Fighting Against the Odds: I Am the Right Path

Chapter 528 I’m not a hero

After leaving the auction house, Xiao Yan took Yun Xiao for a stroll on the street. After a year of development, there were a lot of food and entertainment shops on the streets of Black Horn Region. Xiao Yan completely depended on Yun Xiao and agreed to whatever Yun Xiao wanted to eat or play. Xiao Yan also enjoyed a warm father-daughter time.

When Xiao Yan and Yun Xiao were passing by a teahouse, they were suddenly startled and sensed a familiar breath. He turned his head to look inside the teahouse and saw the back of a familiar old man.

The old man also sensed something. He turned his head slightly, and was stunned for several seconds when he saw Xiao Yan. Then his pupils shrank slightly, and he asked uncertainly.

"Xiao Yan?"

"Senior Yingshan, long time no see."

Xiao Yan greeted him with a smile, and Old Man Yingshan rubbed his eyes to make sure he was not seeing things.

"Xiao Yan, are you really still alive?"

"Haha, maybe your luck is better than you think."

Xiao Yan smiled softly, then held Yun Xiao and sat in front of Old Man Yingshan's table. Old Man Yingshan looked at Yun Xiao in Xiao Yan's arms and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Who is this child?"

"It's my daughter." Xiao Yan bowed his head and greeted Yun Xiao, "Xiao Xiao, say hello to Grandpa Yingshan."

"Hello, Grandpa Yingshan."

Yun Xiao nodded obediently, and then hid in Xiao Yan's arms.

It was obvious that Old Man Yingshan did not look so kind. At least the child's first impression of him was that he was a little frightened.

"Hey~ hello~"

Old Man Yingshan also showed a smile that he thought was kind, but things did not go as he wished. Yun Xiao's eyes showed even deeper fear, and he buried his head directly in Xiao Yan's arms, making Old Man Yingshan touch his bald head helplessly.

"It seems that I am not that popular with children."

"Senior Yingshan, please don't be offended."

Xiao Yan apologized softly, and the old man Yingshan waved his hand lightly and said with some emotion.

“I was very sad when I heard about your death. I finally met someone I could trust completely in my life, but he was gone in the blink of an eye. I started to doubt my life.” Old Man Yingshan poured a cup of tea for Xiao Yan and said softly, “The guy you arranged was quite good at dealing with things. Whenever he had free time, he would drag me to a brothel. Although I’m not interested in that.”

Hearing what the old man from Yingshan said, Xiao Ning’s smiling face suddenly appeared in Xiao Yan’s mind, and cold sweat ran down his forehead.

Cousin Xiao Ning, you are really not picky about who you invite.

But seeing that the old man from Yingshan didn't seem disgusted, Xiao Yan chuckled and said.

"Senior Yingshan, you look pretty good."

"Well, I haven't lived so comfortably in many years. I never dared to think about it before, and I never thought that the place where I could live so comfortably would be in the Black Horn Region." The old man Yingshan took a sip of tea and glanced at Xiao Yan. "The longer you live here, the more curious I am about you."

To be honest, unifying the Black Horn Region is not as difficult as climbing to the sky. The real difficulty is to make the Black Horn Region abandon the concept of the survival of the fittest.

"I heard from that kid Xiao Ning about your experience of unifying the Black Horn Region, and I also heard about the difficulties you encountered in changing the Black Horn Region." Old Man Yingshan glanced at the passers-by on the street and said lightly: "Among the people who are now enjoying such a stable life, there are those who once spoke ill of you and were very resistant to you. Were you not confused when you were trying to change them? Confused about why you should help them."

According to Xiao Ning's description, Xiao Yan suffered a lot in order to change these people's ideas. The most common thing he encountered was that although he was clearly helping the weak, he was still ridiculed, despised, and even cursed by them. The people in the Evil Prison wanted to take action against those ungrateful people more than once, but were stopped by Xiao Yan every time.

To be honest, the old man Yingshan tried to put himself in Xiao Yan's shoes. If he saw that the weak people he had helped with great effort turned around and accused and insulted him, he would kill them all no matter how calm his temper was.

I can't stand this, or rather, few people with strength can stand this.

I am a strong person who is helping a weak person with good intentions. Not only do you not appreciate it, but you also scold me? I am giving you face?

Therefore, Old Man Yingshan was really curious about what kind of mentality Xiao Yan had that allowed him to persist to this extent. It was obvious that with his ability, he could use iron-fisted measures to silence all those weaklings.

When Xiao Yan heard the question from the old man Yingshan, he asked back.

"Confused? Why should I be confused?"

This answer stunned the old man Yingshan, and Xiao Yan continued.

"What I do is what I want to do, and I do it for my own sake, not for the recognition and praise of others." Xiao Yan gently stroked Yun Xiao's little head and said lightly: "No matter how much they ridicule me, I don't care. I only care about how to achieve my goal."

Xiao Yan turned his head and looked at the people walking on the road.

"Everyone thinks that I did all this for them, but that's not the case." Xiao Yan's eyes revealed determination, "I just did it for myself, to achieve my own ideals, and to make the entire continent what I want it to be. That's all."

"As for other people, whether they like me or hate me, I don't care."

Listening to Xiao Yan's words, the old man Yingshan narrowed his eyes slightly, with a gleam in his eyes.

From the first time they met, Old Man Yingshan felt that Xiao Yan was an unusual existence.

Now after hearing what he said, he seemed even more abnormal.

Obviously, everything he did was for the benefit of others, but he said some very selfish things.

Moreover, the old man Yingshan could clearly feel that Xiao Yan was not lying. He truly believed from the bottom of his heart that everything he did was just for himself.

At this time, Xiao Yan spoke again and talked to himself.

"Since I was a child, I saw the heroes in those stories being respected and admired by everyone. At that time, a question would arise in my heart."

"Can the status of a hero only be maintained if he is respected and admired by others?"

"If a hero is not respected or admired for what he does, but is instead criticized and reviled by everyone, can he still persist in being a hero?"

"It would be fine if they just gave up being heroes, but perhaps some heroes, because of the malice of the people, would turn around and harm the people they once protected."

Having said that, Xiao Yan looked at the old man Yingshan and asked.

"Senior Yingshan, do you think it is right for a hero who protects the people to harm the people he protects because he suffers from the people's malice?"

".At least I would do the same if it were me. I would not protect those who have bad intentions towards me."

The indifferent answer from Old Man Yingshan confirmed his own answer from another perspective.

Xiao Yan smiled and said softly without arguing with him.

"But I will protect them."

"Because I'm not a hero, I never want to be a hero, I just want to do what I want to do, the reason why I protect them is because this is one of the things I want to do."

"Those children who envy heroes and loudly swear every day that they want to be heroes in the future only see the glamorous and respected side of heroes, but no one has ever considered how much suffering those heroes have suffered to have these."

"They don't want to be heroes. They just want to be respected and admired by the people. The moment they think they are heroes, they have already trampled everyone under their feet in their hearts. Even if they feel pity for the people, it is just because they are in a superior position and sympathize with the inferiors. They don't care what the people think in their hearts."

"People who only want to be heroes will never be heroes."

"Because I understand this deeply, I never think about being a hero."

"I am just an ordinary person. I make mistakes like ordinary people, I am misunderstood like ordinary people, and I am hated like ordinary people."

"I warned myself in my heart to never think too highly of myself. I am not that great, and there is no reason for others to respect and admire me."

Xiao Yan looked at the old man from Yingshan and said slowly.

"So no matter what they say about me, I will not feel lost. I will always stay on my own path."

Chapter 529 Domineering Cai Lin

After hearing what Xiao Yan said, Old Man Yingshan was stunned for a long time.

"You kid, you are really an extremely peculiar person."

What happened to Xiao Yan could not be explained by his strong character. It was purely because of his abnormal character.

It's not that he has a stronger ability to endure than others, but that his way of looking at things is different from others from the very beginning.

Old Man Yingshan took another sip of tea and said.

"Well, I finally understand your abnormality. But it is precisely because of your understanding that you can get to where you are now."

Xiao Yan smiled softly, without commenting, then frowned slightly and asked softly.

"Senior Yingshan, how much do you know about the Soul Palace? Can you tell me in detail?"

"Ok?"

The old man from Yingshan frowned slightly, then remained silent for a long time, and said lightly.

"Are you sure you want to know?" The old man Yingshan's eyes shone with a gleam of light, "This may not be something you should know."

"Please be frank, Senior Yingshan. I really need to know the specific situation of the Soul Palace now."

Xiao Yan nodded solemnly. The old man from Yingshan stared at him closely. After a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind and spoke slowly.

"Since you insist so much, I will tell you what I know."

"The Soul Palace is the most powerful force in the Douqi Continent. As far as I know, the Soul Palace was founded by the Soul Clan, one of the eight ancient clans."

"Over the years, the main task of the Soul Palace has been to collect souls and refine their essence."

"And alchemists become the Soul Palace's first choice because of their powerful soul power."

Upon hearing that Soul Palace chose alchemists as their first target, Xiao Yan's face darkened. Then, noticing some information in Old Man Yingshan's words, he raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Soul Clan? May I ask what this Soul Clan is? And what are the eight ancient clans?"

"The eight ancient tribes are very low-key and mysterious. Ordinary people cannot come into contact with them. They are all very proud of themselves."

"Because there was a Dou Emperor in their ancestors, their descendants have cultivation talents far beyond those of ordinary people, including the self-contained space created by the Dou Emperor for the tribe members to live and reproduce."

"I heard that all eight clans have Doudi bloodlines, and their cultivation talents are several times better than those of ordinary people."

As he spoke, the old man from Yingshan paused and raised a finger.

“Let’s put it this way. A Dou Zong-level warrior can already look down on the crowd in the Northwest Continent. Even if he can’t rank among the top warriors in the Central Continent, he still has the capital to establish a power or sect.” Elder Yingshan narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly, “However, among the eight ancient clans, Dou Zongs are numerous.”

When Xiao Yan heard this, his pupils suddenly constricted, and his eyes revealed deep disbelief.

In the Northwest Continent, there are already Dou Zong masters who are at the top, but in the Eight Ancient Clans, there are so many of them? ! !

"When I was young, I went to Zhongzhou. After learning about these things, I came back in disgrace. I have never set foot in Zhongzhou again. I don't even have the slightest thought of going there." Old Man Yingshan said calmly, holding a teacup, "In the Northwest Continent, I can still protect myself alone, but in Zhongzhou, if you don't reach the Dou Zun level, don't even think about going alone. It won't be surprising if you are found dead on the street one day."

The old man from Yingshan is not afraid of death, but he is extremely clear about the limits of his abilities.

Living a stable life is enough for him, and he has no reason to go to Zhongzhou and risk his life.

Looking at Xiao Yan's heavy expression, Old Man Yingshan gave him a sincere warning.

"I feel that your strength has greatly improved in this year. Coupled with your combat power that far exceeds your level, it is enough for you to go to Zhongzhou to protect yourself." The old man Yingshan paused and said earnestly: "But if you happen to meet someone from the Eight Ancient Clans, if there is no dispute, I advise you to stay as far away from them as possible. According to my judgment, I am afraid that all forces other than the Eight Clans combined cannot compete with one of them."

".Xiao Yan has learned from you."

Xiao Yan nodded solemnly, his heart also on the eight ancient clans, and then he was slightly stunned.

The ancient jade that Xiao Ji handed to him looked to be exactly one-eighth the size. Could it be that this ancient jade was related to the eight ancient tribes?

Moreover, the Soul Palace belongs to the Soul Clan. According to Xiao Ji's speculation, Xun'er might have come to the Xiao family for this ancient jade. In that case, is Xun'er also one of the eight clans?

Xiao Yan frowned and thought for a while, then shook his head lightly and put the matter aside for the time being.

This kind of thing cannot be guessed by mere guessing. Only by going to Zhongzhou and seeing it with your own eyes can you confirm it.

The words of old man Yingshan just now echoed in his mind again. All the forces except the eight clans combined are no match for one of them. Doesn't this mean that any clan has the ability to destroy the world?

Thinking of this, Xiao Yan's face darkened and he raised his hand to cover his mouth.

It seems that it is not just a matter between Sister Xiao Yu and the Soul Palace. When we go to Zhongzhou in the future, we must also confirm these eight ancient clans.

If the description of Old Man Yingshan is correct, these eight ancient tribes are very likely the biggest obstacles standing in his way.

"Well, I should go buy some tea leaves. We can talk later." Old Man Yingshan stood up slowly and glanced at Xiao Yan. "Knowing that you are still alive should be the happiest thing for me this year."

As the old man from Yingshan said this, he glanced at Yun Xiao in Xiao Yan's arms and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Xiao Yan, you need to improve your strength quickly."

"Ok?"

Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment, and the old man Yingshan continued.

"Do you know why I have always been alone?"

"It's because I'm afraid of being tied down, afraid of being constrained by emotions."

"But Xiao Yan, you have already left too many ties. With your personality, there will be more and more ties in the days ahead, and your ideals will offend more and more people."

"You can sacrifice your life for the ideal in your heart, or even walk away, but what about the ties that surround you? When you are practicing your ideal, will the people around you be implicated by you?"

"Do you really have the ability to protect them while you are changing the world?"

"Think about it carefully, don't wait until something happens before you regret it."

After saying these heartfelt reminders, the old man from Yingshan hunched over and walked away slowly, leaving Xiao Yan sitting there in shock while holding Yun Xiao.