Free Web NovelChapter 240: Shadows and Words [4]
"What do you want me to do? It seems like you just fooled me. So, to learn how you will make use of me, what do I need to do?" Ji An asked, still tired of what had just happened.
He appeared indifferent to the situation, giving the impression that he was a pushover. What was in him was tiredness, a lack of energy to quarrel with Lucas and fight for himself. And, given how important Lucas had been to him in the last few weeks, he felt it was only fair to compensate him.
Even though he felt sulked because of being played as a fool, he didn’t care more. It was a matter of fact that he had to learn how to face reality.
"I see. You are voluntarily okay with this, huh? There is no problem with that, but what can you say about what is happening now? Do you want me to help them or the two of us together?"
Ji An was silent for a moment. He knew that he still didn’t have the energy to stand up on his own. More or less, he didn’t care much about the sect, even with the people dying, as he did not hold them that important in his life. In fact, they were just bothersome to him.
However, after a couple of seconds of thinking and remembering his father, he then had an idea in his mind. "Let us just wait until they finish attacking. We will go there and see what just happened. And after that, if my father is still alive, please kill him. After that, I will follow whatever you want."
Again, Lucas was surprised at the blunt words coming out of Ji An’s mouth. He seemed apathetic, which he couldn’t understand. He recognized Ji An as someone who was at least dependable and responsible, but seeing how he acted, he realized that there was something wrong with him.
It was as if fate was not on his side. Thinking that the world might have didn’t give him a chance and peace was what Lucas thought Ji An was thinking. However, as he tried to assess Ji An’s eyes, he just learned that Ji An was tired. freёwebnovel.com
"Don’t you want to ask why I came here?"
"It is probably because of the war. You wanted to conquer the Northern Continent, that is obvious." Ji An blurted out without many expressions in his tone.
’I see... He must be upset about what I did to him as well as the events he had witnessed. He worked hard to beat Ro Xian, establish his power in the sect and slowly earn rank. However, as the Chaotic Shadow attacked, he lost motivation.’
’With the sect dying, revenge and clearing his mother’s name will be useless. That is why what was just in his mind might have been to kill his father and search for another purpose in life. It seems to be similar to what I experienced.’
’The fuel in his heart won’t be enough to light the fire in it. At least he knew that there would be no more things for him, and he just had to live with the fear of dying, which is normal.’
’I know that even though things had become useless and uninteresting, a person would still not think of dying or at least be afraid of it. The end is still not ending... or at least what a smart person would think it would be. Hence, they will stay alive and try to search for another purpose.’
At that, Lucas thought deeply about what Ji An might be feeling. Not out of pity, but because he wanted to understand him at some point. They were just both using each other, which could be considered a mutual benefit. But, Lucas had his thoughts fixed on Ji An’s age.
He must have thought that he was still young to die, at least.
"I am not that interested. But, you can tell me."
Lucas smiled and then sat beside him. However, Ji An moved slightly to the side to create some distance between them. Ignoring it, Lucas started talking about his views and the purpose of coming here.
"I’ve already killed a lot of people in the past, and it was only in the Eastern Continent’s internal conflict. That is why me being here should be less bloody. Or for my part, I should be away from killing people. Even with the thing with the hunters, I made sure that they were still alive."
"I at least wanted to win people’s hearts, or make them believe that they were my followers so that I could take over the whole Northern Continent away from the tyrants. I mean it, tyrants. That emperor and the six Supreme Generals were just tyrants and the people under them as well."
"It is not about justice. I want to win the legacy of becoming the ambassador. If you don’t know about it, it is the whole reason for this war, just a personal interest in having more power."
For Ji An, listening to Lucas created a huge realization for him. In the first place, it was obvious that Lucas was an enemy of the Northern Continent and also of his sect, which was still under the governance of one of the Supreme Generals.
***
[Ji An’s Point of View]
I had a short thought of what to do if I gained power and was at the top above all. I would probably use it for my convenience, but not entirely shake the world with my existence. I am tired of power struggles. That was why, even with open eyes at a very young age after my mother’s death, I didn’t participate much in earning a reputation.
That was why I sought a peaceful life. That was why I wasn’t interested in practicing word techniques. I knew that I was a genius, and I also knew that I became depressed after my mother’s death. However, what came into my mind after that was to be peaceful in reality.
However, after hearing Lucas’s words, I think I might change my ideals. Instead of being peaceful, I should make the world peaceful for everyone, or at least for the time being while I am alive. Because with the power I had and the talent that would help me grow more, greedy people would still come to my place and bother me.
Take, for example, the Emperor and the Six Supreme Generals and other lackeys. Wouldn’t they still force people to be their tools of war? That was what I meant. They would still go look for me if I was ever discovered to be powerful.
I was not conceited; I was aware of everything. I was a genius, and I had a talent for both darkness and light affinity. I only posed myself as someone incompetent as it didn’t bother me that much in the past.
But, Lucas here seemed to be changing himself. He said that he had killed plenty of people in the past, and he was here not to kill but to fool everyone and take over the Northern Continent.
Should I place a bet? He was prominent in my existence as well, when talking about reality. We were fated to meet, and I was fated to teach him the way of words and shadows.
But, as things become complex, I might slowly learn who Lucas truly was. I should not be hasty as he might be dangerous. Nevertheless, compared to the current situation and Lucas, he was still the better option.
I sighed and then faced Lucas. His face became solemn about what he was telling me. He seemed to have killed plenty of people, which explains why the blood in his clash with the ninjas earlier didn’t create a bloodbath. He was sure to make them lose their consciousness.
Lucas could be a great bet to make. Since I have nothing much to do and am pretty much just searching for another meaning of life while being afraid of death, I could be with him.
"Do you want me to go with you?" I asked.
"That is the plan. Why? Are you interested?"
"Yes, and, I think let’s forget about killing my father," I suggested. ƒreewebɳovel.com
"Why?"
When thinking about it, my father only had an affinity for darkness, which contradicted how he was able to learn Word Techniques and still be profound in them. He could be a rare case of someone who had a darkness to learn light, or maybe he was just talented and a master at the same time.
Being a master didn’t mean being talented in such a field. He must have learned it deeply, which explains how he was able to learn Word Technique. I also heard that my father had just been adopted into the Xian family as a consort to the heiress of the clan. But, since the first mother died, leaving Ro Xian, Father became the sole family leader of the clan.
No one was opposed to it, even though he was from the outside bloodline since Ro Xian was there, and also, Father was talented and a master.
Hmmm... I’m getting out of the topic. We should ask for Father’s help. Since the war caused this incident, a power struggle in actuality, he might help us in exchange for revenge. What a fool, but that was Father. I knew him very well, even with the hatred I felt towards him.
"Because he is also a mysterious one. You want to learn my meridian, right? And copy it. How about you copy Father’s as well since he is a rare case of shadow affinity being a Word User."
"Really...? That is helpful, I guess. But, out of interest, it could be helpful in the future." Lucas mumbled, then nodded afterward. "Okay. Let’s go."
