All I Know Is That Someone Can't Go On Living

Wu Yingxue was only so overwhelmed with sorrow that she appeared dazed and numb.

But she wasn’t truly foolish.

Through Xu Xi’s words, she instantly realized the immense changes that would arise once such a cultivation technique came into existence.

The entire border region…

No, the entire Great Qian Empire would be thrown into turmoil.

What puzzled the girl even more was whether such a technique could truly be created, and why Xu Xi would go through such trouble for something that seemed to offer him no benefit.

Xu Xi’s talent was clearly exceptional; he shouldn’t need to concern himself with such techniques.

Could it really be for rebellion?

“No, I have no interest in rebellion,” Xu Xi shook his head, dismissing the girl’s thoughts.

Several days had passed.

The overcast clouds and rain had long since dissipated.

In their place was a bright, scorching sunny day.

The sky was a brilliant blue, dotted with pure white clouds, and occasionally, flocks of birds would soar past, their wings flapping as they flew over Qingniu Town.

Under the sunlight,

the girl’s confusion became even more apparent.

“Then why are you doing this? It clearly won’t bring you any benefit,” Wu Yingxue asked, perplexed.

Creating a cultivation technique that everyone could practice would ultimately allow ordinary people to become martial artists.

But for Xu Xi,

for Xu Xi, who had already reached the Xiantian realm,

such a technique would be utterly useless.

Xu Xi didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stood in the sun-drenched courtyard, his hand shaped like a blade, slashing at an inconspicuous spot in the air.

“Ssshhh—!”

A sound like tearing cloth echoed.

A blade of Gang Qi shot out, severing the body of a demonic beast. Flesh and blood scattered, eliciting gasps from the townsfolk.

“Brother Xu is amazing! We’ll have meat to eat again!”

“Niu, hurry, cut the tenderest part and bring it to Brother Xi!”

“Got it!”

Cheers, excitement, and chatter filled the air.

The demonic beast’s body was tough, difficult to cut into pieces, at least for ordinary people.

And so,

Qingniu Town became lively once more.

Men, women, and children gathered with smiles, watching as the grown men hacked away at the demonic beast’s flesh, taking a long time to carve out even a small piece.

Throughout this process, the townsfolk’s cheers for Xu Xi never ceased.

Even without stepping out of her house,

Wu Yingxue could hear the clear, heartfelt gratitude, as well as the exhaustion and weakness hidden within those voices.

“Yingxue, do you hear it?”

Xu Xi slowly lowered his hand.

He turned his gaze to the girl: “This… is the reason.”

His voice was calm, like water without ripples, but beneath that tranquility lay an indescribable, smoldering fire:

“I have no interest in rebellion, no desire for the emperor’s throne, and no intention of becoming a revered martial arts sage who enlightens the world.”

“All I know is that on this land ruled by the Great Qian, on this land overrun by demons and monsters,

there are people who can no longer survive…”

Lives are fading away rapidly.

The reasons for their deaths are many.

Some are devoured by demons, some crushed by heavy taxes, and some beaten to death.

These reasons are not normal; they are sick and twisted.

This is not how people should live.

“When people are hungry, they should eat food, not the flesh of demons.”

“When people are cold, they should wear clothes, not tattered straw mats.”

“When people are afraid, they should run, not stand still and wait for death.”

“People… should live like people, in the way that people deserve to live.”

“If they lack the strength, then I will give it to them.”

Unlike the Houtian martial artists of the Body Tempering realm,

who only strengthened their physical bodies,

Xu Xi, having reached the Xiantian realm and taken the first step into the Observation Principle stage, now possessed a unique martial ability: the ability to perceive the workings of heaven and earth.

It was a special martial vision that allowed him to see far into the distance.

And so, Xu Xi saw.

Through countless earthen walls, he saw the spot where the demonic beast had fallen.

The people were staring intently at the demonic flesh, their stomachs growling with hunger, yet they still urged Niu, the man with the knife, to cut the tenderest portion for Xu Xi first.

They were starving.

Starving to the point of weakness.

After enduring a harsh winter, Qingniu Town had long run out of food.

The only sustenance left was the flesh of demons and the weeds and trees that sprouted in spring.

But…

it wasn’t enough.

It simply wasn’t enough.

With the winter gone and no demonic hordes attacking, Qingniu Town had lost its primary source of food.

The people were so hungry that their cheeks were sunken, their skin tinged a deep purple from prolonged consumption of demonic flesh. Yet even so, they still wanted to eat.

Anything would do, anything at all.

They were too hungry…

They had no other way to survive…

“Sur… vive.”

Wu Yingxue murmured, repeating these three words over and over.

Three simple words.

Yet somehow, they reignited the warmth of life in the girl who had been numbed by sorrow.

Memories of her childhood flooded her mind. Back then, she was a noble princess, reading storybooks and listening to tales of heroes.

She had dreamed and yearned to become such a hero, to be praised and adored for “saving the world” and “slaying demons.”

But now, at seventeen, the girl suddenly realized.

A simple phrase like “survive” held more weight than all the grand words in the world.

Father…

Mother…

The King of Dingyuan, who had rebelled against the “traitors,” her mother, who had died tragically in the imperial prison, the people driven to desperation, the common folk devoured by demons.

In that moment,

countless memories flashed through Wu Yingxue’s mind.

Finally, they settled on the present, on Xu Xi’s face, on Xu Xi’s words about survival.

The light returned to her eyes, which had been dull for so long.

Her spirit, once lost, was now filled with determination once more.

The girl felt.

She had found it.

With Xu Xi’s help, she had found a new purpose in life.

Wu Yingxue would survive, and she would help others survive as well!

“Sir.”

“What is it, Yingxue?”

“May I join you in researching the cultivation technique that can be practiced by everyone?”

Under the clear sky, sunlight filtered through the clouds, illuminating the longing in the girl’s eyes.

Xu Xi was momentarily stunned.

Then he smiled and said, “Of course, but I can’t guarantee that this path will lead anywhere. It might all be for nothing in the end.”

“That’s alright, sir,” Wu Yingxue took a deep breath and smiled brightly in return. “At least for now, I want to try. With you.”

“Very well, welcome aboard.”

Xu Xi said.

Wu Yingxue, after all, came from a royal family. Even if her cultivation level was low and her techniques incomplete,

her knowledge and background could still be of great help.

Perhaps.

With Wu Yingxue’s involvement, the *Yang Yuan Technique* could truly evolve into what Xu Xi envisioned.