The Villain's Counterattack

"Rewarding the good and punishing the evil, the court takes the blame, and wealth is freedom." Duan Lang explained with a smile: "Wealth is the root of evil, but it is also a powerful weapon and an umbrella of protection."

"Zhishan Tower rewards the good and punishes the evil. Essentially, it's about punishing evil and promoting good. Punishing evil can alert the world, but it can also easily make other evildoers and hypocrites wary, and they'll find all sorts of excuses to hunt down Zhishan Tower. Giving up the evildoers' wealth and handing it over to the court at this time is a strategy that kills two birds with one stone, or even more."

The government and the imperial court would naturally not pursue the matter too much after receiving the benefits from this wealth. Most of them would acquiesce and even want to recruit and use the people for their own purposes.

The local authorities and forces only want to fight for this wealth and spare power. They will not offend people they cannot afford to offend for the sake of the dead. At most, they will be cautious not to repeat the same mistakes and follow the path of the victims and villains.

The so-called famous and righteous people have always attached great importance to their reputation. If they do not want to be denounced as hypocrites and real villains, they dare not stand up and provoke Zhishan Tower openly.

"Dealing with upright people is actually quite simple. All you have to do is destroy their reputation. Hypocrites are easier to deal with. All you have to do is expose their evil deeds to the public, or cleverly capture them red-handed. True gentlemen who are stubborn and recalcitrant are relatively more difficult to deal with. However, such people are a minority after all. You can start with those around them and see if they are willing to sacrifice their relatives for the sake of justice."

The eyes of the Demon Lord and the others lit up, and they simultaneously gave him a thumbs-up and praised him, "Dark! Really Dark! You are indeed the most suitable dark military advisor for us!"

Duan Lang was furious upon hearing this, and rolled his eyes before continuing, "There are many assassins in Zhishan Tower. Killing is killing, and destroying one's heart is also killing. Scholars and officials, as long as they have justice in their hearts, can also be very useful. Reputable and flexible scholars are sometimes easier to deal with so-called famous and righteous people than assassins. After all, their words and writings are their best weapons, and they can drive many small and medium-sized forces into the path of evil."

This time everyone gasped at the same time. The Demon Lord patted his chest, trying to steady his rapidly accelerating heartbeat. "Such methods, such power, such..."

At this point, Duan Lang suddenly looked at the Demon Lord with a serious expression and said, "Can you avoid losing yourself in the pursuit of power over everyone in the world? Can you consistently uphold your principles of rewarding good and punishing evil? Can you consistently fight for fairness and democracy without going astray?"

The Demon Lord was stunned for a moment, then said solemnly, "I swear on my life that I will dedicate my life to the great cause of fairness and democracy, and I will never deviate!"

Duan Lang nodded in agreement. The Demon Lord possessed six great demonic powers, allowing him to achieve immortality by replacing his body. Therefore, he didn't have to worry about his heir going astray. As long as she herself stayed on track, it would be fine. He agreed, "Good! Rewarding the good and punishing the evil complement each other. The intelligence gathered by the Supreme Good Killer isn't just about the bad guys, but also about the truly good. Such people need to be rewarded and protected. Rewards are easy to come by: publicity, financial subsidies, fame for those who want it, profit for those who want it, and even family and love."

"Is the love gained as a reward still family love?" Hei Tong was speechless, but Mo Niang stood up and said, "The feelings between people can be cultivated. Xiao Ma is a family member in my mind." While saying this, she did not forget to glance at Nie Feng. She really had true feelings for Nie Feng.

Hei Tong was stunned when he heard this, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed to be true. It was normal to fall in love over time. Not only Mo Niang, but also Zi Tong was the same.

"Another point that needs attention is that those who have families and whose family members are innocent and whose crimes do not warrant the genocide of their clan can be assassinated without making the case public, so as to avoid causing unnecessary trouble to their families. This will also prevent Zhishan Tower from attracting unnecessary attention due to excessive activities."

Duan Lang looked around and said solemnly, "The most crucial and most important thing about Zhishan Tower, and the one thing only you can achieve, is financial freedom, independent of external forces. Zhishan assassins' salaries, intelligence, assassination, and travel rewards are all paid for by Zhishan Tower. You must not covet a single cent of any external gains, especially ill-gotten gains, gained during missions. This is very important!"

"Intelligence is important, execution is crucial, and supervision cannot be neglected either. Even the most powerful castle can easily fall due to internal corruption. Remember this, remember this!"

"I'll take your advice!" The Demon Lord suddenly thought of King Jing and couldn't help but sigh. She suddenly began to doubt her own choices in judging and employing people. King Jing was one example, and employing people with a human face and a beast's heart was also her failure.

"So, I suggest that Mo Niang be responsible for intelligence gathering, Hei Tong be responsible for mission execution, Xue Da Mo be responsible for supervision, and you coordinate the overall situation to issue tasks and organize manpower." Duan Lang gave his own suggestion, which was recognized by everyone.

"It's easier said than done," Bu Jingyun suddenly said. Nie Feng nodded and said, "Not only is it difficult to do, but even knowing about many things is not easy. Just thinking about it makes my scalp tingle. Lang, you're amazing!"

This time, even Bu Jingyun had to admit that Duan Lang was powerful, but he didn't understand why Duan Lang, who never left the house, had such talent and knew so many things.

As if he could see Bu Jingyun's doubt, a faint smile appeared on Duan Lang's lips: "Are you sure that I am Duan Lang, and not the master who was born under the Demon Lord?"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this, and Hei Tong laughed out loud: "Duan boy, you have to call me master~" The last two words were dragged out, Xueda Mo and Mo Niang couldn't help laughing, and the Demon Lord also smiled.

The Demon Lord shook his head gently and said, "Only a genius can understand a genius. Ever since you took the initiative to abandon your skills and join the Tianxia Association's library, I knew you would achieve extraordinary things in the future. I was not wrong about you."

Bu Jingyun and Nie Feng suddenly realized after hearing the Demon Lord's words. In this respect, he and the Demon Lord were very similar. However, for Fengyun, it was absolutely unacceptable for them to sit in the library for years.

Not only they couldn't accept it, Xiongba couldn't accept it either.

"Zhishan Tower shouldn't take too many actions, at least not overtly. But they must be exemplary, not overly dramatic, yet still cause a sensation." Duan Lang continued his counsel, "Take the initiative early on, and make the actions public afterward. Establish Zhishan Tower as a symbol of truth, kindness, and justice, and win the trust of the people. At the same time, we must also secure the support of the imperial court, or at least prevent it from slandering or suppressing us."

After hearing this, the Demon Lord and others finally understood Duan Lang's intention of not taking a penny, making his crimes public, and leaving his wealth to the government and the court. Although the court was corrupt, the righteousness was still there. Even if it was just a layer of skin, it was better to have it than nothing.

"Once Zhishan Building becomes famous and known to the world, we can publish tabloids, using small stories to promote good and criticize evil, and then..."

Duan Lang provided a brand new papermaking and printing technology. The Demon Lord had a vast sea of ​​gold and was not short of money. He knew the benefits of using the Zhishan Tabloid, which could enhance his voice. Naturally, the more he looked at Duan Lang, the more he liked him. He even wanted to capture him and make him work for him.

Using writing as a knife and fame and fortune as bait to let others kill people for him is the second step, and Duan Lang has a third step.

"Before, it was just about rewarding good and punishing evil, and protecting people's livelihoods. Isn't your dream about fairness and democracy? The third step is to collect all the books in the world, organize the knowledge classics, and cultivate teachers who can spread knowledge and civilization. Spread them throughout the world to cultivate more capable people. Among the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans, agriculture and artisans are very important. Growing crops is agriculture, but growing precious medicinal herbs is not agriculture, right?"

"Forging a hoe is a craft, but making traps, structures, and ornaments doesn't mean it's not a craftsman? Skills need to be passed down, but they also need innovation. Those with ability can thrive anywhere and are more likely to succeed. Equality must start with education!"

"it is good!"