The next day.
Ben Li stood with hands clasped on his back before the newly built graveyard that he had setup to accommodate the newly dead ones.
He saw with his Soul Sense the many white silhouettes kneeling in prostration before him. All of them fluctuating the same emotions ever since the beginning.
Joy. Respect. Hope. It seems that Ben Li being their amiable emperor that will lead them to paradise was the only image they see in him.
Oh, and if that was the case, Ben Li wished he could correct their misunderstandings. But then again, let the dead think what they want in peace. It's bad enough that they that way.
He looked up, and he saw white dazzling light shining from above.
It was as if heaven had opened its gates to welcome the lost who found the light. And some way or another, Ben Li felt like going there himself. Since he practically died back at the bar, shouldn't he be going to heaven or someplace where God would answer his questions?
But sadly, he couldn't go to the light and now he's stuck on this body which he doesn't own for spiritual reasons.
It's as if God did this to avoid him after a fuck you farewell...
Time passes shortly and the light finally disappeared from the sky.
Ben Li looked before the graveyard and saw the all the white silhouettes had disappeared.
It seems that they had made their peace in the land of the living and had decided to move on. Vanishing as they enter the light.
Whether they reincarnate in the Samsara or not depends on their Karma. But Ben Li has no involvement in that matter whatsoever.
"May you all live an awfully good life next time." said Ben Li praying to never see something more horrific than them dying from pure torture porn.
"Who is young master talking to?" asked the crisped voice that echoes behind him.
Turning around, Ben Li saw Lu Qing smiling at him. The controlled breath of a 2 Gates Practitioner was emanating from her body along with the frigid Yin essence that's exhaling from her spirit. Who she was right now was much different than the Lu Qing he knew would cry like a little girl. Now she appears to have reach a private consensus with herself as determination flashes from her eyes.
"Just talking to the dead." said Ben Li smiling back at her. Then he frowned and started mulling as something came up. "Come to think of it, I never asked you this, did I? Why exactly did you fall in love with Wang Xie?"
He knew he had no right or reason to bother asking about this from her. But considering that he is technically Wang Xie, he should be asking this to clear up some misunderstandings with her.
"Huh?" Lu Qing was taken by surprise why her young master was suddenly asking her such a sudden question. She was left stammering for words and was silenced by the embarrassment.
"Was it too sudden?" Ben Li scratched his head at the awkwardness he had pulled and sighed. "Forget I asked that question."
Just as he was about to leave...
"Uhm, young master, why are you... Suddenly asking me this?" it can't be help that Lu Qing wanted to ask him this. Perhaps this was a chance to pick up where they left off. To intensify their relationship. Perhaps if he and her had this conversation much earlier ago, then maybe they would have been holding hands right now.
"Why?" Ben Li didn't have such vague reasons. Might as well spit it out now. "It's because our relationship is complicated and I don't think that it's such a good idea to leave it like this before it even gets too complicated. You get what I'm saying?"
"...uhh" Meanwhile, Lu Qing didn't know what to say.
What part about our relationship is complicated?
I love you and you love me.
You like other girls and I like you more than they could ever like you.
What's complicated about that?
According to her, that's not complicated at all.
Another meanwhile, Ben Li was starting to get very awkward. Perhaps she didn't get what he was saying. Might as well repeat in a clearer statement.
"What I'm trying to say is that, I'm not the Wang Xie that you knew. I'm a totally different person. In fact, I'm way different than anybody else is in the whole wide world. I'm a Transmigrator from another world possessing his body through Fated coincidences. And you getting clingy to me isn't really helping us reconcile with each other since Wang Xie is a jealous dick with all valid reasons to sucker punch me."
Seriously, how many times have I told you this? Ben Li tried to recount it, but it seems he had also told her this just this morning.
The reason why Ben Li said this was because he was completely bothered with Lu Qing and his relationship with her.
No matter what, he's just a third wheel. No, to be more exact, he's like a new wheel that was replacing the old wheel. Only this time, the wheels look exactly the same and the wheel partner can't tell the freaking difference.
And it's even more bothering considering how many times Lu Qing had been very inviting for him to get on with it yet that was simply because she loves Wang Xie. Not him. And he's not going to take advantage of that.
For Ben Li, he'd like to keep his relationship with women simple. And he means very simple.
No romantic strings attached and no committal sex exchange. And most of all, she has to be an adult. Because Ben Li hasn't completely forgotten the fact that this young beauty right in front of him is still a 15-year-old.
That's the age of a middle school girl by his opinion.
And he maybe 16 today, but his mental age is 27. It's not like he minds the age gap, he just minds the mental gap.
You can't just fuck when you got to deal with stuff like that, right?
And that's what Ben Li has been bothered right now. Their relationship can't work like this and sometime in the future, they're going to realize how shallow what they've got sharing. Nothing was there except for the love that never came to be.
Meanwhile, Lu Qing's lips were twitching. Then she started giggling out of nowhere. She covered her mouth with her hand to smother her embarrassment. She was cute but Ben Li wanted to slap her silly head.
I'm serious here.
Stop.
"Ufufufufu... I'm sorry, young master. It's just that every time you mention this ufufufu... I find it hard to believe." Lu Qing finally stopped giggling and looked at her master right in the eyes. She smiled at him and said.
"Because to me, whoever this Ben Li that young master speaks of, they made no changes to my young master whatsoever and it hasn't bothered me ever since.
"Actually, why would I be bothered. Ever since that you remember me, you suddenly became more tactful of yourself. You're no longer forcing your ego on others and you're finally fulfilling your promises.
"I have nothing to complain. Whether you are Ben Li or my young master, nothing has changed since you're still the saddest boy I met back in Sun Claw city. And I made a promise to myself that I will make you happy."
That's right. To her, her young master hasn't really changed. He would frown, cry, throw a tantrum, glare, get livid and would sometimes get overbearing. But he would always smile at everything he loves. And he would hold it dearly in his hands.
This talk about being possessed by a Transmigrator was probably his way of escaping all the horrible things he has done by pretending that he had switched to an alter-ego.
Heh. Well she was not going to fall for the oldest trick on the book. No way is she letting him get away after all the things he's done.
He has to take responsibility.
But even if it was true what he said, it still doesn't change her feelings about him.
Ben Li was left taken aback. If it was anybody else, they would have loved this girl for being so very touching. But right now, he felt like Face-palming.
There's no use.
Might as well fall in love with her all over again.
Ben Li turned and faced the other way. His back facing Lu Qing with his hand on his pockets. He then said as he looked upwards and sighed.
"Lu Qing, I still think this relationship of ours is complicated. But it doesn't mean I'm not planning to fix it. However, I have my own circumstances to deal with. Like right now, I have a terrible feeling that's something cooking up back in the sect. And it's not going to be good for me.
"Lu Qing, you don't know half of what I've done. And if I wasn't such a gifted genius with a Unique Body Constitution, the sect would have kicked me out long ago. And right now, I feel really bad for it.
"I want to fix all my mistakes. The things I've done wrong. The things I shouldn't have done. The things I could've done but didn't. And most of all, I want to fix things with you.
"Lu Qing, I need your help. To where I'm going to go, I can't do it alone. I want to become a legend. I want my named changed to something heroic that will have musicians singing for a thousand years. And that's not all, I also want to leave a Legacy."
Lu Qing saw her young master turning around to look at her. She felt her heart racing when she looked how serious his crimson eyes were. They were dazzling her in awe of his ambitions.
Then her young master said. "That's why Lu Qing, let's start as friends from now onwards. Whether we become lovers or not will be entirely left up to Fate."
Tikch!
Lu Qing felt a sudden crack in her brain and a gaping hole had sucked all her thoughts outside her head after hearing that.
She tilted her head down and her bangs had shadowed her face. She hid her expression very well but she couldn't hide from Ben Li's Soul Sense as he could see, she was making a very scary face right now.
"Young master," she sounded calm but on the other hand, she sounded a little threatening. "Could you please repeat what you had just said."
"What... What I said?" Ben Li felt a little coerced by her voice but knew what she was talking about and his mind had made up anyway. There's no way you're scaring me to change my mind.
"I said let's be friends again and whether we become lovers or not will be entirely left up to Fate." There, he said it again.
"I see..." said Lu Qing with downcast eyes then came back smiling at him a second later and said. "Okay, just being friends is alright for now but you better make double the effort to make me fall for you again."
"Lu Qing..." Ben Li wasn't able to speak as Lu Qing came forward and took his lips. It was a light peck but it had soaked his lips nonetheless.
Then she hurried away into the distance like a little rabbit scurrying away.
Ben Li just sighed and stayed standing silently afterwards. He shook his head smiling. Didn't he say he will leave it up to Fate? Well, not like it matters.
What matters really was how many more girls was he going to friendzone? Cause this one is already giving him vibes that she'll conquer his Waifu hegemony with an iron fist.
But Ben Li put those thoughts aside for now and said.
"Let's go back to the sect."