Bright Sword: Conquer the monk at the beginning and take down Zhou Weiguo

He finally understood that what Liu San had been enduring wasn't just the false grievances, but the despair and helplessness of living in this world. What Liu San wanted was perhaps just a chance to escape his predicament, a chance to be understood, rather than continue to play the innocent person who always needed charity.

"I don't want you to become that kind of person." Qin Cang's tone became gentle, but still filled with deep helplessness and anxiety. "You don't have to take that path to get anything. But have you ever thought that you don't need to bear too much, you can..."

"No! I've endured too much, Qin Cang!" Liu San raised his head suddenly, his eyes blazing like flames. "You don't understand what you're talking about at all! You haven't experienced my pain, nor the despair of being pushed to the brink of despair! Do you think I'm willing to go this far? I never wanted to, but they pushed me into a corner, forcing me to make these choices!"

He clenched his blood-stained hand tightly, his nails digging into his palm. Intense pain spread through his body, but he didn't let go. Liu San's eyes moistened slightly, but a cold smile forced itself from his throat. "You know what? I've always been hoping for someone to tell me, 'You can turn the situation around, you can clear your name,' but I've never had that chance. They've always treated me like a sinner, even though I was just trying to stand up for myself!"

Qin Cang's heart trembled, and he sighed deeply. He gently lowered his sword, gradually feeling the subtle distance between him and Liu San. Yes, what he knew was only superficial. Liu San's pain was simply beyond his comprehension. Perhaps, only by experiencing it firsthand could he understand Liu San's helplessness.

"I don't mean to blame you." Qin Cang's voice was low and a little sad. "I just hope you can calm down and know that you can choose other paths, other ways."

Liu San lowered his head, looking at the blood on the ground, his eyes empty as if he had lost all his strength. He shook his head in silence: "Calm down? You know, Qin Cang, calm down no longer applies to me. I can't turn back anymore."

Qin Cang suddenly stepped forward and patted Liu San on the shoulder: "There are still many paths you can take. As long as you are willing, you can choose at any time."

The air was slightly chilly, and the twilight light slowly poured down from the horizon. Everything around seemed shrouded in a vague shadow. Occasionally, pedestrians passed by on the street, their footsteps hurried, and the silence seemed to form a sharp contrast with the hustle and bustle. Qin Cang and Liu San walked side by side on this narrow path. An indescribable dull atmosphere lingered in the air.

Qin Cang glanced at Liu San beside him, as if he had something to say, but he didn't know how to begin. They had just experienced that violent conflict, Liu San's killing with a natural ruthlessness. Qin Cang's emotions were complicated, so complicated that even he found it difficult to understand. The doubts and uneasiness in his heart were like a heavy dark cloud, lingering.

Liu San, on the other hand, walked silently, his face slightly pale, his eyes hollow, as if weighed down by something. Although he tried to act nonchalant, even a faint smile played on his lips, to Qin Cang, it was even more glaring. It wasn't a smile of victory, but a cold one, as if he had given up all hope.

"Are you tired?" Qin Cang suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

Liu San didn't answer immediately. He just walked silently with his head down, his steps becoming heavier. "I'm tired," he finally said, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible. "I'm too tired to think about it anymore."

Qin Cang said nothing, simply following him silently. He knew Liu San's inner pain, and that he had never truly let go of anything. He had always been seen as an unfortunate person, burdened by a heavy past and an unjust fate. All of this was like a deep, unfathomable scar, buried deep in his heart, unable to heal.

Suddenly, Liu San stopped, turned around and looked at Qin Cang with a complicated look, as if he had a thousand words to say but didn't know where to start.

"Do you think I don't deserve to live?" he asked suddenly, his voice trembling a little, but still with a hint of stubbornness that he was unwilling to admit.

Qin Cang was slightly stunned. He originally thought that he could understand Liu San's pain, but this question made him unable to answer for a moment.

"No," Qin Cang shook his head, "I've never thought about it so much. I just... don't want you to carry such a heavy burden forever."

"Burden?" Liu San gave a wry laugh, looking down at his hands as if at an indelible stain. "I've carried this all my life, the accusations of others, the anxiety and guilt within myself. You make it sound easy, but I understand that no one's destiny is in their own hands."

Qin Cang didn't say anything else, just sighed softly. To be honest, he had long been accustomed to this silence and complexity. The pain in Liu San's heart was not something that could be easily resolved, and it might even never be healed.

"Then what are you going to do?" Qin Cang finally spoke, his tone becoming calmer. "Are you just going to give up on yourself?"

Liu San looked at the gradually blurry scenery in the distance, a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes. His eyes seemed to penetrate the world in front of him and see a place he could not reach.

"I can't give up," Liu San whispered. "Perhaps, I've never given up. It's just... I don't know how to move on. Every time I try to leave that quagmire, it drags me back in, even deeper."

Qin Cang's heart tightened. He looked at Liu San, and a strong emotion suddenly surged in his heart. This emotion was not sympathy or pity, but a desire to do something for this person, even if it was just a little bit. Qin Cang was not good at comforting people. He had always been a person who solved problems with swordsmanship and was used to dealing with everything with violence and force. But at the moment, Liu San's predicament could not be solved in this way.

"Let's go for a walk and change our mood." Qin Cang finally spoke, with a hint of relief in his voice, "Always thinking about the past will not change the current predicament."

Liu San glanced at him with a complicated expression, but soon he nodded, as if responding to Qin Cang's suggestion, trying to pull himself out of the shadow a little. So, they walked side by side on this road, although they still carried unspeakable pain in their hearts, but at least, at this moment, their steps were the same.