Lord of the Desert

Chapter 378 Conscience
Requesting to "appreciate martial arts" is certainly a way to take advantage of Tianjiao's traffic, but it is also a way to praise Tianjiao.

Hong Fan knew that Gu Yixin had always been bad at such social matters, so he took the initiative to leave comments for the two Hunran realm warriors who were around 20 years old.

It was just clichéd words like "strong" and "smart", but the two men were overjoyed after receiving the comments and bowed again and again, as if they had just married a beautiful wife and were about to have their wedding night.

Warriors love fame.

No matter how many tricks they performed in breaking iron and crushing stones, only the villagers witnessed them; but today, they were praised by Chisha for their bravery and would soon become famous in several counties or even the entire state.

The atmosphere became increasingly heated.

The crowd began to flatter him, and those who were curious about the situation asserted that Feng Tianqing would definitely lose tomorrow.

More warriors couldn't help but warm up, pushing each other and lining up outside the hall.

Just as the fire was simmering, there was a sudden silence downstairs.

A man came up the stairs.

He was wearing a white military uniform and a jade belt. He had a handsome face, slender eyebrows and eyes like silver fish, and he walked around the people in the queue with big strides without looking around.

The person who was angry at him for cutting in line was about to get angry, but was immediately pulled back by the people around him and whispered to, and then retreated back to his seat in anger.

"My name is Feng Tianqing, nice to meet you two."

The greeting was gentle and loud.

No one expected this person to come.

Gu Yixin's cheeks tightened.

"The duel will be held tomorrow, why did you come today?"

Hong Fan put his hands on the edge of the table and asked with a smile.

"Tomorrow there will be a winner between you and me, so I'm afraid we won't have time to talk."

Feng Tianqing replied.

"Mr. Duan and Mr. Hong have made great achievements in martial arts. I have admired them for a long time and have always hoped to become close friends with them. Unfortunately, I have never had the chance."

His tone was sincere and he pointed to the empty chair.

"Mr. Hong, would you let me sit down?"

"Please take a seat and speak directly if you have anything to say."

Hong Fan gestured with his hand.

He never likes to bully others in small matters.

Feng Tianqing sat down after hearing that and saw that Hong Fan had a cold expression, while Gu Yixin was obviously disgusted.

"Does the Ancient Spear Master have any problem with me?"

He asked directly, but not in a provocative tone.

"Yes."

Gu Yixin nodded heavily.

"I heard that you studied martial arts at the cost of your mortal life."

"It's true."

Feng Tianqing didn't care about being in public and admitted it frankly.

"I used nine kinds of elixirs to temporarily improve the quality of some of the meridians of mortals, and tried to clear them with different methods. It took me seventeen months in total to improve the acupuncture method in the Tiangang Divine Wind Sutra, and reduced the difficulty of clearing the seven sections of extraordinary meridians in the Hunran realm by 30%."

"This method is the result of my hard work. In the future, when I reach the Xiantian Yuanci realm, I may be able to create something..."

He was about to describe his achievements in detail when he was interrupted.

"You said you were experimenting on mortals. How many people were there in total, and what were the consequences?"

Hong Fan asked.

"Forty-two people were used to achieve this result, and all of them died."

Feng Tianqing responded without any concealment.

"you……"

Gu Yixin was filled with anger and was held down by Hong Fan on the shoulders.

"All warriors have experienced the pain of opening meridians. It is the constant repetition of tearing and healing."

"And considering that the meridians of mortals are weak, how painful would it be to directly affect the eight extraordinary meridians?"

The latter said coldly.

“Mostly pain-free.”

Feng Tianqing shook his head slightly.

"On both sides of the third ventricle, the largest oval gray nucleus in the diencephalon is called the thalamus by doctors at the Shenjing Instrument Works Office."

He pointed his finger at the skull.

"I use my true energy to penetrate and destroy it. After that, the material will lose control of its body and can no longer walk or move. It will just sleep all day long."

"This is actually a good thing for my meridian research."

The words were like a cold wind, chilling the early summer afternoon.

Feng Tianqing's statement was so calm that the audience had the illusion that they were discussing fish and shrimp.

Some people swallowed their saliva and got goosebumps on the back of their necks.

"You have done such a wicked thing, and you still dare to say it?!"

Gu Yixin finally couldn't help it and slammed the table to question.

"I have heard that Gu Qiang Kui is dull about worldly matters; in fact, this matter cannot be viewed superficially."

Feng Tianqing was calm and composed.

"I am not a murderer, I do not enjoy torture, and I am not arrogant - I think my talents are far inferior to those of Master Hong."

"As for my actions, although they were minor evils, they were beneficial to martial arts, and the flaws did not outweigh the merits."

Gu Yixin was so angry that his face turned red: "What little evil? You killed someone!"

"This is true."

Feng Tianqing remained calm.

“But the value of human life is different.”

“If history is compared to a river, the life of a mortal is like the ripples on the water surface caused by the wind, short, shallow, and meaningless.”

"Brother Gu, your fierceness and anger towards my actions are only because you have given meaning to their existence with your own emotions."

“But my experiment was different.”

"If one of the Ten Scriptures is improved, even if it is only a little bit, it will have great significance for martial arts and our clan. In this way, the deaths of those forty-two people will also have meaning."

There was silence for a moment on the third floor of Wanghewan.

"That's bullshit!"

"Bastard!"

"Human life is of paramount importance. This has always been said!"

Someone in the crowd shouted.

Feng Tianqing leaned back in his chair, not looking for the person who was talking.
"Whether human life is at stake or not, I don't know."

"But I know that everyone is born to die. If so, what is the meaning of existence?"

"If that's the case, then what's the difference between human labor and the struggle for survival of ants or hunting of wild beasts?" He said this before turning around and scanning the crowd, his expression frank and self-satisfied.

"If ordinary people are compared to iron ore, then warriors are steel - more durable and tougher, and can be used for great purposes."

“So for thousands of years we made iron from ore, and steel from iron;
Isn't it painful for an iron ingot to be beaten thousands of times on an anvil?

But how can you get real steel without removing impurities?
There are many foreign tribes outside Kyushu. Isn't it worthwhile to exchange low-value human lives for stronger martial arts to strengthen the tribe?"

After he finished speaking, Hong Fan saw with his own eyes that many people nodded unconsciously.

At this point Gu Yixin was no longer able to refute, and his disgust was evident on the surface.

"What martial arts tribe? I think you are selfish and only seek to benefit yourself at the expense of others! If you were the material you mentioned, would you still think so?"

The person who spoke was Wu Yuan.

"May I ask your name?"

"Double Blades Thunder Wu Yuan."

Wu Yuanang is a common name.

"It turned out to be Mr. Wu."

Feng Tianqing obviously didn't know him, but he didn't ridicule him.

"Of course I have selfish motives. I promote the advancement of martial arts. This advancement uses me as a carrier, which does satisfy my selfish desires."

"But that doesn't invalidate what I just said."

"I am in this position, I have the talent and resources, so it is my choice."

"If I were born a commoner and was caught and tested by others, I might also hate them, but at that time I would be just an ordinary person and my life would be meaningless. What does it matter if I hate them or not?"

“My philosophy is that you can achieve lasting results at a small price.”

"Everyone, if the death of a thousand mortals can bring a new Ten Classics to the world, what do you think?"

Feng Tianqing turned around again and asked everyone questions.

A few people glared, while most people had flickering eyes.

Now Wu Yuan was speechless.

The other party was more honest than he thought, and therefore seemed impeccable.

"Mr. Hong?"

Feng Tianqing finally looked at Hong Fan, as if he felt that the latter could understand him.

Hong Fan finally spoke.

“There’s a saying that goes ‘sympathy for one’s own kind’.”

"Can you feel good about torturing your own kind?"

He asked the simplest question.

"Mr. Hong, are you accusing me of morality?"

Feng Tianqing shook his head in disappointment.

“Anyone who does great things in this world will hurt others. When the Hundred Victory Army raised the banner of rebellion, didn’t it also hurt many innocent people?
The Tianfeng Army soldiers who died under your sand flow all had parents and wives. Among those powerful landlords, there are also good people who have never done anything bad in their lives. Master Hong, have you ever heard their cries?"

He asked back with a sneer.

"Innocence is not a simple definition."

Hong Fan replied very seriously.

"Those people you are talking about, who do they serve, who do they parasite on, who do they get support from, and who do they comfort?"

"The rise of the rebellion is actually not that complicated. It is the simplest thing and can be explained in one sentence."

“It’s human nature to resist pain, so if you’re oppressed for too long, you’ll rebel.”

The crowd listened in silence.

"This kind of rebellion begins with violence, progresses in disorder, and ends in annihilation, so it is bound to be accompanied by death."

"When the fire rises to fight against the tide, how can there be room for a third party between the water and the fire?"

All breathing became lighter.

Feng Tianqing silently chewed on what he heard, chewing on the determination and strength contained therein.

"I ask your conscience, not to accuse you through the list of morality and justice, because morality and justice are not tangible and substantial things."

Hong Fan raised his arm out of the window and pointed his finger into the distance.

"Look at nature. You don't know why the mountains are green, and you don't know why the snow is white. How can you tell right from wrong between heaven and earth?"

"But humans are not nature. Humans are different from you and me, so they possess things. They have interests and harms because of possession, and they have right and wrong because of interests and harms."

"Feng Tianqing, I'm just asking something simpler - your feelings."

"When you tortured those people, did you feel any pity in your heart? When they died in front of you, did you feel guilty?"

Hong Fan asked one last question.

Feng Tianqing thought carefully and replied with four words.

"Not at all."

He noticed that Gu Yixin's gaze had changed. It was not just disgust, but also a look of strangeness as if he was looking at an alien.

"it is good."

Hong Fan nodded heavily.

"If so, there is no way Hong will be associated with you."

"Because I don't agree with it, because I can't stand it..."

He touched his left chest with his hand.

"Because I can't live with my conscience!"

"Conscience?"

Feng Tianqing encounters an unsolved mystery.

He had known this word since he was a child, but had rarely seen it in person. Before today, he did not think it had the power to influence the genius of the world.

"Master Hong risked his life to help the rebels, just for the sake of conscience?"

he asked.

"Why ask so many questions?"

Hong Fan laughed, but no one knew who he was laughing at.

"A man who makes a choice, puts all his efforts into achieving it, and then bears all the consequences is worthy of being called a real man."

Feng Tianqing was completely at a loss for words.

This is because the other party is equally undisguised, neither occupying a moral high ground to despise others, nor promoting the greatness and brightness of ideas for self-satisfaction.

Such a person cannot be defeated with words.

Just like himself.

"If we don't agree, why bother talking? Let's talk with our fists and feet tomorrow."

Hong Fan issued an order to expel the guests.

Feng Tianqing nodded, stood up, said what a pity, and strode away.

(End of this chapter)