Chapter 681

Chapter Sixty-Six: The Night Before Chaos Part Two

Despite my strong urge to curse and lash out at someone.

The old man might be right.

On the condition that everyone could discard those emotions that make us human.

If all people could think rationally, viewing themselves and their loved ones as mere tiny screws in the wheel of revolution, understanding, agreeing, and supporting everything that woman does, even if it meant sacrificing themselves without a single complaint—

Then what the old man said might indeed be absolutely correct.

However…

That was ultimately impossible.

Because we are humans…

We are vivid beings full of rich emotions…

Everyone is the same…

All life is equal, no one has the right to place themselves above others, deciding life or death, fate and destiny for others as they please…

No matter the reason, it is unacceptable…

What right did that woman have to believe she could do so?

Damn it…

I felt stifled inside, wanting to curse, but suddenly felt that continuing this argument had no meaning. I abruptly didn’t want to say another word to this old man.

Perhaps seeing the fluctuating expression on my face, the old man sitting opposite me wiped the corner of his eye. He too fell silent, not knowing what he was thinking.

For a moment, the cellar was quiet, both of us staring at each other without speaking, leaving only the flickering firelight at the table.

Suddenly, there was a “creak—” sound as the door opened.

Betty, the little girl carrying a stack of new bed sheets, poked her head in from outside. Seeing me and the old man in silence at the table, she froze, then stuck out half her tongue playfully.

“Grandpa, sis, what are you doing…”

Ah.

She arrived just in time…

“Let’s leave it at that.”

I immediately stood up from the table. The old man opened his mouth as if he wanted to say more, but I waved my hand at him: “Don’t say anything. It’s pointless. You won’t convince me, and you won’t make me like her. Never will. We are not on the same path… Just arrange everything tomorrow, and take me to the Sand Valley.”

“…Alright.”

He pondered for a moment before nodding.

Soon, the old town chief got up and left. Betty made the bed and turned to me with a sweet smile, heading towards the door, intending to follow her grandfather. But when she reached the door, she stopped abruptly, hesitated for a while, and then walked back to me.

“Sis…”

The girl came to stand in front of me, calling out brightly. I was still lost in thought at the table, and after a moment of silence, I looked up at her: “Hm? What is it?”

“Sis, are you planning to go somewhere tomorrow…”

Her voice was soft, her little nose wrinkling slightly, looking somewhat embarrassed. Perhaps she sensed something from her grandfather’s departure, and hearing my last words to the old man, guessed that I would be leaving town the next day. She couldn’t help but tug at the hem of my clothes, her eyes revealing reluctance.

“You’re leaving… Are you going to the Sand Valley?”

“Yeah…”

I patted her head lightly and smiled, “Just for a few days.”

Yeah…

Maybe just for a few days.

In fact, I don’t know what will happen after this trip. If I don’t meet that woman in the Sand Valley, or if I see her body in a terrible state, whether I will return here afterwards…

These are all things I haven’t figured out yet.

But somehow, I didn’t want to tell the little girl these thoughts. Instinctively, I told her I’d be back in a few days.

“Really…”

The little girl seemed

She looked somewhat incredulous, her little nose wrinkling tighter as she stared at me for a moment. Then, she revealed a clean and clear smile: “Then sister, you mustn’t lie to me! You—you’re leaving tomorrow, right? You have to come back in a few days…”

“Alright.”

I nodded.

“Betty still has many things to tell sister…”

“What things?”

“Well… I mean… Oh, sister, you’ll know when the time comes. Betty has something to say to you… but we can only talk about it after you return… now, I can’t tell you.”

“Mm… Alright then.”

I patted her little head again.

It was obvious that the little girl hadn’t really thought through what she wanted to say. Her thoughts were actually very simple; she was just afraid that I would leave without a trace. She had made up some excuse, hoping to keep me interested, waiting for me to return.

I saw this emotion in her eyes.

“Betty, just now, when we got closer… I wanted to get even closer to sister…”

The little girl, with her head being petted, unconsciously leaned towards me, comfortably closing her eyes: “I’m scared, before… I didn’t dare get close to you. I felt that sister was very scary, especially… after seeing your more terrifying side… Sister, don’t be mad if I say this, but Betty really felt like you were a demon back then…”

“Haha.”

I chuckled lightly, shaking my head to show that it didn’t bother me much.

“Hehe… Every time I went down to the cellar, I was always nervous, fearing that you might sit up from bed and eat me in one bite… I’ve had nightmares too, dreaming that you turned into a terrible monster, eating everyone in town… Your mouth full of blood, laughing loudly… Ouch!”

The little girl was knocked on the head by me, quickly covering her forehead in pain: “Sister, you—you’re angry…”

“I’m not.”

“Then why did you hit Betty…”

“I didn’t.”

I blinked, not even a flicker in my eyes: “My hand moved on its own.”

“Guhu…”

The little girl moaned a few times, burying her face in my leg in a spoiled manner: “Anyway, back then, I was just so scared… so scared…”

“Yes, you were so scared you wet yourself.”

“Oh—”

Her face immediately flushed: “Sister, please don’t bring that up anymore!”

She then ran away, turning around “clomp clomp clomp,” heading toward the door of the cellar: “Sister! If you can stay here, Betty will be able to see you every day, talk to you, and be very happy… very very happy!”

The little girl’s voice echoed leisurely in the empty cellar.

“I want to hear more stories about sister’s past… They must be very exciting stories…”

Bang—

The wooden door closed.

…………

The moonlight was sparse, casting shadows on the yellow earth, outlining the quiet contours of the town at night.

At the same time, in the desolate desert to the east, two figures darted swiftly under the moonlight. From their silhouettes, they appeared to be a man and a woman, moving as fast as leopards. Soon after, they climbed up a sand dune and stopped.

“Hey, are we not lost, right…”

The bearded swordsman took out a telescope from his pocket, gazing at the undulating yellow mountains in the distance, asking in a somewhat lazy voice.

“The compass is in your hands. Why ask me if you can’t figure out the direction?”

The red-haired woman beside him rolled her eyes, clearly impatient: “So eager to chase after that girl, why not just stay in town drinking? Is she that important to you… Just meeting her once and knowing she’s alive, you act like your soul is lost… ”

“Stop it.”

The man waved his hand, putting away the telescope and taking out the compass to observe for a moment: “Let’s go, we should be close now.”