The Legend of Fangren

Chapter 178 Take Action

The back door of Dandian.

"Did you tell your family about Xiao Fang's situation?"

"This old servant is simply reporting Miss's recent situation to the sect leader as usual. As for the sect leader's reaction, that's beyond my control."

The old man at the back door answered Zhu Huan'e. Although he addressed Zhu Huan'e as "Miss," his eyes were focused on the medicinal herb as he spoke, and he didn't even lift his head.

Zhu Huan'e was displeased and blamed him: "Xiao Fang comes to help you with chores every morning, but you want to harm him."

The old man retorted, "If you didn't want to harm him, why did you take him as your apprentice? Don't you have any selfish motives?"

"You—" These words struck a nerve with Zhu Huan'e.

"Since you, Miss, are so self-aware, please don't blame this old servant anymore. Our family is not as powerful as before, and in many matters, we must prioritize the sect. Otherwise, do you really want to sever ties with the Xuandan Sect? Do you know how much that would hurt the sect leader and how much it would affect the Xuandan Sect?"

The morning sunlight shone in through the back door, falling on the old man's hands, which were stained with the blood of the medicinal herbs, making them appear incredibly red.

"As you know, Miss, the reason why alchemists can sit in elegant alchemy rooms to refine pills is because of people like me with blood on their hands. How many people like me are there in the entire Xuan Dan Sect? If you are truly kind-hearted, Miss, please consider our years of hard work for the sect and don't ruin our meager livelihood."

The contrast between one person and hundreds or thousands of people is too heavy a burden on one's conscience.

Zhu Huan'e was speechless. With a sullen face, she returned upstairs, but as she entered the alchemy room, she remembered the old man's words.

He's right. If the Xuan Dan Sect were to decline and perish, it would affect too many people, and it's unknown how many of them were her relatives and friends who had been kind to her.

"Master, what's wrong? Is it some guy who insists on becoming your disciple again?"

The alchemist in the alchemy room asked a casual question, but his words inadvertently offended someone.

Zhu Zhu shouted, "Are you talking about me?"

Fang Shi immediately raised his hands in surrender. Who can you blame but yourself for taking this personally?

"You two." Zhu Huan'e looked at the two bickering lovers and felt a little better, but the worry between her brows was still there. She knew that her family was urging her to go back. Now that Zhu Zhu had come, her elders saw her rebellious side even more clearly, and she could no longer be indulged.

The ties of her large family were like shackles, preventing Zhu Huan'e from being as free as an ordinary cultivator, let alone leaving the world.

Fang Shi noticed his master's worry, so he stopped the playful Zhu Zhu and sat down beside her.

"Xiao Fang, your master has a question for you."

"What's the problem?"

"Is it worth sacrificing one person to bring stability to thousands?"

Fang Shi thought for a moment and said, "Are there any other conditions for this?"

"no."

"In my opinion, it's not worth it."

"Why?" Zhu Huan'e looked up and stared at him.

"If a problem can be solved by sacrificing one person, then what are the remaining thousands doing?"

"Because—there are always many such things, like family marriages or apprenticeships, that can bring stability to other people."

Zhu Huan'e's mood clearly dropped, and even Zhu Zhu noticed it.

With a guilty look on her face, she asked, "Sister Zhu, has my father and uncle caused you any trouble?"

"No." Zhu Huan'e forced a smile and comforted her in return.

But at this moment, Fang Shi bluntly said, "What a load of bull! Stability!"

How many great dynasties have fallen and perished? Which one could be prevented by so-called marriage alliances? Seeking peace has never been a trump card to save us from a desperate situation; it has always been a declaration of destruction.

Zhu Huan'e and Zhu Zhu immediately looked at Fang Shi, especially Zhu Zhu, who said, "You fellow, you seem so carefree and have quite the big mouth, but you have no idea how difficult it is to run a sect."

Fang Shi retorted without holding back, "At least I can't see any foresight or confidence in a guy who's obsessed with selling his daughter to curry favor with others."

"But when a sect declines, its members will always suffer the revenge of their past enemies, and even newborn children will be implicated."

Ultimately, Zhu Huan'e couldn't get past her own conscience.

Fang Shi, however, was much clearer, asking directly, "May I ask, Master, are most of the people under the Xuan Dan Sect alchemists?"

"No, most of them are just servants who do the work."

"I thought so too. Master, you're so kind. These so-called thousands of people must include the lowly servants." Fang Shi clapped his hands. "Then the problem is solved. For those thousands of people, does it matter whether the Xuan Dan Sect is the Xuan Dan Sect or not? Even if it's the Xuan Dao Sect or the Xuan Jian Sect, for those servants, they're still just doing their jobs."

"you mean--"

"What I mean is, no one should have to sacrifice themselves; let's all work together to find a way to live a good life."

"Sigh—" Faced with such a naive and presumptuous answer, Zhu Huan'e could only sigh and give up any hope.

Living a good life is something everyone wants, but it's easier said than done. The Xuan Dan Sect has cultivated alchemy for generations and has the most profound foundation in this field. If they can't continue their glory in alchemy, how can they possibly rise again in other sects after falling into decline?

Even a powerful dragon can hardly suppress a local snake. Don't be fooled by the Xuan Dan Sect's imposing presence as a major alchemy school. If they were to abandon alchemy, what kind of confidence would they have to challenge other sects and families?

"It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering—but I don't dislike your point of view." Zhu Zhu gave Fang Shi's final assessment, then chased after her to comfort her sister.

Fang Shi was left alone in the alchemy room, lost in thought.

After a long while, he stared at the ceiling and muttered to himself, "The environment... it's still lacking something."

Whether it's his master, Miss Huang, Zhu Zhu, Qu Mei, his childhood friend Luo He, or many other people.

It seems as if some force is forcing them to go against their will, which is inextricably linked to the increasing number of disasters in recent years. When times are tough, all sorts of absurd things are bound to happen.

"Looks like the leisurely days are coming to an end."

In the afternoon, Fang Shi took advantage of a free moment to go to the Ministry of War. He waited for half an hour before he finally got to see the person.

"I heard you were looking for me, Junior Brother Fang. What can I do for you? Please let me know if you need any help," Fei Xuange said as soon as he entered the tent.

Because Fang Shi saved the lives of many of his brothers and men, Fei Xuange would do his best to comply as long as he didn't make any demands that violated his principles.

However, after hearing Fang Shi's request, Fei Xuange was somewhat puzzled. It wasn't that the request was difficult, but rather that he couldn't understand the reason behind it.

"Junior Brother Fang, if you want to make a name for yourself, I can recommend you to our Ministry of War. With your extraordinary strength, you have a lot to offer. Why go and suffer in those mountains?"

Saying it's suffering is an understatement; if it were anyone else, he'd probably just ask them directly why they're so upset.

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