Chapter 2455

Looking at their piled-up smiles and overflowing enthusiasm, Shangguan Biao unconsciously wanted to return a smile, but his face hadn't even cracked open when he suddenly recalled the words Xu Shixiong had once scolded a junior disciple with:

"These miscellaneous laborers reduced to Duzhi Mountain—basically, that's how they'll spend the rest of their lives. If they can still live another twenty or thirty years, that's already something. Those with a chance to make a comeback? Not even one in a thousand! Facing this sort of trash, why bother giving them a pleasant face?"

"But..." the junior disciple still had a few shreds of reluctance.

Xu Shixiong chuckled lightly: "These people are no different from dogs—the stricter and more authoritative you are with them, the more they admire and obey you! But if you show them even a hint of kindness and indulgence, they'll try to climb all over you!"

Shangguan Biao's lodging was assigned to the end of the third row of houses, and the other laborers knew he wasn't favored by those above. Having fallen to this place, he'd still have to endure mistreatment, so both openly and secretly, they'd also make things difficult for him. Don't assume people in such a place would huddle together for warmth—even the lower strata turn on each other, and the weak will bully the even weaker.

So Shangguan Biao recalled these past events, remembered the nature of these people, and not a trace of smile remained on his face, replaced by impatience:

"Who here doesn't know what kind of character and integrity I possess? Yet I can't stop someone from framing me, or someone else from wanting to kick me when I'm down. Thanks to Elder Li's discerning eyes, he won't frame the innocent, nor let the true pests and scoundrels go free!" Shangguan Biao stood with his hands behind his back, "This is what's called 'not unrepaid—just not yet time!'"

Having failed to offer a kindness and even bumped into a snag, the smiles on everyone's faces grew even brighter.

Shangguan Biao ignored them, turned, and went back inside.

Since he had sworn to make a change, then let it begin here, let it begin tonight!

With a creak, the door shut, and Shangguan Biao slowly slid down to sit, feeling utterly drained of energy and strength.

Shangguan Biao looked out the window at the wind-dew golden lotus.

The rain had stopped, the clouds parted to reveal the moon, gilding the golden lotus with a soft glow.

The moon is brighter in one's homeland.

In two days, he'll descend the mountain to return home, to see his parents, to go back……to fulfill his transaction with Li Yun.

What has bewitched his heart and mind, making him actually want to refine blood-dew golden elixir! That's a forbidden medicine, after all.

But having come this far, he has no way to turn back.

And his mother will surely understand him—she loves him so deeply.

Shangguan Biao slowly buried his face in his hands; before long, tears seeped through his fingers.

"To become strong, I must move forward, I must become strong!" His voice choked with sobs.

Strength is the only truth in this world!

Even if the path to strength demands he endure humiliation and burden, grovel and kneel, make sacrifices—he will spare nothing!

The great mountain before him that cannot be crossed, in Li Yun's eyes is merely a speck of dust—only because Li Yun is strong enough can he do as he pleases to these weaklings;

If one day Shangguan Biao becomes stronger than anyone else, could he restore the speck of dust in his own eyes back into a great mountain upon another's head?

Those who bullied him, humiliated him, trampled over him; those who forced him to act against his mother; those who destroyed his family and home!

One day, he will make them die badly.

No, no, no—he will make them kneel before him, wailing in despair, unable to live, unable to die!

Shangguan Biao lowered his hands, lifted his head, and stared—his eyes filled with bloodshot veins, brimming with resolve and hatred.

At that moment, he suddenly felt the ground tremble.

This rhythmic vibration—he was already very familiar with it, signaling the approach of some colossal entity from afar.

In the past, Shangguan Biao would have felt fear at this, but now, he instead felt somewhat eager.

Suddenly, a great wind swept outside, and then that enormous red silhouette appeared beyond the window!

This time, it didn't use its eyeballs to block the window, but instead sat cross-legged outside. The moonlight was bright again, illuminating it clearly—

It was a ferocious evil ghost, eyes like copper bells, face like a copper disc, high cheekbones and a garlic-shaped nose, bloody mouth and fangs, yet its beard and hair were bluish-black, more terrifying than any ghost in New Year paintings.

On its previous visit, Shangguan Biao had hidden in his own room grinding herbs, daring not to meet its gaze; but this time, he gritted his teeth and stared straight at the red ghost.

The instant their eyes met, Shangguan Biao's body recoiled backward, his face turned pale, as if struck by a tremendous impact.

But his chest rose and fell a few times, he quickly took several deep breaths, and calmed down.

"Oh, you're quite composed." The red ghost's deep voice shook the cups in the tray into constant trembling, "You actually summoned me over on your own—what urgent matter do you have?"

Shangguan Biao spoke hoarsely: "You don't already know?"

"Say it." The red ghost sneered, "When asking for help, one must have the proper attitude—you can't even let go of your pride before me; in this Longfeng Valley, you'll only be eaten down to scraps! Hah, don't think I'm joking. In this Longfeng Valley, there are precedents of using people as medicine! Do you still remember Duzhi Mountain's 'medicine persons'?"

Shangguan Biao's face turned even paler.

Duzhi Mountain has long had a legend: a laborer's family member fell into a hopeless illness, needing immortal medicine to be saved. So he went to beg the sect's immortals, and the immortals readily agreed—but the price was that he must voluntarily become a test "medicine person," taking various medicines at set times and doses.

One day, the laborer at Duzhi Mountain discovered he was missing a hand.

He said, the immortal had taken it.

After another two months, he was missing a leg.

And so, over a few months, the parts of his body kept dwindling.

Don't ask—ask, and the answer is always that the immortal took it.

The other laborers just watched helplessly as he went from a healthy, living person to gradually becoming a lump of living flesh in the house, unable to move. At first, everyone pitied him; a few days later, the whole house reeked, and everyone came to despise him.

On some morning when no one paid attention, that lump of flesh also vanished.

The traces this person left in the world were like water leaving no trace—nothing remained.

"This world has no miracles, no karmic retribution—only cause and effect." The red ghost told Shangguan Biao, "Whatever cause you sow, that's the only effect you deserve."

Shangguan Biao glared at it angrily: "I am upright and sincere—just because I refuse to follow their corrupt ways, how am I unworthy of a good reward?"

"Upright and sincere—what use is that? You're missing the most important thing!" The red ghost lunged at him, holding out its left hand, clenched into a fist as large as a grinding wheel, "Still not getting it, are you? Your final fate has nothing to do with your goodness or wickedness, virtue or vice—it depends solely on your strength! This world, in the end, is the strong devouring the weak!"

Its words, sentence after sentence, were like muffled thunder, exploding in Shangguan Biao's heart:

"Cultivators cultivate to defy heaven and change fate! You are weak, you are incapable—your fate can only be controlled by others, and you deserve only the fate of a 'medicine person.' Humph, if it weren't for you seeking out Li Yun and Xu Liangye, you'd still be rotting in a cellar right now—do you really think you're still far from that fate?"