I Actually Quite Like Her (Continued)

It was as if he were stating a fact, or as if he were convincing himself. The fleeting fluctuation in those inorganic golden eyes, though faint, was clearly captured by Qian Daoliu.

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Qian Daoliu a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions surging within him, and tried his best to calm his voice.

"Qian Xunji".

He no longer called him "unfilial son" or cursed him; he simply used the calmest tone to call out the name he had given his son.

"If you still have any humanity left..."

His gaze pierced through the golden barrier and landed on Qian Xunji's profile.

Let's stop.

"Think of Xiao Xue."

Qian Xunji paused slightly.

Qian Daoliu saw it.

He continued, his voice trembling slightly, a tremor he himself was unaware of:

"That girl has admired you since she was little. You know that."

"When she was little, you taught her cultivation, and she was so happy that she couldn't sleep for three days. She worked hard every night so that she could show you when you came next time."

"You've been missing for so many years, and she never suspected you. I told her you might be dead, but she didn't believe me. She said that Father must have something important to do, and he would come back when he was done."

"You're back! You saw how happy she was."

"She threw herself into your arms and chattered on and on, telling you everything that had happened in the Divine Realm —that she had fought the Sea God, exposed the Asura God, and expanded the barriers of the Divine Realm —she thought you would be proud of her."

"She trusts you so much."

Qian Daoliu's voice grew lower and deeper, as if he had poured ten thousand years of longing and heartache into these few words: "She accepted your teachings, followed the justice in her heart, and did everything in her power to the Divine Realm."

"She worked so hard."

"Then believe that this world is a beautiful place."

"Then I trust you."

Qian Daoliu closed his eyes, then opened them again. "But what about now?"

"You're here, watching the Dragon Clan and the Divine Realm fight, watching so many lives perish, watching that furnace devour everything—"

What are you going to make her think?

"How is she supposed to face the things she's held onto since childhood?"

How can you expect her to believe that there is any justice in this world?

"Qian Xunji".

His voice suddenly became very soft, almost pleading. "You personally broke what was most precious to her."

"If you truly have any humanity..."

Let's stop.

Silence reigned in the void.

Only the furnace was still roaring, only the magic array was still operating, and only the corpses were still being devoured.

Qian Xunji stood there, motionless.

Those golden eyes remained fixed on the direction of the furnace, without turning back.

But Qian Daoliu saw his back stiffen for a moment.

Qian Daoliu's heart was in his throat.

it works.

But--

Qian Xunji closed her eyes.

The firelight cast flickering light on his face, making it difficult to see clearly.

a long time.

He opened his eyes.

When those golden eyes reopened, Qian Daoliu's heart sank to the bottom.

The daze vanished.

Instead, there is a resolve that is more steadfast, more resolute, and more unwavering than before.

Cold.

"I won't stop."

Qian Xunji.

Qian Daoliu's body swayed, almost collapsing under the invisible restraints.

"You..."

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he found himself unable to utter a single word.

"You're right."

Qian Xunji spoke, his tone as calm as if he were talking about someone else's business.

"Xiao Xue admires me a lot."

She trusts me a lot.

"She works very hard."

"She firmly adhered to her own sense of justice."

"She--"

Qian Xunji paused, and something seemed to flash in his golden eyes.

"I quite like her..."