The Curtain Rises (2)

"Wait a minute!" Nan Qiuqiu, increasingly confused, couldn't help but interject, "Shouldn't Tang San be our ally? This relationship doesn't make sense!"

"An ally?" Ye Qingcang laughed. "What can he bring us?"

"He can lead us to victory over the God of Evil Spirit Hall, and especially right now, he can prevent the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan from being wiped out."

"As long as the Three Upper Sects join forces."

"The Spirit Hall's ambitions will definitely be thwarted."

"Even if it drags on, it will be in our favor."

"Once Tang San becomes the Poseidon and the Seven Gods return to their positions, and considering that you, as God Trial Taker, will also become a god, it will be eight against two. The advantage is on my side, and the Spirit Hall will have even less chance of winning, just as it is written in the history books."

"Then, the world rejoiced."

"People can live and work in peace and contentment."

"Blue Tyrant Academy was the predecessor of the Shrek Academy. Even without the merger, it would have become a world-renowned academy. Isn't that a good outcome...? Can you really bear to watch Blue Tyrant Academy decline?"

Nan Qiuqiu spoke of those naive fantasies.

This is not just Nan Qiuqiu's perception.

This is also the understanding of Nan Shuishui and others.

Except for Wang Dong'er, who has turned into a little black cat.

"What's so good about it?"

"What a load of rubbish!"

"That heartless beast, for the sake of the Star Dou Great Forest's fortune, for the sake of controlling that guy Yuhao, actually used me, his own daughter, as a bargaining chip. Afraid that I wouldn't be enough, he even split me in two... Do you think he'll become humane just because the world has changed?"

"Although I have no reason, I can tell you very clearly that helping him is absolutely the wrong choice. This guy is a snake, a cold-blooded snake. Letting him freeze to death is the best outcome!"

"Besides, who are history books written for?"

"Isn't this just for you to see?"

"And what about the people who wrote the history books?"

"It's obviously him!"

"Would anyone write about themselves committing heinous crimes?"

Xiao Wu turned to the dark side, and Wang Dong'er wasn't much different. Although she wouldn't be called completely evil, she was definitely prejudiced. Hearing Nan Qiuqiu praising the achievements recorded in historical books, she couldn't help but sneer and retort, "Do you understand him better than I do? Don't you have any self-awareness?"

Nan Qiuqiu opened her mouth, but had no words to reply.

Wang Dong'er's identity is truly impeccable.

In Wang Dong'er's presence, even historical records can be wrong.

He's someone else's biological father, so whatever he says is right.

"Stop arguing." Ye Qingcang could tolerate his subordinates' personality issues and differing opinions, but he couldn't tolerate them getting bogged down in arguments over trivial matters. "Nan Qiuqiu, you're not a child anymore. You can't judge a situation by its surface appearance. I hope you understand. I have two answers to your questions: the first is more pragmatic, and the second is more righteous. Which one do you want to hear?"

"Can't I have both?" Nan Qiuqiu's thinking was quite unique.

"Having both... isn't impossible."

Let's start by looking at it from a utilitarian perspective.

"So-called pragmatism is all about how much I spend and what I get in return; as it turns out, if I invested in Tang San and stood on the same side as Tang San, I would not only get no return, but Tang San would also discard and kill me after squeezing out all my value; throughout Tang San's life, he has met countless benefactors, but not a single one of them has had a good ending!"

"How is Dugu Bo?"

"With discerning eyes, he allowed Tang San to freely pluck the Immortal Herb from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."

"In the end, he still died."

"How is Yu Xiaogang doing?"

"He was conscientious and diligent. I won't criticize his character or his selfish desires here, but I will only say that he truly cared for Tang San. For this, he even Bibidong and almost wore out the Elder Token's token he held in his hand when he begged for mercy."

"In the end, he still died."

"I won't go into the rest. Ning Fengzhi, Hu Liena, Qian Renxue, these people, whether friends or enemies, all invested in him or were kind to him. If he had any conscience, he wouldn't have let the sword break and the bones shatter, wouldn't have let Hu Liena and Qian Renxue up like that, and wouldn't have killed Bibidong, who didn't deserve to die... Even if we don't consider the ill-fated couple Yu Xiaogang and Bibidong, it wouldn't be impossible to first have Bibidong hand over Xiao Wu's mother's soul, revive Ah Rou, and then kill Bibidong."

What will I gain from investing in him?

"Would you be his dog?"

Ye Qingcang took a sip of milk tea, and his words left Nan Qiuqiu speechless. Nan Shuishui and the others nodded thoughtfully.

"After that, let's talk about the greater good..." Ye Qingcang slowly put down his teacup, not in a hurry at all. The time difference between the Divine Realm and the Human Realm gave him ample time to integrate all forces. "Let me ask you a question first: Ten thousand years from now, will the war between the Heavenly Soul Empire, the Dou Ling Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and the Sun Moon Empire still be ongoing, or even escalating, or will it have disappeared altogether?"

"It's still ongoing," Nan Qiuqiu said softly. She now realized how foolish her words had been and felt deeply ashamed. "This war is actually a result of Tang San's inaction, isn't it?"

"That's not wrong."

"But it wasn't that Tang San deliberately did nothing."

"Tang San's overall perspective is really limited."

"For the Spirit Empire, whether they are righteous or not is not important. What is important is that if they can unify the continent, this continent will usher in at least six thousand years of peace. People will definitely die. Where there are people, there will inevitably be murder or revenge killings. However, the kind of deaths where thousands or even tens of thousands die in a single war will no longer occur. The Spirit Empire will hold all power, and any law will be implemented to the end. All people living on this continent will be treated equally, even if it is only on the surface."

"And this is merely life and death."

"The rampant presence of Evil Spirit Master, the fact that all Soul Master Academy, including Shrek Academy, only accept noble Soul Master, the skyrocketing prices and the difficulty in unifying the currency, and many other minor issues that don't even deserve to be listed alongside the three points above—am I supposed to condone all of this?"

"Is this what you consider justice?"

Having said that, Ye Qingcang took a sip of milk tea, and before he knew it, his cup was empty. "Perhaps I'm not a good person, but I won't God of Destruction the City of Slaughter, so that Evil Spirit Master won't run rampant; perhaps I'm a bad person, but I can tolerate the Spirit Hall, so that countless Commoner Soul Master can find a way to climb up; perhaps I'm a villain who spares no effort to target Tang San Tang San because of our past enmity, but I've lived up to my conscience and to all those who believe in me; Qian Renxue saw it, Ning Fengzhi saw it, Yu Yuanzhen saw it, and many others saw it too; their willingness to believe in me represents the entire world..."

"I'm sorry." Nan Qiuqiu lowered her head.

But what she received was not criticism.

It wasn't a scolding either.

It was just a casual remark.

In an instant, all her unease melted away.

"There's nothing to apologize for..." Ye Qingcang seemed to always be so calm and composed. "Before any independent thinking, we must accumulate the foundation for independent thinking from various books; how to find the truth from the false is not something you should know at your age. Read more, think more, and speak less. One day, you will understand the truth of this world... If what I said above can give you some inspiration, it will be my honor. But if not, it is just a casual remark I made to pass the time. Staying silent for a long time will gradually make a person's eloquence deteriorate."