Chapter 199 - 196: Words Like a Knife, Talking a Weird to Tears

When Song Ciwan refused to pay the gift for Jiao Zuo, Mr. Gao’s expression changed in an instant.

The tentacles in his left eye socket suddenly shot out, reaching Song Ciwan in an instant. Mr. Gao shrieked, "Why? Don’t you claim to be righteous? You saved this donkey and insisted I take it as a student. Shouldn’t you bear responsibility for everything concerning it?"

"Now I’m only asking you to pay its gift, and you refuse! On what grounds? Speak! Go on, say it! You’re just a hypocrite, aren’t you?"

Mr. Gao shrieked, the tentacles writhing and stirring up a putrid stench. They nearly pressed against Song Ciwan’s face.

He repeatedly screeched, "Speak! Go on, say it! Aren’t you? Aren’t you! AREN’T YOU..."

Each "AREN’T YOU" echoed endlessly, like a colossal wave in a clear sky, howling and roaring as it crashed down with deafening force.

It was aimed primarily at Song Ciwan, but the other students in the same direction were unavoidably affected. In that moment, nearly everyone felt a sense of impending, overwhelming disaster.

Xie Yunxiang’s face paled drastically. He was on the verge of rushing over to stand by Song Ciwan’s side.

But his legs were trembling, his Divine Soul in turmoil. Though he willed himself to charge forward, his movements were helplessly slow, suppressed by the waves of sound.

Yet Song Ciwan, standing at the very center of the sonic assault, remained expressionless. ’Mr. Gao is trying to force me to admit I’m a hypocrite.’

’If I admit it, then Mr. Gao, as the teacher, will have a reason to punish me. With that as a pretext, he’ll suppress me layer by layer, just like he did to Zhang You, until I have no way to fight back.’

’And if I want to deny it, I’ll have to produce the copper coin to pay the gift for Jiao Zuo!’

’Either way, Mr. Gao doesn’t lose.’

This is a world of deceit, where every step is perilous. ’Never think that just because you have someone cornered, you’ve won for good. You must know that deceit is fickle; these things can turn on you at any moment!’

At such close range, Song Ciwan could see what looked like the reflection of her own withered, decaying figure in Mr. Gao’s single remaining right eye.

Song Ciwan spoke, her tone still calm. "Teacher, a gentleman’s compassion may involve helping those in peril and aiding those in urgent need, but one cannot exhaust one’s own strength to carry another through their entire life. There is a limit to all things. If one goes too far, this student would not be helping someone, but harming them."

Her words, though spoken calmly, were filled with power.

Mr. Gao’s tentacles, carrying a foul stench and immense pressure, whipped about in front of Song Ciwan, almost brushing against her face.

But Song Ciwan didn’t even blink. Her eyes stared directly into the horror before her, her gaze firm, seeming to reflect the very light of the heavens.

So bright, so brilliant!

Song Ciwan was, in fact, testing the specific rules of this Deceitful Realm, but at the same time, she firmly believed she was right.

In her Cultivation up to this point, she had come to understand the importance of conviction. If a person cannot even believe in themself, they cannot blame the outside world for shaking their resolve.

At this moment, it seemed she was merely debating with Mr. Gao, but in reality, was it not also a contest of wills?

Mr. Gao’s tentacles writhed and squirmed before Song Ciwan’s eyes. The tip of each one sprouted fine, sticky, sharp teeth that constantly snapped open and shut, a terrifying sight to behold.

But Song Ciwan’s unshakeable resolve acted as an invisible yet solid barrier, keeping Mr. Gao’s tentacles firmly at bay just inches from her. No matter how they thrashed, they could never truly touch her.

Mr. Gao shrieked ceaselessly, "What’s this nonsense about a gentleman’s compassion having limits! What kind of crap is that? Are you saying it can be wrong to help someone?"

Song Ciwan responded swiftly, "Helping those in peril, aiding those in urgent need—helping in moderation is not wrong. But to help someone endlessly is, in fact, to harm them."

"The ancient sages said, ’Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ They also said, ’It is better to go home and weave a net than to stand by the Abyss and long for fish.’ This shows that temporary aid is not a long-term solution. Helping others to become self-reliant and strong, to master the Dao of survival and the foundation of their own standing—that is true righteousness!"

"Teacher, even parents cannot support their children for their entire lives. Parents who truly love their children and plan for their long-term future must teach them to love others and to love themselves. More importantly, they must teach them diligence and self-reliance, to have a heart eager to learn and a mind free of laziness."

"If I were to pay the gift for my classmate today, would that not be indulging him in reaping rewards without labor, encouraging him to rely on me? If this continues, his character will be corrupted. How could that be considered saving him? It would clearly be harming him!"

...

One by one, Song Ciwan’s sentences were spoken. Her voice was not loud—certainly not as loud as Mr. Gao’s shrieks—yet each and every word seemed to flash with golden light, invisibly parting the air and breaking the waves, powerful enough to awaken the deaf.

Mr. Gao’s wildly flailing tentacles retracted, growing shorter and shorter. Meanwhile, Song Ciwan stepped slowly forward. As she drew closer and closer to Mr. Gao, he found himself unconsciously taking a step back.

Song Ciwan leaned in. "Teacher, being right is not about being loud. Please, search your heart and ask yourself: what do you think of this student’s words?"

Mr. Gao’s hand unconsciously went to his chest. He cried out, "You—you’re right!"

After shouting, he collapsed to the ground. For some reason, tears began to well up in his eye socket.

The tentacles on his feet, in his eye socket, and in his throat all retracted in a flash. He then transformed into a one-eyed child—

Tears streamed endlessly from his eye. Like any child overwhelmed by emotion, he suddenly burst into tears and began to wail.

"SOB... SOB... you’re right! You’re so right!"

"Why? Why did no one ever say such things to me before?"

"No one told me! I didn’t know! I didn’t know anything!"

"Father, Mother, why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you teach me? WAAAH... WAAAH..."

His cries grew louder and louder, and the tears flowing down his front almost formed two small streams.

Where was there any trace of his former terrifying, imposing presence?

The students standing opposite him stared at each other in bewilderment. Their gazes shifted between one another before finally, in unison, they all fixed their eyes on Song Ciwan.

The Heaven and Earth Scale manifested beside Song Ciwan, having collected two clumps of qi in succession: [Small City Level Mysterious Ghost Spirit, Hatred, Desire, Bewilderment, Two pounds and six ounces, exchangeable.]

[Small City Level Mysterious Ghost Spirit, Sorrow, Resentment, Anger, Three pounds and seven ounces, exchangeable.]

’This is Mr. Gao’s Mysterious Ghost Spirit!’

’So Mr. Gao is a Small City Level Deceitful!’

Song Ciwan’s thoughts stirred. ’A Small City Level Deceitful... honestly, in terms of absolute power, no one here could possibly match it.’

’According to the common power-level equivalents, a Village Level Deceitful corresponds to a Cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage, a regular Martial Artist at the Innate Second Transformation, and a Scholar at the Righteous Qi Realm.’

’And a Small City Level Deceitful corresponds to a Cultivator at the Divinity Transformation Stage, a regular Martial Artist at the Innate Third Transformation, and a Scholar at the Vast Qi Realm.’

’This Mr. Gao before me... don’t be fooled by his pathetic crying. He is a high-level Deceitful comparable to the Divinity Transformation Stage!’