Techniques and Dao

Chapter 129 Center of Power
Mieying Xiaoqi nodded repeatedly and said, "I think you've hit the nail on the head. You don't seem to be in a hurry."

"How can I not be in a hurry?" Hua Sheng replied, "But there's no use in being in a hurry now. I just got back to Xiyuan today. Can't I just run away?"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun replied, "No rush, no rush. I don't think it's time to run away yet. However, revealing the truth to the public would only make things worse."

He rested his chin on his hand and said, "I think since there are still two days left, we should try our best to find out the reason behind it and see if we can find more clues."

After listening, Mieying asked Huasheng, "What is Daoling Xingjun's opinion on this matter?"

Hua Sheng replied, "Speaking of this, Xingjun suggested that the Immortal Master take me to Panxian Cave. Perhaps there is a way to search my memories to prove my innocence. After all, I have never been to Klin Magic School in my memory, let alone stolen any Suixing Silk."

"Going to Panxian Cave again? Does the Star Lord suggest we go to the forbidden zone?" Taishang Xiaojun seemed somewhat confused.

Mieying seemed surprised to hear about Panxian Cave and asked, "It's said that the area around Panxian Cave in the Central Hub Prefecture is off-limits to unauthorized entry. So, you two have been there before?"

“Wei Yu went with us before,” Tai Shang Xiao Jun sighed. “Who would have thought that such a beautiful deputy registrar would have another identity…”

Hua Sheng's heart skipped a beat. Before she could say anything, she saw Mie Ying suddenly stop in mid-air and shout angrily, "So what if she's pretty? Can't a pretty person be a bad person?"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun was somewhat puzzled by Mie Ying's sudden outburst of anger and asked, "But I heard Hua Sheng say before that Wei Yu's actions weren't without reason..."

"You stinking men! You believe anything just because someone is pretty. My eldest sister, Immortal Master Qingmiao, believed Mingyou back then and that's why she brought her into the Academy of Arts and Sciences! Mingyou is very clever, how could you men not be completely fooled by her?"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun frowned: "Hua Sheng, look at Mie Ying, she seems to have a blood feud with Wei Yu... Oh! Right, how could I forget, they had a fight when the Tianmu Trial ended, and it was you who caused it!"

"Xiao Jun, you..."

If they weren't in mid-air, Hua Sheng would have been so embarrassed that she would have wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

With a livid face, Mieying Xiaoqi glared at Hua Sheng, then flew forward with a whoosh, instantly becoming just a black dot.

Hua Sheng and Tai Shang Xiao Jun then hurried to catch up.

However, this was understandable, as the two flew in silence for a while. Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Hua Sheng changed the subject.

"After all that commotion we caused in the Blazing Heavenly Prison, will Erlang Shen immediately come knocking on the door of the Magic Academy?"

Taishang Xiaojun stroked his chin and replied, "In my opinion, given Erlang Shen's many years of experience as an official, he shouldn't cause any trouble. Although this seems like a large-scale operation, it only damaged some everyday items, nothing truly valuable. Erlang Shen could easily repair them with a flick of his little finger. Besides, my grandfather has no connection with Yang Jian. If you alone caused this trouble, Yang Jian might handle it impartially. But me... sigh!"

He sighed and continued, "I am now also involved. Erlang Shen and my grandfather have no past grudges or recent feuds. He will certainly not pursue this openly and make enemies over trivial matters."

"You're that confident? After all, infiltrating the Heavenly Prison sounds like a big deal or a small deal."

"That's how the Heavenly Court is. The various deities have painstakingly built up this system of checks and balances over thousands of years, and it can't be shaken easily. Anything that can be shaken is a scheme that has already been set up. Let alone smashing a few steps, even breaking a cup can be seen as disrespecting the laws of Heaven and become a handle for disputes among the deities."

"If that's the case, wouldn't the celestial officials be living in constant fear?"

"They've long been used to it. To those with discerning eyes, those laws are full of loopholes and can be used to attack political enemies at any time."

Hua Sheng was taken aback and said, "For example, the Qiankun Guardian War cannot have any casualties?"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun looked somewhat embarrassed and said, "My grandfather didn't say that at the time. It's just that he couldn't give us a range of casualties. If he did, wouldn't that be clearly saying how many lives could be lost? Someone who has been in officialdom for many years would never say such a thing."

Hua Sheng recalled what Erlang Shen had said in the Furious Heaven Prison and immediately said, "No wonder Yang Jian said that Dao Ling Xingjun's support for this war should have been expected to give others a handle against him."

"Logically, that should be the case, but the Star Lord has never been interested in the Heavenly Court's officialdom. Whether that's true or not, only the Star Lord himself knows."

"So, surely there must be some restrictions in the Heavenly Court's regulations?"

"Since the Heavenly Laws were established by the Heavenly Court, they can be changed. I've heard about this since I was a child; sometimes might makes right. I've never said that the Heavenly Laws can't be changed overnight. Perhaps what you did was legal on the first day of the Lunar New Year, but it might be deemed illegal on the second, you might be arrested and escorted on the third, executed on the fourth, and then the old law might be reinstated on the fifth. In that case, you would have lost your life in vain."

Hua Sheng was somewhat stunned and asked, "Then the purpose of throwing Dao Ling Xingjun into prison was to kill him?"

"Did you ask him anything when you met the Star Lord?"

Hua Sheng shook his head and replied, "I did ask, but I don't know why Xingjun didn't say anything. He only said some things that I didn't understand, saying that it was determined by order and rules, and that no one wanted to harm him."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun said, "It's not wrong to say that it's determined by the system. Systems, order, and rules can change personality, especially in mortals. Do you know why?"

Hua Sheng adopted an expression of complete attentiveness.

"Because it is water. The vast majority of life is water, so it has the properties of water. It takes the form of whatever container you put it in. For example, water makes up 90% of a fetus's body, 80% of an infant's, about 70% of a teenager's and middle-aged's, and less than 60% of an elderly person's."

This was the first time Hua Sheng had heard of such an analysis: "Now that you mention it, it's true. So the reason why many people become more stubborn as they get older is because they lack water."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun chuckled. Hua Sheng said, "You may be joking, but there must be someone pushing for Dao Ling Xing Jun's imprisonment. It can't just be about the Qiankun Guard War, right? Otherwise, it would probably involve many people, and they wouldn't just arrest Xing Jun."

Taishang Xiaojun said, "There must be a hidden reason. But Daoling Xingjun must have his reasons for doing this. I heard that he did not resist arrest at all when he was captured, as if it was all expected..."

"You mean, Xingjun obediently followed Li Jing back then?"

“Indeed, Li Jing only brought a few attendants with him at the time. If it were really to capture a deity like Xingjun who could use immeasurable immortal techniques, it would probably require the deployment of heavenly soldiers and generals. Therefore, I think Daoling Xingjun should have foreseen this matter long ago.”

"Then why is that?"

"I don't know, after all, Dao Ling Xingjun is 18,000 years old. He has experienced many things that we don't know about."

"You don't want to implicate the Academy of Arts and Crafts?"

"I think there must be a deeper reason. He must know something, or he must be protecting someone."

"Sigh...I'm using myself as a sacrifice?"

Taishang Xiaojun sighed, "That's not impossible. The affairs of the Heavenly Court are very complicated. Given his personality, it's not impossible that he would sacrifice himself."

Hua Sheng didn't understand the reason. For him, as long as he felt it was right in principle, he would do it without hesitation. But Dao Ling Xing Jun told him in the Heavenly Prison that "principle" does not equal "justice".

The principle is simply the order in which the world operates, created by the Dao, which is the rule for survival in this world.

If survival requires not justice, but merely adherence to this order, then that order might force people to resort to evil to gain benefits. Or perhaps, it's simply about survival.

When one's principles conflict with the principles of the world, should one defend those principles or make sacrifices like Dao Ling Xing Jun?
This world belongs to those unseen elites at the top, and those heavenly laws and principles are established by the winners. Do the winners consider the feelings of the weak? Will they sacrifice their own interests for the sake of the weak?
Hua Sheng imagines himself as the one who sets the rules at the top. Can he truly benefit the world?

Once in control, the only thought should be consolidating that power, not helping the weak. Otherwise, wouldn't Heaven become a charity?

Unless, providing relief to the weak can solidify the power of the Heavenly Court.

While it's true that most people in power are easily tempted by power, this doesn't mean all the gods in Heaven are like that. But if even a small portion of them are, wouldn't that be incredibly terrifying?
Dao Ling Xingjun was older than many gods, so he must have known too many things.

Taishang Xiaojun said, "Those who know nothing are perhaps more easily satisfied and happy. The less you know, the more carefree and harmless you are; this is an unchanging truth. The more you know, the more worries you have, and others will also think you are more dangerous."

Hua Sheng said worriedly, "So you'll try to eliminate dangerous people whenever you get the chance?"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun replied, "At least some people wish that Dao Ling Xing Jun would shut up."

"However, the Star Lord doesn't usually express his opinions."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun said, "What others fear is the possibility of him expressing his opinion. Dao Ling Xing Jun is, after all, one of the seven saints who founded Sheng Ping Ning. Even though he has been in seclusion for many years, his influence is still enormous and even terrifying. Precisely because of this, rashly eliminating him would cause a tremor in the Immortal Realm. The disciples of the Daoist Academy alone would not agree to it, which would cause even more chaos."

"Then why was he imprisoned?"

"Imprisonment is like throwing mud at someone, diluting the halo of Dao Ling Xing Jun and causing those who were originally neutral to lose trust, because whatever a prisoner says can be considered nonsense. At that point, no one will believe the truth."

"But Xingjun doesn't seem to want to say anything? I asked him directly, but he wouldn't say anything either."

"If one's heart is filled with nothing but pure goodness, it will be called foolish goodness, and naturally, it will not be tolerated in the center of power."

"Sigh! I used to even pray to Erlang Shen when I passed by a temple! I never imagined that even the Heavenly Officials were like this. Are all the gods in the Heavenly Court evil...?"

Taishang Xiaojun interrupted Huasheng: "No, it can't be described as good or bad, it's power. Enough power can not only decide your life or death, but also make you wish you were dead."

Hua Sheng was shocked.

He completely understood. He had indeed died, but a small amendment to a simple protection law in Saint Pingning could save his life. And this protection law wasn't something that had existed since ancient times; he remembered Hei Yun saying it was just a minor move by a so-called "new broom sweeping clean."

Since it can save lives, it can also cause death, even as Taishang Xiaojun is saying now, "living is worse than death."

"For thousands of years, there have been traditional virtues in the world, and naturally there have been traditional evils. Evil, like good, has a strong power of inheritance."

Taishang Xiaojun slowly said, "But power is different. Power is neither good nor evil; it is above all else and determines good and evil. That is the most terrifying thing."

These words left Hua Sheng speechless.

He only felt that the wind was getting stronger and stronger at night.

colder and colder.

(End of this chapter)