I Really Have a Cow

"You strategists, you're all so twisted."

Le Yu exhaled. "So what should we do? Give up on establishing a White Night branch?"

"How can we abandon the opportunity to recruit progressive individuals just because of a few moles? That's like cutting off your foot to avoid a minor injury," Yin Yinyin said, shaking its head. "While there's a risk in forming a White Night branch, we can avoid it by simply catching the mole."

"Do you know who the mole is?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be meeting you tonight. And tomorrow, you'd hear news of a certain Stargazer disciple's death."

Le Yu thoughtfully glanced at Yin Yinyin, thinking that besides being his contact, Yin Yinyin was likely also responsible for White Night's assassination missions. With the Hidden Sword Combat Arts, Yin Yinyin, if it had the element of surprise, there weren't many in Star Engraving Prefecture who could stop it.

"Do you have any suspects?" Le Yu suddenly remembered a method he'd seen for catching moles. "Do we send different meeting times and locations to each suspect, under the White Night Organization's name, and then see which meeting spot the Statistics Department agents show up at? That would mean the corresponding suspect is the real mole, right?"

"...?"

A large question mark appeared above Yin Yinyin's head. "While I don't know where you heard that method, it's useless to us. First, we don't know how many moles there are. Second, the mole's objective is to infiltrate the White Night Organization. Before the mole gets a complete member list, they definitely won't make any other moves."

"However, one thing is certain: the mole should be among Stargazer's disciples."

"Why?"

"After Stargazer's death, only the few disciples who inherited its mantle can recruit new members in its name." Yin Yinyin glanced at Le Yu. "In fact, you're one of them. And you really could gather new members—they'd surely be happy to beat you to a pulp to honor Stargazer's spirit in the heavens."

Le Yu couldn't be bothered to respond to Yin Yinyin's sarcastic joke and mused, "And Mr. Lin's disciples happen to be released now, because they were arrested by the Statistics Department, and their backgrounds are impeccable… The responsibility for the White Night branch will naturally fall to one of them."

"But can't White Night refuse to let them join the branch and find someone else—for example, send you to establish the branch?"

Yin Yinyin twirled a pen in its hand and shook its head. "White Night has no reason to refuse. Just because of your and my speculation, we'd doubt their loyalty without any evidence? That doesn't align with White Night's internal regulations. Not only can White Night not refuse, it must entrust them with inheriting Stargazer's legacy to show White Night's respect for the fallen."

"For the sake of this meaningless gesture, should White Night's efforts in Star Engraving Prefecture be ruined?" Le Yu found it a bit hard to understand. "Isn't that sacrificing the important for the trivial?"

"Oh? Sacrificing the important for the trivial?"

Yin Yinyin looked at Le Yu and suddenly broke into a brilliant smile.

You could hardly imagine what it felt like for Le Yu to see a deadpan face break into a smile—Le Yu, at least, got goosebumps.

Yin Yinyin slowly said, "So, according to you, now that Stargazer is dead, we shouldn't let its relatives and disciples inherit Stargazer's will, and we should even regard them as moles, as suspects who betrayed the organization?"

Le Yu was momentarily speechless. "That's not what I meant…"

"Your 'sacrificing the important for the trivial' means exactly that. You think Stargazer's family and disciples are trivial, and the White Night branch is important, right?" Yin Yinyin interrupted Le Yu's statement. "So, if we just inconvenience them a little, by temporarily not letting them join the White Night branch, they'll surely understand our difficulties… Is that what you're thinking?"

Le Yu didn't speak; he vaguely sensed that… this White Night Organization didn't seem to be an ordinary rebel group.

"But what would they think?" Yin Yinyin's tone turned sarcastic again. "'Oh, Teacher Lin sacrificed so much for White Night, but now White Night suspects us'—Meteor, do you know, the reason this world has become like this is because too many people hope that those with 'small' things can 'understand' their 'big' things."

"The Radiant Court hopes the people of Skyline District can understand their policy strategies, so the Skyline Magistrate was killed, and Skyline District became a mess."

"Ding Yi surely hopes the people of Star Engraving Prefecture can understand his ambitious ideals, and the result is your Statistics Department running rampant, with progressive individuals being persecuted."

"Everyone thinks they are the sun in the sky, and all starlight must make way for them, so—"

Yin Yinyin spread its hands. "We, these specks of starlight, are plotting in this basement to overthrow their brilliance."

Le Yu was slightly lost in thought, then gave a bitter laugh. "Do I really own a cow…?"

Yin Yinyin raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying some kind of insulting slang?"

"It's a joke. There was an im—an imperial envoy who asked a farmer if he would donate a treasure to the state if he dug one up. The farmer said yes, and the envoy was pleased. Then he asked if the farmer had a cow, would he donate it to the state? This time, the farmer said no."

Yin Yinyin grew curious. "Why?"

Le Yu: "Because I really own a cow."

Yin Yinyin was silent for a moment, a slight curve appearing at the corner of its mouth. "A very interesting joke, and its central idea aligns with what I just said. Your associative thinking is quite good."

A slight thrill ran through Le Yu, then he felt something was off—why did that sound like a teacher praising an elementary school student?

"In any case, phrases like 'for the greater good,' 'sacrificing the important for the trivial,' and 'swallowing one's pride' do not align with White Night's code of conduct."

Yin Yinyin said, "Resentment breeds grievance, grievance leads to hostility, and hostility incites war… If we can inconvenience a small group of people for the greater good today, then tomorrow, someone will inconvenience us for the greater good."

"Meteor, I hear your sister is at the tender age of sixteen. If I said that for the greater good, she had to do something she didn't want to, could you accept that?"

"No," Le Yu replied instantly.

"So don't talk like that, generously offering up others. We can sacrifice, we can be inconvenienced, but we cannot be sacrificed, or be inconvenienced." Yin Yinyin lightly brushed its white bangs. "Humans cannot understand each other, but they can respect each other."

Yin Yinyin recited in a solemn tone: "'This world is originally a dark abyss, but we hold light in our hearts, not shining on all things, but illuminating ourselves alone, this is White Night.'"

Le Yu's expression was somewhat complex. "What a naive political ideal."

"If everyone didn't force others to understand them, and everyone respected others, then a beautiful world where everyone could understand each other would arrive." Yin Yinyin opened its notebook. "This is White Night's ultimate pursuit: no one needs to inconvenience themselves, and no one needs to consider the greater good, yet society can function harmoniously."

Le Yu couldn't help but shake his head. "With such a childish ideal, can White Night truly succeed?"

"Even if White Night fails, it only proves the incompetence of us White Night Walkers, not that the ideal is wrong," Yin Yinyin said, twirling its pen. "Precisely because the ideal is so dreamlike, the path to it is naturally full of thorns."

Le Yu scoffed. "Easier said than done. But what about the mole?"

"Well said, that's why I wanted to meet you." Yin Yinyin pointed its pen at Le Yu. "I have a plan that can expose the mole. However, this plan is difficult to implement, and very dangerous, so I need your help."

Le Yu nodded. "Okay, how can I help?"

"It's not that hard, actually." Yin Yinyin spread its hands. "You just have to suffer a little."

Le Yu immediately felt a bad premonition. "Suffer what?"

"It's nothing really." Yin Yinyin paused. "You might just die."

"Damn it, didn't you just say White Night wouldn't ask its members to sacrifice their self-interest?!"

"White Night indeed doesn't ask members to sacrifice their self-interest, but you can actively sacrifice yourself. That's common sense, no need to thank me."