Ideals

Breaking off a thumb-thick branch from a withered tree nearby, Xu Yuan headed straight down the dark cavern tunnel into its depths. Soft footsteps echoed in the darkness. After who knows how long, Xu Yuan's blood-tinted eyes caught a faint gleam of blue-and-white light at the far end of the tunnel. As he drew closer, the blue-and-white light grew bright as day, accompanied by rhythmic pulses of Source Qi. At the sight, Xu Yuan instinctively stopped in his tracks. It seemed tampering with the array formations and nodes here was not as simple as he had imagined; Xu Xinyao's work inside was still far from finished. Hesitating slightly, Xu Yuan nonetheless stepped forward, though he muffled his footsteps. At the end of the tunnel, before a conical cavern entrance, Xu Yuan saw everything within. The light emanated from array runes on the ground. The blue-robed girl sat cross-legged in the center of the formation, eyes closed, surrounded by a floating assortment of bizarre implements and materials that were rapidly engraving intricate blue runes onto the stone. These newly carved runes intertwined with the original white array patterns on the floor, forming a dazzling sea of interwoven blue and white light. Standing at the cavern entrance watching for a while, Xu Yuan gradually noticed that the blue runes seemed to be steadily corroding and replacing the original white ones. Was she breaking the array? After watching a bit longer and confirming she wouldn't be finished anytime soon, Xu Yuan walked back a short distance and sat down against the inner wall of the tunnel. He couldn't make sense of it anyway, so he might as well take the chance to get some rest. Cultivator though he was, two days and two nights without sleep had left him with that faint, sickening heart palpitation he remembered from pulling all-nighters in his past life. Amid the flashes of glaring light, drowsiness washed over Xu Yuan like an endless tide. Before long, he caught a familiar scent of lavender, seemingly far away yet right beside him. Suddenly, Xu Yuan snapped his eyes open. Everything around him was dead silent now, and the blue-and-white light from before he slept had faded into darkness. In the daze of waking, Xu Yuan shifted his body and realized something was draped over him. A flash of crimson crossed his eyes, rendering everything in the dark clearly visible. It was a mink fur coat, its style somewhat familiar. The lavender fragrance he had smelled must have come from it. With a soft grunt, Xu Yuan glanced to his side. Sure enough, a quiet, blue-robed girl was sitting beside him. It was Xu Xinyao. His fourth sister's cultivation was somewhat higher than his, but going without sleep for a day and two nights had pushed her to her limit as well. Yet she still had not slept. Her dark brows were slightly knit, her eyes cast downward in deep thought. At the faint rustle beside her, she immediately turned toward Xu Yuan. Their gazes met in the dim tunnel. After holding her gaze for two breaths, Xu Yuan tossed the mink coat back to her and asked casually, "Did it work?" Xu Xinyao caught the coat in silence and nodded softly, her voice barely audible: "Yes." "How do you feel?" "..." No reply. Seeing this, Xu Yuan gave a soft scoff, let out a long breath, and asked instead, "How long has it been?" "Around seven shichen." "Looks like I slept quite a while," Xu Yuan murmured softly, then looked at her downcast eyes and asked, "Little Four, three days... out of the four hundred thousand commoners in Shengshan County, how many are left?" "..." Still no reply. Xu Yuan chuckled softly under his breath. "What, planning to play mute on anything regarding Shengshan County?" "Half..." Her voice was slightly hoarse. "Half are left." "..." The tunnel fell dead silent for a moment. Though Xu Yuan had already guessed as much from Xu Xinyao's demeanor, Shengshan County falling so quickly still caught him off guard. It was too fast. He had thought Colonel Wang could hold out for at least ten days with the city-protecting grand array. Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan raised a hand and rubbed his brow, throbbing from prolonged sleep. If he hadn't caught wind of his fourth sister in Huanglong Market and relied purely on Father dispatching orders from the Imperial Capital, ten days would have passed, and reinforcements probably would have arrived just in time to collect corpses. Looking at her despondent expression, Xu Yuan said softly, "Two hundred thousand dead. Look at it another way: you saved two hundred thousand too. Not bad at all." "Third Brother..." "Colonel Wang really is grateful to you. If he knew you resolved this too, and you went over now, with him singing your praises, the people of Shengshan County would probably erect another living shrine for you." "Third Brother..." "Good thing you still have half a brain and knew to come back to Shengshan County to check on the array you left unfinished. But if I hadn't tracked you down, at that leisurely sightseeing pace of yours, this pot of filth would likely have been dumped right on your head—no, on our Chancellor's Manor." "Third Brother!" Xu Xinyao clenched her fists, her gentle voice tinged with a sob. "..." Xu Yuan looked calmly at his fourth sister, showing not the slightest intent to comfort her. Word by word, he said, "Now do you know why I hit you?" Xu Xinyao whispered, "I know..." "Why?" Xu Yuan pressed. Xu Xinyao replied in a low voice, "If only I had been more careful... finished the array before leaving..." "Don't. You were rushing to Jingjiang Prefecture to see me. Don't go dumping that filth on your brother's head." Xu Xinyao's delicate face went pale. "That's not what I meant..." "I know it's not what you meant." Xu Yuan rested his head against the cold stone wall and said, "Actually, I think you should consider yourself fortunate that you left early. If you'd finished the array before leaving, you wouldn't have come back to Shengshan County at all. Meanwhile, the Wanxiang Sect would have needed a long time to study and modify your Illusory Mist Grand Array—maybe several months, maybe a year. By then, I certainly wouldn't still be in Shengshan County. If that had happened, Shengshan County would truly have been beyond saving." Pausing, Xu Yuan cast a casual glance in the direction of Shengshan County. "Did you learn this Illusory Mist Grand Array from that old man Jiang He?" "I devised it myself." "..." Hearing that, Xu Yuan reached out and patted her frail shoulder. "Not bad. Impressive, really. If the Wanxiang Sect had actually manufactured that ghost mist, demonic beasts would have thrown themselves right into it during every spring tide, completely sparing the Wanxiang Sect the trouble of hunting down nourishment for their ghost mist. Simply brilliant." Her third brother's words stabbed into her wounds like daggers. Xu Xinyao hugged her shoulders, her slender frame trembling faintly. "I... I only wanted to help them." Xu Yuan tapped her forehead with an index finger. "Your intention to save them was good; you were just used this time. That isn't why I hit you either. Father has spent his entire life trying to change this world, yet you're playing house with a bunch of sect riffraff. That is why I struck you earlier." "It's not..." "What?" Xu Xinyao looked up at Xu Yuan, stubborn resolve showing in her soft, watery eyes. "It's not playing house. Father's methods will cost countless lives." Xu Yuan sighed. "Can you stop being so naive? How many people can you save wandering the world? A million? Even if you spent your entire life, ten million would be the absolute limit. But do you know how many people across Great Yan die violent, unnatural deaths every single year? I'm sure you've seen the reports. As long as you wanted to know, Father wouldn't have kept you in the dark. Little Four, you aren't foolish—on the contrary, you're brilliant. I don't believe for a second that you can't see what caused the state of the world today." Xu Xinyao sniffled. "I'm trying to change it." Xu Yuan eyed her. "With your little games of playing house?" "It's not playing house!" "..." A brief silence fell. Xu Yuan rubbed his cheeks and let out a long sigh. "Fine, it's not playing house. If you think Father's way won't work, tell me, what is your way?" Xu Xinyao's chest heaved slightly. She spoke quickly in a low voice, "I've been to many places. Daying Province is completely peaceful..." "Daying Province?" Xu Yuan muttered, cutting her off, and asked, "You want to implement Daying Province's model across the entire world of Great Yan?" Xu Xinyao nodded. "Something like that, though not an exact copy." At that, Xu Yuan laughed. "Judging from Shengshan County alone, your methods for helping the common people aren't bad. You knew to tie their interests together rather than naively relying on the sects' goodwill. So why do you start indulging in wild fantasies when it comes to the big picture? "Daying Province remains peaceful largely because the Celestial Master Sect pays annual tribute, giving the local government enough silver to eradicate demons and undertake other works that benefit the people's livelihoods. That prosperity rests entirely on a single whim of a sect." Xu Xinyao shook her head and replied, "Third Brother, you saw them earlier. The people traveling with me are all children of sect elders and leaders. Traveling with them along the way, I know they all harbor kindness in their hearts. As long as our Chancellor's Manor supports their rise to power, we can largely resolve the current situation. And we don't have to rely solely on that method either; we could replicate Jiangnan's situation and use mutual interests to bind the sects and the local populace tightly together." "..." Xu Yuan listened carefully, thought for a moment, and held up two fingers. "Two questions." "Ask away, Third Brother," Xu Xinyao said, nodding slightly. Xu Yuan curled one finger down. "First, I won't doubt your judgment of character, but have you considered that people change?" Xu Xinyao replied without hesitation, "I screened every single one of them. Having spent so much time with them, I know their dispositions inside and out. Along our journey, they were willing to harm their own interests to do things we considered meaningful. The dozen or so who previously said their goodbyes and returned to their sects are also secretly searching for like-minded people." Looking at the light in her eyes, Xu Yuan's gaze turned complicated. "Then let me ask a different question: did you ever imagine that I would change this much?" "..." Hesitation flickered in Xu Xinyao's eyes, and she whispered, "I did." Xu Yuan said softly, "Not imagined—you hoped, didn't you?" "..." Silence. Xu Yuan sighed and explained patiently, "Little Four, even leaving me aside, it still won't work. "Right now, you might truly be full of passion, eager to change things, but what about the future? "Not changing now doesn't mean they won't change later. Given the current state of the world, your plan would take at least ten, twenty, or even fifty years. That is too long. History is full of wise rulers who governed diligently in their prime, only to sink into decadence in their later years. "Reality is far more complicated than my words can capture; so many things can't be explained in just a few sentences. "Even if everything goes smoothly and those people actually gain power, can you stay by their side forever to influence them? Separated across vast distances for decades, surrounded by families, friends, and disciples—all of these people will be influencing their decisions day in and day out. How can you be sure that decades from now, they will still be the people you know today?" "..." Xu Xinyao remained silent for a long time before countering in a low voice, "Then what about Father? Hasn't Father stayed the same?" Xu Yuan shook his head. "Father may have striven day after day for decades for the sake of the world, but the reasons driving him today are likely completely different from his original intentions decades ago. "Mother most likely died because of it, and Second Brother probably did too. And that's just our family; far more of the friends and subordinates Father made in his lifetime have perished. All of those deaths are reasons for him to carry this through to the end." With that, Xu Yuan raised a second finger. "As for what you said about binding the common people and sects through mutual interests like in Jiangnan..." Xu Yuan sighed and continued, "That region is indeed safe and wealthy, but do you know the cost of that prosperity? It is an exhausted imperial court. The local governments in Jiangnan have nearly been hollowed out by those sects; the place is practically their stronghold. The people who ambushed me earlier were tied to the Tianyu Sect down in Jiangnan. And what happened? Even knowing that, all Father could do was execute a bunch of political scapegoats who opposed him. One reason for that was because the imperial court's reach barely extends there anymore." Silence lingered long after his words fell. In the dark tunnel, Xu Yuan looked at the girl beside him. "Do you still stand by what you believe?" Parting her cloud-like hair, her long black locks draping across her chest, Xu Xinyao murmured, "But if we don't try, how do we know it won't work?" "..." Xu Yuan took a deep breath, his eyes turning slightly cold. "Xu Xinyao, I've already phrased things very gently..." "Third Brother, I know, but—" "You don't know shit!" Xu Yuan interrupted, his voice sharp and severe. "Pursuing an ideal requires keeping your feet on the ground! "Do you think regional sects are like our Chancellor's Manor? Where Father gives a single command and everyone below jumps into motion? Those sects are far from monolithic. Entrenched clans that have operated for hundreds or thousands of years are deeply intertwined within them. Beneath the sects are prominent clans, within those clans are direct and collateral branches, and within the direct lineages are power struggles between the first, second, and third households! If you want absolute authority, you have to climb all the way to the top and purge every single one of them. The slightest misstep triggers a violent backlash. Who do you think has the capability to pull that off? "Speaking purely of ruthless capability, out of everyone I know, perhaps only Father possesses it. But do you think any of those 'friends' of yours are like Father? "If you don't believe me, look at our Chancellor's Manor as an example. Our household is simple: Mother's collateral relatives were disciplined by Father until they posed no threat, so they don't count. Second Brother is already gone. Now there's only you, me, and Xu Changge. And take me out of the picture, and only you and Xu Changge are left. Do you honestly think you could compete against Xu Changge?!" Tears welled in Xu Xinyao's beautiful eyes. "Third Brother, I never wanted to compete..." In the dark tunnel, Xu Yuan let out a breath of turbid air. Staring into her eyes, he said word by word: "Xu Xinyao, "Though you haven't said much, I get the gist of what you're thinking. "You can go on chasing your ideals in your own way. You can keep doing what you believe is right. "But if you ever dare betray our family for the sake of these pursuits... Xu Changge might not have the heart to raise a hand against you, but I will."