This Damned Thirst for Survival

Chapter 188

Master Weihe looked at Jiang Luo with a solemn expression for a while. "You are very different from the chosen one."

Jiang Luo keenly asked, "Why do you compare me to him? Did he also say something to you about making me a pseudo-god?"

Master Weihe felt he would only make more mistakes talking to Jiang Luo. He closed his mouth, refusing to utter another word.

Jiang Luo spoke slowly, "Master Weihe, you aren't entirely satisfied with the idea of your people becoming vessels for the chosen one, are you? You feel conflicted and doubtful about the actions of the chosen one, don't you?"

Master Weihe abruptly sat up as if Jiang Luo had touched a nerve. "Don't talk nonsense! I have never doubted the chosen one' decisions!"

What a person truly thinks often manifests in the details. In a previous conversation, when Jiang Luo asked if Master Weihe hated the chosen one, he instinctively responded by asking Jiang Luo, "What about you?"

He compared his feelings toward the chosen one to Jiang Luo's feelings toward Chi You. However, Jiang Luo and Chi You were sworn enemies.

Jiang Luo's confidence grew, and he calmly said, "Master Weihe, are you loyal to the chosen one or the 'future' they speak of? If you're deceiving even Lian Xue and the others for the sake of one fated individual, letting the fated one place divine spirits in their bodies secretly, then in my eyes, you're not much different from an evildoer. Truly selfish to the extreme."

Master Weihe, initially furious, suddenly calmed down upon hearing these words. "You don't understand anything."

"Though the Lian family lives in seclusion, none of us are cowards," Master Weihe asserted with conviction. "The future of the metaphysical realm concerns each and every one of us. You'll never understand the sacrifices we've made. For the sake of the metaphysical realm's future, our entire clan is willing to offer itself without hesitation. The younger generation learns the arts of shamans and healers to save their companions. They seal divine spirits within themselves to sacrifice against enemies in life-threatening situations."

Master Weihe's eyes glistened slightly. "Do you think it doesn't pain me? Do you think I don't wish for our younger generations to live carefree lives? But the calamity in the metaphysical realm is imminent. I've lived long enough; I can afford to be indifferent. But what about our next generation? The generation after that? What about the ordinary people affected by the metaphysical realm? What are they supposed to do?"

"I follow the fated one because he is strong and benevolent, a key figure guiding us away from calamity. It's a citizen's duty to contribute to the rise and fall of a nation. The Lian family doesn't want to hide and act selfishly," Master Weihe raised his voice. "If no one does anything, if you don't act, if I don't act, then who will protect this country, this metaphysical realm? Do you understand? We sacrifice for the metaphysical realm, for you young people who know nothing!"

"Even if all members of the Lian family were to die, I would accept it. I have a clear conscience. The only regret is these few children. As for others, I owe nothing!"

A surge of anger ignited within Jiang Luo. "Do you dare say you don't owe anything to Chi You, to me?!"

Master Weihe opened his mouth, wanting to say he owed nothing, but confronted with Jiang Luo's fiery gaze, those words remained unspoken.

Master Weihe was a pitiable soul thoroughly deceived by the fated one's lies. He was deceived completely, not only himself but his entire clan becoming tools for the fated one. Yet, Jiang Luo felt no pity for him. Master Weihe was pitiable, but what about Chi You, whose soul he forged into the Yuan Heaven Bead? What about Lian Xue and the others?