This was his solution, his choice.
Ning Su remembered the final scene in the <Flower Servant> dungeon, where he, Fang Qi, and Ning Changfeng went to deal with those four people. Ning Changfeng asked Fang Qi if he had thought it through.
Fang Qi said he had thought it through. He admitted that he had been too weak and lacked courage in the past, resulting in losing the most important person to him.
For Ning Su, Fang Qi’s final decision still seemed cowardly.
But no one could judge him; they weren’t him.
Pang Yang stared blankly at Fang Qi. It was surprising, but he also understood why he did it.
However, from now on, they were members of opposing factions.
He added, “What is all this about? My bunkmate has become a member of the opposing faction.”
Ning Su flipped onto the top bunk and lay down next to Ling Xiao, quietly explaining the situation to him.
Ling Xiao had actually seen what happened in the storeroom and had heard what Fang Qi and Pang Yang said just now.
Through Ning Su’s narration, he learned the complete details of the story.
He asked Ning Su, “Do you think Fang Qi’s final choice is still cowardly?”
Ning Su whispered, “If Xue Wei dared to turn my beloved person into a pupa, I would definitely take a knife and kill her, then snatch away her pupa canister.”
In fact, after knowing that Xue Wei had bitten off Shi Tianzhu’s foot with a pupa, Ning Su had noted her down in his little book.
“Of course, I understand. Right now, Fang Qi might not be able to do it, especially considering he was ready to fight Xue Wei in the storage room. His decision might seem cowardly from my perspective, but I don’t see Fang Qi as a coward.”
“He is cowardly, and it’s cowardly on his part.” Ling Xiao affirmed.
“He wants to kill the human pupa master but then voluntarily attaches himself to her. What is it if not cowardice?”
Ning Su looked up at him, wondering if this was how gods think.
Ling Xiao said, “He was cowardly before, leaving Lin Zhongxi alone.”
“Now he chooses cowardice to not leave Lin Zhongxi behind again.”
Ning Su was stunned.
Fang Qi had been cowardly before, leaving Lin Zhongxi alone in the forest, leaving him alone on the mountain, leaving him alone in malice, leaving him alone to fall into the abyss of death.
So, Fang Qi was gradually becoming brave.
He had truly become brave.
He fearlessly entered dungeons even when newcomers hesitated to advance, clearing one dungeon after another. He even dared to challenge the ghost master in a level five dungeon.
He even dared to raise his fists against the human pupa master.
He had truly transformed into a brave person because of Lin Zhongxi, but in the end, he chose cowardice to never leave Lin Zhongxi again.
Fang Qi’s skills didn’t quite match those of the Yongming Guild. With his current qualifications, he hadn’t yet reached a level where that guild would welcome him.
Joining the Yongming Guild might not be as straightforward for him as it seemed.
Ning Su realized for the first time that there was a kind of bravery in cowardice.
He looked back at Fang Qi and pursed his lips.
As night approached, the speed of the ship slowed down.
At this moment, everyone thought of what Miss Driver had said, that they were nearing their destination.
Other players had already begun to appease the corpses’ spirits. When Ning Su got off the bed, Pang Yang had already recovered.
“It seems like we’re almost at our destination. Shouldn’t we hurry up and do something?” He nervously said to Ning Su.
“This is the first time I’ve seen this happen, and we’re almost at the final day. The system hasn’t given any hints about it, which feels off to me.”
Ning Su: “If it’s not part of the process, then it must be the final clearance assessment.”
“What do you mean?” Pang Yang asked.
Ning Su glanced at the old man and said to Pang Yang, “Come with me.”
Among all the corpses/ghosts on the ship, the old man was the calmest.
During the process of realizing their own deaths, the first stage was anger and unwillingness, as seen in the morning brawl.
The second stage was pain and despair, which was their current state.
The old man had also experienced anxiety and restlessness in the first stage, but he did not participate in the brawl, appearing even calmer during this stage.
As Ning Su and others approached, the old man was holding two pieces of paper.
One was his blood-stained map, and the other was a drawing given to him by Manman and Gui Sheng.
“Young man, I’ve figured out why there’s blood on the map.” He touched the dried bloodstains on it and said, “This is my blood.”
“I remembered it. On our bus, there was a person who suddenly cried and laughed, someone went to comfort him, he took out a knife and killed that person, then killed several others in the car, and I was also stabbed in the chest.”
He touched the spot on his chest. “The map was right here at that time.”
“I’m not sad. I’m just afraid that my daughter and grandson will be sad if they know. I hope they won’t be sad or feel any unnecessary guilt because of it.”
A player walked over and said to the old man, “You’re right. Sometimes the living suffers more.”
Ning Su remembered, this player was from the second round, one who narrowly escaped when his most beloved dead player appeared.
He recounted the story between him and that player.
“I think she wants me to accept her death so she can rest in peace. I’ve come to terms with her death, and your daughter and grandson can, too. True acceptance from both sides is what’s best for everyone involved.”
On this path through the underworld, players and corpses were in opposition, yet there’s a kind of mutual complementarity in death.
Those who had passed away might have felt some reluctance for themselves, but their primary concern lay with their loved ones.
The living wish for the dead to rest, and the dead wish for the living not to be engulfed with grief, but to live well.
The old man kept nodding, murmuring, “Buddha asks for the cause, ordinary people ask for the result, why mourn for life, why suffer for death?”
“Why mourn for life? Why suffer for death?”
The boy on the upper bunk suddenly broke down in tears. “Why, I’m not afraid of death, but why can’t you give me a little more time to show my acceptance letter to my mom?”
“If I knew earlier, I wouldn’t have given her such a surprise. I should have called her.”
“I should have called her, told her I got into Jin University, and said ‘Mom, you’ve worked hard all these years’.”
The old man kept sighing, murmuring, “Why mourn for life, why suffer for death?”
The boy with the backpack cried, “I’m not afraid of going to hell. I’ve never done anything wrong in my life. I’ll face it when I go to the underworld.”
“I just regret it, I’m worried about my mom. She’s worked hard for most of her life for me. How can she live alone when I’m gone?”
Pang Yang wiped away his tears quietly, pulled Ning Su aside, and said to him, “I understand now.”
“In fact, I almost figured it out that day.”
“Corpses, ghosts, good deeds.”
“The gloomy path, the funeral bus, the Wangchuan River, the next destination is the underworld, right?”
Pang Yang said, “Listening to the words of the old man and the boy with the backpack, I finally understand. The system prompts us to do good deeds along the way, which is related to the destination.”
Ning Su nodded. “As the old saying goes, the Yanwang’s Book of Life and Death records all good and evil deeds.”
(T/N: It is believed to be a record maintained by Yanluo, the ruler of the underworld in Chinese mythology, which contains detailed accounts of the deeds, actions, and moral behavior of every individual throughout their life. This book is consulted during the judgment of souls after death to determine their fate in the afterlife, including whether they will be reincarnated or face punishment for their sins.)
Pang Yang confirmed his speculation. “I heard that after people enter the underworld, the underworld will judge them based on their behavior during their lifetime. Only those who have done good deeds and have no major evil deeds can reincarnate.”
“Those players who are involved in the infinite game and die on the road or in dungeons naturally cannot reincarnate, so they are not the ones being judged.”
Ning Su nodded, “In this underworld dungeon world, it is us, the anomalies, who are to be judged. The so-called reincarnation means returning to the mortal world, which is equivalent to leaving the dungeon.”
“The judgment criteria are not based on one’s behavior during their lifetime, but on their performance on this path of the underworld.”
Pang Yang pondered, “Could we see it like this? Our successful arrival in the underworld is like successfully masquerading as ghosts. We go through the same judgment process as all other souls, but perhaps our judgment includes an additional opportunity for reincarnation.”
Ning Su agreed, “That idea could also be similar to the prompt ‘Do good deeds, don’t inquire about the future’. “
Pang Yang asked, “But what if we fail the judgment?”
Ning Su glanced at the remaining players and remarked, “Those who fail the initial judgment may have to undergo a layer-by-layer judgment on the eighteen levels. Only by enduring the judgment of the eighteen layers of hell can they be reincarnated. If they cannot endure, they will remain here forever.”
Pang Yang wiped his face with his hand.
