I am a demonic cultivator, not a capitalist with a conscience.

Chapter 660 The Clown is Here (46)

When the Mercy entered Sangmu City, Cao Zhen found the situation there to be quite unexpected.

In the media reports, Sangmu City has been transformed into a living hell.

In news reports, here, flesh and bones turned to mud, and the primordial spirit turned to water. Headless demonic cultivators beat drums made of human skin, played pipa made of human tendons, and erhu made of spines to entertain the unobstructed, boundless, and species-free assembly below.

However, upon closer inspection, Cao Zhen discovered that the place was actually quite quiet.

Apart from the corpses of the bosses hanging from the trees along the roadside, everything here was peaceful.

Seeing this, Cao Zhen asked in confusion, "Where is the chaos here? This place is perfect!"

"I've heard that the damp five-step snake hides itself under the leaves, the greedy white wolf melts itself in the snow, and the skillful minotaur disguises itself as someone else's wife. So perhaps this place is also a disguise of demonic cultivators."

Turning to look at the old man who had spoken, Cao Zhen couldn't help but say, "Stop talking, your wisdom has been corrupted."

"Really? I don't think so."

"Yes, there is. And it would be worse if there weren't."

Looking at the others, Cao Zhen also saw some signs of corruption in them, and knew that everyone's wisdom problem needed to be resolved as soon as possible after returning.

The thought that their own problems were still unresolved, yet they were already expected to address the "moral" issues that Changsheng Prefecture had brought upon them, filled Cao Zhen with grief and indignation, and he wanted to cry.

Why am I always the one who's hurt!
What exactly did we do wrong?
And that unknown star lord, aren't you being too biased!

You weren't there when Chen Yu bullied us, but you started hitting us when we got revenge. Are you...?

Thinking of this, Cao Zhen dared not think any further.

The green talisman was still in the air, like a perpetually burning warning light, reminding them that the Great Star Lord had his eye on this place.

The opponent possesses Nascent Soul level power; even a casual glance from him could drive someone mad. Even his true form cannot contend with him.

The things you're thinking now might get overheard by the other party, and things will only get worse then.

While cursing Chen Yu in his heart, Cao Zhen continued forward and finally found the temple of the Wood Star Lord in the dense forest.

The entire temple was formed from the growth of a single banyan tree. The enormous banyan tree stretched for over three hundred miles, creating an extremely magnificent natural temple.

Although it occupies a vast area, this banyan tree does not completely block out the sunlight. Instead, gentle light filters through its branches, trunk, and leaves, maintaining the ecosystem below.

Once the Mercy Shuttle hovered above the banyan tree, Cao Zhen immediately straightened his sleeves, led everyone off the shuttle, and headed straight for the temple.

After informing the apprentice temple keeper, who was sweeping fallen leaves at the entrance, of their purpose, Cao Zhen and the others were quickly invited into the temple and met the head temple keeper.

The other person had white hair and a youthful face, and was tall and thin. From a distance, he looked like a stick insect that had come to life.

After gesturing for everyone to sit down, the head temple keeper took a leisurely sip of tea and then asked, "Minister Cao, what brings you here?"

"We heard that there are demonic cultivators causing trouble in Sangmu City, so we came to help."

"Well... let's put aside whether that's true or not, and even if it were true, what does it have to do with you?"

“We are from the Calamity Response Department. Demonic cultivators causing chaos is equivalent to a natural disaster, so I came.”

The head temple keeper habitually blew on the teacup to clear away the foam before saying to Cao Zhen, who was writhing in frustration, "Do you think I'm stupid? The talismans are all outside."

"You know what I mean, don't kid me! If this isn't dealt with soon, people will die!"

"What does that have to do with me?" the head temple keeper said slowly.

"Something like this happened in Sangmu City, and you still dare to say you have nothing to do with it?"

"But these things fit our definition of 'morality,' so why should we care?"

Cao Zhen was about to retort when she suddenly covered her mouth.

He is still unsure whether his own wisdom has been corrupted, since corruption is difficult to detect on one's own.

If you become corrupted, you might say a lot of unfavorable things, and that will cause trouble.

Temporarily disconnecting from his main body, Cao Zhen began to think on his own and then realized that the Grand Temple Keeper was right.

When a person's moral character is corrupted, those below can only act according to that character; this is acting in accordance with the law.

As for the outcome, that's another matter.

The head priest clearly had the ability to correct it, but he chose not to, which shows that his heart had already leaned towards the corrupted morality.

However, if we investigate further, the real culprits behind the chaos were Cao Zhen and others.

After cursing under his breath, Cao Zhen gritted his teeth and asked, "Grand Temple Master, please enlighten me. I will remember this favor."

The head temple keeper rubbed his beard and suddenly said, "I'm getting old..." "Thirty thousand beauty pills."

"My hearing isn't working properly anymore."

"The five senses are scattered in 100,000 bags."

"My legs and feet are sore."

"Millions of plasters."

The head priest glanced at Cao Zhen, seeing that he was almost at his limit, and said, "The problem now is simple. The essence of the chaos stems from the conflict between the boss and the employees. This conflict has actually existed for a long time, but it has never been taken seriously. This shift in morality has exposed this problem."

"I understand. So how should we solve this?"

"Either eliminate one side once and for all, or force one side to make some compromises. Minister Cao, which side do you think is better?"

"Eliminating them is definitely unrealistic, let's remove them first."

"That's not necessarily true," the head priest replied with a smile.

The other person's smile resembled that of an old fox, making Cao Zhen feel a little uneasy.

Could this old guy be a demonic cultivator?
But now is not the time to delve into this.

Ignoring this question, Cao Zhen continued, "Let's compromise. So, do you think it's better to persuade the lumberjacks to compromise, or to persuade the bosses to compromise?"

Which side has more people?

"Lumberjack".

"That's what I was thinking too. Minister Cao, please."

Nodding to the side, someone immediately brought over a map of Sangmu City.

The Grand Temple Keeper pointed at the map, then waved his hand and said, "I have bestowed upon you the blessing of the Wood Star Lord, allowing you to walk silently in the forest and conceal your movements. From now on, the mulberry trees will be your allies, and you can obtain various forms of assistance from them within the forest."

Upon seeing the head temple keeper, Cao Zhen immediately sensed something was very wrong.

Good news: Blessings are coming.

Bad news: A blessing is coming.

He swallowed hard and asked in a low voice, "Head Temple Master, why are you being so cautious?"

"Oh, the temple keeper of the Real Estate God just came by. They had just left when you arrived. They also want to eliminate the impact here as soon as possible, so I asked the same question."

"...So what did they answer?"

"They also chose to compromise, but they believed the boss was rich and therefore their customer, while the loggers were poor and not their customers. So, they planned to try and persuade the loggers. Because their choice wasn't my type, I didn't bless them. There are many of them, so be careful if you encounter them."

"I understand."

Nodding slightly, Cao Zhen knew that she had probably been used as a pawn again.

But now, he no longer has a choice.

In this accountability process, they and the real estate tycoon are like two sides in a tug-of-war. Whoever has the greater strength will be able to take all the credit and shift the blame onto the other side.

If they win, it can be said that the real estate tycoon disregarded life and death and abused dreams.

If the other side wins, they can be accused of harboring malicious intentions and harming Changsheng Prefecture.

In addition to his contribution in helping to quell the chaos, he should be able to minimize his responsibility.

(I never imagined I'd be forced into the arena like this.)
Previously, Cao Zhen always considered himself a chess player, but now he is being hindered at every turn and is being used as a pawn to deal with the real estate tycoon.

Looking back on the past month, he realized that he had fallen into Chen Yu's trap from the very beginning.

Every step I take is right, yet every step I take is also wrong.

Thinking of this, Cao Zhen suddenly couldn't help but laugh.

With a sinister grin, Cao Zhen looked into the distance and said excitedly, "Good, Chen Yu, you're very good! You're very capable to have driven me to this point!"

You must be looking at me right now, right?

Then I'll show you just how strong I am!
In Principal Tianyuan's office, Chen Yu searched for a long time on the floor before finally taking a Joker card out from under the sofa.

"The clown is here. No wonder I couldn't find him earlier. Chief Inspector Wang, don't get so agitated next time. Here, the police note, stick it on yourself."

Chief Inspector Wang, his face covered in notes, lifted the curtain covering his face, feeling that his luck wasn't so good today.

(End of this chapter)