The Creatures That We Are
Chapter 1268: Contradiction

Chapter 1268: Contradiction

“Contradiction?” Hong Xiaoxiao ruminated on the word before smiling bashfully. “I...don’t think I understand.”

The others were confused to differing degrees, too. They waited for Gregor to continue.

“Everyone!” Gregor spread his arms to point at the black and white walls respectively; it looked a little silly, like he was doing PT.

“The two walls, one black and one white, are always on opposite sides. The conflict is unresolvable. That’s a contradiction, isn’t it?”

“On one side, humans exist, and on the other side, humans do not exist. That’s another contradiction, yes?”

They considered his words.

“That’s right! Of course!” Wang Zikai was the one breaking the silence. He hadn’t given it any thought. He simply wanted to find the opening and get out of this damn place as soon as possible.

“It’s common knowledge!” Gregor pontificated with increasing enthusiasm, “Everything in the world exists in contradictory pairs. When there is life, there is death. When there is truth, there is falsehood. When there is love, there is hate. When there is good, there is evil. When there is shadow, there is light. When there is the Heavenly Way, there is the Gluttonous Snake. Can any of you think of anything without its contradicting counterpart?”

They fell into deeper thought, silent.

Gregor turned to Dr. Jia and said, “Old Jia, you think this room is the first battlefield for the war between the Heavenly Way and the Gluttonous Snake. Of course, we cannot see its true nature due to human limits, but that’s not the point. The point is that the battlefield represents the conflict between two opposing sides that are infinitely tall, long, and large. This represents the culmination of contradictions.”

“So!” Gregor concluded, “The only question that can embody the room is contradiction!”

“Amazing, Mr. G!” Zhang Wei understood the conclusion this time, which left him awestruck.

“Hm, nice.” Dr. Jia, a scientist through and through, looked at their resident literary expert with appreciation.

“If contradiction is the question, what will the answer be?” Adept Horse asked.

Gregor paused before saying with an awkward smile, “I haven’t thought of it. Let’s all contribute our ideas.”

They each chimed in with their ideas, but none were convincing enough. It was then that Lovely Lamb mustered her courage and raised her little hand. She had woken up from her nap and listened to the entire discussion.

“Do you have an answer already, Little Lamb?” Vermilion Bird smiled gently.

Heavenly Dog picked the girl up so that she was at everyone’s eye level.

Blinking, Lovely Lamb said seriously, “The answer to contradiction is protection.”

The others blinked in confusion for a moment.

Gregor didn’t understand her logic either, but he found the answer intriguing. He asked with a smile, “Can you explain it, Little Lamb?”

Lovely Lamb nodded. “Spear and shield are weapons for fighters, and Dad said that fighters are meant to fight for those they love...[1]”

She lowered her head, her eyes reddening. Feeling an ache in her chest, Vermilion Bird stroked the girl’s head.

“Kids often make creative leaps,” Zhang Wei said.

Adept Horse nodded. “Interesting answer.”

“Did I get it wrong?” Lovely Lamb rubbed her eyes. “Then let me think about it more.”

“You don’t have to push yourself, Little Lamb.” Zhang Wei seized the chance to be the teacher rather than the confused student. “We weren’t talking about actual spear and shield, but what they represent. You’re a little too young to understand the implication rather than the literary meaning...”

“No,” Gao Yang interrupted. “Lovely Lamb is the first to understand the implication.”

“Huh?” Zhang Wei stilled with a rush of embarrassment. Seriously, Brother Yang! You’re making me look like an idiot!

Gao Yang went up to rub Lovely Lamb’s head. “You’re amazing, Lovely Lamb. You may have found me the answer.”

“Yeah!” Lovely Lamb nodded happily. She was always happy when she got to help others.

Gao Yang turned around and looked at the grey river below. The black and white walls stretched infinitely to the vanishing point. After a bemused moment, Gao Yang said, “When I arrived at this place in my dreams, I gave this place a name: the Black and White Walls. However, Cerulean Dog calls this place the Black and White Corridor. Why is that?”

“Why must there be a reason?” Zhang Wei said. “You just call it different things.”

“But why?” Gao Yang asked.

Zhang Wei came to a belated understanding. “Because...what you focus on is different?”

Gao Yang nodded. “I see the place, while Cerulena Dog understands it.”

The others looked at him in surprise.

“I noticed first the opposition between the black and white walls,” Gao Yang said, “While Cerulean Dog is seeing what comes out of that opposition. Something new was born—a corridor.”

“Oh!” Gregor was the first to catch up. “The answer to a contradiction is...” He took a deep breath. “Integration!”

“Integration,” Gao Yang repeated in a low voice.

“Haha! So that’s the answer!” Gregor’s eyes lit up with realization, as if he had finally found the most accurate word to use in a poem. “The world is filled with contradictions, yet the contradictions may become integrated!”

He turned around and raised his arms like he was embracing the world.

“Both a spear and a shield make a fighter. Both life and death make living. Both true and false make existence. Both love and hate make a relationship. Both good and evil make a world. Both yin and yang make taichi. Both Heavenly Way and Gluttonous Snake make the universe!”

“The question of the Black and White Corridor is contradiction, and the answer to contradiction is integration!”

His voice created no echo in the vast space, yet it seemed to reverberate in everyone’s heart. No one said anything because no one had any other questions. They all believed that to be the question and answer to the Black and White Corridor.

Behind them, the grey, bluff-like trunk parted to the sides. The bark rippled to create beautiful patterns before a hole opened. The large oval opening flickered with white light as Cerulena Dog, now masked, emerged.

Unlike his earlier casualness, His tone was polite and distant as he said, “Everyone, follow me to the next room.”

“We got it right! You’re awesome, Brother Yang!” Zhang Wei’s voice almost cracked.

“What, have I done nothing?” Gregor huffed without heat.

“You were just the mouthpiece doing the talking. The main contribution came from my brother, then Lovely Lamb.” Wang Zikai shared his objective evaluation—he thought he was being objective.

“Fine, fine.” Gregor snorted.

“So did we give the right answer, Cerulean Dog?” Vermilion Bird asked for confirmation.

“I don’t know,” Cerulean Dog answered.

“What?” asked Adept Horse.

“You gave the answer, and the door decided if it was going to open.” Cerulean Dog paused. “I’m only the one monitoring the interview, not the one marking the test paper.”

“Just forget it. As long as we open the door.” Zhang Wei turned to Gao Yang. “Brother Yang?”

Gao Yang had his back to the others. A few seconds later, his backlit figure strode into the brilliant tree hole.

Each bearing different thoughts, the others followed him with the same determination.

1. The Chinese of contradictory, mao-duen, means spear and shield literally. ☜