Chapter 332: Bearing the Burden Forward, Life Is Peaceful

If you feel that life is peaceful, then surely someone is bearing the burden for you, and vice versa.

A prosperous age needs the contribution of oxen and horses, no matter which prosperous age.

The 120-year prosperous age since the founding of the Great Shun dynasty relied on Li Ziliang, this True God, personally serving as an ox and horse; now that the Great New Dynasty wishes to create and maintain a more glorious prosperous age than the previous dynasty, the needed oxen and horses naturally must be even more……

Just as the Heavenly Emperor once advised you, maintaining various high-welfare policies is indeed a good thing that benefits the people, but what follows is an unsolvable huge problem: who will bear the burden?

The Eight Banner gods all know this well, so their answer is: use cultivators as consumables!

This method is certainly inhumane, but it is also an excellent one, because cultivators lie between True Gods and mortals; they can accomplish many tasks mortals cannot, yet they remain forever weaker than True Gods—truly perfect consumables!

More capable than lower-class figures yet unable to resist the force of upper-class powers, this middle-layer group of cultivators is truly a piece of fatty meat; the upper and lower classes sandwich it and squeeze hard, leaving everyone satisfied.

Even more perfect is that cultivators can reincarnate endlessly, meaning they can be exploited repeatedly, generation after generation without end……

What is called endless energy? This is endless energy!

What is called the innate ox-horse holy body? This is the innate ox-horse holy body!

Including you, everyone understands the subtlety: once this oppressive system is established, the Great New Dynasty will gain lasting peace and an eternal prosperous age is coming.

But you deeply understand that if this oppressive system is truly established, then it also means the oppressed will never again be able to rise up……

Should we do this?

During the Eight Banner argument, you, silent, hesitated for a long time, because doing so would fulfill your long-held wish: to serve the people and let them forever enjoy prosperity!

Oppressing cultivators—how about that? Anyway, the ones you wish to serve are the vast masses; as long as the people are well, do you still need to care about the oppressed cultivators?

You, with complex thoughts, ask yourself this.

It was at this moment that the argument between the Monkey and the Ding-surname Banner Chief awakened you!

"What I truly wish to serve—is it the people, or the oppressed called 'people'?"

This question suddenly echoes in your heart: are you willing to serve them because they are people, or because they are the oppressed?

This question is laughable, because the people have always equated to the oppressed; they are synonyms!

But now it is no longer laughable, because under your years of operation, the originally oppressed and disaster-ridden common people of the world are no longer suffering; they enjoy high welfare they should not have, turning from sufferers of hardship into its creators……

While the cultivators who once rode on the heads of mortals have now become those bearing the burden forward.

Their identities and positions have undergone a 180-degree turn!

This change is so great that even the Monkey, who always stood with the lower-class people, now speaks up for the cultivators, arguing earnestly on their behalf……

The Monkey is a measuring rod; it is a born rebel, and wherever it stands shows who needs to rebel!

It now stands with the cultivators! Its opposing side is the vast masses of mortal people and the Eight Banner ruling class of the Great New Dynasty.

Then you suddenly realize what you should do……

……

In the 67th year of the New Calendar, the Grand General Lin Liu of the Eight Banner Shogunate of the New Dynasty suddenly issued a reform edict!

"Since the positions of the Three Thousand True Gods are full and successors cannot become gods, the rotation system for office is no longer viable."

"Effective immediately, officials shall be renewed; all heavenly officials shall serve in this term of True Gods, and officials must not be negligent…… This is the order!"

Upon this edict, the Four Continents erupted in uproar!

Mortals are fine, after all they still receive their welfare, whether changed or not someone else will be the ox and horse; we mortals are lords!

Cultivators are not greatly dissatisfied either; at most they resent that the number of immortals is full and hate themselves for not boarding earlier…… and a considerable number of cultivators sigh in relief: fortunately the General is wise, otherwise we would truly have to repay kindness lifetime after lifetime……

But the current True Gods are cursing nonstop!

Damn, I, the old master, racked my brains to devise a roster of True Gods—what was it for? Not for anything else but to someday become superior persons!

I even prepared to raise the banner, yet now you tell me that even after becoming a god I must still serve as an ox and horse.

Before godhood I was an ox and horse, after godhood I am still an ox and horse…… did I become a god for nothing?!

Thus the masses were enraged, over two thousand True Gods jointly submitted a petition demanding the Grand General withdraw the order!

This scene was indeed not small, frightening the Eight Banner into emergency war preparations, ready to suppress.

But at this critical juncture, a sudden imperial edict from the General came out, pressing the matter down; the edict is simple, only one sentence: "This term of True Gods have labored meritoriously; specially bestow a thousand qualifications to raise the banner!"

Thus the one thousand True Gods whose names were called burst into tears.

"I knew the General would not forget us!"

"The General's kindness cannot be repaid!"

"Loyalty! Sincerity!"

The remaining over one thousand: ……

WhatcanIsay？】【Not bro, you guys kneeling for profit is too fast！】

Everyone silently cursed these profit‑seeking petty villains, yet again they tearfully cried to the court: "General! We can also love the Great New Dynasty……"

Although they cried sincerely, the General remained unmoved.

Thus, under the suddenly lopsided strength comparison, the over one thousand True Gods of this term could only swallow their broken teeth and tears, choosing "voluntary overtime"……

After suffering over sixty years as oxen and horses, this unfortunate lot neither achieved their wish to join the Eight Banner as superior persons, nor succeeded in retiring after the sixty‑year limit; instead they continued to extend their working hours indefinitely.

Just "postponed," as the Shogunate said.

But no one knows how long this postponement will last, because unpaid overtime is the General's grace and blessing; overtime is repaying grace, and the General's grace can never be repaid……

……

"Master, I don't understand!"

After the edicts were issued one by one and the Eight Banner attendees left the meeting one after another, the Monkey, who had held back for a long time, finally could not help but speak:

"We finally rescued the people from hardship, yet hardship has shifted onto the cultivators……"

"So I rescued the cultivators as well."

Lin Liu gazed at his only disciple with calm, unmoving eyes and said so.

The Monkey anxiously scratched his ears and cheeks: "But by doing this, aren't you just moving the hardship onto those over one thousand True Gods?!?"

What else?

Lin Liu closed their eyes:

A prosperous age wishes to be maintained; it always requires someone to suffer. This is the nature of how the human world operates.

All I can do is shift the necessary sacrifice and suffering onto others.

Houzi wanted to speak but held back:

But...... but......

It certainly understands this reasoning, but understanding does not necessarily mean acceptance.

It feels stifled; its rebellious nature tells it that where there is oppression, there is resistance, and it wants to help them resist!

But it also clearly knows that the present situation is what the master exchanged a lifetime of effort for; compared to the various life‑threatening sufferings humans endured in the past, the True God fares much better—at least they only get tired, not die.

How can the True God be born just to help mortals bear burdens? There's no principle that says someone should make another suffer! All suffering caused by oppression deserves resistance, and resisters naturally deserve sympathy and aid; those smug profiteers have no right to point fingers!

Houzi understands this principle, and Lin Liu naturally does as well.

But he has no choice but to do so……

Disciple.

Lin Liu opened their eyes, looking at the monkey scratching its ear and cheek, and said solemnly:

I understand that you cannot bear the nature of oppression; this is good, it shows you have a heart that is eternally young and unsullied by corruption.

Youth often goes hand in hand with purity, while decay commonly coexists with filth; the human world is full of impurity, and I do not wish for your innocence to change as you grow older.

But the impurity of the human world is unavoidable; in this world, suffering and blessing are twins. Naturally we want everyone to enjoy the blessings of a prosperous age, but the suffering that comes with those blessings also needs someone to bear it.

Before, I too once fantasized that suffering could be eliminated, but the heavenly limit of three thousand clearly shattered that notion……

Saying this, Lin Liu's face involuntarily showed self‑mockery: "Human calculations fall short of heavenly reckoning, divine powers fall short of heavenly numbers, I too cannot escape worldliness……"

"As your teacher, I've already figured it out!"

He chuckled, causing Houzi to shudder inexplicably: intuition told it that the master might be about to say something unpleasant……

Lin Liu said with a smile:

When they can bear it no longer and resolve to resist, that's when you'll seize the chance to join the resisters.

If they question your stance, then you'll say all the mistakes are due to my sole advocacy—that I went against heaven, that I was tyrannical and violent, that I deceived the world and stole fame, that I oppressed the good……

Then you'll lead them to charge into the Shogunate and personally behead the master.

This letter of allegiance will be enough for you to survive from their hands, and even in the future continue to hold a high position…… As your teacher, I cannot help you fulfill your original wish of leading ordinary monkeys and their descendants to immortality; the road ahead can only be walked by yourself.

"Master!"

In Houzi's astonished gaze, Lin Liu's face was all smiles: where there is oppression, there is resistance; from the moment he no longer intends to use the Blood God Son, this class oppression is destined to be overthrown—even if it cannot be overturned, he will create an opportunity for them to overthrow it, for this is his due.

The tide of the age will smoothly break through all obstacles, and the victorious angry rebels will always need an outlet for their anger! Fortunately, he has already prepared himself for death.

……

(End of Chapter)