I Slay Gods and Demons in the Deceit Night
Chapter 315 - 223: The Growth History of Li Shen Sect!

Chapter 315: Chapter 223: The Growth History of Li Shen Sect!

He stepped out of Mr. Lu’s courtyard.

Han Commander seemed hesitant to speak.

Lin Yan broke the silence and finally spoke, "Just as you expected, I have reached the end of my Qi Refining Realm."

"I didn’t plan to ask you about that..." Han Commander’s cheek twitched slightly as he spoke in a stifled voice, "I knew it when we were in the courtyard, there’s no need to emphasize!"

"Then what’s with that expression of yours?" Lin Yan asked, slightly surprised.

"You’re in charge of the expansion of the new city, and there will be a lot of trivial matters to deal with."

"With the Liu Family’s downfall, the scramble for their vacant position will trigger a bloody storm, and with Tribulation Ash stirring trouble in secret, one misstep can lead to chaos! So, regarding the expansion of the new city, I’m afraid I won’t be able to provide much help," Han Commander said.

Lin Yan pondered before replying, "Right now, no one dares to embezzle, and everything is carried out according to the rules. In theory, I am just overseeing everyone... What do you mean?"

"Winter has come, and every year many people will die."

"Even within the city walls, harsh winters claim lives, not to mention the refugees outside?" Han Commander explained.

"With the expansion of the new city, refugees from all around flock here, hoping to get a bowl of rice and a blanket to survive the winter."

"With Jinliu Manor destroyed, there will be even more refugees this year."

"The Pure Lands surrounding High Willow City can’t accommodate too many people."

"In other words, many will die in the treacherous night, many will perish from hunger and cold."

"You detest evil and act with righteousness. Your reputation for rampant killing and treating lives as nothing has spread, but I know that you are the one in this entire city who respects life the most."

"Your compassion for all beings makes it easy for you to fall into traps laid by others."

As Han Commander spoke thus,

Lin Yan frowned and inquired, "What do you mean by that?"

Han Commander let out a breath, his expression growing even more complex.

"Shall I tell you a story?"

"I’m all ears," Lin Yan replied.

"Once upon a time, in Qifeng Prefecture City, there was a youth, a prodigy with a heroic stature. At just eighteen, he had reached the inner strength of the Refining Essence Realm and managed the affairs of an entire square."

"And then?"

"One winter, Qifeng Prefecture suffered a snow disaster, and the populace was plagued by hunger and cold."

Han Commander paused and sighed, "The governing elite embezzled food and clothing, exchanging them for silver taels... When the upper echelons behave like this, even ordinary clerks dare to stealthily embezzle a lot!"

"Then there were merchants and various forces who drove up grain prices, seeking to amass wealth."

"You know, not everyone understands the bigger picture. The word ’greed’ can cloud one’s judgment."

That year, my... that friend of mine, like you, detested evil. He drew his sword to kill, checked the accounts, set up rules, and forced everyone to bow down, finally maintaining stability," elaborated Han Commander.

As he spoke,

Lin Yan nodded and said, "Indeed, his way of handling things resembles mine. By doing so, theoretically, fewer people in that area would have died."

"But the leaders of the other squares colluded with various other forces and merchants, profiting together, thereby accumulating wealth for themselves."

Han Commander sighed, "My friend, at the time, was limited in his cultivation and power, so he could only manage his own turf. But you should know even better, to those who are corrupt, not joining them makes you an enemy, not a friend!"

Lin Yan frowned, "They took action against you?"

Han Commander coughed, "It’s not about me, it’s about my friend’s experience."

Lin Yan nodded, "What happened to your friend afterward?"

Han Commander sighed, "Under the workings of various forces, a multitude of voices spread throughout Qifeng Prefecture... claiming that my friend’s Rongguang Square was the only way out."

"Rongguang Square distributed porridge and bedding daily, hoping to save more people."

"But the citizens of the other squares, unable to survive, and even the refugees from outside, all came."

"The food and clothing reserves of a square within a city are barely enough to sustain its own citizens from hunger and cold, without fatalities. It’s already difficult, how could they care for too many?"

"At first, my friend took lives into account, trying to save as many people as possible. But after a few days, he found that with his compassion unleashed, even more ’refugees’ poured in."

"Among them, many weren’t even refugees, just there to consume the square’s food and clothing."

"Even because Rongguang Square maintained normal prices, it caused people from other squares to fight over purchases."

"In such a case, the original citizens of the square would be crushed to death."

Han Commander lamented, "In the end, there were only two paths!"

Lin Yan, having heard this, understood clearly.

The first path was to reject no one, saving as many people as came.

This act, seemingly the greater good, would ultimately lead to the bottom layer of Rongguang Square’s citizens suffering hunger and cold, with a large number dying just the same!

Even because the stored grain in the square was taken, and there was competition from outsiders... the commoners of Rongguang Square died in even greater numbers!

By the end, the situation in Rongguang Square was bound to be the worst among all parties!

The people who wanted to do things well ended up making things even worse!

And then they were jointly ostracized by other parties, burdened with the blame for mismanagement that led to the starvation and freezing deaths of the people!

"My good friend chose the second option," said Han Commander with a sigh. "He closed off Rongguang Square, refusing to take in people from outside the square and only took care of the matters within his jurisdiction! But in the end, he too was labeled as short-sighted, concerned only with his own territory and not the lives of others, and accused of driving refugees from various places to their deaths!"

He folded his hands behind his back, looked towards the outside, and said slowly, "Other powers pushed those within their realms who could not survive, to Rongguang Square..."

"They were already unable to survive, and under the manipulation of those with intentions, they saw Rongguang Square as their only hope, their only way to live!"

"In the end, when Rongguang Square couldn’t take them in, it was as if their lifeline had been cut. In the eyes of those refugees, it was my friend who had killed them!"

"You know, people’s reverence for the gods is called ’incense’!"

"But when pointed at by thousands, when reached by resentment, it becomes a karmic debt!"

"My friend, after many wasted years, could not advance any further in his practice, until the temple priest of Wutong Temple learned the full story and agreed to extend his hand to resolve this resentment-entwined karmic debt for him."

"That temple priest is Mr. Lu."

At this point, Han Commander paused and said, "Later, he broke through to the Refining Essence Realm, but that year, a young man also entered the Refining Essence Realm."

Lin Yan’s expression became solemn, and he began to understand vaguely.

"That young man, born into a poor family, went to Rongguang Square with his entire family during winter, hoping for a way to survive."

"But to their surprise, the person in charge of Rongguang Square closed the square, cutting off their lifeline."

"In the end, his family died of cold and hunger, and only this young man survived by selling himself into slavery."

"Later, when he accompanied his master on a hunting trip outside the city, he encountered a minor demon. To protect his master’s steed, he fought desperately with brute force, suffering grievous injuries."

"Seeing his wounds were too severe and treating them would cost too much silver, the master planned to bury him on the spot."

"But a Colonel responsible for patrolling the city defenses, who had seen him fighting the demon from atop the city walls, felt pity for him and took him in to heal his wounds."

"This young man, with exceptional talent, trained in martial arts with the city defense Colonel, and in less than half a month, without the use of medicinal baths or Elixir Pills, achieved great success in skin refinement on his own!"

"From then on, the Colonel saw him as a true inheritor and cultivated him with great care. Before long, he made rapid progress and entered the Refining Essence Realm, astonishing the upper echelons of Qifeng Prefecture."

Han Commander paused, then added, "This young man is named Li Shen Sect."

Lin Yan’s brows furrowed deeply.

Is this the origin of their enmity?

For Li Shen Sect, the last hope for his parents and siblings was cut off by the decision-makers of Rongguang Square!

"Back then, the rulers of their own square left them with no way to survive, forcing them to seek a lifeline at Rongguang Square..."

Lin Yan said slowly, "They don’t resent those people, only the decision-makers of Rongguang Square?"

"One can only say that the most resented are naturally the decision-makers of Rongguang Square."

Han Commander said with a smile, "In the end, my friend clashed with Li Shen Sect, both in the Refining Essence Realm. He was constantly suppressed at every turn, developing a gloom in his heart, unable to purify his intentions, cutting off his path to the Qi Refining Realm!"

"Another two years passed and he was still found by Li Shen Sect, penalized by the law, cut with a sword, and then demoted to outside of Qifeng Prefecture City."

"I heard that later, Li Shen Sect didn’t let go of those rulers from that time, either. After a scrutiny, those who were corrupt were all killed."

"As a result, Li Shen Sect offended quite a few powers."

"What does it matter if one has talent that appears only once every three hundred years in Qifeng Prefecture? When it affects the interests of high-level forces, he, too, has been assassinated hundreds of times, struggling, killing his way out through bloodshed!"

"To truly speak of it, the right and wrong, the justice and grievances, the kindness and enmity, are also indistinct."

Having said this, Han Commander heaved a sigh.

Lin Yan said slowly, "No wonder, earlier when I was in Mr. Lu’s residence, I heard Mr. Lu mention the deeds of Li Shen Sect, and I felt that this person was not one who stood high above, looking down on all beings with cold indifference! At that time, Mr. Lu said, he is someone who values relationships deeply, that’s why the enmity with you is hard to resolve..."

Han Commander fell silent for a while, then said, "I hold no grudge against him!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yan finally nodded slightly and said, "Your friend holds a grudge against him."

"My friend holds no grudge against him either!"

Han Commander was annoyed and slightly agitated, saying, "I’m telling you this to prevent you from falling into the same predicament this winter!"

Lin Yan waved his hand and said, "I’m different. If the rulers of other powers dare to shirk responsibility and push their disaster-stricken commoners to my side, then... I will go over and chop them down first, replacing the person in charge!"

Han Commander said expressionlessly, "And what if among the refugees, another Li Shen Sect emerges?"

Lin Yan said indifferently, "Your disciple’s talent far surpasses that of Li Shen Sect, what’s there to fear about another Li Shen Sect emerging?"

Having said that, he pondered and added, "However, the expansion of the city, the external recruitment of refugees, and the possible insufficiency of grain and clothing, indeed require more adequate preparations!"