Chapter 656: Offense and Defense

Chapter 656: Offense and Defense

Cui Wenjing did not directly answer the question; instead, for the first time, he lifted his gaze from the flowing water and turned to appraise Zhao Changhe.

Zhao Changhe said, "When you used to gaze at the flowing water, I thought it was a show of force aimed at me. Today, watching you look at it, I sense a deeper meaning. Would you care to share?"

Cui Wenjing replied, "Why not think that today, too, I am giving you a show of force?"

Zhao Changhe answered, "Because aside from the unknown gods and demons, there is no known human on this land who can give me a show of force anymore."

Cui Wenjing twitched the corner of his mouth. "I hope you haven't been blinded by your progress over the past two years."

"I have always been arrogant, no need to hide it... And what I said is not aimed at you alone, but includes all on the Heavenly Ranking. Take the Prairie Shaman or the Golden Tent Khan—perhaps I am not yet their match, but I can guarantee that killing me would cost them dearly, and with their own concerns, they might not be willing to bear that price."

Cui Wenjing: "..."

Not their match, rather than "you all," meaning he already considers me his equal, doesn't he?

He did not voice this, only said, "Even someone as strong as Xia Longyuan couldn't withstand the siege of many heroes. With your meager abilities, you're already getting cocky?"

Zhao Changhe smiled. "That's why I've come to break one link in that siege, isn't it? At the very least, I absolutely do not want you to be my enemy."

Cui Wenjing chuckled softly.

Zhao Changhe continued, "There is a saying that may not be pleasant to hear, but I still want to share it with you—Old Xia's goal was the gods and demons, and so is mine. You think those people's speculations about Brother Yuan Yong and his wife are low-minded, but forgive my bluntness, you, whose vision is limited to your own little patch of land, are not much more elevated."

Behind them, Cui Yuanyang's lips parted in a grin.

Cui Wenjing turned his head to glance at her, and she quickly composed herself, sitting upright.

"Just as when I once faced you, my heart was clenched with cold sweat, and you led me by the nose into a trap, setting that damned three-year pact... But not anymore. People only revere and worship what is vastly beyond them. When they reach a similar level, that reverence gradually fades." Zhao Changhe asked, "So I find it hard to understand why you, who are already near the Imperial realm, still fall for the gods' tricks?"

Cui Wenjing was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "If I fell for the gods' tricks, I would never have resolutely resisted the Sea Emperor back then."

Zhao Changhe said, "So now you believe that other gods won't be like the Sea Emperor, that there won't be conflicts over living space like we had with the sea tribes?"

Cui Wenjing replied, "So far, I haven't seen any sign of that."

Zhao Changhe thought for a moment, then pointed to an anthill by the pavilion and turned to ask Cui Yuanyang, "Yangyang, if you could hear those ants calling your name, asking you to help them, would you?"

Cui Yuanyang laughed. "If ants called my name, I'd have to go see what they were saying. If I could help, I definitely would. A bunch of ants calling you—how could that not make you happy?"

"And if there were something you needed ants to do, you'd pick a suitable one to handle it, right?"

"Exactly. I'd even reward it with a piece of sugar!"

"But if your house were full of ants, crawling all over your pastries, would you spray some poison to get rid of the anthill?"

"Yes."

Zhao Changhe said, "That is the relationship between gods and mortals."

Cui Yuanyang: "..."

"You think Old Xia is a dragon of evil, but that's because his thinking is similar to these gods—they all view the people of this world from another dimension. When he struck out without caring about accidentally hurting you, it was exactly that mindset. He had finally lured out the most annoying ant, so he just pressed down with his finger, not bothering to identify which other ant in the arena was closer to him." Zhao Changhe said, "Personally, I feel somewhat close to Old Xia, but I also understand why people rebelled against him, especially your anger. So I don't want to argue about this."

Cui Wenjing remained silent, knowing what Zhao Changhe was about to say.

Zhao Changhe asked, "But the question is, since that's the case, why did you rebel against Old Xia only to willingly welcome something even worse? You risked the failure of exterminating nine generations to slay the dragon—what exactly did you slay? To replace it with a fiercer one? Are you trying to make me laugh?"

Cui Wenjing smiled faintly but said nothing.

Zhao Changhe continued, "To restore your sword? Not to mention whether He truly has that ability or is just dangling empty promises before you—even if He could, have you never considered that if He can help ants build nests, He can also destroy them at any time?"

Cui Wenjing finally burst into laughter. "That volley of arrows you shot is quite fierce... but it seems you haven't realized one problem."

Zhao Changhe was taken aback. "What?"

"What makes you so sure that you are different from Them?"

Zhao Changhe opened his mouth but was momentarily speechless.

Cui Wenjing laughed. "From the current state of the Four Symbols Sect, in the eyes of many onlookers, you are already the reincarnation of the Night Emperor, you know... Even if not, you are the Night Emperor's agent on earth. You indignantly stand on our side talking about vision, but have you considered that if everyone is on guard, you are one of them? You say you aren't—who would believe you? With your cultivation speed, is there any precedent besides the primordial gods and demons of the last era, who were said to have opened with heaven and earth? Even Xia Longyuan wasn't as extraordinary as you."

Zhao Changhe: "Damn."

"The current situation is merely the chaos of demons dancing after the Central Plains lost Xia Longyuan's presence. The tentacles of gods and demons are probing in fully, yet they seem reluctant to be the first to stand out and become the target of everyone, so they all support proxies to act." Cui Wenjing said, "Thus, for each family, it's only a matter of which one to choose, not the distinction you speak of."

He paused, then added, "If you say that rebelling against Xia Longyuan only to choose another similar one is like taking off your pants to fart, I can only say that people have pride. No one has a mind as absolutely cold as a blade. If it had been you he killed back then, you would have rebelled even more fiercely—I know your temper well. Would you still be there, swallowing your pride for the greater good? When the fist hasn't hit your own head, you advise others to be magnanimous—how ridiculous."

"Uh..."

"Of course, you saved me back then." Cui Wenjing's tone softened. "Whether it's your feelings for Yangyang or the fact that you saved me, emotionally, the entire Cui family leans toward you. But unfortunately, in matters like this, emotions can't decide much... We know you don't look kindly on the great families, and we are in conflict. You say others can build nests for ants and later destroy them, but Changhe, you are destroying the nest right now. What do you expect the Cui family to think? If you could give a promise that everything would remain as before, even without the Qinghe Sword, the Cui family would follow you without a second thought. But I've waited so long, and I haven't seen you show any such intention, not even a hint."

Zhao Changhe thought for a long time, then finally said, "The promise I can give is this: First, I can reforge the Qinghe Sword. Though it cannot restore its original meaning of representing the mountain and river veins, it can support the inheritance a family needs and the power of a clan-guarding divine weapon. Forgive my bluntness, but the god who promised you could at most achieve this level. He cannot possibly restore the meaning of the mountain and river veins—he's just fooling you."

Cui Wenjing asked, "How can you be sure?"

"You yourself know better than anyone what kind of master the vast purple qi of the Qinghe Sword recognizes... There is no mountain and river qi in the world; it is the manifestation of the people's hearts. The heart of a god or demon could never forge such a sword. If anyone in this world can reforge the original Qinghe... it is only you yourselves, only Yuan Yong and Yangyang, who have fully gained the Qinghe's recognition." Zhao Changhe said, "If you can truly do it yourselves, I would be happy to see it and would help provide the necessary forging abilities. The other party can at most do this much, and my promise is more solid than His."

Cui Wenjing's heart stirred.

In truth, as long as Zhao Changhe made this promise, it could almost overshadow everything. Even if it were a pie in the sky, wasn't the other party's promise the same?

Zhao Changhe's promise was indeed more solid than others'. As long as there was a real possibility of fulfillment, he would not go back on his word.

He asked calmly, "That's the first. What's the second?"

"Second, I do not agree with this kind of eternal lineage family monopoly. It is a regression for the entire world. The Qinghe Sword itself would not agree with it either; even if reforged, it would fall asleep again. I think when you look at the flowing water, you are watching time pass like this—the past is the past. The water you see before you may look the same, but it is no longer the same water." Zhao Changhe looked at Cui Wenjing and said slowly, "In your own heart, you have long been prepared to embrace change. Even when you lent out the Qinghe, you already had that faint thought. Why hide it from me?"