Chương 48: The Dao of Truth

Countless citizens of Xiangshi City floated upward along the silk threads toward the pig heads in the sky. Some rose quickly, reaching the pig heads' mouths in an instant to be swallowed. Others drifted slowly, spinning and dancing in the air like falling leaves blown by the wind.

"Mother! Mom! Wang Dahua, you bitch! I will not let you leave! Wuwuwu..." Xiaofeng watched his mother ascend slowly. His cries were loud, but only Squad Leader Zhang, face buried and butt in the air, and Qin Hao, barely able to stand, could hear them. The secretary's pig head had only taken his wife Wang at first and had not noticed his son Xiaofeng. But as the crying traveled at 340. 13925 meters per second, it gradually reached the secretary's ears. He saw.

"Oh, I have a son too. Look at him. So adorable. The milky scent still clings to his skin. So wonderful. Mouthwatering. And look beside him. A plump source of life energy. His skin is so white. The flesh and blood inside him so pure. Hahaha. Delicious. So delicious..." The secretary shot two white silk threads, which landed on Xiaofeng and Qin Hao. No matter how they struggled, they could not escape. Slowly, they rose into the sky. Of course, he ignored a certain high-sticking rear end, and...

"My little treasure, have you had your fill? Now it is my turn. Hahahaha." A sinister laugh reached the sky, followed by a low shout.

"Sword, rise!" BOOM! An earthquake. The ground collapsed. Dust flew everywhere. From the bottomless pit, a black dragon burst forth, carrying the laughing Fang Cheng as it charged upward. The dragon breathed blazing flames. Fire serpents coiled and spread across the entire sky in an instant, igniting all the white silk threads and turning them into a rain of fire. Countless citizens slowly fell back to the ground. Saved, Qin Hao gave a thumbs up.

"Brother Fang is truly Brother Fang. So cool. And that black dragon that came out of nowhere between his legs. Absolutely awesome." Amidst the demonic aura filling the sky, he could not see the demonic energy on Fang Cheng or the black dragon. He only heard Fang Cheng's hearty laughter. Well, the laughter did not sound quite so hearty. It sounded strange. But that did not matter.

What mattered was that the black dragon coiled around the giant spider, squeezing it like a python, strangling it as it screamed in terror, then devouring it piece by piece. It looked brutal, but against demons, this was the right approach.

"Brother Fang, well done!" Qin Hao consoled himself.

"Not well done at all." Fang Cheng patted his empty stomach. Sigh. He had acted too soon. That giant spider had looked big, but it was mostly fluff. Demon sword, could you not hold back a little? Haste makes waste. Remember: next time, wait until the demon is fully entrenched in evil before striking. That is how the heroes in the novels do it. Alright. Complaints over. Time to find the mastermind. Fang Cheng's gaze fell on a building behind the textile workshop. A dark mass of demonic clouds writhed faintly within.

He laughed heartily, took a single step, and appeared before the building. He kicked the door in and stepped inside. It was pitch black. The only light came from an oil lamp on the table, its flame flickering yellow with a hint of red. By its glow sat a young man. He wore a scholar's robe, with delicate features and a refined air. Despite the dark, sinister room, his presence felt like a warm sea under a rising sun, with gentle sunlight blooming like flowers.

He lay in a sea of blossoms, drifting, drifting, drifting to the other side of the ocean. He looked like a good person. But Fang Cheng could smell his heart, a restless, burning little heart with three parts excitement, three parts agitation, three parts anxiety, and one pitiful part demonic nature. It seemed to say, "Hahaha. Let this world be buried with me. Let everyone die." This guy had too little demonic energy. He needed more. Come on, little treasure. Do not hold back. Let it out.

Let it bloom a hundredfold, a thousandfold, ten thousandfold.

"Sir, may I ask your name?" The young man asked.

"Fang Cheng. A good person. And you?"

"Li Shuyan. Not a bad person."

"Chang Sheng Bu Cheng Xian, Tian Ji Hua Jing Shu. You are of the 'Shu' generation?"

"Correct." Li Shuyan nodded and gestured for Fang Cheng to sit and have tea. Fang Cheng sat down and took a sip of the steaming tea. Sweet. It seemed the other man also liked sweet things. Li Shuyan smiled and asked, "Brother Fang, before we fight, could we talk for a while?" Fang Cheng nodded happily.

"Of course. I love talking. Come on. Do not hold back. Tell me all the bad things you have done. Release all the demons in your heart." Li Shuyan smiled wryly at this, then sighed.

"Brother Fang, though I do not know you well, I truly envy your carefree nature. As someone from a great family, I have never known such freedom. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I was highly regarded from a young age. I reached the First Level Awakening at three, the Second Level Body Refining at four, and the Third Level Furnace at five. I was hailed as a once-in-a-century prodigy.

The elders of the Hall of Eternal Life looked at me like I was a prisoner bound by chains, not leaving me a single moment to breathe. I was terrified. I wanted to go home to my mother. Thankfully, my father was there. He stood before me and took on all the burdens. My father was wonderful. Back then, I saw my father as my sky. And his gaze was full of hope and kindness, and a hint of greed." He paused, reflecting on those days.

Looking back, his father's gaze had been like that of a man admiring a rough, unpolished gem, hoping to carve it into a towering tree that would carry him ninety thousand li into the sky, soaring through the Hall of Eternal Life. Li Shuyan shook his head with a bitter smile and continued.

"When I was six, my father and I followed the Chief to the Everlasting Emperor's statue. The Chief pressed his finger to my brow. After a long moment, he sighed. The Everlasting Emperor had not chosen me. Why? Why did the Emperor not choose me? Why? I was clearly more talented than the other children. I had extraordinary gifts, exceptional comprehension. I was diligent and hardworking. Hahaha. Diligence? This world has never needed the diligent. It only needs those the Emperor deems worthy."

Li Shuyan laughed low, his laughter growing louder, his breathing heavier. Veins bulged at his temples. His eyes turned bloodshot.

"Yes. Laugh like that. Keep going. I want you to laugh even more wildly." Fang Cheng encouraged him. He could smell the demonic energy growing in Li Shuyan's heart. Old Xu had said demonic thoughts arose with the mind. And indeed they did. Come on. Let those thoughts run wild. Do not be afraid. I love your wildness. Haha. Li Shuyan continued, "The Emperor did not want me. Fine. There were still the thirty-two commanders under him. But why did none of them want me? Blind fools. Did you ever open your eyes?

Do you not know that there is a prodigy like me in this mortal realm? A pack of dogs with eyes on their asses!" He pointed at the sky and cursed, his voice hoarse, as if venting all the rage in his chest.

"I hate them. I hate them for not seeing me. I hate them for not appreciating me. I wanted to prove myself to them, but how could I? I am a failure. With no gods or buddhas dwelling in my Dao Field, I am a Third Level failure. Forever stuck at the Third Level. Forever unable to reach the Fourth. And you think I can ascend in one step? Hahaha. That is for fools. No one can ascend in one step. No one can forge their own Dao. The Dao has already been walked by those who came before.

From that day on, my father's gaze toward me became distant, as if I were not his son. No! No! No! Father! My sky! My dearest, most formidable father! Please look at me again! Even if you are a wolf, even if you see me as a little rabbit, devour me piece by piece. Let me feel your warmth in your stomach. Please, Father. I want you to give me warmth. I want you to shield me from the world!" Li Shuyan fell to his knees, screaming and begging, his voice cracking.

He was on the verge of madness, unable to control his emotions. Blood dripped from his lips. His face was twisted and hideous.

"I am a failure. A complete failure. Hahahaha. I am nothing but roadside dog shit. No one wants to look at me. Hahahaha. That is wonderful. No more watching eyes. No more chains. I am a bird set free from its cage. Fly, fly, fly toward the open sky. Freedom feels wonderful. I can play all I want. Catch dragonflies in the fields. Poke at anthills by the roadside. Crush those ants one by one into dust. Hahaha. I am their god and demon. I decide their life and death. But why!

My dearest father, why did you turn your gaze back on me? Why? Please, I beg you, leave me alone. I just want to be a pile of dog shit. But I cannot. That is the fate of a child from a great family. From the moment of birth, it is decided. Everyone must become a useful brick, contributing their strength to the family. Even if I am a pile of dog shit, I must become fertilizer for the Li family, nourishing its flowers and plants. That day, my father said to me, 'Go study the classics.

If you do well, I will arrange a position for you in the Great Sheng court.' Yes. Alright, my dearest father. I nodded. Though his gaze no longer held kindness or greed, I believed that if I studied hard enough, he would eventually see my value. He would look at me with the greed I wanted. Hahaha. When it came to studying, I discovered I was truly a genius. Hahaha. No. I had always been a genius, in cultivation and in academics. Even if they all saw me as dog shit.

The books say: rulers rule, ministers serve; fathers father, sons son. I understand the meaning. The books are right. But the Great Sheng court's rulers, ministers, fathers, and sons are wrong. My father said, 'I do not care about right or wrong. I only care that you follow the Chief's orders and do your job well.' You only care? What right do you have to say 'you only'? Have you ever read a book? Do you know anything? You do not know shit! The Three Bonds and Five Constants? Hah.

Why should the Three Bonds come before the Five Constants? First comes benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust. Only then come the bonds between ruler and minister, father and son, husband and wife. Do you understand that, Father? You do not even know dog shit. Hahaha!" Li Shuyan burst into manic laughter, his whole body shaking, blood spraying from his mouth.

"Stop spitting! Stop spitting! That is precious stuff! Calm down, my little treasure." Fang Cheng said with a pained expression. Li Shuyan did stop laughing. He felt a stern gaze upon him, cold and merciless. It was his father's gaze. Father, have you come? He looked around frantically, like a thieving rat afraid of being caught. But there was no one else besides Fang Cheng.

"Hmph. Even if my father has come, do you think I am afraid?" Li Shuyan laughed scornfully, full of mockery and contempt.

"My father thinks he chose the right master. Hahaha. How ridiculous. He does not know that his master is nothing but a dog. Hahahaha. That dog tells him every day: 'Shit is the origin of all living things. Shit is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other organic matter. Flowers and plants cannot grow without shit. Beautiful nature cannot exist without shit!' Then the dog pushes a plate of shit in front of my father. My father takes a bite and exclaims, 'Wow! This is truly a delicacy! I love eating shit!

I will eat shit all over the world! I will become the origin of all things! I will become nature's transporter! I will become a lovely dung beetle! La la la, I will roll shit balls to my master and eat shit with him happily!' Hahahaha. Is that not hilarious?" Fang Cheng laughed too. It was pretty funny. Wait. No. Where did the demonic energy go? Stop laughing. Get serious.

"Brother Li, let us get back on topic. Come on. Tell me about your sins. I love tasting evil."

"Brother Fang, you and I are both evil. Everyone in this world, whether cultivators, immortals and buddhas above, or spirit beasts and creatures below, is evil as long as they have human thoughts."

"What the hell? You are calling me evil? You dare slander me as a demon? You are dead. Do not push me. I will give you one chance. Say I am a good person." Fang Cheng was about to lose it. If the demon sword had not stopped him, no, if he had not stopped the demon sword, this blabbering brat would have been skewered already.

"A good person? Haha. How absurd. All who claim to be good people are hypocrites who have put down their blades. True good people never call themselves good. They are already dead by the swords of the wicked." Li Shuyan laughed bitterly. The demon in his heart hung its head in shame. It felt it should not be black demonic energy, but golden holy light. Yes. It radiated blinding light. So bright. A golden light shining everywhere, illuminating the room and the entire world. Fang Cheng's eyes were blinded.

Why was it so bright? Please. You are a demon. Come back. Be a demon again. Do not shine. I am not a flower. I do not need sunlight. I am just a customer here to eat. Let me devour your evil. Stop emitting light and heat. This world already has one sun. It does not need another. Just then, three shouts came from the sky.

"Bastard!"

"Bastard!"

"Bastard!" Li Shuyan's expression flickered, then returned to normal. He laughed coldly and looked up. The golden light faded. Black demonic energy burst forth, tearing through the roof and reaching into the sky, darkening half the heavens.

"Hahaha. My dearest father. You have finally come."