An Yi: I'll take my revenge, you take yours. We'll keep them separate

At noon the next day.

An Yi pushed open the bedroom door and walked out alone.

Inside, Bibi Dong was cultivating with her eyes closed.

Last night's thorough outpouring of emotion had dispelled much of the gloom pent up in her heart. Before she had even fully woken that morning, the bottleneck that had held her Soul Power stagnant for so long had begun to loosen.

With any luck, she would break through to rank eighty-eight today.

In the suite's living room, Qian Renxue sat obediently beside the table, where the lunch she had ordered in advance was already laid out.

Hearing the door open, Qian Renxue looked up and asked quietly, "Teacher, where's Mom?"

An Yi walked over. Instead of pulling out a chair, he suddenly bent down, reached out, and scooped Qian Renxue out of her seat.

"She's cultivating."

Qian Renxue stiffened and blinked in surprise. "Teacher, what's wrong?"

Holding her, An Yi sat down on the sofa beside them. "I've held Bibi Dong for you so many times. It's your turn to let me hold you."

Qian Renxue did not struggle and rested her head on his shoulder. Sensing the subdued note in his voice, she could not help asking, "Teacher, are you unhappy?"

An Yi sighed. "No. I'm just thinking about what to do next."

Qian Renxue looked puzzled. "Next? What's wrong?"

An Yi patted her back and said slowly, "Haven't you always been curious about where I actually came from?"

"Sea God Island."

Qian Renxue's expression froze, and she abruptly raised her head. "Sea God Island?"

"That's right. The Sea God Island that Spirit Hall attacked in force twelve years ago." An Yi looked at her, his gaze calm. "Do you know what I came back to the continent to do?"

"I came to take revenge."

Qian Renxue's pupils contracted slightly.

An Yi continued on his own. "Spirit Hall sent two thousand Soul Masters back then. After landing on the island, they killed so many people on Sea God Island. That blood feud, deep as the sea, is right there. Everyone on Sea God Island hates Spirit Hall to the bone. Tell me, what should I do?"

"Those Soul Masters who landed on the island were following orders, certainly. But who gave that order?"

"Qian Xunji."

A mocking smile curled An Yi's lips. "In the eyes of your Spirit Hall, is marching into someone else's home and slaughtering them at will called conquest? Is it called a righteous cause?"

"I don't understand it, and I don't want to."

"But..."

An Yi paused, loosened his arms around her, and held Qian Renxue by the shoulders instead, positioning her on his lap to face him.

"I happened to become your teacher."

An Yi looked straight into her eyes. "Tell me, what should I do?"

"If I kill Qian Xunji, the two of us will become enemies for good."

"But if I do nothing, how could I face everyone on Sea God Island?"

"Because of one order from Qian Xunji, they lost the family members they lived with day and night. They had been living peacefully on Sea God Island, contending with no one in the world. They had nothing whatsoever to do with Spirit Hall, much less any conflict of interest."

"And what happened? Just because Spirit Hall discovered a Soul Master organization deep in the ocean, Qian Xunji had to send troops to rule over them?"

An Yi shook his head, his voice growing a little colder. "I don't understand that bandit logic, and I don't want to. All I know is that a debt of blood must be repaid in blood."

"Everyone on Sea God Island raised me and treated me very well. If I pretended nothing had happened, honestly, I'd be too ashamed to go back and face them."

"But if I really kill Qian Xunji, we'll be no different from strangers, even as teacher and student."

At this point, An Yi sighed softly, a trace of helplessness showing in his eyes.

"To be honest, I really am reluctant to part with you."

"But some things are simply destined not to work out both ways."

"The two of us are destined to become enemies."

Qian Renxue sat dazedly on his lap, feeling her throat tighten. Her lips moved, but she could not utter a single word.

An Yi raised both hands and cupped her slightly pale face, gently brushing his thumbs over her cheeks.

"I kept telling you before that children should stay out of adults' affairs."

"But what did you do? You insisted on asking. You insisted on getting involved."

"Now you know everything. What do we do?"

Looking into her panicked eyes, An Yi asked softly, "I can't possibly do nothing. But I also know perfectly well that once I kill your father, you'll hate me. When you grow up, you'll come looking for revenge."

"Xue'er, you tell me. What exactly should I do?"

Qian Renxue's eyes reddened, and her lips trembled. "I... I don't know."

An Yi sighed. "Yes. You don't know, and neither do I."

"But there's one thing I know very well. If I kill Qian Xunji, you'll hate me for the rest of your life, because he's your father."

"But if your father kills me, you'll grieve for a while, then slowly forget and stop caring."

"In your heart, Qian Xunji carries far more weight than I do."

An Yi let go of her face, his tone calm. "In that case, it seems there's no need for me to hesitate for your sake."

"Tormenting myself over someone who doesn't care that much about me is rather absurd."

As he spoke, An Yi placed his hands beneath Qian Renxue's arms, lifted her off his lap, and set her on the floor.

"There's no longer any need to hesitate over what to do next."

Qian Renxue immediately panicked and reached for his sleeve. "Teacher, this..."

An Yi avoided her hand and stood, looking down at her. "There's no room for discussion. Qian Xunji will die. That is a fact that cannot be changed."

"You'll hate me and want to kill me for revenge in the future. That is also a fact that cannot be changed."

"The logic is all that simple and straightforward. There's no value in discussing it further."

"I'll take my revenge, and you take yours. There's nothing more to say."

"That's it. This discussion ends here."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a powerful surge of Soul Power suddenly emanated from behind the tightly shut bedroom door.

Bibi Dong had broken through.

A few breaths later, the door opened, and Bibi Dong walked out.

As she finished her cultivation, she had heard every word of the conversation in the living room. She simply had not expected An Yi to lay his intention to kill Qian Xunji out so openly before Qian Renxue.

An Yi turned to her. "Take her back to Spirit City. I'm going to kill Qian Xunji."

Bibi Dong's expression shifted slightly. "Are you serious?"

"Some things are better kept simple and direct." An Yi's tone was indifferent. "I have ample reason to kill him. There's no need to waste any more words on them."

"I'm off."

As his words fell, the space before An Yi twisted. He stepped into it, and his figure instantly vanished from the living room.

Qian Renxue went deathly pale and turned to Bibi Dong, her voice thick with tears. "Mom, you... hurry and stop him!"

Bibi Dong looked at her coldly. "Why should I stop him? What reason would I have to stop him?"

"Just as he said, he takes his revenge, and you take yours. Simple and direct. There's no need for so much pointless talk."

"Trying to stop him now means forcing him to give up Sea God Island's blood feud. Then why can't you learn to accept your father's death?"

"Since you can't be magnanimous yourself, what right do you have to demand it of him?"

Bibi Dong withdrew her gaze. "All you can do is seek revenge against him in the future."