knife

Chapter 696 Two Sides

When Lu Zhi entered the room, Li Dachui was sitting by the fire pit warming himself.

Judging from his expression, he seemed to be enjoying it.

“Protector, I’ve heard my father say that once you reach the Innate Realm, you become immune to heat and cold. This climate shouldn’t affect you, right?” Lu Zhi asked.

Li Dachui nodded: "Yes, but I like this feeling. Sit down, has he left?"

"He's gone, and he even took the pill you gave him with him!"

Li Dachui smiled, picked up a piece of firewood and threw it into the fire pit. With a few crisp sounds, countless sparks exploded, illuminating the somewhat dim room.

"Do you really think he would kill Cui Ming?" Lu Zhi swallowed hard, finding it hard to believe. Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, Teacher—for him, this was indeed an inconceivable thing.

“I’ve planted a poisonous seed in his heart!” Li Dachui laughed. “He has a choice. The choice is his, but I think he’ll do what I told him!”

"Why? Also, is it true that what you told him was planned a long time ago?"

"Half of it is true, and half is false!" Li Dachui said, "It's true that I plotted to kill Cui Ming back then, but it's false that I did so after seeing Cui Shu's current situation!"

Why do you think he might betray you at this time?

“He loves himself very much!” Li Dachui said, “On the banks of the river, I cut off his arm and injected him with Yin and Yang true energy. When the poison of this true energy takes effect, it is truly worse than death. But when he appeared in front of Linghu Zhishu, although he looked a little haggard, he was dressed neatly and even put on powder.”

Lu Zhi nodded, somewhat bewildered.

“People who cherish themselves are generally unwilling to sacrifice for others!” Li Dachui said with a smile. “When I finally appeared, he still showed a strong will to survive, completely opposite to Linghu Zhishu. This made me think it was worth a try!”

"Actually, you're not entirely confident, are you?"

Li Dachui laughed loudly: "Nothing in this world is absolutely certain. Whether a seed you plant will take root and sprout depends on luck. Sometimes it yields a bountiful harvest, but more often than not, there's no reaction at all, and sometimes there's even a backlash. However, I think there's still a lot of hope in Cui Shuzhi Village."

"Really?"

“Someone like Cui Shu will constantly find excuses for himself; he will try his best to convince himself!” Li Dachui said. “And we will also constantly create such excuses for him; I’ve already given him quite a few!”

Lu Zhi's eyes flashed: "If the Protector-General wins a great victory at Yangguan this time, this reason will be even more convincing!"

“That’s exactly right!” Li Dachui nodded.

"But Protector-General, if Cui Shu really committed such a heinous act as patricide, would you still accept him as one of your subordinates?" Lu Zhi's eyes showed disgust. He felt he would never want to be colleagues with such a person in the future. Li Dachui picked up the copper kettle by the fire pit, poured Lu Zhi a cup of water, and said, "Such a person cannot be a friend; it's too dangerous. He might betray you at any time. After committing patricide, his last line of defense will be gone. He'll only have one thing on his mind: climbing the ranks. Only a higher position and greater power can make him feel safe. However, such a person can also be a subordinate. Lu Zhi, water that is too clear has no fish, and a person who is too discerning has no followers. Governing the world and being a person are completely different things."

Lu Zhi took a deep breath. As a direct descendant of a large family, he had gradually begun to take control of the Lu family's power over the years and had naturally done many things that could not be told to outsiders. However, he still could not accept something like what happened to Cui Shu.

"Let's talk about what happened in the Qin Dynasty a few years ago! What do you think of Zhang Ruo?" Li Dachui asked with a smile.

"Zhang Ruogang is upright and incorruptible, and his reputation is universally acknowledged!"

"How can there be a shortage of people like this to govern the world?" Li Dachui asked.

"Of course we can't do without them! Only with people like them can righteousness be promoted!"

"Then what do you think of Kou Zhong and Wei Zhengdao?" Li Dachui asked. "Do you think their final efforts for Qin were right or wrong?"

Lu Zhi remained silent for a while before saying, "I heard my father say that if He Qiku had won in Xiangyang, and if He Zudao had fallen into their trap in the Hedong and Hexi regions instead of escaping, perhaps the rule of the Great Qin could have continued for many more years!"

"So there's no definitive conclusion on whether it's good or bad!" Li Dachui said. "Governing a country requires people like Zhang Ruo, but it also needs people like Kou Zhong and Wei Zhengdao. So naturally, people like Cui Shu can also exist. We can even bestow upon him countless honors such as putting righteousness before family, being deeply righteous, and abandoning darkness for light."

Lu Zhi shuddered. "Cui Shu gained honor, but ruined his reputation. From now on, he can only survive by clinging to the Protector. Once the Protector abandons him, he will become a rat in the street, hated by everyone. Even the Cui family will abandon him. At that time, he will be doomed."

“That makes sense!” Li Dachui said, “This is the two sides of the same coin. Because this world is not only a place of dazzling light, but also a place of darkness where the sun cannot reach. If you ignore either side, it will bring you utter destruction. Only by mastering all of this can you do more of what you want to do. There is a saying that if you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. If you stand in this position, you must bear many things that others cannot bear. Lu Zhi, our goal is to make this world free from war, suffering, and hunger. Perhaps it is impossible for our generation to achieve this, but we just need to keep moving forward!”

Lu Zhi stood up, clasped his hands in a deep bow, and said, "Protector, I have learned a great deal!"

The snowstorm had stopped, and the sun, unusually, peeked out, but it was pale and cold. Li Dachui stood on a cliff top, with Linghu Zhishu's body on a stretcher beside him.

All three thousand Wolf Fang Guards died in battle at Tiger Roar Plain, and their bodies were buried in a large pit at the foot of this cliff.

"Brother Linghu, let's send you on your way here! Although you asked me to scatter your ashes, I think it's better to let your ashes be with your subordinates! In the next life, I hope we can be friends!" With a wave of his hand, countless blue sparks covered the entire stretcher, and Linghu Zhishu's body slowly flew up and fell slowly down the cliff.

Halfway down, the stretcher and the body had disappeared from everyone's sight, leaving only countless gray-black dust particles, which fluttered and fell with the wind.

Next year, the vegetation at the bottom of the cliff should grow even better!
Beneath Tiger Roar Plain, Cui Shu stumbled forward, then suddenly staggered and fell to the ground. He struggled to his feet, knelt on one knee, and turned to look back at the shadow of Tiger Roar Plain rising abruptly from the plain in the distance. He roared wildly at the sky.

He opened his hand, and the gray pill lay quietly in his palm.

After a long while, he finally got up and moved forward again, holding the pill tightly in his hand.

(End of this chapter)