Continue Forward

Despite his thoughts, for a man like Lito, it was clear that business came first.

He led the villagers to collect the bodies of their kin, and upon seeing the bones in the cooking pots, he personally executed the Noxus soldiers that Shen had knocked unconscious.

He struck with great speed, and the villagers had no intention of stopping him, so those remaining Noxus soldiers were buried here forever.

The villagers buried their corpses in the wilderness, away from their own loved ones.

When they took a headcount, they discovered that half of the village's young women had died, and the able-bodied men were almost entirely wiped out, leaving only women, the elderly, and children who were still nursing.

This was something Li Ke could not fix.

He could certainly kill those Noxus soldiers, but feeding hundreds of mouths and clothing hundreds of people was beyond his current capabilities.

Lito took these people and left, bringing them back to the town under his jurisdiction. Although Irelia was reluctant, she had no choice but to leave with her father.

Even though their time together was short, Li Ke's image was firmly imprinted in her mind. She had intended to leave a token of friendship with him, but Lito kept such a close watch that she could not succeed.

Thus, Irelia was taken away by Lito without even a chance to say goodbye to Li Ke.

Shen watched the villagers moving away from the village, his body radiating a baleful aura, and as he listened to their weeping, he felt his mind in complete turmoil.

He once thought that after experiencing the incident with the Golden Demon, he could ignore the tragedies of the mortal world and focus solely on the Balance Order between the Spirit Realm and the Human Realm.

But reality told him he could not.

Yet, between his father's expectations and his father's reputation, as a filial son, he could not even imagine the consequences of not becoming a disciple of the Balance Order.

So, with his mind in chaos, he chose to change the subject.

He looked at Li Ke, who was watching the convoy depart, and feigned indifference, forcing a playful tone.

"If you had invited Lito properly, I imagine you could have become his son-in-law."

Li Ke merely smiled. He knew very well why Lito's attitude toward him was so poor: it was because he had forcibly dragged Irelia into a conflict that did not belong to her.

To any father, this was an intolerable act.

Therefore, he did not feel that Lito had done anything wrong.

"But if I had done that, more people would have died. If I didn't know, it would be one thing, but I do. A person lives in this world to keep their conscience clear, don't they?"

Shen was stunned. He knew Li Ke was trying to comfort him, but bound by the precepts of the Balance Order, he spoke against his own heart.

"But there are still many things in this world that one must uphold."

Li Ke just smiled faintly.

"Then do you think I was wrong?"

As he spoke, he picked up a Noxus longsword and touched Yone's sword in its sheath, sighing helplessly.

He had no way to answer to Yone now.

Although the man had given him the sword, for a swordsman, exchanging blades was akin to entrusting one's family; breaking someone else's sword felt like ruining their wife.

Moreover, he had promised Yasuo that he would return Yone's sword when he finished his mission.

Worst of all, Yone's sword had let out a mournful cry when it snapped, which meant the man had already formed a bond with the magic within the blade.

In the parlance of the immortals, this sword already had a sword spirit...

That made things even worse.

However, this was not the time to dwell on such things. He figured that once Yone learned of his circumstances, he would forgive him.

Given his personality, even if he were heartbroken, he would likely smile and forgive him, right?

Li Ke thought about it and felt that Yone would most likely forgive him with a smile.

After all, he was a good-natured man, the truly honest sort.

What a headache.

He touched the broken blade in his pack again. If he could find a master craftsman, perhaps he could repair the sword. The cost, however, went without saying—it would be a massive sum.

"No."

Shen replied to Li Ke, but he could never have guessed that while he thought Li Ke was worrying about him, Li Ke was only worrying about his own purse.

"Then don't think too much about it. Besides, it's time for us to head out."

Li Ke sighed and picked up a few more Noxus longswords from the ground.

He had a premonition that as long as he needed the overwhelming attack power provided by Overdrive, he would have to be prepared to use a pile of swords at all times.

At the very least, until he learned the Arad Continent's "Weapon Mastery," a skill specifically designed to reduce weapon durability consumption, he could forget about saving money.

He tied the standard-issue Noxus longswords together with a rope and slung them over his back.

What he didn't know how to complain about was that there were exactly five intact, usable Noxus longswords.

And considering his current combat power, he was basically just support for Shen...

"So, have I now grasped the true essence of swordsmanship? Am I already a support character carrying five swords?"

Li Ke felt a bit dizzy.

Although he hadn't touched the powers of Wave, Blood Energy, or Ghost Gods while simulating in the Arad Continent for the sake of stability, that didn't mean he wanted to be a support character who carried five swords and had sword energy when he backstepped!

"Sword God" or whatever might sound impressive, but the attack power is pathetic!

Swordsmanship has its limits!

"What nonsense are you spouting now? We need to get moving."

Shen patted Li Ke in exasperation and brought the carriage over.

He didn't bother with the weapons or gear of the Noxians, as even the cheapest piece of equipment on his own body was superior to everything scattered on the ground.

Li Ke, on the other hand, decided to play it safe; he not only scavenged every Noxian weapon he could find but even strapped on a few spears, a shield, and a set of leather armor.

"And what is this look? Are you trying to disguise yourself as a hedgehog?"

Looking at Li Ke's embarrassing appearance, Shen really wanted to tell him to stop, or perhaps just offer to buy him some decent gear once they reached the next town.

But after a moment's thought, he figured Li Ke was a man with his own dignity, and offering money like that might be insulting.

So, he dismissed the idea.

However, just as he let the thought go, Li Ke suddenly sensed something and abruptly grabbed Shen's hand as he reached for the reins.

"Wait, Shen, I think—I think I just felt someone wanting to sugar-daddy me. Wait for me, I need to go find that beautiful rich loli."

Li Ke's intuition was sharp; he had indeed felt exactly that just a moment ago.

"...As if I'd believe you."

Shen suddenly felt that his father's decision to have him follow Li Ke might have been a mistake.