Song Jian’s face was grim, "...treated as a discarded pawn..."
"Discarded pawn?"
Mo Hua was somewhat surprised.
"Yes," Song Jian murmured, "They are plotting something, even my parents have gained some benefits from it, so they don’t care much about my life or death."
"Me coming back alive seemed to them just an unexpected joy, even..."
Song Jian’s gaze was ice cold, "...I seem more like a ’free gift.’
Mo Hua frowned.
The cruelty and indifference based on interest calculations within those families, he had heard of it long ago.
But such a thing happening to Song Jian, he truly hadn’t anticipated before.
"How many brothers do you have?" Mo Hua asked.
"Two older brothers," Song Jian said, "I am the youngest, but my talent is far from being as good as my two brothers’, my cultivation is not as diligent as theirs, and I am not as ruthless as them in doing things..."
Song Jian pointed towards the outside of the woods, "Moreover, I can’t rally the crowds easily."
"Now that the Song family is gaining influence, there are more hangers-on around me, can’t chase them away, but in truth, I know they look down on me in their hearts."
These things, he previously lived comfortably and never thought through.
But in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, having walked once on the edge of the knife, seeing these problems clearly became naturally inevitable.
"In this world, no one is reliable..."
"The sect is unreliable, the family is unreliable, parents are unreliable, brothers are unreliable, let alone those hangers-on."
Song Jian’s expression was somewhat dazed.
Mo Hua thought for a moment, then patted Song Jian’s shoulder, "So, you can only rely on yourself."
Song Jian’s expression was indifferent, "I know I have to rely on myself, but... I can’t even rely on myself..."
"It’s fine," Mo Hua said generously, "I’ll help you."
Song Jian looked at Mo Hua silently, feeling there was something off about the words.
You’re a disciple of Taixu Gate, having no familial connection or cause to help me, a disciple of Sever Gold Sect?
Mo Hua then said, "Didn’t I save you?"
Song Jian nodded, "Sort of..."
"Wouldn’t you say we have shared life-and-death camaraderie?"
"Well, sort of..." Song Jian hesitantly said.
"There you go then," Mo Hua said, "The Great Dao is a long journey, seeking up and down, surely it is an extremely long process. The most important is to have Taoist friends with aligned ambitions, mutual support, and benefit!"
"I’ve saved your life, yet you still don’t trust me?"
Song Jian hesitated a bit, "But... our stances are different after all."
"What stance?"
"Different sects..."
"What does that have to do with you?" Mo Hua said with a face full of confusion, "You’re not the Sect Leader of Sever Gold Sect, just a regular disciple, why worry about that?"
"But my Song family... after all, is the Song family of Sever Gold Sect, I am a Song family disciple..."
Before Song Jian could finish, Mo Hua sighed and said:
"What does that have to do with you then?"
"You are a Song family disciple, but at a critical moment, you’ll still be discarded by the Song family. You yourself already said that the family is unreliable, your parents, with three sons, cannot be impartial, they may not always keep you in their hearts; they balance things with interests."
"Since that’s the case, what are you worrysing about by yourself?"
Song Jian was somewhat bewildered by Mo Hua’s "persuasion."
"But, you destroyed my Lifebound Sword embryo..."
Mo Hua: "A mere Lifebound Sword embryo..."
Song Jian angrily said: "What do you mean ’a mere’ Lifebound Sword embryo? This Sword embryo, I’ve carried it since I started learning swordsmanship, nurturing it all the way till now, it cost me eighteen years, never leaving my side! Eighteen years!"
The more Song Jian thought, the angrier he got, and the more his heart ached.
Mo Hua sighed deeply once again, and asked in return: "What is the ultimate pursuit of us cultivators?"
Song Jian was taken aback by Mo Hua’s question, paused for a moment, and said, "To attain immortality?"
"Yes! Immortality!" Mo Hua asked again, "How long is immortality?"
Song Jian frowned, "Having attained immortality, naturally one would live as long as heaven and earth, why care about the years?"
"Exactly!" Mo Hua said again, "Therefore, your lifelong pursuit is immortality, to live as long as heaven and earth, for tens of millions of years. What’s the need to care about the mere eighteen years spent nurturing a sword embryo?"
Song Jian was a bit stunned.
He suddenly felt that what Mo Hua said seemed to make some sense...