Chapter 798: Has It Always Been Like This, Then?

"Is there inside information?"

Xu Xiaoshou sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere. He had always suspected why Ba Zun An, despite being so formidable, was defeated so easily by Hua Chang Deng in just three moves. Having heard about it in legends before, he hadn't fully believed it. But now that Mei Si Ren was saying the same thing, it confirmed the truth of the matter, skipping over the middle part and going straight to the result: You Tu killed the former master of Sheng Shen Dian Tang.

What did this have to do with You Tu, that old man? Even if Ba Zun An was defeated, the person to seek revenge on should be Hua Chang Deng, right? Why would he go after the former master of Sheng Shen Dian Tang? Furthermore, Xu Xiaoshou thought that if it was a fair battle and Ba Zun An simply lost due to inferior skill, You Tu wouldn't lower himself to bully the weak with his strength.

Therefore...

"In that final battle, what exactly did the former master of Sheng Shen Dian Tang do?" Xu Xiaoshou leaned in and asked.

Mei Si Ren just smiled without answering, deflecting the question. "Aren't you quite familiar with him? Why don't you ask the person involved directly? I'm just an old timer who doesn't matter."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

He knew exactly who Mei Si Ren meant by "him"—Ba Zun An. Now, his identity as a Sheng Nu was no longer a secret in front of this old sword immortal. From this, it seemed Mei Si Ren didn't strongly oppose the Sheng Nu's stance. Or, judging from that night when Mei Si Ren had wanted to step in and help but couldn't, he actually leaned towards supporting the Sheng Nu.

"Is the Sheng Nu's direction the right one?" Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but speculate.

But then he felt a headache coming on. On the surface, no matter how you looked at it, Sheng Nu was just a dark force, while Sheng Shen Dian Tang was the righteous organization. The latter had maintained peace on the continent for over a thousand years. Yet, along his journey, he had met so many people who challenged Sheng Shen Dian Tang's authority. He couldn't pinpoint the exact reasons, but it wasn't as if everyone was just drawn to Ba Zun An's personal charisma, was it?

Xu Xiaoshou pondered this and cautiously asked the question that had been weighing on his mind, "If it were you, Mr. Mei Si Ren, how would you view the stance of Sheng Shen Dian Tang?"

He figured that someone like Mei Si Ren, who had lived for hundreds of years, must have witnessed more history and events than any so-called "senior figures" of today, making his words a true reflection of historical truth.

"A stance, huh..." Mei Si Ren murmured, a mix of nostalgia and emotion in his voice, "You have to admit, over a thousand years, Sheng Shen Dian Tang has been like the backbone of the world. It shoulders the darkness and spreads light to most people."

"This continent has enjoyed a thousand years of stability because of Sheng Shen Dian Tang. When there's injustice in the world, they send people to judge; when darkness and crime strike, the Bai Yi act immediately; when there are signs of strange forces or chaos, the Hong Yi step up without hesitation."

"People greatly respect Sheng Shen Dian Tang. If justice could be measured by 'quality' and 'quantity,' then Sheng Shen Dian Tang is like the scale itself. It achieves what other forces can't—a near-perfect fairness for most people."

Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself, This is just official rhetoric; it's not what I want. I don't care about the majority's view; I want your personal take, Mr. Mei Si Ren.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Mei Si Ren smiled back, "Compared to the masses, do you really think one old man's opinion is that important?"

Xu Xiaoshou laughed, "You're part of the masses too."

Mei Si Ren was slightly surprised but didn't say more, sharing his view, "In my opinion, Sheng Shen Dian Tang has reached its peak and can be considered... quite good."

"Quite good?" Xu Xiaoshou pressed on, "So, Mr. Mei Si Ren, do you think groups like Sheng Nu or Xu Yue Hui Gong are actually wrong?"

Mei Si Ren nodded, then shook his head.

Xu Xiaoshou frowned, unsure what that meant.

"They aren't necessarily right, but they're not wrong either," Mei Si Ren explained.

Xu Xiaoshou was even more confused. What kind of explanation was that? It only made things murkier.

Mei Si Ren chuckled and shook his head, "Let's set that aside for now. I'll tell you a story."

"Please go ahead," Xu Xiaoshou said, sitting up straight.

The old sword immortal began slowly, his voice steady, "I've lived for several hundred years and traveled across the five domains of the continent, including Lian Ling Jie and the mundane world."

"In the mundane world, there's a peculiar phenomenon. Merchants trade, farmers till the land, dynasties rise and fall as fate dictates. In prosperous times, the world is at peace; in decline, the people suffer. Yet, no matter the era, everyone follows certain rules in their daily lives."

"The toiling farmers might lose their entire harvest to a natural disaster after years of hard work, but they still have to pay tribute to the dynasty that ensures their safety, even if they're already destitute. Merchants might build their wealth from scratch or go legit after leaving behind their shady pasts, taking big risks with their investments."

"The losers fade into the dust of history, while the winners amass fortunes, achieve monopolies, and reach the heights of success—though their wisdom, status, tactics, or power don't always match their wealth. And these winners only need to pay a token tribute to the dynasty that set the rules."

"The rich look down on the poor, and the poor resent the rich, but within the rules, there's little conflict. As the rule-makers, the dynasty achieves a certain level of fairness."

Mei Si Ren paused here.

Xu Xiaoshou sort of got it, but also felt a bit lost. "So what?"

Mei Si Ren continued, "A very small group realizes that the rule-makers only provide a certain level of fairness. Those who still feel oppressed band together, raise their banners, and cry out for uprising—some succeed, some fail."

"The failures might alert the dynasty to improve the rules or get crushed without a trace, like bubbles vanishing. The successes might stay true to their ideals and achieve greater fairness, or they might become corrupt and extravagant, only to be overthrown by the next wave."

"Who's right and who's wrong, in your view?"

Mei Si Ren suddenly turned the question back, hitting like a thunderbolt.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know how to answer. The old sword immortal had laid out all the possibilities.

By now, he vaguely understood what Sheng Nu, Xu Yue Hui Gong, and other dark forces represented in this story, and what role Sheng Shen Dian Tang played.

"The successful ones are the right ones?" Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow.

"You're quick on the uptake!" Mei Si Ren laughed and scolded, "True, history is written by the victors. But when a dynasty creates rules solid enough to last thousands or even tens of thousands of years—rules that are nearly perfect—who can guarantee that the next one to overthrow it will do better?"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

"So, in everything I've told you, there are only 'maybes' and 'perhaps nots,' but never a definitive 'right' answer," Mei Si Ren said, picking up his teacup and giving the young man time to think.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded. Indeed, Mei Si Ren wasn't like Ba Zun An, who gave clear yes-or-no answers. He was more like a bystander to history, an outsider who had witnessed centuries on the continent and rarely judged.

Ba Zun An, on the other hand, was in the thick of it, so from his perspective, his answers were right.

Xu Xiaoshou tapped the tea table, "It's precisely because of injustice that people rise up. They might not do better, but trying bravely isn't wrong... So, from that angle, Sheng Nu and the Gui Shou are seeking a more perfect answer—they're right!?"

His last words trailed off into a question.

Mei Si Ren took a sip of tea to clear his throat, set down the cup, and said leisurely, "What if I told you that above the dynasty, there's an empire? Every uprising army for thousands of years has ended in destruction. Those destroyed are labeled dark forces that disrupted the continent's stability—they did break the rules and cause more chaos. Would you still think they're right?"

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless, "So Sheng Nu is wrong? Ba Zun An is just a troublemaker who deserves to die!?"

Mei Si Ren smiled, "I never said that."

Xu Xiaoshou felt his teeth ache, "Then that means Sheng Shen Dian Tang is right? As you said, they've achieved a high level of fairness, and others might not do better, so... should I join Sheng Shen Dian Tang and uphold their age-old order of justice?"

Mei Si Ren smiled faintly and countered, "But is something right just because it's always been that way?"

Xu Xiaoshou's mind went blank, like a thunderbolt had struck his thoughts, bringing sudden enlightenment.

Is something right just because it's always been that way?

Yes!

That might be what Ba Zun An and the Gui Shou think. Regardless, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't agree with the Hong Yi's practice of exterminating entire clans of Gui Shou. Maybe most Gui Shou did cause chaos and instability, like those uprisings, but surely some were sincerely fighting for themselves, their clans, or even the continent—for a greater fairness.

Exterminating clans... was that appropriate?

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent for a long time. He thought about the Gui Shou's situation, about Ba Zun An's battle with Hua Chang Deng and how You Tu ended up killing the former master of Sheng Shen Dian Tang. He thought about how, even under the so-called sole light of justice for centuries, forces still lurked in the shadows, scraping by.

If it were true justice, there wouldn't be injustice or darkness breeding in the corners, would there? So, Sheng Shen Dian Tang's version of justice was just a partial one! It was like what Mei Si Ren had said: something you couldn't fully endorse, couldn't deny, but had to accept because it had existed for so long and become the so-called "correct" system that governed lives.

"I think I've got it," Xu Xiaoshou murmured to himself.

Before this night, he hadn't fully understood the stances in the conflicts between the major forces. But after talking with Mei Si Ren, he had an awakening. Maybe what everyone was fighting for was just mutual concessions. It didn't have to be "I am justice."

As a Lian Ling Shi, the biggest difference from mundane farmers, merchants, or ordinary people facing injustice was perhaps...

I know.

I act.

I can!

Waging war against the entire world with one's own power was a myth in the mundane world, impossible to happen. But in Lian Ling Jie, there were indeed people who could do it—single-handedly dominating an era.

Like... Ba Zun An!

Xu Xiaoshou's heart raced, filled with excitement. He suddenly understood Ba Zun An's intentions. With his three innate systems and title as the Three-Year Sword Immortal, Ba Zun An truly had the power to challenge a whole dynasty. But in the end, he was suppressed by the "empire."

Yet, a genius who had crushed an entire era was still a genius. As long as he didn't die and still wanted to fight, he could rise again and make a comeback.

That's why there were legends of "both black and white lineages bowing to me" on Void Island. And after lying low on the continent for forty or fifty years, there were rumors of Sheng Nu rising once more, with the Eighth Sword Immortal returning.

This time, he knew exactly who the real enemy was. Ba Zun An's fight was no longer limited to one dynasty. All his schemes and setups were aimed at the true power behind the dynasty—that shadowy "empire"!

"I get it now..."

Xu Xiaoshou said again, his eyes lighting up with determination. He understood Sheng Nu's stance and realized the ultimate purpose of his role as a pawn joining them and staying here.

Even a genius like Ba Zun An had to lie low for decades due to certain reasons. So, how could he, Xu Xiaoshou, a mere master, think he could overturn a nearly perfect system that had lasted for centuries in just months, years, or a short decade?

But he didn't need to lie low anymore. Many others had done that and succeeded. Sheng Nu, Xu Yue Hui Gong... or rather, all the forces not aligned with Sheng Shen Dian Tang!

Whether they declared war or not, that was their business!

Before becoming the one pulling the strings, all he had to do was stir up some trouble, make a mess, create more chaos, and grow in the confusion.

Finally, before anyone realized it...

"You old man, I think I understand your meaning and your way now..."

Xu Xiaoshou thought of Sang Lao. Every time he thought of him, he gained a new interpretation of Sang Lao's "cage theory." What kind of experiences could lead someone to summarize something like "the lake surface is the sky, and beyond the sky, there's another sky"? And what kind of setbacks could make someone say to their disciple something that seemed nonsensical but was full of life's wisdom...

"Before you have absolute strength, just be a good pawn!"

Across the tea table, Mei Si Ren suddenly stood up.

"Looks like you've figured something out..."

He gave Xu Xiaoshou a deep look, not caring what exact thoughts his words had sparked. It could be giving up, or it could be even greater resolve. Either way, it was no longer his concern.

Mei Si Ren turned and walked to the window, gazing at Void Island under the moonlight, murmuring softly, "I'm leaving..."

Xu Xiaoshou quickly stood up. Tonight's conversation had mostly been him asking questions, but initially, it was Mei Si Ren who had come to him. So, was the old man here specifically to clear up all his accumulated doubts and then say goodbye?

"Where to?"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't think Mei Si Ren was just going back to his cultivation room to sleep. With Yao Yao keeping an eye on him, even if she had been persuaded to back off, for the sake of stability at Tian Shang First Tower, Mei Si Ren probably wouldn't stay longer.

"To the next stop, to find the next person, to chase another possibility that might shake this old heart of mine," Mei Si Ren replied, turning with a gentle, elegant smile.

"What possibility?" Xu Xiaoshou was taken aback.

"Perhaps You Tu, perhaps Ba Zun An, perhaps you, or perhaps not..." Mei Si Ren said, his figure suddenly turning transparent and dim.

Until his whole body dissolved into specks of light scattering with the wind, Xu Xiaoshou realized what the old sword immortal had meant.

"You don't trust me, and you're still searching..."

He sat back at the tea table feeling a bit frustrated, poured himself a cup of tea, and carried it to the windowsill, standing where Mei Si Ren had been.

He looked toward Void Island, his gaze extending beyond, as if seeing the distant Gui Zhe Sheng Shan in the central domain.

"You don't need to search anymore..."

"Ba Zun An failed once, but I, Xu Xiaoshou, won't."

"What Ba Zun An couldn't achieve, given time, I will!"