Chapter 258: Played 257, Now It

Xuan Youzi usually dotes on Xuan Qingzi, but because of her innate temperament, when Xuan Qingzi makes certain mistakes she also becomes a strict teacher and corrects the other's errors.

If it were usual, Xuan Qingzi would immediately surrender and start acting coquettishly, admitting the fault.

But today, she is somewhat different from usual.

Yet she does not resist; she just turns her face away, as if sulking at Xuan Youzi.

Xuan Youzi does not dwell on it; seeing her junior sister like that, she sighs softly and then looks at the scene before her.

"This place…"

"This place looks a lot like somewhere I stayed before," Wang Wu says first, looking at that spot in the image.

If it weren't for the clear lettering on the roadside visible in the image, he might truly think this place is his hometown.

Because the two places are just too similar.

"Is that so?" Xuan Youzi shows no surprise. "So, in your eyes, what is this place like?"

"I think this might not be a place that looks different to each person," Wang Wu replies. "It might actually be exactly like this."

Then Wang Wu asks, "And you? What do you see here?"

He continues, "Tall buildings, sparkling walls? And those oddly shaped streetlights, and the white painted drawings on the ground?"

"Not much different," Xuan Youzi nods. "So it seems this place really does look like that."

"Besides, I've seen such buildings before, I know such roads; you don't need to describe it that way."

"Testing you? I speak however I want; can you control me?" Wang Wu glared angrily, but evidently Xuan Youzi was unfazed by his anger.

"So hurry up; perhaps we can still rescue some civilians from inside."

"Maybe," Wang Wu says noncommittally, "but I think the chances are slim."

"We have to try."

No one speaks further; Li Quan says nothing at all, because she is not the type of person Xuan Youzi is—she actually doesn't care about the lives of those civilians.

What she cares about is her own achievements, how many performance points she can gain from this mission.

However, there is a saying "A gentleman judges deeds, not intentions"; even though Li Quan is indifferent to the civilians' fate, she is indeed on the way to rescue them.

Oh right, she's not entirely indifferent, because the number of civilians who survive or are rescued directly affects her final performance.

Rather, people like her who are indifferent to lower‑life beings are the norm among cultivators. Though everyone does good deeds, many cultivators even risk their lives unintentionally during missions.

But that's only because of sect regulations—people die for wealth, birds die for food; they rescue the common folk because the sect orders it, and they push themselves because of the sect's rewards.

Not being diligent is unacceptable; if you shirk work, you'll be punished, possibly with a penalty harsher than death.

Cultivators are very selfish; many of them act this way, doing things for profit that ordinary people wouldn't even consider.

Of course, there are many selfish cultivators, many selfless cultivators, and many who are somewhere in between.

After all, humans are complex beings.

The spaceship continues moving through space and soon reaches the destination, the edge of this star system.

On the outermost port planet, Wang Wu's spaceship receives a warm welcome.

"Is that all the people left?"

In the border planet's office, Wang Wu looks at the data provided by the local authorities and asks, somewhat dissatisfied.

"This, this, Immortal Lord, indeed only remains…"

*Pfft*

The plump, big‑eared official cannot finish his sentence, because Wang Wu smashes his head outright.

He had found this guy unpleasant since he entered, and now seeing the data, it directly affects the achievement points Wang Wu can earn later.

This instantly ignites his inner fury.

"Damn it, the court ordered you to rescue people, yet you don't think about how to save the most and just f***ing play favorites? I'm going to kill you all!!"

Wang Wu roars angrily in the office, then several beams of light fire out, instantly killing a large number of people, including the 'civilians' and the cultivators who were helping with the evacuation.

"You worthless trash! Trash!!"

Cultivators like Wang Wu, directly under the Jade Mist Sect and sent to rescue this star system, wield great authority, even the power to arbitrarily decide the life and death of senior local officials.

After all, everyone who can enter the Jade Mist Sect is top‑tier elite, the most outstanding group in the star system.

For the Qiong Yuan civilization, population is its most vital resource. For its local officials, the number of people they can rescue during a disaster determines their future fate.

If too few, then it will be like now—subjected to the ruthless purge by cultivators who come to rectify the situation.

Of course, Wang Wu's actions were a bit excessive, so after a few blows, Xuan Youzi restrained him.

"Stop the nonsense! This is not the time for that!!"

Xuan Youzi pins Wang Wu to the ground and sternly urges.

Though her tone is harsh, inside she actually somewhat approves of Wang Wu's behavior.

Wang Wu actually gets along with her in many ways, though to some he is the kind of scum who treats human lives as weeds, for whom killing is as normal as eating and drinking.

In fact, he truly is that kind of person.

But it must be said that sometimes, at least most of the time, Xuan Youzi actually condones Wang Wu's wanton killing and his apparent coldness.

Because some problems can only be solved that way.

"First gather manpower and send them into the disaster zone to rescue people!" Xuan Youzi says while holding Wang Wu: "Killing them here is pointless; those civilians have already been rescued, so whatever, keep them alive for now."

Wang Wu's rampage actually didn't kill many—around tens of thousands, mostly 'civilians', plus a few hundred cultivators.

Compared with the planet's two hundred million refugees, it's merely a drop in the bucket.

"Damn it, that's such a tiny number of people—how many achievement points is that? Going back, aren't we going to get it deducted??"

Thinking of the surviving number in this place, Wang Wu feels his heart pounding.

(End of Chapter)