“Sigh.”
After Qingning and Xiaobai left, Jiuya Old Ancestor appeared in front of Li Fadu’s ‘grave’, letting out a long sigh.
He waved his right hand lightly.
The mound of Zijun Blood Soil, heavy as a thousand jinn, seemed to be parted by an invisible hand, scattering to the sides like flowing sand.
He swept his sleeve again.
Li Fadu floated out of the deep pit on his own, landing at his feet.
At this moment, Li Fadu was weak and faint, but the relief of seeing daylight again brought him back from unconsciousness.
“Old Ancestor…” Li Fadu’s voice was slightly choked.
He tried to get up to pay his respects, but due to his serious injuries and the collapse of his Core Formation, he was unable to move.
He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t utter a single word.“Old Ancestor, was I wrong?” After a long time, Li Fadu finally spoke.
Upon hearing this, the Jiuyan Old Ancestor let out another long sigh.
Were Li Fadu and Gu Changqing wrong?
Yes and no.
They were wrong because they were blinded, used by the heavens, and became unwitting tools to aid Lin Feng.
But they were not wrong.
Gu Changqing, as the Sect Master of Jiuyan Sect, wanted to rid the sect of hidden dangers, which was right.
Acting on conclusive ‘evidence’ to take Jiang Chen to task was also not wrong.
Li Fadu was upright and in charge of the Hall of Enforcement. From his perspective, punishing disciples who violated sect rules and endangered the sect was reasonable.
In this life, as in the previous nine reincarnations, neither of them acted like Ma Wu, who, under the guise of justice, resorted to unscrupulous means to frame Jiang Chen.
Perhaps before being buried alive, Li Fadu had such thoughts.
But that was just an act of desperation when he felt that ‘justice’ was not served.
Understanding all this, Jiang Chen, although he detested them, never harbored the intention to kill them.
Originally, Jiuyan Old Ancestor did not want to get involved, but Li Fadu had indeed served the sect with dedication. Even if death was the only redemption, it should not be at the hands of the heavens’ manipulation.
“Li Fadu, what do you think of Qingning?” the Jiuyan Old Ancestor asked.
After pondering for a moment, Li Fadu replied, “…Qingning, before her madness, was innocent, kind, and lovable. After her madness, it’s regrettable.”
“What about Lin Mubai and Jiang Lianyue?”
“Lin Mubai, with his Innate Dao Bone, was cultured and elegant before his madness, a true gentleman. Jiang Lianyue had the demeanor of an empress, cold as frost on the outside but warm at heart, also before the madness. After their madness, both are equally regrettable.”
“And what of my unfilial descendant, Xiao Hongyi?”
“Ninth Peak’s master…”
After choosing his words carefully, Li Fadu spoke the truth: “She is a pitiful person.”
“Your pity, is it because of Hongyi’s Postnatal Phoenix Body, which left her lonely from a young age, or because she took in a rebellious disciple and yet continuously showed favoritism?” the Jiuyan Old Ancestor countered.
“Both.”
The Jiuyan Old Ancestor fell silent and shook his head.
From his high vantage point, his eyes slightly closed, and although his voice was soft, it exploded in Li Fadu’s mind like thunderous Dao sounds:
“Li Fadu! You have gone mad, yet you do not know it!!”
Li Fadu’s eyes widened in shock! He had gone mad?
He felt nothing of the sort!
But how could he dare to question the Old Ancestor’s words?
“Qingning repeatedly buries people alive, Lin Mubai chops people down at a word, Jiang Lianyue blows up the sect if slightly displeased, and my unfilial descendant Hongyi almost destroyed the sect this time! The evil deeds of these three are worse than Jiang Chen’s, and although mad, they still pose a great danger! Why do you only feel sadness for her?” the Jiuyan Old Ancestor questioned.
“This…” Li Fadu was at a loss for words.
“Why are you lenient towards people like Jiang Lianyue but have no tolerance for Jiang Chen?” the Jiuyan Old Ancestor pressed with a second question.
“His nature is vile!” Li Fadu replied instantly.
“Is that so?”
Jiuyan Old Ancestor scoffed, “There are countless people of vile nature in the world, why do you single out Jiang Chen?”
“I am doing it for the sect! Jiang Chen will surely bring disaster to the sect!” Li Fadu replied immediately.
“If it’s for the sect, then why do you turn a blind eye when Jiang Lianyue and others have already brought disaster to the sect?!” the Jiuyan Old Ancestor asked a third time.
“I… I…”
Li Fadu was again speechless as if struck by lightning.
In the end, the conversation came full circle. And at this moment, he could no longer justify himself.
The atmosphere turned silent instantly.
Li Fadu’s mind was a mess, filled with countless thoughts.
It took him a long while before he finally asked in panic, “Old Ancestor, have I really gone mad?”
“Think about the evil deeds Jiang Chen has done,” the Jiuyan Old Ancestor replied.
Li Fadu nodded, and the image of Jiang Chen pushing his fellow disciples off the cliff came to mind.
Then, he was immediately so angry that he gritted his teeth and couldn’t control himself!
“Now think if the same thing were done by another disciple of the Jiuyan Sect,” the Jiuyan Old Ancestor continued.
After exhaling a breath of air, Li Fadu calmed his mind.
The same scene, the same deed, just done by someone else.
He only frowned!
Although still angry, it was far from the uncontrollable, extreme rage he felt before!
At this moment, Li Fadu was completely panicked.
Something was wrong! He himself was not right!
Seeing that the time was right, the Jiuyan Old Ancestor finally made his point: “Li Fadu, your obsession with justice has driven you mad without your knowledge! Do you think I emerged from the coffin to favor Jiang Chen? Wrong! Very wrong! I did it to save you, to save Gu Changqing, and to save the sect!”
“It’s… it’s like that? And the Sect Master has also gone mad?” Li Fadu’s mind trembled.
“Exactly!” the Jiuyan Old Ancestor sighed deeply.
“Changqing’s madness is deeper, but you can still be saved. It’s not too late!”
With that, he added, “Before you were buried alive, you thought of emulating Ma Wu and using any means to achieve your goal. This is a sign of deepening madness! Don’t deny it because I heard it!”
“Boom!!”
These words exploded in Li Fadu’s mind like thunder.
Indeed, how could he have such thoughts?
If he was not righteous himself, how could he correct others? Wasn’t this what he had always stood for?
Although he didn’t feel it, although he still didn’t want to admit it.
But unable to justify himself, and with the Jiuyan Old Ancestor’s words making sense, Li Fadu had to admit…
He seemed to have really gone mad!
“Old… Old Ancestor, I beg you to save me!” Li Fadu pleaded loudly.
“I will not give up on you.”
The Jiuyan Old Ancestor said as he crouched down and patted his shoulder, earnestly advising, “Your madness stems from the justice in your heart. To recover, you must…”
“Must I abandon justice? Old Ancestor, I can’t do that!” Li Fadu interrupted.
“Not abandon justice, but to interpret and uphold the justice in your heart in another way!” the Jiuyan Old Ancestor shook his head.
“For example, through enlightenment!”
“Enlightenment?”
“Yes, enlightenment! If you encounter Jiang Chen doing evil in the future, reform him instead of punishing him! Continue this for a few decades, and your madness should be cured.”
“This…”
Li Fadu hesitated again.
Seeing this, the Jiuyan Old Ancestor frowned and scolded, “Li Fadu, this is your only chance! Your obsession with justice was born from Jiang Chen, and only by doing this can you overcome your madness!”
“…I understand.”
Taking a deep breath, Li Fadu said with determination, “Old Ancestor, your words have been enlightening!”
“A child that can be taught indeed,” the Jiuyan Old Ancestor said with a satisfied smile.
He didn’t go through all that talking for nothing. He finally managed to hoodwink them successfully.
He felt quite helpless too.
To think that he, the venerable Old Ancestor of the Jiuyan Sect, had to resort to such trickery.
But he couldn’t just stand by and watch as Li Fadu and these so-called upholders of justice made life difficult for Jiang Chen at every turn, eventually causing chaos in the Jiuyan Sect, could he?
“Old Ancestor, why do I feel like your smile is a bit strange? Is this also an influence of the madness?” Li Fadu suddenly asked.
The Jiuyan Old Ancestor immediately reined in his smile and countered, “What do you think?”
“It must be the influence of the madness,” Li Fadu nodded incessantly.
“Good that you know!” Jiuyan Old Ancestor glared at him, tossed him a broken Core Formation, and turned to leave.
“Where are you headed, Old Ancestor?” Li Fadu asked instinctively.
“To the sect’s prison! After all, Gu Changqing is the Sect Master of the Jiuyan Sect. Even though he is deeper into madness, I must go and save him.”
“I see, Old Ancestor, you have worked hard!”
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