Chapter 213: A Heart to Heart Conversation
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Which family are you from?" Mi Kongqun stepped back and sat on a chair.
His expression was still inexplicably somber.
After he had affirmed that Yun Yang was only here to ask for the debt, Mi Kongqun had let his guard down and the melancholy had returned. It was not as strong as before but even a blind man could see it was there.
Yun Yang was not blind; his vision was very much better than most as well. He could feel the slightly odd atmosphere – was this man having a bad day?
Musing to the moon?
Reminiscing?
Initially, Yun Yang was still upset over his previous carelessness. Although Mi Kongqun was not as dazed as he was earlier, he was still stricken and submerged in an eerily sorrowful mood; he was somewhere in between waking and dreaming and would continue to be so for a while.
What?
What a fluke! The situation had improved somewhat. Although Mi Kongqun was seriously out of sorts, Yun Yang would still have to endure his retaliatory strikes before death claimed him, even though he would eventually prevail over Mi Kongqun. Now, there was a huge chance of total victory, as long as he was careful; he could eliminate his target and leave without injury
to himself!
Yun Yang sighed softly. "I come on behalf of the Qiu Family. Trust me, it is not on my own free will. It is unfortunate that Keeper Mi has indeed tackled this issue tactlessly."
Mi Kongqun snorted coldly and said, "Could it be that you, from the Qiu Family, were genuine and amicable when kidnapping and blackmailing my entire family?"
"Tact and authenticity are matters of opinion. If Keeper Min didn’t first provoke the Qiu Family, this reputed one won’t be here today!" Yun Yang replied coldly.
Mi Kongqun wanted to retort but he only sighed without saying anything. His current state of mind had left him significantly powerless; he also did not have the mood to argue.
After a long time, he said, "Let’s not beat around the bush. I didn’t plan to owe the wager promised but I’ve never planned to actually give it. I can’t even let myself go if I did…"
"Since you’ve come all the way here for me… let me just lavishly fulfill your wish this time."
Mi Kongqun’s expression was growing more miserable; he looked lost and empty like he no longer had a purpose in life. The sadness was exceptionally prominent.
A profound sense of despair overwhelmed Mi Kongqun; it felt like he had suddenly lost all interest and thirst for everything in this world.
Yun Yang felt the emotions very clearly.
What had happened to this fellow?
How could a high-level cultivator be so absent of will?
How could he have simply believed a stranger just because he said he was from the Qiu Family?
Moreover, what was that all about, sitting on the chair with that anguished look on his face? There was not the slightest bit of alertness in him.
Yun Yang had come to kill him but he was rather bewildered now… When the target offered its own head on a silver platter, Yun Yang was at a loss on how to proceed.
"The Luminary Paste…" Yun Yang started.
Mi Kongqun tossed five small boxes in front of him, saying self-depreciatingly, "I believe if it were anyone else, they wouldn't have handed it over… Too bad they’re completely useless to me."
Yun Yang seemed to have caught on as he replied, "Everyone has different ambitions. It can’t be forced."
Mi Kongqun chuckled, looking like he was about to say something but swallowed his words instead.
Yun Yang, sensitive as he was, could tell that Mi Kongqun’s emotions were going through a rollercoaster ride once more. He could not help perking up, sitting down on a chair in front of Mi Kongqun and said softly, "I didn’t expect Brother Mi to be so forthright. I am impressed. I hope to be friends with Brother Mi after this matter."
Smiling indifferently, Mi Kongqun replied, "May I ask for this respectable one’s name? What is your nickname in the Qiu Family?"
Yun Yang tensed but said in a low voice, "I can only tell you that I am in the top five of the Qiu Family."
With a slight shock that was reflected in his gaze, Mi Kongqun finally lets out a chuckle and said, "Looks like your respectable family still regards me rather highly."
"But this reputed one has never thought that Keeper Mi is so easygoing," Yun Yang said.
Mi Kongqun sniggered upon hearing his words. "There are a lot of times when I’m not this docile. Since you’ve achieved your goal, leave quickly. This is a palace, after all, it’s not a place for casual conversation."
With a chuckle, Yun Yang replied, "It’s not that I don’t want to leave. It’s just… I’ve prepared well before coming, wanting to have an exchange of skills with Brother Mi. Perhaps Brother Mi doesn’t know this but your reputation is renowned in the four noble families, especially our Qiu Family! How could I have known that this would unfold so smoothly… I’m actually quite surprised and a little embarrassed. I see that Brother Mi is rather down; I’ll just keep Brother Mi company here to talk and kill some time."
"Hmm?" Mi Kongqun hummed incredulously.
He obviously did not believe Yun Yang’s words. Even if this Qiu Family’s man was grateful, their relationship was still too short; it was too much to have a heart to heart talk with an acquaintance.
Yun Yang sighed softly and said, "Actually, I can understand Brother Mi’s current state of mind. Martial artists like us, we’ve been shedding blood before blades our whole life, struggling with life and death; all we ever asked for is fame, fortune –and power."
"But for this fame, fortune, and power, what we’ve given and what we’ve gained aren’t necessarily proportionate…"
Yun Yang sighed softly, "The gains and losses in this human realm, is naught after all… People like us, what we used to imagine… we’ve mostly gotten them; even if it's not everything, it's still quit close."
Mi Kongqun’s Adam’s apple bobbed but his face was still closed off and distant. Yun Yang knew that he was about to speak then, he had just forcefully swallowed his words again.
Since there was already progress, he had to keep on pushing. He continued persuading the eunuch to speak, "Actually, this reputed one doesn’t know Brother Mi; we have even held opposite stances in the past. Some words are indeed too much for such an acquaintance but today’s situation is different. I feel suffocated if I don’t speak easily… Brother Mi is considered successful, why are you so devoid of drive?"
"Successful?"
A pitiful laugh tore through Mi Kongqun; he pointed at his chest and said harshly, "Brother Qiu, do you think that someone like me with an incomplete body – even when I have a mighty cultivation base - can be considered successful when all I do each day is to serve someone else in this palace?"
"Each to their own, really. The path you take is the path you’ve chosen ultimately. Since Brother Mi has chosen this path and has gotten to the position of Inner Court Attendant, it’s already at the peak. How can it not be considered as successful?"
Mi Kongqun gave another chortle of despair. "I’ve chosen? I’ve chosen, really?"
He sucked in a deep breath. "If I could choose, who doesn’t want to have a beautiful wife and pretty concubines? To be titled duke or marquis for generations to come? Who’s willing to castrate themselves and enter the palace to serve?"
"With Brother Mi’s cultivation achievement, who can coerce you to do anything if it’s not your free will? We’ll always lie to ourselves in some things in this world. There isn’t a need to say much, each person has their ambition, I understand as much," Yun Yang commented after a snicker.
Anger flashed across Mi Kongqun’s expression before he wore a meaningful smile and said pointedly, "Damned a man shall be upon entering the wrong career, damned a woman shall be upon picking the wrong man. What a maxim! What I regret the most in this life is… entering the wrong career and causing my wife to marry the wrong man!"
His head raised slightly to look at the cold bright moon still shining on him gently from the sky; a pained gentleness surfaced on his face where some green veins formed bumps on his forehead.
His hands were clenched into fists, he was fighting for his control over his emotions.
Yun Yang’s gaze danced when he said, "But you’ve entered the palace, after all, to become a… eunuch."
His words were brutal – especially so for the current Mi Kongqun. It was like clawing all his wounds and scabs apart at once, showing the bloody mess and countless gashes.
It was a fatal blow to Mi Kongqun who was not very much himself right now.
The wicked words had sucked all of his rationality – under the unchanging tenderness of the moonlight, Mi Kongqun’s expression morphed into one of menace.
"All these are not what I wish!"
He was near growling like he was arguing with himself.
A young eunuch’s timid voice came from outside,
"Eunuch Mi, what’s going on there? Do you need this young one to go in?"
The unexpected yet reasonable "Eunuch Mi" was like a handful of salt rubbed into Mi Kongqun’s wound. He shouted hysterically, "Out! Roll as far away as you can!"
"Yes!" The young eunuch was obviously frightened, disappearing immediately.
Mi Kongqun looked green under the moonlight; he clenched his teeth and said harshly, "I’m also a man. My goal is nothing different than all yours! It’s just that… I’ve become a disciple of a master then!"
He did not want to say anything. However, the resentment he had suppressed for tens of years had suddenly surged in tides; he could not restrain himself, he could not have poured them out. In addition to the other party’s provoking words, the tides grew fiercer. He finally could not help himself but begin talking.
"My great master gave me a cultivation method!"
Mi Kongqun’s expression was still as ominous. "I was only twenty-three years old then! I was young, I didn’t know better! I cultivated that cultivation skill, the improvement was rapid. One year of cultivating it could compare to ten years of cultivating other cultivation skills!"
"Do you understand the vast improvement, the kind that flies forward each day?"
"I cultivated wholeheartedly. Very quickly, I’ve got to the third stage. With the continuous cultivation, I slowly realized that my interest towards the cultivation skill grew; it became more and more irresistible. While towards sex… I seemed to grow more disinterested. I didn't feel anything… My wife had only gotten married to me for two years and a half then!"
"Do you know how it feels?" Mi Kongqun chuckled again without humor.
Yun Yang answered faintly, "Wholeheartedly cultivating is a necessary process in the path of cultivation. There’s nothing undeserving about it. It’s just a difference in everyone’s state of mind."
The deprecating snicker came from Mi Kongqun again. "It was until later that I truly understood… it’s not that I’ve neglected it. I can’t anymore… I can’t, you know?"