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

Just then, the noise around me suddenly subsided.

Qin Xiucai turned his head to look, and under the gaze of many eyes, Zhuang Sheng walked onto the podium where he used to teach.

The crowd gradually quieted down. People in the academy either looked up, looked down, or were in a daze, but they all quieted down and were willing to listen to Zhuangzi's words.

Zhuang Sheng did not speak immediately after stepping onto the podium. Instead, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he took out his copy of "The Book of Great Harmony" from his pocket and placed it on the podium.

He looked down at the familiar villagers, his voice steady and sincere, making people unconsciously willing to listen.

"I've gathered you all here today to tell you a story, and I hope you can give me some time to listen carefully to it."

The villagers were somewhat surprised, and some whispered among themselves, but no one spoke up to refute them. Those who were willing to come here did not mind listening to Master Zhuang say a few more words.

"The story begins with a boy named Asheng, who lives in a small village called Xinghua Village..."

Ah Sheng has a mother who loves him very much, and an older sister who is in poor health and is always sick...

And so, Ah Sheng's village was gone, his mother was gone, his older sister was gone, and all that remained in his little world was endless hatred...

Decades passed in a blur. Ah Sheng learned many skills, traveled to many places, and witnessed all sorts of things.

The hatred did not fade with the passage of time, but many new things appeared in Ah Sheng's world, and he became troubled by the world and by everything he saw.

About seventy years ago, Ah Sheng completed the first transformation in his life, becoming a schoolteacher.

He fulfilled his wish for revenge in a small town, personally plunging a dagger into his enemy's chest...

It was in that small town that the schoolteacher met an extremely remarkable person, and for the first time, he gained a clear understanding of the future he had always longed for.

The schoolteacher finally understood that what he wanted to do was leave something behind in this world, and he wanted to make some changes to this world.

An overconfident schoolteacher wants to say no to the world and change it.

He wanted people to realize that long-standing traditions can also be wrong, and things that everyone agrees on can also be wrong...

He wanted to change the world through education, enabling people to distinguish right from wrong. He wanted to tell the world that no matter what one's initial circumstances, everyone can turn towards goodness...

The teacher was in a hurry; he didn't have much time and didn't want to miss any possible opportunity...

Because of his eagerness, he made many mistakes, but it was these mistakes that made the teacher more and more mature.

Thirty-one years ago, the teacher who had traveled all over the world finally created his own field of knowledge.

He was overjoyed and wanted to share his knowledge with the world, showing people the possibility of another path.

But reality is often disappointing; there are always various difficulties ahead on a road, and one insurmountable mountain after another.

Many very powerful figures wanted to stop the teacher and destroy his scholarship.

Finally, after thirty years, the schoolteacher made a bet with several powerful figures who were practically gods.

The outcome is decided through nine rounds of gambling. If the teacher wins, he can continue teaching; if he loses, all his hard work will be destroyed, and he will never be able to teach again.

Over thirty years and nine bets, the schoolteacher did his best to turn the first eight bets into four wins and four losses.

Therefore, the teacher went against his own principles and original vision, and made many choices that he was unwilling to make.

The ninth gamble, which began three years ago, is about whether people's hearts can turn towards goodness, how far education can go, and whether the mountain of prejudice can be broken down by time and effort...

The wager involved bringing 20,000 criminals out of prison and dividing them into two villages…

By this time, the entire academy was in chaos, with arguments rising and falling throughout the entire academy.

Some people shouted for Zhuang Sheng to get down, while others remained motionless and continued to listen. Some were even so excited that they wanted to rush forward and hit Zhuang Sheng, but they were blocked in place because the crowd was too dense.

Some were furious, some remained silent, and some understood.

In the corner, Li Shan and Xiangzi stood there blankly, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Their hands trembled uncontrollably, their expressions shifting repeatedly, and they simply couldn't believe what they were hearing.

Under the rain, Su Xiaoyu clung tightly to Qin Xiucai's sleeve, her pupils wide open, muttering incessantly.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible... Master Zhuang is such a good person, how could he possibly harm us? Even if all of this is true, he must be doing it for our own good..."

"It can't be wrong, absolutely not wrong... Uncle Qin, say something! Did the Master do this for our future?"

The girl's urgent voice pulled Qin Xiucai back from his shock.

He had considered all sorts of possibilities, but he never imagined that Zhuang Sheng would tell the whole truth at this moment.

Has he really gone mad?

Since we've already come this far, what's wrong with lying for a few more days?

If Zhuang Sheng had simply said that the flood could be stopped and gathered all the villagers to work together to control it, he would have already won most of the bet.

He could have proven his success in reforming the village by sacrificing the lives of a few thousand villagers, those worm-like villagers of the "sinful village," in the flood control efforts, and that sinners could be reformed.

The fact that thousands of villagers went against the current, whether or not they could stop the flood, was enough to make the people of Pingluo County re-evaluate the villagers of the "criminal village".

In this way, prejudices in people's hearts will naturally disappear, and even people from "sinful villages" will be remembered by the people, have inscriptions erected on their monuments, and have their views changed.

Qin Xiucai even realized that Mu Ling'er's appearance filled the last loophole in Zhuang Sheng's plan.

After ten days of contact, Qin Xiucai was certain that Mu Ling'er was a responsible and good person, and that she would not stand idly by and watch the flood swallow everything.

With the daughter of this Five Elements True Lord present, the flood will surely be stopped.

All that was to be paid was the lives of a few "insects".

In other words, Zhuangzi's plan will definitely succeed.

Regardless of whether this action counts as winning the bet, he definitely won't lose.

But now...

Looking at the noisy villagers, one after another shouting that they wanted to leave, that Zhuang Sheng should get down, and even that Zhuang Sheng should die.

Qin Xiucai was completely bewildered.

Why do this? They're just a bunch of insects living in the shadows, and they've been deceiving people for three years. What's wrong with continuing to deceive them?

He had already written down a list for Mu Ling'er in advance, giving all the villagers who deserved to be saved a place to stay.

He had clearly found a good place and was prepared to bid farewell in the flood.

On the eve of victory, Zhuangzi revealed everything. What was his reason?