Out of fear of death, Invest Everything into Health

...

"The righteousness shaped by the heavens..."

Fan Wubing lay in the courtyard, gazing at the sun through his fingers, recalling the long conversation with his mentor from the night before.

A bit of distress knitted his brows, while a vague light swirled in the depths of his pupils.

Luo Qingyao walked in from outside.

Though she hadn’t officially married into the Fan Family, in the eyes of others, she was already a member. Over the past few years, she actively participated in affairs concerning the Fan Family, Qiming Realm, and even the entire Little South Continent. Due to her high cultivation, she had almost become one of the main pillars.

"What are you thinking about, Senior Brother?"

Luo Qingyao squatted beside Fan Wubing, curiously looking at his profile.

Fan Wubing turned his head and asked,

"Qingyao, in your view, what am I striving for?"

Luo Qingyao chuckled, "Why suddenly ask this?" She pondered for a moment, "Hasn’t Senior Brother mentioned before about resisting one’s destiny, not wanting to be imprisoned by so-called fate? Though I’ve never understood what fate Senior Brother refers to."

"So, I’ve always been thinking only of myself."

"Not at all." Luo Qingyao rested her face against Fan Wubing’s chest, listening closely to his heartbeat, "Senior Brother cares about everyone a lot. Many times, he regards us, the ones who aren’t very accomplished, as more important than himself."

"None of you are unaccomplished." Fan Wubing whispered.

"Still, I feel like Senior Brother has something on his mind." Although Luo Qingyao wasn’t very keen on overthinking, nor could she be considered a delicate person, she was willing to put a hundredfold effort into understanding Senior Brother Fan Wubing. "Is it because of Celestial Venerable Shangli?"

Fan Wubing closed his eyes, "Do you know what he said to me when he came looking for me that day?"

"If Senior Brother is willing to share, I will listen attentively. It would be even better if I could help solve Senior Brother’s worries."

Fan Wubing smiled, "When did you become so formal?"

Luo Qingyao pretended to be shy, "I also want to be considered a knowledgeable, graceful, delicate, and gentle girl."

Seeing her like this, Fan Wubing’s mood always brightened. She was like that; though she didn’t have Man’Er’s earnestness, nor Gu Lan’s gentle warmth, she always knew how to make him happy.

Fan Wubing unconsciously fiddled with Luo Qingyao’s hanging hair, his gaze drifting as he said,

"Celestial Venerable Shangli told me that this world is a colossal lie, and he is one of its weavers. After saying this, he painfully confessed that the most horrifying thing is that although he participated in weaving the lie, he didn’t even realize it and only thought that he was acting for the sake of White Jade Capital, for the world."

Luo Qingyao’s eyebrows trembled.

Fan Wubing said,

"I pressed him about what he had discovered. Yet, he simply couldn’t speak, as if someone had covered his mouth. He exerted all his strength, almost ready to cough out his lungs, yet he couldn’t utter a single word. In the end, he left in despair. I..."

Fan Wubing spoke solemnly,

"I was powerless. I tried all sorts of methods but could never know what he had experienced. Just attempting to touch upon it, it felt as if a vast ocean stood in my way, and I, would never be able to reach the other shore. Half a month later, he committed suicide in such a disgraceful way."

Luo Qingyao’s heart fluttered.

She had hardly seen such a gloomy expression on her Senior Brother’s face.

"I’ve always looked down on White Jade Capital, thinking that apart from having higher cultivation and stronger strength, they are completely unworthy of being the Leader of the Immortal Dao. But..." Fan Wubing said, "Celestial Venerable Shangli made me realize that they truly do care about the world, which is an undeniable and genuine intention. However, just as he himself said, carefree heaven isn’t carefree, and freedom isn’t free. From the start, they lost their free will, shackled by something indescribable."

Fan Wubing sighed, despondently saying,

"With that said, doesn’t it make me seem unreasonable, like someone who disrupts the world’s stability?"

Luo Qingyao suddenly grasped Fan Wubing’s hands tightly and said loudly,

"Please don’t doubt yourself! Senior Brother, haven’t you said before that Yan Hui instructed you to firmly believe in yourself no matter what! So, please don’t doubt yourself so easily!"

She frowned, frustratedly saying,

"I’m not very clever, and I find it hard to grasp what Senior Brother’s words mean. But, I can feel that Senior Brother is doubting himself. This is not right, not right at all. I always believed, the Senior Brother I admire and worship is strong. This definitely doesn’t refer to your high cultivation, but your heart which is strong and different from all of us. Back in the Eternal Immortal Sect, even when weak, you had an unstoppable conviction.

"This conviction is something I’ve sought tirelessly for decades yet never found. I’ve never understood why Senior Brother seemed different from everyone. Many times, I even doubted whether Senior Brother truly belongs to this world."

Fan Wubing let out a dry laugh,

"That’s a pretty scary thing to say."

Luo Qingyao said with grievance,

"I never doubted Senior Brother. I just feel like Senior Brother is genuinely unique compared to all of us. So, promise me, don’t let this unique trait disappear. Don’t turn into someone as ridiculously ordinary as us."

Fan Wubing was profoundly shocked. Honestly, he always thought Luo Qingyao was a bit self-absorbed, like considering herself the cutest and most popular in the world... He never expected her to say she was ridiculously ordinary.