The Innkeeper - Chapter 1987

Chapter 1987: Saint Lex
Serene was startled, and studied Lex’s body as if to determine whether there were any traces left of his tumor. Of course, now that he was a Heaven Immortal, there was not a single sick cell in his body, let alone signs and remnants of a tumor from years ago. Considering his body had been rebuilt from a meat patty before, a mere tumor was no longer even worthy of mention.

Eventually, Serene shook his hand.

“No, I had no idea,” said Serene. “Maybe it developed after you went to New York. We hadn’t met in a very long time, so it was more than enough time for something like that to form.”

Lex merely nodded, as if understanding what she said.

“Of course, of course. It’s entirely possible. Besides, it’s not like you could have paid attention to me all the time, right? Forget that. Tell me, did you know that the reason Damian was so adamant about controlling Moon was because he believed he could have hidden the soul of a Demi-Dao Lord within her body as a result of her unique physique? Or that the reason he wanted cloning technology from you was because he was trying to clone Moon’s speciality? Or because he was cloning terrorists so that they could conduct attacks all across the realm?”

Serene and Leon looked at Lex, unsure of how to respond. They had eventually learned about Damian’s association with Sanguis Pluvia, and had drawn many conclusions from that after the fact.

“Or that Liz was being pressured into marriage so that Damian could sell her in exchange for some benefits? Probably not. You already admit, you were kind of overwhelmed yourselves. Besides, when you depart on such a noble mission that might benefit an entire race, certain sacrifices have to be made. It was actually quite selfless and noble of you to choose this higher calling over your own, personal gains,” Lex said. The words he spoke, he said with complete sincerity, and without any intention to mock his parents. Yet despite his praise, they got the feeling that he was not actually pleased with their decisions.

“You know, it’s actually quite funny. I know a few other people who have sacrificed a lot, all for the cause of saving humanity. Cassandra, my teacher, has also had to tolerate the loss of her kids for the greater good. She had a mission she undertook for the sake of humanity, and for that, the sacrifices she made are probably even more than you two.

“There’s also a great king, Cornelius. Honestly, if I look at him through the moral lens I gained on Earth, he is quite scummy of a man. You two at least tried to protect your kids – he didn’t even do that.

“He married countless women, had dozens of children or more, and had his children train from birth all for the purpose of advancing humanity. As if that was not enough, he suppressed his own breakthrough, and sacrificed his own children, and countless humans from his empire in a war he could have ended, just so that his empire would gain a measure of resilience.

“You see, he believes that as long as humanity has heroes, they won’t actually be strong. It is only when each and every member of humanity, together, works for the betterment of the race can we surpass our current restraints and limitations. For that goal, he allowed war to continue. He allowed his children to fight, and even die. He let his soldiers fight, and become strong, or fail and be honored in memory alone.

“He experimented on himself and his children, trying to find and build a cultivation technique so that all of humanity can embark on the True Path, and he did so without any kind of heritage backing him.

“Such a noble goal, yet through such scummy means. By all means, by all standards, I should hate and even be disgusted at the man who sacrificed so many for his goals. I should have nothing but pity in my heart for the teacher who lost everything, and persevered all alone. So do you know why, for both of them, for both of these strangers, I have nothing but great respect?”

Serene and Leon did not answer. Clearly Lex had been through a lot these many years, and they could not presume to understand all that he had witnessed. They simply waited for him to continue speaking.

“It’s because while they took upon the noble mission of saving humanity upon their shoulders, while they had their family sacrifice, and while they had to bear the pain of their choices, they did so right from the front. They were the first to bear the brunt of the consequences of their choices. In the wars that Cornelius chose not to end, he stood at the forefront, bearing all the pressure of the overwhelming danger that would have otherwise crushed his empire.

“All the consequences of his decisions, he bore himself. The same is true of Cassandra. She did not hide from her responsibility, and if others suffered, it was not because she was hiding in the back, prioritising her mission over everything else.

“So, even though, objectively speaking, you’ve probably been better parents than the scummy Cornelius who has enough kids to form an entire sports league, I still find that I respect that man more. At least he did not forsake everyone and everything because the mission was more important.

“With such a weak heart, with such fragile intentions, I do not know how you can achieve any significant sword intent, nor do I understand the value of the insight you gain from your heritage.”

Lex was about to continue his rant, but suddenly paused, and then chuckled as he realized something.

“You know, it’s quite curious. You guys obtained a great heritage, and decided to be so selfless that you endured so much pain and suffering for the sake of your perceived greater good. I, on the other hand, got a massive opportunity too. I was welcomed into the Midnight Inn, backed by the Innkeeper, and even though I was your son, even though I was raised by your clones, supposedly having the same values that you probably wished to imbue in me, the choice I made was entirely different.

“From the very first moment, I decided that I could not endure the weight of responsibility for all others, and so I always saw my own safety and benefits before others. Yet ironically, when Earth was on the verge of extinction, I was the one who gave them refuge in the Inn. When tyrants attacked the innocent, when evil Deities unleashed their wrath, I, the selfish one, stood out and protected the innocents.

“When Immortals came to kidnap Moon, or greedy bloody humans hunted down Liz to force her into marriage, I, the selfish one, stood out to protect them. When the Origin realm was under attack by the clones – for terrorists I might add – that you helped create, for your noble purposes, I was the one who stood out and foiled their plans.”

Lex was not bragging, he was actually experiencing a realization. He used to think that he was nothing but a selfish capitalist. As it turned out, he was actually a selfless saint of noble deeds and self sacrifice! How ironic! Then again, it made sense. How could someone as good looking as him be anything other than a slim, lightweight saint who was not fat at all.

He actually chuckled, and then shook his head. Why was he even bothering to explain all this to his parents?

“Alright, I acknowledge that you guys made great efforts to protect me and your other kids, and your intentions were always good. Your intentions were great, even, it’s just that your ability was lacking. I don’t blame you for any of it. So, now what do you want?

“I believe here in Arch-Heaven, you should be pretty safe from whoever is hunting you, right? That’s why you came here? So you should take your time, slowly grow your power, unlock your heritage, and save humanity. As for Moon and the others, you can leave them to me. I, your selfish son, will take care of them. With all that taken care of, you can now focus on your task free of concern and no more responsibilities. That should help you a lot, right?”

His parents sighed. Even though Lex absolved them of all responsibility, and even said he did not blame them, it was obvious at a glance that he did not want anything to do with them. Then again, such an outcome was still better than him resenting them, right?

“We… did not come to you to try and escape blame,” Leon said. “I understand fully the consequences of our actions. The reason we came to find you is to… warn you about some dangers you may face because of us. At the same time, it was to offer you some help, if you’ll take it.”

“Help?” Lex repeated, just barely managing to keep himself from scoffing. “How can you help me? Shouldn’t you be concerned about your own safety and your mission?”

“I can see that you might be trying to form a Dao body,” Serene said, lightly. “Do you even know the consequences of such a thing should you succeed? Or what pitfalls it can lead you towards? I can help you by… guiding you on your cultivation path. Do not underestimate the knowledge that I hold. Although I would not call myself strong just yet, I am no longer as weak or as ignorant as I once was.”