The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 199 Deception
As the black dragon drew ever closer, Du Yuan felt much more at ease.

I wasn't wrong; this guy was indeed being led around by me!

First, she took the initiative to break the silence, and then she couldn't help but offer her own 'value'.

Hehe, it seems this black dragon really wants to get out.

Of course, these old folks are all living longer than the last, so their behavior could very well be a trap set specifically for me.

Therefore, I need to be even more careful!

Hmm, how should I answer that?
How can I answer in a way that leads him to the answer he wants, while also remaining true to my identity and without giving myself away?

After a moment's thought, Du Yuan smiled and said:
"Have you truly repented?"

Upon hearing this, Heilong's heart skipped a beat, but he still composed himself and replied, "After being imprisoned for so many years, the resentment and bitterness I felt back then have long since faded away."

Although he narrowly escaped death during that imprisonment, he was ultimately a prisoner personally locked up in this place by the God of the West, unlike the others who endured their own tribulations.

After all these years, he couldn't even fall into a complete "sleep" like others. He could only count the days in a half-dream, half-awake state, and he had long since had enough of this feeling.

He really wanted to get out.

It sounds like there's no problem, but we still need to continue.

Du Yuan then smiled and said, "If that's really the case, then why is it still like this?"

Heilong's heart pounded even harder.

What exactly does "bull's nose" mean?
If I truly repent, why are the shackles still on me?

Or is it an allusion to the fact that although one's physical body is constrained, one's obsessions have not
Black Dragon was deep in thought, and Du Yuan was also watching his expression intently.

But a moment later, Du Yuan discovered a somewhat helpless reality—ordinary people can hide their thoughts and not reveal them on the surface.

Moreover, this is a dragon that doesn't even have a 'human face'.
Let alone the fact that he might have hidden his true thoughts, even if he hadn't, he still couldn't understand a dragon's expression!

So Du Yuan simply withdrew her scrutiny and squatted down to look at him with a smile.

After much deliberation, Heilong said:

"I don't quite understand what you mean."

Du Yuan's smile remained unchanged as she gently tapped her fingertips on the water mirror.

"Is it genuine ignorance, or feigned ignorance?"

As the small mark on the waist approached the water mirror, ripples spread out.

The debate over mountains and rivers has existed since ancient times.

The rain outside is about to fall, and this black dragon is an indispensable help.

Therefore, Du Yuan had to find out whether the dragon was truly repentant—after all, it was a prisoner who had been imprisoned for countless years, and who knew if it would go mad immediately if released.

Of course, we shouldn't just believe this old man's side of the story. These shrewd and calculating individuals are not easily manipulated.

Du Yuan's real plan was to make the black dragon completely believe that only by following her methods could he regain his freedom.

At that time, it will be clear whether he is genuinely repentant and wants to do good, or whether he is just being hypocritical and harboring malicious intentions.

He himself does not understand the three major schools of thought or the teachings of Buddhism, nor does he understand cultivation. Once he really discusses it in depth, his flaws will be exposed in an instant.

But there's no need for me to actually argue with a bunch of old fogies about cultivation!

All you need to do is make good use of your abilities!

The black dragon's pupils constricted as it stared at the ripples that appeared as Du Yuan lightly touched the surface!

This is a prison set up by the God of the Sun himself.

Under normal circumstances, even if he risked his life, he wouldn't be able to budge it in the slightest!
Even the guy who previously possessed the decree of the God of Dawn almost got trapped here forever in this cage because of his cleverness. But even that guy with the decree of the God of Dawn, when faced with the cage's counterattack, could only get out by sheer luck by swapping himself with an unlucky guy who somehow fell in.

For this, they even destroyed the hard-won decree of the God of the Sun!

And now, this Taoist priest has so easily shaken what the God of Dawn left behind?!

He, he really let me out!
"I want the Taoist priest to know that over the years, I have indeed accumulated a lot of resentment in my heart. However, after being tormented for so many years, I am truly afraid of this place!"

"If the Taoist priest can really let me out, even if I harbor great resentment in my heart, I will not dare to cross the line again!"

Yes, that makes a lot of sense. It's not that they've changed, it's that they're afraid.

It certainly matches my understanding of these old things.

Let's try continuing.

"The Tao Te Ching says, 'Existence and non-existence give rise to each other, and difficulty and ease complement each other.' So, do you see, is this copper chain that binds you here an existence or a non-existence?"

Black Dragon asked in surprise:
"This statement is one of the true meanings of Taoism, and I have studied it, but it has absolutely nothing to do with this place!"

This means that all things in the world exist in opposition, yet they are also fundamental to each other.

No matter how I look at it, it has nothing to do with my imprisonment.

Whether or not there is a copper chain is completely irrelevant!
Du Yuan shook her head and said:
"That's why I asked you earlier, do you think this copper chain exists or not?"

The black dragon was puzzled, but this Taoist was a legitimate high-level Taoist cultivator who had just managed to shake the remnants left by the God of Dawn.

Therefore, he spoke:

"This chain has imprisoned me for far more than a thousand years, perhaps even ten thousand! It's only natural that it has!"

That's right, that's more like it! You have to follow my lead and not try to figure things out on your own.

That way, everyone's happy. How wonderful!

Du Yuan laughed:

"Do you know that 'observing the Way is like observing water, to observe its movement; observing the Way is like observing fire, to observe its brightness'? You are trapped here, seeing chains and thinking of breaking free, seeing a well and blaming heaven and earth, but have you ever seen that these chains are originally meant to protect you?"

Black Dragon was increasingly astonished:

"This well imprisons me, these chains torment me, how can they be called protecting me?"

If he weren't still in prison and might not be able to defeat the Taoist priest, Black Dragon would probably have already become enraged and started fighting.

Seeing that the other party had completely fallen into her trap of words, Du Yuan felt even more confident:
"I won't spout any more lofty platitudes like 'attain utmost emptiness, maintain steadfast stillness.' I'll just ask you, if you hadn't been imprisoned back then, would you be free to fly in the sky and leap across the sea, or would you have long since turned into a pile of withered bones?"

Black Dragon was furious and was about to speak, but at the last moment, he choked.

Having been imprisoned for so many years, he knew his son was eccentric and unruly, daring to disregard even the decrees of the God of the West and utterly ignoring Confucian rules. If he hadn't been imprisoned back then, perhaps, possibly, truly...
Seeing this, Du Yuan looked at him and smiled:
"The chains still remain, but they have also restrained your immense sins; otherwise, calamity would have already befallen you!"

The black dragon's pupils contracted sharply, and its claws instinctively reached for the lock.

“The saying goes, ‘Accepting one’s fate is the highest virtue.’ Your obsession with getting out of the well is like a frog at the bottom of a well obsessing over the size of the world.” Du Yuan turned to look at the swirling blue halo above her head, her voice as soft as falling snow. “The world has no cages; it is you who have made ‘freedom’ a new shackle. When you understand this, these chains will break.”

Black Dragon was speechless with astonishment.

Could there be such a profound meaning here?!

Many things need to be said depending on who says them.

Unknown figures, juniors, and even those of the same realm would surely be ridiculed and scorned by this black dragon.

The problem now is that Du Yuan has easily shaken the great cultivator left behind by Xi Shen in the eyes of the Black Dragon!

(End of this chapter)