Exchange, the idea of the planter is to use his marriage as a bargaining chip, to exchange for a bigger bargaining chip in the struggle for power after the return of the second emperor and the restoration in the future.

However, the more he knew that this was an exchange, the more difficult it became for Liu Xing's soul to accept.

This sense of resistance reminded Liu Xing of the meaning embodied in a monumental work that should have been written by a great Western poet in 60 years many years later.

That story is the story of Faust.

In Goethe's writing, Faust, who has just appeared on the scene, is full of wealth and prestige, but he is confused and dissatisfied with his long-term life and does not know where to go.

This is very similar to Liu Xing at this time, although Liu Xing is beautiful and full of economy, but he has great feats to save the sky, and he is also famous all over the world.

Similarly, the reason why he has been worried about the whereabouts of the Second Emperor and their return to restore is that Liu Xing knows very well that he is also confused and dissatisfied, and he can't figure out how to make this life go better.

In Faust in that story, academic achievements do not allow him to reap inner satisfaction, and reason and sensibility are in great conflict here. It was here that reason prevailed and suppressed his emotional needs.

In a state of extreme confusion and distress, Faust's first solution was suicide. Of course, things didn't really go this way, otherwise the story wouldn't have been able to continue.

With the Easter music in his ears, Faust's memories of the good life of his youth are awakened, and the bustling Easter crowd helps him complete the transformation of his mind.

Liu Xing knew that he would not commit suicide, under any circumstances. Suicide is a coward's act for Liu Xing. I'm not a coward myself. From the depths of the mind does not allow oneself to be a coward either.

But in today's form. Outside, King Kang fought against the court, and inside there were Confucian scholars who tried to form a party and fight for power with the intention of the Hu family's father and son. It is clear that the Jurchens have not been destroyed, the country has not yet been unified, and the two emperors have returned, and righteousness is no longer inclined to him.

Liu Xing couldn't help but feel that his current confusion and distress were really very similar to the situation of Faust in the story at that time.

In the story, Faust later makes a bet between the devil and God, but Faust himself does not know about it.

The devil tempted Faust to sign a pact with him: the devil would fulfill all of Faust's requirements during his lifetime, but would take his soul in exchange for Faust's death.

"I should enjoy it in time when I am alive, and I don't care if he floods after I die." When Mephistopheles signed with him, Faust said that "the thread of thought has been severed." Knowledge has long made me sick".

With the help of Mephistopheles, Faust, who had lived in his study for a long time, began a secular life, entered the stage of love life, and tried and experienced another life.

The first place Faust arrives is the "bar", where Faust chases the girl Maganlei on the street.

As soon as he saw Maganlei, he said to Mephistopheles, "You get that little girl for me," and "If I can't hug her tonight, we'll go our separate ways at midnight." ”

Even the devil Mephistopheles could not stand this: "You speak like a disciple and the like."

But even Maganlei could not satisfy Faust's desire to enjoy the earthly life, and he began a new pursuit.

Drink and have fun through the devil's mephistopheles and the guys in the drinking room. Goethe affirmed the enjoyment of human beings in this world.

However, through Maganlei, he affirmed the selflessness and purity of love.

The reason why Faust is not satisfied with the study life is also not satisfied with enjoyment. It is precisely the result of the conflict between spiritual and physical needs.

Faust had two impulses. He lamented that "it is not easy for us to obtain the wings of the flesh, but this is the nature of all human beings."

Faust's pain comes from the inability to achieve a perfect balance between these two needs.

After that, he went through the stage of political life and the stage of the pursuit of classical beauty.

With his love life with Maganlei ending in tragedy, Faust escapes from reality and returns to Greece in the pursuit of classical beauty, which aims at the perfection of human nature.

As an envied example of classical beauty, in the Western world of the era in which the story was produced, classical aesthetes hoped to return humanity to the realm of "harmony" and "tranquility" in ancient Greece, in order to overcome the division of human nature and overcome difficulties.

It was believed that man should return to ancient Greece as an infant to be trained in classical beauty, to form a perfect personality, and to bring this personality back to perfect his nation as an adult.

The union between Faust and Helen produced Eufortia, showing that the creator of the story wanted people to be able to regain the perfect personality of antiquity.

Goethe's image of being well-educated represents the pursuit of rational thinking brought about by the great development of modern social sciences. Helen, on the other hand, represents the part of history that cannot be understood through rational logical reasoning, which cannot be conquered.

However, the early death of Aufortian and the departure of Helen show that modern science is not omnipotent, and that rational attempts to force its own application will inevitably fail.

Finally, through "land reclamation", Faust, or the creator of that story, feels the power of reason, or makes up for the regret that reason cannot reach certain areas.

As for the agreement with the devil, the creator of the story has the heavens use the love fire to defeat the devil, and the heavens will rescue Faust, and finally end the whole story......

In a similar situation, Liu Xing knew very well that he was a "flying immortal outside the sky" who did not belong to this time and space at all, even if he wanted to find a real devil who was too powerful to even be checked and balanced by the heavenly court, it was impossible to make a contract for soul replacement.

Even if there is such a possibility, Liu Xing knows more clearly that he is not the Faust, and he will not allow the truth, goodness, beauty and soul in his nature to be exchanged for temporary success and enjoyment.

You can't lose your virtue in order to replace it, because you don't have the mercy of Heaven and the angels to come to your rescue. All you can do is stick to your authenticity and be yourself......

After thinking about the story of Faust in meditation, when he looked up at the Xuanhui envoy again, Liu Xing made a decision, a choice not to be like Faust.

"I'd rather give up the struggle for power than let myself feel guilty every day."

Looking at the Xuanhui envoy, Liu Xing said in a heavy but firm tone: "The country and the beauty, I would rather choose the beauty." Power and true self nature, I would rather choose my nature than lose it. You don't have to say more, I won't accept this marriage, and I won't exchange my soul for bargaining chips in the future to compete for the dominance of the court. (To be continued.) )