Tokyo people don't talk about Wude

Chapter 448, Section 445: Who is the real me?

漂泊
After his body was completely destroyed by the hidden force, Hong Zhongjin met his own death.

Unlike ordinary people, his consciousness did not dissipate quickly, but instead he fell into a sleepwalking-like hazy state.

He felt as if he were adrift in a vast and boundless universe, a universe that was deep, dark, empty, and ethereal.

He was unable to move and could only let inertia send him into nothingness.

"How ridiculous," Hong Zhongjin thought, his eyes filled with self-mockery as he recalled his pathetic life.

Makoto Kyushu's warning was not wrong; his story was a complete tragedy, and all his struggles were in vain.

What a waste of time. This boring story should just end already.
"Brother Cheng! Can you hear me?"

Suddenly, he heard a girl's cry in his ear.

Hong Zhongjin suddenly opened his eyes, but saw no one, only that the voice sounded very familiar.

"Brother Cheng! You really heard it, didn't you! I saw it!" The girl's voice became joyful.

"You are..." Hong Zhongjin opened his eyes with difficulty: "Zuo Jingtang."

"Brother Cheng, it's me!" Xiao Jing breathed a sigh of relief with joy: "Thank goodness, you're still alive!"

Inside the core data space of Izanami, Xiao Jing reached out and cupped the dim, extinguishing light above Tokyo Tower.

She vaguely glimpsed the shadow of a young man—a figure that resembled an old friend, which strengthened her resolve.

She must revive Red Ember, revive her hero!

Everything was as Kagari Night Sound said nothing; Hong Zhongjin was indeed still alive and could still communicate with her.

Xiao Jing gently cradled the light with her ten fingers together, softly comforting him, "Brother Cheng, don't worry. I'm here to save you. You'll definitely come back to life!"

"Bring me back to life?" Hong Zhongjin scoffed, then laughed in exasperation, "Heh. What nonsense are you spouting?"

"I'm not lying, Lady Kagari said she has a way to save you!" Xiao Jing looked up at the sky anxiously and continued to persuade her, "Please hold on, don't give up. I'll talk to you, please don't fall asleep!"

"Damn it, I just don't understand how you, woman, can talk to me like that, and I don't understand what tricks that woman, Kagari Otonashi, is up to this time!" Kurenai Jin said impatiently.
"Perhaps you're just a figment of my imagination. How ridiculous! I'm already dead! Why won't Heaven let me go and allow me to die peacefully?!"

Xiao Jing hurriedly protested, "This isn't wishful thinking, I really am... I really am the Xiao Jing you know!"

"The Xiao Jing I know? Hahaha!" Upon hearing this, Hong Zhongjin couldn't help but burst into a strange laugh:

"What a joke! When have I ever met a woman who calls herself Xiao Jing? I do know a woman named Zuo Jingtang, though—that woman is still clinging to childish and ridiculous ideas, treating me as some completely unrelated person, and trying to project her feelings for him onto me. It's utterly laughable!"

"That's not true at all—!!!"

Before Hong Zhongjin's mockery had even subsided, Xiao Jing's desperate shouts rang in his ears.

Although she had heard these heartless words before, hearing them again still made Xiao Jing's heart clench.

But Xiao Jing came to save people at the risk of her life. Since there was no way out, how could she back down?
Having already experienced the pain of life and death separation, why wouldn't she cherish this hard-won opportunity and express all her feelings?

"Stop being so stubborn, Cheng-ge!" Xiao Jing's cheeks gradually flushed, and she closed her eyes shyly.

"No matter what your name is or what you look like, you're still Cheng-ge! Actually, you haven't changed at all; you're still exactly the same person I know! And don't you still remember me?!"

Even if some things are fake, what has already happened is definitely real! I will always remember you, you are the Cheng-ge I know!

"I, I, Cheng-ge, I like you! I've always liked you! Even though I know there are many other girls who like you too, even though telling you this will bother you, I still have to say it! Because I don't want to miss out again! I want to tell you all my thoughts, I don't want to have any regrets!"

Xiao Jing sniffled, her voice trembling with tears:

"So, Cheng-ge, please pull yourself together! You've always been like this, always trying to save others without considering their feelings! So this time, no matter what you think, I'm going to save you! Please, don't give up!"

She hugged the dim, faint light tightly to her chest, as if afraid it would be blown away by the merciless wind at any moment.

"You woman... what are you talking about?" In the void of the universe, Hong Zhongjin was stunned, his eyes showing blankness and confusion.

Suddenly, his mind began to struggle with its own internal conflict, as if something was fighting against itself, or something was breaking free of its shackles.

"Can't understand?" Chen Jiuzhou's figure reappeared beside him, hands behind his back, as he walked through the air:
"The world is white and the earth is so clean~ Red embers, you thought a heavy snow could bury everything. Unfortunately, some things can never disappear."

"The things you created, those precious and resilient things, even if they were by chance or unintentional, all belong to you."

Even after a harsh winter, they will still stand firm and grow into evergreen pines.

Hong Zhongjin's eyes widened, his teeth clenched so tightly they almost broke: "Stop talking nonsense! It's all fake! It's all fake! I am nothing, unacceptable to heaven and earth! I don't care about these things! I don't need them! Damn it, why do these nonsensical things keep haunting me until the very end?!"

"Unfortunately, they care about you and need you!" Chen Jiuzhou smiled faintly.
"When falsehood is taken for truth, even truth becomes falsehood; when nothingness is taken for existence, even existence becomes nothingness. Truth and falsehood are always difficult to distinguish. Your arduous pursuit of 'no-self' is nothing more than seeking the far and wide, trapping yourself in a cocoon."

"When falsehood is taken for truth, even truth becomes falsehood." Hong Zhongjin's eyes widened, and he murmured in a low voice, "No self. I, I, I."

"You are nothingness, yet you are all spirits." Chen Jiuzhou shook his head and chanted:

"Your existence is nothingness, yet it can encompass all things. You are no one, therefore you can become anyone."

"You try to bury everything, but you forget that everything is preordained. The causes you want to discard and forget will eventually bear fruit in your hands, and you cannot escape them."

"Stop belittling yourself and running away from yourself. Your journey may be illusory, but everything you do on the journey—the things you accomplish, the people you meet, the will you convey, the changes you make to the world—is real."

Chen Jiuzhou tilted his head slightly, pointing to the sky with delight:
"Look, they're here!"

Hong Zhongjin looked in the direction of his finger and saw that the vast dome of the void universe was now covered with countless points of light!
Although each point of light is as insignificant as dust, they are as dense as the sands of a desert, as if billions of stars have gathered in the sky.

"Makoto! Makoto! We did it!" In the core space of Izanami, the same scene was reflected in Xiao Jing's pupils. Countless starlight gathered in the sky, creating a dazzling spectacle, as if a storm was about to break.

From the endless starlight, Xiao Jing heard many sounds—blessings, prayers, and thanks.

Ms. Kagari's theory is correct; this is "willpower," the key to Makoto's resurrection!
What Xiao Jing needs to do now is to attract and gather these forces.

"Everyone, please come to me!" Xiao Jing held up the dim light in her hand.

As if guided, these starlights fell towards her almost simultaneously, forming a magnificent meteor shower.

Countless starlight rushed into Xiao Jing's palm, merging with the dim light.

"Cough!" Xiao Jing felt as if her head had been pierced by several silver needles, and her limbs and bones were burning up—such enormous energy was not something she could easily touch, and it almost crushed her soul.

"Cough cough... No, I must hold on!" She gritted her teeth so hard they cracked, and besides tears, a few lines appeared at the corners of her eyes, like a porcelain doll slowly breaking apart.

Even so, she forced herself to maintain the lifting posture and continue to transmit the power of her wishes to the Red Ashes.

At the same moment, in the void universe where Hong Zhongjin's consciousness resided, countless starlight fell from the sky and poured into his weak and dying body.

With each starlight that entered his body, he could hear a cry from different people:
"Go, Ash Heroes!"

"Rise up, Ash Heroes!"

"Thank you for fighting to the very end for us."

"Come back to life, great hero!"

"."

As Hong Zhongjin's strength gradually returned, he struggled to his feet, cursing and wailing, "Ash Hero. Hero, that's what you all call me, pressing this seemingly noble but actually despicable title on my head! I'm not a hero, and I don't want to be one!"

“Hong Zhongjin, you’re wrong.” Chen Jiuzhou walked to the side, gently picked up a wisp of starlight, and patted it on his shoulder:

"No one is born great, nor can anyone choose to be great! 'Greatness' is never a choice, but rather an objective evaluation bestowed upon us by others."

"Those so-called 'great figures' in human history never deliberately pursued 'greatness.' They simply pursued their ideals wholeheartedly and persevered in doing their own things. When the world is awestruck by their fighting spirit and perseverance, they are given the title of 'great figure.'"

"Aren't heroes the same? Chen Jiuzhou, crowned 'Great Hero of Yanhuang,' did he act solely for the title of hero? And Jiuzhou Cheng, who yearned to become a hero, did he achieve his wish?"

Chen Jiuzhou patted Hong Zhongjin's shoulder twice more, and said with a faint smile, "Hong Zhongjin, the title of 'hero' has nothing to do with whether you are willing to bear it. It's right here; it resides on the shoulders of everyone who is worthy. It's right here on your shoulder!"

So, "Ashes Heroes," stop overthinking it.

"Say what you want to say, do what you want to do, take on what you should take on, pursue what you want to pursue, and love what you love. Only by being ruthless can one empathize with the world; only by being formless can one encompass all things."

"This is true 'selflessness,' and it is also—the true self!"

"!!!" Suddenly, the sound of chains breaking rang in Hong Zhongjin's ears, causing him to tremble violently, his eyes wide open in disbelief, as if he had been hit in the face by a gust of wind.

Billions of starlight surged into his chest, and besides the "ordinary" thoughts, he also heard some extremely special ones. And whenever these special thoughts appeared, a tarot card image would appear before his eyes.

【Chariot】

Yuuji Suzuki: "Kyushu-nii, you'll definitely win! Resurrect! Resurrect! Give me a cool resurrection, ahhh!!"

Kyushu-kun: "Kyushu-kun, we'll gather your Spirit Bomb right now, you absolutely have to win!"

Genji Takatsuki: "Hey, I'm definitely going to make it to Koshien this year, you'll come to watch, right?"

The High Priestess

Etori Rinko: "Kyushu-kun, please open your eyes! Didn't we make a promise? You were supposed to supervise me to be a good teacher. Although I can still do my job without you, I still hope you can keep an eye on me. I haven't heard your graduation speech yet, nor have I said 'Congratulations on your graduation' to you. Oh~ If this continues, I won't be able to die in peace~"

【sun】

Ushimaru Todoroki: "It's been so long since we met, Kyushu-kun~ Thanks to you, my retirement life as an old man has become a little more enjoyable. Please fight with confidence, your teacher will believe in you until the very end!"

[The Dharma King]

Saito Ninosuke: "Harukawa, you really did lie to me, didn't you? You said you were going to take the college entrance exam, and look what happened. Fine, I'm not in a position to lecture you. That's it, just come back alive!"

【Star】

Hoshino Kamo: "Harukawa, how are you? Haha, I'm so sorry to be talking to you in such a childish tone, this old lady~ To be honest, every time we met before, it felt like a dream. I was always worried, after all, an old woman like me is no match for you. Ahaha~ Whatever, please come back safely! I'm waiting for you!"

【emperor】

Hiroyuki Karasukawa: "Kid, come back here as soon as you're done! If you cause Saki and her mother to be heartbroken for the rest of their lives, I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"

Karasu Maiko: "Little brother Kyushu, we of [Heavenly Creation] regard you as our benefactor and are extremely grateful for everything you have done for us. We will all sincerely pray for you. Please take care!"

[Queen]

Karasu Saki: "Kyushu-kun, you heartless guy~ You always do things your own way, making everyone uneasy. Anyway, to make a long story short. Kyushu-kun, I love you!!! Whew—! I feel like I should have said it a long time ago, it feels so good now! It's all your fault, making me feel so awkward for the first time. Okay, we'll talk about other things later. See you later, Kyushu-kun~"

【in love】

Mizuhashi Ei-hee: "I miss you. I miss you so much. I miss you so much, ...

【strength】

Kenta Hitsugaya: "Brother, thanks to you, I've found a reason to throw a punch again. After everything is over, I plan to return to the boxing ring. Even though I've wasted too much time, even though I've missed my prime, I want to give it my all again! I want Nanako to be proud of me again, and I want you to be proud of me too!"

Hanae Seine: "What's the point of racing? I owe you a lot for enlightening me back then, Tokyo Detective. You'll uphold humanity this time too, right?"

Hisai Jirokichi: "You pushover, show me again! This time, your justice will defeat evil, hehe~ Even a scum like me is risking my life for you, you won't run away now, will you~?"

Maki Okuki: "Kyushu, you have to win! I have to stay in Yokohama to maintain order, but I'll pray for you!"

[The Tower]

Nan Hehui: "Your Excellency Jiuzhou, you are a martial artist I admire throughout my life. It is my greatest honor to know you! I wish you—great success in your martial arts and invincibility!!"

Miyamoto Aki: "Hey! Makoto! How long are you going to keep me lonely, you bastard?! I really went all out this time, so as compensation, you have to fight me with your best martial arts skills, it's a deal!!"

Mitsuru Iwata: "Only the winner can be right. I think I said something like that before, Mr. Monster from Tokyo? To be honest, I'm starting to doubt the validity of that statement. But if it still holds true, I hope you're on the 'right' side this time."

【Judgment】

Yugami Ken: "I'm almost losing sight of what's right and wrong—the bottom line of the law, the definition of justice. Have you ever felt something similar, Kyushu-kun? But there's one thing I must firmly believe: we must face the truth no matter what! No matter how cruel reality is, we can't escape it; self-deception will only lead to a deeper abyss of sorrow. Only by maintaining this belief can I protect all the weak who suffer and uphold the justice I stand for. This is what I think after experiencing everything, and I think Takagi-kun thinks the same way!"

The Wheel of Fortune

Oscar Widow: "Ahem. You did it. You did it! Red Ash, fly! Fly! You're free. That's good."

【magician】

Qing Palace Eliza: "."

"Now that things have come to this, do you expect me to force myself to encourage you, like I'm comforting a child?"

"This time will be fine too, right, Makoto Kyushu?"

【moon】

Mikazuki Meigo: "Spring rain covers the red cherry blossoms, the Asura is destined to be a hero, but the blades fall cold. I don't know if everything I've done, my sacrifices, have any meaning. But at least, I hope you can find the meaning of your life, Crimson Ashes."

[Hermit]

Zuo Jingtang: "Brother Cheng, Brother Cheng, how are you? Ugh... Don't worry. I can manage. Don't worry about me!!"

click-

Click————

Crack—bang—!

The sound of chains breaking echoed in my mind one after another.

"What are you all saying?" Listening to the heartfelt words, Hong Zhongjin's face twisted in a grimace, and tears welled up in his eyes.

“Young man Hongzhong, you know the truth in your heart, but you just don’t want to admit it.” The figure of a woman in a black dress appeared, holding a tarot card between her fingers, on which was depicted a [devil].

“Gouye Yinwu.” Hong Zhongjin looked up and gazed at the woman.

Kagari Yoru smiled serenely, her tone gentle: "Demon. Hehe, I see. Is this the role I play on your journey?"

"That's true. To watch a hero fall into demonhood, and then try to turn a demon into a hero. That's the kind of wicked and ridiculous woman I am."

"So my beloved [Red Center], please embark on your final journey. I will watch over you until the very last moment. No matter the ending, it will always be your [world]."

After she finished speaking, her figure transformed into countless starlight and vanished.

Another figure appeared before him, a shy young man with a tarot card depicting the Fool hanging above his head.

"Kyushu Cheng" Hong Zhongjin looked him over with a complicated expression.

“Mr. Hongzhong, I have something I'd like to say to you. May I have a moment to spare?” Kyushu Makoto's hands were tucked in front of him, but his gaze was unwavering.
"That year, you made me experience what it felt like to be a hero. And I finally realized that someone as unenlightened as me could never become a true hero, even if I relied on opportunism."

"This is our final farewell. Thank you so much, Mr. Hongzhong, for letting me understand the true meaning of heroism. You are a true hero! May you have great success in your military endeavors!"

Kyushu Cheng bowed respectfully to him, and then vanished into the wind and sand.

"Well then, it's time for me to go." Chen Jiuzhou quietly observed everything, then casually pulled a tarot card from his pocket and handed it to Hong Zhongjin.

"Here you go, this is for you now."

Hong Zhongjin shrugged and saw that it was a tarot card with a scale pattern, which made his heart sink just by looking at it.

This is—justice.

However, in the next instant, the balance card magically transformed into a blood-red "中" (zhong) character.

Hong Zhongjin looked up again, only to see Chen Jiuzhou with his hands in his pockets, walking away with a carefree air, leaving behind only a dashing silhouette.

"Wait!" Hong Zhongjin called out to him, "Who are you? Why are you standing in front of me?!"

“Me?” Chen Jiuzhou stopped and turned around with a satisfied smile: “I am you, and you are me. If we’re being serious, I might be the ‘Chen Jiuzhou’ you’re imagining, responsible for saying things to you that you think he would say to you.”

After saying that, Chen Jiuzhou waved to him, and his figure turned into a cloud of flying sand amidst laughter, completely disappearing.

Hong Zhongjin stared blankly, gripping the [Red Center] card tightly in his hand.

"Hahahaha! Hahahahaha!!!" Suddenly, he threw his head back and laughed wildly, his black hair flying wildly and his energy surging. Then, the sound of shackles breaking rang in his ears one after another.

After laughing heartily for a while, he was heard chanting loudly:
“In the past, I realized that my true self was not myself, so I took the absence of self as the result.”

"A thousand calls to open the thorny rope, ten thousand calls to break the rusty lock."

“Hating fate and severing cause and effect, heaven and earth become a prison for the true self.”

"Knowing one's destiny and bearing the consequences of karma, all things in this world are part of me!"

(End of this chapter)