My brother is so cunning

Chapter 1000: Is Human Nature Inherently Evil or Demonic Nature Inherently Evil?
Upon learning that the local guardian deity had been incorporated into Wen Rui's forces, Yun Zhongzi felt a sense of powerlessness rising within him.

According to Yang Ren, although Wen Rui wielded immense power in the Heavenly Court, it would be difficult to accuse him of forming cliques for personal gain.

After years of observation, Yang Ren concluded that although Wen Rui had close relationships with a group of celestial officials from the Jie Sect and the Yin Shang Dynasty, they had not engaged in any exchange of benefits.

These celestial officials were all appointed by Jiang Ziya when the Investiture of the Gods was established, not promoted through Wen Rui's connections.

Wen Zhong has always been fair, impartial, and honest in his official duties, and would never give preferential treatment to someone just because of a close personal relationship.

In the Heavenly Court's anti-corruption storm, many of the officials from the Chan Sect and the Great Zhou Dynasty were punished because they held high positions and lucrative posts, giving them more opportunities to engage in favoritism, corruption, and bribery.

Now, Yun Zhongzi finally glimpsed a clue about Wen Daquan's treacherous clique and self-serving schemes. It turned out that he was so cunning that instead of currying favor with the celestial officials in the court, he had made arrangements in advance, extending his reach to the very foundation of the Heavenly Court, and secretly promoting a large number of minor gods and immortals at the grassroots level.

However, Yun Zhongzi couldn't quite understand why a corrupt official in a mortal dynasty would make arrangements in advance to cultivate talent from local minor officials, select the best among them, and help them rise through the ranks so that they could become powerful allies in the court when they reach high positions.

There's nothing wrong with this operation, but the same operation would be difficult to implement within the Heavenly Court's official system.

The Heavenly Court already has too many official positions, and it won't be long before even a minor official like the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses becomes vacant.

The biggest difference between celestial officials and mortal officials is that celestial officials all have an exceptionally long lifespan. While their lifespan may not be as long as the heavens, living for tens of thousands of years is quite easy for them.

The Jade Emperor's demotions and appointments were quite arbitrary. He would occasionally execute celestial officials for trivial matters, but such punishments were far less frequent than the official positions he would bestow when he was in a good mood.

Important positions in the Heavenly Court, such as the positions of the Eight Right Gods, are unlikely to be changed or replaced indefinitely.

Even if Wen Rui were to select geniuses from among the lower-level deities he cultivated to become officials, it would be extremely difficult for them to be promoted to the Heavenly Court, as there were simply no vacant official positions available for these lower-level deities to advance.

Suppressing his doubts, Yun Zhongzi said, "My Daoist name is Yun Zhongzi, and in terms of seniority, I am the senior uncle of the Creation Heavenly Venerable. Apart from those official titles that are so difficult to pronounce, do you minor deities have any names?"

Generally speaking, when a celestial being commands minor deities like the Earth God or the City God, they don't even need to ask their names.

The monkey only calls out "Lord Earth" to the local deity, and the other immortals are no better. They never give these lowly gods a second glance and just call out "Lord Earth" when they order them around.

However, the titles of these two newly enthroned deities were too strange and difficult to pronounce, such as "Local Ecology and People's Livelihood Coordinator" and "Urban People's Livelihood and Rule of Law Commissioner." Yun Zhongzi really didn't know how to address them, so he had to make an exception and ask for their names.

"I've forgotten my name from when I was alive. After I passed the exam to become a god, during my onboarding training, the Creator God gave me a new name, 'Naxi Da.' You can call me Little Naxi, Uncle Immortal."

The little girl in green said with a grin.

The boy in green looked much older than the little girl, and his demeanor was more composed: "Me too, the Creator God bestowed upon me the name 'Barbatos,' and you may call me 'Little Barbatos,' my immortal."

"Little Na, Little Ba, I ask you, are there any evil spirits causing trouble in this city? Are there any injustices suffered by the people that they have nowhere to seek redress?"

Yun Zhongzi tentatively asked, "I am here on behalf of my nephew, the Creator Heavenly Venerable, to investigate the mortal realm. Do not hesitate to tell me what you know, and I will certainly recommend you for credit."

As he said these words, Yun Zhongzi felt a pang of conscience. Yun Zhongzi was an upright man who disliked lying and deceiving others, but this was a desperate expedient. If he didn't pretend to be a relative of Wen Rui, how could he possibly get any clues out of the celestial official he had promoted?

However, these two minor celestial officials both looked like children, appearing innocent and carefree, completely without any guile. They only showed their merits and virtues, and once they judged them to be good deities, they trusted them completely.

Yun Zhongzi already felt uneasy about lying to people, so lying to children was the last straw, causing him a pang of conscience.

"No……"

Without hesitation, the little girl in green blurted out a negative answer without even thinking.

“Immortal, we also want to know the answer to your question. We are also investigating and questioning the citizens every day, trying our best to collect clues, because this is the duty of our local guardian deity.”

The green-clad youth spread his hands and said, "Furthermore, speaking of evil spirits, the city's criminal crime rate has now dropped to 3%. In terms of the proportion of criminal races, the human race's crime rate is actually 20 percentage points higher than that of the demon race, especially in high-IQ crimes and economic crimes, which are almost exclusively committed by humans."

Yun Zhongzi frowned and asked doubtfully, "What? The humans in the city commit far more evils than the demons? How is that possible!"

"Immortal, haven't you descended to the mortal realm in a long time? It's time to change the stereotype that demons and monsters are evil, while humans are kind."

The green-clad youth shook his head and smiled, "In recent years, the Demon Alliance has vigorously carried out poverty alleviation projects. Educational assistance has enabled many demons to systematically learn new knowledge from the Jie Sect, greatly reducing the illiteracy rate. Industrial assistance has provided a large number of jobs, and based on the individual characteristics of demons, we have found them high-paying special jobs."

"The immigrants who used to have nothing now own a house and a car, have some wealth, and are free from worries about food and clothing."

"Why would the demon race commit crimes when they have such a good life? That's why the demon race's crime rate has dropped significantly for many years, and has long been surpassed by the human race's crime rate."

"The biggest difference between humans and demons is that demons seem to be easier to satisfy. Once they have enough to eat, they don't think too much. From the perspective of city management, they are easier citizens to control. On the other hand, the greed of humans is simply a bottomless pit that can never be filled."

The boy's statement greatly surprised Yun Zhongzi, who found it hard to accept and refused to believe it.

"You think demons won't do evil once they've had their fill? But humans are insatiable? You're so ignorant, don't spout nonsense! Demons eat people!"

The boy tilted his head and thought for a moment, then asked in return, "Immortal, you've seen the lair of monsters before, haven't you? Do those man-eating monsters eat people after they've eaten their fill and are well-clothed, or are they so hungry and cold that eating people is the only way for them to survive?"

"Of course I have seen the lair of demons, and I have even ventured into the evil kingdoms established by monsters."

Yun Zhongzi said, “In the west there is a Lion Camel Kingdom, a country where demons enslave humans. The demon king there eats people, solely to satisfy his appetite, believing that human flesh is more tender.”

"From a scientific point of view, human flesh is far inferior to beef and mutton in terms of both nutritional content and taste. It has too much fat and the meat is more acidic."

The young man showed no fear and spoke eloquently with Yun Zhongzi: "I suspect that in the country you mentioned, apart from a few demon kings, the rest of the lesser demons are starving and suffer from hunger every day. If they had an endless supply of beef and mutton to eat, they would never choose human flesh first."

(End of this chapter)