Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 76 On the Other Side of the Mountain

The vigorous mountain-climbing movement continued until the later years of the 27th Akakage.

Due to the lack of compost that could quickly promote the growth of fruits and vegetables, the Ignivas people had to eventually stop refining their food essence. After losing the food essence, they even had to start consuming pills and soups that they considered to be full of impurities again. This directly led to the Ignivas people being unable to maintain their youth and longevity, and their lifespans generally began to decline, although they themselves were unaware of it.

Or perhaps, even if they did realize it, it wouldn't matter; in their eyes, it was all worthwhile. As long as they could cross the snow-capped mountain, everything would be alright.

"But will things really get better?"

The 27th generation Akakage, now very old, lay on his sickbed, staring blankly at the roof beams.

"Really, will it get better?"

"Most definitely."

The successor chosen by the 27th Akakage, his most loyal and intelligent apprentice, was sitting by his bedside, holding his hand tightly.

"Things will definitely get better, after all, this is the divine decree of the Taiyi God... Now that the snow mountain has been discovered, there must be something behind it too..."

"Not necessarily."

The 27th Akakage slowly shook his head.

"Not necessarily, not necessarily..."

"Why do you say that?"

The apprentice was quite puzzled.

"This isn't something you heard directly from the God Taiyi..."

"...That's not the case."

The 27th Akakage sighed.

“Child, since you are going to become the new Crimson Shadow, there are some things you must know.”

"This is something only Akakage should know. Under no circumstances should you tell anyone else."

As he spoke, the 27th Akakage recounted his experiences from his youth, from meeting the great serpent god to his interactions with seekers of the Dao, and the decision he made that night to restore his people to their former glory... This was a secret he had kept buried in his heart for countless years, one he had never dared to tell anyone.

“I never dare to say these things to anyone, because I have lied to all of you.”

Having said all this, the 27th Akakage closed his eyes.

"The God Taiyi never spoke of what happened on the other side of the snow mountain. I found those things myself in the records of my predecessors... I don't know what's on the other side of the snow mountain, but no matter how I think about it, it can't possibly be as beautiful as I described."

"This……"

The apprentice was completely stunned. He never imagined that the rumors about the other side of the snow mountain were a lie from the very beginning.

You should know that even he himself believed this explanation wholeheartedly, thinking that everything would be alright once they crossed the snow-capped mountains.

"This, how, how could this be..."

After a brief moment of panic, the apprentice quickly calmed down.

Chosen as the successor to the 27th Akakage, this apprentice, though not very old, possessed remarkable insight—putting aside personal feelings, he unexpectedly discovered that the 27th Akakage's actions seemed to be without fault.

Even the lie itself, in terms of its outcome, had an extremely positive effect. Indeed, the 27th Akakage deceived everyone, but he also successfully made the Ignivas people, who were experiencing food shortages at the time, quickly accept the facts before them—and because of this lie, the Ignivas people did not become depressed because of the food shortages, but instead became even more invigorated.

"From any perspective, this is a good thing."

Taking a deep breath, the apprentice patted his mentor, the 27th Akakage, on the hand.

“Mentor, you did the right thing.”

"……Really?"

The 27th Akakage opened his eyes again.

But his eyes still revealed endless bewilderment.

Although his apprentices repeatedly explained the benefits of this matter, the 27th Akakage felt a pang of regret. While it might seem like a good thing now, the thought that he had accomplished it all through lies made him feel like he had done something terribly wrong.

After all, even he himself didn't know what lay on the other side of the mountain.

He always felt that something ominous was going to happen.

"Don't worry, mentor, it won't happen."

The young apprentice patted the 27th Akakage's hand.

"No matter what lies beyond the mountain, our people are capable of dealing with it... Although it sounds a bit like boasting, just as you thought before, our people do need an enemy to test their strength."

"But we can't be arrogant or complacent, otherwise..."

The ominous premonition in the heart of the 27th Akakage grew stronger. He tried to express something, but in the end, all he could say were a few words of warning.

Even these few words of admonition sounded rather forced.

As the lamp burned out, he was almost unable to make a sound.

Thus, on this day, the era of the 27th Akakage came to an end, and the apprentice who had been chosen as the successor successfully inherited the position of the 27th Akakage, becoming the 28th Akakage.

However, unlike the previous Akakage, the 28th Akakage did not rush to create his own achievements after taking office. Instead, he followed the path left by the previous Akakage and continued to lead his people toward the Great Snow Mountain.

This move was seen as a sign of wisdom by the other members of the clan. After all, if the path of the previous generation was changed after the death of the 27th Akakage, people would fall into a period of chaos. Normally, this would not matter, since a period of chaos could bring long-term stability, which would be a good thing.

But now, people's energy is focused on climbing snow-capped mountains, so the so-called temporary chaos seems somewhat inappropriate.

"Actually, it's because you yourselves want to climb the snow-capped mountains."

After hearing his subordinates report on the clansmen's situation, the 28th Akakage thought to himself.

As the Akakage, many times the decisions we make are not necessarily the right ones. Or rather, what is considered right is not actually about the things themselves, but whether our actions and words meet the expectations of the crowd.

"From this perspective, it's best not to let them know that the mentor is lying to them."

At that moment, the 28th Akakage had made up his mind.

He would keep this secret to himself and would never tell the next Akakage, not even until his death.

Since lies can bring benefits, let the lies continue.

(End of this chapter)