Chapter 996: Be Content with One's Lot, or Perhaps... Ambition

"Allow me to speak frankly—this matter is a bit too big..."

Xu Xiaoshou pondered for a moment and still felt that getting involved in the matter of slaughtering a saint was unwise.

He sincerely advised, "Senior, your best choice might not be to intervene directly and target one of the sides, but rather let them fight it out among themselves while you watch from afar."

"Oh, you're the clever one, aren't you?" Shui Gui shook his head and chuckled for a while before saying, "But the Half-Saint has already dragged me into this. Do you think I have any way to watch from afar without getting burned?"

"That's true..." Xu Xiaoshou stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.

How many times had he been pulled into a vortex against his will?

He had experienced that feeling all too well.

"Xu Xiaoshou...

"Actually, your temperament suits me quite well."

Shui Gui suddenly shifted the topic, sizing up the young man in front of him and twirling his fingers as he said, "If I'm not mistaken, Wu Xiu taught you for a short time and then left quickly, right?"

Left... Xu Xiaoshou felt a bit speechless but nodded. "I suppose so. What do you mean, senior?"

Shui Gui swung the Yu Hai Shen Ji in his hand, a look of reminiscence in his eyes, and said,

"Though Wu Xiu and I were both in the Sheng Nu, we didn't have much interaction. He left early, and I was rarely in the organization.

"Our relationship was just from a few early games of chess."

"With his personality, if he were still by your side, you'd be thriving even more, of course. Your courage would be greater too, and you wouldn't be hesitating like you are now..."

Shui Gui glanced at Xu Xiaoshou with a meaningful expression and continued, "He would teach you how to seize greater benefits for yourself between life and death, because that's his specialty."

What did that mean?

Xu Xiaoshou didn't quite understand the statement.

Shui Gui smiled faintly and said, "If it were him here, he wouldn't advise me on how to cower in the Half-Saint's game.

"Because he knows that so-called 'self-preservation' in the eyes of a Half-Saint is just a delay of death—a mere waiting.

"Instead, he would say this..."

Shui Gui paused for a moment before continuing, "If a Half-Saint is seeking you out but their real target isn't you, then you can act as the go-between, stir up trouble, and seize the opportunity for profit.

"'Watching from afar' is never the best way for someone like us, as Ling Shi, to maximize our gains. But 'when the snipe and clam fight, the fisherman profits' is.

"So, you shouldn't retreat—you should charge forward, use both sides against each other to eliminate them, and in the end, as the only one left standing, you'll claim all the benefits."

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned by what he heard.

This...

This was just like the mindset of an "old schemer," wasn't it?

He understood the principle, but how could you guarantee that you'd be the one left alive in the end?

"Senior, your lesson is well taken, but I have a small doubt..." Xu Xiaoshou could see that Shui Gui wanted to teach him some ways to survive, but he wasn't entirely on board.

"I know what you're doubting." Shui Gui interrupted with a smile and said,

"You're probably thinking, 'How can I ensure I'll be the last one standing?'

"Or, 'If one side survives and finds out what you've done, all their grudge will turn on you—what then?'

"Or even, 'Why get involved when I could just step back?'"

Xu Xiaoshou nodded, confirming that these were exactly what had been on his mind—and perhaps even more.

Shui Gui explained patiently, as if guiding a junior he truly admired:

"You've forgotten about the 'Da Dao Zhi Zheng,' you've forgotten that 'one general's success is built on ten thousand bleached bones,' and you've forgotten that 'even if you don't move now, one day they will move against you'...

"Because you have direct conflicts with both sides."

After a pause, he sighed and said,

"On the path of Ling Xiu, if you don't advance, you retreat.

"Perhaps in the early stages of cultivation, choosing to retreat for self-preservation is a wise decision.

"But once you've reached the Wang Zuo level—or in your case, you're already at Zong Shi, but directly involved in matters of the 'Da Dao Zhi Zheng' that belong to the Wang Zuo realm—

"Then 'retreating from trouble' or 'only seeking self-preservation without maximizing benefits' will always be the worst strategy."

Shui Gui's voice suddenly became distant, like a grand bell tolling in Xu Xiaoshou's heart:

"You're already quite aggressive, but that's only compared to your peers.

"Your opponents are never your peers! Wu Xiu chose you, Ba Zun An chose you, so you're destined to be extraordinarily ahead just to barely qualify.

"And since you've already gotten involved in the various games of the Sheng Di and Half-Saints, your ambitions right now are still not enough—far from enough!"

Shui Gui extended his finger and pointed into the deep sea.

The deep sea transformed into a chessboard, with pieces appearing one by one, advancing, shattering, and regenerating.

Pointing at the chessboard, Shui Gui looked straight at Xu Xiaoshou, noting his thoughtful expression, and continued,

"In such a vast game of chess, which pieces are useful, which can be discarded, and which seem unimportant now but must be preserved because they'll play a divine move later...

"All of this is within the scope of the player's considerations.

"Don't worry about them not being smart enough to play you into a corner, because you're just a piece and have no right to think about things outside the board.

"Any player who isn't qualified has already been eliminated; as long as you have some use, you'll be seen by other, smarter players and kept around for their purposes."

Shui Gui cleared his throat and pressed on without pause:

"And why would a piece stand out and get reused? Is it because it's strong enough or has great utility value?

"Yes! But that's not nearly enough.

"It also needs to grow, so it won't be discarded midway;

"It needs to have its own ideas and show enough ambition to move from a pawn to a general;

"It needs to shine on its own at a certain time in a certain corner, allowing a bewildered player in dire straits to clearly see... this is the chance for a 'divine move'!

"That's when your opportunity arrives.

"Whether you can use that to escape this game, be collected by the player for the next one, and keep cycling—growing by borrowing another's strength until you break free and become a player yourself...

"It all depends on whether you want it and whether you know how to leverage the momentum.

"In other words, whether your ambition is big enough and your ability strong enough... to forcibly influence the player's actions within the game!"

There was a pop.

As Shui Gui finished speaking, he lightly tapped with his finger, shattering the underwater chessboard and leaving Xu Xiaoshou alone in thought.

"What you said makes a lot of sense..."

"But you don't agree with it, right?" Shui Gui cut in before Xu Xiaoshou could continue. "Or rather, it's a bit different from what your master taught you before, isn't it?"

Xu Xiaoshou lifted his gaze and stared seriously at Shui Gui's face for a long time.

Only after realizing that this person was genuinely acting as a guiding senior and not joking did he become earnest and reply, "He said that as a piece, you should have the awareness of a piece and just do your part—that's enough."

Surprisingly, Shui Gui didn't refute him but went along with it: "So you've followed that advice and survived until now, which means it's reasonable."

"Is it not reasonable?" Xu Xiaoshou thought the statement could perhaps be tweaked a bit, but it had already served as a lifesaver and was very useful.

As for anything beyond that, well, he could leave it to the players to handle.

"Wu Xiu is right, and his words are right too, but people meet through fate, and words are spoken in context. You have to see if that advice fits the current situation, don't you?" Shui Gui smiled.

"How so?" Xu Xiaoshou scooped up some water and listened attentively.

"If I were Wu Xiu, when you were at Hou Tian, Xian Tian, or Zong Shi... I mean, ordinary Zong Shi and not yet involved in the 'Da Dao Zhi Zheng'... I'd tell you the same thing.

"Because back then, you were too weak. Just surviving with the Sheng Nu label was already tough.

"But now, the timing is different."

Shui Gui shook his head and chuckled softly:

"You're already a Zong Shi who can influence Wang Zuo battles and the Da Dao Zhi Zheng, so ambitions you didn't have before need to emerge.

"If you still cling to the past and don't seek change in stability, then in the future, you'll face some great disaster—either dying in despair or being reborn in it...

"But by then, after rebirth, you'll have lost so much more!"

Shui Gui's voice grew deeper and more somber.

"For example, your master did, Ba Zun An did, I did...

"Even in the enemy forces, Gou Wuyue did—and he had it worse; whether he lives or dies is still unknown."

Xu Xiaoshou was incredibly sharp and quickly gained insight into much of it.

Ambition...

It truly was the driving force for a person's growth.

What Shui Gui said was essentially a variation of "prepare for danger in times of peace."

In peaceful eras, such words would be unwise.

But in this era of Ling Xiu, where people devour people and beasts swallow beasts—where it's kill or be killed—it was perfectly fitting.

Shui Gui's examples were mostly lost on Xu Xiaoshou, since he didn't know what had happened to Shui Gui in the past or the truth behind Ba Zun An's "fall."

But Sang Lao's capture and Gou Wuyue's imprisonment fit the theme perfectly.

Even more, Xu Xiaoshou thought of others.

Lei Xi'er's changes weren't exactly that; it was after leaving the naive and romantic Ling Gong and facing reality that she began to change step by step.

And the Wei Sheng disaster—wasn't that exactly because he'd grown to a certain stage without realizing it, only to be completely transformed by a catastrophe that belonged to him?

Being content with one's lot, or... ambition?

The mindset needed for the path ahead was indeed different from the one behind!

"I think I'm starting to understand what you mean, senior..."

Xu Xiaoshou felt genuine gratitude in his heart.

Without Shui Gui's words, if he had continued following Sang Lao's creed, he might have encountered unsolvable troubles in the future.

But now, Shui Gui's advice had shifted his mindset and nipped in the bud any potential disaster like the Wei Sheng one.

"I'm just teaching you what Wu Xiu hasn't yet—that's all. After all, you're sort of my... junior." Shui Gui stared at Xu Xiaoshou with a gentle gaze, like an old father.

As he watched, his eyes grew distant, and the person in front of him seemed to turn into someone else.

"Let's see about the age..."

He murmured, and his lips suddenly curved up—not in amusement, but warmly.

But then, as if remembering something, Shui Gui snapped out of it and didn't continue.

"What?" Xu Xiaoshou looked up, not catching what Shui Gui said next.

"Nothing." Shui Gui resumed his normal smile.

Clearly, there was something!

Was he mistaking me for his deceased child or something?

Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes, silently speculating in his heart. Finally, after thinking it over, he sincerely bowed slightly: "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Shui Gui's lips curved up again, teasingly. "I'm just trying to sweet-talk you into helping me with a little favor. If you're this grateful, I'll feel bad."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

You're so straightforward!

In my whole life, I haven't met anyone as straightforward as you!

"Go on, what do I need to do? But let me say this first—even if I get involved, at least you have to ensure I won't die."

Xu Xiaoshou shrugged helplessly. "I can't deny your words were tempting, but my life comes first. I can't die—that's the absolute bottom line."

Shui Gui was brutally honest: "I can't guarantee whether you'll live or die. This is a Half-Saint's game, and even I don't have full control over success. But if people lack ambition, what's the difference from being a dead fish? If you don't fight now, plenty of others will come for your path later!"

Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes, knowing it was the plain truth.

His path wasn't fully formed yet, and he was already offending the Sheng Shen Dian—what more in the future?

"So?" Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow.

"Heh..." Seeing that the young man was finally motivated and willing to help, Shui Gui relaxed and laughed. "The Jiang clan Half-Saint wants Yan Wang, so I'll get him Yan Wang. He wants Lei family Tong, so I'll get him Lei family Tong. What you need to do is simple..."

"You're not asking me to impersonate Huang Quan, are you?" Xu Xiaoshou frowned and interrupted.

"Smart!" Shui Gui snapped his fingers approvingly. "I love talking to clever people."

Clever, my foot! If I become the direct target like that, I'll die... Xu Xiaoshou cursed silently in his heart. Then his eyes darted around as he thought of something.

"Don't beat around the bush. If you're asking me to help, you know my limits, so you must have a plan for my escape before suggesting this."

Xu Xiaoshou saw through it clearly and grinned mischievously. "Since you're being so upfront, I won't play games either. In this matter, how can I stay alive, and what can I get out of it beforehand or afterward to protect myself and help me grow?"

Since they were talking about ambition,

Xu Xiaoshou's biggest ambition right now was to become a Wang Zuo.

He didn't need anything else—just steadily advancing his realm would skyrocket his combat power, and with the sacred image, he could probably strut around against anyone below Half-Saint, as long as it wasn't someone like Ba Zun An.

Shui Gui clicked his tongue in amazement and sighed, "You're shrewd to a fault—figuring out that I'm scheming against you and still negotiating so calmly... People shouldn't be too shrewd!"

"Wave the big flag, invoke the tiger's might, adapt like a snake to the stick, and profit like the fisherman... Weren't those all things you just taught?" Xu Xiaoshou chuckled.

Shui Gui was taken aback.

How had those words turned into such underhanded tactics?

But he didn't dwell on it and just shook his head with a laugh: "Very good, very well said. I can't guarantee your life or death, but asking a mere Zong Shi to meddle in a saintly game without giving you any means of self-defense? That wouldn't make sense."

You're giving me something?

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up.

What Shui Gui—who didn't give a damn about Ba Zun An and dared to speak of disrespecting and slaughtering Half-Saints—offered wouldn't be anything ordinary, right?