[If Xingchen were to take away his title and his once-sterling reputation, he wouldn't be so far removed from Xue Yang. If he had never been taken in by Baoshan Sanren, he could have ended up in a very similar situation. Would he have grown resentful toward the world, too? Would he have never learned the value of life and easily taken it for his own gain? Xingchen doesn't know. There's no way he could know.
All he wanted to do was save people. People who couldn't take care of themselves. People who didn't even necessarily like cultivators. People who simply needed a helping hand when no one else was willing. People like Xue Yang.
If that guilt were not already enough to make him emotional, Xue Yang's declaration grips at something in his chest. Xingchen takes his hand from Xue Yang's hair and covers his sunken eyes.]
no subject
[If Xingchen were to take away his title and his once-sterling reputation, he wouldn't be so far removed from Xue Yang. If he had never been taken in by Baoshan Sanren, he could have ended up in a very similar situation. Would he have grown resentful toward the world, too? Would he have never learned the value of life and easily taken it for his own gain? Xingchen doesn't know. There's no way he could know.
All he wanted to do was save people. People who couldn't take care of themselves. People who didn't even necessarily like cultivators. People who simply needed a helping hand when no one else was willing. People like Xue Yang.
If that guilt were not already enough to make him emotional, Xue Yang's declaration grips at something in his chest. Xingchen takes his hand from Xue Yang's hair and covers his sunken eyes.]
...I'm sorry.