chapter 5438: raising a frog or a dragon?
âi suppose youâre right, iâm no passerby if the world is empty.â li qiye smiled.
âthatâs why in order for you to play your favorite role, the world needs to be rather vibrant with life.â the old man said.
âyou speak as if youâre still alive.â li qiye gave him the side eye.
âiâm infected by the mortal coil now.â the old man smiled.
li qiye smiled and could see that even this apex being couldnât handle eternal loneliness.
âletâs talk about something else. my legacy doesnât mean much to you but it is still somewhat interesting.â the old man said.
âi see, then iâll introduce you to someone.â li qiye said before telling true bear to come in: âwhat do you think of this seedling for your legacy?â
âso average, not worthy of my legacy.â the old man said.
li qiye nodded and said: âwho in this world is worthy of your legacy and can shoulder it? nonetheless, if you wish to do so, he has followed me for some time and i have laid a foundation for him. his nature is back to its origin so he will have a heart of a child in the future, a blank slate filled with curiosity.â
the old man stared at the bear who lay down on the ground, looking rather obedient.
âthings donât always go as planned. he had passed down his legacy as well to someone deemed supreme.â li qiye said: âdo you want your legacy to pass down or do you want to keep on waiting?â
âkeep on waiting.â the old man said.
âeven if you keep on waiting for the perfect inheritor, they will not be able to surpass you. even if i were to inherit it, i canât surpass you in this dao either. the transcendence has to be internal, not through external grooming.â li qiye said.
the old man didnât respond but knew li qiye was right.
âthen whatâs the point of waiting?â li qiye said: âif it is a matter of passing down your legacy, he is rather suitable. polished where necessary, consolidated where needed, a bestial nature returned to its origin will blossom into a heart of purity. i believe you will have a hard time finding a better candidate, not to mention needing to personally nurture and build a foundation yourself.â
âyou make it sound like iâm taking advantage of you.â the old man grumbled.
âitâs just how kind i am, always considerate and thinking about what i can do for others. thatâs why iâm doing my best to assist you with your idea.â li qiye said.
âbeneath the nice words loom all your nefarious intentions.â the old man sneered.
âto mistake kindness for treachery.â li qiye said: âwell, iâm generous enough to not take this excellent seedling for myself, thatâs the reality of it.â
âyou want him to go up.â the old man said.
âthink what you may, i canât convince you otherwise.â li qiye shrugged in response.
âthatâs right, youâre not fooling anyone with your plan.â the old man sneered.
âyouâre not raising a frog in the well but a true dragon. would the dragon always want to be cooped up in a small well? no, it wants to soar up to the heavens.â li qiye said.
âi canât argue with that.â the old man said.
âwho are you but an apex existence in your prime? your legacy canât just stay in this small well.â li qiye went on.
âno need to flatter me.â the old man said coldly.
ânot flattering at all since youâre already dead, unlike the other geezers. you died thoroughly and even took care of your corpse, not causing any trouble. this is not to say that you didnât cause enough trouble during death, but in my opinion, you are deserving of leaving your legacy behind.â li qiye said.
âbah, speaking as if youâre the boss already.â the old man said: âdark crow, iâm not falling for this.â
âiâm speaking the truth but this is also a reminder to you, i donât always play nice if people start causing trouble.â li qiye responded.
âyou never played nice.â the old man sneered.
âletâs go back to the topic of you being thoroughly dead. thereâs no chance anymore, right? so did you leave anything up there? a man of your grand stature certainly must have. otherwise, it would be a little embarrassing since even the juniors left their mark. how impudent of them in that case.â li qiye said.
âhmph.â the old man snorted but this was indeed a chord struck in his heart: âi am satisfied with how i spent my life.â
âthe problem is that youâre a hungry ghost now.â li qiye smiled.
âand itâs all your fault.â the old man scowled.
âyou canât starve in death after starving for the majority of your life, that would be awfully tragic. you canât lose face like this.â li qiye continued.
âhmph, the others are just clowns. after the next sweep, theyâll all be ashes.â the old man became irate.
âand that is where you will win, standing above them and grasping eternal glory for you are still here. be happy with this and give someone else a chance to climb up in your stead.â li qiye said.
âsince when are you so noisy, sticking your nose in someone elseâs business?â the old man asked.
âsigh, i owe you so i must work hard.â li qiye smiled.
âyou just want some cannon fodders to pave the way.â the old man said.
âthe truth is that even if you donât do anything, it doesnât affect me at all. iâm only worrying about your legacy.â li qiye shrugged.
the man fell into silence.
li qiye gently patted the bearâs head and said: âthis seed is really not bad at all.â
âit can barely inherit ten to twenty percent of my legacy.â the old man said bluntly.
âright, but who can inherit all of your legacy?â li qiye nodded.
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the old man agreed - this was indeed an impossibility.
âif it were so easy, he wouldnât have waited until now. he didnât find a single one throughout the epochs.â li qiye said.
âand you?â the old man asked.
âi havenât found one either. itâs already a blessing to find good seeds.â li qiye answered.
the old man stared at the bear again. he truly didnât think that the bear was worthy of his legacy.
in reality, li zhitian, li xianâer, and any other geniuses were no different in his eyes. it was a matter of picking one ant or a different one. they were all ants in the end.
however, the bear had been polished by li qiye - this was its unique part.
âso, what do you think? just ten to twenty percent should be enough for him to establish a foothold for your legacy there.â li qiye asked again.