Chapter 21: Hu Liena: I firmly stand with Spirit Hall!
Hu Bai: What if that person was me?
Watching Hu Liena fall into thought, Hu Bai added, "Oh, and one more crucial point: the person you like doesn't like you back; he already has someone he likes, and you're the third party."
Hu Liena looked at Hu Bai in disbelief. "Brother, what's wrong with you this morning? Why are you asking such strange questions? How could I, Hu Liena, possibly fall for someone like that?"
"You don't need to worry about that. Just answer my question," Hu Bai said calmly.
Hu Liena replied, "Since that person doesn't like me and I'm a third party, does it even need to be said? I would stand firmly on Spirit Hall's side!"
Seeing Hu Liena's resolute gaze, Hu Bai was still not very satisfied with her answer. "Na Na, you haven't met this person yet, which is why you say this. I know your personality too well; you're a complete face-con. Right now, it's just your rationality taking over."
"Impossible, Brother, you have to believe me! To me, Spirit Hall is my second home. How could I possibly betray Spirit Hall in the end?"
Hu Bai sighed inwardly. In the original work, Hu Liena indeed did not betray Spirit Hall, but she warned Tang San not to go to the Star Dou Great Forest for his safety because, at that time, Bibi Dong was hunting Da Ming and Er Ming.
If it weren't for Hu Liena's warning, Da Ming and Er Ming would have become Bibi Dong's soul rings, not Tang San's.
According to the original work, Hu Liena's parents died when she was young, and she was taken in by Bibi Dong as a disciple, raised as a daughter. It could be said that Bibi Dong was Hu Liena's second mother, her closest family.
But what did Hu Liena do?
Throughout the original work, Hu Liena only had this one black mark, but this black mark was enough to ruin her! (As I recall, it seems to be the only one?)
If Bibi Dong had treated her poorly, Hu Liena's reputation might not have been so bad; she could have used Spirit Hall and Bibi Dong's mistreatment as an excuse to somewhat comfort herself.
But the key is, Bibi Dong was indeed very good to Hu Liena!
The most convincing evidence is that, five years after the Soul Master Tournament, when she failed to hunt Xiao Wu, Bibi Dong merely slapped Hu Liena once and then dismissed her.
However, towards Yue Guan and Gui Mei, who were also on the mission, she truly harbored killing intent. If it weren't for the unique nature of their Martial Soul Fusion skill and her genuine lack of manpower, she would not have let them off so lightly.
This point isn't particularly dark for Hu Liena, as she was kept in the dark at the time and didn't know Tang Yin was Tang San, so it's excusable.
Moreover, it confirms her previous answer; in the original work, Hu Liena knew Tang Yin was someone from the Clear Sky Sect who had been living outside, and she did try to persuade him to join Spirit Hall. But how could Tang San agree?
Therefore, Hu Bai was very dissatisfied with Hu Liena's answer.
There's still plenty of time now, so he must correct this guy's mindset and make her as rational as possible.
He doesn't oppose being a love-brain, but don't be a love-brain for the wrong person!
Hu Liena also saw that Hu Bai was not very satisfied with her answer, and she asked somewhat nervously, "Brother, was what I said wrong?"
Hu Bai shook his head. "No, what you said is right, but that's because you don't have a reference. How about this: imagine that person looks like me. We have no blood relation, and I am the person you like. Now, say your answer again, and I'll give you two and a half minutes to immerse yourself."
Outside the door, Xie Tian and the other two were stealthily hiding in the corner, pricking up their ears to eavesdrop.
Although they didn't know Hu Bai's intention, they were quite interested in this topic. Time for some gossip.
But as soon as they heard Hu Bai asking Hu Liena to imagine him as that person, strange looks appeared in their eyes.
The three of them knew that Hu Liena loved her brother the most. Now, with the premise of no blood relation, this... wouldn't this make Hu Liena very conflicted?
As expected, Hu Liena's face turned pale, and she remained silent, unable to make a choice.
Hu Bai smiled. "What? Why aren't you speaking now? Can't you do it? Were all those words you just said empty talk?"
Hu Liena shook her head and hurriedly explained, "But Brother, you wouldn't do something like that!"
Hu Bai said, "I told you to use my appearance to imagine the person you like. If we had no blood relation and those things I mentioned happened, what would you do?"
"I… I…" Hu Liena stammered, somewhat speechless. Now it was truly a dilemma; how should she choose?
Although Hu Bai asked her to immerse herself, Hu Liena still couldn't do it. As soon as she thought of it being her brother's face, she couldn't give the answer she had just given.
Moreover, perhaps because it hadn't happened, Hu Liena's sense of immersion wasn't strong. She always believed that Hu Bai wouldn't do such a thing.
Hu Bai also understood. Thinking that the time was almost right, he said very seriously, "Na Na, I'm not forcing you, but do you want to know the standard answer in my heart?"
Hu Liena nodded and said, "Yes."
Hu Bai smiled. "Na Na, like you, I'm also a face-con, but I'm better at controlling my emotions than you and can view things more rationally."
"If the roles were reversed and I encountered a situation like yours, where Spirit Hall and my teacher had shown me immense kindness, then my primary rule would be: absolutely no betrayal. Even if that person was someone I liked, let alone the fact that I said it was just unrequited love, the other person didn't like me at all, and might even exploit your feelings."
"If it's like that, and you still like that person, wouldn't you be foolish?"
"I… I… But if that person were you, Brother, I… I really can't imagine what I would do…" Hu Liena was very anxious now, almost crying.
The two twins, telepathically connected, Hu Bai felt very bad seeing Hu Liena like this.
But there was no other way; education still had to happen.
"Brother, if it were like that, then what should I do?" Hu Liena mustered the courage to ask, not wanting Hu Bai to be sad or disappointed.
Hu Bai said calmly, "Na Na, if you really can't do it, then you just need to remember one thing: do what you believe is right. Once you've done it, don't regret it. Otherwise, you'd rather not do it at all. Just stand aside and watch things happen, understand?"
Hu Liena nodded, seemingly understanding but not fully. "Then what if I truly like him? And he's the teacher's enemy, Spirit Hall's enemy. What should I do? Should I just watch him be killed by Spirit Hall?"
Hu Bai gave his answer: "If I were you, then it would depend on two situations. First, if your strength is greater than the person you like, and you cannot persuade him to join Spirit Hall, but you like him very much, then what to do? I tell you, love is selfish. Who cares if he has someone he likes? Just seize him directly. What if he prefers death over submission? Cripple his cultivation and tie him to your side."
"The second situation: if your cultivation is inferior to his, then there's nothing you can do. You cannot resent Spirit Hall and your teacher, who have shown you great kindness. What you can do is just find a corner and die with him, and to avoid embarrassing your teacher, you must die secretly! Understand?"
"In short, one sentence: what you do must be based on the premise that it is the right thing to do. You cannot let your personal affairs lead to other accidents for Spirit Hall or your teacher."
Outside the door, Xie Tian and Hu Leyao were dumbfounded, somewhat shocked that these were words a six-year-old could say. At this moment, they felt Hu Bai… was truly a bit sinister!
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End of Chapter