Chapter 792: The Earth Vein Shackles Are Merely Shackles of the Heart
Since the end of that meeting, the situation of the Hothorn Family has rapidly declined in just a few days.
It is as if a curse has gradually come to fruition.
Aipuli’s situation within the family is similarly difficult; her only support lies in her lineage.
The family is a vast concept, so large that it dilutes the bonds of bl**d ties, and her only reliance is her father; as for other relatives… there is no such thing as familial affection within the family, except for the relationship between direct descendants and their parents.
Yet even that last tenuous connection now seems on the verge of collapse.
Her father is questioning her, doubting whether she has been brainwashed by the Witch Academy, interrogating her on whether she has hidden the Frozen World.
Ultimately, she is subjected to repeated questioning about what happened at that time.
But the truth is… she has no idea what happened at all.
“Mom… I don’t understand… I don’t know what’s wrong with Dad… I really don’t know… I don’t know how the Frozen World disappeared…”
At this moment, Aipuli is crying mournfully, half-kneeling as she buries her head in her mother’s embrace, while her mother squats down to gently stroke her hair; she remembers that when she was little, her mother loved to comb her hair.
“Little Aipuli, don’t cry. It’s definitely Dad’s fault. I’ll go help you…” The woman reaches out to wipe Aipuli’s tears softly.
With the gentle phantom sounds at her ears, Aipuli half-kneels by the bed, her arms only holding the quilt, her falling tears dried by the fabric, and a corner of the quilt gently draped over her head, as tender as her mother’s caress.
As the soft sobs are gradually replaced by calm breathing, the two figures in the quiet corner of the bedroom remain silent.
“What a seriously unloved child.”
“Indeed, the world’s discipline toward girls is quite severe… Even at this stage, there’s still a lack of rebellious thoughts.” I glanced at Sister Bai and commented.
However… such things cannot be forced upon others; I am also beginning to learn not to compare myself with others.
I too am a person lacking in love; the emptiness within always needs something to fill it.
And the “rebellious thoughts” birthed from a lack of love are merely a protective mechanism of self-love. If one does not establish such a self-protection mechanism, a person in the original environment will eventually be devoured completely until the last shred of self is thoroughly exhausted.
Perhaps this reactive rebellious thought isn’t anything good, but it can maintain the last shred of self within a dysfunctional family.
I looked at Aipuli, who is now kneeling beside the bed; this is the first time I am sincerely and seriously observing the Earth Vein Shackles.
When I observed my own Earth Vein Shackles, I traced back to the source of the Earth Vein River using Spirit Vision at the level of the Floating World.
After recognizing the connection between the “Earth Vein River” and myself as an individual, I finally “saw” the form of the Earth Vein Shackles.
Before I accomplished this, I couldn’t even comprehend what the Earth Vein Shackles were.
But after observing the Earth Vein River, I understood; it is everything that constitutes a person in this world, governing matter and soul material, executing everything that keeps it in motion!
If living is to exist within a world, a product under the operation of rules, then separated from this world’s swaddle, one would be powerless to survive on their own.
Thus, being extraordinary is a transformation that allows one to reach a life’s level touching real time, mastering the operation of life and breaking free from the swaddle.
Therefore, an extraordinary life is qualified to declare itself as a life entity with independent consciousness.
When I cut the Earth Vein Shackles, Principal Mei also told me that one can only sense their personal Earth Vein Shackles through themselves. That is why when I honestly told the Principal that I saw the Earth Vein River, she was astonished.
When my Spirit Vision at the level of the Floating World became familiar with information about the Earth Vein River and the Earth Vein Shackles, I was able to transcend the boundaries of self and others, observing the traces of Earth Vein Shackles on others.
And now, I am observing Aipuli’s Earth Vein Shackles.
The more I observe, the more I seem to realize a truth.
The “Earth Vein Shackles” is ultimately just a term; it doesn’t seem to bind a person.
For example, everyone in this world can be seen as a moving puppet, and this activity broadly refers to actions of consciousness, cognition, behavior, communication, and other actions of life entities.
The Earth Vein Shackles are the threads that respond to the puppet, allowing it to function, giving it the concept of “life.”
The act of ascending to the extraordinary is to gradually free oneself from the external forces of these threads, allowing oneself to govern the strength that moves them.
Once one is extraordinary, they can be free from being influenced by the threads; this is a gradual process of transformation, but one cannot condemn the threads that once enabled their movements as evil.
This is the analogy for the truth of the world’s operation; the Earth Vein Shackles merely provide the ability for non-extraordinary lives to continue existing.
However, all of this is just an ideal state.
In reality, these threads intertwine, entangle, and bind every facet of the puppet after it performs various actions.
This is the true nature of the Earth Vein Shackles: one that ties the puppet so tightly that it cannot move, only able to repeatedly perform a limited number of predetermined actions; this is the essence of shackles.
Before ascending to the extraordinary, these threads must be meticulously untangled and unraveled, peeling away the entwined threads to return to one’s original self, and only then can they peacefully bid farewell to the threads.
The personifications of these threads are “affection,” “love,” “family,” “friends,” and even deeper are the inner “fears,” “desires,” “greed,” “inferiority,” etc.
As long as any concept that can push a person to do something can be seen as a thread, then how many threads can be found on a person?
Countless; any slight movement may lead to threads wrapping around them.
So… sometimes, the more pure and simple-minded a person is, the happier they live; this is not without reason.
But ultimately, the cause of all this is the world; this Main World is sick, and at least right now, no one can heal it…
As I observe Aipuli’s Earth Vein Shackles, I also retrieve her history with the Great Knowledge Tree, comparing it carefully until I can form shackles I can understand.
Currently, Aipuli is very fragile, like a puppet with threads breaking left and right.
If all her threads break and she has not ascended to the extraordinary, then… she will become a discarded puppet, which means she will choose to enter the cycle of soul material.
Upon these Earth Vein Shackles, I see many traces of Chris the Witch.
Aipuli has spent ten years at the Witch Academy; in her fourth year, she chose Chris as her mentor, and by the eighth year, she was able to research independently and break through to become extraordinary, choosing to become Chris’s teaching assistant.
Thus, Aipuli and Chris maintained this relationship for seven long years.
However, this pure relationship gradually lost its original pursuit around the fourth or fifth year, that is, by the end of Aipuli’s eighth grade.
At that time, Chris the Witch intentionally guided Aipuli to make a choice.
Should she follow the academy’s arrangement to conduct research on witch topics and ascend to become an extraordinary witch, or should she choose to be a teaching assistant by Chris’s side?
Ultimately, Aipuli, influenced by her family, insisted on choosing to become a teaching assistant; after all, once she held this identity, she would be among the top tier at the Witch Academy!
The position she gained could further prove her value within the family.
Thus, excluding the influence of the family, Aipuli’s ability is absolutely unquestionable.
I began to understand what Chris the Witch said to me at that time; if I were Chris the Witch back then, I too would feel troubled about Aipuli wanting to become my teaching assistant.
Yearning yet not wanting it.
Aipuli’s ability is certainly not in question; she would be very happy to become my teaching assistant, but thinking that her desire to become a teaching assistant was her family’s “instruction,” it also made her feel discomfort.
Thus, Chris chose to accept her as her teaching assistant, hoping to guide her with her own influence, and unreservedly spoke about the concept of Earth Vein Shackles, hoping to lead her to free herself from the shackles’ torment.
Because of this, Aipuli, as a girl tormented by her family, has in these few days had her inner fragility and doubts about her family… “awakened.”
Even when the competition ended and Aipuli was brought back by Chris the Witch, Chris did not immediately drive her away.
Instead, after Aipuli chose her family, she gave her one last opportunity.
Chris initially thought that after this experience, Aipuli could awaken, and indeed Aipuli did somewhat awaken, but ultimately… chose to give up her identity as a teaching assistant.
Because her inner inferiority and pain made her dare not face her former mentor… or one could say that she believed herself unworthy of being saved.
“Again… sigh…”
I originally wanted to say this is another communication issue; if Aipuli could understand that her mentor Chris has always been encouraging her, then how could Aipuli not discover that there are indeed people in this world who care for her?
But this is merely my observer’s perspective; I understand the principle of being lost in one’s situation.
“Xiao Han, what will you do next?”
“Let Aipuli break ties with the Hothorn Family.” I took out a crystal that resembled ice, flowing with unique patterns inside.
This is the fragment of extraordinary knowledge from the Frozen World.
I walked to Aipuli’s side and quietly placed the fragment into her right hand, a chill emanating from it made Aipuli shiver slightly.
But soon, she immersed herself in a worry-free dream, her lips gradually revealing a longing for beautiful illusions.
“Wishing you sweet dreams.”
This can be considered a sincere blessing to Aipuli from me.
After saying this, I returned to Sister Bai’s side.
“Are we leaving?”
“Hmm, let’s go. Disturbing a girl’s sleep isn’t good; let her enjoy the remaining beauty for a little longer.”
After speaking with Sister Bai, we disappeared from this place, but after leaving the bedroom, we did not venture far.
……
“All done! Mom has already given Dad a good talking to. Next time, if anything makes you unhappy, remember to tell Mom, okay?”
“I understand. Thank you, Mom…” Aipuli’s small hand clutched tightly to the large hand of the person beside her, as if she would never let go.
“Why are you squeezing Mom’s hand so hard? Little Aipuli has grown up; you wouldn’t want to skip school, would you?”
“School… hmm?” Aipuli repeated the two words.
“At the academy, you can learn many things; your mentor will also teach you many principles. Then, after you learn everything, you can grow up to become a useful witch!”
“Witch… oh… I will…”
Aipuli subconsciously ignored her mother’s mention of “witch,” as if she were simply hearing about “growing up to be a useful person.”
“We’re at the academy now. Mom can only take you this far, Little Aipuli. Didn’t you say you have an appointment with Mentor Chris? Hurry along now!”
“Mm… Goodbye, Mom. Be sure to pick me up after school… I don’t want to wait at the gate for too long…”
“I will definitely, Little Aipuli. You are my only important person; how could I forget you?”
“It’s a promise!” Aipuli reluctantly released her hold on her mother’s hand and turned to look at Mentor Chris waiting for her at the school gate.
“Mom will head home now, after all, I can’t be away from home for too long.”
Aipuli walked over to Mentor Chris, subconsciously looking back to see her mother walking along the road home, where neat villas stood, appearing from a distance like orderly gravestones.
Then Aipuli’s gaze was drawn to Mentor Chris’s voice.
Unobserved, her mother stands peacefully in front of an upright gravestone, watching Aipuli, fearful that she might turn back at this moment.
Dreams are absurd and illogical, yet they reflect the facts one is willing to see and those they are not willing to face.
“Little Aipuli, did you carry out the topic I assigned yesterday?”
“Yes!” Aipuli nodded happily.
“Really? Then tell me how you did it!”
“First, I accompanied Dad to his workplace; even though I didn’t like it much, I went along because Dad was in a bad mood, and I comforted him… um…”
“And then?”
“Then I can’t quite remember… something unpleasant must have happened, but Mom went to lecture Dad, and then Mom took me to fun places… where I ate lots of delicious food…”
“So, Little Aipuli, do you like this kind of ordinary life?”
“Of course!” Aipuli replied without hesitation, even though she didn’t know why she liked it, she answered instinctively.
Clearly, such a plain life seems unremarkable, even if she cannot summarize what she was doing, the mere thought of this kind of life gives Aipuli a sense of comfort, as if her weary heart received a bit of solace.
“Then, Little Aipuli, would you use everything you have to defend this life?”
“I would… I think…”
Aipuli seemed uncertain now, or rather her tone lacked firmness; she is still a school-going child and shouldn’t understand such heavy truths.
Defending her own life…
“Little Aipuli, follow me. Respond to this question in a firm tone: ‘I will!’”
“I will?”
“Louder~ I will!”
“I will!” Aipuli echoed, even though she didn’t understand why she had to say this.
