Zhonghai City is a well-known tourist destination in the country, home to several world-famous ancient monuments and a must-visit for every travel enthusiast.
Despite being the peak of summer and a low season for tourism, the old city walls are still crowded with visitors. In a corner of the wall, there's a quaint tea stall with antique-looking fabrics. Mu Zi sits at a small table, leisurely enjoying his tea. Not far in front of him, Ouyang Liuse is busy taking photos of the weathered stone walls with her camera, continuously clicking the shutter.
After finishing a pot of tea, Ouyang Liuse walks over with her camera and sits opposite Mu Zi, wiping sweat off her cheeks with a handkerchief while accepting the cool tea Mu Zi passes her.
"You don't seem interested in ancient relics," Ouyang Liuse comments, draining her cup of tea and eyeing Mu Zi curiously. "Since climbing the city wall, you've just been sitting here without moving."
"I'm not here to prove I've been here, so I never bother with taking souvenir photos," Mu Zi responds with a light smile. "Especially not in this scorching weather."
Ouyang Liuse gives him a playful look and laughs, "You make yourself sound so mysterious and profound. So why are you here?"
Mu Zi takes a sip of his tea and replies seriously, "First, to accompany you. Second, to experience the grandeur of this ancient culture."
Ouyang Liuse shakes her head, smiling, "Thousands of years ago, laborers and soldiers built these walls in harsh cold and sweltering heat, using their frail bodies to construct what even modern technology struggles to replicate. Sitting here, in the shade, comfortably drinking tea, I don't think you can truly appreciate their unwavering, relentless spirit of labor!"
Mu Zi shakes his head gently, saying slowly, "What I imagine isn't the bustling labor scene, but rather the harrowing, bloody battles that took place around these walls and below. Imagine, thousands of years ago, on or around this day, armored warriors and generals were fighting here, shouting, roaring, with blood spurting every moment and people dying continuously. Here, there was no good or evil, only life and death! Each life was so tenacious, yet so fragile. You often struggle internally, thinking we don't have the right to decide life and death, to take away someone else's life, right? Then think about the scene of piled corpses here thousands of years ago..."
War, life and death, are always cruel. Ouyang Liuse is stunned, her eyes fixed on the ancient, mottled walls surrounding the tea stall, lost in thought.
Clearly, her way of thinking about problems is still vastly different from Mu Zi's. But what's most astonishing about Mu Zi is his ability to subtly and casually draw her into the depths of his thoughts.
Indeed, in the cruel context of those times, there was no distinction between justice and evil. The right to decide life and death belonged only to personal strength. The victor was king, the loser the outcast!
What right did kings, nobles, and royals have to decide the life and death of others?
As she ponders, Mu Zi continues softly, "Time eventually erases everything, whether good or evil, all will vanish in the vast river of history, just like what we see today. Regardless of who won or lost in those wars thousands of years ago, nothing remains now. Right?"
Ouyang Liuse thoughtfully agrees, "That's right."
Mu Zi smiles and places his cool palm on the table, over Ouyang Liuse's burning hot hand, speaking with depth, "That's it. No matter what we've done, time will settle our debts. A hundred years from now, no one will remember us, whether we are killers like me or seemingly kind-hearted citizens like you. Even if I were to be exposed one day and my crimes make me infamous, what of it? The infamy left behind is just a reputation, but what I've done in life is what I wanted to do most - to let those who deserve to die but won't, die by my designs. I call my profession 'acting on heaven's behalf'! This is my pride and joy, living my life this way brings me fulfillment and happiness. To kill one person, I die without regrets; to kill one more, I'll smile in the underworld! What's so bad about that? Compared to a lifetime of happiness and fulfillment, how important is a bad reputation?"
Ouyang Liuse immerses herself in Mu Zi's words, her expression shifting constantly.
In the azure sky above, the sun shines brightly, but to the northwest, dark clouds are slowly gathering, forming a massive army of clouds, relentlessly invading this part of the sky.
The weather is about to change. The prolonged heatwave is soon to be relieved by a storm.
As Mu Zi sips his tea, he quietly observes the fluctuating expressions on Ouyang Liuse's face.
Changing someone's mindset is, after all, much harder than changing the weather...
The exams finally over, and with his sharp intellect, Wen Jun feels he's done quite well.
Today, Wen Jun is in an excellent mood. As he steps out of the lecture hall and looks up at the approaching storm clouds, he feels even more refreshed.
The oppressive heat is finally easing.
He adjusts his glasses and strides energetically towards his dormitory, each step brimming with vitality.
Meanwhile, behind him in a window of the lecture hall, Lin leans against the glass, her gaze following his figure, like a precise laser tracker.
Wen Jun takes out his phone and starts fiddling with it as he walks.
Upon reaching the entrance to the back garden, he pauses under the shade of a tree. A lively, beautiful girl with shoulder-length hair and dressed in a white shirt and sneakers bounces up to him, and they chat.
After a few minutes, the girl's phone rings. She answers, exchanges a few quick words, and tells Wen Jun, "Teacher Wen, I have a friend waiting for me, I have to go!"
"Oh? A male friend?" Wen Jun asks jokingly, smiling warmly.
The girl blinks and grins sweetly, "No, it's a girl from my class!"
She puts away her phone, waves to Wen Jun, and runs back to the lecture hall.
Wen Jun watches her vibrant, beautiful figure leave, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
Meanwhile, in that window of the lecture hall, Lin puts away her phone...