Aldrian straightened his body and looked at his surroundings, he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows as he looked at the Xin family mbers, as if they had just prostrated to him.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
They looked at one another, unsure how to answer, as Aldrian seed unaware of what had just happened. Xin Haotian sighed as he stood up.
"Nothing. We just saw sothing incredible from you," he said.
Aldrian looked at him in confusion, then at the others who were also starting to stand up. They were already used to his strangeness throughout this journey, but this ti, they had at least confird sothing—even without clearly discussing it among themselves.
Aldrian had so kind of connection to this place, or to a divine being.
They weren’t fools. Considering everything that had happened, along with the repeated signs and undeniable proof, ignoring the truth would be irrational. As absurd as it sounded, Aldrian seed more like a being from a higher realm stranded here in the body of a child.
There was no other explanation for how Aldrian acted in this place. There was no way he was unfamiliar with it or unconnected to it. If this place was a replica of the higher realms, then everything finally made sense.
Aldrian knew that their opinion of him had shifted once again. Even Xin Haotian, who had been with him for more than three years, was now looking at him with a gaze that had never been there before. It was the gaze of soone seeing a being far superior—mysterious, unreachable. Patriarch Xin looked at him the sa way.
Aldrian let out a quiet sigh.
"There are many things I want to talk about. This place is one of them. But I don’t think it’s ti yet," he said. "I can explain it to you, about and also about this place. At the very least, you, as one of the guardian families protecting the core area of the Everlasting Silent Forest, have the right to know."
"For now, we’ll continue to the end of the mystery that has enshrouded the Everlasting Silent Forest since ancient tis." He turned his gaze to the teleportation formation nearby.
"We need to visit one more place to make everything clear, and maybe you will find your answers there, without needing to explain everything myself." He began walking toward the formation.
"Aldrian."
He stopped as Xin Haotian’s voice called out to him.
Aldrian turned his head toward Xin Haotian and looked him in the eyes. Xin Haotian t his gaze, but there was uncertainty in it—he no longer seed to know how he should act in front of Aldrian. His expression was awkward, perhaps because he had finally realized that Aldrian truly was the person they had all suspected him to be.
Aldrian waited in silence, and Xin Haotian eventually spoke.
"Everything you showed ... the way you acted with Sylphia, with the others—was that all just a mask? Or is that the real you?" he asked.
The others did not interrupt. They understood that this was sothing personal. Xin Haotian had been on the journey with Aldrian for more than three years. They had shared countless experiences with their group.
So now, with Aldrian revealing signs of being soone connected to a divine being or a higher realm, Xin Haotian’s concern was understandable.
He was afraid that Aldrian had been wearing a mask all along—that he was soone they could never truly understand. Even after all this ti together, Xin Haotian had no idea what burdens Aldrian carried. He could never grasp what was really going on inside his mind.
All he knew for certain was that Aldrian had his own secrets, and that was all.
Although he had no right to question it—since he did not even know what kind of place he held in Aldrian’s mind—he still felt deceived. Was the Aldrian who interacted with him just a mask? Had he only been speaking to a false self all this ti? He did not like the thought. It made him feel like a fool.
If that was only a mask, then what about the others? What about Sylphia, who had fallen completely head over heels for him? Had he only pretended to love her?
Xin Haotian wanted to know so he could act accordingly. He did not want to remain ignorant if Aldrian’s entire character was only a facade. Aldrian might be a being who saw them from a different perspective—one shaped by his connection to the higher realm. Maybe he viewed them as lesser beings, using their ignorance to achieve his own goals.
Or was all the hustle and bustle Aldrian caused across the continent part of his plan as well?
Aldrian could sense the turmoil in Xin Haotian’s heart and couldn’t help but smile.
"What do you think?" he asked, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness.
Xin Haotian narrowed his eyes.
"I don’t know," Xin Haotian said, his voice tight. "So please be serious, Aldrian. Everything you’ve shown and the others—was it all just a mask to take advantage of us and achieve whatever your objective is?" He released his battle intent as he spoke.
"Explain it to , so I won’t feel bad when I hit you."
The others, including Patriarch Xin, felt the situation escalate too quickly. He wanted to stop his son, but then he heard Aldrian sigh.
"You’re truly irritating, you know that?" Aldrian said, turning his body toward Xin Haotian and scratching the back of his head.
Xin Haotian’s frown deepened. "What do you an?"
"You’re irritating because you overthink things until your imagination runs wild. Why don’t you reflect on my actions during our journey? Do you really think all of that was just an act—to fool you, Sylphia, or anyone else? Was it really necessary for to go that far just to deceive you?"
Xin Haotian kept narrowing his eyes as he recalled everything Aldrian had done in the past. In so events, it was true that Aldrian had prioritized others over his original plan. For example, at first, he wanted to remain anonymous as the mysterious swordsman for as long as possible. But when he ca to save his parents, his identity beca known to so imperial families.
He didn’t hesitate to abandon his plan and make himself famous so his parents could benefit. They wouldn’t have to face too much reproach once their relationship was revealed to the world. Aldrian’s reputation was already enough to silence anyone who might want to harm his parents’ dignity.
What did he gain from it? If his parents hadn’t gotten into trouble, he wouldn’t have had to do all of that and could have stayed anonymous longer.
He also took care of his group, especially the weaker mbers like the ladies, as best as he could. What for? To gain their trust? He gained nothing from them except their families’ power. Did he want their families’ influence—to face devils, for example? Did he want to use them?
But when he thought about it, did Aldrian really need to go through all that burdenso effort just to gain influence? With his ability and power, he could easily have gained the favor of these families and used that to fight devils or accomplish whatever he wished.
He didn’t have to carry the burden of caring for the "weaklings" like the ladies by giving them cultivation resources whenever he had sothing useful. In fact, he never even took any cultivation resources for himself, no matter how valuable they were. Well, even without those resources, Aldrian’s cultivation still advanced at an absurd rate—it kept jumping like crazy, but—
The point was, he didn’t need to earn trust through those efforts. He could have simply leveraged the favor of their families to get what he wanted, without involving Sylphia and the others so much. That way, he would have more freedom. But no—Aldrian wanted them to grow stronger, side by side with him.
Did it look like he wanted to take advantage of their ignorance to gain their trust? No. Xin Haotian shook his head inwardly. That kind of burdenso care showed soone who truly cared for his friends and group. He was not an egoist, only thinking of himself, but also mindful of the well-being of those around him.
He thought about Aldrian’s actions again and again, but they all seed like Aldrian’s natural way of doing things. It felt like an embedded part of his character, not so act. It wasn’t a grand plan to mask sothing or to take advantage of others for personal gain.
Xin Haotian sighed and looked at Aldrian again with a complicated gaze. He truly did not know how to judge him now. Aldrian lived in a world far different from his and the others’, yet he acted more like a mortal.
"Hey," his thoughts were interrupted by Aldrian’s voice.
"You look truly ugly with that complicated expression. Your usual expressionless face, like a statue, suits you better. Is the sun about to rise from the west for our dearest Sword Saint to show emotion like that? Well, at least it shows your mind is still working," Aldrian said with sarcasm.
A bulge appeared on Xin Haotian’s forehead, clearly showing his irritation.
"You—" he wanted to say sothing but then closed his lips. He saw Aldrian just smiling at him, that usual smile that showed he’d won their "jabbing" match.
Aldrian’s gaze, his mannerisms, everything about him had never changed since Xin Haotian first t him.
Aldrian was always like this and remained the sa even now, despite the doubt Xin Haotian felt. Aldrian’s eyes never wavered, they stayed clear and calm, showing no trace of nervousness, panic, or guilt as if caught red-handed.
He was Aldrian, just as always.
Xin Haotian sighed.
"Yeah, I’m probably overthinking him. So what if he really does have a connection to a higher realm? Through all this ti, he’s never abandoned his friends or loved ones. He always cos to their aid, helping them, pulling them out of trouble. He’s a problem solver through and through. You could say he’s an idiot who can’t help but stick his nose into other people’s problems."
"If he truly is so higher being, then he’s an idiot higher being," he thought, unable to stop himself from finally smiling.
"From that smile, I know you’re cursing ." Aldrian said with smile.
Xin Haotian smiled and shrugged.
"Well, what can I say? You’re a truly confusing bastard, and you always act suspicious, like a thief."
Aldrian kept smiling after hearing that. Watching their interaction, the others felt relieved. The tension between them had eased quickly, showing how deeply Aldrian and Xin Haotian knew each other despite their unusual way of conversing.
"All right, I think it’s ti for—" Before he could finish his words, Aldrian suddenly stopped as a voice transmission from Sylphia ca through.
"Dear, sorry to disturb you, but sothing big has happened."
User Comments
0 comments from readers