Rectifying the Heart

Having been shut out, Mi Long had no desire to linger. After howling a few more phrases at the top of his lungs, he led his men away.

"My little brother should be on duty today. Since I happen to be here on business, I can go see him."

Mi Long strolled leisurely toward the gates of Lingdou City.

As for the mission from the Mysterious Underworld Sect, he was certain that the mother and daughter would eventually see reason.

After all, who could possibly refuse the chance to latch onto a massive tree like the Mysterious Underworld Sect?

This easy task would surely earn him plenty of face in front of the Young Sect Master.

"Nannan, if I leave, what will you do?!"

After Mi Long departed, Mother Jiang leaned powerlessly against the door, murmuring as she pondered his parting words.

The group of seven that had been on the main street was now reduced to three people and one beast.

The two academy teachers had already taken the students back to report to the academy.

Only Jiang Nannan remained, having volunteered to show them around the city.

This led to the scene currently unfolding.

The young girl led the way, chattering incessantly as she introduced the various shops and snacks along the street.

Behind her followed a small golden beast, with a young boy sprawled across its back.

He rested his head on the beast's fluffy crown, his limbs dangling and swaying carelessly with every step the creature took.

It was a picture of pure leisure.

Walking at the very back was a dignified middle-aged man who looked like a powerhouse at a single glance.

Moreover, Di Tian did not bother to restrain his soul pressure; instead, he intentionally let a sliver of it leak out.

While it wasn't enough to crush the weak on the spot, it was more than enough to signal to everyone that this group was not to be trifled with.

Consequently, even though the Auspicious Beast displayed all sorts of miraculous traits that left onlookers gasping in wonder, no fools dared to step forward and court disaster.

One incident like that was quite enough.

"That over there is the Nine Treasures Pavilion. I hear it's a branch of a major power, and the treasures inside are countless! Though, I imagine it's quite expensive."

"The Bright Soul Shop seems to sell Soul Tool items, though I've never been inside."

"And over there is the Mysterious..."

The little girl chirped away for the entire journey, mentioning anything and everything she laid eyes on, looking utterly adorable.

However, everyone present knew that the girl was merely using her own clumsy way to distract Fang Le.

She wanted to cheer up Fang Le, who had been silent ever since they reached the city gate.

The effect, however, did not seem very good.

Fang Le was like a detached observer; he looked around, but he simply would not speak.

It was impossible to tell what he was looking at or what he was thinking.

"Fang Le, are you feeling any better?"

The usually lively Auspicious Beast didn't know what else to say.

She just kept walking steadily forward, then asked cautiously.

She actually knew quite a bit.

For instance, she understood that for ordinary humans, killing one of their own was a massive psychological hurdle.

Although she was accustomed to the law of the jungle and saw her own kind slaughtering one another, she couldn't quite grasp this kind of sentimentality.

But Fang Le was unhappy, and as his... well... regardless, the Auspicious Beast just wanted to comfort him.

"Kid, it was just killing a man, why be so sentimental? The law of the jungle is the fundamental rule of this world, and as a Soul Master, this is something you are bound to experience."

"Besides, you didn't even kill him, did you? And you were quite efficient when you killed Soul Beast creatures before, weren't you?"

It wasn't just the Auspicious Beast trying to comfort Fang Le; even Di Tian had racked his brains, organizing his thoughts before speaking.

To think that he, the dignified Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian, the Beast God of the Star Dou Forest, had ever had to comfort someone like this.

Yet, in truth, they were overthinking it.

"Thanks for your concern, I'm fine. I was just thinking about some things earlier!"

Hearing this, Fang Le snapped out of his silence.

He ruffled the fur on the Auspicious Beast's head, then rested his chin upon it as he spoke.

"Then what were you thinking about? You haven't said a word since we passed the city gate."

The Auspicious Beast asked, still somewhat worried.

She was afraid that this guy was bottling things up and would end up hurting himself.

"What was I thinking? I just suddenly realized that I had lost my sense of reverence for life, so I took the opportunity to reflect on myself."

Jiang Nannan: ????

Auspicious Beast: ????

Di Tian: ????

What kind of nonsense is this? Losing reverence for life? And then having a moment of self-reflection?

Why did they suddenly find themselves unable to understand what was being said?

"Ha! You didn't get it?"

Seeing the confused looks in the eyes of the three, Fang Le chuckled.

"Mm." X3

To this, the three (two humans and one Soul Beast?) nodded very honestly.

"I am just an ordinary person. I don't want to be a good person, nor do I want to be a bad one.

I come from a pretty decent place—to be precise, a super great place.

It's just that when I was born, it hadn't yet become the best version of itself.

But even then, it was still excellent, at least a thousand times better than this Douluo Continent.

It was peaceful there..."

Fang Le rolled over, shifting from lying on his stomach to leaning back, looking up at the azure sky as if reminiscing.

"Is it really that good? The noble lords there must be very kind people, right?"

"They are very good, but as for nobles, there are none there..."

"The people are the masters of their own destiny."

Compared to Jiang Nannan's curiosity, the Auspicious Beast was more concerned with the previous topic.

"Does this have any connection to what you were thinking about earlier?"

Walking along, she asked Fang Le, who was above her.

"It has no connection. I just suddenly remembered my former self. Living in peace, the only thing I might have killed was a chicken during the Lunar New Year.

But here in the Douluo Continent? The law of the jungle is the explicit rule. I cannot change this rule, so I can only adapt.

But it happened too fast. I adapted too quickly, and combined with my peculiar abilities, I seemed to have sunk into it, becoming unlike myself.

Before I thought about killing that guy, do you know what was on my mind?"

As if reaching the crux of the matter, Fang Le's speaking speed quickened slightly.

"Damn it, I was thinking that if I killed him, I should be able to reach level 20!

I was thinking about leveling up!

This isn't a game. That guy, including the Soul Beasts I killed before, were all living, breathing lives.

How did I become like this?! What did I treat life as? Lines of code and experience points.

I clearly had other ways to improve myself. Those methods, while still shortcuts, were not as radical.

Yet I indulged in the path I should have avoided most, enjoying the convenience it brought.

I was one step away from total ruin. Fortunately, my former self pulled me back."

Jiang Nannan and the Auspicious Beast listened in a daze, but Di Tian caught a hint of something different in Fang Le's words.

"So, what do you think now? Regarding humans, and regarding Soul Beasts."

Di Tian's inquiry carried a trace of anticipation.

He hoped to hear a different answer.

An answer different from anyone else on this Douluo Continent.

"This world is deformed, and the way of the world is deformed. They are committed to turning every living creature into a ghost.

But I don't care about any of that.

I just want to be a human—a human with human decency, a human with the decency of the people of Huaxia.

Morality is my constraint, but it is not my shackle.

I respect every living creature I encounter and will extend a helping hand to those who suffer.

But I will not interfere too much.

I can accept fighting back for self-preservation, hunting for survival, and eliminating evil for justice.

But I will not indulge in meaningless, malicious slaughter.

I can take shortcuts to improve my strength, but I will not become a puppet that uses any means necessary in the pursuit of power."

As Fang Le's words fell, in a corner unseen by the others, a flash of white light flickered obscurely in his eyes.

At the same time, unknown to Fang Le, the power within his body became increasingly harmonious and complete.