Chapter 247: Too Many Secrets
“In life, how many things can truly interest you?” The shabby and sleazy old man said, eating the not-so-tasty chicken leg in his hand.
“You’re doing this on purpose?” Feng Bulang asked, puzzled. Even the dullest person should master something after hundreds or thousands of repetitions, let alone something as simple as barbecuing. Even a child could get it mostly right after a few tries. But this old man’s food was always terrible. So, there was only one possibility left – he was doing it intentionally.
The Night Watcher explained, “That’s right, I am doing it on purpose. When you’re a child, everything in this world is so interesting. Even a piece of paper, an insect, or a marble can bring you joy. Gradually, as people grow up, childhood dreams seem to lose their appeal. People always lose more than they gain. Especially for an old monster like me who has lived countless years, what haven’t I seen, heard, or experienced? All pleasures are leaving me. Even the finest wine becomes boring after drinking it for a thousand years.”
“So, it’s not that I can’t barbecue well, but I deliberately make it taste bad. Only by knowing what tastes bad can you know what tastes good and never get tired of eating. I don’t want to lose the pleasure of eating in the end.”
“I see. I can understand that. But why are you telling me all this?” Feng Bulang was even more confused.
“You! Your comprehension is too poor.” The old man casually tossed away the finished bone and wiped his greasy mouth. Then he slowly said, “The fact that you can still feel the gap, still feel pain, is actually a good thing. After all, you can still improve. As long as you focus on walking your own path, one day you’ll find yourself ahead of others. Do you know what true despair is?”
“What?”
“True despair is when there’s no path ahead, and when you look at others, they too have nowhere to go.” The old man’s eyes were full of sorrow. “No path left, or perhaps the wrong path was taken from the start. But by the time you realize it, you can’t turn back. That’s true despair.”
“Are you saying your strength can’t improve anymore?” Feng Bulang didn’t know how strong the old man before him was, but he knew that even Thunder Lord or the even stronger Alchemy Daoist couldn’t match the old man’s ability to casually toss him to the academy.