Chapter 895: Good People Don't Live Long

After briefly explaining a few things to me over the weekend, she hurried off.

She mentioned that she was also very busy and had to report to a certain organization.

However, the organization she referred to wasn't Tian Tang Kou, but another mercenary group. This place was even more complicated than I had imagined.

I waited in place for a while and noticed that the Can Yu Zhe in this area were indeed different; they seemed to have plans and organization, often entering the Ren Ji You Xi in small groups.

It appeared that the person named Chu Tianqiu really had some capabilities, able to organize so many people in an orderly manner.

What did he rely on? Force? Wisdom? Or a powerful Hui Xiang?

As I was pondering this, I saw a familiar figure approaching from a distance—I never would have expected her to be involved.

Tong Ayi was leading two young people, holding a map and striding past me with confidence. They seemed to be in conversation and didn't notice me.

"Tong Ayi...?" I called out, a bit incredulously.

"Hmm...?" Tong Ayi turned around and spotted me right away. "Oh! You're..."

She paused, then said to the two young people behind her, "You two go to that venue and wait for me, okay? I'll be there soon."

"Okay, Tong Ayi," said a boy who looked no older than sixteen. "We'll head over first. You take care of yourself."

This organization was stranger than I had imagined. Tong Ayi was probably in her fifties, while that young boy was only fifteen or sixteen—why were they operating together?

But then I thought back; Tong Ayi was also a Zi Shen Hui Xiang Zhe, so she could probably handle herself in an ordinary Ren Ji You Xi.

After seeing the two young people off, Tong Ayi came over, took my arm, and said with a smile, "Child, what are you doing here?"

"Tong Ayi... I should be asking you that... Have you joined an organization?"

"Oh, yes, I have." Tong Ayi nodded. "I've found it."

"Found... what?"

"Do you still remember what I said?" Tong Ayi replied with a kind, benevolent smile, as if she'd discovered a treasure. "I said I was looking for someone carrying a huge amount of Shan Ye... and I found him."

I paused slightly after hearing that. "That person is in the organization?"

"He's the leader of the organization." Tong Ayi said. "A young man named Chu Tianqiu."

"The leader..." I was stunned. "Are you saying he's a Shan Ren?"

"It's not as simple as just a Shan Ren." Tong Ayi shook her head. "Shan Ye is a completely different concept. It's like how many people do charity work."

She explained to me, "But some do it with ulterior motives—some for self-promotion, others for their company's reputation, and some to avoid taxes. These people might be doing good deeds and could be seen as Shan Ren in name, but their intentions aren't truly Shan, so it doesn't count as Shan Ye. They just did something good."

Thinking about it from Tong Ayi's perspective, I could instantly understand what she meant.

"So, the person you're talking about with that huge Shan Ye—his intentions are purely Shan?" I asked.

"Yes." Tong Ayi nodded. "He does good things without any agenda; he just does them because he wants to. He didn't build the organization to gain anything from the Can Yu Zhe; everything he does is motivated by helping others. This massive Shan Ye will inevitably influence his fate—that's his Ye Li. If anyone here is going to have a good ending because of Ye Li, it's him."

Not only did I understand the meaning of Shan Ye, but I also grasped Ye Li.

"Child, he calls the normal people here Liang Ren, and the ones who've gone mad Dian Ren," Tong Ayi continued. "Do you know what people call him?"

"I don't know."

Tong Ayi looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. "Liang Ren Wang."

That... was indeed a weighty title.

He wasn't the king of some team, or of Ji Dao or Tian Tang Kou, but the king in the hearts of all normal people.

"It's a pity, though..." Tong Ayi said with a bitter smile and a shake of her head. "Child, have you ever heard the saying 'good people don't live long'?"

"Of course I have..." As soon as I said it, I felt a contradiction and asked, "Tong Ayi, according to your explanation, isn't Ye Li basically 'good deeds bring good rewards, and evil deeds bring evil rewards'? So why do good people sometimes not live long?"

"I've said before..." Tong Ayi explained, "Shan and E are defined by the person doing the act. Someone who's extremely kind might not even see their good deeds as Shan Shi, so part of their Shan Ye could turn into Wu Ji Ye—neither good nor bad, so their Ye Li doesn't increase or decrease."

It seemed I'd been thinking of Ye Li too simply. If we delved into it, the saying "good deeds bring good rewards, and evil deeds bring evil rewards" could fill an entire essay.

"So, relying on Ye Li to get a good reward must be really difficult, right?" I asked. "You have to keep doing good and believe that what you're doing is truly a Shan Shi."

Tong Ayi said, "Child, haven't you noticed that in this world, honest and kind people often don't have smooth lives and might even get bullied badly?"

Yes... how could I not know that?

"So, doing good isn't easy to begin with," Tong Ayi went on, reaching out to remove a loose strand of hair from my skirt. "There are many obstacles in the world blocking your way. For a child like Chu Tianqiu, there are only two paths ahead: either he keeps his heart pure and pure and achieves true enlightenment, or he turns to darkness one day, transforming all his Shan Ye into E Ye. But for now... the direction of his Ye Li is still positive."

It was almost laughable to think about. If I were that Liang Ren Wang, I certainly wouldn't selflessly give for so long—after all, human nature is inherently ugly.

The more you give, the more they take.

A measure of rice brings kindness, but a bushel brings resentment.

I didn't know if Liang Ren Wang provided food for these people, but something that initially brings joy can become taken for granted after a few cycles.

Having food is expected; if not, it's the leader's incompetence—that's just human nature.

Seeing me silent, Tong Ayi took my hand and said,

"Child, if anyone in Ji Dao ever wants to leave, you might suggest they join Tian Tang Kou for a chance at a good ending."