Lin Xiao was stunned to see Zhang Nu and Liu Hai outside his door. He couldn’t tell if they had been there all night or had just arrived.
Zhang Nu seemed to sense Lin Xiao’s thoughts and immediately stood up to explain.
“We just got here,” Zhang Nu said. “There’s no need for you to feel guilty.”
Lin Xiao nodded at his explanation, but his expression remained cold as he looked at the two men. He couldn’t understand why they had insisted on waiting at his door. What were they trying to prove?
“What are you two doing here?” Lin Xiao asked, his tone sharp.
“We came to say goodbye,” Zhang Nu said. “Liu Hai and I are leaving. We’re heading to the next place.”
Hearing this, Lin Xiao’s brow furrowed, his gaze lingering on Zhang Nu. Zhang Nu and Liu Hai were leaving—and they had come to say goodbye. But hadn’t Zhang Nu promised to repay him? Why were they leaving without him? Why was Zhang Nu taking Liu Hai but not him?
“What do you mean by that?” Lin Xiao asked, his voice tinged with frustration. “You’re saying goodbye? You’re leaving on your own? Are you deliberately not taking me with you?”
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai exchanged a confused glance, momentarily unsure of what Lin Xiao was implying. Was Lin Xiao asking to go with them? His tone certainly made it seem that way, but they couldn’t figure out why he would want to leave.
“Wait a minute,” Liu Hai said, puzzled. “Are you saying you want to come with us?”
Lin Xiao nodded, his expression darkening. He couldn’t believe they hadn’t considered taking him along. After everything he’d done to save them, how could they just leave him behind?
“You promised to repay me,” Lin Xiao said, his tone accusatory. “I saved both your lives. Is it really too much to ask to go with you?”
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai exchanged another glance. On the surface, Lin Xiao’s request seemed reasonable. But the more they thought about it, the more problems they saw. The reason they were leaving wasn’t a simple journey—they had joined a dangerous survival game. Lin Xiao wasn’t part of it. Why would he want to leave his home, where he was safe, to face an uncertain and perilous future?
“But we’re leaving for a reason,” Zhang Nu explained. “You don’t have any reason to leave. This is your home. Why would you abandon it?”
Lin Xiao’s gaze softened, a trace of vulnerability flashing across his face.
“Is it so wrong for me to want to leave?” he asked quietly. “I’ve found a rare sense of warmth with you two. I don’t want to lose that. Staying here alone... it feels like being abandoned by the world.”
His voice faltered as he continued.
“If I stay here, I’ll have to face everything on my own. Sooner or later, the darker parts of me will take over, and when that happens, no one will be able to save this village anymore.”
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai looked at him with a mixture of surprise and sympathy. Lin Xiao had always been emotionally distant, yet his words revealed a deep longing for connection—something neither of them had expected.
Liu Hai hesitated before turning to Zhang Nu.
“Do we really take him with us?” he asked. “What we’re about to do is dangerous. I’m afraid we won’t be able to protect him.”
His concern wasn’t unfounded. Lin Xiao, despite his apparent strength when using the Tree of Life’s power, had suffered severe backlash. Without that power, Lin Xiao wasn’t particularly strong.
Lin Xiao seemed to understand their hesitation, “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“If I encounter danger, I’ll run. I’m not as fragile as you think. The reason I struggled before was because the Tree of Life’s power was too overwhelming for me to handle. That won’t happen again.”
Zhang Nu and Liu Hai exchanged another glance, finally realizing Lin Xiao was determined to leave with them. Even if they refused to take him, Lin Xiao would likely follow them anyway, leaving the village behind. Since that was the case, there was no need to leave Lin Xiao behind. Taking him along would be fine too.