"Eh? How do you know the Master's surname? Do you really know the Master?"
The mad monk's face showed a shocked expression, and his gaze towards Chen Xiao was full of suspicion.
Upon hearing his words, Chen Xiao and Li Ziqing were both greatly surprised.
The Four Seas Master, surnamed Chen, didn't that mean the mad monk's Master was Chen Sihai!
And Chen Sihai... wasn't that the person Lu Datou had mentioned as possibly being Chen Xiao's father.
Li Ziqing had been present at the time.
So she knew very well what this meant.
"I don't know him."
Chen Xiao shook his head and said with certainty.
The mad monk didn't understand, but he noticed that the young man's expression had clearly changed from before.
After a moment of contemplation, Chen Xiao asked, "You said just now that you were created by Chen Sihai. So, are there many people like you that he created?"
The mad monk frowned, "Although I am not your opponent, I still hope you will show some respect to my Master and not call him by his given name."
"Answer my question!"
Chen Xiao couldn't be bothered with the mad monk's request. His face was grim, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
The mad monk also felt Chen Xiao's inexplicable irritation and quickly said, "I'm not sure about that either. I only know that I was created by the Master. As for whether the Master has created anyone else, I am not clear."
Not clear, might mean that it's highly likely.
Chen Xiao became even more agitated, "Then why did he create you, why did you come to the Imperial City, and why were you sealed in that monk's temple?"
Chen Xiao didn't know which temple Master Yuan Dian belonged to, but calling it a monk's temple wouldn't be wrong.
"I was born for slaughter."
The mad monk's answer was concise. "The Master created me with the purpose of killing for him. He brought me to the Imperial City, gave me the order to slaughter the city, and then left. I was sealed in a monk's temple by a cultivator midway through completing the Master's mission. Later, I broke free from the seal, but due to my muddled mind, I listened to the slander of that sanctimonious old monk and repented in the monk's temple. This repentance lasted for over twenty years."
After listening to the mad monk's account, Chen Xiao asked him, "Then what about your Master? Has he not looked for you all these years?"
"No."
The mad monk shook his head, a pained expression on his face. "If the Master wanted to find me, he could have. If the Master came to find me, a mere monk's temple couldn't have held me. But the Master didn't come to find me. I think the Master has probably forgotten about me."
The mad monk's eyes were full of resentment. He was likely dissatisfied that his Master hadn't come looking for him.
"Heh, I see."
Chen Xiao asked, "Now that you are free, what will you do next?"
The mad monk took a deep breath and said with a determined gaze, "Complete the Master's mission, continue the slaughter, and then go find the Master."
"..."
Chen Xiao was speechless. "He treated you like that, and you still want to obey him?"
"The Master's mission is something I must complete, no matter what. Moreover, the Master is the Master. If the Master forgets me, so be it. As long as I don't forget the Master."
The mad monk's words astonished Li Ziqing. This worldview was utterly shocking!
But thinking that he was merely created by that 'Master,' a being akin to a robot, and that the Master's task was to input programs, it made sense.
"Alright, if that's the case, then you may go."
Chen Xiao waved his hand.
"Farewell."
The mad monk cupped his fists towards Chen Xiao and turned to leave.
After taking two steps, his body suddenly shrunk into a ball, and then with a bang, he transformed into a mist of blood.
Chen Xiao would not let him go to slaughter the city. For such a powerful and mentally unstable being, killing him was his best outcome.
Even though he and the mad monk were likely the same kind of existence... The thought made Chen Xiao's face contort with confusion, and he involuntarily clenched his fists.
Li Ziqing noticed Chen Xiao's abnormality, gently took his hand, and said slowly, "Perhaps, things are not as you think."
With Li Ziqing's understanding of Chen Xiao, she naturally knew what he was worried about.
Chen Xiao gently shook his head, unsure if he was denying Li Ziqing's statement or implying that his concerns were not about this matter.
Li Ziqing opened her mouth, about to speak, but then stopped. In the end, she simply hugged Chen Xiao, saying nothing.
This was the first time since she had known Chen Xiao that she had sensed negative emotions from him.
Time passed second by second, and the two remained in the same posture, like two statues.
"The first time I heard this name, I felt a strong aversion. I originally thought it was just my petty emotions, blaming him for neglecting me for so many years."
Chen Xiao finally spoke. "But today I understand. It wasn't my petty emotions. My hostility towards him is innate. I am absolutely certain of this."
Li Ziqing wanted to comfort Chen Xiao, but after thinking for a while, she couldn't find any comforting words. In the end, what came out was, "Then what do you plan to do?"
"I don't know where my hostility towards him comes from. Perhaps seeing him in person will help me find the answer. I need to go find him."
Chen Xiao said.
"Oh? Do you know where he is?"
Li Ziqing asked.
Chen Xiao nodded. "He is in the Immortal Hidden Realm, so I need to go to the Immortal Hidden Realm."
"Will it be very dangerous there?"
Li Ziqing asked with a frown. She didn't know what the Immortal Hidden Realm was.
"Well... for me, perhaps."
Chen Xiao nodded. "I have many enemies in the Immortal Hidden Realm."
Li Ziqing's instinctive reaction was to persuade Chen Xiao not to go, but she swallowed the words back and instead said cautiously, "Then, before you go, you must make thorough preparations."
"Mmm!"
Chen Xiao nodded heavily. "Yes, I will."
"You've finally avenged yourself. What are your plans now?"
Chen Xiao asked.
Li Ziqing gave an awkward smile. "It should be said that you helped me avenge myself. If it were just me, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to break through even one of the five great families even with a lifetime of effort, let alone all five of them joining forces."
The foundation of the five great families was even deeper than Li Ziqing had imagined, and Chen Xiao's strength was even greater than she had imagined.
"As for my next plans..."
Li Ziqing hesitated, as she hadn't thought it through yet.
Avenging her parents had been the biggest goal in her life. Now that this goal was achieved, she was a bit unsure of what to do next.
Of course, she would continue to run the company, but those things were as natural to her as eating, drinking, and breathing; they couldn't be called goals.
"Wait for me for a moment..."
At this moment, Chen Xiao suddenly walked to the side, picked up a can of cola.
With a pop, he pulled the tab, placed the drink aside, and returned to Li Ziqing, kneeling on one knee.
"Li Ziqing, I, Chen Xiao, propose to you today. Will you marry me?"