Chapter 156: The Decision

The heavenly tribulation was finally a success, marking a complete conclusion.

Everything seemed as if it had happened only yesterday, but looking at the several empty rooms adjacent to his in the hotel, Gu Zhiheng told himself with certainty that they were truly gone.

After packing his things and casting one last look around, he left by car with Fang He.

Some memories can only be kept in the heart, brought out by oneself in solitary moments to sigh over, yet most of the time, one lacks the courage to face them.

This was precisely Gu Zhiheng's current state. He did not dare to face all of this; he still could not accept their departure.

"Dad, Mom, I'm sorry. I cannot accept this for the time being." Gu Zhiheng looked at his parents with an apologetic expression.

He did not want to listen to their arrangements. He wanted to distance himself from the hustle and bustle of the city to find peace and quiet on his own. He was afraid that seeing the bustling traffic would remind him of them; he was afraid that looking in any direction would remind him of the times they used to drink together. He did not dare to stay here, terrified that everything he saw would bear their shadows.

Looking at the utterly dejected Gu Zhiheng, the elder sighed and said, "A-Heng, those who are lost cannot return, but you cannot simply remain standing still in the same place forever. You must find a way to carry their aspirations and live on."

Indeed, he should live on well carrying their aspirations, but right now, he only wanted to find quietness and then figure out how to face reality.

"I know. I just want to calm down first and then plan for the future. I won't stay like this forever." With his head lowered, no one knew what he was truly thinking.

Those were friends with whom he had shared life-and-death bonds, family members who were like true brothers and sisters. For them to vanish just like that—he truly could not face the reality of their departure.

Although everyone was trying to persuade him, and he was trying to persuade himself, he simply could not cross that psychological barrier!

For a moment, the atmosphere in the living room turned somewhat delicate, and the entire family fell silent.

Fang He sat to the side, teasing He Yu, and did not interrupt Gu Zhiheng's matters. This issue ultimately had to be resolved by himself.

Once he sorted things out in his heart, everything would be fine.

If he could never cross that hurdle, he would remain entangled in this matter forever, no matter how much anyone tried to persuade him.

He should just learn from him: ignore Gu Zhiheng and leave him alone for a few days to let him cool off.

If that still didn't work, he would take him out for a drink and let him pour his heart out—truly, this was no big deal.

Think about who he was; he was nothing like an ordinary person. That was Lord Chiling, after all!

However, looking at the anxious expressions of the Gu family members, Fang He also felt that it wouldn't be good to do nothing. "Well then, I'll take him out for a bit. I'll go have a talk with him. You all can busy yourselves with your own matters and don't worry about this."

Forget it, he might as well take him out for a stroll and enlighten this blockhead!

Waving goodbye to the Gu family, Fang He grabbed Gu Zhiheng by the arm, and the two walked toward the direction of the Gu family's ancestral hall.

There were very few people there, making it relatively quiet. The rest of the ghosts were probably busy preparing for reincarnation and had no time to bother with the two of them.

It was just that their timing today wasn't great—the Gu family's ancestral hall was currently embroiled in a dispute!

To the two of them, it wasn't a major issue, but to the group of ghosts in the ancestral hall, it was a matter of utmost importance, as it concerned whether they could successfully reincarnate.

"I've already said, the only way this can work is for him to die. Why are you stopping me? So what if he used to be an ancestor!" The speaker was Gu Zhiheng's grandfather, standing opposite a pale-faced Gu Mojing.

Gu Mojing had never imagined that he would not die at the hands of anyone else, but rather at the hands of his own descendants, and that he would ultimately choose to commit suicide.

Judging by the current situation, it seemed he really only had one path left to walk, and that was to end his own life.

Everything that had happened to the Gu family was caused by him, so it was only natural for him to bear the consequences, and paying with his life was as it should be.

"I know. All of this was the evil I sowed. I am willing to do as you say, and I hope your journey to reincarnation goes smoothly." Suddenly lowering his head and sighing, he found the absurdity and powerlessness of his own actions and the outcome of his lifetime deeply ironic.

Not far away, Fang He looked at the situation inside the ancestral hall and turned to ask Gu Zhiheng, "What do you think? Did you know the outcome of this all along, which is why you let him go in the first place?"

Gu Mojing's end was predestined, and this matter was definitely plotted by this scoundrel Gu Zhiheng from the beginning. He was not such a kind person; he would never let someone off easily.

"Not entirely. His fate was set, and it doesn't have much to do with me." Gu Zhiheng shook his head; this matter was not something he had intentionally orchestrated.

Whoever he died at the hands of made no difference; the ultimate result would be the shattering of the seal and the lifting of all punishments.

This was the true reason he let him leave. Even if he was using someone else's knife to kill, no one else could say a word against it.

However, he bore another identity as well—he was a member of the Gu family, so it was entirely justifiable for Gu Mojing to die by his hand. Whatever Gu Mojing owed the Gu family, he had to repay in full.

"The decision-making power here isn't in my hands anyway. Look at them, at each other's throats and turned into mortal enemies!" His voice was low and hoarse, resembling the rustling sound of wind blowing through leaves.

Fang He was speechless enough to vomit blood. This shameless scoundrel was too good at putting up an act. Having been symbiotic with him for so long, he truly couldn't tell which one was the real him anymore.

He could change his face, change his voice, and directly abandon all shame.

"Gu Mojing, what you owe the Gu family isn't something we are forcing upon you; it is what you were meant to do all along!"

"What you say is true. The decline of the Gu family ever since your time was entirely caused by you. What is wrong with using your life as compensation?"

"Born of the Gu family, loyal to the Gu family. You were the first to show no benevolence, so don't blame us for showing no righteousness."

"Wrong is wrong, right is right. You should resign yourself to fate!"

"Such is your fate. You knew it clearly from the very beginning, so why make those futile struggles that ended up harming so many people in the end!"

"..."

The crowd chattered and condemned him incessantly. Gu Mojing no longer retorted; he truly should resign himself to fate.

Yet looking at this ending of his own, a sense of desolation was inevitable. A self-mocking smile appeared at the corners of his lips, only to fade away.

"Very well, I accept my fate. I will bear all this responsibility."

"It was my Gu Mojing's burning ambition, my own overestimation of my abilities, that dragged the Gu family down."

"After my death, once the seal is lifted, everything in the Gu family will return to normal. I only hope the Gu family can yet see another era of prosperity."

As his words fell, five spiritual talismans given by Gu Zhiheng simultaneously affixed themselves to the center of his brow.

To die—was this not also a form of release?

His final struggle was merely to see if he still retained the right to decide his own life. Now that he had seen the answer, it was time for him to leave.

The power of the five spiritual talismans was immense, taking effect the moment they touched Gu Mojing, causing him to perish instantly.

With a hint of a smile at the corners of his lips, he was finally released, finally free.

The talisman papers vanished, Gu Mojing's soul scattered into nothingness, and the punishments and imprisonment binding the Gu family dissolved completely.

The ghosts in the ancestral hall could now smoothly proceed to reincarnation!