Martial arts ascend to the gods

Chapter 611 Tiger Bear
Zhao Cong sighed softly and said, "You should know that I once had goodwill towards you. Back then, some people in the Zhao family wanted to take you down, but I said, 'Wait a little longer. A martial artist like Wang Boxiong shouldn't suffer that kind of treatment.'"

“I’ve heard of it,” Wang Boxiong said calmly.

"I don't understand why you won't accept my goodwill? Is it just because of that jade cong? I will personally go to your father, kowtow, apologize, and admit the mistakes of our Zhao family!"

Zhao Cong's words were resounding and powerful, and given his status as Governor-General of Liangjiang, they were deeply moving.

Most people would have their hearts melt upon hearing this.

Wang Boxiong remained unmoved and slowly said, "When I was a child, I hated your Zhao family for more than ten years because of that piece of jade, but in recent years, the hatred has gradually faded. Because I have slowly come to understand a principle: everyone will hear some flute music, and everyone will feel some wind. We cannot take some accidental things as inevitable, and then hold grudges and forget to move forward."

"As humanity moves forward, it will inevitably pay a price. It's normal for a speck of dust from the past to fall on our heads occasionally. Living in this era, we must be aware of this."

"It's like in chaotic times, you have to be prepared to die at any moment."

“I agree, and so do many of my friends, and countless others.”

Wang Boxiong's voice was deep, as if a millstone was rolling in his throat.

Zhao Cong asked, "Then why do you still oppose the Zhao family?"

Wang Boxiong's lips curled slightly, revealing a strange mockery.

"You do not understand?"

"I don't understand," Zhao Cong replied.

"I don't understand, why is it always us! I understand even less, why is it always you! Why can't it be you!"

The stone mill in Wang Boxiong's throat seemed to explode, shaking the night with a deafening roar.

An unnatural look flashed across Zhao Cong's face; he understood.

Zhao Cong was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Survival of the fittest."

Wang Boxiong lit a cigarette and gazed into the deep sky.

"Yes, I used to think the same way you did. Until a question popped into my head: insects are like this, wild beasts are like this, orcs are like this, demons are like this, if humans are like this too, then are humans just monkeys with tools? Just orcs who know martial arts? Just demons with a sense of morality?"

"If it only went this far, it would seem quite normal, until I looked through some information about advanced civilizations translated by Zhou Leng. A question popped into my head: what should an advanced civilization look like?"

"Just a monkey with divine power? An orc piloting a starship? A demon with a slightly better temper?"

"I can't find the answer. But I know that a truly advanced civilization shouldn't be like this."

"Therefore, I always feel that I, Wang Boxiong, should not just be a monkey holding tools. I should try to break through something in order to surpass the limits of elementary civilization and get closer to advanced civilization."

Zhao Cong said, "I don't object to what you said, but we have to take things one step at a time, and eat one bite at a time."

Wang Boxiong turned his head and looked at Zhao Cong with a strange gaze.

"Can't you see that you've eaten all the food? We're starving!"

"That's an exaggeration. The Martial Academy has been using various methods to ensure people's livelihood and do its best to prevent people from starving to death."

“Look, this is the biggest difference between us. You think we are pigs, only fit to eat feed, only need to be kept from starving, only need to maintain the standard of not rebelling. But we think we are human beings.”

“You are a grandmaster, but you can also be a human being,” Zhao Cong said meaningfully.

"Zhou Leng asked a question on the stage of life and death, and I'm asking you the same question. Can you help me answer this question? If I advance to the Grandmaster level and end up like you, how can I convince the me who is holding my report card and looking at my father who is sleeping soundly? How can I convince the me who believes in fairness, justice, and kindness? How can I convince the me who scattered my friend's ashes in the river? How can I convince the me who is just a human being?"

Zhao Cong opened his mouth, but had no answer.

Wang Boxiong turned around and walked towards the military tent, talking as he went.

“I had already forgiven the Zhao family, but your influence, again and again, has been blowing on me without ever stopping. I heard my father’s flute, Ma Xingkong’s flute, Tong Tianxia’s flute, and Zhou Leng’s flute. Until, what you considered a small act of willfulness, blew Chen Shouhu and me off the battlefield. And then, I heard the flute music coming from my own mouth.”

Walked a few more steps.

"Tell me, is it possible that in a normal society, I, Wang Boxiong, should not have been treated that way without you having to ask? And what about Ma Xingkong, Zhou Leng, and everyone else?"

Zhao Cong lit a cigarette; he hadn't smoked in a long time, for the sake of martial arts and advancement.

He took a puff, exhaled the smoke softly, threw the cigarette on the ground, and crushed it with his foot.

"There's nothing wrong with being a monkey with a knife and fork," he said, seemingly both defending himself and mocking himself.

Wang Boxiong's voice drifted from afar: "You think you're sitting at a round table covered with a white cloth, with white plates in front of you, but behind you, bigger monkeys, with bigger knives and forks, are sitting at a bigger table, looking down at the round table covered with a white cloth in front of you, which is just their white plates."

Zhao Cong's lips trembled.

He understands.

Only by overturning the table in front of yourself can you jump off someone else's plate.

too difficult.

Keep your head down and eat as much as you can.

Zhao Cong smiled slowly, raised his head, and straightened his chest.

He watched Wang Boxiong's retreating figure and shouted, "Do you dare go to Zhao Palace?"

It seemed like mockery, yet also like self-mockery.

Wang Boxiong walked away, seemingly oblivious to what had happened.

The army returned the next day.

On a small hill in the Water Island Demon City, a strong wind blows along the cliff edge.

Chen Shouhu, wearing a black hood, walked towards Tong Tianxia.

"It's rare for you to take the initiative to contact me." Tong Tianxia's skin glowed with a dark gold as he gazed at the horizon.

"Count me in on that matter you mentioned."

"Why did you suddenly change your mind? Weren't you always against us doing that?"

Chen Shouhu remained silent for a long time before speaking.

“I always felt that as I continued to cultivate myself and climb higher, I would definitely find a better way, a peaceful way that could be tolerated by all parties. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it. And there wasn’t enough time.”

Tong Tianxia said, "I remember you always said that becoming a saint is the most important thing, nothing is more important than becoming a saint. Many times, you are even more diligent than Wang Boxiong."

“I used to think that way, until Wang Huaixiong asked me, ‘What is the purpose of becoming a Saint?’ I suddenly realized that I didn’t actually care about becoming a Saint. I just felt since I was a child that once I became a Martial Saint, I could eliminate those bad people. So…”

Chen Shouhu paused for a moment, then continued, "I've discovered that some things are more important than my ascension to sainthood. I can't watch those things happen again and again while ignoring them and focusing on my cultivation. I can't do it. I've tried many times, but I can't."

"Because they were forced onto the death row?"

"I thought that after I advanced to the Grandmaster level, I would at least be able to sit at the table, but when the Zhao family made their move, I realized that I was just standing on a newer and bigger plate."

Chen Shouhu's gaze was calm, completely unlike the impulsive and irritable Chen Fenghu he usually was.

"Didn't you say that only a Martial Saint could solve this?" Tong Tianxia asked.

"They are old, their eyesight and hearing are failing. They can see the monsters in the distance, but they can't hear the flute music around them."

"And what about their descendants?"

Chen Shouhu suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh and said slowly.

"Do you remember that widely circulated news screenshot? A reporter was standing in a train carriage, interviewing passengers, asking, 'Did you buy a ticket?'"

"I'm the kind of person who's had a train ticket since I was a child. I've always sat in the carriage, occasionally complaining that the seats are too narrow, the smell is too strong, and the boxed meals are expensive and unpalatable. Sometimes I'll feel sentimental about the scenery outside the window."

"Until one day, I suddenly saw a child running outside the train with a large bundle on his back."

"I watched with a smile, praising the child's courage, even giving him a thumbs up. I even fantasized that we would meet at the next stop."

"Later, we did meet again at the next stop."

"He didn't even enter the train car, let alone the platform."

"His ticket was stolen."

"He was sweating, carrying a bundle on his back, and looking at me with his bright black eyes."

"The train started moving, and I didn't know what was happening. I could only watch the child get further and further away from me."

"It wasn't until the train turned the corner that I saw the tracks behind it, covered with white bones and still wet with blood."

“I have witnessed one rising star after another being crushed to death by the burdens left by their predecessors. There are too many, you know? So many that I even feel that this was the end that those people were meant to have, and it’s all normal.”

"Until I saw Zhou Leng, who was like the rising sun, I was almost crushed by the heavy burden they left behind, and I felt a chill all over my body."

"We can't go on like this. We can't let more descendants like Zhou Leng be buried under the tracks. They should be sitting in the car, moving forward, ever forward."

"I don't want to say who's right or wrong, and I don't want to blame anyone. But..."

"I cannot pass on the burden we created to future generations. We will take back our Shangganling."

“Okay,” Tong Tianxia said.

Chen Shouhu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Don't look for Wang Huaixiong. He's the worst. Keeping him around will only cause more trouble for the demons."

Tong Tianxia did not respond.

After the two parted ways, Tong Tianxia wandered around the Water Island Demon City to make sure no one was watching him before entering an abandoned mine.

After several twists and turns, we entered an underground cave with dim miner's lamps.

A tall figure stood inside.

"Has the time been set for that matter?" Wang Boxiong, wearing a black hood, looked at Tong Tianxia as he walked in.

"We need to communicate with the Hell Knights to coordinate our actions at the same time."

"Do you need my help with those cars?"

"Not needed at the moment."

“This is the latest evidence of the Zhao family’s crimes,” Wang Boxiong said, handing over a folder.

Tong Tianxia accepted it.

After chatting for a while, Tong Tianxia checked the time and said, "I have to pick someone up, I'll be going now."

"Okay, we'll talk later."

The Wasteland Demon City is the border between the world of demons and the world of ferocious beasts.

A herd of eight-toothed mammoths galloped at full speed, and on one of the eight-toothed mammoths stood a giant black-armored wolf with flowing fur, exuding extreme coldness.

(End of this chapter)