Chapter 373: Caught in the Game?

Chapter 373 -315: Caught in the Game?

Besides, Xiong Anling had visited Xianya Garden and the Island Master before this.

‘Could he have already reached an agreement with them to deal with the Lower Eight Generals together?’

‘But even if Xiong Anling has gathered so many people, his opponents are still holding his daughter as their trump card. How could he possibly turn the tables?’

…

Jiang Xu froze, suddenly realizing something.

‘It’s too much of a coincidence. Far too much!’

‘Why would things be so coincidental?’

‘It was so coincidental that it felt unnatural.’

Jiang Xu’s heart jolted as an unnatural chill crept up his spine.

This string of coincidences was like a meticulously arranged chess game, each move seemingly manipulated by an invisible hand, sending a shiver down his spine.

He felt as though he were caught in a giant spider’s web where his every move, his every breath, seemed to be anticipated by some master strategist.

Jiang Xu mulled over these unexpected coincidences, his mind swarming with doubt.

‘Why did I happen to show up at the exact moment Xiong Anling was in desperate need of help?’

‘Why did I happen to be holding this priceless Golden Core Technique of unknown origin?’

‘It was all as if arranged by fate to make him Xiong Anling’s “savior” in this crisis. But the sheer degree of coincidence was unbelievable, even a little terrifying.’

The more Jiang Xu thought about it, the more terrifying it all became.

‘Could it be that Xiong Liangsheng had already foreseen all of this?’

‘And that’s why he specifically had me bring the Cultivation Technique here?’

‘But how could Xiong Liangsheng have known I would be able to find Xiong Anling?’

‘How did he know I would arrive at this exact moment?’

‘How did this mysterious man predict the future, and why did he choose me, of all people, as the key to everything?’

‘If Xiong Liangsheng knew everything, did he also predict my hesitation about whether to give Xiong Anling the Cultivation Technique right now?’

Jiang Xu’s thoughts were a labyrinth shrouded in thick fog, a blurry maze with no exit. Every attempt to find a way out only seemed to confirm the existence of a more complex and profound scheme.

This torrent of questions washed over Jiang Xu, leaving him with an unprecedented sense of confusion and unease.

He felt as though he’d been swept into a chess game far beyond his comprehension, where every move was fraught with uncertainty and danger.

In the midst of this bewildering game, Jiang Xu yearned for a glimmer of light to guide him through the haze and reveal the truth.

Jiang Xu took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart, but it was no use.

It felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart, and fear, like a silent, midnight tide, was slowly engulfing him.

To be honest, Jiang Xu was truly afraid.

It wasn’t just about this one incident, but about how it connected to everything that had happened before.

He began to connect the dots: the appearance of the Abyss of Destiny, his escape from Peach Blossom Valley, and now this chance meeting with Xiong Anling.

Each event seemed to have been skillfully woven together by some unseen force, forming a vast, intricate web.

And Jiang Xu was just a pawn caught in that web, his every move guided by invisible threads.

‘Could it be that Xiong Liangsheng is just another link in this chain?’

‘If that’s true, it’s terrifying.’

‘Basically, everything from the moment I decided to leave Dinghai State until now has been part of the calculation.’

Jiang Xu couldn’t help but think back to his decision in Dinghai State, the catalyst for his departure, and all the “coincidences” he’d encountered on his journey.

‘If this was all truly calculated, then Xiong Liangsheng’s appearance and disappearance—even the moment he broke that taboo—were likely all meticulously planned steps in a grand design.’

‘No, I realized it before. This person even calculated things that happened decades ago.’

‘The hand pulling the strings seems to have begun its work decades ago, even influencing Xiong Liangsheng’s destiny, causing him to unknowingly break a taboo and set out on the path of a fugitive.’

‘And the Golden Core Technique that Xiong Liangsheng acquired from some unknown place? That too could have been secretly arranged by this mastermind.’

‘It might all have been to guide me to this very moment.’

A chill shot straight to the crown of Jiang Xu’s head. The feeling of being manipulated made him both furious and helpless.

He realized he might already be caught in a massive conspiracy that transcended time, where every seemingly random choice he made was simply advancing a predetermined script.

This grand design, so far beyond the scope of any single person’s understanding, filled him with a sense of awe for the mastermind’s power, as well as an endless dread for the ultimate goal of this game.

At that moment, Jiang Xu felt like a speck of dust in the vast cosmos, blown about by the winds of fate, utterly powerless.

Jiang Xu felt an unprecedented sense of oppression, as if he were being controlled by a pair of invisible hands, his every action and every thought following a predetermined path. The feeling was suffocating.

Jiang Xu felt he couldn’t let himself think about it too much.

‘Otherwise, he would feel as if his every action was just following a pre-arranged script.’

‘But everything should be my own decision, shouldn’t it?’

Jiang Xu tried to shake off this feeling of a preordained fate, telling himself that as an independent individual, he was supposed to have free will. Every decision he made was supposed to stem from his own considerations and judgment.

But the clash between reason and reality forced him to confront one possibility.

‘That all of his “best choices” were perhaps just another part of someone else’s elaborate scheme.’

His every thought, his every choice, was nothing more than a carefully arranged move on a chessboard.

The thought was like a vine wrapping itself around his heart, tightening its grip until he could barely breathe.

Jiang Xu realized that even if he tried to resist—choosing a path that defied logic, or even an extreme one like giving up, acting recklessly, or going so far as to end his own life…

…these seemingly script-breaking actions might have already been factored into the calculations by that same invisible hand.

They would just become another part of the script, another form of “destiny.”

This realization filled Jiang Xu with a profound sense of powerlessness and grief.

Jiang Xu was like a bird in a gilded cage. No matter how high he tried to fly, he could never escape its pre-defined limits.

Yet in this abyss of despair, a stubborn spark ignited in his heart.

‘Even if I really am just a piece in some grand chess game, I have to try my best to find a crack in the design.’

‘Even for a sliver of freedom, I must fight for it, to prove my will is not entirely controlled.’

Jiang Xu stopped in mid-air. His face was a frozen mask, his eyes a mixture of confusion and struggle. His expression was highly unusual.

Xiong Anling keenly sensed this subtle change. He moved a little closer to Jiang Xu, his voice a mixture of concern and curiosity. “Fellow Daoist Zong,” he asked, “you seem to have something heavy on your mind. Is anything troubling you?”

Jiang Xu opened his mouth, then closed it. The fear of being manipulated was a churning undercurrent in his heart, making it impossible for him to compose himself.

“I…”

Jiang Xu’s voice was barely a whisper, the internal conflict and struggle nearly overwhelming him.

‘He no longer understood the point of his own existence here.’

‘If all my actions have been predetermined, then nothing I do now will have any real impact on the future.’

‘So what’s the point of doing anything at all?’

Seeing that Jiang Xu still hadn’t answered, Xiong Anling’s brow furrowed slightly, a hint of confusion and suspicion rising in his heart.

‘Has he discovered some hidden secret? Has he realized something is wrong?’

‘Or is he having second thoughts about the plan? Does he not want to go with me anymore?’

As far as Xiong Anling was concerned, time was of the essence. Every second counted, and there was no room for hesitation or delay.

After a moment of silence, Xiong Anling decided to address the issue head-on. His voice was steady and direct.

“Fellow Daoist Zong, if something is troubling you, please speak freely. We’re in the same boat, so we should be honest with each other. No matter the problem, perhaps if we discuss it together, we can find a solution.”

At that moment, the air seemed to freeze. The atmosphere between the two men grew subtle and tense.