"Thank you." Cassie Cao seemed to be addicted to listening to stories and even uttered a word of thanks.
Earlier, when Joe Di spoke about Shide and Hanshan, it deeply moved her. But later, Joe Di’s words made her feel uncomfortable inside. As for what exactly unsettled her, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
"A ship ran into trouble at sea, and many people drowned. Onboard was a young couple—the wife was holding a child when they too fell into the ocean. They were lucky and managed to get hold of a tiny boat, but it was so small that it could barely hold one person. With two aboard, even a slightly bigger wave would capsize it.
Since it was the ocean, there were naturally waves. As the waves grew larger, the wife suddenly pushed her husband into the sea. Almost at the same moment, a wave swept her husband away. Just then, a god happened to pass by. The god intended to save the family, but thinking the wife was too vicious, turned away and left."
Joe Di told the story in the plainest way possible. After finishing, he simply gazed calmly at Cassie Cao.
"That’s it?" Cassie Cao felt the story wasn’t finished, so she asked.
Seeing Joe Di remain silent, Cassie Cao sighed, "That woman was indeed cruel, but the child was innocent."
Joe Di glanced at Cassie Cao with disdain and continued, "Fortunately, a large ship passed by and saved her and the child. More than twenty years later, the wife finally managed to raise the child. After the child started a family and the wife was left alone, one day she suddenly understood why her husband had wanted her to push him into the sea all those years ago."
"So it was the man who asked his wife to push him into the sea?" Cassie Cao asked instinctively, then frowned.
If the man wanted his wife and child to survive, he should have jumped into the sea himself.
Joe Di did not answer Cassie Cao’s question. He continued, "Many people later speculated that the man was terminally ill, but that wasn’t the case. He simply told his wife that if he and the child survived, the child would surely not live well. Because he would spend his days missing his wife, drinking, and indulging himself, eventually leaving the child to grow up alone and helpless. Yet, he didn’t have the courage to jump into the sea himself—he could only hope his wife would help him take that step."
His wife loved him deeply, but she loved her child just as much. With tears in her eyes, she pushed him into the sea. Though her heart was filled with endless guilt, for the sake of her child, she had to be strong and keep living."
"So what did the wife finally understand?" Cassie Cao asked.
Joe Di’s voice seemed to be answering Cassie Cao, yet also himself. "It was because of love. He knew his wife loved him dearly, and feared that if he died, she would be unable to bear the blow and would not be able to raise their child. He let his wife push him into the sea, but also said he lacked the courage to jump himself. It was to lessen the love she felt for him, to turn that love into guilt. When people feel guilty, as long as they have something to hold onto, they can keep living. But if they know they’ve lost love, it’s much harder to go on."
Cassie Cao looked at Joe Di thoughtfully and murmured, "When people feel guilty, as long as they have something to hold onto, they can keep living. But if they know they’ve lost love, it’s much harder to go on."
After a long while, she bowed to Joe Di. "Thank you. I think I finally understand. I’m convinced now that you truly aren’t the Poison Sovereign."
In Joe Di’s story, she was like the god—lofty and detached, making judgments without understanding cause and effect. At the same time, she was also the giant wave in the sea. The Poison Sovereign was the passing ship that saved the woman and child. Joe Di was like the man—after saving his wife and child, he was hunted by this god for over a hundred years.
"Since you understand, let’s part ways here. Please don’t chase me anymore." With that, Joe Di sped away.
Cassie Cao still quickened her pace to follow Joe Di. Before Joe Di could ask, Cassie Cao gave a self-deprecating smile. "Our time together was short, but I’ve heard many truths from you that I never heard before. Though simple, they are deeply thought-provoking."
After thinking for a moment, Cassie Cao continued, "Do you want to know my story?"
Joe Di was genuinely curious about Cassie Cao’s origins. Cassie Cao’s expression changed, and she immediately picked up a sharp stone from the roadside and slashed her face several times, leaving deep marks.
Her once beautiful and striking face instantly turned hideous and fierce.
Only then did Joe Di notice a group approaching. There were five of them, each one tall and muscular.
Joe Di wasn’t short—he was about one meter eighty-five—but the shortest among these men was well over two meters.
The group blocked Joe Di and Cassie Cao’s path, chattering in a language neither of them understood. They looked at each other in confusion.
A burly man produced a rope and tried to tie up Joe Di and Cassie Cao. What puzzled Cassie Cao was that Joe Di didn’t resist at all, allowing them to be bound.
Perhaps because Joe Di and Cassie Cao were cooperative, the men didn’t harm them further after tying them up. They simply gestured, indicating that Joe Di and Cassie Cao had to follow them.
Cassie Cao and Joe Di walked in the middle. She looked at Joe Di in confusion, "Didn’t you say if someone hit or insulted you, you’d always strike back? Why didn’t you resist at all and just let them tie you up?"
Joe Di replied calmly, "I could easily handle these five, but didn’t you notice? There are hundreds more further away. If trouble breaks out here, those hundreds will surely surround us. Even if we dealt with them, they could quickly gather even more to trap us. I do strike back, but when I know I’m destined to suffer a loss, can’t I bide my time and wait to return the favor later?
Besides, that’s not the main reason I didn’t fight back. The real reason is that I can’t afford to. I don’t even know where this is—if I make a move, I’ll become an enemy to everyone here. I might not even have a place to stay. Now that we’re tied up, it doesn’t matter; at least they’ll take us to their settlement so we can figure out where we are."
Even if Joe Di’s Dao techniques were completely unusable, these ropes couldn’t hold him—he could leave at any time. More importantly, while tied up, he could still keep trying to establish his own rules here, so his cultivation could recover as quickly as possible.
Cassie Cao said, "You’re a different kind of person—unlike anyone I’ve ever met before."
"I’ve told you my story—now it’s your turn," Joe Di said. He had noticed that while these people were large and strong, they didn’t possess any magical powers or Dao techniques—at most, they were incredibly strong and physically tough.
In this place, as long as he had time, he could regain his strength.
Cassie Cao smiled faintly. Even though her face was now hideous from the cuts, her smile still had a certain purity.
As if recalling distant memories, Cassie Cao gazed into the distance for a long while before speaking, "Long ago, the Five Elements Universe was a chaotic void. Later, it was opened up, and the Dao Rhythms of Creation produced some ultimate powerhouses. Among them, two stood out—their fortunes were unmatched. The man obtained eight Primal Chaos Dao Laws, but the woman also gained one. Moreover, the woman received a tenth of the essence Dao Rhythms of the Creation Universe, which allowed her to condense her own Great Dao…"
Joe Di looked at Cassie Cao in astonishment. "That woman you’re talking about—is it you?"
Cassie Cao sighed again. "The man was Du Bu, and the woman was Cassie Cao. So, yes, you guessed right—the woman is me."
Joe Di was filled with respect. He had heard countless stories about Du Bu—his name was legendary. Not just Du Bu, but his disciple Du Mo was also an incredible figure. And Du Zi Hen, who became his friend, was among the strongest in the universe.
He never expected that the Cassie Cao before him was a peer of Du Bu, a figure from the same era.
(That’s all for today’s update. Good night, friends!)