Chapter 1267: Born Monster

Chapter 1267: A Monster Born of Heaven

Tian She paused after listening, and after a few seconds, he felt that this question sent a chill down his spine.

Indeed, if Huo Shui were truly one of his own people, how could he use her to win the next war? The difficulty of this question was on par with once creating the Shen Shou, full of paradoxes.

After all, by normal logic, if he considered Huo Shui as one of his own, his faction would already have lost.

So, Huo Shui could never be one of his own from start to finish. She had to remain in the enemy's camp, opposing him, to ensure the long-term victory of his side.

He couldn't think of Huo Shui as his own, and she couldn't think of herself as his own either. Only by achieving this delicate balance would her existence benefit him.

But Tian She quickly spotted another problem.

How could he ensure that Huo Shui didn't die amid the endless trials and failures that caused one faction after another, one organization after another, to collapse? Joining a team would lead to the team's destruction, joining an organization would cause it to disintegrate, and even allying with the Sheng Xiao could invite deadly risks.

In such circumstances, how difficult would it be to protect a Huo Shui?

If he chose to save her in danger, she would become "his own," triggering Huo Shui and wiping out his entire faction.

If he chose not to save her, that would mean subconsciously viewing her as "not his own," so even the outcome of Huo Shui activating might not favor him.

Bai She's question sparked a long brainstorming session in Tian She's mind, ultimately leading him to a conclusion—

That Huo Shui couldn't possibly be the result of someone's deliberate plan, as the practical challenges were just too great.

No matter how he thought about it, anyone with even the slightest insight should realize that, even if that person had incredible abilities to protect Huo Shui until now and deliver her to the Liei Che, how could they make her willingly join the Qing Long faction?

Besides, once anyone heard that the other person's Xian Fa was Huo Shui, they wouldn't want to recruit her as one of their own, right?

She was like an electrified chess piece—every time you picked her up, you'd lose a layer of skin.

So, it had to be a coincidence, an absurd yet perfectly timed one.

"A person wanting to defect to Qing Long happens to be a newly awakened Huo Shui—that explanation makes everything a bit more reasonable," Tian She reasoned to himself. "In my view, no one deliberately brought Huo Shui here..."

"Hahaha!" Bai She laughed again after hearing this, but his voice grew softer, and blood from his various wounds dripped down his body, falling into the endless darkness. "What a 'coincidence'... hahaha..."

"Di She... stop laughing! Do you even realize you're about to die?!" Tian She said in a panic. "I'll stitch up your wounds right now—maybe there's still a chance to save you... I really don't want to wander alone here..."

Bai She turned his face weakly, looking at Tian She with his eyes, and then asked:

"My dear teacher, look into my eyes—do you still want to save me?"

Tian She examined those eyes closely, and his expression gradually turned despondent, for they still reflected intense killing intent toward him, showing no sign of diminishing.

Even if he saved him, Bai She would spend the following time trying every way to kill him.

Beyond that killing intent, it seemed there were other things hidden deep in his heart.

Tian She furrowed his brow, trying for the first time to probe into Bai She's subconscious, and after a moment, he discovered traces of heartbreaking regret.

Seeing Tian She fall silent, Bai She turned his dim eyes back to the starry sky and said in a soft voice:

"My dear teacher... I once swore to carve countless wounds into your back, stuff them full of eyes, and then poke them out one by one, turning you into a monster like me... but I didn't manage to do it..."

"Hey... Di She..." Tian She gritted his teeth and rummaged through the ruins for a crochet hook and thread. "Don't talk for now... I'll try to save you first... We can deal with the rest later. We're the only two left here... If you die... then I..."

He pulled Bai She's arm and inserted the hook, but the more he stitched the wounds, the more anguished he felt, overwhelmed by a surge of tears.

Bai She slowly lowered his head, his voice even softer than before: "Also... I met a few good sisters and wanted them to join my 'Mutual Aid Society'... that way, they could come chat with me regularly... but they haven't agreed yet... Is it because I'm a monster...?"

"Hey!! Don't die!!" Tian She didn't know what emotion he was feeling—his eyes were already bloodshot.

Was it grief, sorrow, regret, fear of loneliness, or something else?

He couldn't sort through the jumbled thoughts; he only knew he was crying, and this might be the last time he'd ever hear someone speak.

Bai She slowly closed his eyes, his expression calm: "Teacher, I don't want to be a monster."

"Don't be!!" Tian She roared. "Di She... open your eyes first..."

"But how did I end up being a monster my whole life...?" Bai She said with his eyes closed, a tear sliding down. "From the day I was born... people called me a monster, and even after coming here, I was still one. Teacher... when I met you, I thought finally someone would value me for my talents and use me... but I never expected you to turn me into another monster yourself..."

Upon hearing this, Tian She's expression changed—whether from shame or self-reproach, he just clutched Bai She's shocking wounds with bloodshot eyes.

"I really wanted to shed the identity of a monster... Qi Xia told me... in the end, he'd find a way to peel off this monstrous skin from me... so I could openly embrace the ones I love..."

With his last bit of strength, he opened his eyes and gazed at his pale, snake-skinned hand:

"Unfortunately... this skin is still here... Until my death... I'm... just... a... mon..."

Before Tian She could finish treating the wounds, Bai She grew still.

His expression finally lost its sorrow; he lay with his eyes open, staring at his hand, quietly asleep.

"Ahhhhh!!" Tian She shouted in tearful terror. "Don't do this to me!! Don't!!"

No matter how he shook Bai She, he just stared expressionlessly at his hand.

In the utterly silent space, only Tian She's anguished cries echoed, as if reverberating through the boundless depths of the universe, with no one to hear.