Bone-white flames silently licked the black medicine cauldron. From within came the faint sizzling of medicinal ingredients being refined. A rich, unusual medicinal fragrance began to spread through the courtyard, carrying the freshness of plants and an indescribable warmth.
The children watched curiously, their little faces filled with wonder, as though they were witnessing a real magic show. Yao Lao's gentle soul power enveloped them like a warm spring breeze, driving the chill from their bodies and the fear from their hearts.
Xiao Yi squatted carelessly off to one side, pulling several pieces of still-warm malt candy from his robes that he had bought on the way. He handed them out to the children one by one, continuing to boast about how he had "outwitted" Jia Lie Ao. "You know what? When you run into someone who throws his weight around like that, don't be scared! Be like your big brother here-show some backbone! Overwhelm him mentally first! Look at Jia Lie Ao. Normally, he struts around like he owns the whole world, but I scared him so badly he ran faster than a rabbit! That's what you call winning without spilling blood. Get it?"
Yet Xiao Yan, standing nearby and watching this somewhat warm yet rather absurd scene, felt a complicated, unfathomable emotion slowly rise within him. He watched Yao Lao's miraculous medicine-refining techniques, watched his second brother amuse the children with his usual jokes and antics, watched these children who had only just escaped their sea of suffering, their faces still bewildered but carrying a glimmer of hope... A thought slipped uncontrollably into his mind: Why am I doing this?
From beginning to end, this whole affair seemed to offer no practical benefit whatsoever. He had spent time and effort, even called upon "Old Ghost's" power, to rescue children he had never met. And what came next? Their injuries still needed treatment, and they needed somewhere to stay... That would undoubtedly require even more investment. The Xiao Clan's position in Wutan City was already delicate. Would his decision to bring back a group of children with unknown backgrounds invite unnecessary trouble? If he had not happened upon them today, if Xiao Yi and Yao Lao had not been there, what chance would he have stood against those villains who abducted children?
Xiao Yan could not help imagining what would have happened if, instead of asking the trouble-loving Xiao Yi for help, he had reported the matter to his father, Xiao Zhan. He could almost picture his father's stern face. After hearing his report, his father would most likely furrow his brows and admonish him in a grave voice.
"Yan'er, our Xiao Clan isn't some charity hall with its doors thrown open to everyone! There are countless people suffering in this world. Can you save them all? You saved this group today, but if another such group comes knocking tomorrow, will you save them or not? If you do, what must our Xiao Clan shoulder? Their food and clothing, their safety, and perhaps even stronger enemies lurking behind them! If you don't, once word spreads, won't people point accusing fingers at our backs and say the Xiao Clan leaves people to die, that we're hypocritical and coldhearted? Tell me, what is the point of doing something that brings a hundred harms and not a single benefit?!"
His father's words seemed to echo in his ears, carrying the cold weight of reality. Yes, his father always put the clan's interests first. His considerations were undoubtedly more thorough, and also more... ruthless. By comparison, had his own actions today been too impulsive and idealistic? In a world where the strong devoured the weak, might such nearly overflowing kindness become a burden instead, even bringing potential danger to the clan?
He watched the white flames churning inside the cauldron. Those flames possessed the power to erase a life in an instant, cold and efficient, just like the laws of this world. Compared with them, the pity and compassion stirring within him seemed utterly out of place, even a little ridiculous. Was being kindhearted truly wrong? In this world, did protecting myself and my family mean I had to become harder, colder, and more practical?
The medicinal fragrance grew richer, and the first batch of medicine to heal injuries and dispel the cold was nearing completion. The children's eyes shone with anticipation, while Xiao Yi continued telling jokes with extravagant gestures. Only Xiao Yan stood still, his brows slightly furrowed, sinking into profound confusion and doubt about his actions and beliefs.
By now, the children were completely captivated by Yao Lao's medicine-refining art. They stared unblinkingly at the wondrous cauldron, even forgetting to lick the malt candy Xiao Yi had handed them, their little faces filled with anticipation and a trace of reassurance.
Seeing this, Xiao Yi chuckled and stopped teasing them. He simply squatted quietly nearby, watching Yao Lao work with a measure of curiosity and admiration in his eyes. In the past, he had thought Yao Lao was merely a "vengeful ghost," consumed by hatred until nothing else remained. But now, that did not seem to be the case.
The struggle in Xiao Yan's heart only intensified. His father's imagined words, pragmatic and even cold, circled through his mind like a curse, intertwining with the children's battered bodies before him to form a sharp contradiction. He drew a deep breath of the slightly cool, medicine-scented air, finally made up his mind, and walked over to Xiao Yi, gently tugging his sleeve.
At the tug, Xiao Yi turned his head in mild confusion. "Hmm? What's wrong, Xiao Yan? Want to learn this medicine-refining trick too? Let me tell you, this is just external alchemy..."
Xiao Yan interrupted him, his voice somewhat low and filled with unmistakable confusion and conflict. "Do you think what we're doing is... wrong?" He paused, looking at Xiao Yi's faintly irreverent face, then continued.
"Look, we saved these children, but what happens afterward? Who's going to feed them? Who's going to protect them? With the Xiao Clan's current situation... could this bring trouble to the clan? Besides, this isn't Earth anymore. We transmigrated here, and this world... follows completely different rules. If we keep using the ideas from our old world, talking about kindness and compassion here... aren't we being too naive? Too... unrealistic?"
Hearing Xiao Yan's words, especially "Earth" and "transmigrated," the playful smile slowly faded from Xiao Yi's face. He fell silent for a moment, abandoning his usual laughing manner as his gaze grew deeper. He looked at Xiao Yan, then glanced at the bewildered children and Yao Lao's spectral figure, wholly absorbed in refining medicine. Only then did he slowly speak, his tone carrying an unusual seriousness mixed with his customary unpredictability.
"Oh? So you're... finally starting to think the old 'you' was too 'idealistic,' and you want to become a little more 'realistic'?" He drew out the words, as though savoring those two terms.
"Tsk, tsk. That budding change in your thinking isn't looking too good." Xiao Yi raised a finger and wagged it in front of Xiao Yan, speaking with an exaggerated expression.
"Let me tell you, based on the countless 'scripts' I've read, whenever the protagonist starts thinking, 'I need to become realistic,' or 'I'll do whatever it takes to get stronger,' the plot usually heads in a very 'exciting' direction. For example, he starts seeing family and friendship as burdens in his pursuit of power, then his moral bottom line sinks lower and lower, until he simply drains the bloodline power of his entire clan, young and old, and dresses it up as 'ascending with the hopes of the whole clan'! See? How 'realistic'!"
Xiao Yi patted Xiao Yan's shoulder. His tone regained some of its lightness, but the warning in his eyes was unmistakable. "At first, you might just want to be a little more 'realistic' and avoid some trouble. But once you open that breach, your moral bottom line can keep sinking."
Xiao Yi's words exploded in Xiao Yan's heart like a thunderclap. Absorbing the entire clan's bloodline to ascend? Although Xiao Yi had exaggerated, the path his words hinted at-completely abandoning one's moral limits for power and "reality," descending into coldhearted ruthlessness-sent a shudder through him.
He looked at Xiao Yi's seemingly flippant yet deeply meaningful gaze, then at the children, who had perked up slightly thanks to the medicinal fragrance. The confusion in his heart had not entirely faded, but that road toward "realism" and "ruthlessness" suddenly seemed unimaginably dangerous and repellent.
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