Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!-Chapter 646 - 399: Miao Zi’s Struggle, Great Qin’s National Teacher Yi Taoist, Taoist’s Astonishing Wisdom Reemerges._2

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"Even for us at Dragon Tiger Mountain, there might be some who would seek to exchange your head to settle scores with Yi Chengzi. It's not impossible."

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Seeing that Zhang Longyi remained silent, like neither man nor ghost, True Lord Yuanhong sighed again and continued his earnest admonition:

"That incident with the Liuying Jade was a warning in disguise, with shadows of various factions lurking behind. Long Yi, both you and that fool on the ground have been too careless."

"However, now that the factions have let Yi Chengzi disclose it, it means there is still room to turn things around. If you can endure for a while longer, I believe the factions will not keep hounding you. As for the rest of the matters, you... you should no longer dwell on them."

Deeply looking at his father, Zhang Longyi thought of the message conveyed by his trusted attendant today–his father's newly accepted concubine was pregnant, and next year, he would have another brother.

In that moment, Zhang Longyi suddenly felt an inexplicable surge of strength in his heart, which helped him suppress the malice within.

He rose expressionlessly and bowed, saying, "Your son understands and will act according to Father's words."

"Tonight's banquet hosted by the Heavenly Master, that wretch and I will definitely attend."

"That's good, Long Yi. Your father knows you've always valued your reputation. How about this: I'll have Qi Longhu ask the Heavenly Master to decree that the affair concerning Zhang Ronger is not to be discussed by the Dragon Tiger Mountain Disciples. It was, after all, a disgraceful matter."

"Father will go and mediate once more. I believe the people behind the factions will take the hint and stop."

"Thank you, Father."

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Ultimately, he was his own son. Seeing Zhang Longyi being so understanding, True Lord Yuanhong felt somewhat relieved. He swept his sleeve and with a creak, the door shut once more.

In matters of conflict, speed is of the essence. He needed to go and intervene immediately.

Looking at the closed door, Zhang Longyi's unfazed face regained expression. His gaze lingered on the direction True Lord Yuanhong had left, and then he glanced at the unconscious female cultivator on the floor, his eyes revealing a tangible bitterness and poison.

"You all... just wait for me. Even if I have to sell my soul to evil demons, I, Zhang Longyi, will surely have my vengeance."

"You owe me; this is your debt to me!"

His fingernails dug into his palm, and fresh blood dripped down along his fingernails. Zhang Longyi stood up, rubbed his face, and in a moment, his face was calm again.

For now, he could only endure in silence.

...

...

It was night by an unnamed river with a campfire burning nearby.

The thick logs crackled, and the air wafted with the scent of roasted fish.

Because Lin Luo had a sudden premonition, the departing envoy team set up camp by the river.

In the midst of the blazing firelight, a man and a cat were now eagerly enjoying the roasted fish.

A foot-long river fish, gutted and cleaned, was roasted over the fire until half-charred, then dipped into hot oil for frying, followed by re-frying, and finally, poached in a carefully prepared broth with scallions thrown on top–delicious indeed.

"Father, there's something I don't understand. How did you know that spreading the blurry Liuying Jade would definitely bait Zhang Longyi?"

Miao Zi gnawed on a dry fish while humbly asking Yi Chen for guidance.

The saying goes, to kill someone, strike at their heart. Having followed Yi Chen for a long time, Miao Zi understood that Zhang Longyi coming forward to swear oaths of innocence would maximize the artistic value of the situation. However, it still could not comprehend how Yi Chen was so certain that Zhang Longyi would take the bait.

"Heh, Miao Zi, you just don't get it," Yi Chen glanced at his wine cup, and seeing this, Miao Zi immediately filled it with wine from a jug with a paw. Only then, under the eager gaze of Miao Zi, did Yi Chen leisurely smile and say:

"Miao Zi, to do one's work well, one must first sharpen one's tools. Do you think all that information I got from Zhang Hu was wasted effort?"

"Let me tell you a story; then you'll understand."

"A cattle thief was caught and the county magistrate gave him three choices: pay ten taels of silver, take twenty floggings, or eat two pounds of cow dung. The thief was too stingy to pay the money, disgusted by the dung, and, believing himself to be strong, chose flogging. However, he couldn't endure halfway and switched to eating dung. But after two bites, he couldn't swallow anymore and ended up paying the ten taels of silver."

"Do you find this story amusing?"

"Zhang Longyi is that cattle thief–selfish and narrow-minded, mean and ungracious. He didn't want to pay more, so in the end, he lost even more."

"That's why it doesn't matter if my approach is crude; it definitely works on Zhang Longyi. If I used the same tactic on brother Zhang Yahoo, with his caution and prudence, it certainly wouldn't work."

After gulping down the fish off the bamboo skewer, leaving only bones, and casually throwing the bones into the fire, Yi Chen turned to pet Miao Zi's head and smiled, saying:

"My child, those without exceptional wisdom always look for shortcuts and end up losing more."

At that moment, Yi Chen's eyes were incredibly deep, as he thought of his past life.

Zhuangzi's "On Woodcutters in the Mountains" says that amid the ordinary, there should be transformations like dragons and serpents. Times change, and so strategies must change as well; this was a lesson deeply ingrained in him from his past life as a leader of the common folk.

This idea is analogous to the fact that things are constantly changing and developing.

In some eras, brute growth is enough for one to live well, just by being bold. But some paths that were once walkable, if you still tread the same way now, you end up either destitute or... in jail.

Therefore, new strategies are necessary.

For example, in his era of great influence, those who could not endure the sufferings of the lowly classes, without backgrounds of the rich, yet still dreaming of instant success, were the very best kind of easy targets, glowing with naïveté.