"Acting in accordance with heaven, killing fellow disciples, and thus avoiding a fated tribulation?"
Yan Shouyi turned to look at the others and asked, "Do you believe it?"
Wang Jiwang shook his head, "It sounds ridiculous."
A Gong said, "I don't believe it either."
"Then why did they believe it?" Luo Ning asked.
"Because that so-called leader of Xuanshan actually survived?" Zhao Yiyao frowned and said, "Perhaps he was lying?"
Facing everyone's doubts, Chu Liang slowly said, "He wasn't lying. Someone can testify to it."
"Who has such great authority?" Long Feicheng asked curiously.
Matters of life and death were no trivial affairs. No one was perfect, and deception was possible.
"The entire world might lie about such a matter, but this one person would not. Because his strength is unparalleled, his position is supreme, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him an earthly immortal. He has no reason to lie about this..." Chu Liang spat out another mouthful of blood and continued, "He is the Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain, Zhang Yin!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, and even Yan Shouyi's mouth fell open.
No wonder, no wonder Chu Liang and the others believed the actor leader of Xuanshan so readily. With the Heavenly Master's endorsement, how could anyone not believe him?
Chu Liang said, "Twenty years ago, the actor was facing his fated tribulation. Not wanting to die, he went to Longhu Mountain to seek guidance from Heavenly Master Zhang Yin. However, the Heavenly Master said the matter was unsolvable and advised the actor to descend the mountain and find his own way. Afterward, the actor vanished from public view. Everyone assumed he had died, but five years later, the actor reappeared in the martial world, took charge of Xuanshan, gathered followers from various folk sects, and recruited disciples from all schools and factions, thus achieving the current situation!"
"According to what the actor said, when he descended from Longhu Mountain, he was utterly despairing and wanted to die. But later, an immortal appeared in his dream and told him how to break the tribulation. So, the actor hardened his heart, acted in accordance with heaven, and killed his fellow disciples. The fated tribulation that was supposed to arrive naturally disappeared. Not only that, but he also seized others' fortune, not only extending his lifespan but also greatly increasing his strength. These are facts that even Zhang Yin cannot deny!"
"Now, the actor leads Xuanshan and harbors a few trusted confidants, of whom I am one. Following the actor's instructions, we help each other by killing fellow disciples within Xuanshan's inner circle, all in an effort to avoid our own or our descendants' fated tribulations and to escape calamities like the five deficiencies and three shortcomings..."
After Chu Liang finished telling his story, Yan Shouyi let out a long sigh.
He turned back again and asked, "Do you believe it?"
"No."
"No."
"I don't believe it either."
"You?!" Chu Liang's eyes widened as he looked at them, and he couldn't help but spit out another mouthful of blood.
They were infuriating, these brats were too infuriating!
If they didn't believe the actor's story, weren't they questioning the efforts Chu Liang and the others had made over the years?
To have the very thing one dedicated everything to be considered a joke in the eyes of others, one could only imagine how heartbroken Chu Liang felt at that moment.
Yan Shouyi stood up, looking down at Chu Liang, and said calmly, "To trade the lives of my fellow disciples for my own meager survival, such an act that goes against all ancestral teachings is something I cannot do. Therefore, regardless of whether the actor's story is true or false, I will not believe it."
"But it's true!" Chu Liang argued.
"So what if it's true? After killing all your fellow disciples, don't you feel lonely in this world? Is there any hope in living? For every day you live, you endure another day of guilt. What meaning is there in living such an agonizing life?" Yan Shouyi questioned.
Chu Liang gritted his teeth, "Living is the meaning. Once you die, everything is gone."
"There are always things in this world more important than life."
Yan Shouyi's calm words were like a heavy hammer striking Chu Liang's heart.
The others also stared at Yan Shouyi, their eyes filled with unspoken admiration.
Even He Xiping, the illusionist who had just befriended Yan Shouyi, stood frozen in place.
Yes, there were always things in this world more important than life.
Family, loved ones, friends, children.
Perhaps even strangers.
Everyone couldn't help but ponder in their minds, what was more important than their own lives to them.
Even Chu Liang instinctively began to recall.
What he found terrifying was that the first scene Chu Liang recalled was when he was with his master, Bai Nan, the paper figurine craftsman.
Chu Liang was young then and was cared for by Bai Nan in every way. To Chu Liang, although Bai Nan was not his biological father, he was even better than one.
That memory was Chu Liang's most cherished memory.
Until they found A Gong.
The memories began to turn unpleasant. Bai Nan divided everything he had for Chu Liang into two halves, one for Chu Liang and one for A Gong.
Chu Liang could tolerate all of this. What he could not tolerate was his master teaching the true skills of paper figurine crafting to A Gong and not to him.
Why, why had it turned out this way?!
Had all those years of following him never earned his master's approval?
What right did A Gong have to snatch away what originally belonged to him!!
Thinking of this, an unbearable pain welled up in Chu Liang's heart, and he was so enraged that he spat out another mouthful of blood.
Yan Shouyi's expression changed slightly, and he said in a low voice to Wang Jiwang:
"You cut his artery too wide. He's going to lose too much blood."
"Isn't that good? Let him die in such pain," Wang Jiwang was determined to kill Chu Liang.
Yan Shouyi said nothing more, because Chu Liang had committed too many evils. His death was inevitable, and that would not change.
"Master... Master..."
At this moment, Chu Liang began to mumble his master's name, speaking nonsensically.
"His consciousness is becoming confused. He's about to die," Luo Ning reminded them.
A Gong looked at Chu Liang, at this senior disciple who had once cared for him meticulously, and recalling the past, he couldn't help but sigh.
He squatted down beside Chu Liang and said in a low voice,
"Master treated you as his own son. He didn't want you to walk the path of a paper figurine craftsman, which is why he passed the true skills to me... To put it plainly, senior brother, you were Master's son. I was merely the inheritor of the paper figurine craft."
"Master, Master..."
It was unclear whether Chu Liang had heard A Gong's words, but he continued to call out for his master.
When people sense their impending death, they always call out for the most important person.
This was also why A Gong softened his heart at the last moment.
Under everyone's gaze, Chu Liang finally breathed his last due to excessive blood loss.
Wang Jiwang closed his eyes and took a deep breath, seemingly letting go of his hatred.
He patted A Gong's shoulder and said, "Let's dig a hole nearby and bury him."
"Okay, thank you," A Gong nodded.
In fact, A Gong and Chu Liang were very much like Wang Zhilai and Wang Jiwang.
However, their master of paper figurine crafting, Bai Nan, had never intended to divide the skills of paper figurine crafting into two, so that his disciples would face calamities together. Instead, he chose to give the path of death to A Gong and the path of life to Chu Liang.
In the end, Bai Nan still loved Chu Liang more. It was just that, whether Chu Liang could comprehend this affection at the moment of his death was unknown.