117. What Would It Matter to Slaughter the Whole World?

"Do you know who it is?" Zephyr asked, holding his head high.

"Yes, if everything goes as expected." Nodding heavily, Xuan Ye looked at Zephyr and said, "Master, there must be someone behind this poisoning. It means there are three groups of people who caused the deaths of Mistress and little Xing. Rest assured, Master; in this lifetime, I will make them regret ever being born."

"I believe in you, my student!" Reaching out to pat Xuan Ye's shoulder, Zephyr offered a grim, pained smile.

"Master, just focus on recovering at the Navy headquarters. Leave the revenge to me; I will handle everything!"

"Let's not be hasty. Since we know who it is, there is no need to rush. For now, let's go check on Xiao Jin and the others. Because of me, they are still in a coma." At this moment, Zephyr no longer wished to die—at least, not until the culprits were caught.

Previously, Zephyr had been consumed by the desire for death because he felt he had lost all hope. His disciples, his wife, and his son were all dead, and with the loss of his right arm, the chance to exact revenge with his own hands seemed slim. But now, things were different.

He still had Xuan Ye, the disciple he had always treated like his own son.

"Ye, thank goodness I still have you... I still have you..." Zephyr thought to himself, suppressing the agony in his heart. All that remained was vengeance—endless, bottomless vengeance.

"Master, after this, I will not be so reckless again." Clenching his fists, Xuan Ye felt a surge of regret. If he hadn't fought the Golden Lion to the death and had chosen to escape instead, perhaps Mistress and little Xing would still be alive.

"Master, where is she buried?" After a moment of silence, Xuan Ye asked, his face full of guilt.

"Not far from here. You... you owe her an explanation." Zephyr paused for a moment before gesturing to the side, where Gion was laid to rest.

"I understand." Kneeling down, Xuan Ye kowtowed three times to his mistress and little Xing. He stood up and said to Zephyr, "Master, I want to go see her."

"Go ahead. I'm going to the Navy hospital to see if Xiao Jin and the others have woken up." With a sigh, Zephyr chose not to accompany him.

"Understood! Take care, Master!" With that, Xuan Ye walked directly toward Gion’s grave.

A few minutes later, he reached the fresh gravesite. In front of the tombstone lay a bouquet of flowers; it was clear someone had visited recently. Beside it was another grave—undoubtedly intended for Xuan Ye himself.

As he approached, he saw a familiar photograph attached to the tombstone.

He stood silently, his face expressionless. After ten minutes, he sat cross-legged before the grave, his complexion turning pale.

"My name is Gion. You must be Xuan Ye, right?"
"Why are you borrowing money?"
"I want to be your friend."
"Xuan Ye, these are the desserts I made."
"Live well... I love you..."

Nervousness, smiles, contentment, and finally, the moment she lost her breath in his arms—Gion had always been like a fool, silently loving and caring for him, while he had ignored it all.

His eyes reddened. He did not want to cry, but why were the tears so real?

Reaching out to stroke the photograph on the tombstone, Xuan Ye whispered, "Why are you such a fool? Someone like me isn't worth loving. How am I supposed to carry on after what you've done?"

"I never knew that in this world, a girl would be willing to give up her life for me. If I had known, I should have tried to love you back. But... why did it have to end like this?"

"If you had another chance, would you still insist on a love that had no return? You silly girl."

"She would!" A calm voice suddenly rang out. Tsuru looked at the man sitting on the ground with complex emotions—she was both angry and helpless.

"Is that so? Women are truly hopeless!"

"I once told her that you weren't worth her love, yet she threw herself into the fire time and again. Even if it meant death, she was fearless. Tell me, what did she owe you in her past life?" Her eyes red, Tsuru wiped away tears that threatened to fall, sighing deeply.

"It isn't she who owes me; I owe her. The Golden Lion must die!" Staring quietly at the photograph, Xuan Ye wore a smile, but his tone was bone-chilling.

"You are no match for him," Tsuru said, frowning, delivering the harsh truth without mercy.

"I am young. Whatever I have lost, even if it costs me my life, I will take it back." Standing up, the corners of his mouth curled into a bloodthirsty grin as he looked at Tsuru. "Everything owed to me, I will reclaim piece by piece. No matter who they are, I will make them pay ten times over."

"You've gone mad," Tsuru said, suppressing a sense of impending doom.

"Vice Admiral Tsuru, you are a smart person. You know you cannot stop me. Of course, you could try to strike first, but think carefully—I haven't taken action yet. Don't force my hand!"

"Don't forget, I am a member of the Navy!" Tsuru said, her face darkening.

"Indeed, you are still the Navy. But regarding the matter of my Master, if I find out anything, then everyone involved will die!" With a look of pure madness, Xuan Ye stared straight at her. "Of course, if someone tries to stop me, they had better be prepared to die. You are so clever; you cannot have failed to notice something. I know what you are worried about, but I am warning you: do not try to stop me."

"A person's forbearance has a limit, and someone has cut through mine. I will make them pay tenfold. I have never been a soft-hearted person, and surely you, Vice Admiral Tsuru, have known that for a long time."

"Do you know the consequences of this?" Tsuru’s face was pale, reflecting genuine fear.

"Consequences? I have never cared for them. All I care about is the present. Since someone in the Navy dared to strike at my Master and trample my boundaries, then everyone involved can go down and join my mistress and my junior brother in the grave!"

"You cannot do that!" Tsuru stared at him, wide-eyed.

"If I recall correctly, you are a close friend of my Master's and a sister to my mistress. It is truly ironic that you would be the one trying to stop me!" With a look of utter disdain, Xuan Ye glared at her, leaving her gaze dim.

"Vice Admiral Tsuru, think clearly. If you don't stop me, perhaps the consequences won't be as severe. But if you do, it might be more than you can bear. I am not a person to be trifled with. You must realize that the ties that bound me to the Navy are gone... decide for yourself!"

"If that is the case, then you are making yourself an enemy of the world!" Tsuru looked at him.

"And so what? If the world deceives me, I will destroy the heavens! As long as I can have my revenge, what does it matter if I slaughter the entire world? I, Xuan Ye, have never been afraid. I only care about what I care about; everything else is nothing to me!"

"Do you really want to become a monster without feelings?" Tsuru clutched her chest, struggling to catch her breath.

"Ha... haha..." Suddenly, Xuan Ye laughed, his tears flowing along with it. "A monster without feelings? The people who loved me, cared for me, and cherished me are all dead. They are all dead! And you come to me now and talk about feelings? What are feelings? I have lost everything. All that is left is endless destruction."

His eyes were blood-red, devoid of any positive emotion, replaced only by endless rage, cruelty, and the thirst for vengeance.

"In this man-eating world, kindness, tolerance, and weakness are all sins. Therefore, I am willing to become the conductor of destruction and slaughter."

Having said that, he ignored the stunned Tsuru and headed down the mountain to the hospital to see Xiao Jin.

This time, Xuan Ye was acting recklessly, but he could no longer hold back. Perhaps this Navy should indeed disappear.

This world, perhaps, should not exist at all.

His eyes were cold as ice. There was no longer any trace of his former hesitation—only an endless, brutal ferocity.

"You still owe me a promise," Tsuru gritted her teeth, watching his receding figure.

"I know!" Xuan Ye waved his hand, gradually disappearing into the horizon.

"What should I do..." Looking at the silent cemetery, Tsuru clenched her fists, her heart conflicted. Reason told her that the Navy must come first, but her emotions told her that the Navy had gone too far this time. On one side was the justice she upheld, and on the other, her own ties.

"Gion, what should I do? You fell in love with such an extreme person—or rather, a completely pathological one."

Even the ever-wise Tsuru was now trapped in a web of indecision.