Chapter 580: The Masked Man's Wine

I want to go home!

Xu Xiaoshou sobbed in his heart.

He longed for freedom too much.

But reality is so cruel.

No one can really live the life they want.

In this stage when he is not strong enough, passivity will always be the synonym of Xu!

"What a bad fate!"

Xu Xiaoshou sneered, but did not give up. He raised his eyes and said, "You said you would not force me to make a choice."

The storyteller laughed at one side and said as soon as he opened his mouth.

The masked man reached out to stop him and said calmly, "I never break my promise to anyone, but Wen Ming, you have to think clearly. Do you really want to run away?"

"Huh?"

The storyteller was immediately anxious.

This is a young man he has spent a lot of money to catch.

Is my brother going to let him go?

"No."

"He is mine!"

The storyteller defended his sovereignty blatantly.

The masked man turned his head and glared at him.

The latter's stretched neck shrank and he was quiet.

Damn...

Can't you hold on to three sentences?

Wen Ming is mine! ! !

Xu Xiaoshou ignored him, only looked at the masked man, and said firmly: "Yes, I don't want to go with you."

"Do you have a way out?" the masked man asked back.

"Yes."

"Where?"

Xu Xiaoshou turned around and looked behind him.

"The world is so big, where can't I make my home?"

"Do you really think so?" The masked man pressed on.

"What else?"

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head, "If I really go with you, I will be trapped in the quagmire, right? Although I don't know what you Saint Slaves are going to do, but..."

He hesitated and couldn't say anything.

The goal of the Saint Slaves is very clear and grand.

Even if Xu Xiaoshou doesn't know what it is, he can sense this from his repeated contacts with the masked man.

If he really joins, then if nothing unexpected happens, he will face the entire Holy Temple.

How is this possible?

Xu Xiaoshou decided as early as the first time the masked man invited him.

Instead of joining a gang, it is better to directly choose the Holy Spirit Temple, the first force on the continent.

At least, there, I should be considered bright!

The masked man showed disappointment in his eyes.

He seemed to see through Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts.

"Look back."

Seeing Xu Xiaoshou looking up, the masked man pointed behind him and said, "Look over there."

"What?"

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated and turned his head again.

At the end of the gully behind him was the horizon of the White Cave.

Going up further, it was the White Cave space world that was about to be broken.

"What did you see?" the masked man asked.

"The road, and hope." Xu Xiaoshou answered.

"Heh!"

The masked man couldn't help but smile: "Is it really so?"

"Yes."

Xu Xiaoshou nodded heavily.

"Is the White Cave big?" The masked man said again.

"Very big."

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated, "But it's also very small."

After all, it is such a big White Cave, but he always hits a wall everywhere, which is really rare!

"Yes, the White Cave is not big."

The masked man breathed a sigh of relief and continued to ask: "So what did you encounter in the White Cave?"

"..."

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless at this moment. He could vaguely sense that the masked man wanted to talk him out of his mouth.

"Chance, hope, and the future."

Xu Xiaoshou was vague and added: "If it weren't for you..."

"You're wrong!"

The masked man interrupted on the spot.

He stretched his shoulders slightly backwards. Although he didn't straighten his chest, in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes, it seemed as if the whole person was several feet taller, and his momentum reached its peak with such a slight movement.

"If I'm not mistaken, you encountered a famous sword in the White Cave." The masked man asserted.

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

He, could he really sense it?

"The ultimate fire attribute, the power of ash illumination... Only Yanmang, who is ranked third on the famous sword list, is left. Am I right?" The masked man smiled confidently.

Xu Xiaoshou felt his throat dry.

His famous sword had already recognized its master and was placed in the Yuan Mansion.

How could the masked man still detect it?

"You..."

"You don't need to speak, I'll speak."

The masked man interrupted Xu Xiaoshou again and said, "You encountered a famous sword, but this sword is not your opportunity, it was given to you by someone else."

"If I guess correctly, you should regret taking this sword now." The masked man smiled.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

"The White Cave is so big, this is the opportunity you mentioned."

The masked man said bluntly: "It's a donation from others... Sorry, I'm being too polite, it should be a gift!"

"I don't regret it." Xu Xiaoshou was stubborn.

"You are just being stubborn."

The masked man smiled and said, "The last time I saw you, the power of the Cinders in your body was not so strong..."

"The original Cinders?"

Feeling the breath in Wen Ming's body, the masked man turned his head to look at the storyteller and asked, "You should also be able to feel the existence of this thing when you enter the White Cave. If nothing unexpected happens, will you try to get it?"

"Uh..."

The storyteller's forehead was sweating.

He had never told his brother about this...

But can this be deduced?

"It's normal."

"For the second child."

The masked man couldn't stop smiling, and looked at Xu Xiaoshou again, saying: "You took the original seed of Jinzhao, and then the storyteller took a fancy to you. Am I right?"

Xu Xiaoshou was a little panicked now.

He felt that this man with his head covered was worthy of being the head of the Holy Slave.

This brain is simply amazing!

It's as if he has been spying on this world from a God's perspective.

"The White Cave is so big, you went around twice, got a famous sword, and the original seed of Jinzhao."

"Then, you were drawn into two whirlpools."

"Do you regret it?"

Without waiting for Xu Xiaoshou to respond, the masked man asked himself and answered: "Regret."

"If you can throw away these two things in exchange for freedom, I think it is also acceptable..."

"Have you thought about it?"

"When you are most helpless."

Xu Xiaoshou remained silent.

Cen Qiaofu stood by and watched.

He looked at the hesitant expression of the young man below, and he could also perceive the other party's true thoughts.

It is estimated that he has not only thought about it, but also regretted it!

But...

Cen Qiaofu was a little surprised when he secretly glanced at the head monk.

The last time the head monk said so many words at once was when he met the child in the ruins of the broken family.

Then, there were tears.

Is it worth it to hear this?

The masked man looked at Xu Xiaoshou who was silent, and his voice sank:

"The white cave is so big, if you turn around, you can see the hope you said - get it, but also lose it!"

"Is it ridiculous?"

Xu Xiaoshou's heart trembled.

He already knew what the masked man wanted to do.

Chance, hope, and the future...

The three directions he just mentioned, this guy actually wants to deny himself completely?

"My future, I can control it myself!" Xu Xiaoshou's voice was angry.

"Is it really so?"

The masked man looked disapproving, "Back to the question I asked you just now..."

"Turn around."

He suddenly spoke in an imperative tone.

Xu Xiaoshou was determined not to turn back.

How could he let the other party get what he wanted?

"Woodcutter."

The masked man turned his head and looked at Cen Qiaofu, who looked like he was enjoying the show.

The latter held his forehead with his hand as if he had a headache.

"Really? Just do it yourself!"

His fingers hanging on his waist trembled.

Xu Xiaoshou, who was below, was horrified to find that the scenery in front of him had completely changed.

Except for the three holy slaves, who were still in their original positions, all the scenes he could see became scenes that he could only see after turning his head.

"Forced to turn back?"

Xu Xiaoshou was confused.

The next second, he suddenly realized, and a storm surged in his heart.

No.

It's not turning back.

But, the world has turned?

Looking at Cen Qiaofu with horror, Xu Xiaoshou felt powerless at this moment.

The way of killing...

Is this the way of killing?

How can it be possible to turn the world around? !

"See it."

The masked man spread his hands.

"In this little white cave, even if you don't want to look back, there are still people who can make people see everything you don't want to see."

"And the reality is actually like this."

"What you dare not face is nothing but the fear of the unknown from the depths of your soul."

"But is it useful?"

"When you stand here, you are already in the center of the vortex of the storm."

"No matter how determined, no matter how stubborn..."

"In the final analysis, it's just self-deception."

There was a hint of sarcasm in the masked man's eyes, as if he was not only targeting Xu Xiaoshou, but also saw himself.

"The gears of fate are meshing and moving forward step by step. Do you think you can stay out of it by blindfolding your eyes?"

"Wrong!"

"Doing so will only make you numb and crushed by the gears."

"Open your eyes and face reality!"

The masked man's tone was helpless: "You are already standing here..."

He pointed to the ground.

"Beside me."

...

Xu Xiaoshou felt his heart shaking.

If this was a speech, he could even give the masked man 82 points.

Even if he didn't want to admit it, Xu Xiaoshou felt like he had been enlightened.

The other party said it very implicitly.

But how could Xu Xiaoshou not hear it.

"After being in it, it's hard to stay out of it!"

There are all kinds of excuses, such as Sang Lao's coercion, Hong Yi's sniping, Caramel Tang's photo, and the choice of the embarrassed saint...

These are all facts!

Even if there are various preconditions, the established facts no longer matter.

Even if it is passive.

At this moment, he has indeed stepped into the sight of many people.

"Keep out of trouble?"

For the first time, Xu Xiaoshou felt how ridiculous the choice he made was!

In a situation where big guys gathered, he actually wanted to keep out of trouble?

Just because he wanted to keep out of trouble, he walked all the way, step by step from Sang Lao's layout, into Hong Yi's sight, and then into the saint's chess game, and later he was also targeted by the ghost beast...

Think about it in retrospect.

All these established facts are telling me that I made the wrong choice!

"Self-deception..."

To be honest, Xu Xiaoshou didn't want to face this word.

But the masked man's words did reveal the bloody reality.

Choose to be alone.

In just this period of time, I have encountered so much.

If you keep persisting, can you still bear it?

Now all parties are interested in themselves.

But do I really have that potential, so that their patience can last until the time when I grow up?

Not so much...

Once one of the chains breaks.

They want something stronger.

This layer of gauze between fantasy and reality cannot even withstand a gentle poke.

"Vigil..."

Xu Xiaoshou thought of keeping vigil.

From the initial indulgence, to the tolerance after understanding my own thoughts, to the incomplete break at this moment...

How long did this take?

If you persist, will it be a real breakup?

At that time, could I resist a real Zhan Dao attack with anger?

Staying vigil at night, would you still let your own whims run wild like a child?

"There are also ghost beasts and holy slaves..."

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath.

He kind of figured it out.

I am indeed too naive.

The White Cave is huge, but also small.

The Holy Spirit Continent is large, but also small.

He is barely a good chess piece at the moment and can play some role in the future, so the chess player will indulge his little temper.

But once the strength breaks through again, it reaches a certain critical point.

Can the other party tolerate this kind of willfulness again?

"Because it's almost time to lose control, so I have to take action and kill it in advance?"

"If you can't get it, destroy it?"

Xu Xiaoshou understands these people's thinking very well.

It's even possible that the masked man in front of him thinks the same way.

So, in this cruel reality...

"Compromise?"

Xu Xiaoshou was a little shaken.

The masked man's words tore off the hand that covered his eyes.

After seeing the direction clearly, Xu Xiaoshou understood how difficult the road ahead was.

Compromise is really a good choice!

Take sides...

At least after standing in line, this difficult situation will no longer happen, right?

It is easy to enjoy the shade with your back against a big tree.

There are people behind you, even if you run out of cards in your hand, they will present dozens more card piles, right?

This is completely different from fighting alone.

No worries, just crush all the enemies in front of you.

Then……

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts reached this point and he suddenly froze.

Then, what?

What is the purpose of doing this?

——In order to become a real chess piece?

The chill all over his body suddenly seeped out from the soul level, and Xu Xiaoshou was suddenly chilled through his body.

He thought of the firm belief he had when he stood up in the ancient book space.

"for freedom!"

And if you choose to compromise, is it still for freedom?

…

"you are wrong."

The masked man remained silent until Xu Xiaoshou's expression changed drastically, and then he intervened and said, "I know what you are worried about."

"But humans are not lonely animals."

"No matter how straight a person's path is, it will never be complete."

"I'm by your side at this moment."

"To you, I am the sky, an umbrella, and an irresistible force."

"But to me, you really have no value now. You are a dispensable chess piece."

"It's cruel, isn't it?"

The masked man smiled and said, "But what about another angle?"

"tool!"

"Before you grow up, I am your tool. Just use it well. Why do you think so much?"

"The reason why human beings make progress is that they continue to use tools."

"Stone tools, firearms, spiritual weapons..."

"The body, the will, the spiritual essence..."

“Which step of growth and evolution is not utilizing the so-called ‘tools’?”

"All things can be tools, and people are also all things. They are no more noble than plants, trees, flowers, and stones. Why can't they be used?"

"And why..."

The masked man spoke sharply, piercing the depths of his soul: "When you pick up a famous sword, you can focus on nothing, but when you use a human as a sword, you start worrying about gains and losses?"

Xu Xiaoshou felt like his head was buzzing, as if he had been pierced by a sword. The pain made him bow his back and curl up with his head in his arms.

The storyteller was a little surprised.

"Take it easy, take it easy..."

He looked at Xiao Wenming with worry.

The other person is just a child, he can't be so violent!

The masked man didn't take it seriously. He stretched his hand to the side and spread his four fingers.

"ha?"

Cenqiaofu looked at the hand in front of him and was stunned. What do you mean?

"My gourd." The masked man rolled his eyes.

"Oh."

Only then did Cenqiaofu react and complained: "Really, can't you just take your own things with you?"

As he spoke, he took out a small black gourd and patted it on the masked man's hand.

…

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.

The masked man's sword power is too strong.

Just a few words made him feel like his soul was being torn apart.

But……

compromise?

Xu Xiaoshou really can’t do it!

If the belief in himself and freedom that he insisted on collapsed, how could he continue to go all the way?

The masked man had his reasons.

But it’s unrealistic to put it on yourself!

I can’t even relate to it!

"well."

A low sigh echoed in the void.

The masked man put his hand on his neck, pulled it up, and lifted the mask over his nose.

Xu Xiaoshou's expression suddenly shocked.

In the picture sent by "Perception", the big scar on the other party's neck, isn't it the same as the carving man he saw in Lingzang Pavilion?

Isn't it the unique mark on the sloppy uncle when he encountered Red Dog that day?

This...

The same person?

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts suddenly became chaotic.

The masked man's jawline was very strong, but his beard was untidy and there were coagulated blood scabs, which was simply in a mess to the extreme.

He wiped his mouth and wiped away the blood that had been spit out before, and then flicked open the gourd plug with his fingers.

The air suddenly smelled of strong liquor.

Very strong.

Very pungent.

Xu Xiaoshou was choked awake by the sudden smell.

"Young people are always prone to get stuck in a rut!"

The masked man held the wine gourd to his mouth and was about to look up when he suddenly thought of something.

"I've said enough, but I'll add one more sentence."

He put his hand down and looked up at the sky.

"What color is Baiku?"

The two people on one side couldn't help but look up.

Xu Xiaoshou also recovered slightly from the pain in his soul and raised his head.

"Crimson..."

The three of them murmured at the same time.

There is no sun or moon in the Baiku world, but the sky is always crimson.

"Yes, crimson."

The masked man sighed: "So, this world is not black and white, so how can there be any absolutes?"

"Right and wrong, good and evil, light and darkness, earth and sky..."

"These are just words that people give to things, so how can there be so-called absolutes?"

"If that's the case, then, are compromise and freedom really opposites?"

Xu Xiaoshou felt a thunder explosion in his mind, and his thoughts were split apart.

These words are very familiar.

It was what he had said to Shouye before.

However, the content that was used to evade the vigil at that time, when spoken by the masked man, actually had another flavor?

"Ha!"

The masked man shook his head and chuckled.

"If the white cave is broken, there will be the Holy Land. If the Holy Land is broken, is it really the end of the world?"

"Not entirely!"

He pondered for a moment, as if talking to himself:

"You define the world subjectively, but you use the subjectively defined world to oppose yourself. Is it ridiculous?"

"Ridiculous!"

"Compromise and freedom are not a set of words that constrain each other."

"It is just a choice of your subjective consciousness."

"It's just a 'choice'!"

"To be serious, it's just a 'decision'!"

"No matter how you look at it, it comes from you..."

"That's all I have to say."

Looking at Wen Ming, whose eyes were filled with endless confusion, the masked man kept silent.

He wiped his mouth again, rubbed off the dry dead skin on his lips, and raised his head with the wine gourd.

The space was broken, the wind was howling, and the black robe rustled.

"Who doesn't yearn for freedom?"

Adam's apple rolled.

"Gurgle gurgle..."