Deviant: No Longer Human

Wang Xiao sneered, a sharp edge cutting through the warmth that had filled the room just moments before. "Sacrificed? Did he even have a choice?" His voice dripped with disdain, the words carrying the weight of hard-earned truths.

"First, his wife Bai died because he was weak. He dreamed of revenge, but never truly understood that it all happened because of his lack of strength. If he had been strong, none of it would have occurred. He blamed the demon, sought revenge, but never once did he realize—or perhaps he refused to admit—that his own weakness was the root cause."

Wang Xiao\'s eyes narrowed, his gaze intense. "Maybe he did realize it, but he never accepted it as the main issue. He continued to chase revenge, but he failed to grasp the fundamental truth that strength is everything"

"When Ning left him to seek help from her master, what was that if not a direct consequence of his weakness? If he had been strong enough, would she have needed to go at all?"

"And when his sister-in-law opposed him being with Ling\'er, would she have dared if he had possessed real power?"

Wang Xiao continued, his voice filled with a mix of frustration and conviction. "He was so focused on revenge that he forgot the most crucial aspect: without strength, nothing else matters."

"He thought he was being wise, calm, and strategic—waiting to accumulate power."

"But what did he do when faced with real challenges? He cried, he blamed others for being strong while he remained weak."

"When Ling\'er sacrificed herself to save him, it was because he was too weak to protect her in the first place. His emotions clouded his judgment, and it nearly cost him everything."

"People often claim that keeping control of emotions turns you into a robot, but do they really understand what it means to be in control?"

"To truly harness your emotions, not suppress them, is to wield a power that others can only dream of."

"Immortals are not judged by the standards of mortals, and those who do are blind to the realities of true power."

Wang Xiao\'s voice grew sharper. "Shen was tricked by the sister-in-law of the sect master because he couldn\'t control his emotions. He let his despair and love cloud his judgment, and it cost him dearly. Ling\'er was injured—did crying or begging heal her wounds? No. Instead of finding a way to save her, he drowned himself in despair, losing precious time and focus."

"When Ling\'er was taken away by the sister-in-law, what did Shen do? Nothing! Because he was too weak."

"Time and again, his weakness led to the suffering of everyone around him."

"Ning was captured by her master and later by the demon because she, too, was weak."

"They were all caught in a cycle of suffering because none of them had the strength to break free."

"And then, when Ning was raped and committed suicide, who was to blame? The demon, because he was strong?"

"What did Shen do? What did Ning do? Nothing, because they were too weak to prevent it."

"When Ling\'er was injured and eventually died fighting the evil cultivator, it was again because of Shen\'s weakness. They acted out of revenge, out of emotion, without the strength to see it through. Their suffering was inevitable, and they brought it upon themselves."

Wang Xiao\'s voice softened, but the intensity of his words did not diminish. "Shen survived, but did he ever realize that it was his own lack of strength that caused everything? No. He spent his life blaming others, never once looking inward to see the true cause of his misery."

"People in our world are no different. They blame corruption, crime, pollution, their lack of love, money, and strength. But do they ever stop to think that these problems stem from their own inaction, their own weakness? Most never realize it, and they spend their lives in a cycle of suffering."

"Both the man from the other world and Shen were wise, but they weren\'t wise enough. Being wise can only get you so far."

"Wisdom is valuable, but it must lead to power. If it doesn\'t, then wisdom alone will never get you what you want."

As Wang Xiao spoke, his eyes lit up with a fierce intensity, flames of fury igniting in their depths.

Yue turned around, her eyes meeting Wang Xiao\'s intense, determined gaze.

She bit her lower lip, her expression conflicted.

She knew deep down that they, as his daughters, enjoyed the freedom to do whatever they wanted because of his strength.

His power granted them privileges that others could only dream of.

Anran, her mother, had once slapped Wenxi for not understanding this truth.

Yue had been there, overhearing the harsh yet revealing conversation.

It had happened when she was just eleven, a year before the Sun Dynasty fell.

From that moment on, Yue\'s perception of her father had shifted, transforming her childish love into something deeper, almost reverential.

Anran\'s words had been clear: it wasn\'t that her father was merely kind or indulgent; it was that he recognized his own power, and he chose to treat them well because they were his daughters.

If he ever decided otherwise, who in the world could oppose him?

The thought chilled Yue to the bone, and she was unwilling to imagine such a day ever coming.

She thought back to her little project in event management, realizing that Wang Xiao hadn\'t taken it seriously.

But was it really even important?

She had the luxury to choose her own path, but did that mean she was truly using her time wisely?

Wenxi, her sister, had understood this and was building her strength.

But what was she doing?

A profound sense of loss filled her as she reflected on her own actions.

Yet, even as these thoughts weighed on her, she couldn\'t shake the feeling that something about the stories Wang Xiao had told was off.

His demeanor was strange, almost as if he was reliving old memories rather than just spinning tales.

"Was it only the stories... Why do I feel like it\'s all so real, like it actually happened?" Yue asked, her voice tinged with confusion and suspicion.

In her heart, she felt that if these events were real, her father might be the very demon and evil cultivator in the tales.

And if that were true, would the evil cultivator ever be defeated?

Wang Xiao laughed, a deep, resonant sound that echoed through the room. "If it were true, then I would be the demon!" he said, his voice tinged with irony. "It seems I really do have something against happy endings."

Yue was stunned by how easily he had voiced what had been lingering in her mind. "What about our story?" she asked, her voice soft, almost hesitant.

Wang Xiao\'s gaze softened as he looked at her. "Story? Stories are meant to end. Legends are destined to crumble and be forgotten. Don\'t aspire to be such a limited being."

His words were a warning, urging her to think beyond the confines of a simple words, to see life not as a story with a beginning and an end.

Yue fell silent, digesting his words. What could she do now?

Go and throw her fists at the dragons of the world?

The weight of his expectations pressed down on her, leaving her feeling small and uncertain.

She could only sigh, the sound heavy with unspoken doubts and fears.

But as she stood there, Wang Xiao\'s mind drifted back to the tales he had told.

Indeed, it was time to give closure to the first story, a story that perhaps held more truths than anyone could yet understand.