“My bones were broken so many times they might as well have been reformed, my skin was torn to the point of death. Yet every scar I bear reminds me of who I became, what I had lost, and what others could still lose because of things outside of their control. They are not a burden to me, nor is the pain, for it reminds me every day of what I value.”

Lei Gong listened to him speak, breath held and heart stuttering. “Which is?”

The dark cultivator turned toward him, eyes burning. “The same thing that you value. Justice for the sake of it, and the safeguard of those who need it. Our methods may differ, but our hearts are the same.”