Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

"Yes, a bet. As the founder of the Great Harmony Way, Master Zhuang made a nine-betting agreement with the Sage of Literature. If Master Zhuang wins, the Wenchang Hall will no longer hinder his spread of the Great Harmony Way."

"What if he loses?" Mu Ling'er's voice was much colder than before.

"If he loses the bet, Master Zhuang will swear to Heaven that he will destroy his literary heart, destroy the Book of Great Harmony, and never spread his ideas again."

The existing Datong Academy will also be completely demolished, and the Datong Way will be wiped out within the Nine Regions, never to appear in the world again.

Scholars who studied the Great Harmony Way were required to register with the government; anyone caught spreading it privately would be executed.

Mu Ling'er frowned, her delicate fingers lightly tapping the table. "Tell me in detail, what exactly is this betting game, and what does it have to do with you villagers?"

"I have no idea what the specifics of the first eight bets were, but judging from the current situation, these eight bets should have ended in a draw, otherwise we wouldn't have been used."

If you really want to know the specifics, perhaps you can ask Master Zhuang himself.

As for this ninth bet...

It can be complicated, or it can be simple.

If you have to put it bluntly, it's a gamble on the fate of two villages, and the future of tens of thousands of "criminals" in prison.

The tapping on the table stopped, and Mu Ling'er's gaze fixed on the word "crime" on Qin Xiucai's forehead as he bowed his head and spoke.

After watching for a while, Mu Ling'er habitually picked up her wine glass and took a sip.

"The future of sinners?"

"Yes, the future of sinners."

When he said this, Qin Xiucai's voice was much lower and sounded somewhat bitter, but after a while he returned to an indifferent expression.

He casually pointed to his forehead and even leaned closer so that Mu Ling'er could see the word "sin" branded on it with a hot iron.

"Two villages, 20,000 criminals from different places with different charges, and a three-year gamble."

Before Mu Ling'er could react, Qin Xiucai shrank back, lowered his head again, and started picking at the food in his bowl.

"I'm just a rough fellow and really don't know anything about table manners, so please don't take offense."

Mu Ling'er glanced at him and said calmly, "It's alright. I don't usually eat very properly either. You can talk while you eat."

Qin Xiucai paused for a moment while picking at the vegetables, then smiled.

"You yourself are the rule; there's no question of whether it's right or wrong."

Mu Ling'er did not refute it. She had already discovered that the person in front of her was no ordinary person. His vision and knowledge were both excellent. She had really struck gold.

To say he was merely a scholar would be to belittle him greatly.

More than these trivial matters, she was curious about how this Qin Xiucai had fallen to this state, and what exactly this so-called betting game was all about.

With this in mind, she chose to continue listening.

"The place where you met me today is called 'Sin Village,' where ten thousand sinners like me live."

Oh no, I misspoke. Three years have passed, and now there are only 7,527 people left in the village.

The village of sin, the words carved above its head, a quarter of its population gone in three years, a gambling scheme...

Mu Ling'er narrowed her eyes, her mind filled with various guesses.

"Two miles away from the 'Sinful Village', there is another village called 'Wen Village'."

Ten thousand sinners also live in the village, but unlike me, they do not bear the same "sin" as I do.

Three years later, their village now has a population of over 20,000, significantly larger than the "sinful village."

"More than 20,000 people? How come there are more people?" Mu Ling'er exclaimed in surprise. She really couldn't understand why the number of people could increase.

Qin Xiucai did not answer immediately, but glanced at Mu Ling'er and, seeing that she was relatively calm, lowered his voice.

"Because the important figures in the Wenchang Temple bought many women, they sent the women they bought to Wen Village to marry the villagers."

Three years have passed, and most of the villagers in Wen Village now have children who are one or two years old. With more women and children, the village's population has naturally increased.

Having said this, Qin Xiucai was prepared for Mu Ling'er's fury, since this "princess" of Qishan Road would probably not accept such a thing.

To his surprise, Mu Ling'er only frowned.

"Using children and family members to control the villagers and maintain village stability? If the people from the Wenchang Temple didn't engage in forced buying and selling, then it's understandable... Please continue, what exactly is the content of the bet?"

After a brief moment of surprise, Qin Xiucai sat up straight and continued.

"I have no idea what the specifics of the bet were. Master Zhuang never mentioned it; it was mostly just speculation."

In my humble opinion, the core of the bet should be a comparison of which side's villagers live better after their respective governance.

At least on the surface, that's how it should be. As for the real situation, if I'm not mistaken, the sage and the master Zhuangzi were betting on the hearts of the people.

It is a struggle between good and evil, a prejudice in people's hearts, and a lesson for the world...

As he said this, Qin Xiucai touched the "crime" brand on his head, his tone quite casual.

"After all, the condition for releasing us sinners is being branded with the word 'sin,' and being branded with this word naturally makes us different from others."

Mu Ling'er glanced at Qin Xiucai again, her gaze lingering on the word "crime" for a while before asking.

"The people in the other village don't have this 'crime' on their names?"

"You are indeed wise, sir, and you guessed the truth of the matter in an instant," Qin Xiucai said with a very insincere compliment.

Mu Ling'er didn't care and started thinking for herself.

"This bet doesn't sound fair."

Qin Xiucai smiled bitterly and pointed to the tightly closed door.

"As you can see, the outcome of the bet was already predetermined, and no one will accept us 'sinners'."

Even without the deliberate guidance of the people from the Wenchang Temple, ordinary people would not accept us, let alone the fact that the government has turned the "criminal village" into a forbidden area.

Of course, the government can't be blamed entirely; some people in the village were indeed no good, and they deserved to die.

That's because it dragged everyone else down with them, and they were all treated as villains.

In such circumstances, talking about a bright future and a happy life is somewhat laughable.

If I had to put it bluntly, we'd be nothing more than a bunch of insects surviving by sucking the blood of Zhuangzi.

Mu Ling'er did not comment on this. One side of the story cannot be fully trusted. She tapped the table and said softly.

"Hearing more is not as good as seeing it for yourself. This afternoon, why don't you take me on a tour of your village?"

"I will follow your instructions, but..."

"only?"

Qin Xiucai hesitated for a long time before finally speaking hesitantly, "Some people in the village haven't seen a woman in a long time. If you don't want to reveal your identity and want to see the real village, it would be best if you kept yourself well-covered..."

Qin Xiucai's voice grew softer and softer, and by the end, he himself felt it was inappropriate and decisively shut his mouth.

"Can"