The Human Emperor's Final Choice

Houtu's courtyard was as tranquil as ever.

Shennong stood outside the courtyard and spoke respectfully.

"Disciple Shennong requests an audience with Master."

"Come in."

From inside the courtyard came the calm voice of Houtu.

Shennong pushed open the door and entered, quickly stepped forward, and bowed again.

"Disciple greets Master."

"Sit."

Houtu pointed to the stone bench opposite.

"Thank you, Master."

"What is troubling you so much?" Houtu looked at him and spoke slowly.

Upon hearing this, Shennong gave a wry smile.

"Reporting to Master."

"This disciple is about to complete his Merit and must now select the next Human Emperor for the Human Clan."

"However... now that there are two outstanding candidates among the Human Clan, this disciple is finding it difficult to choose, hence I have come to seek your guidance, Master."

Houtu didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly, gesturing for him to continue.

Shennong organized his thoughts and then spoke.

"Xuanyuan was benevolent and virtuous, skilled in governance, and able to enable the Human Clan to live in peace and prosperity."

"Chi You is brave and invincible; he can protect the peace of the Human Clan."

The ministers each held their own opinion, and the debate raged on.

"This disciple... is truly torn, unsure to whom to entrust the future of the Human Clan."

Houtu listened quietly, her expression unchanged.

Instead of answering directly, she asked a question in return.

"So, in your own heart, who do you lean towards more?"

Shennong was taken aback.

He hadn't expected his master to throw the question back at him.

He remained silent for a moment, seemingly considering his options.

In the end, he spoke frankly.

This question left Shennong speechless.

"Reporting to Master, in my heart, I lean more towards Xuanyuan."

"Why?" Houtu pressed.

Shennong organized his thoughts and answered solemnly.

"Our Human Clan has endured countless hardships since its inception."

"Heavenly Emperor Fuxi developed the Eight Trigrams and established human relations, Human Clan."

"This humble disciple has tasted hundreds of herbs and promoted agriculture, thus solving the survival problems of the Human Clan."

" To the Human Clan is well-fed and free from the suffering of disease."

In my view, the foundation of the Human Clan lies in 'birth' and 'nurturing'.

"Xuanyuan's strategy lay in recuperating and developing the people's livelihood."

"He can enable his people to live in peace and prosperity, and make the tribe wealthy and prosperous."

"If he Human Emperor, the Human Clan will surely develop steadily and grow stronger day by day."

He paused here, a hint of worry appearing on his face.

"But Chi You... his killing intent was too strong."

"This disciple is worried that if he Human Emperor, he might be able to unify the country by force."

"But excessive conquest could plunge Human Clan into years of war."

"This... is not what this disciple wishes to see."

This is his truest thought.

Houtu nodded, seemingly agreeing with his view, and then continued.

"Since you've already made up your mind, why are you asking me?"

Shennong's face showed even more worry, and he bowed deeply.

"This is precisely what I'm worried about."

"Chi You and Xuanyuan possessed extraordinary talents and the potential to become Human Emperor."

"Both of them also had countless tribes supporting them."

"If I choose Xuanyuan, how could Chi You be content?"

"How could the people of the Jiuli Tribe possibly believe this?"

"If the two tribes were to clash at that time, it would inevitably ignite a major war within the Human Clan."

"This... this is the situation I least wanted to see."

What he feared most was that one of his decisions would lead to the division of the Human Clan and fratricide.

He deserves to die for such a crime.

After listening to his concerns, Houtu remained calm and did not answer him immediately.

Instead, he asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Shennong, I have a question for you."

"Now that you Human Emperor, your prestige is unmatched among the Human Clan."

"Even so, have the frictions and conflicts between the various tribes within the Human Clan territory ever ceased?"

Shennong was taken aback, then lowered his head in dejection.

Never.

"Although Human Emperor, there are tens of thousands of the Human Tribe, each with its own selfish motives."

"This disciple can only suppress major disputes; as for minor skirmishes, there's simply no way to prevent them."

Human Clan appears to universally revere him Human Emperor, but in reality, they remain a disorganized and fragmented group.

This was another major worry in his heart.

Houtu smiled faintly.

Even with your prestige among the Human Clan, Human Clan can only maintain a semblance of peace.

"So what do you think, whether it's Xuanyuan or Chi You?"

"After they ascend to the throne, will they be able to suppress all the Human Clan simply by virtue of their title Human Emperor?"

"Can you get all the tribes to willingly obey your commands?"

Shennong fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he slowly shook his head.

"It can't be suppressed."

Neither Xuanyuan nor Chi You have the same prestige as me now.

Moreover, they were limited to their respective tribal alliances.

How can they possibly solve a problem that even they themselves cannot completely resolve?

Their desire to subjugate the entire Human Clan is utterly impossible.

Houtu looked at him and continued.

"Since neither of them can become the Human Emperor, neither can win the sincere submission of all tribes, nor can they suppress those potential conflicts."

Just follow your heart.

"No matter what you choose, the conflicts between the various Human Clan will not stop."

"There will eventually be a battle between Xuanyuan and Chi You."

Boom!

Houtu's words exploded in Shennong's mind like a thunderclap.

yes.

I was constantly worried that my choices would trigger a war, but I overlooked the fact that this war might have been inevitable in the first place.

The internal conflicts within the Human Clan had long since accumulated to a certain degree.

Even without Xuanyuan and Chi You, others would have stepped forward and solved the problem in their own way.

The situation of the Human Tribe, each governing its own territory, has persisted for far too long.

From the very beginning, this struggle for the throne of the Human Emperor was destined to be decided by war.

Whether you struggle with it or not, it won't change the outcome.

Houtu, seeing his thoughtful expression, continued.

"Heavenly Emperor Fuxi awakened human intelligence and established human ethics."

"You, as the Earthly Emperor, tasted hundreds of herbs, promoted agriculture, and solved the problem of the Human Clan survival."

"And the mission of this third Human Emperor was warfare."

"His mission was to end the fragmented Human Tribe through conquest and war."

"To unite all forces in one place and achieve true unification of the Human Clan."

"This war is not a disaster, but rather an inevitable step in the Human Clan's transformation."

"It is a baptism of blood and fire, the only way to completely solidify the Fortune of the Human Clan."

Shennong was deeply shaken; he finally understood.

It turns out that the Merit of the third Human Emperor lies precisely in the word "unification"!

He suddenly understood, but a new question arose in his mind.

"Master, I understand."

"But if that's the case, wouldn't it be better to choose Chi You Human Emperor?"

"With his bravery and the fighting strength of the Jiuli Tribe, unifying the various tribes will surely be a swift and unstoppable process."

"This will allow us to end this war in the shortest possible time and bring peace to the Human Clan more quickly."

If war is unavoidable, then the person who can end it the fastest should be chosen.

However, Houtu shook her head.

"Chi You is not suitable."

Why?

Shennong was puzzled.

"Because Chi You, the leader of the Jiuli Tribe, is the reincarnation of the Great Witch of our Wu Clan."

What!

Shennong froze, his face filled with disbelief.

Chi You... was he the reincarnation of Great Witch of the Wu Clan?

Houtu ignored his shock and continued to explain.

"He was reborn Human Clan, not to vie for the throne of the Human Emperor."

"It's to temper and refine Xuanyuan."

"Xuanyuan was born with the Fortune of unifying the Human Clan, Chi You was the greatest tribulation in his life."

"This is the strongest enemy he must overcome before he can truly ascend to the throne of the Human Emperor."

"Once Xuanyuan defeats Chi You and unifies the Human Clan, Chi You will naturally return to the Wu Clan."

"Moreover, after the unification of the Human Clan, what is needed is governance."

"In terms of governing ability, Xuanyuan far surpasses Chi You; he is the most suitable candidate."

It took Shennong a long time to come to his senses.

He bowed deeply to Houtu.

"Disciple... understands."

Houtu nodded gently.

Go, go do what you're supposed to do.

"Yes, Master."

Shennong bowed again, then turned and left the courtyard with steady and firm steps.