Chapter 81: You Asked the Right Person!

He raised his voice slightly as he turned back to Tang Zheng and said, "Sometimes, our choices lead us down paths of no return. Today, you chose to be a man and a hero, and that choice could easily lead to your demise. There are countless people living in this world, but very few of them are heroes. Some choose to cower and hide, while others choose to tackle the injustices of the world head-on.

“The former are often able to live very long, while the latter often die early deaths. Cowering, fighting, and going with the flow are three different types of attitudes that one can adopt in life. In times of peace, there is no right or wrong approach. However, one thing is for certain: if the people who chose to fight didn't exist, then life would only be more difficult for those who choose to cower or go with the flow.

“The fighters may die young, but they are the true pillars of this continent! Those who cower and go with the flow all benefit from the fighters, but they look down on the fighters, denouncing them as fools. Why not live as long as possible? Why be so eager to rush to your death? They don't understand because they have a different outlook on life. They chose to cower, and in their eyes, that's the correct way to live.

“Whether it be surrendering or bowing to others, or even being reduced to an honorless dog, as long as it ensures survival, it's an acceptable way of life for them. However, the fighters would rather die than clinging onto a life without purpose and honor! The fighters continue to die and sacrifice, while the cowards benefit from their sacrifices.

“Is that fair? No, but that doesn't mean we should become disillusioned and lose our will to fight. Only by leading by example can we inspire more and more people to fight, and only then can we ensure that the entire continent doesn't simply keel over and accept its fate!"

"I understand, Administrator Fang," Tang Zheng said in a solemn manner.

"Good," Fang Che replied with a smile. "The moral of the story is to just do what you think is right. No one will blame you for being a coward, and no one will thank you for being a fighter."

Tang Zheng hesitated momentarily, then said, "Administrator Fang, given your aptitude and rate of cultivation progression, it won't be long at all before you become an extremely accomplished warrior, and even Chief Supervisor Zhao won't be able to do anything to you, so why..."

"Why don't I cultivate in seclusion until I'm invincible before coming out. That's what you want to ask, right?"

"... I mean, kind of, I guess."

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Tang Zheng had actually wanted to ask why Fang Che had chosen to directly oppose Chief Supervisor Zhao instead of taking a more conservative approach, but Fang Che had abruptly taken the conversation in a completely different direction.

Fang Che shook his head as he explained, "If I were to do that, then I would be no different from the sects that isolate themselves from the rest of the world. I won't have to witness the suffering and injustices of the world, nor will I have to suffer from my conscience. It sounds great, right? If innocent people are being killed, I can't do anything because I'm cultivating in the middle of nowhere.

“If some poor woman is being taken advantage of, I can't do anything because I'm not there. Once I'm invincible, I'll be sure to come out and save the world. Is that the logic? Well, I can tell you now that in my eyes, those people are nothing more than cowardly scum! We're supposed to rely on them to save the world? What a joke! They'll only reluctantly step forward when all of the true fighters are dead, but by then, it's already too late anyway."

Right at this moment, a dissenting voice rang out from nearby.

"It sounds like you're looking down on people who cultivate in sects."

Fang Che stopped in his tracks to discover a white-robed man carrying a sword on his back, standing on the side of the street.

His robes were particularly white and spotless, and they seemed to have been woven from some type of special material.

His hair was arranged into a neat bun that was held in place by a white jade hair pain, and he possessed a pair of sharp, sword-like eyebrows, beneath which was a pair of elegant, almond-shaped eyes.

The hilt of the sword on his back that was peeking over his shoulder had a rather strange and antiquated design, and there was a somewhat ethereal aura about him, as if he didn't belong to this world.

Fang Che had spotted the man quite some time ago, and that was why he had said those things to Tang Zheng.

As soon as Fang Che noticed the man, he could immediately tell that the latter had come from some isolated sect.

All of a sudden, Fang Che vanished from right before Tang Zheng's eyes.

As for Fang Che himself, he was whisked into a special space in the blink of an eye, one that was surrounded by boundless white mist.

There were only two people in this isolated world, namely himself and the white-robed man.

Fang Che was immediately reminded of the misty world that he had stumbled into on the night that Xue Fuxiao had come to deliver that piece of divine metal to him.

This was the exact same thing.

Could it be that this white-robed man was a warrior of Xue Fuxiao's caliber?

"Are you looking down on people who cultivate in sects?" the white-robed man repeated.

"If you're in a sect isolated from the world, what does my opinion matter to you? So what if I'm looking down on you, and so what if I'm not?"

"Even those of us who cultivate in sects have tempers?"

"Is that right? What right do you have to throw tantrums at us Protectionists when all you do is hide in your sect and ignore the suffering of the world?" Fang Che sneered. "What're you even doing out here? Purchasing supplies? Surely you're not here to hunt for demonic church members and actually make a difference in the world! That would be absurd!"

"I've never met an administrator from the Hall of Protectionists as rude as you!" the white-robed man snapped in a furious voice.

"Well, I can tell you that I've also never met anyone from a sect willing to put their lives on the line in the fight against the demonic churches!"

In this misty world, standing in the presence of a warrior far more powerful than himself, Fang Che was completely at the white-robed man's mercy, but there was no fear in his heart at all.

I dared to stand against even Duan Xiyang's spear in my past life, you think I'd be scared of you?

"You're a brave man," the white-robed man remarked.

"If I weren't brave, I would be cowering in a sect like you!"

This time, the white-robed man wasn't irked by Fang Che's barbed remark. Instead, he began making his way through the mist as he said, "Come with me."

The mist parted before him like waves of the sea, and Fang Che followed him into a pergola.

The pergola was surrounded by a vast sea of clouds in all directions, and as the white-robed man turned back to face Fang Che, his voice had become very composed and placid as he asked, "May I ask your name?"

"My name is Fang Che."

"Please pardon my intrusion, Administrator Fang. I didn't want to disturb you, but I overheard what you said earlier and felt a little displeased by some of your opinions, so I decided to invite you for a conversation on a whim."

"My time is very precious, and I don't want to waste it on pointless conversation. If you want to speak to me, then you'll have to pay for my time!"

The white-robed man was rather taken aback to hear this.

"How would you like me to compensate you, Administrator Fang?"

"I could be killing demonic church members instead of talking to you."

"In that case, once we leave this place, I'll kill three demonic church members for you as compensation for your time. Will that be acceptable?"

"Deal! What do you want to chat about? Seeing as you've agreed to pay, I'll make some time for you."

The white-robed man was silent for a moment, then said, "Earlier, you said that all those who choose to hide and cultivate in isolated sects are... cowardly scum, and that we can't be relied upon to protect the world in its time of need. I can tell that you intentionally said that for me to hear after spotting me in the crowd, and that's what I want to speak to you about."

"Alright, what do you have to say for yourself then?"

"You were correct in your assessment that I come from an isolated sect, and that I only leave my sect on very rare occasions. However, countless disciples are sent out of our sect to fight the demonic churches and protect the world, so I think it's incorrect for you to denounce us as..."

"False!" Fang Che interjected before the white-robed man had a chance to finish. "That's completely false!"

"Why?"

"The disciples of your sect and sects like yours are nowhere near as noble and selfless as you make them sound! They only come out into the world to further their cultivation, and their supposedly noble quests to protect the world are nothing but a form of training.

“They accumulate battle experience in order to further their cultivation and enhance their combat prowess so that they can return to their sects and continue to cultivate, isolated from the rest of the world. Once they reach bottlenecks in their cultivation and need to accumulate more battle experience, they come out once again on another noble quest.

“I won't deny that sects like yours have made contributions to the world, but can you honestly tell me in good faith that that's what you set out to do? Once you've accumulated sufficient battle experience, you'll immediately flee back to the sect regardless of what state of suffering the world is in. Your objective was never to fight for the people and protect the world, so don't try to make yourself sound so noble and heroic!"

"But who

doesn't

do things out of self-interest?" the white-robed man argued. "Can you say that you don't do anything out of self-interest, that you dedicate every fiber of your being to some higher cause without looking out for yourself at all?"

A look of steely resolve appeared on Fang Che's face at this question, and he declared, "You asked the right person!"