Wan Lan rolled her eyes. "Wow, that really would be the battle of the century. Maybe you and I would get labeled too, then dragged out to be cursed at?"
Su Wuwei shrugged. "Obviously, yes.
"After all, this kind of label-based mudslinging clearly isn't a debate between wise people. It's about hurling abuse to win.
"There's only one central point: as long as you drown out the other person, you can prove you're right. As long as you slap a label on them, you can insult them however you like. But that's hardly normal, is it?
"Once this uproar dies down, people like that merchant will willingly dress themselves in other labels, wave seemingly righteous banners, and stir up another conflict."
Wan Lan was a little surprised. She rarely saw Su Wuwei like this.
Sentimental, and even a little... sorrowful.
"You know quite a lot."
Su Wuwei blinked, then suddenly smiled, shaking off his unexpected reflections.
"There's nothing new under the sun, after all. I know plenty."
Wan Lan asked curiously, "Then how do you think this knot can be untangled?"
Su Wuwei curled his lips and laughed a few times.
"How? People who've experienced enough will always have questions. People whose heads ache from idiotic remarks will always start thinking.
"And there are certainly plenty of people like that. You have to understand, most extreme remarks are fueled by emotion. Once those burning emotions pass, they'll start working things through in their minds.
"That kind of reasoning might seem nonsensical, and they might get stuck in a rut, but it can still help them break the shackles on their thinking.
"When they come to their senses, the people behind the scenes who actually stirred up trouble and tried to use them as weapons will have nowhere to hide."
After