Realms In The Firmament

“In this world, women are in such a low position.” The woman looked at the white clouds in the sky and asked lightly, “Men can go drink and have fun while women cannot. Men can hold several lovers in arms while women cannot. Men can marry several ones while woman cannot. Men can do whatever they want while women would be accused for doing those they are not supposed to do… The world is so unfair. Why should we follow those rules?

Why can’t we live in colorful lives?

I can’t take it. Can… Can you?”

The woman asked.

She seemed to ask Su Ye-Yue, but also asking herself and more like asking the whole world.

Su Ye-Yue gave another simple answer. She said lightly, “We are just women. Why do we push ourselves so hard?”

It was simple, but it seemed to be powerful enough.

The woman heard her and took another deep breath. She felt like saying something, yet she felt it was useless and meaningless to say it.

“The world is indeed unfair to women. I can’t deny it.” Su Ye-Yue raised her head, looking at the woman with her clear eyes, “However, even though you can shock the whole world by only waving your hand, what exactly can you change?”

The woman was shocked and stayed silent.

“You have marvelous cultivation capability. You can scare the whole world and look down upon all living things. So what? Did you break the constraint on women?” Su Ye-Yue asked.

The woman lowered her head for the first time in her life. She was a bit in sorrow and she said, “No.”

Su Ye-Yue proudly said, “I don’t have any of those that you promised me, but I have him on my side. Isn’t it enough?”

The woman was quiet for a while and then said, “That’s right. You have him. But… he can only sacrifice his life once for you. How is that enough? If I didn’t come earlier, he would be dead. Would you not lose him?”

This time, Su Ye-Yue was quiet.

Her face showed pain in heart. She held Ye Xiao’s hand tightly under the table.

She was holding it so hard that Ye Xiao actually felt a bit painful.

“I understand your thoughts. I agree with you. There must be something good to be my disciple. If you learn the whole set of the world-shocking marvelous martial art, you can kill all the enemies. You can defeat them, kill them and control them. Only when you are strong enough can you protect the happy life you wished for and your beloved ones!”

The woman said lightly, “It has nothing to do with whether you are or not a woman. It is all about… When we want to protect something or to care for something, we have to keep it from being snatched. Fame, position, property, love, life… all of it.

Everything you want depends on your strength, isn’t it?

If you are weak and couldn’t protect anything, even though you can have what you want right now, you may lose all of them at the next moment.

The ordinary people, they work for money, for wealth! That is their strength. Only with wealth can they live better, longer and happier.

But when they don’t need to worry about money and get used to being rich people, they keep chasing other things like immortality; the power that overwhelm others. They also need something to help them get what they want — strength!

Only when you have enough strength can you have anything you want! Because you are weak, then you are even unable to live as an ordinary person. There will be somebody stronger than you destroying whatever you have built at any time!”

She pointed at Ye Xiao, “A simple example. Let’s suggest that he isn’t strong enough when he marries you, a pretty girl. There are many randy men in the world. He may not be one of them, so he never go out for girls and you are satisfied about it. However, there will be someone who wants to touch you, but your man doesn’t have the power to protect you. What will you do?

That is why strength matters!

The only thing that fits all the realms is merely this — strength!

Weak parents cannot afford raising their children; weak husbands fail to protect their pretty wives; weak sons can only watch their fathers get killed by somebody or some illnesses. They just cannot do anything to help them!

But if they are strong enough, they become capable! All those miserable things won’t happen! They can protect whatever and whoever they love.

Power means all!”

The woman spoke solemnly, “That, is what I am offering you! Strength! Power! Overwhelming power!

Be my disciple and you can have that power!

If you don’t come with me and give up on this opportunity, you will lose the only chance to learn the wonderful martial art from me. After that, you and him, you are going to encounter those things over and over again! You are lucky today that you have been saved by me. Next time you won’t be so lucky. You will die! Maybe you die first; maybe he do. Or maybe you will both die!

That is the reality!”

The woman fondly looked at Su Ye-Yue, “Girl, I don’t want to force you. Take your time and think about it carefully. I am waiting for your answer!”

Su Ye-Yue was silent. Her face showed that she was hesitating. Apparently, what the woman said actually touched her!

Thinking about her father in the south, thinking about how they got assassinated all of a sudden and nearly died; thinking about how Ye Xiao was covered by blood and dying, she felt terrified.

[That’s true. If I am strong enough, I can help father bring peace to the south and the country will be flourishing! If I am strong enough, I will fear no assassinations! If I am strong enough, I won’t need Xiao Xiao to protect me and I may be able to protect him!]

It was truly attractive to her. Even a girl like her couldn’t resist such a thing!

The woman’s eyes turned brighter and brighter. She noticed the girl’s thoughts. She believed she was going to nail it!

At the moment, Ye Xiao spoke, “Ye-Yue, she is right. However, there is one thing that nobody can change. In this world, not everyone can have that strength.”

The woman sneered, “You are nothing but a frog hiding deep in a well. [1] Your point is merely built under your limited experience about the world. Let me tell you something. Every living person in the world has his own strength! No matter what thing he is capable of, what cultivation level he is in, he has it!”

Ye Xiao was silent for a while and said, “That is a profound view. It is true that no matter in which realm, whoever is able to live has his own strength!”

Ye Xiao felt that he was enlightened by those words.

He had understood the word ‘strength’ in a deeper range.

That was the difference between two people, one of which was experienced enough while the other was not.

Su Ye-Yue couldn’t make the decision, so she turned to Ye Xiao for help.

Ye Xiao sighed in his mind and knew that she was moved by that woman. Otherwise, she wouldn’t turn for help. In fact, if such a thing happened on Ye Xiao, he could barely make a decision immediately. He stayed quiet and then asked that woman, “We know how kind you are for us. We are grateful. But we need to know who you are and where you are from. If she decides to follow you, after how long can she return? Where can I find her when she is gone?”

The woman was surprised. She looked at Ye Xiao and said slowly with a soft tone, “You are quite a surprising lad. I shouldn’t tell you anything about myself. But I will break the rule for you today. My name is… Meng Huai-Qing. Meng Huai-Qing (梦怀卿), Meng as dream, Huai as embrace and Qing as good person.

Where I am from is the Human Realm Above Heavens. It is a big realm that is much higher than your world.”

She looked at Ye Xiao, “I understand that you would like to help her with such achievement, yet you are also a bit unwilling, because you don’t want to lose the chance to meet her again. It is hard for a man to cherish love as such. That’s why I can’t lie to you. After she leaves, you two will barely have the chance to meet again. You are most likely never going to meet again.

In fact, you may never going to hear the words ‘Human Realm Above Heavens’ ever again. You are never going to find it!”

She looked at Ye Xiao’s eyes and said, “I have told you everything. Do you still agree that she should come with me?”

Ye Xiao slowly nodded when he heard the woman. He said, “I agree!”

His eyes were full of constancy and he said, “I don’t care if you believe me or not. I know you are from somewhere special. I know it is a precious opportunity for her to go with you.”

He continued with a gentle tone, “I know that, maybe in the whole history of the billions of realms in the universe, she is the only sixteen years old girl who has this opportunity.

I don’t want her to give up such an opportunity. If I keep her with me, I am ruining her bright future. How can I live with that guilt?

In fact, I agree that she go with you. I am ready to be separated from her. I just can’t believe that I can’t find her again.”

The woman looked at Ye Xiao with a new attitude. She smiled and said, “You can say the phrase ‘billions of realms’. That means you are not a simple man. I never thought I would make wrong judgements on people.”

…

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[1] A frog in a well(井底之蛙) means a person with a limited outlook.

2nd guaranteed chapter of the week.

From XianXiaWorld