AZI Volume 7 Chapter 6.5 Intermission – Needless Empathy Will Only Serve as Shackles

Cold rain pours down from the dark skies, and within a forest, a drenched figure exhales a cold breath of air, while his body shivers uncontrollably with every step taken.

Eventually—

"Ah…"

Unable to take another step forward, the figure collapses onto his knees.

"…"

Being a fugitive on the run, the drenched figure, Cuo Qing Yi had chosen to stay away from commonly used roads.

It's unclear as to how much time had passed since he fled from the capital of the Danqing Empire, but it probably hasn't even been a full 24 hours yet.

"Ugh…"

Crawling forward, Cuo Qing Yi moves himself beneath the crown of a tree, and leans his back against its trunk.

Raising his head, droplets of rainwater drip into his mouth, quenching his slight thirst.

*Boom!*

"…!"

Alarmed by the sound of lightning, Cuo Qing Yi's body stiffens, as he looks around in panic.

"...…"

Momentarily, he relaxes his tense shoulders, and regaining his composure—

"…What now?"

Realizing what he had done, Cuo Qing Yi heaves a heavy sigh.

Two members of the Radiant Sword Sect, along with General Li and the soldiers of the Danqing Empire had been killed by him.

At this point, he can't possibly hope to stay in these lands.

(…Do I head back to the village? No, if I head back like this, I'll probably just end up being a bother to everyone there. I…)

Accompanied by the sound of soft rain and distant lightning, Cuo Qing Yi contemplates the future.

Eventually—

"…"

Opening the storage pouches of the two practitioners that he had killed, Cuo Qing Yi leans his upper body forward, and takes out a thin booklet from one of the pouches.

Detailed on this thin booklet is the basic cultivation method of the Radiant Sword Sect.

Covering the booklet from the rain, while studying its contents, Cuo Qing Yi thought—

(…Become an immortal? Can I do that?)

Thinking of this, Cuo Qing Yi turns his attention to the green stones that are gathered in the white-robed elder's storage pouch.

(These stone…? I think they're called spirit stones? ...…)

Gradually coming to a decision, Cuo Qing Yi clutches the white flute in his robes.

(I'll rest my feet for a bit, then find some place to hide from the rain…)

...…

News of the white-robed elder's death had reached the Radiant Sword Sect quickly, and on the same day that it had happened, disciples of the sect were sent to the capital of the Danqing Empire to ask for details on the culprit.

Upon receiving the reports of the disciples' findings, all the elders of the Radiant Sword Sect were gathered, and—

"Cuo Qing Yi…"

"The killer of Elder Chen was a mortal?"

"That means that the magic treasure in their hands must be quite powerful."

No feelings of sympathy were felt for the white-robed elder, who was surnamed Chen.

All that is present on the faces of the gathered elders is an expression of greed, as they contemplated the matter in their heads.

"Everyone, I just remembered that I had some important matters to take care of. I'll be leaving ahead."

Saying this, one of the elders stood up from their seat, and headed for the door, causing the remaining elders to turn towards the former's back.

Momentarily, another elder rises off their seat, and says—

"I have a personal matter to deal with as well."

"What a coincidence, I too have a personal matter to deal with."

...…

A week after the death of surnamed Chen and General Li—

"…"

Within the corners of a rundown temple, Cuo Qing Yi sits in lotus posture, while cultivating.

Due to the abundance of spirit stones on his person, Cuo Qing Yi was able to raise his cultivation base to the fifth stage of the Qi Condensation realm with relative ease.

Just as the final spirit stone is reduced into ashes—

"…"

Opening his eyes, Cuo Qing Yi exhales a soft breath of air.

And taking out the white flute from the folds of his robes, Cuo Qing Yi examines the item with a frown.

This flute, it had been the cause of all his misfortunes so far, and recalling surnamed Chen—claiming it to be a magic treasure of the demonic nature, Cuo Qing Yi felt the urge to discard it.

However—

(Possessing this flute is misfortunate, but without it, I wouldn't be alive right now… Without this thing by my side going forward, I won't be able to survive…)

A sense of helplessness overwhelms Cuo Qing Yi at the thought of this.

Becoming a wanted criminal overnight, and having what seems to be the entirety of the world flipped against him so suddenly—looking back, Cuo Qing Yi still finds it difficult to believe that this is his current reality.

"Nh…?"

Pressing a hand to his head, Cuo Qing Yi grits his teeth.

Enduring the headache, a voice within his mind says—

(Remember, you're not a god. You're a wanderer, someone who journeys through time and space via reincarnation. Even if you managed to save a world, you can't possibly hope to save everyone in it. Every second, every instance, someone somewhere will inevitably die. Attempting to reach a helping hand out to every pitiful soul that you come across—you'll just end up tiring yourself out sooner on this arduous journey. Besides, death isn't the end. Reincarnation exists, so long as the soul survives. How a stranger lives out their life from start to finish, it doesn't concern you—for you have greater issues to deal with. …This might sound incredibly twisted, but be a bit more selfish. Needless empathy will only serve as shackles to drag you down. Your wish, or the wish of a faceless stranger's, I need not ask you which you should prioritize, correct? …If at one point, you truly do become too fatigued to continue this journey, choosing to give up isn't wrong. As for the consequences of choosing to succumb to that curse… I'll deal with it.)