Chapter 526: Detesting Evil as a Deadly Foe, Liu Chudong Joins the Judgment

Chapter 526: Liu Chudong, Who Hates Evil as a Foe, Joins the Trial

“So, you’re saying I now possess a faint mandate of heaven?”

“But being favored by the world isn’t necessarily a good thing—it might bring mortal danger.”

“Even those at the pinnacle of divine descent… can fall. It seems I’m still not strong enough.”

On the boat, Qi Yang basked in the sun, continuing to preach and impart wisdom to the sea fish.

After achieving unity between heaven and man, he had grown more attuned to this world, able to draw upon its power more freely.

Now, he could truly claim to be invincible beneath the level of gods.

He taught the fish, sometimes examining himself, sometimes pondering the art of artifact forging.

The performance of the blind artifact master was only a few months away.

He had to hasten his progress in forging, for once his eyes were gone, advancing would become far more difficult.

In this world, after losing one’s sight, one could no longer release their spiritual sense; the world they saw would be plunged into utter darkness.

Improving in artifact forging would be an arduous task.

Yet, despite this, the blind artifact master had still reached the rank of a celestial-grade artisan.

How extraordinary his talent must have been!

“It seems my bloodline, entering this game, has fared quite well.”

“Except for the son-in-law Qi Yang.”

“No, wait—he’s the only one with a wife.”

“According to some, having a wife is a kind of ability in itself.”

After all, when people curse, they often say, “You can’t even get a wife,” or “No one wants you.”

“Uncle, are you an artifact master?”

Just then, a delicate and spirited girl with two braids looked at Qi Yang, blinking her big eyes.

The girl appeared short, under one meter sixty, with a round face like a little landmine, looking very young, as if not yet in her early teens.

“Hey, I’m probably only a year older than you—how am I an uncle?” Qi Yang looked at the girl and couldn’t help retorting.

He was in the prime of his youth—how could he be an uncle?

Liu Chudong gave a mischievous smile, her voice sweet and sticky: “I’m only twelve.”

Her face still had baby fat, making her look very young, with the unique, unripe aura of a maiden.

“You’re clearly seventeen,” Qi Yang said casually.

A flicker of surprise crossed Liu Chudong’s face. “You know me?”

“Old woman, stop pretending to be young!” Qi Yang said without any politeness.

Since she had called him uncle, it was only fair for him to call her an old woman, right?

“Hey, what did old women ever do wrong? Is pretending to be young a crime?” Liu Chudong said indignantly.

Qi Yang paused at this, feeling as if he were facing Sister Niujiao.

“You’re right—everyone is equal. I shouldn’t stigmatize old women!” Qi Yang reflected on himself, his attitude sincere.

Liu Chudong was taken aback, not expecting him to capitulate so quickly. Then admiration flickered in her eyes. “You’re actually quite a decent person.”

She could tell his apology was genuine, from the heart.

“I’ve always been lawful good,” Qi Yang said proudly. “When I see ants on the ground, I can’t bear to step on them; when I see fish, I can’t bear to kill them.”

“You…” Liu Chudong believed him.

His words were too sincere, and his expression couldn’t be faked.

Beside them, Chen Kangbao remained silent.

He wanted to say, “Young master, you don’t step on ants, but you kill plenty of mosquitoes and flies.

Not kill fish?

That’s because the old servant does all the cooking.”

Liu Chudong looked at Qi Yang and couldn’t help saying, “Kindness is a good quality, but being too kind isn’t.”

She felt Qi Yang’s character needed adjustment; otherwise, his excessive kindness would make him an easy target.

“Don’t worry, I’m kind, but not to the point of being a saint,” Qi Yang said.

“What do you mean by ‘saint’?” Liu Chudong didn’t understand.

“A saint is…” Qi Yang explained the definition of a saint from Blue Star.

Liu Chudong raised an eyebrow. “Saints do deserve to die, but… how can you use the words ‘saint’ and ‘mother’ to describe them? That’s defiling the term ‘saint mother.’”

Qi Yang was stunned. “To be fair—or rather, motherly fair—that wasn’t my doing.”

He wanted to act without restraint.

Otherwise, every word he spoke was hedged with restrictions.

“Alas, it’s not your fault. You… have an upright air about you; you’re a good person. But sometimes being too good isn’t good for this world. The ones who get bullied are the kind-hearted.” Liu Chudong rambled on.

She seemed to value Qi Yang’s temperament, seeing him as promising material.

She admired such people; with a little guidance, they could become like-minded comrades.

The boat sailed across the vast ocean.

Liu Chudong and Qi Yang talked about everything under the sun, and it was undeniable that they shared a certain kinship of spirit.

After an hour of conversation, Liu Chudong was still reluctant to stop.

“Brother Qi Yang, your heart is too soft. Sometimes, you need to be a bit harsher. Otherwise, people will take advantage of your kindness, just like a gentle horse is easy to ride!” Liu Chudong sighed.

In this world, perhaps because of the infusion of Qi Yang’s blood, phrases familiar to him often appeared—this was not surprising.

“You’re right. It’s because I’m too kind that I’m always being bullied.

Alas, I’ve always abided by the law, and what I got in return… was endless oppression from my enemies!” Qi Yang couldn’t help lamenting.

The Black Mountain Sect was too overbearing!

The Bright Palace had no martial virtue!

The Taihuang Palace was steeped in evil!

“Could it be that I should stop obeying the law?” Qi Yang sighed, aggrieved.

He had the distinct feeling that the world owed him.

“Obeying the law… is only right,” Liu Chudong said with a complex look. “But in this world, the law… is dictated by those officials. Worse still, these vermin openly declare that talking about the law is a joke!” Liu Chudong clenched her teeth, her face full of anger. “If only… if only…”

From their exchange, Qi Yang had learned that Liu Chudong was something of an idealist, a bit of a hothead.

Liu Chudong lowered her voice and finally finished her sentence: “If the God of Judgment were here, how could there be such injustice in the world?”

Not mother?

Qi Yuan silently added a sentence in his heart.

Liu Chudong had been watching Qi Yuan’s expression closely.

For the dharma boat was heading straight to the nation of Raksha.

The God of Judgment was a taboo in Raksha.

The kind that would earn you a reward for reporting it.

Seeing Qi Yuan’s calm demeanor, free of fear, Liu Chudong knew she had judged him right.

“Brother Qi, are you also dissatisfied with the state of this world?”

Qi Yuan shook his head: “I wouldn’t say dissatisfied, but the atmosphere is too corrupt. Alas, some people who don’t work hard enough yet occupy high positions—it’s really…”

He was thinking of Bai Yueguang: if she didn’t cultivate diligently, how could she give him experience points?

Liu Chudong’s eyes lit up.

What she heard was Qi Yuan’s discontent with Raksha—the court full of officials who were mere figureheads, apes wearing caps.

“Brother Qi, do you want to change this world?”

“I do. I want them to work hard!” Qi Yuan said earnestly.

He wished he could take out a whip and lash those old men of Thornblood every day, forcing them to cultivate diligently.

Hearing this, Liu Chudong’s gaze grew resolute: “Brother Qi, with such a heart, it seems we are of one mind. Would you like to join us and change this world together… But joining us might bring pursuit and arrest from the dog court—dangerous and perilous. I must tell you this in advance.”

She didn’t want to miss a kindred spirit like this.

“What are you?” Qi Yuan asked.

“We believe in the impartial and selfless Divine Presence. Only the Divine Presence can dispel darkness and restore clarity to this world. We originally wanted to call ourselves Judgment, but that might attract the court’s attention—too ostentatious—so we call ourselves Trial…”

Fine.

The organization’s name being Trial seemed ostentatious enough.

Was this an organization founded by his own fans?

“Hmph, the dog court pushes us too far. Even though we call ourselves Trial, they still hunt us everywhere!” Liu Chudong said indignantly.

“Do you know the Judgment Society?” Qi Yuan inquired.

As the Divine Presence, Qi Yuan naturally knew that the Judgment Society was his true fan club—the official one.

To play the role of the Divine Presence well, he had to make contact with the Judgment Society.

“I know…” Liu Chudong’s face showed a longing expression. “Our Trial’s goal is to become an organization like the Judgment Society, but… the Judgment Society is riddled with holes. Many have secretly defected to the royal family. So if you meet anyone from the Judgment Society, never trust them.”

Liu Chudong said this warily.

Seeing this, Qi Yuan gained more understanding of the Judgment Society.

But he didn’t care about any of that.

“Do you kill specters?” Qi Yuan asked.

This Liu Chudong seemed idealistic yet innocent, and she had survived so well.

Clearly, this Trial had great power, or Liu Chudong had strong backing.

Otherwise, revealing such a beheading-worthy secret after knowing someone for only an hour or two, and still being alive and well—impossible without background or good luck.

“We do. We specialize in killing evildoers and malevolent spirits!” Liu Chudong said seriously. “Don’t think our Trial is small, with members of average strength, but… we have killed a Heaven-grade specter!”

When Liu Chudong mentioned this, her face was full of pride.

She looked around, lowered her voice, and said: “I once saved an injured Divine-level Imperial Weapon Master, helped him escape his enemies’ pursuit, and he has always been grateful, often helping me.”

Well, there it was.

So she had a Divine-level Imperial Weapon Master backing her?

But… Qi Yuan’s gaze was complicated.

Was it really because she saved that person that he helped?

“I can join you, but I want to kill specters. I want to… reduce the number of unjust and unnatural things within my sight!” Qi Yuan said earnestly.

He wanted to play the role of the Divine Presence.

To increase his role-playing level, he needed to “act chivalrously” and “defend the wronged.”

And to find the mastermind behind it all.

Raising the Divine Presence role-playing level would greatly benefit Qi Yuan.

“Good!” Liu Chudong was excited. She had brought another reliable person into Trial.

The night was pitch black. Liu Chudong returned to her room.

Her room was not large. Inside, there was faint breathing, mixed with a slight smell of blood.

“Sister Qianran, I met someone outside just now. He’s a good person. I brought him into our Trial!”

Liu Chudong’s face was full of excitement.

On the bed lay a woman dressed as a Daoist nun.

But her injuries were severe, and she couldn’t walk.

If Qi Yuan were there, he would recognize this Daoist nun—he had seen her at Red Cloud Stockade.

After hearing Liu Chudong’s words, Qianran’s face showed a helpless expression: “You can’t be too careful. I’m afraid one day you’ll be cheated out of your money and body!”

“Sister Qianran, what nonsense! Don’t slander my friend!” Liu Chudong pouted in dissatisfaction. “Everyone in Trial is my friend!”

Liu Chudong’s almond eyes were wide, her expression like a little girl saying, “Just wait till I’m in big kid class, then I’ll bully you.”

Qianran didn’t argue further.

“This time, I’ll have to trouble you to get me into the Liu Mansion. My injuries are very serious.”

After leaving Red Cloud Stockade, Qianran had encountered a powerful specter. She had wanted to temper herself, but she was no match for that specter, suffered severe injuries, and even her life-bound artifact was damaged.

Now, to heal her wounds without leaving lasting consequences, she needed… a Divine-level Imperial Weapon Master to intervene.

“Sister Qianran, don’t worry. I’ll beg Grandfather to help!” Liu Chudong said earnestly.

Although her relationship with her grandfather had been strained lately, when it came to Sister Qianran’s life, she could swallow her pride and soften.

Qianran’s face showed gratitude. She looked at this younger sister, and suddenly, she remembered the man she had met at Red Cloud Stockade.

“Chudong, do you think… the God of Judgment is still alive?” Qianran asked.

When Liu Chudong mentioned this, her eyes dimmed: “The God of Judgment didn’t even leave a trace of his divine body; all his statues were destroyed. How… could he still be alive?

If the God of Judgment were here, how could Raksha be so foul and murky now? Facing the armies of Deng, how could it keep retreating, even ceding land and paying reparations!”

In her disappointment, there was more resentment toward the Raksha royal family.

“What if he is alive?” Qianran asked casually.

“Then Raksha would welcome the light!” Liu Chudong said seriously.

Qianran thought of something but didn’t say the rest.

The God of Judgment had returned—but was he still the God of Judgment?

Was he the same God of Judgment that Liu Chudong had believed in and worshipped?

After all, the God of Judgment possessed no consciousness of its own; it represented absolute fairness and justice.

Ten days passed.

Every day, Liu Chudong came to chat with Qi Yuan, and their discussions always revolved around fairness, justice, kindness, and harmony.

The more Liu Chudong looked at Qi Yuan, the more she liked him.

"Brother Qi, with you joining us, I believe the future of Judgment will surely be bright!"

Liu Chudong gazed at the sea before her, a vision of the future blooming in her heart.

"Don't worry—those who don't work hard, I'll definitely persuade them to!" Qi Yuan said earnestly.

He was eager to urge those white moons to strive, not to waste their lives in idleness.

"If everyone were like you, Brother Qi, the world would be truly wonderful," Liu Chudong mused. "After all, you can't bear to kill even an ant, and after eating a fish, you apologize to it."

During this time with Qi Yuan, she had discovered that his kindness was no mere talk.

He truly wouldn't step on ants, or would avoid them.

After catching a fish, he would release it back into the water.

He never cooked or killed fish, because he couldn't bear to see them die cruelly.

A man like this—a great good man!

Too good!

"Brother Qi, we'll probably dock tonight. I have something to attend to, so I can't accompany you to Judgment. Someone will guide you to join and take you to the local branch," Liu Chudong said.

She had to take Qianran back to the Liu residence to treat his injuries.

Otherwise, she would have led Qi Yuan straight into Judgment, then together they would have roamed as chivalrous heroes, upholding justice.

"It's fine. Go take care of your business," Qi Yuan said, utterly unconcerned.

He intended to use Judgment's channels to find information about eerie spirits and to better play the role of Divine Arrival.

"Okay." Liu Chudong nodded firmly.

She thought that once she returned to Judgment, she would have to take Qi Yuan to experience some of the world's evils.

Otherwise, being too indecisive wouldn't do.

Too much kindness would make him easy prey.

Not to mention killing villains—at least he should kill a few rats!