Afterward, Su Yuan, Yelan, Aether, and Paimon followed the official road northward and finally arrived at Wangshu Inn by dusk.
Verr Goldet and Huai'an greeted the group.
"Traveler, long time no see," Huai'an said with a smile, greeting Aether.
"You helped me a lot before by fixing the inn's stairs and clearing out the monsters nearby…"
"Oh, those were just small favors," Aether replied with a grin.
"Besides, it's not like you had me do them for free. You gave me a reward, I did the job—fair deal."
"Speaking of which, we tried hard to stop Jiang Xue from going fishing today," Verr Goldet said as she looked toward Yelan,
"But he forced his way past us and went fishing anyway…"
"However, not long ago, he returned. He still brought back a few big fish and handed them over to Yanxiao, acting as if everything was normal…"
"How is the Conqueror of Demons doing?" Yelan asked.
"Although it was a bit surprising that he ate three servings of Almond Tofu today, he should be fine..." Verr Goldet replied.
"It's just that ordinary people like us can't see him..."
"Aether, if I remember correctly, you have a good relationship with Xiao, right?"
Su Yuan looked at Aether and said,
"As long as you call out Xiao's name, he'll appear beside you."
"How about going somewhere private and calling him over? Maybe ask him how he's doing?"
But in response to Su Yuan's suggestion, Aether shook his head and said,
"Forget it, Su Yuan. Based on the info you shared with me on the way, Xiao has been going through constant battles lately…"
"Now that the fighting has finally quieted down, we shouldn't bother him. Let him rest properly."
Su Yuan nodded—he admitted Aether had a point…
But still, if you're this thoughtful and considerate, why the hell did you pull that stunt earlier and almost scare me and Yelan to death?
"Verr Goldet, where is Jiang Xue now? I want to go see him..."
Since they weren't going to disturb Xiao for now, Su Yuan figured it was better to go meet Jiang Xue first.
We must find a way to get Jiang Xue to join the team in fighting against the eerie forces…
Of course, Su Yuan didn't intend to guilt-trip him into it.
If he tried reasoning with Jiang Xue and appealing to his emotions, and Jiang Xue still refused to join—choosing instead to live like a laid-back fisherman with no worldly ties—then there wasn't much else Su Yuan could do…
"Jiang Xue? He should be on the first floor of the inn right now," Verr Goldet replied, "at the very last table in the far corner, eating some snacks and sipping wine."
With that, Su Yuan and the group headed to the spot Verr Goldet mentioned and found Jiang Xue.
Jiang Xue looked up at the group and said calmly, "So many of you—are you here to share a table with me?"
"But there are plenty of empty tables around… and this one isn't even in a good spot. Why come here?"
"Besides, I'm used to being alone…"
Looking at Jiang Xue's calm and indifferent demeanor, Su Yuan felt this might be tricky…
There was no energy or fighting spirit in Jiang Xue's eyes—just a man going through the motions, living a quiet, indifferent life.
"Jiang Xue, we have something very important we'd like to talk to you about. Could we borrow a moment of your time to explain?" Su Yuan asked.
"Something important?" Jiang Xue repeated, then shook his head.
"To me these days, the most important thing is just passing time with fishing…"
"I'm not interested in whatever it is you have to say. Just go. Don't disturb me while I'm eating and drinking alone."
As he spoke, Jiang Xue waved his hand, gesturing for them to leave.
No… this was far beyond what Su Yuan had expected…
Jiang Xue was even more dejected, more apathetic, and more resigned to doing nothing than Su Yuan had imagined.
Forget trying to have a conversation—he didn't even seem willing to listen.
But Su Yuan had to talk to him—he had to.
So, ignoring Jiang Xue's rejection, Su Yuan sat down right across from him and began speaking:
"Before we get into the main topic, let me tell you a story first…"
Jiang Xue didn't respond, but he also didn't shoo Su Yuan away again.
He just quietly drank his wine and picked at his food.
Su Yuan continued:
"Once upon a time, there were two martial brothers. Every day, they trained diligently and cultivated their skills—not for fame, not for power—but to vanquish evil and protect the world, to cleanse the land of darkness…"
"But the power of ordinary people is ultimately limited. Without a Vision, how could they possibly achieve all that?"
"Later, the two brothers trained tirelessly together, and the elder brother was the first to receive a Vision."
"The scriptures say that Visions are gifts from the heavens, bestowed upon outstanding individuals to help them slay demons and defend the world…"
"But at that time, the elder brother began to realize something: those so-called monsters—they had their own lives, their own customs, their own language… even their own families."
"Other than their frightening appearances and their occasional attacks on humans, they weren't so different from people…"
"The elder brother could no longer bring himself to view them with hatred or judgment—he only wished to understand them, to communicate with them, to seek out their true nature…"
"Eventually, a rift formed between the brothers."
"The younger one believed that since his brother had received a Vision, he should carry the weight of his duty. How could he feel sympathy for the very creatures who brought disaster upon the world—monsters that left countless homes in ruins and families shattered?"
"The younger brother was firm in his conviction: monsters were a blight upon the land. The only way to deal with them was complete eradication."
"And so, in anger and frustration, the younger brother went off on his own to hunt the monsters… but was tragically killed in the process."
"After his death, the elder brother was consumed with grief. He thought back to the three questions he had once asked his younger brother…"
"And those very questions… he later carved into a stone tablet, leaving them behind for others to ponder—"
'Are monsters born evil?'
'Are mortals and immortals born good?'
'If we claim to protect the world… are we judging good and evil based solely on our own hearts?'"
After Su Yuan finished telling the story, he looked at Jiang Xue nervously…
Although there was already some evidence suggesting that the elder brother in the story was Jiang Xue himself…
Before Su Yuan transmigrated to this world, the game's official lore hadn't confirmed it—this theory was merely speculation by lore enthusiasts, with quite a few voices opposing the idea…
Whether it was true or not now depended entirely on Jiang Xue's reaction…
After hearing the story, Jiang Xue's expression remained calm as ever…
However, he did lift his head to look at Su Yuan, and opened his mouth to ask:
"Well then, young man, how would you answer those three questions?"
Su Yuan keenly noticed that, while Jiang Xue hadn't explicitly admitted to being that elder brother, there was something different in his gaze now—subtle, yet unmistakable…
And Su Yuan had a strong feeling… the way he answered those three questions would determine whether Jiang Xue would be willing to join his team in the fight against the Eerie.
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