Yang Youtian certainly wasn't a good man, but neither was he a bad man in the conventional sense. He was a classic opportunist. History had long since defined people like him: when an opportunity appeared, they would stop at nothing to achieve their goal.
Opportunists of humble birth were often cautious when an opportunity arrived. They objectively assessed their chances of success and rarely acted lightly, because they couldn't afford to lose. Opportunists raised in a hothouse, however, tended to be more self-centered and trust their instincts more. Even if they lost, someone would cover for them.
Without question, Yang Youtian was an opportunist raised in a hothouse. After their journey through the Dragon Palace's Dueling Grounds ended, Ying Bocai, Wang Eryou, and the others grew jealous because they had received fewer merit points and had seen how warmly Lin Ye treated Little Bad King. All along the way, they sourly complained that Eldest Senior Brother shouldn't have merged with the Azure Ox Squad.
They had thought Yang Youtian would share their feelings, and hoped he would join them in gossiping about Eldest Senior Brother, Ren Daniú, and the others. But what happened? Yang Youtian's reaction surprised everyone. Not only did he soothe them, he also gave his final verdict: "I'm the youngest junior brother, not Eldest Senior Brother. Our leader has already made his decision, and he's even sat down at Ren Daniú's banquet table... what can I do even if I don't accept it?"
In the context of their earlier conversation, those words sounded genuinely gracious at first, carrying a clearheaded acceptance of reality.
But had he really accepted his fate? Was he really resigned? No. He had simply recognized clearly that he had absolutely no opportunity at that moment. If he stirred up trouble, there would be