Shen Qingmang leaned back in his chair, feeling wronged.
It was obviously Qiongju who had no feelings, not her, Shen Qingmang, so why should this be blamed on her!
But Li Shutong was right. She was the only one who could repay Qiongju's debts. She asked helplessly, "Brother, how did I offend you? Let's talk it over today, okay? Then we can discuss your teaching methods."
"There's nothing to say, Shen Qingmang. You've always looked down on Qi Yao and me, and we both know it. Qi Yao has a good temper and avoids you, but I won't tolerate you. You think everything you do is right and everything we do is wrong. Why? Just because you, Qiongju Zhenren, spent three months building your foundation, three years developing your Golden Core, and ten years developing your Nascent Soul?"
"Yeah, what else?" Shen Qingmang's anger flared up, staring him straight in the eye. "Before, I relied on my higher cultivation level, and now I rely on my ability to teach others. Do you think I should obey you just because you're older than me? Why don't you show your strength and challenge me again?"
Qi Xiao stared at her in silence. She drank a glass of water and continued, "I never looked down on you, Second Brother. I considered you my family, my brother. If I've said or done anything before that offended you, I apologize. You can point it out and I'll correct it in the future. The same goes for Huaining. I know you're doing this for his own good, but perhaps your words and actions offended him and hurt him. If you put yourself in his shoes, you'll understand why he broke down."
Qi Xiao remained silent.
Shen Qingmang didn't know what else to say. He stared at the patterns on the chair for a while and asked, "Why did you want me to resign from the position of Peak Master, Second Brother? Was it because you thought I was incompetent?"
Qi Xiao didn't expect her to ask this out of the blue. He was slightly startled, then he said, "Do you know what else is outside the door besides the cliff?"
"I know, our mountain protection formation."
"Then do you know how many masters of Wuya Peak have jumped from there?" Qi Xiao stretched out his hand and pointed backwards.
Shen Qingmang said without hesitation: "Five. The most recent one was five hundred years ago, when the monsters on Liyou Island lost control and escaped, attacking Taichu."
After a pause, she continued, "Brother, are you afraid that I will jump down one day?"
Could it be that Qi Xiao was holding the prophet’s card?
"I had a dream." Qi Xiao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and continued, "I dreamed that you fell from there, and no body was left."
"How could you..." Shen Qingmang found it incredible. Even if Qi Xiao had been reborn, he would never have seen such a scene, because he jumped down earlier than Qiong Ju and his soul was scattered.
"I hate crowded places and don't like talking to strangers. From the time I was born until now, the only three women I've been most familiar with are Xiao'er, Yunlan, and you. Xiao'er is loud and unrestrained. Your junior sister Yunlan passed away before you joined the sect. She was a simple and lovely girl, just like your second disciple. Only you, junior sister, seem to be born without emotions. I initially thought you were a plant spirit."
"Then I should have more hair than I do now." Shen Qingmang said expressionlessly.
Qi Xiao didn't understand the modern obsession with hair volume. He glanced at her head in surprise and said, "I had a nightmare the other day, and when I woke up, I felt that it was so much like something you would do. I have no doubt that if you became the Peak Master, and one day the sect needed you to sacrifice your life to activate the formation, you would jump without hesitation."
"Isn't this what I should do?" Shen Qingmang laughed. "This is my responsibility."
Qi Xiao had a complicated expression. "Look, that's it. That's why I don't want you to be in this position."
"So you have a grudge against Senior Brother?" Shen Qingmang raised an eyebrow. "If I weren't the Peak Master, it would have been Senior Brother. Do you think it's okay for him to jump?"
"Big Brother cherishes his life more than you do. He won't sacrifice himself easily. Don't look at me like that. I know him better than you."
Shen Qingmang touched his nose. "I'm not saying I want to die. Isn't that my responsibility?"
"Don't you have any attachment in your heart? Won't you be reluctant to leave?" Qi Xiao asked softly.
Shen Qingmang's eyes flashed, and she suddenly realized that she really hadn't thought about this question.
When Gu Suihan asked her if she would choose to sacrifice herself if her sect encountered a crisis again, she just thought that she had earned sixty more years, so she might as well die.
What did he say then? Did he ask her if she had ever thought about them?
She...had she considered it?
Shen Qingmang looked at Qi Xiao blankly. He raised his hand, stretched it into the air, then dropped it again. He turned away and said, "Can you stop making your life a responsibility? Can you stop being so self-righteous and look at others more? Love or hate, whatever, you have to have someone you care about."
"Why don't I have anyone I care about?" Shen Qingmang said, "Don't I care about enough people? I care about all my disciples. Why am I willing to sacrifice myself? Because I can protect them."
"If you can die for others, can you live for others?"
"I..." Shen Qingmang frowned. "Life and death are my own decisions. Why should I worry about others?"
Qi Xiao's chest heaved violently. After a moment, he turned away. "I thought you had changed, but you haven't changed at all. I shouldn't have given up this bet so easily."
Shen Qingmang saw him walking out, not understanding what he was angry about. He also felt that today's topic was getting nowhere. After thinking for a moment, he raised his voice and said, "What about Huaining..."
"I'll have a good talk with him. If we can't reach an agreement, I'll ask you again."
"That's good. You have a little patience with the child."
"Um."
Shen Qingmang watched him gradually disappear from his sight, leaned back heavily, and said to himself: How could I not have changed? I see that you don't understand anyone.
She wanted to forget what Qi Xiao had just said, but the more she ignored it, the more those words drilled into her mind, even making her bones ache.
Who did she not care about? Who did she need to care about? This was a world both real and illusory. She was someone who should have died long ago, living on in someone else's body. Living one day at a time was enough, changing a little was enough. What more could she hope for? Was her willingness to sacrifice something wrong?
She had never relied on anyone, nor had she ever considered that anyone would be with her forever. If even her biological parents, who had brought her into this world, could abandon her, what kind of relationship could be unbreakable? Caring about these things was the most ridiculous thing.
Shen Qingmang covered his face and his breathing became heavier.
Behind the screen of the main hall, in a hidden corner, there was a figure standing silently, as if he were a pillar, unable to think and unable to feel sad.
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