Forge a path to success.

Chapter 331 A Letter from Huilong City

Huaisu, Hengkong:

The letter has been received. Youyou was surprised by how dangerous the attack was and threw a tantrum at me.

However, in my opinion, this incident was a close call, and the timely arrival of the Captain was to be expected. Even if he had been unexpectedly entangled and unable to leave, the Divine Tree would not have pretended to be deaf and dumb. The reason it did not act immediately was because the city-state system dictated that the Divine Tree could not act rashly. Do not hold a grudge—this was said to Vande. I know you understand the importance of things and are reasonable, and you will not blame the gods.

The demon's rampage in the thorn robe is related to an old matter, which Heng Kong may know a little about, but I will not elaborate further in this letter. Now I will reply to your concerns one by one.

The materials Huaisu needed have been collected and are enclosed as a crystal of divine power. I tried to persuade Youyou to attach a few photos for contemplation, but she wasn't too keen, so I had to give up. When you construct the form, you need to be as refined as possible, otherwise she's very likely to get angry, and that anger probably won't be directed at me.

As for Heng Kong's proposed method for dealing with the chaos, before I set off to build the city, the local teachers gave me some pointers, which I will now relay as follows:

—Disorder is the reversal of order. From defilement comes turbidity, from disorder comes chaos; darkness descends, the sun and moon lose their light—is this the inevitable end? It is truly the transformation of Yin and Yang. Transformation is the link between reality and illusion, the knot of life and death, existing between heaven and earth. Your martial arts are superb, you understand the principles of boxing, and you are skilled in talismanic arts; your learning is ever-changing, yet never deviates from its fundamental principle. Now that this transformation is in the hands of others, where does its fundamental principle reside?

You've experienced it, so you naturally understand the principles. However, understanding and knowing are vastly different, as are knowing and doing. If you wish to study the unchanging principles, you might consult the mysterious, masked giant Huan Ge, who wishes to remain anonymous. He is said to enjoy honey and fruit tea.

Finally, there's the matter of the Independence Act. This act may sound absurd at first, but its momentum has grown to this day, truly reflecting the will of the people. And the will of the people is not something that changes overnight; it is the culmination of centuries of accumulated problems. Remember not to fall into conventional thinking, assuming this is a problem that can be solved by defeating one or two people.

All parties are paying close attention to Jing Sha's movements, but the Senluo Divine System is the oldest ally of the righteous path. Even with a thousand reasons, we cannot interfere in their internal affairs. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for high-level experts to be mobilized outside the battle lines. For the same reason, Jing Sha currently only has one official Level 6 expert, the Captain-General. The Divine Tree's intentions are self-evident.

When I set out, I anticipated that ordinary demonic lackeys would be no match for you, and thus intended to entrust you with some intervention. However, the radical nature of the chaos this time is unprecedented in the city's 500-year history. The situation is about to descend into chaos; you must be careful.

If the thorny shroud is no longer a safe place, I will escort you back to the city.

Ji Qiufeng

Chu Hengkong carefully read the reply and said, "You've gotten a benefit out of nowhere."

"It's easy to imagine the enormous price Father must have paid..." Ji Huaisu held the crystal, feigning tears. "I will definitely not let you down! First, let Qingxia add six big wings to me!"

She was clearly going to fabricate something using Gu Long's biological information, and Chu Hengkong reminded her, "Youyou will really get angry."

"How could that be? He'll definitely look handsome!"

Ji Huaisu jumped to her desk to make a draft, while Fan De, unlike her carefree self, looked out the window and sighed with worry: "What can I say, buddy? Even the city lord thinks this is going to be bad."

“Although Jing Sha is in turmoil due to the laws, it can always keep us under the watchful eyes of the outsiders. But if we go back to Huilong City, I'm afraid Fu Ruidan’s true form will come with us directly.” Chu Hengkong shook his head. “We can’t shift the blame.”

"If all else fails, just find a message in a bottle and throw me into the sea..."

"When did we get into the habit of running away first when things happen?"

“I’ve always believed this!” Van der shouted.

"Really?" Chu Hengkong laughed. "Isn't it better to fight first and then talk about it?"

He walked back down the stairs to the bookstore lobby, where a new batch of the month's top picks had just arrived. Manager Fish recommended a static animation tutorial on dancing with little puppets, Editor Otter's featured book of holiday sheet music suitable for beginners, and Big Seal highly recommended a memoir reminiscing about the wonderful stories that followed the carnivals over the years.

"The festive atmosphere is strong."

Gulibo and Miaonu were busy sweeping magazines with the speaker's image onto the shelves, their movements resembling dusting. Bangbangji cheerfully placed a guidebook on the shelf: "The Vitex Festival—it's almost here! Three days off for the whole city—the annual carnival."

“Vote, celebrate the holiday, and then the results will be announced right after the holiday.” Poison Otter shook his head. “I haven’t felt this nervous in a long time. The last time was ten years ago, when Parriman was announced as the elected speaker after the holiday.”

"At the time, we all thought—he—had no chance..."

"Reality is often stranger than imagination," said the poison otter. "I'm a little worried about this carnival."

"I think you're overthinking it this time. Even the dumbest idiot isn't brainless. That stupid bill going to a referendum is purely for Parriman to boost his own image. Do you really think it'll pass?" The Big Seal sniffed. "Once the bill passes, it's all over. Even the most die-hard reactionaries won't vote for it."

"That's probably the most reasonable thing you said this week," the Poison Otter agreed. "But I still voted 'against'."

“But I see a lot of ‘yes’ votes too. Should we organize an event to encourage everyone to vote against it?” Gulibo interjected.

The three animals, each with a rich resume, exchanged a glance, hesitated, and shook their heads.

“This…is too political!” said Bangbangji. “To guide the thoughts of those around us, to persuade them to act according to our ideas—that’s what politicians do! We have no right to lobby others.”

"Persuading idiots is a thankless and arduous task, and I don't want to waste my precious time..."

As they talked, even the venomous otter hesitated, and the large seal raised its sign again: "Perhaps we should reconsider?"

“I think we should give it a try,” Chu Hengkong said. “Doing something is better than doing nothing. At least when we’re waiting for the results, we can say with a clear conscience that we took action.”

The sea seal nodded repeatedly, and the venomous otter handed him a cup of tea: "You know what, I think you're right. Anyway, none of us are afraid of retaliation."

"We'd better come up with a slogan that fits the mood!"

[Vote with integrity, enjoy the holiday with ease.] "Let's do it this way!"

The little animals acted quickly, starting to make flyers, snacks, and free botanical paintings. Although one small shop couldn't affect the overall situation, even getting one more dissenting vote was a contribution to the city-state.

Chu Hengkong smiled too. Having lived here for a while, he had noticed many chaotic things in Jingsha, but these enthusiastic little animal citizens were still quite endearing. Before things got too busy, he asked the sea seal, "Where can I buy the best honey and fruit tea in Jingsha?"

[Honey is in the fourth vein, and for fruit tea, I recommend a small shop nearby!] The Big Seal wrote quickly.

"Could you place an order for me? I want to use it to fish for Huan Ge."

“Huan Ge is far away in the second vein; you can’t catch it here,” the Poison Otter interjected.

"I suppose there must be some connections among you veterans."

【We would never betray our comrades!】The Great Seal was full of righteous indignation.

"I'll buy an extra one and give it to you."

[Speaking of which, I've been thinking of inviting an old friend over for tea soon...]

The crucian carp cried out, "How embarrassing, seal!"

·
As it turns out, just like the mysterious organizations around the world that offer veteran barbecues, hot pots, and buffets, veteran chat groups also exist. Chu Hengkong had just finished buying tributes that morning, and in the afternoon he saw the burly man in the mysterious mask sneakily enter, crouching down beside the seal pool: "This smell! A unique fruity aroma greeted me as soon as I entered; truly extraordinary!"

[You're really here!]

"Oh ho ho, the Vitex Festival is just a few days away. As a master at scheduling my work time, I'm going to take advantage of the time before the festival to slack off!" Huan Ge said smugly. "I can smell the honey dumplings! Quickly, pour me a cup of good tea!"

Chu Hengkong poured a cup of tea and handed it to him with a smile. Huan Ge took a delicious sip, then hopped back three steps on one foot.

"—It's a trap! We've fallen for it!!"

"Impressive, the reaction time is still so long," said the Venomous Otter.

"Uncle Huan Ge, how have you been?" Chu Hengkong handed over a honey dumpling.

"What martial uncle! Don't talk nonsense, I have absolutely no relation to your sect!" Huan Ge shouted. "You brat, your smiling face is definitely up to no good, I will never fall for it! I'm going to slack off! Don't even think about doing anything!"

Chu Hengkong stared at the empty teacup: "Uncle-Master, it's not very ethical to take a bribe and not do anything in return."

Huan Ge waved his hand dismissively and chuckled, "This tea was bait used by the seal to lure me in, so it should be on the seal's tab!"

The giant seal stood upright and exhaled a large bubble: "Mmm!"

Poison Otter held up his cup: "Oh, he's angry. The manager is angry because of your disrespectful words."

"This guy who spends all his time begging little girls for dried fish actually cares about this!"

“You’re different from the little girl,” Bangbangji chimed in. “That’s what the manager said.”

Huan Ge was furious: "Ugh, you bunch of disrespectful old folks! You act like peers in front of kids, but when you're with me, you start acting like you're old and powerful—"

"Who are you calling old?!" "What age?!" "Huh?!"

The three people in the bookstore... The three beasts revealed extremely terrifying expressions, and Huan Ge shrank his neck: "It's rhetoric, I used inappropriate rhetoric... But this kid has nothing to do with me anyway, why is he looking for me!"

Chu Hengkong said in a gentle tone, "I encountered some difficulties in my cultivation today..."

Upon hearing this, Huan Ge turned and left, saying, "Ha! If you want to cultivate, go find Ji Qiufeng. I can't teach your lineage of quick-fix disciples!"

Chu Hengkong remained calm and composed: "Master Ji said that he had only heard his teachers teach him about this difficult problem in the past, and he was still lacking in practical experience. If he wanted to learn it well, after much thought, he realized that he had to find Uncle Huan Ge of Jing Sha, otherwise there would be no one else..."

Huan Ge immediately stopped and turned around: "Did he really say that?"

"There are letters to prove it."

"Hmph, it's not like I can't say a few words!" Huan Ge said smugly. "What's the problem? Tell me!"

Chu Hengkong briefly expressed his confusion and asked, "What exactly is this unchanging principle?"

Huan Ge laughed three times after hearing this, then shook his head and said, "You, really! You keep the methods close at hand, learning quickly and hastily, to the point that you can't even find your core skills anymore!"

"I do have these methods?"

Huan Ge smiled enigmatically: "Isn't the unchanging method you seek precisely your specialty, 'One Qi Through a Thousand Autumns'?"

(End of this chapter)