One-Eyed Monster

Kuyi Tulan, still holding a bottle of inferior fruit wine, swayed with every step as he descended from the second floor of the tavern. He approached Scholar Manjia and gave him a deep bow.

”My thanks to you, Scholar Manjia.”

”What is there to thank me for?” Scholar Manjia was puzzled by Kuyi Tulan’s gesture. He didn’t understand why the chief of the Alchemy Workshop would bow to him.

”If the wizards of the Alchemy Workshop can reunite with the Great Mentor in the near future, we will never forget Scholar Manjia’s concession,” Kuyi Tulan stated distinctly.

”It is not a concession. I simply made the appropriate choice at the appropriate time.” The Hunchbacked Elder’s back seemed to hunch further every time he mentioned the matter of guardianship.

”But there’s one thing unclear to me; I hope the esteemed scholar can clarify it.”

Although Scholar Manjia had never met Kuyi Tulan, he had heard stories about him. It was much like how many people in this world, despite not knowing his appearance, would bow in respect upon hearing his name alone.

”I’m an old man on the verge of death. I’m not capable of enlightening you young people. Chief, I believe you have misunderstood.”

”No, it is you who have misunderstood, Scholar. I am asking you now in your capacity as a Soul Guardian, not as a scholar. So, please do not confuse the two,” Kuyi Tulan poured himself a glass of the inferior wine and poured another for Scholar Manjia.

”Chief, you’re not a Gravedigger. Why bother with us, who already have one foot in the coffin?”

”Because when the agreement was signed, Scholar Manjia, you clearly included the Alchemy Workshop among the guardians, didn’t you?” Kuyi Tulan said with a faint smile, pushing the cup of wine towards Scholar Manjia.

Scholar Manjia was startled. He hadn’t expected Kuyi Tulan to say such a thing. He took the cup of wine and took a sip. ”This wine... it’s more mellow and fragrant than the best wine in my tavern.”

”Does Scholar Manjia also have a particular fondness for this kind of wine?”

”No, no, no. I haven’t studied wine extensively, nor impurities, unlike you, Chief.”

Kuyi Tulan was not surprised by Scholar Manjia’s words. While his research on impurities was a subject supposedly known only to those at or above the Golden Seats of the Alchemy Workshop, and an outsider like Scholar Manjia casually mentioning it should have been surprising, Kuyi Tulan knew scholars excelled at calculation and deduction. For an eminent scholar of the Empire like Scholar Manjia, deducing such information wasn’t difficult at all. Thus, Kuyi Tulan remained unsurprised. Instead, his sharp gaze remained fixed on Scholar Manjia, and it seemed he wouldn’t avert this intense gaze until he received the answer he desired.

Scholar Manjia slowly finished his drink. His eyes darted with fleeting numbers as he calculated and deduced, trying to ascertain what kind of chief this young man before him would become.

A vortex, darkness, a long path… Scholar Manjia saw one unthinkable and incredible scene after another.

He took a long sigh.

”The most terrifying thing in this world is hidden ambition.”

”If not concealed, should it then become the target of all?” Kuyi Tulan refilled Scholar Manjia’s cup. He knew he had no secrets before a scholar; it was better to admit it openly than to deny it.

”I cannot discern whether the unknown entity behind you is desire or the pursuit of knowledge.” Scholar Manjia wiped the sweat from his brow; the excessive calculations had consumed much of his energy. The results, especially concerning Kuyi Tulan’s future choices, still shocked him. These revelations were profoundly unsettling, leaving Scholar Manjia with a strange sense of agitation.

”I don’t understand your scholar’s Numerical Sensing Skill, nor do I comprehend what you’re saying. All I know is that I must finish what I set out to do. If I cannot do it now, I will complete it in the near future. It’s as simple as that.” Kuyi Tulan didn’t say much. He didn’t need many words in front of a scholar; trying to reason with one was simply overestimating his own capabilities.

”Whatever choices you make in the future, as an old man who already has one foot in the Eternal Tranquility Realm, I must advise you: know when to stop.”

”I know what I should and shouldn’t do.”

”Disrupting the balance of this world is a dangerous act. Things you don’t understand will always end up devouring us.”

”You Soul Guardians always speak from a perspective others cannot see. I still don’t understand why you go to such great lengths to conceal those things unknown to others. Is the world truly so fragile, unable to withstand a single blow?”

”Chaos is the origin of all things, a layer of fog and a barrier. Only by breaking through this misty barrier can you see the true nature of matters.”

”Then, what exactly are you, what are we, and what is this mountain?”

”All of this is rooted in the desire for power. And what does power bring to people? It brings the urge to possess. This is a primal desire, and desire is the engine driving all conflict.”

”So, you Soul Guardians are just a bunch of ascetics, then? Trying to make those restless souls give up their notions?”

”No, Soul Guardians do not forbid; they control. Extremes only breed more intense desires. Just like you now; although you try hard to conceal that inner urge, in truth, your heart can no longer suppress it.”

Kuyi Tulan gave a light laugh. ”It’s true then, no secret can be hidden from Scholar Manjia; you can even see through the fluctuations of my heart.”

”Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having this conversation now.”

”That’s right. I’m not a secretive person, nor do I covet those secrets. I just want to know why Scholar Manjia would give up on Dawn Peak. I can’t fathom the reasoning. Even if the enemy is formidable, couldn’t Bigas handle them?”

”Giving up is also a form of control,” Scholar Manjia said, drinking his wine again. ”The ranks of the Soul Guardians have already fallen apart; now, only a few still hold their original positions.”

”Regarding ancient matters, I know very little. This trip to Guru Mountain has indeed been enlightening. Many things were never mentioned in the Empire’s libraries and archives.”

”There are always people in this world digging into such things; there’s nothing wrong with that. What’s wrong is uncontrollable desire.” Scholar Manjia continued, having foreseen Kuyi Tulan’s future. He felt his words might yet cause this young man to alter his future choices.

”Willem of the Black Crow is an ambitious man, but he’s an out-and-out madman. He was once one of us.”

”Is it because of this that you abandoned the guardianship of Dawn Peak? Because you knew you couldn’t possibly hold it?”

”No, you’re mistaken. No matter how strong the opponent, we always have a chance to defeat them. It’s just that, even if this door we guard isn’t opened, did you truly believe none of you could get in?”

”At least, the Alchemy Workshop has not been able to open it.”

”No. Your Great Mentor, Guzan, entered many years ago. We only learned of this today.” Scholar Manjia stood up. ”And Willem evidently knew of this long before we did. That’s why he struck a deal with your Alchemy Workshop—mutual exchange, mutual utilization. Willem is also a man who adheres to the Law of Equivalent Exchange.”

”So that’s how it is.” Kuyi Tulan instantly understood the elder Manjia’s words. He stood up and bowed once again to Scholar Manjia. This conversation made him realize his own insignificance once more, further steeling the resolve deep within his heart.