Chapter Thirty-Six: The Pain of Parting

  Hong Jun suddenly appeared in mid-air, as if he had always been there and was meant to be. His feet were treading on a cloud of seven-colored auspicious clouds. With his appearance, the sky also suddenly filled with spiritual energy flowers that gently floated down with Hong Jun's descent. Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but curse under his breath: "Poser." But his face showed an expression of utmost seriousness and obedience.

  As soon as Hong Jun landed, several people hurriedly paid their respects and said in unison: "Teacher."

  Hong Jun sighed and said, "You few people are really making a big fuss over nothing. It's just a small spiritual root and a few gourds, can't you all get along?" But secretly, he transmitted a threatening message to Zhuang Xiong, saying, "I don't know what you've found out, nor do I want to ask why, but don't forget what I told you at the beginning. Just help me and don't interfere with my plans at critical moments."

  Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but let out a sigh, it's rare for me to be so passionate, but in the end, it's still no use. Feeling that Hong Jun had already dispersed the surrounding seals, Zhuang Xiong didn't struggle and instead stood up straight, lowering his head and eyes, no longer speaking. Nüwa saw this and also let out a silent sigh of relief, releasing Zhuang Xiong. She was really afraid that this foolish guy would suddenly rush forward, after all, he is the sacred person Hong Jun.

  Emperor Jun saw Hongyuan arrive and didn't dare to breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that this fight couldn't be fought anymore. He hastily bowed his head and said: "It's all our brothers' fault, but we've troubled the Daozu, we're ashamed. Since the Daozu is here, why don't you just allocate this gourd? We have no objections." The Three Pure Ones also hastily said: "Everything depends on the teacher's decision."

  Hong Jun glanced at the calabaza vine, his eyes seemed to flash with disdain, but his face remained unchanged. He said: "This thing is also one of the ten pre-heavenly spiritual roots, one vine and seven fruits. It should be that it has a destiny with seven people. The Three Pures can take three, Hong Yun can have one, Tai Yi can have one, Nüwa can also have one. As for the last one, I should have taken it, but I don't need it. Even if it's Emperor Jun's mistake, let Fuxi take it. Oh, and there's another vine, let Dumb Bear take it." As he spoke, without waiting for everyone's reaction, he turned around and drove his cloud to fly away in a few breaths, but suddenly disappeared into thin air.

  When Hong Jun left, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and the atmosphere that had seemed to freeze earlier also became more lively. Although Hong Jun hadn't released his saintly pressure, the unintentionally emitted aura and psychological oppression still put a lot of pressure on everyone. Especially Zhuang Xiong, this guy had provoked Hong Jun into appearing in person because of a few broken gourds, and he had borne even greater pressure. Now that Hong Jun was gone, he finally let out a long breath, straightened his body, and hung a faint, sly smile at the corner of his mouth as he coldly stared at Emperor Taiyi.

  Di Jun saw that the atmosphere of several people was not so tense, and smiled: "Since the Taoist ancestor has allocated properly, otherwise we will take it like this?"

  Hongyun, although he saw Daozu leave, still had a sinister-looking Zhuang Xiong beside him. He hastily smiled and said: "Fellow daoist is right, I have an urgent matter, so I won't be polite. First take one, and I hope the fellow daoists won't blame me." After saying this, he made a round of courtesy, then quickly rushed forward to grab the lowest red calabaza, turned around and drove his cloud away.

  Although Hongyun said that the one he obtained was the lowest or possibly the worst calabaza, this move still offended several people. Whether from qualifications or cultivation, Hongyun could be said to be the most inconspicuous one. Especially for Yuanshi who attached great importance to rules and regulations, his face turned somewhat dark with anger.

  As for what urgent matter Hongyun had, no one present believed him. Even if it was really urgent, couldn't he wait a little while for everyone to take their calabazas?

  Di Jun also saw the original black face, and he had a few points of understanding in his heart. He smiled and said: "The three of you are the orthodox Pan Gu, with great merit, and also the first to discover this place and protect it with an array method. You should take it first."

  The old man slightly nodded his head, acknowledging the sentiment. He first went forward and took the purple gold gourd. His original intention stirred, but this thing wasn't of much use to him either. He only took a green gourd, which was also a way of returning a favor. Tongtian didn't want to take one that was better than his brother's, so he took a cyan-colored one instead.

  Di Jun said: "Nüwa's sister and Fuxi's friend live in this Mount Buzhou, they are the landlords, should be taken first."

  Nüwa nodded and thanked him, then walked forward to take the orange gourd. However, she couldn't help but feel a bit more favorably towards Emperor Jun, while also becoming even more suspicious of Zhuang Xiong's actions. This Emperor Jun was knowledgeable about etiquette and understood how to advance and retreat, and as fellow demons, they had never met before, so there shouldn't be any grudges between them. With Zhuang Xiong's bold and generous personality, it should be possible for the two of them to become friends. So why did Zhuang Xiong seem to be filled with murderous intent towards both of them? However, she also knew that Zhuang Xiong seemed to know many secrets that he couldn't speak of, but used as his own justification for acting freely. Therefore, although she was suspicious in her heart, she didn't ask any more questions.

  When Fuxi came forward and took the blue gourd, Emperor Jun then let Taiyi take the yellow-skinned gourd. Zhuangxiong saw that everyone had taken their gourds, so he came forward and pulled out the gourd vine. He turned around and smiled at Nüwa, saying: "Nüwa sister, this vine is a good thing, it will be of great use to you in the future, why don't I exchange it with you?" He thought that although he couldn't kill Emperor Jun and Taiyi, he didn't want Nüwa to get involved in the affairs of the demon tribe. So he wanted to exchange the gourd vine for Nüwa's future demon-summoning gourd. Unexpectedly, Nüwa smiled slightly at him and said: "If I don't use this gourd to exchange with you, will you not let me use it when I need it in the future?"

  Zhuang Xiong was speechless, and Nüwa's sister was getting harder to deceive. Fuxi also came over to mock him, saying: "Even if I didn't really need to use that broken vine, I could just exchange it later when I needed it, why bother exchanging it now? Stupid bear, you've really miscalculated this time!" Zhuang Xiong rolled his eyes and ignored him.

  Tongtian then chimed in from the side, "Big Bear, do you want to play with a gourd? Mine is useless, why don't I trade it with you? Later, use that vine to braid a belt, it's not bad."

  Zhuang Xiong glared at him with a bad temper and said, "Didn't you hear me just now? This thing will be useful for my sister Nüwa in the future. How can I give it to you? Go wherever you like. Unless, you're willing to give me that gourd of yours."

  Tongtian gave him a disdainful glance and turned away, ignoring him.

  Fuxi took a look at the gourd and couldn't help but say with a sigh, "No wonder the Taoist ancestor didn't want this gourd, I got it for nothing, it turns out to be useless."

  Zhuang Yong said with a curious tone: "What's it for?"

  Fuxi said, "However, there is a huge space where you can add spiritual fruits and other things to automatically brew something called wine. Apart from satisfying your hunger and thirst, it doesn't have any other effects." Just as he finished speaking, he felt Zhuang Xiong tugging on his sleeve. He looked up to see Zhuang Xiong staring at him with shining eyes, and suddenly realized that this silly bear was a total foodie, and satisfying his hunger and thirst was exactly what he liked most. So, Fuxi teased him with a smile, "I can give you the gourd, but it's not going to be easy to get your hands on. You've always bullied me in the past, so this time you'll have to think carefully about how to make me willingly hand it over. Don't even think about snatching it - this is a treasure given by the founder of Taoism."

  Zhuang's eyebrows furrowed, and after a moment of contemplation, his eyes gleamed with a new idea. He cast an isolation barrier and approached Fuxi with a sly smile, whispering something in his ear. Seeing the shock in Fuxi's eyes, Zhuang chuckled: "Now you understand? You'll find this gourd useless in the end; why not give it to me instead?"

  Fuxi slowly regained his composure and solemnly asked: "Is what you said true?"

  Zhuang Xiong shook his head and casually withdrew the seal, smiling: "Don't ask too much, don't say too much. Since you're proficient in arithmetic, you already know the result."

  Fuxi was originally open-minded, and when he heard the words, he couldn't help but laugh. He threw the gourd to Zhuang Xiong and said: "In that case, I'll give it to you. This thing is still useful for you, and no one else can compare with your gluttony."

  Nüwa chimed in at this time: "What were you just saying? I see that brother's expression seems to be quite shocked?"

  Fuxi smiled and said, "He said that if I don't give him the gourd, he'll either get a big dowry for me or ask for a big betrothal gift. If I don't agree, he'll elope with me! How could I bear to part with it? So I had no choice but to give him the gourd, and let him put off talking about it for a few more years. That way, my siblings and I can spend more time together."

  Nüwa's face turned red with shame, and she buried her head in her chest with a snort, but didn't notice the thick reluctance and sadness in Fuxi's eyes.

  A few people spoke, and Laozi and Taiyi also roughly examined the gourd on their side. Emperor Jun walked over and smiled at Nüwa and Fuxi: "Three Daoist friends, please. Recently, my brother has seen that the number of demons in the vast wilderness is increasing, and many are rising up to fight. Many demon geniuses haven't even grown up yet before they die unjustly. So, I want to contact some powerful demons, establish some rules, and let our demons help each other. Moreover, the vast wilderness has a witch tribe that kills my fellow demons at will, making us feel indignant. If we don't unite, I fear we'll face the disaster of extinction. Our younger fellows who haven't grown up yet need our protection even more. My brother is determined to find a way for our demons to survive. Today, passing by this precious land, you are all top-notch masters in the world. I'm thick-skinned and come to ask for your help."

  Fuxi didn't take it to heart, and looked at Nüwa again. Nüwa was after all a woman, with a soft heart, and upon hearing this she couldn't help but feel sorrow for the deceased You tribe, anger towards the Xiwu tribe, and her impression of Di Jun also improved somewhat. This person not only knew etiquette and understood how to advance and retreat, but also had such benevolent ambitions. Looking at Fuxi, she was also moved, and smiled saying: "Since it's a major event for my You tribe, my brother and sister can't help but get involved either. Please, Daoist friend, come to our humble abode to discuss this further."

  Zhuang Xiong and Fu Xi's Nu Wa were close, but they couldn't help them make a decision. So he just kept paying attention to the conversation of the three people, without expressing his opinion. At this time, hearing Nu Wa's decision, he was surprised and uncertain. This Nu Wa had clearly known her attitude towards Emperor Jun Tai Yi, why did she still agree? Zhuang Xiong felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if something had cut open a gap, and tears seemed to be overflowing from his eyes. He seemed to feel that there was an invisible, irreparable crack between him and Nu Wa.

  Zhuang Xiong held back his tears, his face also turned cold, saying: "I haven't seen the three Qing friends for thousands of years, but suddenly thought of visiting Kunlun Mountain, so let's part ways temporarily. We'll meet again at the Zi Xuan Palace." As he spoke, he didn't wait for the others to respond, and called out to Laozi and the others to leave.

  The three of them saw the unpleasant look on Zhuang Xiong's face, but they also knew that this was not the time to ask questions. The old man simply nodded his head, and in his eyes, there was a hint of inquiry, while Tianyan's eyes only showed deep concern. Zhuang Xiong couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart, and he smiled wryly at Sanqing. Sanqing didn't think much of it and bowed to Nüwa and the others before leaving with Zhuang Xiong on a cloud.

  Di Jun looked somewhat embarrassed and asked: "Did I say something wrong just now?"

  On that side, Taiyi saw that most people had left, and the few in front of him were all from the demon clan. He couldn't help but call out: "I think that Daoist is not a good person either. At our first meeting, he had an ugly face as if we owed him something. His heart is so small, it doesn't seem like he's someone who can handle big things. Offending him would be offending him, this kind of person who can ignore the difficulties of the demon clan isn't worth recognizing."

  Fuxi didn't dare to look at Taiyi, who was furious. Emperor Jun hastily pulled Taiyi back and smiled apologetically: "Taiyi is just straightforward, please don't mind him, if he has offended you in any way, I'll apologize on his behalf."

  Nüwa shook her head and smiled bitterly: "It's not related to Daoist friends, let's go to the snail abode to discuss the demon clan's affairs. Can't let a little personal matter affect the entire demon clan." Fuxi heard this on the side, but couldn't help shaking his head, secretly sighing.

  Actually, Nüwa's heart wasn't feeling good either. She knew about Zhuanggong's attitude towards Emperor Jun and Taiyi, and she also knew that Zhuanggong must have had his own reasons. However, she thought that no matter what, they were all still members of the demon tribe, and when it came to matters concerning the entire demon tribe, personal grudges should be put aside for the sake of public affairs. But how could she know that the thing Zhuanggong hated most about those two was precisely the so-called "great affair of their kind" that they spoke of, and because of this difference in understanding in his heart, the rift between him and Nüwa was destined to grow wider and wider.

  A strong gust of wind swept in, whipping up a frenzy of hair and clothes that fluttered wildly, the sound of rustling fabric filling the air as it billowed out behind him. He strained against the force of the gale, his body tense and unyielding, as if trying to comfort himself. And then, the tears that had been welling up in his eyes finally spilled over, streaming down his face and blowing away on the wind.

  Sanqing followed closely behind Zhuang Xiong, watching as he flew forward without using any defensive magic. When she saw that Zhuang Xiong was already crying, Tongtian couldn't bear it anymore and hurried over to ask: "I say, old bear, you're usually the most optimistic one, always smiling foolishly and making us laugh. What's happened? How did you end up like this? I don't believe it! With my three brothers helping you, is there anything in this world that can't be done? The four of us together account for 40% of the merits of opening up the sky, who dares to provoke us?"

  Laozi originally saw through Tian Shangqian, busy also followed up, heard that Tian Shangqian's words, couldn't help but gave Zhuang Xiong a definite look.

  Zhuang Xiong's heart warmed slightly, and he forced a wry smile, saying: "Some things can't be forced, some things don't want to happen but still do. Something big is going to happen. Clearly knowing yet unable to stop it, could it really be fate playing tricks on people?"