The young man gave Tang Yu a surprised look, as though he found it hard to believe.
Tang Yu smiled faintly, pulled out a bottle of spirit wine brewed from spirit fruits, took a sip, and said with a smile, "I really wasn't lying to you."
"I know. My constitution is special—I can see through people's hearts."
The young man pointed at his eyes and asked, "You came up from below, didn't you? What's it like down there?"
"It's long and big. You could say it's the greatest in the world."
"..."
"Just kidding."
Tang Yu burst out laughing. "The only difference is that there aren't many great dynasties governing it. It's relatively freer, and more chaotic too."
"Isn't freedom good?"
"Freedom has its pros and cons. It's good for the strong, but for ordinary people, it definitely isn't much of a good thing."
The young man fell silent for a while, then put Fairy Meiyun into his storage ring and murmured, "Then what is best? I've traveled through all three great dynasties, yet I still seem unable to find an answer."
"What answer are you looking for?" Tang Yu asked in return.
"A perfect world—the best world, one where everyone can feel happy."
Weariness appeared on the young man's face. "We scholars are always talking about establishing a heart for heaven and earth, securing a destiny for the common people. But I've practically worn out all the books of the sages, and still I can't find the answer."
After a pause, the young man continued.
"I once stayed for a full three hundred years in the pocket realm of a great sect. There was a nation inside that pocket realm. Its population wasn't large, only a million people."
"There were no cultivators among them; they were all mortals. I