Reversing Falsehood and Preserving Truth: All Gods and Gods Are in My Hands

The repair shop was a mess. Dust from the collapsed mud walls mingled with a faint sandalwood scent, replacing the pungent, fishy smell. The dim light bulb flickered to steady its light, and strange stains on the ground emitted very faint smoke, like embers that had not yet been extinguished, conveying a somber feeling of surviving a catastrophe.

Old Zhou lay on the ground, his chest rising and falling slightly, the black markings on his body completely gone.

Su Wan hid behind Lu Yu, her face as pale as paper, her lips trembling, repeatedly murmuring, "I'm not human... how is this possible..." Her voice was full of despair, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Lu Yu instinctively straightened his back, shielding Su Wan even tighter, his eyes filled with urgency and determination as he looked at Liu Jing: "Teacher Liu, you must be mistaken! Su Wan just saved me tonight..."

The golden light that lingered on Liu Jing's fingertips gradually faded, and her gaze softened: "I didn't say she was a bad person."

She looked at Su Wan, her tone softening as if she were comforting a frightened student, "It's just that the Purification Seal sensed some qualities in you that no human would ever have. In fact, if I hadn't withdrawn the power of the Purification Seal just now, I might have accidentally hurt you."

She paused, then added, "You just need to promise you'll never harm innocent people, okay? Also, I'm curious why you approached Lu Yu today?"

Su Wan nodded vigorously, tears still clinging to her eyelashes like dew-covered butterfly wings. "My mother passed away early, and my father is a truck driver who drives long distances all year round. I'm always home alone."

Su Wan, carrying years of pent-up grievances, said, "When I was little, I said I could see strange things. My classmates laughed at me for being a charlatan, and my dad just thought I had a vivid imagination, but those things were clearly real!"

She sniffled, her voice choked with emotion, "Lu Yu is the first person, just like me, to have witnessed these strange things firsthand..."

Lu Yu felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this, and turned to look at Liu Jing, his tone pleading: "Teacher Liu, you see, Su Wan really didn't mean any harm, she just..."

Just then, Old Zhou on the ground suddenly groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He sat up, rubbing his throbbing head. His eyes were still a little cloudy, and when he looked at Liu Jing, his vigilance gradually hardened, but he also understood: "The inheritor of the Purification Dao, indeed lives up to his reputation."

"Uncle Zhou, you're awake!" Lu Yu quickly squatted down and carefully helped him up, afraid of hurting him.

Old Zhou waved his hand, used Lu Yu's strength to stand up, stretched his stiff arms, the bones making a "crackling" sound, and looked at Liu Jing: "You can sense who I am, right?"

"Don't worry, I'm following the rule of 'protecting people,' not the death penalty of 'slaying the void.'" Liu Jing said calmly. "You're willing to risk your life to protect Lu Yu; that sentiment is more important than anything else."

Old Zhou looked at Lu Yu, patted his shoulder with a heavy but reassuring touch: "I'm just an old man with nothing to lose. It's getting late, kids, you should go home so your families won't worry."

Lu Yu and Su Wan left in response, their footsteps light in the night. Reaching the alley entrance, Su Wan stopped, her voice low, "Lu Yu, thank you." She looked up, her eyes bloodshot, "I would never hurt you."

"I know," Lu Yu nodded.

Watching Su Wan walk into the narrow alley, the streetlights at the alley entrance illuminating her slender figure, Lu Yu turned and walked home.

Inside the repair shop, Liu Jing did a final check on the corner, her fingertips glowing with a faint golden light, confirming that all the ethereal energy had been purified.

Old Zhou leaned closer to her, his voice extremely low: "Lu Yu is still a child, simple-minded. There are some things he doesn't need to know too early." He paused, then added, "The more he knows, the heavier the burden on his shoulders, and the more dangers he will encounter."

Liu Jing nodded thoughtfully, turned and walked into the night, the sandalwood scent gradually fading away.

When Lu Yu returned home, his parents were already fast asleep, and the nightlight in the living room was still on, casting a warm glow.

He lay in bed, his mind replaying everything from tonight—Su Wan's tearful eyes, Liu Jing's heroic figure wielding her sword, Old Zhou's roar as he was swallowed up. Oh, and his grandmother's words before she disappeared, "Xiao Yu has grown up, soon he'll be able to take care of your parents," echoed in his ears again. Unconsciously, weariness overcame him, and he fell into a deep sleep.

He had a dream.

In the dream, he was no longer the passive, dodging boy. Golden light gathered at his fingertips, piercing the darkness. He was surrounded by a group of like-minded teammates, fighting side by side with perfect teamwork. But when they won a hard-fought battle and laughed together, the dream suddenly blurred, leaving only a faint whisper: "When you see the whole truth, you can never go back."

The next morning, Lu Yu was awakened by birdsong outside his window. After a quick wash, he rushed to school. When he reached the classroom door, he subconsciously glanced at Zhang Hao's seat, which was empty. However, the classmates seemed completely oblivious, still chatting and laughing as if Zhang Hao had never existed and the seat had always been empty.

He had just sat down when his homeroom teacher, Liu Jing, walked into the classroom, followed by a boy. The boy was tall, wearing a clean white shirt with the collar buttoned up neatly. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his clear features. His smile was bright and cheerful, and the familiar feeling in his eyes instantly struck Lu Yu, like an old photograph long buried in his memory suddenly coming to life.

"Class, please be quiet," Liu Jing clapped her hands. "Let me introduce a new student, Zhao Lei, who will be transferring to our class starting today. Please take good care of him."

The boy walked up to the podium, picked up the chalk, and wrote his name on the blackboard. His voice was loud and clear: "Hello everyone, my name is Zhao Lei. I like sports. Please guide me in the future!"

His gaze swept across the entire class, finally landing on Lu Yu. His eyes lit up instantly, as if he had found a long-lost treasure, and his voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement: "Lu Yu? It's you!"

Lu Yu jumped up, the pen in his hand falling to the ground with a clatter. His face lit up with surprise, and he almost blurted out, "Zhao Lei? What are you doing here!"

Zhao Lei was his childhood friend. The two grew up in the old street. They would climb onto the roof to steal pomegranates from Grandma Li's house and be chased for three blocks. They would catch fish and shrimp in the canal that ran through the city and get scolded when they got home soaking wet. They would watch Old Zhou repair bicycles at the repair shop and share the fruit candies they secretly hid.

Those scenes were as clear as if they happened yesterday. Later, Zhao Lei moved with his parents and lost contact with them. He never expected to meet them again as a transfer student.

"My family member was transferred to another job and moved back to Zhongzhou!" Zhao Lei said with a smile as he walked down the stairs, his steps light and quick. He went straight to Zhang Hao's previous seat—separated from Lu Yu by an aisle. "Long time no see. You haven't changed much. You're still so thin, but you look much more mature than when you were a kid."

The students around Zhao Lei looked at him curiously. Some girls joked, "The new classmate is so handsome!" But no one mentioned the previous owner of the seat. Even his deskmate patted Zhao Lei's arm and said, "This seat is yours from now on. It was such a waste that it was empty before."

Looking at Zhao Lei's cheerful smile beside him, Lu Yu felt a warm joy wash over him. He picked up his pen and replied with a smile, "You're the one who's grown so much taller than you were when you were little. I almost didn't recognize you." The two chatted on and on about their childhood anecdotes...

Until the school bell rang.