Chapter 387: Incompetent Master, Thirteen’s Suffering
Hearing Chen Changsheng’s words, Nalan Xingde replied calmly.
“To have met you in this life is truly my greatest fortune.”
In response, Chen Changsheng said coldly, “Encountering you all is the biggest mistake of my life.”
“I personally brought you to this position and watched you d*e.”
“If possible, I truly wish I had never met you.”
“Hahaha!”
Nalan Xingde laughed in the face of Chen Changsheng’s words. “Even without us, there would still be people like us. After all, in this world, there is you, the one who embodies the spirit of ‘even if a million people oppose me, I will go forward.'”
“If you were to become me, then I believe you too would resolutely forge ahead.”
“The reason you are stagnant is not out of fear, but because there are too many burdens on you.”
“And those burdens are us.”
Looking at Nalan Xingde before him, Chen Changsheng remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he took a deep breath and asked, “Is Thirteen with you?”
“No.”
“Since the Battle of Extinction, Thirteen has returned to this world, and many people, including myself, could not find him.”
“What about Meng Yu?”
“She is dead.”
“And then?”
“Thirteen, alone with a sword, charged into the enemy’s lair and slew eighteen powerful foes.”
“The last strike even killed an opponent that even Wu Li could not deal with.”
“Hu~”
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng let out a deep sigh.
“Why?”
“With you all protecting him and with Thirteen looking out for him, Meng Yu should not have died.”
“Even your enemies would not want to provoke the furious Chen Thirteen.”
“Yes.”
“So why did Meng Yu d*e?”
Facing Chen Changsheng’s question, Nalan Xingde did not answer immediately.
“Master, can I not say?”
“You can, but you know that what I want to know, you cannot hide from me.”
Looking at Chen Changsheng, Nalan Xingde’s lips quivered slightly.
“The root of everything is that I, as a master, am incompetent. Logically speaking, I should have been the one to d*e.”
“In the Battle of Extinction, I was responsible for dealing with two strong foes.”
“According to the original plan, I was supposed to perish with the enemy.”
“But the plan changed; when I was injured, someone saved me.”
“After I was saved, the battlefield was already balanced.”
“Seeing that we were about to lose, Meng Yu charged forward.”
“She knew that since the Battle of Ascendancy, Thirteen’s sword was no longer sharp.”
“Thirteen had concerns in his heart; he could no longer charge forward like before, so Meng Yu chose to sever Thirteen’s ties.”
“After receiving the news of Meng Yu’s d*ath, Thirteen’s hair turned white overnight…”
“Swish!”
The illusory Nalan Xingde was grabbed by the collar by Chen Changsheng.
“How did Meng Yu know about this? Her willing sacrifice clearly shows prior intent.”
“With your skills, Meng Yu could not have known this in advance.”
“Unless someone deliberately leaked it.”
“Thirteen’s life only has a few people; how could you bear to see him like this?”
“You are his master; are you competent?”
“Smack!”
With that, Nalan Xingde was pushed to the ground by Chen Changsheng.
Upon seeing this, Nalan Xingde did not resist; he slowly got up and continued speaking.
“Before this battle, we had a premonition that our chances were slim, so I wanted to seek you out, and Wu Li also wanted to find you.”
“But we were stopped by Li Niansheng, hindered by her words.”
“She said, ‘You are all taught by Chen Changsheng; is your only purpose to let him fall into this deadlock?'”
“After hearing that, we were filled with shame, and we then joined Li Niansheng in stopping others who wanted to find you.”
“Later, I learned that Little Immortal failed to recruit you and instead went to find Thirteen.”
“He told my plan to Thirteen and Meng Yu, which led to Meng Yu’s sacrifice.”
After listening, Chen Changsheng took a deep breath and then closed his eyes.
“Thirteen may seem simple, yet he is meticulous, and Meng Yu is also a clever girl.”
“They know that for the greater good, you would certainly sacrifice yourself. Even if someone saved you, you would return to the battlefield.”
“If they wanted you to live, they had to resolve all trouble for you.”
“They both sacrificed themselves for you.”
“Meng Yu went first; I estimate that she requested it herself.”
“Because she knew that only by dying could Chen Thirteen be free of worries and become the strongest Chen Thirteen.”
“And only the strongest Chen Thirteen could find a glimmer of hope in a hopeless situation.”
“So Thirteen witnessed Meng Yu’s d*ath.”
“Yes.”
Nalan Xingde answered the question with despair.
“Hahaha!”
Receiving this answer, Chen Changsheng laughed heartily.
Though he laughed, there were tears glimmering in his eyes.
This child Thirteen has suffered greatly; he has never had much in his life.
But he had to watch his dearest person d*e; in that moment, how much pain must have filled his heart?
After a long while, Chen Changsheng composed himself and asked, “Why didn’t Little Immortal allow you to d*e?”
Facing this question, Nalan Xingde fell silent.
Seeing this, Chen Changsheng continued, “You have other responsibilities, right?”
Upon hearing, Nalan Xingde still responded with silence.
“You know my temperament; if I want to know something, I will uncover the truth.”
“If you don’t say it, I will personally find Little Immortal.”
Hearing this, Nalan Xingde spoke up.
“Master, someone has to do these things.”
“Thirteen didn’t want me to d*e, and I similarly do not want you to d*e; none of us want you to d*e.”
“Because only if you live can we all continue to ‘live.'”
Looking at Nalan Xingde before him, Chen Changsheng was speechless for a long time.
“If I become stronger, can I resolve your troubles?”
“No,” Nalan Xingde shook his head. “Becoming stronger takes time.”
“No matter how talented a genius is, it is always the same—the only difference is the length of time required.”
“You are not like Wu Li, a prodigy; your strength requires time to accumulate. One day, you will surpass us all.”
“Wu Li has lived for so long and has yet to solve problems; how long do you think it will take you to surpass Wu Li?”
Faced with Nalan Xingde’s words, Chen Changsheng fell silent again.
It is true that he could become infinitely stronger by sleeping, but the time taken during that period is too long.
By the time he reaches that height, everyone might already be gone.
Thinking this through, Chen Changsheng voiced a choice he had buried deep within his heart.
“Scholar, if I waited to become the strongest in the world before emerging, would it avoid many troubles?”
