Urban Wolf King

Chapter 1268 1179: A Hundred Fish Present Their Tribute

Upon hearing the words of Venerable Ghost Valley, Venerable Fuqing's expression changed drastically, and he swiftly turned to glance at the elder beside him.

Indeed, the elder looked exactly like the young man in the forest wearing the white robe, only differing slightly in age.

The elder nodded and said, "Yes, in fact, I am Zhuangzi."

Upon hearing the elder admit he was Zhuangzi, Venerable Fuqing felt deeply annoyed, and without hesitation, he quickly flew into the Illusion Realm, diving straight into the pond and transforming into a fish.

After becoming a fish, Venerable Fuqing's heart felt slightly at ease.

After all, the elder asked whether the fish is happy or not, and since he didn't get to choose Zhuangzi as his role, choosing to be a fish wasn't bad either.

Ultimately, only the fish knows if it is happy or not.

But under no circumstances should he choose Hui Zi, who mindlessly chattered with Zhuangzi, practically his arch-nemesis.

If he chose Hui Zi, no matter what the answer was, it wouldn't get Zhuangzi's approval.

Thinking this way, Venerable Fuqing looked at Venerable Ghost Valley with regret, silently cursing: This old thing, why is he always so quick to react?

However, upon thinking again, Venerable Fuqing suddenly thought of Wang Yan.

In the previous challenge, Wang Yan was last but ended up winning.

Could it be he's still confident this time?

Venerable Fuqing glanced at Wang Yan, seeing his calm demeanor, without a hint of frustration on his face.

The elder also curiously asked Wang Yan, "You remain last this time too, are you not afraid of choosing wrongly?"

Wang Yan calmly replied, "No matter who I choose, there's only one correct answer."

After saying this, Wang Yan floated into the Illusion Realm, immediately transforming into the young man in a blue robe, Hui Zi.

Seeing Wang Yan transform into Hui Zi, Venerable Ghost Valley laughed heartily and said, "Hahaha, whether you come or not doesn't matter, because you've definitely lost. This fish, he's happy inside."

Upon hearing Venerable Ghost Valley, Venerable Fuqing hurriedly responded from the water, "Indeed, I've transformed into a fish, and I know I'm happy."

While speaking, Venerable Fuqing swam a few circles in the water, indeed appearing very happy.

After hearing that both held the same view, Venerable Ghost Valley became smug, raised his hand toward Wang Yan, and said, "Bring me the big bell, you've lost."

Wang Yan didn't speak, instead walked to the pond's edge, folded his hands behind his back, and looked at the fish swimming back and forth in the water.

"Are you really happy?"

Venerable Fuqing emerged from the water surface, blowing bubbles, and spoke in human tongue, "Of course, why wouldn't I be happy? I am certainly happy."

Wang Yan pointed at his feet at the pond water, saying, "This water is dead water, stagnant throughout the year, with silt breeding at the bottom, mosquitoes flying above. In this foul place, do you truly speak of happiness?"

Upon hearing Wang Yan's words, Venerable Fuqing was stunned, only now noticing he was indeed in dead water.

Nevertheless, Venerable Fuqing gritted his teeth and said, "Of course I'm happy; as long as there's a place to swim, there is happiness."

Venerable Ghost Valley hurriedly interrupted, "Boy, you're not a fish. How do you know if a fish cares whether water is dead or contains silt or mosquitoes?"

Wang Yan ignored Venerable Ghost Valley, and spoke again to Venerable Fuqing, "Even if you don't care about the water or insects, there's only one fish in such a vast pond. Born without company, alone and isolated, don't you feel lonely? Are you still happy?"

"I... I..." Venerable Fuqing opened his mouth but was immediately speechless.

Upon hearing this, the elder standing mid-air uttered a "hmm," showing a thoughtful expression.

Seeing the elder's reaction, Venerable Fuqing felt anxious, quickly saying, "You're right, I'm not happy at all. I wish to be in clean water, wanting company to swim together."

Venerable Fuqing quickly changed his words, being anxious within: Heaven help me, even if I lose Chasing Silk, don't let me leave here. I must obtain the Fallen Lotus.

Seeing Venerable Fuqing swayed easily by a few words from Wang Yan, Venerable Ghost Valley grew anxious, shouting to Wang Yan, "You're wrong; you're imposing your ideas on the fish. Whatever fish, water, etc., is not what the fish desires. To this little fish, as long as it survives, it's content; how can it aspire for more?"

While speaking, Venerable Ghost Valley continually observed changes in the elder.

The elder's thoughtful look deepened, eyebrows furrowing into a knot.

Seeing this, Venerable Ghost Valley knew it was a critical moment, and before the elder was swayed by Wang Yan, he must shift the elder's viewpoint.

Therefore, Venerable Ghost Valley shouted, "Wrong! It's all twisted logic. Zhuangzi was a learned man three thousand years ago; his words can't be wrong. You dare refute him; it's great disrespect; you've lost."

However, at this moment, the elder raised his head, looked at Wang Yan, and softly asked, "So tell me, is the fish happy or not?"

Seeing the elder unexpectedly asking Wang Yan, Venerable Ghost Valley felt uneasy, wanting to interject further.

But the elder waved his hand, and a gust of wind spun in front of Venerable Ghost Valley, preventing him from speaking.

Wang Yan looks up at the elder and says, "Actually, whether the fish is happy or not, it fundamentally doesn't lie with the fish."

"Not with the fish? Then with whom?" The elder's brows furrowed even more.

"It lies in your heart!"

Hearing this, the elder visibly trembled, his voice tense as he asked, "Why?"

"If your heart is happy, the fish is happy, the water becomes clear, and the whole garden brims with vitality. If your heart is unhappy, this pond becomes stagnant, the fish becomes melancholy, and the serene garden turns lifeless. 'Appearance follows the heart,' what you see is merely a reflection of your inner self."

"'Appearance follows the heart'?? What profound words, why hadn't I thought of it." These four words were like thunderclaps, instantly making the elder's eyes widen.

In fact, those four words are not Wang Yan's original thoughts but rather a Buddhist saying.

Yet, since this elder is Zhuangzi, back in Zhuangzi's time three thousand years ago, Buddhism hadn't spread from India to the Qin Kingdom, so despite Zhuangzi's vast knowledge, he hadn't heard these four words.

With these four words spoken, the elder Zhuangzi's eyes grew brighter, and the previously dead water in the pond began to move.

The pond water suddenly became crystal clear, countless fish swam over from all directions, gathering at Wang Yan's feet, leaping and jumping as if presenting a tribute to Wang Yan.