Chapter 829: Chapter 828: Remorse
Ah Jiu leaped to the highest point of the wrecked ship, standing with his hands behind his back, gazing at the vast and calm sea before him.
Just by looking at the calm sea in front of him, no one would have thought that two Shichen ago, a terrifying storm had occurred.
Looking down, there were fallen shipwrecks everywhere, along with the shipâs original belongings, luggage, chests, and the survivors of the disaster salvaging items and people, or corpses.
Ah Jiu watched as a bloated corpse was pulled up, and the people on the ship shook their heads and sank it back into the depths of the sea, kneeling down and bowing a few times.
A sting welled up in his eyes, and he slightly closed his eyes, his hands behind his back clenching tightly into fists.
Behind him, a rustling noise came through, Ah Jiu didnât turn back, he knew who it was.
"Even if you want to be at a high point, donât leap so high, are you bullying those of us without Qinggong?" Yan Er finally stood beside Ah Jiu.
Ah Jiu did not speak.
Yan Er followed his line of sight downward, and then looked at his expression, letting out a light sigh: "Itâs not your fault."
"It is my fault," Ah Jiu said coldly. "If it werenât for my miscalculation, if I hadnât overestimated myself, wanting to change the route, perhaps this loss wouldnât have occurred."
He closed his eyes, and the fists clenched behind his back grew tighter and tighter.
Changing the route was his decision, but this wrong decision led to the tragic situation before him, with people injured, dead, or missing fingers; it was his sin.
"Youâre too harsh on yourself," Yan Er said. "If you followed the original route, would it really have prevented losses? Could you guarantee no one would block you on the way? At the Gobi Beach, your move was impressive, but you also cut off quite a few peopleâs livelihood. And there, itâs always Nanyueâs territory, outnumbered, no matter how skilled you are, you canât withstand their thousands of troops."
"Traveling on the river routes, fighting against people, one can at least put up a struggle, but here, fighting against nature..." Ah Jiu gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Youâve seen it yourself, how can humans win against nature?"
"Ah Jiu, this was just an accident, an unforeseen accident. It can only be said that we were unlucky, encountering this rare storm. Look at me, for instance," Yan Er said with a slight chuckle. "Among everyone on this ship, except for the Boat Trackers, only the few of us masters and servants have been out to sea, and it was still to a Foreign Land. With these trips back and forth, I have spent months at sea. But during these times, I have never encountered such a severe disaster."
What Yan Er said was not words of comfort but the truth. He had encountered danger before, but never had he narrowly escaped death like just now.
"We were only out to sea for a few days, and we encounter such an event, it could just be said we were unlucky. But isnât it fortunate that we werenât completely wiped out?" Yan Er continued: "If we followed the original road, could you guarantee not a single person would be harmed?"
Ah Jiu remained silent. He understood the reasoning in Yan Erâs words, but his heart was heavy, laden with self-blame and some regret.
"I know what youâre thinking; you simply feel that your decision was wrong, leading to remorse. But who can guarantee that the generalâs decisions in a battle are always going to win? Even great generals make errors. Experience is built up over time, and youâre still young. I believe that after this, the next time you make a decision, you will become more cautious," Yan Er said, patting his shoulder.
Ah Jiuâs expression eased slightly, but he still forced a wry smile: "If experience is accumulated through blood and tears, then..."