Doubts (continued)

If it's subjective perception, it's too easy to mislead people. A person with a firm will can "walk their own path and let others talk," not caring about gossip. But this is because they understand themselves 100% and can fully trust themselves. However, it is a hundred times more difficult to trust others. The most famous example is Zengzi killing someone.

Once upon a time, Zengzi lived in Fei. There was a man in Fei who shared the same name and clan as Zengzi and had committed murder. Someone told Zengzi's mother, "Zeng Shen has Zeng Shen murder!" Zengzi's mother said, "My son has not committed murder." She continued weaving as if Zeng Shen. After a while, someone else said, "Zeng Shen has committed murder!" His mother still continued weaving as if nothing had happened. A little while later, someone else told her, "Zeng Shen murder!" His mother was frightened, threw down her shuttle, jumped over the wall, and ran away.

Zeng Shen was a disciple of Kongzi and was renowned for his virtue from a young age. He was considered one of the five great sages of Confucian School, alongside Kongzi, Mencius, Yanzi, Zisi. His character was beyond question. No one knows a son better than his mother, and no one trusts their son more than a mother. Even so, when a third person told Zeng Shen's mother that her son had killed someone, she was so frightened that she jumped over the wall and fled.

This has nothing to do with whether one is determined or not; it's simply because you don't know what the other person is thinking. They might suddenly have a brain fart and do something foolish. Even the closest of relationships, like mother and child, cannot be trusted without reservation.

If Wan Ziling's wish to be fulfilled depends on her subjective perception, then as long as everyone insists that the Beast King Anye is dead, she may be skeptical at first, but sooner or later she will be convinced.

Unfortunately, things didn't turn out as well as Si Ming had imagined.

"Well, since the Beast King is still alive, there's a chance to kill him completely without having to wait ten years, which is good news in a way." At times like this, one can only try to think of things in a positive light.

Fahong glanced at Wan Ziling, but didn't ask why she had a causal connection with the Beast King. Instead, he said, "There's no smoke without fire. There's no reason for Sect Leader Wan to lie. She's probably fallen for the Beast King's deception. And the Beast King's feigned death and resurrection must be for some purpose. We must send someone to warn him immediately."

"Master, wait!" Si Jingyu suddenly spoke up, "This is actually a good opportunity to turn the tables. If we can figure out the Beast King Anye's scheme, we can turn the tables and lure him into our trap. If we send someone to inform the Evil-Slaying Sword School, we might alert them, which would be counterproductive."

"This... wouldn't Sect Leader Wan and the others be in danger?"

Fahong hesitated. As the leaders of the righteous path in the martial arts world of the East and the South, their relationship was not as open and covert as ordinary people imagined. It is true that two tigers cannot share one mountain, but if there are two mountains, there is no problem. If there is another evil dragon eyeing the world, the two tigers will naturally form an alliance.

Whether in personal or public matters, Fahong had a deep friendship with Wan Yebai. Moreover, Wan Yebai had led his sect's experts to provide assistance during the battle to kill the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King, Wan Yebai had always kept this favor in his heart.

Si Jingyu opened the paper fan inscribed with the words "self-inflicted wound" and said, "The other party witnessed the Beast King's death. How can we convince him that the Beast King is actually still alive?"

Seeing Fahong turn his gaze to Wan Ziling, Si Jingyu smiled and said, "If the Beast King learns of this, will he spare someone who can confirm his life or death? Or, in your eyes, Master, is Sect Leader Wan's life more precious than my companion's?"

"My apologies, madam, you flatter me."

"Actually, it's too early to make any conclusions. Perhaps Sect Leader Wan has already seen through the Beast King's conspiracy and is intentionally playing along, pretending not to know, to lure the snake out of its hole... In the end, we have too little information. Based solely on the one-sided account of a disciple, we can't deduce anything at all."

Observing Fahong's expression, Si Jingyu closed her paper fan and placed the last piece on the board. "Of course, we are not heartless. How about this, we will personally deliver the message. This will ensure that the secret is not leaked and also allow us to understand the true thoughts of the Evil-Slaying Sword School Sect."

"Namo Glazed Medicine Buddha, it turns out Madam had planned this all along. I was too hasty. Therefore, I entrust this to Madam." Fahong suddenly remembered something and quickly turned to Si Ming, "I also entrust this to the Alliance Leader."

"It feels like I've become an afterthought." Si Ming stroked his chin.

"Ah, the Alliance Leader is too kind. This old monk will take his leave now."

After Fahong left, Si Ming looked at Si Jingyu: "So, did you find anything wrong?"

"Perhaps I'm overthinking it, but I always feel there's something suspicious about the Evil-Slaying Sword School Sect specifically sending someone to inform the Glazed Temple," Si Jingyu tapped her palm with her fan. "Shuiyun, what do you think?"

Si Shuiyun said with a grave expression, "Miss, I feel there's something fishy about this."

Si Ming was speechless. "Are you the straight man in a crosstalk performance, responsible for using interjections to connect the preceding and following parts?"

But Si Jingyu seemed to buy into this, nodding slightly and saying, "That's right. Normally, such a joyous occasion as successfully killing a great demon should be announced to the world according to the normal procedure, and the news should be allowed to spread on its own. There's no need to send someone on horseback to deliver the news. It's the bad news that needs to be reported urgently."

Si Ming, "The Glazed Temple and the Evil-Slaying Sword School Sect have been allied for hundreds of years. It's normal for them to send someone to inform us in advance to show that they value it, isn't it?"

"On the contrary, it's precisely because they have a good relationship that they don't need to notify each other. If the two sides dislike each other and want to dominate the other, they will specifically send someone to notify each other in order to show off their power."

"So what does this unreasonable behavior represent?"

"The reason we think it's unreasonable is because we're looking at it from the wrong angle; we haven't found the right way to observe. If we look at it from a different angle, what if the person the Evil-Slaying Sword School wanted to notify wasn't the Glazed Temple, but you?"

"Me?" Si Ming asked, puzzled. "What does he want with me?"

"There are two possibilities. One is that they need your help but are hesitant to make a big fuss because of the enemy lurking in the shadows, so they can only give subtle hints. The other is that they want to tell you that the Beast King Anye is dead, so you don't need to worry about it anymore. Go do what you need to do and don't waste your time on the Beast King."

Si Shuiyun feigned sudden realization. "I see. After your analysis, Miss, things become clear. The other party indeed had other plans."

"If it's the former possibility, it's not a big deal, but if it's the latter..." Si Jingyu covered her mouth and chuckled, "Then things get interesting."

Si Ming sighed, "I don't understand what's so interesting about it, but I think I get your point. Anyway, we have to go to the Evil-Slaying Sword School Sect to get to the bottom of things. Besides, there's less than half a month left of summer vacation, and we should find a way to go back. Senior Wu Xiu, Murong Wu, and Chen Shimi are also at the Righteous Qi Palace, so we can head over and meet up with them."

Si Huaruo suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, what exactly are we doing here during summer vacation?"

"..."

After an awkward silence, Si Ming abruptly changed the subject. "By the way, how's your cultivation of that 'Heavenly One River Diagram' going, Huaruo?"

Si Huaruo's attention was indeed diverted, and she complained from the bottom of her heart, "It's too difficult to practice! This scripture is too profound!"

The tone was like that of a student who had just finished a very difficult test paper, their confidence severely shaken, desperately needing fellow sufferers to echo their sentiments, "Yeah, yeah, the test was too hard!" "I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I won't even pass this time!" "I didn't finish several questions, I could only guess the answer." As long as everyone shared the hardship, their mood would improve considerably.

Unfortunately, no one present was practicing the "Heavenly One River Diagram" with her. Although Si Huaruo was willing to recite the contents of the scripture, Si Shuiyun was unwilling to do something "insubordinate." Si Jingyu said that she needed to seize the time to ask the masters about the problems she encountered while practicing the Glazed Pure Body. Besides, she was also practicing the "True Scripture of Sinful Punishment" and had no extra energy to spare for anything else.

Not everyone is like Si Ming, who accepts all kinds of martial arts, learns from many schools, and cooks them into a hodgepodge. He dares to do this because he is confident that he can master everything and achieve mastery in the shortest amount of time.

Learning multiple external martial arts techniques like palm techniques and Swordsmanship is fine; you can learn from each other and draw inferences from one another. However, when it comes to comprehensive scriptures like the "True Scripture of Sinful Punishment" and the "Water Moon Precious Mirror," which include martial arts moves, Internal Cultivation methods, and other aspects, it's generally best to focus on one that suits you best. If you have the means, you can also learn another worthwhile one. But if you try to learn more than that, you'll be overwhelmed. Not only will you fail to master everything, but you'll also risk Qi Deviation.

"What, can't you understand the scriptures?"

Si Ming recalled the "Shennong's Three Fists" he had practiced. It seemed simple, but in reality, it was unfathomable. It was a martial art that was easy to understand but difficult to master, and it tested one's comprehension. If one's comprehension was insufficient, one would only remain at the level of "having the appearance but not the substance" for the rest of one's life, turning a martial art of great skill into a farming exercise. Just like Taiji Fist, the Taiji practiced by the grandparents in the park does have the effect of strengthening the body, but it is best not to use it in actual combat.

Si Huaruo shook her head and said, "No, the text itself is not difficult to understand at all. On the contrary, with the accompanying illustrations, it is easy to understand at a glance. The way it is explained is profound yet simple, and anyone with a little cultivation foundation can understand it. It has a kind of profound simplicity."

Si Ming felt a pang of jealousy. His own book, "Shennong's Three Fists," was also a wordless book, but it didn't receive such treatment. Forget about any illustrations or diagrams; the text was so concise it was almost unbelievable, as if the author was reluctant to use up every last drop of ink. He was trying to emulate Master Kong's pursuit of "profound meaning in concise words," saving as much as possible, completely lacking the spirit of online novels.

If it were anyone else, they would never have been able to comprehend the intricacies of the "Shennong's Three Fists." In a sense, this scripture was tailor-made for him; it would be extremely difficult to master without a sudden enlightenment. No wonder only he could see it.

Si Huaruo, oblivious to Si Ming's complex emotions, sighed, "Although I can understand this scripture, its requirements for Cultivation Body are far too high. At the very least, one must possess the cultivation level of the Spirit Transformation stage... Alas, you've already achieved results, while I haven't even reached the entry level. I'm utterly useless."

Si Ming gave Si Hua Ruo a lot of encouragement, saying things like "Pressure is the source of motivation," "Sometimes what limits a person's growth is their vision," and "The higher the requirements, the higher the ceiling." This finally cheered Si Hua Ruo up.

Afterwards, Si Ming planned to gather everyone and go to the Righteous Qi Palace together, at which point Si Jingyu gave a different suggestion.