Chapter 67: Three Thousand Heart Demons, First Ask About Injustice

After Wenxin Hall opened, the Demon Taint at Tian Duan Cliff did not end immediately.

Instead, more people began to show abnormalities.

Some sleepwalked at night, gripping swords and walking toward the Sword Vein.

Some heard the calls of fallen friends, saying the Upper Realm could bring the dead back.

Some collapsed suddenly while on patrol, kneeling and shouting, "Why did I survive?"

Others secretly wrote the two characters "Ascension," then burned them in terror.

The Three Thousand Heart Demons sown by Demon Luo Dao were like poisonous grass buried under snow.

Unseen in ordinary times, once the spring breeze blew, they all sprouted their heads.

Chen Shanhe was furious at first.

He was more accustomed to military law.

Those with treacherous hearts are executed.

But when an old soldier who had followed him for twenty years said inside Wenxin Hall, "I hate that Young Master led us into battle after battle," Chen Shanhe almost drew his blade.

Jiang Che held his hand.

The old soldier knelt on the ground, sobbing until he could not speak.

"General Chen, I know I should not hate."

"Young Master is not wrong."

"But my three sons are all dead."

"One died at White Bone Pass, one at Hanzhou City Gate, and another at Tian Duan Cliff."

"They all said their deaths were worth it."

"I also know they were worth it."

"But at night, when I close my eyes, I want to ask one question: Why is it always my family?"

The hand holding Chen Shanhe's blade slowly loosened.

He wanted to scold.

But he could not bring himself to scold.

Because this question indeed needed someone to hear it.

Jiang Che walked to the old soldier, squatted down.

"You can hate me."

The old soldier suddenly looked up: "Young Master, I am not..."

Jiang Che shook his head.

"I led them to the battlefield."

"They died because of me, and they died for the Human Realm."

"Whether it was worth it is the greater righteousness."

"Whether it hurts is your own heart."

"The Human Realm cannot only let you say it was worth it, but forbid you from saying it hurts."

The old soldier burst into loud weeping.

Chen Shanhe turned his back, his shoulders trembling slightly.

That day, Jiang Che wrote a letter to the Council Hall.

The first point was not a request for reinforcements.

Nor was it a request to suppress the Demon Taint.

It was a demand to re-investigate post-war compensation and the resettlement of martyr families.

"Heart Demons are born from injustice."

"If there is truly injustice in the Human Realm, then first cure the injustice."

This letter reached the Capital City, and the Council Hall erupted in argument once more.

The Military Affairs Representative felt Jiang Che was being led by Heart Demons.

"Demon Luo Dao is bewitching people's hearts, yet we are busy investigating ourselves; is this not playing into their hands?"

The widow who sold soup in Han Zhou slammed the table on the spot:

"Are you afraid of an investigation?"

The Military Affairs Representative roared, "What am I afraid of?"

The widow sneered, "Afraid the investigation will reveal compensation was truly underpaid, afraid it will reveal someone ate the dead people's money, afraid it will reveal you shout 'immortal heroic souls' every day, only to forget the martyr families' bowls of rice the moment you turn around?"

Silence fell within the hall.

Shen Wanjin also stood up.

"The Merchant Association's account books are willing to be made public."

"All grain, medicine, silver, and money transactions at Tian Duan Cliff, East Sea, Southern Border, and Western Desert; Wan Tong Merchant Association will provide clear accounts."

Someone looked at him in surprise.

Shen Wanjin smiled bitterly, "Don't look at me like that; I fear being written into History Camp after death, saying I, Shen Wanjin, profited from the dead."

Qin Su also said, "The Medical Camp's list of the injured and disabled will be made public."

Gu Chongming made the final decision:

"Investigate."

Thus, the first major investigation after the establishment of the Human Realm's New System began.

It was not an investigation of the enemy.

It was an investigation of himself.

The results were grim.

In Han Zhou, minor officials had withheld survivor benefits for three months.

In the Beijing Capital Region, officials had swapped fresh grain rations for Yu Gu Yuan with stale grain.

In the East Sea disaster relief, merchants had fraudulently claimed ship damage compensation.

During rescue efforts in the Western Desert, an escort officer had stolen purified water talismans.

These matters were small.

At least compared to Heavenly Gate, Blood Sacrifice, and Demon Well, they were small.

But to those who suffered, these were their heavens.

When Jiang Che received the audit results, he fell silent for a long time.

Xie Tingxue said, "Distressed?"

Jiang Che nodded.

"I always thought that after we defeated the Old Dynasty, we would be cleaner than it was."

Xie Tingxue said, "People don't suddenly become better just because their flag changed."

Jiang Che whispered, "Yes."

He picked up his brush and wrote his reply:

"Punish according to law."

"Recover the funds and goods."

"Issue a public apology."

"Record in the New System Initial Flaws Chapter."

Lin Xiaoman stared for a long time at the five characters: "New System Initial Flaws Chapter."

He asked Jiang Che, "Young Master, does this really go into history?"

Jiang Che said, "Yes."

"It will look bad."

"Then let it look bad."

Jiang Che looked toward Wenxin Hall.

"We cannot let future generations see only that the Human Realm never knelt."

"We must also let them see that after the Human Realm rose, mud still clung beneath its feet."

Lin Xiaoman nodded firmly.

This time, Demon Taint truly began to weaken.

Because many Heart Demons suddenly realized that the injustices Demon Luo Dao used to tear at human hearts were not unseen.

As long as it was spoken, someone would investigate.

As long as it was investigated, someone would correct it.

Hei Xuan's laughter never returned.

But Jiang Che knew he was still watching.

And he would surely wield a more poisonous blade.