Choice

Kong Rong slowly finished telling his story.

“Even when a banyan tree is on the verge of death, it can still linger on for decades. I wanted to see how their stories ended, but I never expected both of them to encounter devastating hardships as they grew up. First came Xia Chong’s mental illness, and now Shi Buyi is suffering from the aftereffects of petrification.”

He repeated his request once more. “Shopkeeper, I hope you can help. Please don’t let Shi Buyi be completely petrified.”

Chen Miemie looked at Kong Rong with his Eyes of the Eternal Moon.

“In my opinion, there’s no need to wait until Xia Chong and Shi Buyi’s lives come to an end. You’ve already made your choice.”

Kong Rong met his gaze without flinching. “Yes. I choose Shi Buyi. I want to preserve part of the ‘tree.’”

Chen Miemie nodded.

These were not two equally weighted options. This was not merely a choice between intelligence and perseverance—it was also a choice between life and death.

Anyone would feel that there was no need to hesitate.

When Kong Rong had used the excuse of “observing the lives of two representative figures” to delay making his decision, he had already chosen the option that ordinary people would consider “irrational.”

“Mr. Kong, your choice is quite unusual. May I ask why?”

Kong Rong smiled faintly.

“We’ve come this far, so there are naturally no more secrets.

“Xia Chong and Shi Buyi often studied together beneath my shade. Clever Xia Chong had terrible grades, while clumsy Shi Buyi performed very well. Shi Buyi would tutor Xia Chong, sometimes for an entire afternoon.”

Chen Miemie added, “As far as I know, Xia Chong’s poor grades and fondness for playing around were an act. In reality, he was using that behavior to tutor Shi Buyi in a roundabout way.”

“You know quite a lot, Shopkeeper. That’s right, but what I want to say isn’t that diligence is more important than intelligence.

“Even I, standing above them in the tree, could see through that child Xia Chong’s acting, let alone Shi Buyi, who gradually discovered the truth himself.

“Being intelligent doesn’t mean one can’t also be diligent. The two qualities aren’t contradictory. Xia Chong was not only clever but also possessed such deep friendship. During their school days, I actually favored him.

“What truly changed my opinion of Shi Buyi happened after graduation.

“He failed to become a mystic and instead became a bus driver.

“In that position, he once again displayed that stubborn determination. To familiarize himself with the vehicle routes, he spent entire nights walking along them, committing the road conditions at every turn to memory. He wanted to do the best job possible.

“He made a rule for himself: he would never waste the time of the passengers already on the bus just to wait for someone who was running late. So whenever he drove, he never waited for anyone.

“But because of Xia Chong, he made an exception once. As a result, someone reported him before the selection of outstanding employees, and he was dismissed.”

Chen Miemie knew all of this, but he did not consider any of it particularly praiseworthy.

After taking a sip of tea, Kong Rong continued.

“No one knew that the letter of denunciation had been written by Shi Buyi himself.

“He reported himself. He described, in the third person and in meticulous detail, how he had stopped the bus to wait for a sick friend.

“To him, the principle of not wasting the passengers’ time applied to everyone, including himself. No one was allowed to violate it. If someone did, they had to accept the punishment according to procedure.

“Actually, he had merely stopped the bus for a while to wait for someone. Even if others had seized upon the incident and made an issue of it, at most he would have received a reprimand and a warning. There was no need for him to be dismissed. It was Shi Buyi himself who demanded the strictest and heaviest punishment.

“I had never before seen someone who could accept punishment with a smile, who could face it head-on. Shopkeeper, do you think his adherence to principle is rigid and foolish, or is it something admirable?”

Chen Miemie’s position was equally clear. “I wouldn’t act as he did, but neither would I mock someone capable of living up to his standards.”

“Heh. Perhaps my retelling lacks the impact of seeing it with your own eyes, but at the time, I was deeply shaken. I felt that the meaning of perseverance had already surpassed considerations of personal gain or loss.”

That assessment was highly subjective, so Chen Miemie offered no comment. He wanted to know what happened next.

“What happened after he left his job? Why did he go outside the city?”

“In truth, his leaving the city had nothing to do with his resignation. Even if he hadn’t lost his job, he would have gone out one day to challenge himself. He refused to admit defeat, so naturally he would continue striving to become a mystic. It was simply that losing his job gave him a great deal of free time and caused him to set out sooner.”

“One last question. Whether it’s the clever Xia Chong or the steadfast Shi Buyi, both of them have their own lives. Now that you’ve made your choice, why are you still trying to ward off disaster for them?”

“Once I made my choice, I stopped concerning myself with Xia Chong. But as for Shi Buyi—since I gained something valuable from him, and since I don’t have much time left anyway, I’m willing to protect this clumsy yet determined young man for a while.”

“In other words, from now on, you’ll stand behind him and provide him with assistance?”

“That makes it sound a little strange. I won’t keep an eye on him all the time, and he doesn’t need someone looking after him every moment. I’ll only intervene once or twice when he’s facing a desperate situation.”

“Then tell me about the petrification afflicting Shi Buyi. What exactly is going on?”

“All right. Shi Buyi’s [Mystery] is [Communicate with Stones]. He can converse with stones, but the ability has a negative effect: the more he communicates with stones, the more he himself will gradually be assimilated into one.”

“Wait. You mean his petrification is caused by the negative effect of his own [Mystery], not by injuries inflicted by an anomaly after he left the city?”

“More precisely, both factors are involved. The negative effect of his [Mystery] alone wouldn’t injure a low-level mystic. The anomaly Shi Buyi encountered in the wilderness used an ability on him—one that amplifies the negative effects already present in a person.”

“That sounds irreversible. The petrification he has already suffered can’t be undone.”

“Yes, I know that. I’m not asking you to reverse what can’t be reversed. I only hope you can prevent him from eventually turning completely to stone.”

“That is inevitable. Even without being affected by the anomaly’s ability, the negative effect of his [Mystery] would eventually petrify him completely—unless he could endure an entire lifetime without using his [Mystery].”

“What do you mean, Shopkeeper?”

“We can’t stop him from using his Mystery of his own accord. Therefore, there’s only one thing we can do: drive away the anomaly. Once its ability to amplify negative effects is neutralized, the time before he becomes completely petrified will at least be prolonged.”

Kong Rong fell silent for a moment.

“That is indeed the only thing we can do for now. As it happens, I’m no match for that anomaly, so I’ll have to trouble you, Shopkeeper.”

“As long as you can provide the anomaly’s location, everything else will be easy.”

“No problem. I know where it is. Also, Shopkeeper, what price will you charge for completing this commission?”

This time, Chen Miemie did not let Daidai handle the matter.

For one thing, Kong Rong’s [Mystery] was too powerful, making it difficult to collect a price from him.

For another, Kong Rong was going to disappear along with the great banyan tree. There was nothing particularly valuable on him worth cherishing.

“What do you have?” Chen Miemie simply let Kong Rong name his own price.

Kong Rong fell into thought.

“After a giant banyan tree dies, a [Banyan Heart] will be born deep within its roots. It’s something like a seed, and you can try planting it in certain special places.”

“What do you mean by ‘special places’?”

“I don’t know either. All I know is that [Banyan Hearts] are extremely difficult to keep alive. But once you find a special place where one can sprout, it can grow into all kinds of strange, towering banyan trees.”

Chen Miemie looked completely uninterested.

As if. Something that could barely survive in the first place—what use would it be?

Kong Rong knew this wasn’t a particularly valuable item either. Unfortunately, he had nothing else to offer.

“Still, this [Banyan Heart] is, in a sense, a continuation of my life. In its ultimate form, it can grow into a [Cloud-Linking Banyan Tree]. What a pity.”

Chen Miemie’s ears suddenly perked up. “[Cloud-Linking Banyan Tree]? You mean the kind that grows in the clouds, like the one in the Encyclopedia of Strange Things? Your seed can turn into one of those?”

“That’s right. But it probably needs an especially unusual place among the clouds. I imagine that won’t be easy.”

Chen Miemie changed her tune in an instant. “Mr. Kong, forget about the price. The main thing is that I’m willing to help you. A [Banyan Heart] it is, then. Let’s just say I’m taking a small loss on this commission.”

Kong Rong blinked. “Oh. All right.”

After leaving behind the strange location, Kong Rong rose and left.

“Mr. Kong, what are you planning to do with the time you have left?”

Kong Rong pushed open the shop door, then glanced back with a faint smile.

“Thank you, shopkeeper, for helping me sort out my thoughts tonight.

“I gave up the ‘book’ and kept the ‘tree,’ but that doesn’t mean I’ve lost my longing for books.

“For the time I have left, perhaps I’ll go chase after books and become a [Book Chaser].”