The girl's eyes widened in shock. She stared at Yang Zhai, disbelief and amazement written clearly across her face, thinking to herself: from merely knowing that I was expelled from the village and that I am a rank 5 cultivator, he has somehow managed to deduce so much about me… he is clearly no ordinary cultivator, far from it.
"You are right. I shouldn't have acted recklessly, without thinking. I should have considered every single possibility, every potential consequence, before attempting any action," she said softly, bowing slightly as she expressed her gratitude once more. "Thank you for stopping me. If you had not intervened, I would have acted without thought and consideration, purely on impulse."
Yang Zhai remained silent, simply nodding in acknowledgment, his expression calm yet carrying a silent understanding.
"By the way, my name is Wen Xui. Why don't you come inside? I want to properly thank you for saving my brother," she said politely, her voice carrying a gentle mixture of respect. Her attitude towards Yang Zhai changed a bit.
Yang Zhai did not refuse the invitation; he only gave a simple nod in response.
She led him carefully inside, closing the heavy gate behind her carefully.
Yang Zhai seated himself beside a low, traditional floor table. Opposite him, Wen Xui and Wen Bo sat together. Two lamps ignited, casting a soft, warm, flickering light that danced gently across the walls, filling the room with a quiet, soothing glow.
"Anyway, what are you doing here on this island?" Wen Xui asked, her voice calm but filled with curiosity and cautiousness. Even though her attitude towards Yang Zhai had changed slightly, she was still cautious, not believing he was here just for food.
"To get some food. That's when I saw Wen Bo. By the way, what's going on on this island?" Yang Zhai asked bluntly, with a calm in his tone.
Wen Xui fell silent for a moment, her gaze distant as if she were reliving long-buried memories, before she finally began to speak, her voice quiet but weighted with sorrow.
"A year ago, a man came to this island, much like you. Within just a few years, the food began to grow scarce. At that time, I was completely alone—what could I do by myself? Even my father offered no help, no guidance, nothing. Hunting alone, the low-rank beasts gradually disappeared. Famine spread relentlessly. And not only that, for some unknown reason, even their hunger seemed to grow stronger, more insatiable. They were on the brink of starvation, their bodies wasting away before my eyes."
"At that time, that man came forward and offered food, but in return, everyone was required to obey him without question. I found something suspicious in all of this and tried to stop them. But nobody listened. They were mortals after all, and the food was offered to them—what could they possibly do? Eventually, they accepted his offer. Because of my persistent efforts to uncover the truth, I ended up offending that man greatly."
"And because of his constant manipulation, the villagers began to believe that I was against them, that I wanted them to starve to death to advance my cultivation. They turned against me, against my brother as well. Even though those people were powerless, that man was not. Even though the villagers were mortals, with his help, I could not stop them. At one point…" She paused, hesitating, clearly weighing her words with care, the weight of her memories pressing on her.
"At one point, I even thought of killing them all. I mean, what could they possibly do to me? But I couldn't. There were three reasons. First, this island is stranded in the middle of nowhere. Escape was impossible. The isolation of so many potential years, and the fear of being left completely alone, stopped me. As I could not do anything to them, nor to that man, my constant hatred and frustration grew until I finally decided to leave the village entirely." She stopped, catching her breath, the intensity of her emotions clear.
"What were the other two reasons?" Yang Zhai asked, his voice calm, quietly urging her to continue, trying to find as much as possible.
"There are nine rank 4 cultivators with that man. They all live inside the village. If I attacked the village, or any of them individually, I feared being surrounded and eventually killed. On top of that, if even one survived or somehow managed to escape, I feared they would seek revenge on my brother for my actions. Death would be the best outcome, but what if they tortured him…" she explained, glancing at Wen Bo with a mix of worry, care, and protective instinct.
"And the man's rank? Their leader's rank?" Yang Zhai asked.
"Rank 5 peak-stage," she replied firmly, without hesitation.
Nine rank 4 cultivators and one rank 5 peak-stage leader? Yang Zhai pondered silently. They must have come from a destroyed sect or clan, perhaps from a nearby island abandoned after some disaster. Traveling the oceans with their ranks would otherwise be impossible.
"So, what about someone trying to harm your brother?" Yang Zhai pressed further, his tone calm but scrutinizing.
"About that…my father told me that as long as I allowed them to take a part of Wen Bo's body—perhaps a lung or a kidney—they would leave us in peace and even restore our reputation. I refused firmly. But I did not expect him to act behind my back!" She clenched her teeth tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks, the fury and despair mingling in her expression.
"I understand. Is there anything else you can tell me? Tell me everything you know—I might be able to help you."
Wen Xui looked at him, surprised and hesitant. "Help us? But why would you do that?"
"Now that I am here, I feel I should help you before I leave. Alone, you cannot hope to deal with them, but with me, there is a chance. As for why I would help you? It's because I see myself in you. I was once alone, betrayed by family and friends alike. They mocked me, hindered my cultivation, and eventually I withdrew completely from everyone. Helping you is like helping my past self, the me who suffered silently. I hope you will not reject my offer, the me who was foolish," Yang Zhai said, his voice heavy with a quiet melancholy that was visible in his voice and words.
"Hmm," Wen Xui said softly, remaining quiet, deep in thought.
"Big sister, he can even take us with him when he leaves the island! We can leave! Just let him help us!" Wen Bo grabbed her arm urgently, his voice filled with excitement, hope, and desperation.
"Be quiet. When did you even come to this conclusion? Did you even ask him?" She smiled gently, halting his excitement with a soft, calm gesture.
She then turned to Yang Zhai, nodding earnestly, her expression filled with hope and determination.
"If you can help us leave this island, I would be truly, genuinely grateful. I can even serve as your… servant," she said, her thoughts quietly drifting: I have always longed to see the vast world beyond the ocean. I can finally escape this cursed, desolate island. As long as he can take us, it does not matter if I must serve him. He seems trustworthy, reliable, and a good person.
Yang Zhai simply observed her joyful, hopeful expression, his mind quietly reflecting:
She has lived her entire life on this isolated, deserted island. She knows nothing of the real dangers of the outside world, nor the true nature of its people. She trusted me too easily. Despite being a rank 5 cultivator, she has no practical experience. She is like a fish trapped in a well. I was once like this too…
I thought: if I am skilled enough, I can win anyone's trust, and can earn anyone's favor. But a person unacquainted with violence, who has never known to use it, cannot hope for real peace. This inevitably invites humiliation, failure, and peril, placing them into situations they desperately hoped to avoid.
In this harsh, unforgiving world, good and evil cannot exist independently; they are intertwined, constantly exchanging places. The line between them is never clear: good can become evil, and evil can become good. How foolish I was—after becoming a false immortal, I still could not perceive this boundary after transmigration. It is the very nature of human thought and mentality.
Comfort and relief define what is considered good; discomfort and suffering define what is considered evil. For the powerful it becomes law, for powerless, it becomes a shield. The powerful exploit the idea of peace for their own purposes; the powerless hide their cowardice behind the guise of peace.
Yet it is never true peace—it is only helplessness. Once granted power, they often perpetuate the very helplessness they once sought to escape. Those who try to break free either make their own law or succumb to one. Everything is connected; everyone is bound within a vast, invisible chain. Good and evil are merely links in that chain. Nothing is truly free, not even the mightiest. The chain presses down, binds tightly, and eventually becomes a prison of their own making.
Many succumb to it while creating new chains, and the cycle continues endlessly. The chain exists because they themselves forged it, and in doing so, they bind themselves without realizing it. They themselves are also the pieces of that chain. Everyone is connected to each other one way or another, that's why cause and effect exist. In all of this, what's good and what's evil? Who can distinguish them?
Though I am not bound by this chain, I am still one of its links, an inseparable piece.
If a person tries to break free from that chain, it presses upon them in the form of law. If they resist law, it strikes in the form of emotion. If they resist emotion, it manifests as death. The chain is merciless, relentless, and spares no one, not even a single soul.
!|!*****!*****!|!