Free Web NovelChapter 1736: Chapter 1346: Love Is Not a Transaction
"Hehe, why does Changsheng Melon Baby look so defeated? Looking at this old heart makes me anxious!" The Medicine Immortal Old Man saw Gu Changsheng like this, raised his hand, and touched his own wrinkled face, speaking with a forced smile, "Actually, this is a good thing, isn’t it?"
"A good thing? How can this be a good thing?" Gu Changsheng heard this, finally withdrawing his gaze from the direction Zhou Mu and Shi Wujue had left, and asked quietly.
The Medicine Immortal Old Man saw his misguided disciple finally looking at him properly, and a smile immediately appeared on his old face as he eagerly spoke, "Melon Baby, think about it, how awkward would it be for the three of you to go on like this? Sooner or later, they would have a gentleman’s contest, and if no one stepped back, it would end in a life-or-death struggle. Now it’s good, they’ve fought and it’s all settled!"
"How can it be all settled? Old man, the evildoer conceded..." Gu Changsheng looked at the Medicine Immortal Old Man, shook his head again, and said, "And this is not the result I wanted..."
"What kind of result do you want?" As soon as Gu Changsheng finished speaking, the Medicine Immortal Old Man immediately asked, "Melon Baby, in matters of the world, there’s never a perfect solution. Zhou Mu, that boy, can see clearly and take a step back. It’s really rare! You must know that taking a step back opens up a vast sky. Although that boy is usually a bit cold and reserved, he can still be considered insightful!"
"No, that’s not it..." Gu Changsheng heard this, slightly lowering her lashes, shaking her head...
The Medicine Immortal Old Man saw her mood so bad, he couldn’t help but step forward, raised his hand, and patted the top of her head, soothing her with a warm voice, "Alright! Whether it’s the result you want or not, it is already the result, isn’t it? No, more accurately, this is not the end. Zhou Mu, that boy, merely stepped back, promising Shi Wujue a hope for the future. But what can it do? The future is uncertain, and whether we can return safely from the North is not yet known, so why think so far ahead?"
The Medicine Immortal Old Man’s words were interrupted by Gu Changsheng’s somber gaze.
Raising his hand, he touched his nose, the Medicine Immortal Old Man continued, "Why look at this old man like that? Alright! Even if we can return safely from the North, what then? In this world, there are so many people who break their promises with lies, aren’t there? If you don’t want to, you can let Zhou Mu break his promise just once later!"
After speaking, the Medicine Immortal Old Man glanced at Gu Changsheng, lowered his head slightly, and said with a pout, "Come on... what’s so bad? This old man has the same thought as Zhou Mu. In ancient times, men had multiple wives, so why can’t you, as the Southern Emperor, have multiple husbands? This is the only perfect solution..."
The Medicine Immortal Old Man’s voice was very low, but standing right in front of him, how could Gu Changsheng not hear it?
"No way! Old man, the evildoer is not that kind of person! A gentleman keeps his word, a promise worth a thousand gold. Since he made such a promise, it will never be changed. He is not the type of person who breaks his promise," Gu Changsheng shook her head, speaking with determination, "Moreover, this is not a perfect solution; it’s a compromise under pressure! Old man, it’s Zhou Mu, because of me, because of us, who owes too much, and had no choice but to choose compromise!"
Speaking, Gu Changsheng turned again, looking in the direction Zhou Mu and Shi Wujue had left, and said quietly, "You don’t know, on our journey to the Valley of Forgetfulness, under the No Return Cliff, we and the evildoer should have had no chance of coming back, but Shi Wujue appeared, risking his life to save me. It is understandable; his feelings for me, you must be aware of them! Originally, he had a chance to survive, but in the end, he gave that slim chance to Zhou Mu, saving him too, while putting himself in peril..."
Saying this, Gu Changsheng’s expression dimmed again, and she continued, "Old man, if we’re to say who made way for whom first, it was Shi Wujue who chose to make way for me and the evildoer initially! His choice was right. Zhou Mu is a proud person, and Shi Wujue’s sacrifice made Zhou Mu take a step back..."
The Medicine Immortal Old Man was genuinely shocked upon hearing this!
When they returned to the guesthouse as night gathered, they were all disheveled, covered in blood, and brought back a dying Yu Lianyi, but at least they were unharmed...
The Medicine Immortal Old Man hadn’t yet had the chance to ask where they went or what happened, only to hear such words from Gu Changsheng!
So, they actually went through a life and death experience?
"If that’s the case, then it’s not bad, each taking a step back, fulfilling each other, it’s also seeking goodness and gaining goodness..." After pondering for a moment, the Medicine Immortal Old Man still spoke.
"No!" But Gu Changsheng rebutted the Medicine Immortal Old Man again, shook her head and spoke again, "The emotional entanglement between the three of us is just a tangle! But my love is not a transaction! Old man, do you understand? Love isn’t a transaction! It’s not about who takes a step back, who concedes a step, and with a little negotiation, you can settle the deal..."
As Gu Changsheng spoke, she raised her hand, patting her chest, and continued in a deep voice, "This is what I cannot accept. Zhou Mu and I owe Shi Wujue our lives, and we are indebted to him emotionally. However, while a life-saving grace can be repaid with one’s life, emotional debts cannot be repaid with emotions! Love is not a transaction! It cannot be measured, nor can it be bargained or agreed upon!"
"This..." Upon hearing this, the Medicine Immortal Old Man’s old face twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth, yet he wanted to speak but didn’t know what to say...
Love is not a transaction!
Indeed, it really seems to be this reasoning!
"But, this entanglement can’t go on like this, can it?" After thinking for a while, the Medicine Immortal Old Man spread his hands helplessly and said, "Love and hate, love and hate—if this love turns into hatred in the end, that would be even worse..."
"I would rather love turn into hate than seek a compromise through humble submission! This is not the outcome I desire!" Gu Changsheng’s bright little face was filled with determination as she spoke resolutely, "Even if, in the end, the grace of saving our lives, both I and Zhou Mu cannot repay, it would only leave us with a reputation of being ungrateful and forgetting kindness. I am not concerned about reputation, nor do I want Zhou Mu humbling himself for me in such a way!"
"Didn’t Zhou Mu say? Your feelings for Shi Wujue are not..."
"Yes!" Before the Medicine Immortal Old Man could finish speaking, Gu Changsheng interrupted, nodding, with an honest expression on her bright little face she said, "Yes! Undeniably, Shi Wujue is a man who stirs emotions, and what he has done for me is something I can never repay, but I can’t let my man accept a situation of one wife and multiple husbands just because I can’t reciprocate feelings!"
"My evildoer is such a proud person; I understand this more than anyone! To reach this point, to make such a promise, this feeling, even if I, Gu Changsheng, die, I will not betray!"
Gu Changsheng’s words left the Medicine Immortal Old Man somewhat stunned.
"Old Man, my parents are still in that cold coffin, my foster father is far away in the Capital City, and I have no one around with whom I can share my heart anymore." With her head hanging low, Gu Changsheng felt very dejected, "Old Man, I am inherently cold, not one to get entangled in romance. I have unresolved desires in my heart, there are still many things I haven’t done, and I don’t want to waste my energy on these trivial matters..."
"Ah..." Seeing this, the Medicine Immortal Old Man sighed, reached out his hand, and patted Gu Changsheng’s lowered little head. His old face no longer bore an indifferent expression but was full of loving concern as he said, "No matter how capable you are, you are just a young girl. Even if you are caught up in trivial matters, no one can blame you. Truly, it’s so difficult for you..."
"It’s not difficult; there is gain and loss. I seek too much, which inevitably means overlooking more, and that is fairness!" Hearing the Medicine Immortal Old Man’s voice, Gu Changsheng lifted her head, a slight bitter smile appeared at the corner of her bright little face, and she spoke slowly, "Old Man, let this matter be over. I am very selfish. Shi Wujue is extremely capable, and he knows the mysteries of the world. On my journey to the North, I can’t do without him. In order to resurrect my parents, I will use his emotions regardless!"
"And he is also a smart person. He will realize upon thinking that with someone like me who stands firm by principles, as long as I don’t relent, Zhou Mu’s promise is all nonsense!"
"If it is destined that someone must be ungrateful and break promises, then let that person be me!"
As Gu Changsheng spoke, a relieved expression appeared on her bright little face, and she pointed at herself, saying, "Old Man, you see, I am such a selfish and unscrupulous person who will do whatever it takes to achieve my goals! I cannot reciprocate Shi Wujue’s feelings, yet I rely on his help. If there is indebtedness, then I truly owe a lot this time, and really have nothing left to repay! Zhou Mu promised Shi Wujue that feelings can wait, yet I can only promise Shi Wujue that feelings can wait to become memories..."
"You ah..." The Medicine Immortal Old Man looked at the woman in front of him, shook his head, his old face filled with fondness...
At the next moment, he turned around and no longer mentioned the matter. Instead, he started stooping down, carefully searching among the surrounding pasture...
"Old Man, what are you looking for?" Having made her decision in her heart, Gu Changsheng took a deep breath and no longer mentioned the matter, following the Medicine Immortal Old Man’s steps, she asked in confusion.
"Searching for the reason old fool did not leave but returned to this place..." His old eyes scanned the ground meticulously, as the Medicine Immortal Old Man spoke in a deep voice...
