Ling: How Can You Still Call Yourself Human?!

"And even if he does manage to regain control... it's a good thing, at least much better than Ursus as it is now."

In Chen Qi's eyes, Ursus today is a cancerous mass. Although it's called an empire, its system is still based on slavery. A large number of Infected and prisoners of war are Ursus's slaves. The new emperor of Ursus is someone who wants to stabilize the country. No matter how he changes things, the people in Ursus will probably not be in such a bad situation again. If they are in a worse situation, it will probably hit rock bottom.

The Ursus Emperor surely understands this principle. If he could truly transform a slave system into a feudal system, Chen Qi would consider it a major step forward for Ursus, and even more advanced than other systems in Terra.

"Theresis and the others share the same idea; they clearly intend to return and work with Theresia to find a way to deal with the Royal Court. Since they've agreed, they've agreed. Their strengthening will benefit us all."

After saying that, Chen Qi didn't continue the topic and took over the work on set, asking Chen Huijie, whose scene had just finished, "Where are we now?"

"This is the last bit. This scene is the most difficult part of episode six. We'll see how Zuo Le and Zuo Xuanliao, this father-son duo, perform."

Chen Huijie's gaze followed the group toward the film set. Fortunately, with Xi's scroll, they could freely travel between the capital and Gouwu. This scene was being filmed in Gouwu.

Zuo Le plays Gao Hanwen, who, under Yan Shifan's appointment, rushes to Zhe City to serve as the prefect with great enthusiasm. He has no idea that Yan Shifan regards him as a pawn that can be discarded at any time. He only wants to be a good official and implement his proposed strategy of "resolving the dilemma by combining reform and disaster relief".

When he stopped at an inn to rest, he was surprised to find that Hu Zongxian was already there waiting for him, just to meet him and point out the path ahead for this passionate young man.

"I'm seeing you today entirely for the sake of Zhe City and the imperial court." Hu Zongxian, played by Zuo Xuanliao, turned his gaze to Zuo Le in front of him, his tone softening with affection.

Strangely enough, although Zuo Xuanliao had been transferred to play Hu Zongxian for some time and Zuo Le had been cast as Gao Hanwen long ago, the father and son rarely met or spoke during their time on set. When they did, they either talked about official business or acting.

Clearly, General Zuo Xuanliao had to maintain a different relationship with Zuo Le, who was the candle-bearer of the Imperial Calendar Bureau Department, in public. The old man had been loyal to the Great Yan all his life, and even if no one impeached him, he did not want to appear as if he were forming a clique for personal gain. Therefore, he always kept a certain distance from his son.

This scene probably featured the most dialogue between the father and son since they entered the palace, and Zuo Xuanliao couldn't help but say a few more words during the scene.

This scene, however, is less like acting and more like a warning and instruction from Zuo Xuanliao, a father who has been in officialdom for a long time, to his son who is still full of enthusiasm. Naturally, it is also tinged with emotion.

"I'm asking you, how many disaster victims are there in the two counties of Zhe City right now? How much grain is left in the official granaries of Zhe City? If each person is given four ounces of relief per day, how many more days can that be provided?"

Gao Hanwen, who plays the role, must have done his homework beforehand to take on this task. As for Zuo Le, who plays the role, he had memorized his lines perfectly because he was going to act opposite his father. He answered Zuo Xuanliao's questions one by one, and his answers were meticulous.

The final conclusion was that, now that twenty days had passed, the grain in the official granary was enough to last for about ten more days.

"You're quite thoughtful." Zuo Xuanliao nodded, praising Gao Hanwen's dedication in the drama and also taking the opportunity to commend his son's seriousness. He continued, "So what do you plan to do after ten days?"

"--Minister Hu, you may not know this, but the solution of 'combining reform with disaster relief to resolve the dilemma' was proposed by me." Gao Hanwen, played by Zuo Le, spoke with a touch of natural pride as he presented his strategy to his father.

The so-called "reform and relief combined, resolving the dilemma" solution has been mentioned before. It involves having major silk merchants purchase the disaster victims' land at reasonable grain prices. In that case, the disaster victims would have enough food to survive, and the imperial court's national policy of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields could be implemented, achieving two goals at once.

Zuo Le initially thought the plan seemed fine, but considering the rampant corruption in the Great Yan Dynasty depicted in the drama, he vaguely felt that the plan's meaning could be misinterpreted, though he couldn't be sure what the details might be.

Now, Hu Zongxian, played by Zuo Xuanliao, simply asked Zuo Le a question that revealed what he felt was amiss:

"How much grain are you prepared to ask those who have money and grain to use to buy the people's land?"

This question stumped Zuo Le, who finally managed to stammer, "A thousand-year-old field, eight hundred owners. There's always been a public price for buying land. It seems the government shouldn't be interfering, right?"

"--Ten days later, the disaster relief grain ran out, the disaster victims had no food, and those who wanted to buy land took the opportunity to lower prices. Did the government officials do anything about it?" Zuo Xuanliao, playing Hu Zongxian, asked this question again. This time, neither Zuo Le nor Gao Hanwen, whom he played, had any answers, only offering a "fair" statement:

"Both natural justice and national law prevail; if that's truly the case, the government should certainly intervene."

"--Which government agency?"

Then Zuo Xuanliao uttered another sentence, which completely stumped Zuo Le this time. Clearly, Gao Hanwen, who was talking big, was largely like the Clear Stream Faction who were criticizing Hu Zongxian for their empty talk. They lacked real experience in local management and did not have an accurate understanding of the people's hearts or the changes that would result from the decentralization of policies.

"... Does Your Excellency mean that the Zhe City government will condone wealthy landowners taking advantage of the disaster to drive down land prices?"

"If that's really the case, what should you do?"

Faced with Hu Zongxian's questioning, played by Zuo Xuanliao, Zuo Le, who hadn't considered this aspect, pondered for a moment before stammering out, "... This subordinate will argue on the matter."

"How do we fight for it?" At this moment, Zuo Xuanliao finally revealed the final outcome of the plan, as well as all the Yan Shifan had kept from Gao Hanwen regarding the potential crisis in Zhe City. He said:

"At that time, you can neither confiscate the property of wealthy families and distribute their grain to the disaster victims, nor can you persuade the disaster victims to sell their land at a low price. You cannot wage war on either side."

"If the disaster victims are forced to revolt, and Zhe City falls into chaos, then your memorial to the court, which proposed 'combining reform with disaster relief to resolve the dilemma,' will become the source of both order and chaos—I'm afraid this wasn't your original intention in making that memorial, was it?"

"Boom!"

At the same time, a clap of thunder, at Chen Qi's signal, sounded at just the right moment. It represented the shock that struck Zuo Le and Gao Hanwen as if they had been struck by lightning, and the lingering fear that slowly crept into their hearts.

It's not Zuo Le's fault, nor is it Gao Hanwen in the drama who couldn't have thought of this. Gao Hanwen is a scholar, and a compiler of books in the Hanlin Academy. The books he read are full of benevolence, righteousness, morality, and the great cause of the country. He believes that the government should love the people like his own children.

As for Zuo Le, he has been dealing with matters related to the year for many years Imperial Calendar Bureau. Their organization is quite secretive, so they have very little contact with the general public. Like Gao Hanwen, the character he plays, he lacks understanding of the grassroots and the local area.

Now that Yan Shifan had tricked him into taking the position of prefect, Gao Hanwen had no intention of backing down. He had also realized that he had been completely sold out by the thief and was even helping the thief count the money.

"How should I contend for this...? Please advise me, Your Excellency."

Finally getting to the crucial point, Hu Zongxian, played by Zuo Xuanliao, began to impart his solutions to his humble son, saying:

"The strategy of combining reform with disaster relief was your idea, and you have the right to interpret it."

"First, we must not allow those wealthy landowners to buy the disaster victims' fields for less than thirty shi of rice. This way, they won't be able to buy all the fields belonging to the people of the two counties."

When asked how to address the insufficient number of mulberry fields the imperial court was cultivating, he continued in his reply:

"This is my second point: let those large households disperse to buy rice from counties that haven't been affected by the disaster, at a rate of fifty shi per mu. Distribute the hundreds of thousands of mu of mulberry fields to various counties for redevelopment, and Zhe City will not be in chaos."

"If you are unwilling, you can submit a memorial in the name of the imperial envoy—let the court make the decision, don't make the decision yourself!"

And this last sentence is the most crucial idea that Hu Zongxian wanted to convey to Gao Hanwen, and even more so that Zuo Xuanliao wanted to convey to Zuo Le!

As the son of Zuo Xuanliao, Zuo Le had heard the saying "A general in the field may disobey orders" since childhood. Having such a general father who guarded the frontier, Zuo Le was more or less influenced by this character.

Even within the Imperial Calendar Bureau, Zuo Le occasionally makes mistakes due to acting on his own initiative. Fortunately, his mistakes are not serious, and he is capable enough to cover them up.

But Zuo Xuanliao knew that his son wouldn't go far in this state. Now that the Emperor of Great Yan was reducing his care for Sui because of Chen Qi, whether the Imperial Calendar Bureau department would be reduced in number or even abolished in the future was another matter entirely.

That means that his son will most likely enter the officialdom in the future. Zuo Xuanliao didn't want Zuo Le to suffer setbacks in the officialdom before he learned his lesson. Therefore, he took the initiative to approach Chen Qi and secured this position for Zuo Le.

This was the first time Zuo Xuanliao had ever asked someone for a favor; it just so happened that his idea coincided with Chen Qi's.

"That performance was truly moving," Chen Qi couldn't help but remark. Now that this extremely difficult long take was finished, Chen Qi naturally had little to worry about regarding the rest of the filming.

... Speaking of which, where are Nian and Xi? As the crowd gradually dispersed after the scene was filmed, Chen Qi was also puzzled as he did not recognize the two familiar figures.

Although it's Great Yan Nation today, and they certainly don't like this kind of occasion, where can they hide?

PS: First chapter today!

Volume 1: Chapter 301: Commander: Are you even human anymore?!

Chen Qi, still harboring questions, returned to his room. This time, Talulah didn't come with Chen Qi —after suffering consecutive defeats to Chen Qi for a month, Talulah seemed to have been spurred on by something and began focusing on training her physical body, seemingly intending to cultivate herself to the level of Patriot before challenging Chen Qi again.

Clearly, Talulah was quite unhappy that Chen Qi had suddenly taken away the dominant position that had always been hers. What Chen Qi didn't expect was that he had actually heard that Talulah had recently been discussing something with FrostNova...

However, these things no longer troubled Chen Qi. He hadn't been able to find Chen Qi and Xi, but he wasn't too worried about their safety. After all, even the Emperor of Great Yan had ordered that they not be bothered; who could possibly harm them?

Thinking this, Chen Qi quickly drifted off to sleep... But as he slowly fell asleep, he noticed that there was a painting covering the bottom of his bed.

"Boom!"

With a sudden feeling of falling, Chen Qi woke up abruptly. He found himself in a water town in Jiangnan, and the figure sitting cross-legged in front of him was none other than Xi.

"... Xi? No wonder I couldn't find you before. You were hiding in the world of the painting, and now you've dragged me here. Is there something you want to talk to me about alone?"

Although Chen Qi was startled by Xi, he still trusted her quite a bit. Seeing her current "come and ask me questions" expression, and considering Xi's previous behavior, Chen Qi immediately understood that Xi had something she wanted to say to him privately, but was too embarrassed to say it, so she had to resort to this method.

A moment later, Chen Qi walked to Xi's side. Looking at Xi's still cool face, but with a hint of awkwardness lurking beneath, he couldn't help but ask:

"What happened, Xi?"

"... Chen Qi, we've known each other for so long, and there's something I've always wanted to ask you."

Xi suppressed her inner turmoil and decided to ask a question that had been buried deep in her heart for a long time, even though she didn't really care about the outcome.

"You always say I'm an indispensable part of the crew, and since I joined, you've always treated me very well... So, did you accept me because of my power, or because I'm Nian's sister?"

Before Chen Qi could answer, Xi immediately said with her eyes closed, "You don't need to lie. I know my place. I don't interact with people, and I'm not interested in socializing. I acted on my own, knowing I was wrong, and then I made a mistake..."

"In short, I know my personality is terrible. But you've always been tolerant of me, and if it's because you value my abilities... please tell me frankly, I can accept it."

Chen Qi was somewhat taken aback by Xi's sudden frankness. But then he thought... Xi's personality does make her prone to feeling depressed, after all, she's an artsy girl, and she's usually alone, so it's normal for her to occasionally act like a literary youth.

At this point, he couldn't answer according to Xi's wishes. As the director of a large film crew and also a time traveler, he understood everyone's personalities quite well, so he smiled and replied:

"What are you saying? It's as if I wouldn't have let you join the group if you didn't have the power... Whether it's Nian's sister or the power, aren't they all yours? They're all part of you."

"Xi, look, there are so many people in the crew. Everyone seems to have their own role, but in reality, everyone started out not knowing how to act and gradually matured and learned."

"Our film crew started out as a violent organization. Apart from those who left voluntarily, I never abandoned anyone in the crew, and I certainly didn't abandon them just because they could only handle a knife and not a camera at first."

"Putting everything else aside—let's just talk about Nian, oh no, let's talk about Vina. This princess who knows nothing but fighting, didn't she try her best to prove her worth by learning and helping everyone on set? She's afraid that I'll kick her out because she's worthless. But even if she really is useless, would I kick her out?"

As he spoke, Chen Qi turned his gaze to Xi beside him, whose expression had softened and who was now clearly smiling. He then promptly said:

"The same applies to you, Xi. Even if you don't have the power, and aren't Nian's sister, I'm sure you'll continue to live with everyone in the crew and do your part—even if you're still a homebody, I still won't kick you out."

Finally, as if afraid that Xi still had reservations, Chen Qi revealed his utmost sincerity and said:

"Besides, you're the lifeblood of our crew right now. I'd rather fire anyone than you. If you don't believe me, I'll have Nian make room for you tomorrow. How about that?"

"... smooth-tongued."

However, Chen Qi's words were reasonable and well-founded, dispelling Xi's concerns from various angles. But in reality, Xi knew that she had no concerns at all.

Because no matter the outcome, she had already decided that she would stay by this man's side until he passed away. He had helped her overcome her fears and eliminate her inhibitions, allowing her to live freely from then on.

The only way she could repay him was to "bind" herself to his side. This time, however, it wasn't her own decision; she was there to gain his consent.

"... Actually, even before I knew you were my thirteenth brother, I had already secretly made up my mind. Do you want to hear it?"

"Um?"

Xi turned her head slightly to face Chen Qi. It seemed that because she had been in human form for too long, she had been somewhat influenced by human ethics and morality. Now, having to cross this barrier, even Xi, who was thin-skinned, blushed slightly.

But she still bit her lower lip, trying to force herself to say what she was going to say next—suddenly, accompanied by the sound of glass shattering, Xi's blushing face instantly turned from sunny to cloudy, and she immediately turned her head in one direction!

"Nian! What are you trying to do?!"

However, Nian didn't waste any more words with Xi. Xi had just caught a glimpse of a red and white figure flash by when, in the next moment, the world of the painting changed, teleporting Xi alone into another painting.

Xi was also a little dazed, but quickly came to her senses. However, her face turned ashen, and she said angrily:

"You used your power to 'Reforging' my painting?! When—"

"You think this will stop me? No matter what you do, I'll find you today!"

Being challenged in terms of one's own power is absolutely unacceptable to any Feranmut. At this moment, Xi, filled with rage, immediately used her power, trying every means to reclaim the power over her original painting.

Although Nian's power Reforging Xi's painting, it was, after all, painted by Xi herself, and Nian's Reforging could not completely cover it up; it would certainly take a lot of Kung Fu Hustle to reclaim it.

"Don't push me! If it weren't for the fact that you're my sister, I wouldn't have tolerated you until today!"

"Once I get there, I'm going to skin you alive! If you want to fight, I'm ready to fight you to the bitter end! Sis! Sis!"

The thought of Nian being with Chen Qi at this moment, coupled with Nian's recent strange behavior, made Xi increasingly uneasy. With a burst of uncontrollable force, and with the shattering of the barrier, she was finally able to return to the painting!

Xi couldn't wait to dive into the painting. Facing the familiar painting, she didn't linger on the scenery for a moment, but immediately focused her gaze on where Chen Qi and Nian were.

The next second, Xi's pupils widened slightly as she stared in disbelief at the scene before her.

Because at this very moment, she saw Nian lying on top of Chen Qi's body—no, rather, Nian had pinned Chen Qi to the ground and, right in front of Xi, forcefully pressed her lips against Chen Qi's, cupping Chen Qi's face in her hands and pressing him down firmly to prevent him from resisting.

"Ha--"

Xi didn't know how long she had been staring, but she remained stiff until Nian finally lifted his head, his face flushed and panting. Only then did Xi and Chen Qi slowly come to their senses...

"Year--!!!"

However, Xi's first reaction upon realizing what was happening was a sharp scream that shook the entire world of the painting. At that moment, a blue cloud, resembling a dragon's shadow, began to emerge behind Xi, proving her overwhelming rage.

However, Xi's sharp cry did not lead to an earth-shattering battle within the painting the next moment. Instead, accompanied by another shattering sound, another figure appeared within the painting.

The person who arrived was Ling. But why was she in the world of the painting? At this moment, Chen Qi, who was still in a daze, had this as his first question. It was really strange that Ling Tang would appear here.

No matter how strange it was, the third sister, now in the world of the painting, was completely different from her previous drunken state, with an extremely serious and solemn expression. However, the scene before her still took her by surprise.

Xi, who was watching angrily from the sidelines, and Nian, whose cheeks were flushed as she held Chen Qi down, made Ling's gaze linger between the three of them. But the more he looked, the more surprised he became, and after the surprise, his anger was clearly visible...

"Okay, okay. I never imagined that I still don't understand you well enough, Nian."

"You're even bolder than I thought. You didn't listen to a word I warned you about."

Ling, enraged to the point of laughter, stared at Nian, whose expression remained unchanged, and for the first time in a long time, he began to show anger.

However, under Reiwa Yu's gaze, Nian, unusually out of character, silently observed everything until a smile suddenly appeared on her lips—

The next moment, she suddenly leaned down in front of Xi and Ling again and, in front of everyone, kissed Chen Qi's lips fiercely once more.

Nian's action further provoked Ling and Xi. Xi's vision went black, and she collapsed on the spot. Ling, after a brief mental breakdown, immediately conjured a sky-blue dragon in his hand. Although enraged, he ultimately had no good words to say and could only reflexively curse:

"You coward! You idiot! Firstborn! You're hardly a Feranmut!!"

PS: This is the second chapter today! As usual, there will be another update tonight (Ah, after finishing tonight's update, the bounty will be paid off... Should I open another bounty... Thinking about it, but let me relax for a while first...)