Bai Yulao: The Night Watcher's Debt to the King of Hell

When the Way is lost, virtue follows; when virtue is lost, benevolence follows; when benevolence is lost, righteousness follows; when righteousness is lost, propriety follows.

Ritual is a thin veneer of loyalty and trust, and the beginning of chaos.

When the Great Way is hidden, benevolence and righteousness emerge; when selfish desires run rampant, propriety and law arise.

The more elaborate the rituals, the further away the true path becomes; the more elaborate the embellishments, the deeper the roots of evil.

So-called civilization is nothing more than giving greed a disguise and stamping oppression with an official seal.

Layer upon layer of systems, layers upon layers of morality, layers upon layers of order, beneath which lies nothing more than a piece of paper inscribed with desire.

The more fragmented the process, the more scattered the responsibility; the more beautiful the packaging, the more real the crime.