Unable to Coexist

Hearing the words in her ear, Qingle stared blankly at Lin Xiao for a long time without saying a word.

No one had ever said this to him before.

Changfu had taught him a lot before, how to treat people, how to get along with others, and how to distinguish right from wrong, black from white, and truth from falsehood.

But he had never been taught the words that Fellow Daoist Lin had spoken to him these past few days, and he had never felt as enlightened as Fellow Daoist Lin, who could make him feel as if the clouds had parted and the sun had risen in just a few words.

Qingle had always heard Changfu say that cultivation was not just about increasing one's physical strength, but also about improving State of Mind, which required going through trials and tribulations.

But in Qingle's eyes, the experience Changfu was talking about was simply going to various secret realms and competing with others for various treasures.

He never understood what Changfu meant by "State of Mind." Whenever he asked Changfu about it, Changfu would give a vague answer, saying that it was something mysterious and difficult to explain, and that he needed to understand it gradually.

At that moment, all he could do was nod, bewildered.

Now, without needing anyone's explanation, Qingle seemed to suddenly understand what State of Mind was.

A person like Fellow Daoist Lin, who is so different from all the cultivators he has ever met, must be an outstanding individual among human cultivators.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, thank you very much." Qingle thanked him again.

As soon as he finished speaking, his previous melancholy and confusion vanished, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Lin Xiao was puzzled. Was what he just said really that funny? Why was he suddenly laughing so happily?

Qingle smiled apologetically and said, "I was just thinking that I've been thanking you a lot these past few days."

Lin Xiao:...

I don't quite understand what makes you Green Oak Tree) funny.

"The Zhenyang Sect have already discovered us. What do you plan to do?" Lin Xiao asked him.

Qingle looked up in the direction of Zhenyang City. This time, he didn't ask Lin Xiao again, and said calmly, "Talk to them. I will still maintain the existence of Zhenyang City, but on the condition that my clan can enter the city to cultivate with me. At the same time, I will reduce the amount of Spiritual Qi I allocate to the Spirit Gathering Pavilion."

This answer was within Lin Xiao's expectations. However, for the people of the Zhenyang Sect, it was easy to go from frugality to extravagance but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Suddenly being asked to share a city with a group of tree demons, and with the reduction in the investment from the Spirit Gathering Pavilion meaning a decrease in income, would they really be willing?

"You shouldn't have any leverage that the Zhenyang Sect can use against you, or they shouldn't have any means of controlling you, right?" Lin Xiao asked.

Qingle immediately shook her head. "I only signed a spirit contract with Changfu back then. After Changfu's death, I had no connection with the Zhenyang Sect anymore. I stayed here afterward solely to help Changfu protect Zhenyang Sect."

After confirming again, Lin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. In that case, even if Zhenyang Sect was unwilling, they should have no way to restrict Qingle and could only accept Qingle's conditions.

However, Lin Xiao was not entirely at ease.

"I don't think you two can coexist peacefully," he said.

Qingle asked in confusion, "Why?"

Lin Xiao then said, "Have you ever considered that the Zhenyang Sect has enjoyed your unconditional offerings for thousands of years, and now you're suddenly making demands and their profits are decreasing? Even if they have no choice but to agree because they can't control you, they might still feel resentful towards you and your clan?"

Upon hearing this, Qingle pondered for a moment before hesitantly nodding, but then asked, "So what?"

Yeah, so what?

Lin Xiao knew that Qingle was willing to establish Zhenyang City entirely for Changfu's sake. What the other members of the Zhenyang Sect thought, how they viewed, and what they did had nothing to do with him, and he didn't care. He was just following his heart and doing what he wanted to do. But as long as human hearts were involved, things would change.

"First of all, we humans have a saying: 'Those who Non-Self our kind will surely have different hearts.' This is probably why Zhenyang Sect has been so careful to prevent you from meeting your fellow humans outside the clan for so many years. They use you because you are useful and have no choice but to use you. They don't want you to meet your fellow humans because they are afraid that once you meet your fellow humans, you will become close to them and may develop other thoughts that are not good for them," Lin Xiao said, raising his index finger.

"Based on this, the people of the Zhenyang Sect will naturally not have a friendly attitude towards your fellow clansmen. Regardless of the individuals, they will certainly not be friendly as a whole. Under such circumstances, if you allow your fellow clansmen to enter the city and let them live together for a long time, it will easily lead to various conflicts and frictions."

Qingle listened, nodding as if she understood but not quite.

Lin Xiao continued, "If this continues, and the conflicts accumulate to a certain point, is it possible that some individuals among them will become completely hostile and develop a desire for revenge? In that case, not to mention Zhenyang Sect, the safety of your clan will also be difficult to guarantee."

"With me here, I will naturally protect the safety of my people," Qingle said.

Lin Xiao then asked, "Can you guarantee that your clansmen will always be under your watchful eye?"

After asking, he suddenly realized that as long as the Green Oak Tree clan stayed together, their cultivation involved taking root in the ground, and they could indeed stay under Qingle's nose indefinitely. So he changed the subject and said, "Never mind, what you said doesn't seem to make any mistakes. Let's leave it at that."

But Qingle, seemingly considering some possibility, pressed on, "According to what you've said, what would be the best course of action?"

So Lin Xiao had no choice but to continue, "My opinion is that this situation is best kept temporary. You still need to plan for the future and gradually work on a plan to escape. Don't let your tribe be stuck here forever."

Ultimately, he didn't have a good view of the relationship and interests between Qingle and Zhenyang Sect.

Qingle lowered her eyes in thought, and after a long while, she looked up at Lin Xiao and said, "If that's the case, I might not be able to stay here any longer. Perhaps there's no point in negotiating with the Zhenyang Sect."

"If things really develop as you say, my people are indeed very likely to be harmed. You're right, I can protect those under my nose and ensure their safety, but I can't do the same for those outside."

Lin Xiao waved his hand and said, "You Green Oak Tree are different from cultivators. You only need to stay rooted and cultivate. There's no need to go out for training. I misunderstood that. You should remind your clansmen to go out as little as possible, and nothing should happen."

Qingle looked down at his clansmen soaking in the pool below and gently shook his head. "I'm not talking about these clansmen right now." He then turned to gaze into the distance. "I'm talking about those future clansmen who will be born from the ancestral land, guided by their bloodline."

Lin Xiao suddenly realized.

Admittedly, Qingle can guarantee the safety of the tribes that have already arrived in Zhenyang City, but what about those that haven't arrived yet?

As long as Qingle stays here, new Qing Li (a type of tree) born in the Green Oak Clan of the Great Wilderness Domain will continuously flock here.

At that time, as long as Zhenyang Sect uses some methods, they can ensure that Qingle's clan will always remain at the number he has in front of him, and will only decrease, never increase.