bag your mom’s?"
"Yes." Li Wushuang nodded, "Mom really likes it too, she carries it with her all the time, which is strange since she normally doesn’t like cats, but she loves this Spirit Cat Money Bag. If she hadn’t said the embroidery on it wasn’t intricate enough and needed some mending, she wouldn’t have taken it off her belt at all."
"I see," Shen Qingming’s mind grew more chaotic.
"Though, mom is weird too; she likes this money bag yet gets mad when others mention it. She even shouted at dad about it yesterday."
"I understand now..."
Shen Qingming whispered, remaining silent for a while before looking up at Li Wushuang: "Wushuang, I have some matters to attend to, let’s meet again in a few days."
"Eh? Okay." Li Wushuang felt a bit regretful but still nodded earnestly, "I’ll be waiting for you at home!"
——
After turning off the Communication Spirit Stone, Shen Qingming lay back on the bed, her mind completely blank.
Occasionally, some fragmented patterns and images would surge up, like the dust-free money bag placed in a messy vegetable stall. Such as those slightly missing stitches on the cat ears, and then...
"What are you doing?"
A sudden voice in her mind startled Shen Qingming, causing her to jump up from the bed.
Wang Jiu looked at his visibly startled companion, furrowing his brows, considering her earlier bizarre behavior—lying blankly on the bed, mind empty, looking shocked after someone found her—and asked, "You... didn’t wet the bed, did you?"
"You’re the one who wet the bed!" Shen Qingming immediately fumed.
Wang Jiu said, "I told you to always keep a water jug handy..."
"Stop mentioning the water jug! You’re so annoying!"
"If you’re feeling ashamed and angry, there’s no need. According to our Master-Servant Contract..."
"So annoying, so annoying, so annoying!"
Wang Jiu’s well-meant care met with such violence that he recalled what Lu Xin had previously said about how unruly Shen Qingming was, and indeed felt a bit relatable.
Yet Wang Jiu would not be angry. After all, for a 13 or 14-year-old, it’s the age of rebellious, defying everyone, having fits of temper, and being unreasonable is normal. If one were to engage seriously with a child, it would rather show a lack of maturity on the adult’s part.
Moreover, Wang Jiu remembered that he, too, had his rebellious and unruly times.
At thirteen, he won the sect’s grand competition, caught the Sect Leader’s eye, became a closed-door disciple, achieved mastery in Sword Dao, and was appointed as the sect’s chief. Yet, his master said he was excellent in everything except his lack of humanity. Immortal cultivation is beyond the mundane, yet one must not lose one’s human nature. The so-called immortal, residing in the mountains, is still human. No matter the cultivation, whether the wind and clouds rise or the Earth splits and heaven shatters, a cultivator’s nature ultimately comes back to the human within. If one loses the essence of being human, how would a cultivator differ from other mountain spirits and wild beasts?
That year, Wang Jiu was moved by another’s words for the first time, seriously contemplating his Sword Dao, his Immortal Dao, and his future, and fell into confusion for a while.
Fortunately, Wang Jiu’s rebellious period ended especially quickly. By the summer of sixteen, while sparring with his master, he unexpectedly beat his own master with newly realized swordsmanship. Faced with that utterly astounded expression, Wang Jiu instantly realized a truth.
Though his master meant well, how could words from such a weak person be taken seriously?
Regarding Sword Dao, he was ignorant!
Afterward, Wang Jiu finally recognized his path—he should not be human but sword. The so-called human flavor is but dust clinging to oneself; to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship and Immortal Dao, one must brush off all this dust, without a trace.
Later on, he traveled across Jiuzhou, tested his sword around the world, his cultivation advancing daily, until he became the Nameless Sword God, eventually reincarnating as the Celestial Divine Sword.
Looking back, if he had indeed let himself fall into absurdity and depravity during his rebellious period, indulging in power and beauty, supposedly cherishing family bonds like those covered in dust... when the Demon Emperor descends, and Jiuzhou falls, he might end up hiding with some He Yue Fairy in trembling fear at impending disaster.
Nonetheless, having lived through it, Wang Jiu bore great tolerance for the rebellious phase—even a genius with an IQ index of 9 like him went through rebellious years; a fool with an IQ of only 3.3 rebelling till the age of fifty would also be understandable.
After all, to the immortal Celestial Divine Sword, 50 insignificant years pass in the blink of an eye.
With this thought, Wang Jiu was about to act like nothing had happened, turning to leave, when Shen Qingming called softly.
"Ah Jiu, it’s dad’s birthday in a few days; tell me, should I go?"
Wang Jiu said, "Go."
Shen Qingming replied, "But... it feels so awkward; I haven’t been to the Li Family Mansion in years. Plus, they didn’t invite me this time. If I just go on my own, people will laugh at me, right? And Lu Xin..."
"Then don’t go."
"But it’s dad’s 50th birthday after all. If I don’t go, it seems like I’m truly estranged from the family... Okay, though there was indeed some fallout before, I even changed my surname. But really, it wasn’t that severe. Moreover, although they didn’t invite me, attending my own father’s birthday still seems odder needing an invitation..."
"Then go."
"But how should I go? Just walk into the Li Family Mansion’s door gives the impression of having thick skin. I just acted like I’ve severed ties with the family before..."
"Then don’t go."
"Not going... but I’ve already agreed to meet Wushuang."
"Then go."
Shen Qingming finally couldn’t hold back, slamming the table in anger: "...Can you only repeat these two sentences?!"
Wang Jiu shrugged: "This is called Human Flesh Copper Coin."
"Human Flesh Copper Coin? What’s that?"
Wang Jiu explained: "When a person faces a dilemma, they often resort to coin tossing to decide. My role is to play the part of this coin, akin to how a coin spins rapidly in the air, presenting both decisions to you. Under such a prescriptive suggestion style, you’ll ultimately make a decision without feeling neglected. Overall, it’s a nuanced and empathetic strategy for dealing with dilemmas."
"...So annoying, knowing you’re talking nonsense but not knowing how to rebut it!"
Wang Jiu asked, "So are you going or not?"
"I don’t know!"
"Then go."
"Stop talking!"
