Chat Group: People in Douluo Continent wreak havoc across the heavens

Chapter 23 Fate and Choice

The following afternoon.

It's not a good day.

The wind carried a damp feel, and the sky was as black as ink, like night, a harbinger of an approaching storm.

A black horse galloped across the muddy road, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The road ahead forked, and at the fork, the horse stopped, its hooves clapping.

"The road to the left leads to Soto, a city known as the granary of the Barak Kingdom."

"If you go straight along this road, you will reach the Kingdom of Silves. Crossing the Fasno Province in the central part of the kingdom will lead you to the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City."

Zhu Zhuqing put down the map in her hand, nimbly dismounted with a long flip, and raised her head slightly to look at the boy on horseback, asking, "I remember you said before that you were going to Tiandou City?"

"Are you going to Soto?"

Lu Xian didn't answer the question, but looked into her eyes and calmly asked in return.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flickered. "I...I really do want to go there and take a look..."

"I see..."

The two were silent for a moment.

Lu Xian forced a smile and broke the silence by speaking first.

"Since you've already made your decision, then we won't be going the same way anymore. I really do need to go to Tiandou City."

"That's quite a distance..." Zhu Zhuqing hesitated, "Won't we meet again in the future?"

Why even ask that question?

"We've already met once..."

"What will be the meaning of meeting again next time?"

"Do you guess it's the joy of a long-awaited reunion, or something like this?"

Lu Xian no longer had his usual carefree demeanor; he was just chuckling lazily.

"Zhu Zhuqing, thank you for accompanying me on this not-so-boring journey. I had quite a lot of fun along the way."

He tugged on the reins, turning the horse around, his gaze fixed on the distance, and said softly, "I'm leaving. Take care of yourself. I have a long way to go, so I won't give you the horse!"

"drive--"

With that, he flicked the reins, the horse neighed, its hooves clattering as it galloped away, the figure on horseback quickly disappearing beneath the inky clouds.

Is it that decisive?

Zhu Zhuqing stood there, opening her mouth slightly. The look in his eyes when he left was so unfamiliar.

This turn of events gave her the feeling that the two of them had become strangers and would never have the chance to meet again.

Just like this fork in the road leading in two directions.

Each of them embarked on their own path, walking on their own journeys, their futures only leading them further and further apart, their paths never to meet again.

I don't know what to feel.

"What is the meaning of our encounter...?"

……

[Xiao Yan: Brother Lu, why aren't you online today? Did you do something naughty last night and are exhausted? Hehe~ Hehehe~]

[Ye Fan: Brother Kadian, your courage is commendable! Have you forgotten Brother Lu's abilities? With Brother Lu crickets swarming behind you, aren't you afraid that one day a clump of crickets will suddenly appear in your mouth?]

[Xiao Yan: Cough cough! You bastard, this is outrageous! Who used the Soul-Gu Technique to control me and make me spout nonsense? I, Xiao Yan, will never forgive him!]

Ye Fan: Tsk tsk! I must say, as expected of you!

[Lu Xian: Huo Huo, why is it that as soon as I logged on, I saw someone saying bad things about me?]

[Xiao Yan: Brother Lu, if I told you that my account was hacked by Old Man Yao just now, would you believe me?]

[Ye Fan: LOL! Believe it or not, I don't believe it!]

[Lu Xian: Tsk, do you think I believe you? Next time I'll have to arrange a full-service package for you.]

[Xiao Yan: Brother Lu, please don't! Little Yan knows he was wrong!]

[Yan Ling Ji: @Lu Xian, why are you so late online today?]

[Lu Xian: Fire-starter, were you waiting for me? What's up, did you need something?]

Lu Xian was a little surprised.

The Fire-Striker Girl actually took the initiative to contact him.

[Yan Lingji: I originally wanted to find an opportunity to personally go to that charlatan's world to understand my own destiny, but his world is gone.]

[Yan Ling Ji: Now only you know my future.]

[Yan Lingji: I want to know, what my original fate and ending would have been.]

Looks like there's some juicy gossip to come!

The group chat fell silent instantly, with people silently watching.

[Lu Xian: Before I give you an answer, you might as well guess for yourself whether your ending will be good or bad.]

Inside the crystal cage, a hint of melancholy crept into Yan Lingji's gentle gaze, her long, narrow phoenix eyes telling a story.

After a brief moment of thought, she gave her response.

[Yan Lingji: The person I'm loyal to is a member of the old era, an outcast of the new. I think my ending won't be good.]

Scattered raindrops began to patter down.

Lu Xian looked up and saw dark clouds surging in the sky. He needed to find a place to take shelter from the rain first.

"I hope there's a place to take shelter from the rain by the roadside..."

[Lu Xian: Since you see things so clearly, why be blindly loyal?]

[Yan Ling Ji: You should know that I am a citizen of Baiyue, I had no choice.]

[Lu Xian: You have a choice, you just don't want to choose.]

[Lu Xian: Several thousand years from now, not only the Baiyue, but even the Xiongnu grasslands will be one family. Fifty-six ethnic groups will jointly form a new China, without distinction between one another.]

[Yan Lingji: I once saw the nineteenth level of hell in the mortal realm.]

[Yan Lingji: You yourself said that's a matter for the future. The current Baiyue people are suffering terribly, their homes and countries shattered, they're in dire straits, resorting to cannibalism. They can't see tomorrow, let alone the future. They need a leader to guide them forward.]

The original text can be found at 6#9@book/bar!

Ahead of the road.

Beside a low hill, a thatched hut made of wood appeared, seemingly a temporary stop for nearby villagers who were hunting or chopping wood.

"What great luck!"

Lu Xian's face lit up with joy. He rode his horse at full speed to the front, and just as he led the horse into the drafty thatched hut, a torrential downpour began to pour down outside.

It was drizzling inside, but it was better than getting soaked to the bone; at least we had a place to stay.

In the corner were several bundles of dry firewood tied together with vines.

"It really is just a woodcutter's temporary resting place."

Lu Xian overturned a bundle of firewood to use as a stool and began replying in the chat group.

[Lu Xian: Tianze is not the leader you imagined. Since you want to know your fate, I will tell you. You can judge for yourself.]

[Lu Xian: Your story begins when Han Fei, the Ninth Prince of Han, returns to Xinzheng.]

[Lu Xian: Not long after that, Wushuang Gui will rescue you from the crystal cage. At that time, Tianze will also be released from the dungeon by Xueyi Hou. However, he has been cursed and become a weapon in Xueyi Hou's hands, used to deal with Han Fei, the Ninth Prince of Han.]

[Lu Xian: The situation in Han is treacherous. The Blood-Clad Marquis and General Ji Wuye represent the Nightfall faction; Han Fei and Guigu Weizhuang represent the Quicksand faction; and then there's King Ying Zheng of Qin and Guigu Gai Nie, along with Qin's top-tier assassins from the Luo Wang organization. Beyond Han, the Qin cavalry is stationed, ready to seize the entire country with a mere pretext for military action. The national situation is truly a chaotic mess.]

[Lu Xian: As Tianze's subordinate, with your master being controlled, to put it bluntly, you are caught in this chaotic mess in Korea, merely pawns constantly being used by all sides, living a life of hiding and running. In the eyes of the other forces, you are nothing more than clowns.]

[Lu Xian: The Qin envoy to Han was killed by your master, Tianze, in retaliation. Tianze wanted to incite Qin to destroy Han. To appease Qin's anger and prevent them from having a pretext to attack Han, Tianze made a deal with Han Fei, the leader of the Quicksand organization. Quicksand would steal the antidote to cure him, but you became Tianze's sacrifice.]

[Lu Xian: You were pushed forward by Tianze to take the blame for the murder of the Qin envoy, and accompanied Han Fei to Qin to apologize. Qin was a much larger vortex, with a situation far more complex than Han. In the end, you and Han Fei both died under the Six Soul Curse of the Yin-Yang School's Moon Goddess, the Qin State Preceptor.]

[Lu Xian: This is your original destiny.]

[Lu Xian: After hearing this, do you still think Tianze is the person you envisioned who can change the current situation of the Baiyue people?]

[Lu Xian: Tianze has been imprisoned for so many years, he has long since gone mad. He may have indeed been a good prince of Baiyue before, with ambitions for his country, but now he is no longer the Baiyue prince you know. He no longer sees the people of Baiyue, or even Baiyue itself. He only has selfish desires and wants to take revenge on Han.]

[Lu Xian: That's all I have to say. If you still want to continue down this path and believe he's the leader who can guide the Baiyue people forward, I won't try to persuade you any further.]

This is a heavy chapter in history.

Lu Xian closed the chat group interface, feeling a mix of emotions.

"In that era, disaster victims were displaced and ate everything from grass roots to tree bark. Thousands of years later, in modern times, people disregard moral principles and have become utterly devoid of conscience..."

This history led Lu Xian to a conclusion.

Some things in modern times that can no longer be called human are simply those that are overfed...

He thought of the two odd couples Tang San encountered in the Ghost World and couldn't help but shake his head.

Outside the thatched hut.

The world was pitch black, and rumbling thunder was brewing like lightning in the thick, dark clouds.

Amidst the drifting rain, the sound of footsteps splashing through puddles could be heard.

Lu Xian's ears twitched. He slowly got up and walked towards the only broken door of the thatched hut. "With such heavy rain, which unlucky fellow got caught up in the same situation as me..."

He stood at the entrance of the thatched hut.

Looking at the figure walking step by step through the dark rain...

Boom—

A pale flash of lightning ripped through the inky clouds, briefly illuminating the world. In the ripples of water at the corner of the house, two fragmented figures were reflected.

A person stood inside the house, their eyes calm and still.

A person stands outside the house, letting the heavy rain wash over them.

Her black hair was disheveled, and raindrops kept sliding down her fair cheeks...

"Why did you follow me?"

"I don't know what the meaning of our meeting is, but I think it shouldn't be a separation..."

(End of this chapter)