"The dead are of noble status—they're people. The dead are of lowly status—they're just numbers. The dead are close to you—they're people. The dead are strangers to you—they're just numbers." A light flickered in the gray-robed old man's clear eyes as he said gravely, "I'd like to say that all things possess a spirit and all living beings are equal. But spirits have ranks, and life has classes. That is an undeniable fact. This time, quite a few people died or were injured upon entering the realm—the worst in all these years. The Seven Changbai Sons disappeared without exception. Why didn't I see you cry out for justice for them? Why didn't I see you running around for them?"
Before Yang Xiao Hu could speak, the gray-robed old man continued, "It's because, in your heart, they aren't as important as Li Mu Yang. They're only numbers to you—the portion that can be sacrificed every time one enters the realm."
Yang Xiao Hu stared at the old man before him in astonishment.
His skin was ruddy, and there were few wrinkles on his face. His pupils were clear and pure, but when he narrowed his eyes slightly, thunder seemed to roll within them. Only his head of long white hair revealed his age.
The old man was very, very old. When Yang Xiao Hu had first entered the Starry Sky, he had looked like this, and even after Yang Xiao Hu became a Starry Sky instructor, he still looked exactly the same. After all these years, his appearance had not changed in the slightest.
No one knew the old man's age. He had probably forgotten it himself.
"In your eyes, the Seven Changbai Sons and the others are numbers. In my eyes, who among us cannot be a number? We spend