Li Shen looked at Xian coldly upon hearing his mention of Jun.
“He was such a weird fellow springing up out of nowhere to ruin my plan I spent years developing.”
Xian turned his head to the side and released a puff of air. Turning back to Li Shen he said.
“Why do I feel like he’s related to you?”
“He’s my disciple.”
Li Shen’s eyes flickered as he said that.
“Is that so…”
Xian said as his words trailed off. He turned around and walked towards Lihua.
Seeing him coming up towards them, Li Wen took a defensive demeanor and shot him a glare.
Xian paused and said.
“Do you mind?”
Li Wen frowned before he looked towards Li Shen.
Li Shen nodded towards him and with his confirmation, Li Wen rose and stood to the side, however, he still glared at Xian.
Xian ignored him and approached Lihua who was writhing in agony before grabbing her hand.
Lihua’s body tensed as her veins become visible on her skin. They were purple as they snake towards Xian's palms.
After a second or two, all the poison was absorbed back into Xian’s body.
Before Li Wen could react, Xian suddenly pulled her into his arms.
With an agonizing expression on his face, he held Lihua in a hug and said desperately.
“Oh, Goddess Lihua, please forgive me for hurting you. I had no choice as brother Shen wasn’t going to give me back my rune. But I made sure to reduce the force of my blow. As for the poison, well...don’t hate me too much alright? I wish you wouldn’t.”
Xian was devastated at the thought of Lihua hating him and he hugged her tightly in his arms. Lihua was limp as the poison had affected her too much to get out of his hold.
Li Wen’s eyes spout flames as he angrily barked.
“Get your hands off of her!”
He made a move to wrench her from his evil clutches but Xian easily dodged his attempt, all while still focused on Lihua.
His hold on Lihua became tighter as he continuously apologized.
Suddenly, Lihua’s voice could be heard mumbling something. Xian perked up and his grip on her loosen as he faced her.
“What is it Goddess Lihua? I’ll accept all of your scoldings if it means you’ll forgive me!”
Xian listened closely, but Lihua’s lowered head quickly snapped up before she spat out.
“Pervert!”
Lihua regained a bit of her strength and she dug her elbow into the bridge of his nose.
“Ugh!”
Xian let out a groan before he fell backwards arms opened.
With tears at the corners of his eyes and bruised nose, he fell in slow motion. His face was one of delight from a guilty pleasure he had relishing the experience of Lihua’s massive twin peaks against his chest.
No regrets he thought.
His body soon impacted the ground and he slowly bounced a few times.
The fall overall was very melodramatic to watch.
After elbowing Xian, Lihua’s strength was used up and Li Wen had to catch her.
Li Wen glared at Xian who was slowly getting up.
“To think you would have the notion that you could put your filthy hands on her. Those hands are caked with the blood of innocent lives as do everyone from the Demonic Cult.”
Xian hearing that paused. He then tilted his head to one side and asked.
“What about you? Aren’t you people from the Righteous Faction the same?”
He asked that in the most obvious of tones.
“You’re allowed to massacre us in droves but we aren’t allowed to retaliate?”
Li Wen nearly burst out laughing upon hearing that.
“You Demonic Cult bastards kill thousands of people each year to cultivate your demonic arts and even for fun. What the hell are you even talking about?!”
Li Wen couldn’t believe that Xian just put forth such logic. The Demonic Cult was notorious for its brutal methods and the cold-blooded nature of its disciples. They didn’t deserve any fairness in this world.
“Those are only a handful in the Demonic Cult, the truly corrupted.”
Xian said with a shrug but he saw that Li Wen scowled at his answer.
Seeing this, Xian looked into Li Wen hatred filled eyes before he made an expression of understanding. He then shook his head and said.
“I see, you’ve been brainwashed by the Righteous Faction’s methods. Portraying themselves as heroes and us as villains. You don’t really believe everyone in the Demonic Cult deserves to die right?”
Xian turn to look at Li Shen as well who was silently looking on, before he turned back to Li Wen and Lihua.
Seeing their silence, his demeanor changed.
“You didn't believe that, right?”
Xian asked again, this time more seriously.
“What about the mortal children who were taken from their homes and were forced to cultivate demonic arts? Do you think your hatred for the Demonic Cult is as strong as theirs? Do you think the moment they have an opportunity to escape they wouldn’t take it? But then what happens?”
Xian’s face was frighteningly cold as he continued.
“On one side the Demonic Cult is after them for being deserters. While on the other hand, you people from the Righteous Faction hunt them down as if they're a part of the Demonic Cult. They became outcasts that have no place in this world. So I ask again, do you think everyone in the Demonic Cult should be killed?”
Xian didn’t raise his voice not even once, but one could hear the seething anger behind them and it caught Li Wen off guard.
His silent agreement that everyone in the Demonic Cult should be killed was thrown back into his face.
“Do you think that justifies their killing? Those same disciples still committed genocide whether against their will or not. Something that can’t be forgiven after the effect it has on heartbroken families and homes across the Continent.”
Xian turned to Li Shen who had just spoken.
“What about my family?
"What about my home, hm?"
Xian asked probingly.
"They were killed because an elder from some random academy said they and everyone in my village were giving shelter to the Demonic Cult. It was a boy that escaped the Cult and came to my village in search of his sister, the only remaining member of his family.”
By the end of Xian’s words, a bit of his sorrow seeped into his words.
“If it was you brother Shen, would you have made the decision to wipe out my village?”
Li Shen looked at Xian and saw a mix of emotions in his heart, the most prominent one being a deep sense of longing for something lost.
Li Shen inadvertently thought of his own village in his past life, and how there were killed because of collateral fire as well.
“...No, I wouldn’t have.”
Li Shen said after a moment of silence.
Xian’s expression shifted and he beamed with a smile.
“I knew brother Shen wasn’t like those extremists in the Righteous Faction that think their might is right.”
He then turned to Li Wen and said.
“I hope this will be a valuable lesson to not use false narrative as an excuse to kill us indiscriminately, a life is still a life.”
Li Shen frowned at his words and said.
“You say that but you’re actions speak differently. You don’t value human life, not even you’re own supposed comrades.”
Li Shen motioned to the corpses scattered across the cavern.
Xian turned to him and sported a helpless smile.
“In the pursuit of my goal, my needs are above all else. This I cannot change, and there will be times when that goal requires me to go a darker route.”
“That logic is completely flawed, the path you’re walking will only lead to a dead end.”
Xian hearing this was taken aback, and he looked at Li Shen strangely. No one else would understand the meaning behind Li Shen’s words, but he did.
Walking over slowly to him, Xian came to a stop right in front of Li Shen.
Li Wen seeing this was about to make a move, but Li Shen motioned him to stand down.
While standing in front of Li Shen, Xian raise his hand and tapped his chest with his finger. A wide grin then slowly made its way onto his face as he said in a drawling voice.
“You’re just like me, aren’t you~”
He said it like he had discovered a mind that was shaped like his own. Irregular and didn’t conform to anyone’s preconceived notion as to how one should view the world.
It was so refreshing, to suddenly find someone else like him. Xian had no words to explain his current emotions.
**
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