Chapter 339 - 330: Human Nature at Birth: Good or Evil?

Yao Ermei finally bared her heart, laying all its rot out in the sun.

She lay prostrate on the ground, her back arched and her body curled up, once again rendered speechless.

Song Ciwan said, "The ancient Saint Mencius stated that the human heart has four beginnings: the heart of compassion, the heart of shame and dislike, the heart of deference and compliance, and the heart of right and wrong. To possess these four hearts is to have a good human nature.

But the ancient Saint Xunzi said that laws are not constant, and that they too undergo ’birth, abiding, decay, and annihilation.’ He argued that humans are inherently small-minded from birth. To desire food when hungry, warmth when cold, and rest when weary; to love profit and hate harm—these are all parts of human nature. This is the meaning behind ’at birth, human nature is inherently evil.’

Even the Saints debated endlessly about good and evil. I am no Saint, so what right do I have to judge your character?

I only asked questions, but your answers failed to convince me. They prevent me from following my heart and saving you. This, then, is your answer..."

Before she could finish, Yao Ermei cried out, "No, Fairy, that’s not my answer!"

Yao Ermei didn’t really understand Song Ciwan’s words about the Saints, but she heard Song Ciwan’s final sentence with perfect clarity.

She knew that all her excuses could not ultimately grant her a chance at life. After all was said and done, she had done wrong—the kind of wrong that deserved death.

It was unreasonable for her to escape punishment.

Yao Ermei’s gaze shifted. Spotting a sharp rock on the ground to her left rear, she immediately reached out with her right hand, grabbed it, raised it high, and smashed it down on her own left hand!

SMASH!

The rock fell. Yao Ermei trembled all over from the pain. But she gritted her teeth, and her right hand didn’t stop, continuing to strike violently. SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!

In just a few moments, she had smashed her left hand into a mangled mess of flesh and blood, the bones in her five fingers shattered and tendons torn.

Without special treatment, for a mortal like her, this left hand was undoubtedly crippled for life.

Yao Ermei tossed the rock aside and, ignoring the pain, knelt on the ground again to beg. "Fairy, this humble one was wrong! I have crippled this left hand as atonement! I beg you to save my life... I beg you, Fairy, save me and help me leave Gu Family Village!"

Song Ciwan turned her head to look at Yao Ermei, momentarily speechless.

In the end, Song Ciwan brought both the remains of Zhang Jiuniang and Yao Ermei out of the cave.

After leaving, she threw a punch at the cave that had once been so full of sin—Mountain-Breaking Fist!

The mountain peak trembled slightly. The surface of the mountain was unharmed, but the cave within instantly collapsed from the inside, utterly destroyed.

Song Ciwan then used the Great Derivation Birth Skill to wash away all lingering auras from the area. After dealing with everything, she took Yao Ermei and chose a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters to bury Zhang Jiumei’s remains in a spot where flowers bloomed in profusion.

That’s right. Song Ciwan didn’t burn Zhang Jiumei’s remains as she had the others. Instead, she personally chose a burial plot and laid her to rest properly.

Yao Ermei was quite confused by this scene.

However, she felt deeply that she was a sinner atoning for her crimes, and though she had questions, she didn’t have the courage to ask them.

Unexpectedly, as they stood before Zhang Jiuniang’s grave, Song Ciwan seemed to see right through her and spoke first. "The world is full of wicked people, but the image Zhang Jiuniang left in the heart of that Demon Cultivator was one of pure goodness. That is exceedingly rare."

Yao Ermei let out a soft "ah" and quickly, carefully asked, "Fairy, do you mean you respect this good person?"

Song Ciwan smiled faintly but didn’t answer her, leaving Yao Ermei lost in thought.

「Later, Song Ciwan took Yao Ermei back to Gu Family Village for a visit.」

However, neither Song Ciwan nor Yao Ermei showed themselves directly. Song Ciwan had come to Gu Family Village mainly to see Brother Yun’s current situation.

In this incident, if the Demon Cultivator was the primary culprit and Yao Ermei was the unwitting secondary accomplice, then Brother Yun was a bona fide secondary culprit who acted with malicious intent.

It wouldn’t be right for the Demon Cultivator to be dead and Yao Ermei to be crippled, while Brother Yun got away with nothing.

The result was highly dramatic: Brother Yun was dead.

He was beaten to death by Mr. Gu. Because of a magic trick, Brother Yun had made Mr. Gu’s wife vanish. Mr. Gu, in a fit of rage, rushed the stage and beat Brother Yun to death with his bare fists.

And just like that, things blew up...

The leader of the troupe threatened to report it to the authorities, but the people of Gu Family Village latched onto the matter of Yao Ermei’s disappearance. ’Sure, go ahead and report it,’ they reasoned. ’We were wrong to kill a man, but is it right for your troupe to perform a magic trick and make the host who hired you disappear?’

Of course it wasn’t right. Not only was it not right, it was a terrible, terrible wrong!

In comparison, the troupe’s fault seemed even more severe.

After all, they made their living in the martial arts world with their tricks; their reputation was more important than anything.

For a magic act to have such a disastrous outcome, with Yao Ermei still missing, was a responsibility the troupe could not shirk, no matter what.

Even with Brother Yun dead, as long as Yao Ermei wasn’t found, the Dechun Troupe would forever be nailed to the pillar of shame.

And so, after negotiations, both sides reached an agreement: the Gu Family would no longer pursue the matter of Yao Ermei’s disappearance, and the troupe would no longer pursue the matter of Brother Yun’s death.

A great tragedy that had been a devastating blow to both sides was thus resolved with a quiet, mutual agreement.

It’s hard to know what to make of it all. It was so absurd, yet so realistic. Sometimes, reality is even more absurd than drama!

As for the other small protagonist in this incident, the Little Girl, she was, after all, too young. She had remained peacefully in her cradle the entire time, so no one knew what a heart-pounding, near-death experience she had actually been through.

Witnessing these scenes, Yao Ermei, hidden off to the side, had a complex expression and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, Song Ciwan brought Yao Ermei to Shanshui County Town.

For Yao Ermei, entering the town meant she had truly left Gu Family Village. As if she had come to some realization, Yao Ermei took a sharp piece of rock, scarred her own face, and then knelt before Shanshui County’s Ciyu Hall, begging for a job doing menial labor.

Ciyu Hall was an orphanage established by the Court, which provided a certain degree of care for orphans and relief for the old and weak.

The place Yao Ermei found was, in fact, a perfect fit.

Song Ciwan did not interfere with any of this.

She had only brought Yao Ermei into the town and hadn’t expected her to act in such a way afterward.

Song Ciwan used an Empty Character to enter Shanshui County Town without a sound, and then used another Empty Character to cross the distance and leave just as silently.

Whether entering or leaving, she never alerted the City Defense Array.

Although Shanshui County was a small, poor, and remote county, Song Ciwan’s ability to come and go freely was a testament to the advancement of her Cultivation. Compared to before, she had truly reached an unfathomable realm.

After leaving Shanshui County, Song Ciwan continued north, heading straight for Celestial Dragon Mountain.

The mountain path was vast and empty. With a light step, Song Ciwan flickered twenty or thirty li forward. With another flicker, she was on a different mountain peak. Celestial Dragon Mountain was now in sight, its distant ridge soaring into the clouds, shrouded in mist. Suddenly, Song Ciwan stopped on the peak.

She stood gracefully, her clear voice carrying on the mountain wind, "You have followed me for a long time. Now that we’ve come upon such a view, why not step out and enjoy it?"

The mountain wind blew gently. Although there was no one in sight, Song Ciwan was certain someone was near her.

No, to be precise, the one who had been following her all this way was likely not a Human, but a demon!

A moment later, a figure seemed to materialize out of the wind.

The figure seemed to walk out of the wind, yet also as if stepping out from some other, ethereal world.

He was tall and slender, dressed in wide robes with long sleeves, carrying an air of scholarly elegance.

And yet, he had the handsome face of a fox!

Yes, the figure had a human body and a fox’s head. Even the hands that extended from his wide sleeves were not purely human; a tuft of fine fox fur grew on the back of his hands, giving them a unique charm.

And this figure was one Song Ciwan clearly recognized—

Years ago, when Song Ciwan had traveled with the Situong Escort Agency to Pinglan City, she had been blocked on the road by a Fox Demon. The Fox Demon before her now was that very same one: the Celestial Pride of the Demon Race, Tushan Keji!

A trace of slight confusion appeared on Tushan Keji’s fox face. He looked at Song Ciwan and asked a single question: "Have you... attained clarity of thought?"