Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1482 - 131: Why Did Icarus Fall?

"[Daedalus was a genius craftsman. His son, Icarus, was also a genius, who fully utilized his genius wisdom and skills to create wings made of feathers and wax.]"

"[Before setting off, Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too high, lest the sun’s heat melt the wax; nor fly too low, lest the seawater dampen the feathers.]"

...

Su Liujin had long felt that the world was a script.

Everyone followed the script’s arrangement, doing the same thing day after day.

In the script, people are born, grow, marry, have children, and age.

They laugh when happy, cry when sad, shout when angry, and blush when shy. Humans are like programs, triggering a reaction to a sensor.

The timid become brave, the despicable become great, the selfish become selfless, the proud become decadent, the cunning become loyal, the rational lose control... Occasionally, someone steps out of the mold and does the opposite. This is the rare highlight in the script, the praise-worthy brilliant act.

When young, people are ambitious and full of reserve. In childhood, they always have some heaven-favored advantages. However, these imaginative children always gradually turn into cookie-cutter adults.

Su Liujin doesn’t like this script.

If growing up means turning into a scripted person, then let him stay a child forever.

"Liujin, you are a genius, and genius is different."

Yes, I am different.

"Liujin, your mind is an inexhaustible source of whimsical ideas, you can always come up with astonishing twists, it’s truly unbelievable, your pen seems to possess an entire gorgeous and romantic fairy tale world!"

Yes, I am a genius.

"Liujin, can you grow up quickly, I... I like you..."

No, a genius cannot grow up.

If grown, they will generate jealousy like stagnant water, filth like mud, isn’t that what adults are like? Once they stepped into society and became a part of the script’s gears, their minds are never as nimble as when they were children.

So, I must always be a child; in this way, I am a genius.

...

"[Icarus began his flight, excitedly gazing at everything in the sky, as if he had become a bird without wings. Even without natural wings, he soared into the sky...]"

...

The very beginning.

In Su Liujin’s blurred memory, at first, he was not a Lighthouse Jellyfish, but an "Observer" in the mortal world.

He observed this world, unable to intervene in any worldly affairs. Deep in his heart lay a deeply ingrained responsibility—to destroy this world before it turns rotten.

He didn’t know where this responsibility came from; he only knew it seemed like the purpose of his birth. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

But what is the standard of measurement?

Does petty theft count as rotting? Does endless war count as rotting? Or even more so, does everyone killing each other count as rotting?

He didn’t know under what circumstances to destroy this world, so he just kept observing.

Images, sounds, actions... words, language, behavior... literature, era, etiquette. Humans habitually use these to regulate the original wild and chaotic world. By acting contrary to nature, they prove their elevation into noble civilized beings, and through verbal arguments and the clash of swords, they reflect their difference from primitive creatures. By the iteration and spiraling of new things, they emphasize their indispensability.

But in Su Liujin’s eyes, humans are actually no different from a drop of rain or a wisp of wind on this land. At least, the rain and morning breeze do not bring so much pollution, making the World Tree lament all day long.

Su Liujin began to observe.

He lived in a straw hut, needing neither food nor water.

...

"[Icarus! Icarus! Stop, you are flying too high! The sun hanging above will destroy you!’ Daedalus shouted.]"

"[Yet, Icarus was already immersed in the joy of flying, forgetting that he wasn’t truly a bird. He desperately wanted to truly learn to fly, so that everyone could see him.]"

"[The sun’s heat melted the wax on the wings, and Icarus fell from the sky, plunging into the Aegean Sea, and perished.]"

...

One year, a rural villager passed by the straw hut and discovered the fasting Su Liujin.

He told the villagers about it, and more and more people learned that there was a boy who neither ate nor drank here. They regarded Su Liujin as an Angel, believing him to be all-powerful.

Mothers brought their terminally ill daughters and knelt in front of his straw hut, pleading to extend their daughters’ lives; infertile couples offered fruits, hoping for offspring; elderly people helping each other limped in worship, wishing for ten more years; criminals about to be executed wept bitterly, begging for one more chance.

Su Liujin could only observe and did not respond to anything.

The mundane earthly life was so vast, while Hell’s voices were so noisy. Everyone wore masks half white, half black. Those who miraculously fulfilled their wishes brought gifts, repeatedly thanking the "White-haired Angel" for his grace. Those who failed to achieve their desires cursed Su Liujin as heartless, claiming his existence must bring disaster.

Oh river, river, that river winding through the mortal world was so clearly presented before him through the Dharma forms of all living beings.

He did nothing, yet people spontaneously divided into the White Sect and Black Sect, generating a Sect Hierarch, elders, Guardians, Knight, Angel Attendants, and even Angel’s wives and children. They appointed various titles to themselves, as if to steal divine rights, making every sword in their mutual slaughter carry the chivalric justice.

"Lord Jin Angel, I am Motian, Sovereign of the Ast Kingdom, and also your progeny on earth. I promise to flatten the land of opponents and bring you glory!" A young man wearing a crown vowed.

"Angel, I’m Lin Qinghuan. I hope you’ll bless my newly-born sister Qingyu to grow up healthy and safe..." a woman prayed.

"My name is Toria, a loyal believer of the Angel. Now, the kingdom expands, and the warriors are undefeated, all thanks to the Angel!" An old man knelt and worshipped.

Su Liujin calmly observed.

The flames of war burned fiercer, gradually drawing several countries into it, with people under the banner of "Angel" attacking each other. In the end, the strife culminated in a true disaster, with a nuclear explosion in the struggle for power destroying everything.

Under the explosion, all was quiet.

"Swoosh."

Opening an umbrella with a white base and green porcelain design, Su Liujin walked among the ruins covered in yellow sand. The flames left by the nuclear explosion were still boiling, and his ears finally became clear.

Mothers, daughters, couples, elderly, criminals, no matter what they sought, they were all equal at this moment.

Underneath the ruins, a perforated hand reached out, followed by a broken voice: "Jin Angel... you’re not an angel, but a demon... you couldn’t protect us..."

Su Liujin tilted his head, his cheeks still as pure as an angel.

"I’ve never done anything; it is you who destroyed yourselves." His voice was calm and unwavering.

The shattered crown fell all over the ground, and the people heard no more answers.

Passing by the ruins, he saw a dying woman; it was Lin Qinghuan, who often offered him the freshest Isa Flowers, and now in her final moments, she offered him the baby in her swaddling clothes.

"Please... Angel... save her..." Lin Qinghuan pleaded.

Su Liujin looked at the infant in the swaddle for a long time, and instead of leaving her behind, he walked a long way to entrust her to a kind-hearted childless couple.

The baby’s first words were neither "hungry" nor "pee," but "Sister Huan," "Brother Liu."

This was the first Destruction witnessed by Su Liujin.

...

The changes began when Su Liujin heard a voice.

The previously unthinking World Tree suddenly started speaking in clear words, as if it had gained consciousness.

"Having observed for so long, what kind of human do you like?" the World Tree asked.

Su Liujin was silent for a long time. He knew that the World Tree wanted him to talk about human qualities, like intelligence, bravery, high emotional intelligence, or strong practical ability...

But after thinking for a while, he said:

"...I like gentle humans."

An unsatisfactory answer.

"Having observed for so long, do you think they should be destroyed?" the World Tree asked.

Su Liujin recalled the pleading look in Lin Qinghuan’s eyes; she faced the Angel, pleading not for her own life, but to save the sister she carried in swaddling clothes. He hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "I still need to observe."

"In a drama, the audience is the calmest yet cannot immerse themselves in the play. Those in the play are immersed but can no longer remain calm," the World Tree said, "Would you like to be an audience member or a character in the play?"

Su Liujin did not answer.

One day as he walked, he entered a Divine Mountain bustling with incense offerings.

Under the mottled corridor pillars of the ancient temple, rainwater dripped down from the golden beast head carvings like a curtain. The faded red silk at the corner of the eaves was lifted by the wind, revealing a half-withered twin lotus.

By the cliff, he saw a miserable old woman; it turned out her child had been stolen by human traffickers five years ago.

"It’s just losing a child, why give up your life?" Su Liujin did not understand.

"Nannan is... she is my lifeline!" the old woman sobbed bitterly.

"For others, even to the point of your own death?" Su Liujin asked.

"I don’t care, I don’t care... If I can bring Nannan back, I would even be willing to die!"

Su Liujin was baffled.

This is where humans rarely step outside the script—despite their fear of death, they are willing to risk their lives for certain things. And this is not accidental; many people would do the same.

Su Liujin asked the World Tree, and soon found the child, returning them to the old woman.

"Thank you, thank you! You truly are a kind person, a living Bodhisattva! You are a nine-life reincarnation great kind person sent by the heavens!" the old woman said a lot of Eastern words of thanks that Su Liujin could not understand.

But he understood "great kind person."

Kindness? Him?

"...But I came to destroy you," Su Liujin silently thought as he looked at the old woman’s twisted but joyful face.

His emotions were turbulent, and as he wandered down the mountain, he met a little monk sweeping the grounds.

The little monk said that this Divine Mountain existed even before the teacher of the teacher of the teacher...

Su Liujin stood at the foot of the Divine Mountain, looking up at the towering peak. Amidst the swirling clouds, it seemed as if there was a low chanting. The little monk stood beside him, hands together in prayer, with eyes as clear as a spring.

"Does this mountain truly have such an ancient history?" Su Liujin softly asked. It was the first time he learned that the Mortal World had such faith, not belonging to the Twenty-seven Gods.

The wide sleeves of the kasaya brushed across the blue bricks as the little monk smiled slightly and said, "Benefactor, it is not the height of the mountain but the presence of immortals that matters. This mountain, although it has undergone countless ages, still stands unyielding, much like the Dharma, unchanging since ancient times."

Su Liujin thoughtfully nodded as the sound of the wind rustling through the sycamore leaves reached his ears.

"Benefactor, have you heard a phrase from the Diamond Sutra?"

Su Liujin shook his head.

The little monk put his hands together in prayer and recited, "’All forms of embodiment are like a dream, like an illusion, like a bubble, like a shadow, like dew, like light; they should be regarded as such.’ All things in the world are like a dream or fantasy, fleeting. All people seek to transcend life and death, to escape the sea of suffering."

Su Liujin was deeply moved and asked in a low voice, "Then... how can one transcend life and death and escape the sea of suffering?"

The little monk smiled slightly and said, "Benefactor, the Dharma is boundless, but the path of practice lies in the heart. If the heart is pure, all things are pure; if the heart is obsessed, all things become obstacles. The Heart Sutra says, ’Perceive that all five aggregates are empty, and transcend all suffering and distress.’ Only by seeing through the illusion of all worldly phenomena can one truly achieve liberation."

Su Liujin looked up toward the mountaintop, where the clouds gradually dispersed to reveal a clear blue sky.

The little monk smiled and said, "Benefactor, the Dharma is boundless; I am only a guide. The real practice still depends on you."

Su Liujin seemed to see the World Tree standing between heaven and earth, and he murmured to himself, "Perhaps I neither want to be an audience member nor a character in the play."

At the foot of the mountain, a woman was crying, mourning her husband who died on the front line, lamenting her tormented children, weeping over the meal that never reached the table. If there really do exist white-haired angels in this world, could her crying have made any difference?

He quietly stood at the foot of the mountain, letting the spring breeze flutter his garments. He knew that he had already found the answer.

In his eyes, humans were nothing more than a speck of dust, a wisp of wind; all things in the world should naturally be as transient as morning dew, so what made them seem long-lasting?

The past mind is unattainable, the present mind is unattainable, the future mind is unattainable.

...

All living beings, innumerable and diverse,

thoughts succeeding one another, the world like a net.

...

Su Liujin gradually stepped into the Mortal World.

He heard the battle horns of soldiers at the front lines, tasted the green and fragrant oil pastry from the countryside, snapped off the icicles hanging from the eaves, and rode a clattering bicycle.

He saved a girl from a tailor’s shop, named Qingyu; her adoptive parents had died due to the war, and she was married in spirit to a relative. On the night of her ghost wedding, Su Liujin passed by and saved her.

"Did you save me for money, or do you want a new bride?" Qingyu was quite calm, and after expressing her thanks, inquired about compensation.

Su Liujin’s mind paused for a moment.

Yes, was it for money, or something else? Clearly he sought nothing, so why did he save this stranger, why did he reach out when he heard her cries?

Was it Lin Qinghuan’s cry echoing? Was it the little monk’s Buddhist words being spoken? Was it the old man on the cliff pleading?

The wind did not move, the banner did not move, what moved?

——At what point did he find himself among humans?

"I want nothing..." After a while, he said hoarsely.

He escorted the girl to another town. As he was about to leave, the girl called out to him:

"Brother Liu."

"Thank you for taking care of me these days. You’re handsome and strong, but most importantly, I feel happy being with you. I... I’ll ask you the same question I did then, are you after money or a new bride? You don’t understand many things, like not eating when you’re hungry or adding clothes when you’re cold. I can sew clothes for you, teach you to cook porridge..."

The girl clutched a square of red silk handkerchief, her face slightly flushed.

This was the first time Su Liujin encountered such an inquiry. People had always regarded him as an angel and never made such a request. Maybe the girl acted on impulse, but she was indeed serious.

He was silent for a moment and said, "I don’t need clothes sewn, nor porridge."