Yefutidaolu

Chapter 315 The Only Class

He patted Yang Ling on the shoulder, the force not heavy, but carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"Let's go. What happens here is no longer our concern. Qilin Shen has chosen his own path. We should go back."

Gao Jian stopped looking at Qilin Shen and turned to walk back the way he came.

Yang Ling stood there, his expression complex as he looked at Qilin Shen, then at Gao Jian's departing figure. Qilin Shen nodded slightly to him, his eyes calm and unwavering, as if silently confirming Gao Jian's words. Finally, Yang Ling gritted his teeth.

I quickly caught up with your insightful opinion.

The two left. Takami had traveled such a long way to reach Raijinhara, but he only stayed for less than a quarter of an hour before leaving.

Yang Ling, who was hoping that Gao Jian and Qilin Shen would reach an agreement, left in bewilderment, looking very unwilling.

The wind still howled over the barren plain, sweeping across this empty, hollow land. Qilin Shen stood alone in the wind, gazing south.

almost.

Yang Ling still had doubts.

What are Qilin Shen and Gao Jian up to?
Actually, there's nothing special about it.

Gao Jian and Qilin Shen are actually incapable of trusting each other.

Or rather, Gao Jian can trust Qi Lin Shen, but Qi Lin Shen cannot trust Gao Jian; he would never carry out Gao Jian and Yang Ling's plan.

Whether it's foolish or stubborn, that's just how things are.

Yang Ling's plan was doomed to fail, and Qilin Shen never intended to cooperate with Yang Ling.

Qilin Shen is just doing his own thing.

Gao Jian saw things very clearly, but Yang Ling, a smart man, made a mistake on this matter.

No, it's not fair to say he was confused. It's more accurate to say that Yang Ling has some idealism about him, even though he is very capable.

"Yang Ling, let's not linger here any longer. Let's go back first, and I'll explain everything to you on the way," Gao Jian said.

"Wait, can't we say it here?" Yang Ling refused to leave.

He just couldn't understand why things had to come to this point.
There was clearly a better way: let the tribes beyond the Great Wall settle in the border region and use their strength to fight against the Jin family and those parasites in Youming. Gao Jian revealed his identity, which would be enough to deter the villains.

Once the situation stabilizes, Yang Ling can rightfully step into the power center of Liangzhou with the merit of "subduing the various tribes and stabilizing the border." This is a win-win-win situation: the Qilin tribe gets a respite, the border people are spared from the ravages of war, and Yang Ling can realize his ambitions.

Are Gao Jian and Qilin Shen the moles?
However, Gao Jian pulled him aside and said, "You've dealt with Qilin Shen more than I have. Do you think he's the kind of person who talks nonsense? Or do you think I am?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Ling felt as if he had been doused with cold water, and instantly calmed down.

Clearly, Gao Jian and Qilin Shen are not fools; in fact, in some ways, they are even more capable than Yang Ling. The two of them reached a consensus on their very first meeting that Yang Ling must be the one with the problem.

Neither Qilin Shen nor Gao Jian were fools; they saw things more clearly than I did.

"Alright... let's go back first. We can talk about these things on the way back. If things don't convince me, I'll come back. Then Lord Gao will have to come back." Yang Ling forced a smile and told a joke.

“Alright, I’ll walk back then. It’ll just be a little painful on my feet.” Gao Jian said, bidding farewell to Qilin, and then pulled the reluctant Yang Ling along, preparing to leave.

Gao Jian bid farewell to the Qilin tribe, and then, with Yang Ling on his back, as soon as they mounted the strange beast, Yang Ling couldn't wait to ask, "So, Lord Gao, is there something I haven't figured out? You two didn't seem to have exchanged anything, yet you made the same decision at this time. There must be a reason for that."

Gao Jian, riding on the strange beast, said calmly, "Isn't it obvious? You expect Qilin Shen to believe that the two of us from the Divine Dynasty can bring them fairness and justice? You expect a pack of wolves driven by hatred and survival instinct to follow the rules after entering the sheepfold? Yang Ling, isn't Qin Long giving you too much confidence?"

Gao Jian knew that Yang Ling had once subdued Qin Long with just a few words, making this grandmaster of two passes work for him. This was indeed very impressive, but this trick couldn't be used all the time.

"Of course I'm not going to rely on just words. That's why I'm planning to seize the border. It's to prove my credibility to the Qilin tribe. After this, I can replace the Liangzhou aristocratic families and at least start to truly seize power locally. What's wrong with that? With such benefits, what's wrong with Qilin Shen taking a gamble and trusting me once? Lord Gao, didn't you also take a gamble and trust me once? Have I disappointed you?" Yang Ling said anxiously.

Gao Jian shook his head: "You can't be that clueless, can you? In this world, how many 'win-win-win' situations are there? You think it's a win-win-win, but Qilin Shen is gambling with the lives of the entire tribe, not just his own. To put it bluntly, it's a life-or-death struggle between the Divine Dynasty and the tribes beyond the Great Wall. Qilin Shen's choice to die wasn't foolish; it was precisely because he saw through this unsolvable deadlock and chose to use his own life to exchange for a more certain opportunity for the tribe, one that was more in line with his understanding—an opportunity that didn't require the tribe's fate to be entrusted to the 'goodwill' and 'plans' of the Divine Dynasty."

“Your win-win-win strategy, if executed well, could earn you a hundred, but it could also lose you a hundred,” Gao Jian said.

Yang Ling then chimed in, "And his plan, no matter what, won't lose a hundred, right?"

Clearly, Yang Ling already knew the reason after hearing this.

The Qilin tribe would never accept the option of losing 100, no matter what. They would rather earn less than lose more, because they cannot afford to lose.

Therefore, Yang Ling's win-win-win situation was just a pipe dream for them. Gao Jian nodded: "Yes, and besides, do you really think the Qilin Tribe are any good people?"

Gao Jian's words made Yang Ling frown. He couldn't help but say, "The noble families of the Divine Dynasty have committed countless evil deeds. They have no compassion in their hearts and are always doing evil. They have never done a good deed. Their actions have harmed and abused the people. They are greedy, cruel, and ruthless. Under the rule of the Divine Dynasty, there are often regrets of parents not being able to protect their children and couples abandoning each other in bed. There are also frequent tragedies of thousands of cities being empty and thousands of miles of smoke being extinguished. They are also arrogant, extravagant, and licentious, exhausting the strength of the living and draining the wealth of the world. Even ghosts would find it difficult to do this. However, the noble families and even the government of the Divine Dynasty have not repented. They rely on the strength of the masses and only use force to oppress, without thinking of leniency. They have committed the massacre of Shang Xin, which has made gentlemen speechless and wise men silent. Compared with them, anyone can be considered a good person."

"Furthermore, the Qilin tribe lives a miserable life, far worse than the lives of the people of the Divine Dynasty. This is what I mean by living in the same world, while the aristocratic families live in another world. Those in the same world are naturally companions, while those in another world are enemies. I think Lord Gao understands this principle, right? I can understand that the Qilin tribe does not trust us, but I cannot understand why you think they are evil people."

Yang Ling spoke with conviction, seemingly trying to persuade Gao Jian.

Gao Jian simply smiled, then said softly, "Yang Ling, you said the aristocratic families of the Divine Dynasty are corrupt, exploiting the people and are parasites. That's true. But Yang Ling, tell me—"

At this point, Gao Jian's gaze suddenly sharpened, his eyes like lightning. "The tribes of the grasslands... how could they possibly be good people?"

"The Taotie tribe, infamous for its cannibalism, has still joined the Divine Dynasty. And the Qilin tribe? Don't they eat people?" Gao Jian's voice was not loud, nor was it calm, but he was not prepared to back down here: "For survival, for the continuation of their tribes, they plunder the borders, slaughter villages of the Divine Dynasty, and steal women and children's food. What haven't they done? What haven't they dared to do? What hasn't left them with countless blood debts? Haven't the innocent souls died unjustly under their blades? When they run out of grass seeds, don't they annex weaker tribes, seize their stored food, and cut off their path to survival? On this Blade Plain, survival itself is a life-or-death struggle for plunder. In essence, what is the difference between them and the powerful families of our Divine Dynasty who compete for resources? One is merely wearing the cloak of 'etiquette and law,' while the other is more naked."

"The Divine Dynasty is ruthless, but what good are the grassland royal court and the various tribes of strange beasts? The Taotie tribe eats people, so would the Divine Dynasty not accept them? And if they were accepted, would they think of them as some kind of terrible beasts? The Taotie tribe, including the other four barbarian tribes, are they any different from the aristocratic families?"

"But what good can come of it if you expect these outsiders from the Qilin tribe to bring you fairness and justice? You think that the Qilin tribe and the suffering people of the Divine Dynasty live in the same world, so they are the same people, compatriots, and can help each other, but... are they really the same people?" Gao Jian questioned.

"Why not?" Yang Ling's brows furrowed even more deeply. He said, "Lord Gao, you only see their actions, but not their reasons. Whether it's Qilin Shen, those ordinary Qilin tribesmen who pick up grass seeds on the edge of a blade and eat a mouthful of blood with every bite of food, or even those infamous Qilin warriors... why are they like this? Are they inherently bloodthirsty? No, it's because they live in this Blade Plain, under the oppression of the Divine Dynasty. It is these things that force them to plunder, fight, and become ruthless, for they cannot survive without these things. How are they any different from these suffering people?!"

“Peel back this fierce exterior worn for survival, and what lies beneath? Inside, there is flesh and blood exactly like those farmers in the Divine Dynasty who toil in the fields, yet are exploited by powerful families to the point of starvation! There is a heart exactly the same as that of the soldiers and civilians on the Liangzhou border who suffer from the constant threat of barbarian cavalry and live in constant fear!”

"So-called barbarians are nothing more than people who are illuminated by the same sun and moon, and battered by the same rain, snow, wind, and frost—the same kind of people! They endure different forms of suffering, but the essence of suffering is no different, so what does it matter?"

Yang Ling raised his voice slightly, and as he spoke, he remained steadfast in his goals and beliefs.

Of course, we are unwavering!

Yang Ling has persevered until now, risking his life at any moment, using every possible means—isn't it all for this reason? He genuinely believes in his own views, genuinely believes he is right, and everything he has done is to uphold his sense of justice.
"Pfft—" Upon hearing this, Gao Jian suddenly burst out laughing.

To be honest, Gao Jian really didn't expect Yang Ling to say that in the end.

Therefore, Gao Jian is preparing to have a real, in-depth conversation with Yang Ling.

He continued, “The people suffer. The people of the Divine Dynasty suffer from the exploitation by powerful families, and the barbarians beyond the Great Wall suffer from the harshness of nature and tribal warfare. This is all true.”

When this topic came up, Gao Jian's voice remained calm: "But Yang Ling, have you thought about it? For your 'grand plan,' for getting onto that stage, what about the people you killed on that ship? Did they suffer? Did their families suffer? Aren't they the 'people' you claim to be saving?"

"And what kind of good person are you?"

In the past, Yang Ling, in order to stop Gao Jian, did not hesitate to destroy the flying boat, killing everyone on board.

"That was for the greater good," Yang Ling argued.

“The Divine Dynasty families and the Qilin tribe are all acting for the greater good. They all have their own greater good, and so do you,” Gao Jian said.

“Everyone has their own reasons.” Gao Jian’s gaze seemed to pierce through Yang Ling, seeing countless faces struggling under hatred, greed, and the pressure of survival. “The aristocratic families of the Divine Dynasty have their reasons for maintaining their privileges, Qilin Shen has his reasons for fighting for the survival of his tribe, you, Yang Ling, have your reasons for realizing your ambitions and changing the landscape, and even those ordinary people who were robbed, slaughtered, and sacrificed have their reasons for living and seeking peace.”

His voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a chilling undertone:
"But what happens when these 'principles' collide? It leads to mutual struggle, mutual suspicion, mutual scheming, and mutual killing! The aristocratic families of the Divine Dynasty oppress the people, the tribes of the grasslands plunder the borders, and you, Yang Ling, are willing to sacrifice the innocent to rise to power... One link leads to another, hatred upon hatred, and killing begets killing! The final result is that more people are plunged into deeper suffering and despair! It's all accumulated little by little like this!"

"You say mortals and the Qilin tribe live in the same world? What world are you talking about? They are fundamentally different, and this difference is not due to their environment, but to their power!"

Yes, because of power!
Looking at Yang Ling's ever-changing expression, Gao Jian finally let out a low sigh: "Alas, in the end, it's all because of high-level cultivators."

"The underlying logic of the Divine Dynasty lies in its high-level cultivators."

The rescuer and the rescued are sometimes just two sides of the same coin, struggling and sinking in a vortex called "survival".

Yang Ling felt that the common people were suffering, but weren't the people on the boat who were killed by him also suffering?

Everyone has their own reasons, but in the end, what everyone does is fight and kill each other, ultimately plunging more people into suffering.

why?
the reason is simple.

The underlying logic, the foundation of existence, and the laws governing the operation of the Divine Dynasty, and indeed everything in this world, have never been based on 'popular sentiment,' 'morality,' or even 'survival' itself.

It lies in only one thing: power. More precisely, the level of spiritual cultivation.

The level of spiritual cultivation itself is the only true hierarchy.

The aristocratic families are, the Hu people are, and even Yang Ling and Gao Jian themselves are!
(End of this chapter)