“Let me go, and I promise I won't eat people again, please.” It seemed like she had caught a glimmer of hope; Ba Chi appeared particularly anxious, repeatedly begging Lin Ze to release her.
Lin Ze shook his head, stepping closer. His tone was no longer mocking but filled with desolation. “Do you believe it? Ba Chi, a habit formed over ten thousand years can't be changed just like that; it has long since seeped into your very bones.”
Ba Chi was genuinely a bit out of her mind, the aura of curses and hatred clouding her thoughts. “What should I do, what should I do... I beg you, I will keep my word. Please, let me leave this place.”
“The hatred between humans and you is deeply rooted. You have only two choices: death or signing a contract to protect humanity as atonement.”
Just moments ago, Ba Chi had been struggling and pleading, but upon hearing this, she suddenly lowered her head. Her straw hat fell off, her long hair obscuring her face. The pain in her body and the haze in her mind were momentarily overshadowed by a surge of hatred. Her tone was like that of a vengeful spirit in hell, each word dripping with resentment. “I will never protect humanity! I did nothing wrong; they are the ones who harmed me! You! Kill! Me! Now!”
Lin Ze instructed Kayako to retract the hair binding her and dispel most of the curses and resentments clinging to her, leaving only a few that firmly locked her in place.
“Do you know who your parents are?”
Lin Ze's words left her in a daze. She suddenly recalled that a thousand years ago, she seemed to only want to find her kind, to seek a place that belonged to her.
“You are a spirit born of heaven and earth, and I happen to know about another spirit born of heaven and earth. Would you like to hear his story?” Ba Chi was a living being, and Lin Ze believed this was her innermost desire; even if she wished for death, she would want to hear the story first.
“...A spirit born of heaven and earth?” Was she ultimately just one person? But Lin Ze's latter words indeed stirred her emotions. She wanted to step forward and grab Lin Ze to ask, but finding herself unable to move, she excitedly asked, “Who is this other spirit born of heaven and earth? Is he my kind?”
“Don't rush; I will tell you. He is not the same as you, but he is indeed born of heaven and earth. His name is Sun Wukong. Like you, he sought beings similar to himself and eventually found them in Flower-Fruit Mountain, just as you did with humans.”
“Just like me and humans?”
“That's right. He killed humans and demons, feasting on flesh and being combative. Later, to help the tribe that followed him, he attracted powerful forces. They sent out a hundred thousand men to capture him, but he killed them all without leaving a trace. However, in the end, he was sealed by a true strongman.”
Ba Chi's eyes were filled with loneliness. Was the outcome always the same? Were they all destined to be sealed and captured by humans?
“He was sealed for five hundred years with no one to rescue him until he met a monk. That monk wanted to travel west to seek the land of ultimate bliss. He had no exorcism skills but possessed a body that attracted demons and monsters. Sun Wukong asked him why he would go west knowing the dangers. The monk replied that he wished to save all beings. After five hundred years, Sun Wukong had long been disappointed in his former tribe; they had never tried to save him, nor had they even visited him. He said that humanity was hopeless, but the monk said that humans have many forms, and good and evil are inherent. He said human nature is like the sea, unfathomable.”
Ba Chi repeated this passage, deeply resonating with it.
“But he also said that human nature is fundamentally bright. Even if it was once dim, hope can be reignited. He lifted the seal, and after Sun Wukong gained his freedom, he wanted to kill him because he was human. Yet the monk smiled; he was not afraid and instead advised Sun Wukong that hatred and revenge would never solve problems, only harm oneself and innocent beings. Only by letting go of ignorance and hatred could one find liberation from suffering. He said if Sun Wukong truly wanted to kill him, he hoped his life could alleviate a bit of the hatred in Sun Wukong's heart, wishing he would not slaughter the innocent.”
Lin Ze did not know if there were any famous works from the Dragon Kingdom, but he could adapt Sun Wukong's story to tell Ba Chi, attempting to persuade her.
“Did he... kill him?” Ba Chi's expression changed repeatedly, her eyes filled with complexity.
“He did not strike. He wanted to accompany the monk to the western heavens to see if the monk was truly that noble. He waited for the monk to release his evil thoughts, but every time he was captured, the monk bore no resentment, even when the other party intended to eat him. He still tried to persuade them, hoping they would not harm the innocent. Sun Wukong could only rescue him, looking forward to the next time he was captured, knowing they had finally reached the land of ultimate bliss. He succeeded.”
“Did he succeed... What happened to Sun Wukong? Where did he go?”
“He protected the monk along the way, though he had ulterior motives, the result was evident. Humans were grateful and worshipped him, erecting statues and monuments in his honor. In the end, he became a deity, existing in legends. It was then that he realized his kin were just a group of pitiful beings, limited in understanding, not even knowing whether the ground beneath their feet was square or round. They did not not save him; they simply did not know where he was or how to rescue him.”
Lin Ze's gaze was piercing as he looked at the somewhat evasive Ba Chi. “Ba Chi! Those humans who once followed you were the same; they were ignorant and did not understand what kind of existence you were. Children are their most precious beings. Offering their children to you was their worship and reverence. They did not know it would awaken your desire to consume humans; they only wanted to hold onto you tightly in despair to survive!”
Lin Ze paused for a moment, his gaze gradually softening. “I know no one taught you what is right or wrong. You acted purely on instinct, thinking it was an exchange, unaware that humans can resort to cannibalism in famine, but after being fed, they can die for their children.”
“After years of fleeing and killing, you remember that the cause was sown by humans, and your revenge is the fruit. But have you ever tried to see the beautiful side of humanity? Sign the contract and accept their offerings, Ba Chi. Becoming a deity to protect humanity is not only atonement for your actions but also a chance to see what human nature is truly like, and whether it is worth your protection.”
After a long silence, Ba Chi's eyes shed two lines of clear tears. Cause and effect... Yes, she was feared by humans and despised by exorcists. Wasn't it also the fruit of her stealing children and consuming them? She looked at her hands with some disgust. “Why can't I control my actions... Why do I like the taste of humans...”
“No one can decide how they are born, not even heaven and earth. Everything about oneself is destined, but the path is walked by oneself. Once the contract is established, you can rid yourself of hunger, and then you will no longer have the desire to consume humans.” After signing the contract, she would only consume incense offerings.
Ba Chi slowly closed her eyes and pondered for a long time. “I can sign the contract, but I want you to promise me three things: first, you cannot force me to do things I do not wish to do; second, help me fully understand humanity; third, do not deceive me with malicious intent. Of course, I will also promise you that I will not harm others without permission, nor will I interfere with human order. All of this can be written in the contract.”
“Deal!” Lin Ze sighed in relief. “Then let's prepare to leave.” He picked up the fallen straw hat, raised his hand, and carefully placed it back on Ba Chi's head.
(ps: Please give flowers, evaluations, and monthly tickets. I seek everything for this new book. Regardless of the results, I will definitely complete this book. This is my promise to everyone, and I ask for your patience as this book grows.)