Chapter 435: 435
Lan looked at Xue Wei . His gaze was a little guarded, but when he saw the lack of malicious thoughts in the former's eyes, he sighed .
"I was young and silly when I decided to leave the nest . I wanted to travel through the galaxy, to see the various worlds, and experience different ways of living .
"My Grandfather was a Vermilion Bird . He came from the Vermilion Bird clan, but ended up creating a world of his own far away in this galaxy .
"Since I was out traveling, I decided to see what the world he originated from was like .
"But when I came here, the world was much too different from what I had expected . The world had no owner, and it was slowly collapsing .
"I did not care too much about it, such is the fate for many worlds, so I just wanted to take a slight look at it before going on my way, but then I found something I could not let go of .
"In the end, I became the owner of the world and have been guarding it ever since . As long as my mind is clear and my memories remain, I will guard this world as its owner . "
Xue Wei could see the pain in Lan's eyes, and he understood that something must have happened to him while he was visiting .
"Does this have something to do with the old cottage in your mansion back in Chang'an?" Xue Wei could not help but ask, and when he saw the pain in Lan's eyes intensify, he got an answer .
"That cottage is a place full of memories," Lan said with a sigh . "This world is being protected, and that cottage can never be harmed . That cottage is the heart of this world . "
Xue Wei did not fully understand what he meant when he said that it was the world's heart, but he realized that it held an unimaginable place in Lan's heart .
"So this Hui Yue is here to convince you to go back, but you are not leaving because you have some memories that connect you to this world, not to mention you are now the world's owner?"
Lan nodded his head . "She was much like you," he finally said . "She was also a mixed breed, but I thought she would be the last . Never did I imagine that you would appear so many years later . "
Although he had not explained anything, these words made Xue Wei understand much more .
The thing he could not leave was a woman . And this woman was likely also the reason that Lan was so friendly towards him . He reminded the Deity about his beloved!
Xue Wei and Lan stopped talking . Both of them were in deep thought, forgetting that they were actually in the midst of a tournament . Their friends were blocking the enemies too well for them .
Lan had come to their world on a whim, but he had met a woman who made him unable to leave . Even now, so many years later, he still protected the world for her sake . This was true love, and Xue Wei understood that no matter what, Lan would protect the world till the end of time .
But was he not lonely? He was not together with his family, having left them so many years ago, and his beloved had long since become nothing as well .
How could he withstand the loneliness? How could he not long for his family, who were so far away . But even with all that, to keep the memories he shared with his beloved, he did not even hesitate to hide from his own uncle!
For the first time ever, Xue Wei understood that, although Lan was joking most of the time, although he always acted so casual and laid back, and although it seemed as if nothing mattered to him; he was lonely, he was sad, he was left all alone .
Xue Wei understood that the pain of losing someone could not be erased even with the passing of time . Although he had been left alone by Xiao Lei when he was fifteen, at least he knew that his uncle was still alive .
Although he had been separated from Wang Xiaoyun and wouldn't get to see her for many years, he knew that she had him in her heart, and that the two of them would eventually reunite .
Also, although he was not amongst his biological family, he had his friends who never left him alone, no matter how bad things got . He never experienced having to face the world alone for long .
He too, had lost people through his journey, but this had made him even more determined to protect the happiness he had now grasped .
If he lost Wang Xiaoyun, would he be able to handle the blow? Would he be able to give up everything just to accompany her remains?
The thought alone, of losing Wang Xiaoyun, was enough to make him feel as if someone had sliced a part of his heart off; the idea alone was so painful that he could not imagine what would happen if it turned real .
Would he lose his humanity and become a killing machine? He could imagine that it was a likely outcome . If he lost his dear ones, he would end up as a beast that wished to watch the world burn . If they were gone, the world should accompany them to the underworld!
Such thoughts were somewhat scary, but Xue Wei did not shy away from them . Realizing how he would have acted, if it was him who suffered such a fate, made him to honestly look up to Lan . But he also understood that he could never let such a scenario occur .
If he genuinely posed a threat to the world, Lan would be the first to kill him, he would not care about their previous ties at all .