Chapter 460: The Sword Bearer

"Is this your reason?"

"Yes, this is my reason. I am not like you, Lord Shen. I am just a weak scholar, a weak scholar who cannot even protect himself!"

At this moment, Jiao Enming's face was flushed, appearing somewhat ferocious due to his agitation.

A lifetime of bitterness had been suppressed in his chest for many years; it was precisely because of his former conscience that he had spent years feeling restless and tossing and turning in his sleep.

Now, being able to vent this bitterness before death, and in front of the renowned Shen Yu, could be considered one of life's great pleasures.

How many people in this world could act as wildly as he was doing in front of Shen Yu?

His actions over these years could be said to have trampled his own original heart into the dirt countless times, and his conscience had been tormenting him every single moment.

Yet he did not feel he was wrong; what was wrong was this World, this World that appeared to value loyalty, filial piety, ritual, wisdom, and integrity, but was in reality filthy and corrupt.

His transformation was merely a surrender to reality; it was reality that had crushed his once-straight spine.

"Do you people always like to find reasons for yourselves? Do you think that only this way will your conscience not hurt so much?"

Giving the other party a faint look, Shen Yu also admitted that this World was indeed unfair, and it was indeed very difficult for students from humble backgrounds to withstand the tests.

But to be so self-righteous even after you have fallen, as if everyone owes you something and everyone should understand you, that is just asking for a beating.

Your own life is not easy, but are the commoners you swindled having an easy time? Life is already hard enough, and they still have to be bullied by you, a Prefect. Who can they go to for justice?

"You blame this World and others because you couldn't hold your ground, but the World doesn't revolve around you."

"You don't even look at how many people are frustrated and unfulfilled, how many suffer humiliation, yet they never change their original intentions."

"Lord Chen Xing was also just a weak scholar back then, only beginning to practice martial arts later on. He experienced everything you have, yet even back then, Lord Chen never wavered in the slightest."

"It was precisely because of that persistence back then that we have the highly respected Lord Chen of today."

Facing Shen Yu's sarcasm, Jiao Enming showed not a hint of regret, but instead shook his head helplessly.

"Yes, Lord Chen Xing is naturally worthy of admiration, and he has experienced what I have experienced, perhaps even more so."

"But Lord Shen should understand one thing: Lord Chen Xing came from the Chen family; children of noble families have innate advantages."

"Moreover, Lord Chen's teacher was a master of the literary world, the former Grand Tutor whose students and old acquaintances were spread throughout the world."

"He is not like me. When he has some trouble, countless people are there to cover for him, while I can only cover for myself. I cannot see the light, I cannot see the future, I cannot see even a sliver of opportunity. What am I?"

"Back then, apart from this hot blood, I was nothing. And even then, I still thought about not fearing the powerful and acting for the people. Don't you think that's stupid?"

"Little did I know that as long as they flicked a finger to invest, your whole family would be gone. Not only that, they could ruin your reputation, leave you infamous for ten thousand years, and wash away all your ambitions like water."

"Since that is the case, why should I persist? Just to become a joke in the mouths of those powerful people for being overconfident?"

"Lord Shen, do you know what kind of people I hate the most?" As he spoke, Jiao Enming looked at Shen Yu again; in that gaze, Shen Yu seemed to see a flash of mockery.

He did not know if this gaze was mocking Shen Yu or mocking himself.

"You people only know how to stand on high and accuse others, only know how to talk about eliminating harm for the people, but you never thought about why we became like this, or if we were truly willing to become like this."

"We had no choice, and we had no way to choose!"

"No, you had a choice; you just didn't persist."

Just at this moment, Dong Yu, who was locked in the cell, suddenly spoke, his calm temperament making people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.

From the conversation just now, he should clearly understand that everything he had experienced before was the handiwork of the Prefect before him.

It was he who framed him, shamelessly sentenced him to death, and ruined his reputation entirely.

By all accounts, Dong Yu should be filled with hatred for Jiao Enming at this time, or at the very least, filled with disgust and disdain.

But now, one could not see a hint of anxiety in Dong Yu, nor could Jiao Enming see a hint of resentment toward him, the Prefect.

"Dong Yu, everything you experienced was my doing. Don't you hate me? Even a little bit?"

"Why should I hate you, just because you framed me?" Shaking his head, Dong Yu remained calm and unhurried, his voice even tinged with a touch of gentleness.

"Then you have thought too much. I don't hate you, because you are just a knife in someone else's hand. Even without you, there would be others."

"No hate? How can there be no hate?" Jiao Enming could not understand Dong Yu's reaction at all, yet the other party's eyes told him that what he said was true.

In his eyes, he seemed no different from anyone else; all he had done to him during this time seemed unable to stir even a ripple in the other party's heart.

"Why? From the moment I captured you until now, you have had this expression. Are you not afraid? And why do you persist?"

"You know I want to kill you, you know the surroundings are full of malice. Betrayed by friends, loathed by old acquaintances—and you are not angry or annoyed?"

"Why should I be annoyed? What others think has nothing to do with me. The reason I help them is not for their gratitude, and certainly not for fame or profit."

"They need help, so I help them. It is just to ensure I have no regrets and will not feel remorse or annoyance because of it."

"I help them so that I can keep my heart at peace, just to keep my heart consistent. As for how others see me, or what my reputation is, as long as my heart does not waver, what does it matter?"

"There is someone like you in this world?" Looking at Dong Yu, who remained unchanged despite being trapped in a cell, Jiao Enming felt as if he were looking at a monster.

He had thought his calmness was all an act, but now it seemed it was truly real.

He found it hard to imagine that there were such people in this world who could be unburdened by reputation, unmoved by external things, and always remain in this state. He didn't even seem like a person; wasn't he tired?

"Then don't you want to know who wants you dead? Aren't you curious about who wants to ruin your reputation, who wants your state of mind to collapse?"

He had thought such words would interest the other party, but he received the same expression without a single ripple.

This expression was truly the kind that made people want to hit someone.

For some reason, Jiao Enming suddenly felt himself getting angrier and angrier, feeling more and more aggrieved, until in the end, he could hardly control himself.

His face was flushed red from agitation; a red face and thick neck was perhaps the most accurate description of him right now.

And at this moment, even Shen Yu did not see anything amiss, thinking that Jiao Enming was only acting this way out of shame or agitation.

But the next moment, Jiao Enming suddenly collapsed, his life force vanishing without a trace; the whole process was so fast that one could not react at all.

"Soul Annihilation, already completely dissipated, the Spiritual Sea entirely empty. What a vicious method!"

With just one glance, Shen Yu reached his final judgment. In an instant, Jiao Enming was completely gone; this was clearly out of fear that he would obtain any useful information from him.

To kill someone right in front of him like this was a clear sign of disrespect; did they really think he wouldn't lose his temper?

"Who exactly is it?"

His perception extended outward, and in an instant, Shen Yu seemed to see a vast power, boundless and endless. His perception was severed, and all sensation came to an abrupt halt.

"This power, such a powerful force..."