As the night breeze and dew grew colder, he idly watched the pool of stars.
From the corner of her eye, Nangong Ning glanced at Xu Xian and asked curiously, "Little Grand-Uncle, what are you thinking about?"
Xu Xian gazed at the heavenly river and replied, "Nothing much. I just think this starry sky is so vast, and the moon is very bright."
Nangong Ning’s elegant brows furrowed slightly as she looked at the sky. She certainly didn't believe him; she didn't think the night scenery here was any better than the starry sky at Wendao Sword Sect.
Taking a deep breath, she said softly, "I was very nervous the first time I went on a mission too."
Xu Xian was a bit dazed, looking at Nangong Ning with a meaningful expression.
The latter tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said with poised grace:
"It’s actually nothing. There’s a first time for everything, and you’ll get used to it over time. Don't be fooled by the fact that this mission likely involves dealing with demonic cultivators; there’s really nothing to be afraid of. Demonic cultivators are people too; they’re just more malicious than normal people, have no bottom line, and are more unscrupulous in achieving their goals."
Xu Xian tilted his head slightly.
Nangong Ning continued, "Moreover, demonic cultivators themselves know they are practicing the demonic path and that they are walking a crooked road. But why do they still walk it?"
"Because they couldn't make it on the righteous path. Either their aptitude was dull, they had innate deficiencies, or their dao hearts were not firm enough. That's why they took a wrong turn. People like that are very weak; they can be suppressed with a casual wave of the hand."
Xu Xian’s pupils dilated slightly, his eyes shining. This was the first time he had heard such a novel explanation.
Demonic cultivators practice the demonic path because they are weak?
"Actually, that makes some sense."
Nangong Ning’s thin lips curled up as she leaned against the railing. "It’s a fact. If one could walk the Great Dao, the righteous path, who would choose to suffer for no reason? Who would abandon a perfectly good Great Dao to risk walking a narrow path?"
"The world thinks the demonic path is a shortcut where cultivation grows fast, saying things like 'while the Dao grows by a foot, the Demon grows by a yard.'"
"In truth, that’s just the demonic sects tricking people. Cultivation is about karma and fate; it’s a struggle for comprehension and a fight for the Dao."
"Those demonic cultivators have innate deficiencies, so they forcibly seize the fortune and fate of others to compensate for their own flaws."
"But things acquired after birth are ultimately insufficient and tainted by the karma of others. They will more or less suffer from side effects. Once they reach a certain point, an irreversible bottleneck appears. Taking another step forward becomes harder than ascending to heaven."
"Think about it, Little Grand-Uncle. If the demonic path were truly as good as they say, how could it have been suppressed by the righteous path for all these years?"
Xu Xian could not hide his agreement and nodded repeatedly.
"Mhm, I think so too. Great minds think alike."
Nangong Ning continued, "For ten thousand years, in the Northern Borders guarded by our Wendao Sword Sect, let alone the demonic path, even true demons haven't dared to show their faces."
"'Demonic cultivator' is such a niche term in our Wendao Sword Sect; they vanished long ago."
"I once read in the archives about the Great Demon-Cleansing War fought by our predecessors. Across the vast Northern Borders, whether it was a demon den or a demonic sect, they were wiped out in an instant. Within a month, those who could run fled, and those who couldn't died. It was cleaned thoroughly."
"Those demonic cultivators not only have poor talent, but they are also incredibly afraid of death and cowardly. Otherwise, why would they always be hiding?"
"In recent years, even if there are missions to slay demonic cultivators, they all occur in the Southern Borders, the areas bordering the Central Plains. In the circles of demonic cultivators, the Northern Borders governed by our Wendao Sword Sect is a forbidden land."
"At the mere mention of Wendao Sword Sect, they all tremble like they’ve seen a tiger. You could say demonic cultivators have suffered under our sect for a long time..."
"Impressive," Xu Xian remarked sincerely, suddenly feeling that demonic cultivators were actually quite pitiable.
Nangong Ning smiled and asked, "Little Grand-Uncle, do you know why our Northern Borders, with its high mountains, treacherous terrain, and sparse population—which should be the best place to hide—is avoided by these demonic cultivators? Why would they rather abandon the ideal terrain, stay away from the Northern Borders, and instead settle in the prosperous and fertile Central Plains?"
Xu Xian didn't even need to think about this question. It went without saying—Wendao Sword Sect was too 'righteous,' so righteous it was almost terrifying.
With a sect like this around...
How could they tolerate a grain of sand like a demonic cultivator jumping around?
However, Xu Xian didn't say it. He wanted to hear Nangong Ning talk because the girl’s voice was very pleasant. He rested his chin on his hand and shook his head. "I don't know."
Nangong Ning said with great spirit, "Under the heavens, in the entire Fanzhou, there are at least eight to ten thousand sects that call themselves orthodox and righteous. But only our Wendao Sword Sect is the most 'upright' at its core."
Xu Xian didn't reply, but in his heart, he deeply agreed.
Too upright.
So upright it had twisted around.
Nangong Ning’s voice drifted leisurely as she revealed, "The human world is as vast and boundless as the sea of stars above us. Fanzhou is just what we humans call it. It is bordered by Canghai to the east, the Great Desolation to the north, Ruoshui to the south, and the frozen glaciers of the great ocean to the west."
"This is the human world as we know it, surrounded by sea on three sides, with only the Northern Borders being a vast desert of yellow sand. Our predecessors named it Fanzhou."
"The land where mortals dwell is called Fanzhou."
"Yet, even if Fanzhou is not the entire world, its vastness spans a million miles. The Northern Borders is less than one percent of Fanzhou."
"We call that place over there the Central Plains; they call themselves the Central Province, and they call our side the North Desolation."
"The Central Plains is huge. It has endless plains, surging rivers, high mountains, streams, dense forests, deep valleys... and Jiangnan, a place all scholars aspire to since birth. It is very prosperous, with a massive population and developed trade."
"There are numerous empires there, conquering each other yet restraining one another. There are countless sects, large and small..."
"They are jointly ruled by the Three Sects: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism."
"Confucianism speaks of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust. They cultivate noble spirit, and they focus on governing the state and bringing peace to the world. They are a bunch of scholars."
"Daoism speaks of following nature and governing through non-interference, not answering to fate. They have three thousand daoist arts that can connect yin and yang. A bunch of stubborn old priests who refuse to submit to anyone..."
"As for Buddhism, they are all monks, spreading Buddhist teachings everywhere and cultivating themselves through kindness. They believe that all living beings suffer and that Buddha delivers all souls..."
"Of course, it’s not just the Three Sects. There are also the Mohists, the Legalists, the Yin-Yang School—it’s a true contention of a hundred schools of thought."
"They argue and fight, all wanting to be the top dog."
"They call themselves the righteous path and claim to be incompatible with evil. Their slogans are never inferior to our Wendao Sword Sect’s."
"But they just shout. On the surface, they are all refined gentlemen, each hating evil with a passion. But in the shadows, they are all plotting against one another. Those grand lords look like they have transcendent characters and have seen through the red dust."
"In reality, each has their own ulterior motives, treating the common people like grass and all living beings like ants. They wrap it in beautiful words: 'Heaven and earth are heartless, treating all things as straw dogs; sages are heartless, treating the people as straw dogs.'"
"When facing demonic cultivators, they let their young disciples fight them to the death, while they themselves turn a blind eye, protecting and tolerating them just to achieve the balance they want—to maintain the order they worship and the rules they established."
"Otherwise, their strength is not inferior to our Wendao Sword Sect. If they truly united to eliminate demons and campaigned against them, within a year, there would be no more demonic cultivators in the world."
At this point, her voice paused slightly. Nangong Ning slowed her pace, saying word for word:
"On the contrary, our Wendao Sword Sect established itself through the sword. We are sharp and conspicuous, yet we live in a corner, indifferent to the world. We are out of step with Fanzhou and have become the outliers, squeezed and ostracized everywhere. If we weren't strong enough, we would have been plotted against and divided up long ago."
"They don't even think—if our Wendao Sword Sect weren't standing in the Northern Borders, could the Central Plains be so peaceful?"
Xu Xian listened with fascination, deeply immersed in her words.
It was undeniable that Nangong Ning spoke very clearly and insightfully. Xu Xian agreed with her views from the bottom of his heart. In fact, in his previous life, he had thought about similar issues.
Since ancient times, good and evil have been incompatible.
But where there is light, there must be darkness.
Humans all have selfish motives.
The world of cultivation is even more inseparable from the word 'struggle.'
That was why he always said Wendao Sword Sect was too righteous—so righteous that he often doubted himself.
Conversely, the Central Province Nangong Ning described was more in line with his perception of this world.
He spoke slowly, "The whole world is muddy, and only I am clean."
"Hmm?" Nangong Ning was slightly surprised.
Xu Xian shrugged and curled his lip. "When turbidity becomes the norm, innocence becomes a sin."
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