"..."
Upon hearing the nickna "Xiao San’er," Tang Jin’s body visibly tensed, and a hint of indescribable resignation flashed through his previously indifferent eyes.
"There’s no going back, Chen Zaikun."
"Sotis, once things are done, there’s hardly a chance to take them back."
"Both you and I understand this, and Old Jin knows it clearly as well."
Tang Jin slowly spoke, but the words that ca out were not of regret or turning back, but words of a more resolute farewell.
"You haven’t done anything wrong, and I don’t think I’m wrong either; it’s just a different stance... we’re each serving our own masters."
"Serving your own masters?"
Upon hearing this, the simpleminded smile on Chen Zaikun’s face disappeared, replaced by utter shock and anger.
"To you, did the years of apprenticeship together at the sect essentially beco a form of enslavent? And do you see the teacher as the slave master?"
"You..."
"But as far as I rember, he never mistreated you, did he? At most, the training was intense, sotis we had to constantly change our residences, and we had to complete the tasks he assigned..."
"Is this enslavent to you? Tang Jin, you’ve really disappointed ."
Finally, Chen Zaikun tore away the last piece of Tang Jin’s mask of sha.
And nearby, Yun You listened with her eyelids twitching.
It seed she had heard sothing quite serious.
Although she was also a student of Old Jin, she seed to have never gone through any "intense training," and the tasks were optional.
Could it be that Old Jin didn’t treat other students the sa way?
The young girl remained silent, just listening quietly.
"No, you misunderstood."
Tang Jin bit his lip lightly, attempting to explain: "I just simply don’t agree with the teacher’s ideals."
"Why did we exhaust ourselves to beco Apprentice Death Gods in the first place? The old man always said to help the weak, support those without help, and assist them in overcoming difficulties..."
"But, after we help them, who will co to help us?"
"Branded with the label of evil, humiliated in our clans, belittled wherever we go, and even forced to live a life of barely scraping by, with no end in sight, and not even knowing if those so-called ideals will ever be realized."
"I’m tired of it. If we continue following the teacher, we might never escape such a life..."
"Everyone has their aspirations. I’ve already repaid the master’s education through nurous completed tasks. I owe him nothing, so you can’t use this as leverage over !"
With that, Tang Jin gave Chen Zaikun and Yun You a deep look, then left without looking back.
Chen Zaikun instinctively reached out to stop him, but the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat, unable to co out, and in the end, he could only let out a long sigh.
A mont later, he turned back, forcing a smile and an indifferent deanor, and extended his hand toward Yun You.
"Little girl, my surna is ’Chen,’ na ’Zaikun,’ also a student of Teacher Jin, and the second student he recruited."
"Originally, your safety was supposed to be the responsibility of the senior apprentice brother, but he’s recently dealing with so personal affairs, so he entrusted to look after you."
As he spoke, Chen Zaikun scratched his head, sowhat embarrassed, and said: "Actually, I’ve always been by your side. Seeing you under attack, my first instinct was to intervene..."
"But your senior apprentice brother said he wanted to test your full combat capabilities, so I didn’t move at first."
"However, little girl, your abilities are indeed impressive, able to defeat enemies two levels above you in a short amount of ti. Such talent, probably only your senior apprentice brother could match that level in the past..."
"But senior apprentice brother has been sowhat lax in recent years, so I think even his talent might not surpass yours."
"The master truly took in a good student."
Upon hearing this, Yun You understood.
No wonder she hadn’t been able to reach Jiang Wuji — turns out, her senior apprentice brother was dealing with his own personal matters.
But Jiang Wuji likely anticipated Yun You encountering trouble, which is why he called upon Chen Zaikun, who was only slightly less capable than him, to ensure Yun You’s safety.
"Anyway, thank you, Second Senior Brother."
Yun You sincerely expressed her gratitude. This honest guy left a very good impression on her. He doesn’t kill innocents, has a very warm personality, and apart from being a little clumsy with words, his deanor and style are very similar to Old Jin, even down to his fighting stance.
If Old Jin had only one disciple or heir, it most likely would be Chen Zaikun.
"Ah, this term ’Second Senior Brother’ always feels a bit awkward."
Chen Zaikun waved his hand, smiling: "You should call ’Second Brother’ like everyone else."
"Though in terms of age, I might be over thirty years older than you, Apprentice Death Gods usually cause trouble in the world for a few hundred years without issue, so calling ’Second Brother’ is perfectly normal."
"Also, don’t be fooled by how young senior apprentice brother looks. In reality, he’s a few years older than ! He just keeps himself well by drinking his secret dicinal wine regularly."
"Next ti I’ll ask him for a few pounds, and we can share them together."
"Sure thing, Second Brother!"
Yun You nodded, also amused by this country lad.
But soon, she shifted the topic, gesturing with her eyes towards the direction Tang Jin had left, and asked quietly: "What exactly is up with that sister?"
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