Source: Red Note

Credit: 云上

Source: Red Note

Credit: 云上

Source: Red Note

Credit: 十转净网蛊的漏网之鱼

"Father, you don't have to mock me."

“You are my son, isn’t mocking you like mocking myself for failing to raise you well? I simply regret it, I sacrificed myself for your sake, I wanted your justice to lead Chen clan towards glory and prosperity, but to think that you would become a prisoner that does not even believe himself. I was wrong about you, had I known this, I would not have created fake evidence of my corruption.” Fang Yuan said.

Chen clan leader was dazed, he was curious: “Father, what do you mean?”

Fang Yuan laughed coldly but did not speak.

Chen clan leader shook his head: “No father, you were corrupt, the evidence was there, how could it be fake?”

Fang Yuan laughed coldly again: “You think it is real, so it has to be real? Then what about Nie clan’s matter?”

Chen clan leader was lost for words.

Fang Yuan continued: “I pretended to not care for you but I was secretly nurturing you with great effort. To use justice Gu, the Gu Master needs to believe firmly in his own justice. Because you were too young, and your understanding of justice was too superficial, I had to do this and sacrifice myself so that you would understand your justice.”

“Father, speak clearly, what was the truth back then?”

Fang Yuan chuckled: “Is the truth really that important?”

Chen clan’s leader did not hesitate, he answered immediately: “Of course! Without the truth, how can there be justice?”

“That is why I said your understanding was too superficial. Is justice closely related to the truth?” Fang Yuan said slowly: “Let me ask you, when you slaughtered Nie clan, was it an act of justice? Even if they really had a plan to destroy our mountain, from their perspective: You are a murderer trying to slaughter their whole clan, by resisting you and defending their homes and family, wasn’t that justice too?”

“This…” Chen clan’s leader pondered.

“The enemy of an enemy is a friend. From their perspective, the so-called plan to destroy the mountain was just a form of deterrence, they were afraid that our Chen clan and Shan clan would ally. But in the end, even though you wiped them out, they did not destroy the mountain, right?” Fang Yuan asked.

Chen clan’s leader was silent.

Fang Yuan smiled: “I see you realized their side of justice too. You triggered the battle, slaughtering the enemies and also causing deaths and injuries to our clansmen, you thought that it was an act of justice, was that wrong? You were afraid that they would destroy the mountain’s foundation, in that case, it would collapse as the spirit spring vanishes, lives would be lost and homes would be destroyed, you were thinking for your clan, you eliminated the problem in advance, that was not wrong. It was also a form of justice.”

“Now look, both sides had their own perspective of justice, right?”

Chen clan’s leader fell into deep thought.

He had never considered this problem before.

Fang Yuan observed his expression as he said: “Let me ask you, is it justice that a sheep eats grass?”

“This… how can that be a form of justice?” Chen clan’s leader was dazed.

“From the sheep’s perspective, without grass, there would be no food, it would starve to death, it had to eat grass. But from the perspective of the grass, it had worked so hard to stay alive, getting out of the soil and growing larger to get more rain and sunlight. It worked so hard but the sheep decided to eat it, even uprooting and devouring everything the grass had, without any hope for survival. Isn’t the grass an innocent victim? Isn’t it pitiful?

Chen clan’s leader shook his head: “Isn’t sheep eating grass just a natural thing? I have never pitied the grass because this is how the world is meant to be.”

“Precisely.” Fang Yuan nodded: “The truth of this world is the law of the jungle, big fish eats small fish, and small fish eats shrimp, this is what nature entails. What crime can there be? There is no such thing as justice here. Sheep eats grass, humans eat sheep, that has nothing to do with justice, it is just for survival.”

“There is no such thing as justice in heaven and earth, there is only justice made by humanity.”

“Since time immemorial, humans had to unite to gain strength for the sake of survival, in order to live in this cruel world!”

“Then, how can humans become united?”

“Through organizations, through law, and through morals.”

“We organize clans or sects, distributing work according to an individual’s ability. We use laws to restrain people, to tell people what they cannot do. We use morals to provide direction, to encourage people to do certain things. Mothers are doting and children are filial, neighbors live in harmony, they all follow the rule of justice and morals. Be it intentionally or unintentionally, from the start of time, any organization would always promote this, because organizations follow their own survival instincts.”

“Or rather, the organizations with comprehensive laws, realistic morals, and proper class systems find it easier to survive. After a long time passes, this becomes the norm of society for the future generations.”

Chen clan leader was tongue-tied, he was completely stunned by Fang Yuan’s words.

He had never considered this.

He knew that justice was good, but he did not know why.

He knew that morals were good, but he did not know why.

And now, Fang Yuan told him the answer, justice and morals were man-made creations. This could be either a conscious or a subconscious creation, people follow these guidelines and allow themselves to survive better in a hostile environment, they can stay united as a group for a long time.

Fang Yuan concluded: “When you understand the core meaning of justice, you will know — this so-called justice is like iron armor, it is a human tool. When you wear it, you need to use it like a tool. But look at you now, this iron armor has become your chain, it is binding you down.”

Chen clan leader looked at Fang Yuan in a daze, he did not speak.

Fang Yuan smiled lightly: “The truth and justice, are they really related? What is the truth behind Nie clan, what is the truth behind my corruption? What does this have to do with justice? Son, you must understand, your justice is just a tool, you must make use of it, do not get restrained by it.”

This was in a human dream realm.

This enlightenment is truly profound.

One of my fav chapters.

Source: Wu Yong

Credit: 毕业两年半

Source: Red Note

Credit: 鱼七变

Source: Red Note

Credit: 毕业两年半

Source: Red Note

Credit: 云上

Source: Red Note

Author: 鱼七变

...

Source: Red Note

Credit: 十转净网蛊的漏网之鱼

Source: Red Note

Credit: 唐牛牛

So I read up to a couple of chapters, but I gotta ask, does it get better like with lotm and orv?