Xuan Zi lowered his eyes and clutched the wine gourd in his hand. The Taotie Douluo, who had always been carefree and concerned with nothing but eating and drinking, now had eyes full of unshakable guilt and desolation. He seemed to have returned to that bloodstained patch of forest in the Star Dou Great Forest, watching those young, vibrant lives wither away.
Seeing him like this, Jiang Che sighed inwardly. He walked over and slowly crouched in front of Xuan Zi. "Elder Xuan, you don't need to blame yourself, and you don't need to thank me."
"What happened back then wasn't your fault alone. The Soul Master World is full of dangers, and the Star Dou Great Forest is fraught with peril. The appearance of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast was an unforeseen disaster, not something you brought about on purpose."
"You've spent your life protecting Shrek and nurturing countless outstanding disciples. Your contributions to the academy and the Soul Master World on the continent have long surpassed the consequences of this one accident."
"No one is perfect. Who can go through life without making mistakes? Besides, you've never let go of your guilt all these years. You've been trying to make amends in your own way, protecting Shrek and every generation of Inner Court disciples. We can all see how much you care."
Jiang Che raised his hand and gently patted Xuan Zi's shoulder, his voice growing even softer. "The dead are gone, but the living remain. If those disciples who passed away could see you now, they'd never want you to torment yourself like this."
"All they ever wanted was to become pillars of Shrek and protect the academy. You've already kept that aspiration alive for them and held up the sky over Shrek."
"The regrets of the past