Threads of Affection and Obsession

"I think not."
Senior Brother Lun Peng stepped out from the house, advanced, and blocked Wan Ru's view.
"Senior Brother."
Lun Peng ruffled her hair and said, "Don't go out alone like that, it's very dangerous."
Wan Ru clenched her fist. Though furious, she had no justifiable reason to be angry. Wan Ru smiled and said, "I merely wished to visit Fellow Daoist's Junior Sister for a moment; I had no ill intentions."
"What is your game?"
Senior Brother Lun Peng ignored Wan Ru's previous statement. Wan Ru was enraged, but facing his sharp gaze, he could not help but retreat.
"I spoke of no game, and I must also take my leave. Farewell."
No sooner had Wan Ru departed than Hao Qian and Master stepped out, carrying their belongings.
Master and his two disciples returned together. On their way, they stopped at a tea house. Hao Qian had fallen asleep, exhausted from carrying her belongings. Master sat chatting with the shop owner. Only she and Senior Brother Lun Peng sat eating pastries and drinking tea.
This peaceful scene reminded her of someone: Bai Xiao.
Feeling a lingering attachment and wishing to resolve the emotions in her heart, she casually asked Senior Brother Lun Peng, "Senior Brother, do you have someone you cherish yet?"
"Why does Junior Sister ask? Or perhaps..."
She shook her head and said, "Junior Sister read a few books that mentioned one must experience a love tribulation to become a deity, so I was merely curious."
"Ah, if that is the case, then I am merely waiting for someone."
"Waiting?"
"Yes, that is right. Love and hatred in the mortal world are complex. Some love too rationally and lose the one they love."
"What if someone both loves and hates?"
"That? That is called obsession."
"Obsession?"
"There are many kinds of obsession. Speaking of both loving and hating, if that person wishes to let go of their obsession, then they should no longer hate that person."
"Junior Sister thinks it's not that easy."
"Indeed. To forgive that person is also to forgive oneself. Often, they regret having fallen in love with that person, regret having met them."
"But if one thinks of it more positively, isn't it a valuable lesson? They came to help one realize more things. One should rather thank them, secretly thank oneself for overcoming those terrible things."
After hearing all that explanation, she suddenly realized something: she should no longer hate Bai Xiao. Didn't hating him only cause her more pain?
Wan Ru bowed her head, her expression becoming listless. Senior Brother Lun Peng, seeing her lost in thought, did not disturb her in her private space.
All this time, she had wondered about one thing. Bai Xiao surely could not have rebelled alone; it was highly likely he had allies from the imperial palace. She still couldn't figure out who it was.
Wan Ru had instructed Qing Yan to send letters monthly regarding the situation in the palace and Bai Xiao's actions, but there had been no further progress.
The wind rose, rustling the apple tree near the tea house. A dry leaf fell, landing on her hair.
Senior Brother Lun Peng approached, gently removed the leaf, placed it in her hand, and smiled at her.
Hao Qian, half-asleep beside her, reached out and hugged her arm as he slept.
Master came out of the shop, holding a plate of rock candy, and said, "My disciples, do you want some rock candy?"
Seasons rotated, but her heart was now difficult to change. She had gained another steadfast support.
The light of dawn illuminated all corners. A young maiden sat on a stone bench, reading a book.
Hao Qian laboriously carried a stack of books to the girl and said, "Wan Ru, these are the books you need to study."
Wan Ru was now sixteen years old.
"Just leave them there, I'll read them in a bit."
Hao Qian sat beside her, picked up a book, and read, "This book is about the Demonic God; it's very good and popular among us."
"Demonic God? Junior Sister has heard of it but hasn't intended to learn about it."
"It's truly excellent. Do you want me to summarize it for you?"
She nodded. Hao Qian happily flipped through a few pages and said, "The ancient Demonic God was cruel and tyrannical. He harbored ambitions of unifying the Six Realms under his rule. But his plans crumbled with the appearance of the War God from the Immortal Realm. The Demonic God had to retreat to Zhen Wang Chuan."
"Oh. Sounds interesting, I'll read it later."
"Not yet, not yet. The Demonic God was born from suffering, sorrow, pain, and hatred, so he has no emotions."
"Then he is not human. Humans all have threads of affection; even animals or plants can have them. The Demonic God would not have threads of affection."
"Junior Sister is right. He may sound pitiable, but he has caused immense suffering to the common people."
"But having no threads of affection means having no emotions. We can just create threads of affection for him."
"Junior Sister is too naive. Approaching him is already as difficult as ascending to heaven, let alone helping him gain threads of affection. I wouldn't even dare to dream of it."
She fell silent, took a bite of rock candy, and pondered: No emotions, the Demonic God has no emotions. A memory that seemed to have been buried now resurfaced.
"I have no feelings for you, nor for anyone else." (This line appeared in chapter 5)
Thinking this, she immediately asked her elder brother, "So, Senior Brother, do you think humans can also be without emotions?"
"That? I think everyone born is bound to have threads of affection; even demons and monsters have them. Unless they are stolen."
"And you know, it's not easy to take someone else's threads of affection, except for some deities and demons. But what would deities and demons take them for? So, that's impossible."
"Then it's highly possible that person is a Demonic God."
"That's also very unlikely. In short, it's utterly illogical."
She had a premonition that Bai Xiao's words back then were true. Something urged her to investigate this detail thoroughly.
"So, is there a technique to detect if someone has no threads of affection?"
Hao Qian thought for a moment and then said, "Ah, the Emotion Orb."
She tilted her head, her curious demeanor making Hao Qian unable to resist a smile as he slowly explained.
"You know, we humans have joy, anger, love, hate, sorrow, pleasure, and desire. Correspondingly, there are seven Emotion Orbs carrying those energies."
"When someone uses an Emotion Orb on another person, corresponding to that emotion, they will immediately express that emotion."
"As for those without threads of affection, the Emotion Orb will help build emotions, much like forming those emotions, and the difference is that they will not express emotions when they swallow the orb."
"The second characteristic is that for someone without threads of affection, when they swallow the orb, the Emotion Orb will glow for a moment and then extinguish. For someone with threads of affection, this characteristic will not appear."
Her round eyes wide, head nodding, ears slightly perked. She was trying to remember everything her elder brother said. She wondered, "Where did you read all this?"
Hao Qian didn't hesitate, pulling out an old, worn book from the stack and handing it to her, saying, "I read it in here. If Junior Sister wants to learn more, read this book."
She took the book, excitedly intending to open it, when Hao Qian said, "By the way, Wan Ru, your sixteenth birthday is approaching."
Hao Qian looked around, then leaned closer, whispering into her ear, "I heard Master will have a test for you before you and I return to the palace."
Hearing the bad news, she was startled, dropping the book in her hand, and looked at her elder brother with fearful, surprised eyes.
Hao Qian smiled, patted her shoulder, and said, "Good luck."
Hao Qian finished speaking and ran off, leaving her unsure what to do next.