Chapter 26
"The so-called eternal life is nothing but a scam. I just have one question for you—who are you? Where do you come from?"
The people surrounding him moved like stiff puppets, their limbs twisting unnaturally. The unsettling creak of their joints grinding against each other echoed through the silence, making Zixu's teeth ache. Their vacant eyes, devoid of emotion, locked onto him in eerie unison.
The old man scoffed, finding Zixu's question ridiculous. He had expected something profound, something that would shake the heavens—yet this was all? A mere inquiry? To him, Zixu's words were nothing more than an empty provocation.
"Heh... that's hardly a question worth asking. Everyone here can answer it with ease. But after that, you'll have to apologize for your disrespect toward Lady Tagorihime," the old man sneered, the deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes twitching as he smirked.
Zixu took a few measured steps toward the stone gate, nodding casually. "Of course. Go ahead, I'm listening."
The old man straightened his hunched back slightly, his voice filled with a prideful nostalgia. "We have lived here since ancient times. To escape the endless wars between nations, our ancestors gathered their families and neighbors and settled in this sacred place, severing all ties with the outside world. Under the benevolent guidance of Lady Tagorihime, we've known nothing but peace and prosperity. There is no war here, no suffering—only a life free from worry."
"So you've been completely isolated from the outside world? You have no knowledge of its changes?" Zixu asked slowly, his gaze shifting subtly as he observed the people around him. They stood eerily still, as if someone had pressed pause on their lives.
"That is correct. The affairs of the outside world do not concern us. Why trouble ourselves with its chaos when we have been granted this perfect peace?"
Zixu chuckled, his smirk laced with sarcasm. "Is that so? Then why are you all dressed like the people outside? And more importantly, why do you bear the forehead protectors of ninja villages?"
"W-what...?"
"You heard me. Do you want me to repeat it?" His eyes gleamed with sharp amusement. "Stop lying to yourselves. You haven't lived here since ancient times. You're not some secluded, untouched people... You're just prisoners trapped in a dream of your own making."