Finding Friends

No friends?

"That's right, a hero needs three helpers, and a fence needs three stakes. You see, when I do missions, I always bring helpers along. If I had gone to the Barbarian Continent alone, I would have been dead long ago. You know, connections are a very important force. If a person doesn't even have a friend, it proves that there's something wrong with their way of doing things. As the saying goes, 'Brothers fight tigers together, fathers and sons go to war together, many hands make light work, and when one is in trouble, help comes from all sides...' In short, there's strength in numbers, and if you can gang up on someone, you should never fight one-on-one." Si Ming blurted out a bunch of things in a panic.

"Friends, gang fight... I see." Yu Shuying's eyes flickered, as if she had realized something.

Chapter 407 Finding Friends

The next morning, when Yu Shuying appeared before Si Ming again, she was in much better condition than the day before. Although she still exuded a sense of dejection, she at least had the will to cheer up, giving people the feeling of picking up trash and rebuilding a home amidst ruins.

"I'm so sorry about yesterday. I showed you an appalling side of myself. I hope you won't take it to heart, and if possible, it would be best to forget about it immediately."

Yu Shuying gave her a look that said, "If you dare tell anyone, I'll fight you to the death."

Si Ming nodded hurriedly in agreement. "Don't worry, I'm a person who keeps my mouth shut, and I'm not a big mouth who likes to gossip."

I thought to myself, I wasn't the only one who saw your ugly behavior yesterday; Yao Bilian did too. That woman is a big mouth who loves to gossip. If it gets out and everyone knows, it won't be my fault.

"Don't worry about it. I already spoke with Director Yao before I came. She told me a dirty joke about 'keeping your mouth shut,' and then she agreed to my request," Yu Shuying said immediately.

Si Ming almost forgot that this guy had Mind-Reading Technique (pseudo). Although his current strength was no weaker than that of Spirit Transformation expert, they were ultimately not from the same system and might not have the same shielding effect, especially since he was currently in a weakened state.

"I reflected on my actions last night and realized that what you said makes a lot of sense. My style of doing things is too individualistic. Humans are inherently social beings, and seeking teamwork is the best way to maximize efficiency, at least until we possess invincible abilities."

Upon hearing this, Si Ming knew that this guy was still unwilling, but had no choice but to compromise with reality. The cultivation system in the Sea Continent could overwhelm superiors with sheer numbers. If a top expert below the Spirit Transformation had the help of favorable timing and location, defeating Spirit Transformation expert was not difficult. Alternatively, three or four top experts working together would also have a considerable chance of winning. Of course, this only applies to winning. Without thorough preparation for encirclement, it is generally impossible to stop Spirit Transformation expert from escaping.

If it were a cultivation system where the difference between the two realms is enormous, with sayings like "a single step is like heaven and earth" or "a difference of one small realm is like heaven and earth," Yu Shuying would probably have to go it alone to the very end.

The advantage of Spirit Transformation cultivators over non- Spirit Transformation lies more in the evolution of their life essence than in their sheer martial prowess. For example, Spirit Transformation cultivators can regenerate severed limbs and have long lifespans, two advantages that countless people yearn for.

"The reason for the failure of several missions was all due to personnel management. Before taking action, I made sure everything was foolproof, but when it came to actually doing it, all sorts of variables would occur. Once a variable occurred, they didn't know how to deal with it, and each time they would take the worst possible countermeasure, using whatever they were afraid of. Of course, it was my mistake to misjudge people and use them poorly, and I don't mean to shirk responsibility. But now that I think about it, the reasons are not so simple," Yu Shuying reflected.

Si Ming asked doubtfully, "Don't you have Mind-Reading Technique? Observing everyone's psychological state before making arrangements, and then combining that with everyone's abilities, it shouldn't be difficult to make reasonable plans."

"I did do that, but the results were far from satisfactory. Theory is just theory; there are too many variables in reality. People's hearts are fickle, and you can't control them with a Mind-Reading Technique, especially since mine was fake. Some were loyal before the operation, but inexplicably betrayed me along the way. Some were usually cautious and discreet, but panicked and became helpless in actual combat. Even the best strategies are powerless in such situations. Now that I think about it, it wasn't that I used the wrong people, but that I lacked trust with them and couldn't maintain a firm will to carry out the plan. So, when faced with variables, it quickly spiraled out of control and collapsed."

Si Ming nodded slightly. He recalled the Pupil Extermination Plan of the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King at Glazed Temple. The transformation of the Purple Eye Spirit King was the biggest surprise, enough to ruin the entire plan. However, Si Ming believed in the determination of the monks of Glazed Temple and knew that they had the resolve to fight to the death. That's why they dared to persist and fight to the end with Hongdou, who was possessed by Si Jingyu.

If the trust between Si Ming and Glazed Temple is weak, then when the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King transforms, he will worry that if Glazed Temple senses something is wrong, they might abandon him to entangle the Spirit King and escape first.

Rather than being betrayed by Glazed Temple, I'd rather betray Glazed Temple first. In the end, it's your plan that had flaws and you didn't anticipate this variable, which led to your failure. The final responsibility will definitely not fall on me.

Yu Shuying continued, "A plan is about uniting everyone's strength and acting according to a predetermined order. When variables arise, if everyone has their own ideas and acts independently, the order will collapse. However, the trust between friends allows them to maintain the original order and minimize the impact of variables. Alas, I should have realized this sooner. No plan is perfect and can anticipate all variables. Therefore, striving to reduce variables is inherently a wrong approach. The correct method should be to increase our resilience to variables."

Si Ming, "It seems you've realized the importance of friends. So, the most crucial question is: do you have any friends?"

"..."

After a long silence, Yu Shuying slowly spoke, "Before discussing this issue, we need to define what friendship is..."

"Okay, I understand, you don't need to say anything more."

"Why? This is a very important question. Everyone has a different understanding of friendship. Some people think that having eaten together makes someone a friend, some think that a true friend is someone you'd die for, and some think that anyone you know is a friend. The concept of friendship is too broad."

"But the key point is that people who ask this question often have no friends," Si Ming pointed out incisively.

Another silence fell, then Yu Shuying wore a self-deprecating expression, her eyes lifeless, and muttered, "Yeah, you're right, I really don't have a single friend. Heh, it's all my own fault. Go ahead and laugh at me. Right now, I'm just a salted fish without any dreams, unable to turn over in the sea. I thought it was because of the environment, but once I got to the shore, I realized that a salted fish is still a salted fish no matter which way it turns. The rhythm of life is just ups and downs..."

The negative energy emanating from the other side was so overwhelming that Si Ming felt as if he were being swallowed by darkness. He quickly suggested, "Instead of blaming yourself for the past, why not look to the future? Once you take the first step, the second and third steps will be much easier."

Yu Shuying looked up and said, "You mean, make your first friend first?"

"That's right, but I have one request: don't use Mind-Reading Technique to deliberately please others. You rely too much on Mind-Reading Technique, which is why you can't make friends. If you had kept this secret, people would at most see you as the understanding type. But you don't mind letting others know, which makes them feel very insecure. Nobody likes to associate with someone who can read their mind. So if you want to make friends, it's best to make friends with those who don't know your secrets."

Yu Shuying stared at Si Ming for a while, then nodded and said, "Alright, I'll listen to you. But you're wrong about one thing. It's not that I don't mind letting others know the secret, but rather that I deliberately leaked the information to mislead them into thinking I can really Mind-Reading Technique —the more fake it is, the more it should be publicized; the more real it is, the more it should be concealed."

"That kind of thing doesn't matter. Anyway, we're going to start our 'finding friends' campaign. Our goal is one hundred." Worried that Si Ming Yu Shuying might use definitions to justify her actions, Si Ming quickly added, "Even just verbal acquaintances count. A nodding acquaintance is a success."

Yu Shuying said, "Alright, you're the expert in this area, I'll listen to you."

Si Ming's first target was Yao Bilian.

Why choose her? Because she's the most shameless and easy to seduce.

"Didn't you say that it's best to find someone who doesn't know I can Mind-Reading Technique?" Yu Shuying asked.

"But she doesn't care. I don't think she'd care about this," Si Ming.

Yu Shuying thought for a moment and nodded, "That's true. I've never seen any shame in her. She can say things that are difficult for many people to talk about with ease. In a sense, that's admirable."

"For an ordinary person, having someone who can Mind-Reading Technique is like having their secrets completely exposed, leaving them naked in front of that person. Of course, they would feel uncomfortable. But for this woman, who usually enjoys running around naked in front of others, why would she care about having her clothes taken off?"

"Hey, hey, hey, how can you talk badly about someone like that in front of them?" Yao Bilian protested. "Even if what you're saying is true, you have to consider the occasion. Don't you have any sense of propriety? What exactly do you want from me?"

Si Ming stepped back, making way for Yu Shuying, who didn't hesitate and asked frankly, "Can we be friends?"

Yao Bilian glanced at the two of them suspiciously, then seemed to understand something. "Oh, I see. Okay, but I'm also angry to be looked down upon, so I have a condition."

What are the conditions?

Yao Bilian gave a thumbs-up and said, "Sleep with me for one night, and I'll be your friend."

"They're just friends with benefits!" Si Ming couldn't help but complain. "It's just about being friends, but the price they paid was way too high."

I almost forgot this guy is indiscriminate in his sexual preferences, but would a normal person ask to sleep with someone in this situation?

"How can we be friends if we're not completely honest with each other? If you won't even let me see your body, what kind of trust is that?" Yao Bilian retorted confidently. "I haven't even planned to have a deeper conversation yet, and you won't even let me check in? Where does that kind of sincerity come from?"

"It sounds reasonable, but it's all fallacies! Besides, you just told a dirty joke, didn't you!"