Starting with the divine power of the Great Vajra, he traversed the heavens.

Chapter 397 Inside the Zhonghua Pavilion
The sky was bright and clear, and a gentle spring breeze caressed my face.

Ren Shaoyang and Nie Fengxing traveled along the country road, seemingly slowly but actually quickly. The journey of more than ten miles passed in the blink of an eye, and they could already see Fengxi Town in the distance.

Nie Feng exclaimed in amazement, "Young Master's lightness skill is superb, and his form is something I have never seen before."

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "I figured out all the lightness skills on my own. It's more accurate to say that I control a sword rather than ride the wind."

"Controlling swords with one's own power?"

Nie Feng was greatly surprised. He looked closely and saw Ren Shaoyang walking leisurely with his sleeves fluttering, but the air around him seemed to be being cut by invisible sharp blades, and he had a sharp and piercing aura.

He gasped, "Young Master, your form truly resembles that of a swordsman!"

"Hey! You're swearing." Ren Shaoyang rolled his eyes at him. "Are you swearing?"

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" Nie Feng belatedly realized his mistake and apologized repeatedly.

"Hmph, it's only because I'm being magnanimous now." Ren Shaoyang flicked his sleeve. "In the past, I would have stabbed you ten or eight times already!"

Nie Feng apologized again, his smile bitter.

Before we knew it, the red sun was shining brightly, and the sky was filled with colorful clouds.

The two entered Fengxi Town, which was bustling with activity and teeming with people.

Nie Feng knew the roads very well and led him through the streets and alleys. After passing a stone bridge, they came to a clean street and suddenly saw a tall building in front of them. It was about three stories high with double eaves and upturned corners, and it was very magnificent.

"This is the Zhonghua Pavilion."

The two walked on the mottled stone path, and Nie Feng introduced them.

Ren Shaoyang glanced around and laughed, "It doesn't look cheap."

"Of course it's not cheap." Nie Feng shook his head and laughed. "I've never been here before."

"No money?"

Nie Feng nodded in agreement: "Yes, I have no money."

"Ha, I'll treat you to a good meal today!"

Ren Shaoyang laughed and pulled him forward.

At the entrance of Zhonghua Pavilion, a waiter greeted guests. Upon seeing Nie Feng, he smiled and said, "Oh, Brother Ma, are we here for a meal or to stay the night?"

Ren Shaoyang, the straight man, says: "Eat noodles!"

Ok? !

Nie Feng and the waiter almost stumbled, both turning to look at him.

Ren Shaoyang laughed heartily: "I'm in a good mood today, let's drink until we drop."

The waiter smiled obsequiously, "Young master, you like to joke. Please come in." He gestured for them to enter.

Upon entering Zhonghua Pavilion, Ren Shaoyang found a considerable number of customers. A casual glance revealed that most of them were people from the martial arts world, and the waiters at Zhonghua Pavilion all possessed extraordinary skills.

Especially the shopkeeper, who was over fifty years old, with a fair complexion and blue beard, and a calm demeanor, was actually a master in the area.

We went upstairs and entered a private room to sit down.

Ren Shaoyang ordered two fat chickens, Yellow River carp, four-happiness meatballs, and braised fish slices.

Oh, and right, there's also the Nine-Turned Intestines, made to be the original flavor!

That wasn't all; they also ordered two jars of Lumenchun wine and a bowl of spicy soup to help them sober up.

After sending the waiter away, Nie Feng laughed and said, "Young master, at this rate, I'll have to wash the dishes to pay the bill."

"No need, no need!" Ren Shaoyang said nonchalantly. "They wouldn't dare."

"What, you're really going to dine and dash?"

"Why do you think that about me?" Ren Shaoyang glared, his beard bristling. "I've never been short of money when it comes to food!"

“Indeed, judging from your appearance, young master, you are no ordinary person and would not possibly dine and dash.” Nie Feng nodded, then clasped his hands in a fist and asked, “May I ask your esteemed name, young master?”

Ren Shaoyang.

"Ren Shaoyang?" Nie Feng muttered a few times, then shook his head. "Please forgive my ignorance, I've never heard of you in the martial arts world."

Ren Shaoyang poured himself a cup of tea and sipped it down with gusto: "Oh, I've never been to this martial world before."

"I knew it!" Nie Feng smiled slightly. "With your charisma, young master, you would certainly not remain unknown if you were to appear in the martial world!" He then asked, "But may I ask about your background, young master?"

"Check my background?"

"Haha, just curious, just curious!" Nie Feng scratched his head and laughed sheepishly.

"Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll tell you all about it!"

Ren Shaoyang laughed heartily and began to recite.

"In my youth I met the Buddha, but did not cultivate true virtue. I met him in the northern frontier, where winds and rains came from all directions. I laughed and scorned the world, my sword pressing down on the brows of the common people. I roared that the world was too narrow, yet loneliness was filled with frost and snow. I saw all living beings, and victory and defeat passed like smoke. Where do gods and Buddhas go? I simply let go and be upright."

Nie Feng raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, clapped his hands, and laughed, "Truly dashing, truly heroic! I never imagined Young Master Ren was from a Buddhist family. Such demeanor, truly, truly..."

Before he could finish speaking...

"What a fine line: 'He speaks of the world with a laugh, and his sword presses down on the foreheads of all living beings.'"

A slightly hoarse voice suddenly rang out from outside the door, desolate and forlorn, yet undeniably approving.

Ren Shaoyang grinned mischievously, "The bill's here." Then he called out, "Boss, where's the wine?"

The door to the private room creaked open.

Nie Feng turned his head and saw a man in gray walking in with a smile.

"Boss, it's been so long and the food still isn't here!" Ren Shaoyang slammed his hand on the table. "Is it freshly cooked? Why is it taking so long?"

“Everything at Zhonghua Pavilion is freshly cooked,” Wuming said, somewhat puzzled.

Then the waiter brought out dishes and wine, filling the table.

Ren Shaoyang opened the wine jar, filled both of their glasses at the same time, and said with a smile, "We're such good friends, let's drink!"

Wuming said, "I have come uninvited. I hope Young Master Ren will not be offended?"

Ren Shaoyang retorted, "Why should I blame you?"

Wuming paused for a moment, then raised his wine bowl and said, "Then I'll have a bowl to toast Sword Saint Dugu!"

Nie Feng was taken aback, not expecting the restaurant owner to offer a toast to the Sword Saint first.

Now, the outcome of the great battle between the Sword Saint and Xiong Ba has spread throughout the world. Although Xiong Ba won, Sword Twenty-Three's fame resounds throughout the universe, making him the pinnacle of swordsmanship in everyone's hearts. The Sword Saint, who died in battle, became a saint of swordsmanship, a monumental figure.

Despite winning the battle, Xiong Ba received no boost to his reputation.

While they were thinking about it, the two of them had already finished a bowl of wine.

Seeing this, Nie Feng quickly joined in with a bowl as well.

Wuming looked at Nie Feng and praised, "Brother Ma, you have a good capacity for alcohol."

Nie Feng laughed and said, "I used to be unable to drink, but lately I've been drinking a lot, and I can't live without alcohol. Every morning when I wake up, my stomach isn't bulging with water, but with sorghum liquor!"

"Hahaha!"

Wuming laughed loudly and said, "What a bellyful of sorghum wine!" He drank another bowl of wine, wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, and said, "Your spirit is restrained, your temperament is gentle, and you can overcome your own difficulties. It's not easy, really not easy!"

Nie Feng sighed, "Just get through it."

Ren Shaoyang said with a smile, "I agree with that statement."

"Oh? What brilliant idea does Young Master Ren have?" Wuming turned to look at him.

Nie Feng also turned his head. "It's better not to mention the pain we've endured; it's useless to bring it up. Talking to others won't lessen it or provide any relief," Ren Shaoyang laughed. "It will only make you look powerless and weak."

"So, in all things, you have to save yourself."

Nie Feng blinked, pursed his lips, and his eyes were a little red.

Wuming couldn't help but sigh, "Young Master Ren is so young, yet he sees through the ways of the world so clearly!"

Ren Shaoyang's smile faded, and he said calmly, "Having gone through so many life-and-death situations, I finally understand what the optimal solution is."

At this point, the white-robed man's pretentious spirit was ignited, and he couldn't help but pick up a chopstick, tap it on his wine bowl, and loudly recite:

"As autumn approaches, the moon grows brighter, and a lone pine stands by its solitary shadow. I reminisce about the glorious days of yesteryear, but who could have foreseen the affections of old friends? My sword flashes across the sky, its resounding clang echoing. The heavens are clear. Who will share my journey on this path of life? I'll just drink and walk alone!"

After muttering it a few times, Wuming smiled and said, "It doesn't conform to the ci (lyric) form, but it's still a self-composed piece with a bold spirit."

Ren Shaoyang drank a bowl of wine and said leisurely with a smile, "Just enjoying myself."

“You’re not just enjoying yourself.” Wuming gave him a deep look, “It seems he was implying something.”

Ren Shaoyang asked, "What are you referring to?"

The nameless man's facial muscles twitched, his expression momentarily dazed, and he pointed at himself, saying, "Am I destined to grow old alone?"

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "I didn't say that!"

Nie Feng loved this self-composed piece and exclaimed, "Young Master Ren, you are truly talented!"

Ren Shaoyang seemed to have lost interest, saying, "What kind of talent is it to recite a few bad poems and songs?"

"Then what do you think constitutes talent?" Wuming asked.

"A true man does as he pleases, living freely and happily!"

"It's too difficult," sighed Wuming. "People are all burdened by fame, content to remain in a lowly position. How can they be free and unrestrained?"

"Then you've asked the wrong person."

"How to say?"

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "I, Ren, do not consider myself inferior. All the rules and regulations in the world are useless to me. I regard the powerful as nothing. I will never let the strong oppress me!"

Nie Feng was stunned and said, "Young Master Ren, you are so arrogant."

"Arrogant?" Ren Shaoyang said calmly, "But I think it's 'obsessive'."

The nameless man clapped his hands and laughed, "Great talents throughout history have all been useless, only able to play with frogs by the pond. True geniuses are all seemingly mad but actually foolish."

Ren Shaoyang smiled and said, "That makes sense."

The three of them exchanged a smile, clinked their bowls together, and gulped down the wine.

Wuming wiped his mouth, poured three more bowls of wine, and said, "Young Master Ren, I toast you with three bowls of wine, and I also have three questions for you."

Ren Shaoyang glanced at him and smiled, "Alright!"

The nameless man raised his wine bowl and asked, "What is chivalry?"

"What a great hero!" Ren Shaoyang said, raising his bowl. "He has the spirit to stand tall and upright, with a heart as vast as a valley." He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then smiled and pointed at Wuming, "A true man should be like this."

Wuming sighed, tilted his head back and finished his drink, then shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It seems I am not a true man."

Nie Feng remained silent, poured wine into a bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.

Ren Shaoyang smiled. He had already downed ten bowls of aged wine, but his eyes grew brighter with each drink.

"continue."

Nameless asked again, "What is the meaning of killing?" Let's look at Nie Feng first.

Nie Feng was taken aback, then said, "I don't like killing. I will avoid killing if I can, and I will show mercy when I can."

Ren Shaoyang couldn't help but laugh, just like Xiao Sa behind Jack Ma.

Nie Feng says he doesn't want to kill people now, but after becoming a demon, he kills ruthlessly.

Gee!

"Where is Young Master Ren?"

"Kill them!" Ren Shaoyang laughed. "Eliminate evil completely and establish laws to warn the world. Qin unified the six kingdoms through slaughter. Han revered Confucianism and Taoism, but how many lonely ghosts and wronged souls were left under the law?"

Wuming frowned: "You come from a Buddhist sect, which is a bit too radical."

“Then I’ll answer you with a Buddhist story. Haven’t you heard that ‘on the day Manjushri attained Buddhahood, he swept away an army of 100,000 demons’? Doesn’t that count as killing?”

The anonymous person has not yet answered.

Nie Feng had already learned to answer quickly: "That's a demon, not a human."

"And how can you be sure that among the vast army of 100,000 demons, there aren't any innocent and kind-hearted people who have been dragged into it?"

"Even demons can be kind?"

Ren Shaoyang wore an amused expression: "If you become a demon, do you want the world to think you are evil, so they must eradicate all evil? Or are they kind and will let you go?"

Nie Feng was stunned. He only wanted people to be people and demons to be demons, and he never thought about whether someone was innocent or not. Moreover, he wondered what would happen if he became a demon himself.

Instantly, the boy was dragged into the ditch.

The nameless man laughed and said, "Demons commit many evil deeds and deserve to be killed."

"Evildoers are often human too."

Wuming said in a deep voice, "Humans and demons are ultimately two different races. Even if they do not do evil today, they may not do so in the future."

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "Who can say for sure what the future holds?"

"So you're going to conquer the world?"

“No,” Ren Shaoyang said calmly. “Kill a batch, release a batch, and recruit a batch. Then stand alone high in the sky, like a sword hanging over their heads.”

Upon hearing this, Nie Feng sighed and said, "Is there really no way to avoid killing in this world?"

Ren Shaoyang smiled and said, "That's not entirely true."

Nie Feng asked with genuine delight, "What method?"

The Art of War states: "To win a hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."

The nameless man suddenly realized, "To subdue the enemy without fighting?"

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "From the perspective of nations, if one can outmaneuver the opponent through strategy, diplomacy, and military force, and thus subdue the weak and assimilate them, why bother killing people?"

Nie Feng murmured, "To become one with them and assimilate them."

“Take Xiong Ba as an example.” Ren Shaoyang stared at him with a half-smile. “He destroyed Wushuang City, leaving no survivors. But he didn’t know that Dugu Ming was just an incompetent fool. If we had started a few years ago, we could have infiltrated his private tutors, martial arts instructors, and maids with spies, so that Dugu Ming could grow up in a unified context, a unified purpose, and a unified atmosphere.”

"Do you think that when he grows up, he will be hostile towards the World Society, or will he admire its strength?"

Nie Feng was stunned and said, "This, this..."

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "Do we still need to send Nie Feng from the Xiong Ba Sect as a spy, and then have Bu Jingyun slaughter the entire Wushuang City clan?"

Upon hearing this, especially upon hearing his own name, Nie Feng fell completely silent.

The nameless man poured wine into a bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and said, "This is the way of the king, superior to us in every way. We can subdue the enemy without fighting, and there is no need to rush to kill."

Ren Shaoyang laughed and said, "Brother, aren't you going to ask the third question?"

“No need.” Wuming smiled slightly. “I originally wanted to ask about good and evil, but in your explanation, good and evil are already in a state of chaos and do not need to be explained.”

Ren Shaoyang laughed heartily, tilted his head back, and drank the wine in his bowl dry.

(End of this chapter)