Chapter 398: Experimenting with Good and Evil

Fortunately Li Ya and Shi Kou Di have had matters recently, and are not in Xia Guo; Ning Ya also seems to be on a confidential mission, out of sight.

Thus Yu Lin, rare to be calm and steady, enjoyed a leisurely and delicious lunch with Diao Chan, who had come after hearing the news.

Diao Chan said that over the past year, relying on her own "foundation" and special abilities, she officially joined the Xia Guo Civil Affairs Bureau, taking the title "Special Invite Expert".

On days without assignments, she works as a guest lecturer at several newly founded cultivation academies, occasionally assists the Civil Affairs Bureau with tricky paranormal cases, or pacifies and communicates with newly discovered Demon Beasts and spirits.

Xiao Jin, the monkey demon, now works in the team she oversees, learning to adapt to human societal rules while helping manage some registered, relatively mild‑tempered demon races.

After the meal, Yu Lin and Diao Chan walked side by side down the bustling commercial street.

One of them exuded an ethereal elegance and peerless beauty; the other was carefree and composed, yet radiated an unmistakable aura, with striking looks and a unique charm that made passersby glance repeatedly, murmuring whether they were an unseen idol or top model out for a stroll, some even discreetly raised their phones.

"Diao Chan," Yu Lin withdrew his gaze from the small Xiao Jin across the street, who seemed to be earnestly directing a truck to reverse but actually had ears perked up high and eyes glancing here and there, face screaming "I want gossip," and turned his head to the lady beside him, asking:

"How exactly did you meet Xiao Jin?"

Diao Chan, hearing this, lightly tapped her chin with her fingertip, recalled, then spoke softly:

"That goes back a few years… hmm, back then it wasn't like it is now; it was just a stone."

Seeing a flash of surprise in Yu Lin's eyes, she quickly waved her hand to explain:

"Uh, not the kind where Sun Wukong is born from the heavens and bursts out of a stone. It seems… it was sealed by some force inside a stubborn stone."

"I was climbing an ancient mountain with few footprints, and in the middle of the path lay that round stone, blocking the way."

"Finding it obstructive, I gently… hmm, actually applied a bit of force, gave it a kick, trying to send it into the roadside grass."

At this point, a hint of embarrassment crossed her flawless face, but more so astonishment: "It was just that kick… I don't know what was triggered, or if it was coincidence, but it actually 'kicked' it out of the stone!"

"With a 'pop' sound, the stone cracked, and a wet, still‑damp little monkey rolled out, only cat‑sized, looking no different from an ordinary monkey infant, but its eyes were especially bright, staring at me continuously."

"I thought, since I 'brought' it out, it was fate, so I took it down the mountain and raised it for a few months."

"It grew quickly and was very smart; soon it was about the size of a normal adult monkey, and its spiritual nature kept increasing."

"Later, because of some matters I had to leave, I thought it could survive on its own, so I left it a pill, said a few words, and we part ways… that's about it."

After hearing Diao Chan's bizarre and somewhat nonsensical "meeting" story, Yu Lin raised an eyebrow.

He thought to himself: sealed inside a stone? Still a monkey demon… could it be the "True and False Handsome Monkey King" segment from Journey to the West….

In fact, Sun Wukong didn't kill back then; he just sealed the troublemaking Six‑Eared Macaque by some method? That's rather interesting.

Hmm, next time I go on a Journey to the West, I might keep an eye out.

Yu Lin didn't dwell further, nodded to show he understood.

He thought for a moment, then raised another topic, asking with some curiosity:

"By the way, when Sun Wukong protected Tang Seng on the pilgrimage to the West, causing such a commotion, did you ever sneak off to watch the excitement?"

Diao Chan, hearing this, covered her mouth with a light laugh, her eyes flashing with a hint of slyness: "Yes. I not only watched, I actually took part as well."

Yu Lin: "???"

Seeing Yu Lin's surprised expression, Diao Chan smiled even wider, speaking in a tone of sharing a secret: "When they went to the Daughter Country."

"Tang Seng and Zhu Bajie mistakenly drank the Zi Mu River water, became pregnant with fetal qi, suffering unbearable abdominal pain; later an 'old lady' guided them, saying they must go to Jieyang Mountain's Po'er Cave to fetch the 'Falling Fetus Spring' water to drink and resolve it."

She stopped there.

Diao Chan pointed to herself, eyebrows curved: "The 'old lady' who suddenly appeared and guided them was me in disguise."

Yu Lin: "…6."

He paused, then asked: "Who told you to impersonate? Or did you just get the idea yourself?"

Diao Chan shook her head, her expression becoming subtle; she raised a slender white finger and whispered: "It wasn't my own idea."

"At that time I happened to be wandering nearby, and met a traveling Taoist priest. He examined my physiognomy, said we were fated, and mentioned he knew an old acquaintance of mine, offering to do me a favor."

"He said that if I followed his words, appearing there in that form, guiding the pilgrims a clear path, I could earn some merit, beneficial to my cultivation."

Hearing 'Taoist priest' and 'physiognomy reader', Yu Lin instantly pictured a fearless visage in his mind.

"What is his name?"

"Yuan Tiangang."

"........"

So it really is that guy, truly never forgetting his original intention!

Yu Lin could only say, respect personal choice.

Diao Chan, seeing Yu Lin's obvious reaction, grew curious and asked:

"Brother, do you know Yuan Daozhang?"

Yu Lin nodded, with a hint of sentiment: "I know him."

"Just surprised that he has lived so long."

Diao Chan: ".............."

The two fell into a moment of silence.

Until Yu Lin changed the subject: "Alright, let's not talk about him."

"Let's go, find another spot to sit for a while."

Night.

After seeing Diao Chan off, Yu Lin returned to his room and began studying the new attribute 【Good and Evil】.

At first, he thought this attribute would, like some Aura or compulsion, directly affect a target's mind, turning it toward good or evil.

But after several attempts, he found it wasn't so.

The core of 【Good and Evil】 lies in the "knowledge" written in its description.

Knowing good does not merely mean knowing that helping others is a good deed.

More profoundly, it is the ability to discern the essence and context of "good" that aligns with a higher order, promotes life's flourishing, maintains harmony and creativity.

Knowing evil likewise is not just knowing that robbery and murder are evil.

Rather, it can discern the roots and paths of the "evil" that destroys order, crushes life, and originates from greed, jealousy, brutality, and void.

It does not turn people into good or evil, but lets them "see"—see good, see evil, see the distinction between them.

After seeing, the "how to choose" is the true path belonging to oneself, awakening one's own morality.

Knowledge itself brings power, as well as the responsibility of choice and its ensuing consequences.

Of course.

If Yu Lin wanted, he could be blunt and simple, directly stripping a person of "good" and "evil", or directly altering their perception of good and evil.

He, who possesses this ability, is the absolute standard, legislator, and ultimate judge of good and evil.

He declares someone good, and they become good; he declares someone evil, and they become evil.

If he says not to eat beef, everyone must believe that eating beef is wrong..........

"It sounds like a villain, doesn't it?"

"Forget it, let's sleep."

Yu Lin lies down, closes his eyes, and sleeps.