Chapter 133: Zhang Lexuan's Choice
The Goddess of Love's reprimand, laced with anger and bewilderment, pierced the golden space like an icicle, causing Zhang Lexuan to involuntarily furrow her delicate brows.
This sudden accusation, especially a critique of her most private feelings from an unfamiliar entity, instinctively stirred a flicker of displeasure within her.
However, her good upbringing and caution born from not fully understanding the current situation made her suppress the impulse to retort for now. Instead, she turned her inquiring gaze toward the source of the voice.
Looking at the shimmering, amorphous mass of golden energy, Zhang Lexuan maintained basic courtesy as she asked softly:
"May I ask who you are...?"
The Goddess of Love seemed still simmering with anger. The golden energy flickered, offering no direct answer to Zhang Lexuan's question, causing the atmosphere to momentarily turn tense.
Seeing this, Lei Chen, who stood nearby, spoke up calmly. His voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable authority as he introduced the figure to Zhang Lexuan:
"This is the Goddess of Love, once a First-rank Deity who governed the laws of love in the Divine Realm. Due to some unforeseen events tens of thousands of years ago, she unfortunately fell. Now, only this wisp of divine consciousness remains, residing as a guest in this plane."
"The Goddess of Love... a First-rank Deity?!"
Unconcealable astonishment instantly appeared on Zhang Lexuan's cool, beautiful face. Her lovely eyes widened slightly as she looked at the golden energy mass, her gaze filled with surprise and disbelief.
She never would have imagined that this seemingly illusory energy entity before her possessed such an astonishing origin—a former First-rank Deity who once looked down upon all living beings.
Yet, what left her even more bewildered and somewhat incredulous was that this deity, whose divine duty was "Love," was now urging her to abandon the love in her heart, calling it foolish and a burden? This was just too...
Regardless, even if the other party was a lofty deity presiding over the laws of love, it could not alter the most genuine feelings in her heart.
Thinking this, Zhang Lexuan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil within. Her gaze regained its firmness and composure. Facing the golden divine consciousness, she spoke clearly and with neither subservience nor arrogance:
"So it is Senior Goddess of Love. This junior was disrespectful. However, whether to love or not, and whether I can step into the divine realm in the future—these are my own choices and my own path. There's no need to trouble you, Senior, to concern yourself overmuch."
Her words were respectful and courteous, yet the refusal and resolve contained within them were as unyielding as bedrock.
"You...!"
Zhang Lexuan's reply caused the Goddess of Love's divine consciousness to fluctuate violently. The golden energy mass churned fiercely, emitting clear waves of irritation.
She had existed for countless eons. Even after her fall, when had she ever been "contradicted" like this by a mortal woman?
Moreover, in her view, she was acting entirely out of the goodwill of an "experienced person," offering guidance to prevent the other from repeating her own mistakes.
This stubborn, unenlightened attitude was practically a double negation of her divine duty and her past pain!
"What's wrong with forgetting your love for that person?!" The Goddess of Love's voice rose a notch, carrying an anxious, almost exasperated urgency, even bordering on thoughtlessness.
"You should understand this better than anyone! That lad named Bei Bei, he loves that Tang Ya, not you at all! Your one-sided devotion is destined to receive no response! The more you love him, the more you cling to him, the more you will ultimately torment and torture only yourself!"
Her divine thoughts were like sharp needles, mercilessly piercing the softest, most raw and bleeding wound in Zhang Lexuan's heart.
"Don't tell me... don't tell me you still harbor those laughable expectations and fantasies? That one day he will have a sudden awakening, abandon his current, mutually loving partner, and turn back to choose you?! Don't be foolish! That is simply impossible!"
The Goddess of Love's words were like a red-hot branding iron, searing Zhang Lexuan's heart. Her delicate frame trembled slightly. The previously firm and clear light in her eyes instantly clouded with a thick layer of confusion and pain.
She fell silent, lowering her head slightly. Her long eyelashes cast shadows, veiling the turbulent emotions in her eyes. The surrounding golden radiance seemed to dim a little, leaving only the agitated, lingering fluctuations of the Goddess of Love's divine thoughts echoing in the space.
After what seemed like a long, arduous period of introspection, Zhang Lexuan slowly raised her head. Her gaze, somewhat unfocused, looked toward a point in the void. The corners of her lips lifted into an extremely faint, bitterly wry smile as she murmured, her voice as light as a dream:
"I know... Bei Bei won't give up on Tang Ya... He will always love Tang Ya. In the future... it's also impossible for him to love me..."
Her voice was very soft, yet carried a kind of resigned calmness, as if stating a cold, hard fact she had confirmed to herself countless times.
Hearing Zhang Lexuan admit this point herself, the Goddess of Love's divine thoughts immediately conveyed an urgent, consoling sense of "you finally understand." She quickly pressed her advantage:
"Yes! You see, you understand all this yourself, don't you?"
"Since your love for him was doomed from the start to be one-sided, destined never to receive his response, then what can this love bring you besides a constant stream of pain, inner turmoil, and torment?"
"Such love is the heaviest burden, a stumbling block hindering your progress! So, listen to me, forget it! Completely forgetting this hopeless love would be a liberation for you, a great blessing!"
"From then on, you wouldn't have to suffer over it anymore. You could travel light, free to pursue your own Great Dao and future..."
The Goddess of Love's words carried a seductive power, painting a beautiful picture of life after forgetting, as if Zhang Lexuan only needed to nod to immediately break free from this emotional quagmire and be reborn.
However, Zhang Lexuan's next murmured words, like the gentlest yet most resolute shards of ice, interrupted the Goddess of Love's torrent of persuasion.
Her gaze remained somewhat vacant, as if looking through this golden space to see that forever unreachable figure by the Lakeside of the Sea God. Her voice was so light it almost dissipated into the air, yet it clearly reached the ears of the two supreme beings present:
"But... even if it's painful... I don't want to forget..."
Hearing Zhang Lexuan's nearly obstinate whisper, so contrary to "liberation," the golden light formed by the Goddess of Love's divine consciousness suddenly froze.
The light no longer flickered or churned violently. Instead, it seemed to lose all strength, contracting slightly inward, exuding a dimness bordering on bewilderment. The ceaseless persuasion came to an abrupt halt. The turbulent fluctuations of divine thought subsided, leaving behind a silence that was almost deathly still.
So, after all her words, her analysis of pros and cons, her guidance, even her urgency bordering on tearing open old wounds... had she truly not taken in a single word?
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