Reincarnated as the Death Spider Queen, sacrificing Bibi Dong at the start

However, in the eyes of these powerful figures who are adept at political maneuvering, the so-called "mentally deranged alter ego" is nothing but a complete political lie!

That was nothing more than a fig leaf that Bibi Dong deliberately fabricated to eliminate dissidents and shift the blame for the murders!

After all, in recent years, whenever the Spirit Hall had any radical reform policies to issue, and encountered obstruction from those stubborn conservatives, the legendary "Pope's clone" would appear on time.

Then... those opposition members would always be inexplicably executed along with their entire families, dying completely!

Afterwards, the Papal Palace issued a lukewarm announcement, saying that the clone had gone out of control and that the Pope himself was trying his best to suppress it.

And now… this living, breathing man in front of her is actually telling her, by his own mouth, that the clone that everyone thought was just a political pretext actually exists?!

"Didn't I tell you this before?" Nan Feng looked at Tang Yuehua's utterly bewildered expression and scratched his head in confusion.

Tang Yuehua's eyes twitched violently: "When did you ever tell me something like this?!"

"Oh, I must have forgotten by accident. I'm sorry."

Nan Feng gave a perfunctory reply without any sincerity.

"Alright, since we've come this far, I might as well tell you now. Bibi Dong and I are fundamentally two completely different people. Although on the surface, I am her clone in the Spirit Hall, I have other identities now that I'm out of Spirit City."

"Oh no, to be precise, they are two Demon God Douluo disguised as beings."

"One of them is the male Demon God Douluo who instantly killed two Title Douluos from the Spirit Hall at the Hanhai City dock a few days ago."

"And the other one is the little loli look that came to Tiandou City to cause trouble for your Yuexuan a long time ago. But that look has now been renamed Poseidon and is now claimed to be my Demon God Douluo's younger sister."

"In other words, I now have three identities at the same time."

"That fearsome Pope clone in the Spirit Hall is me; that ruthless male Demon God Douluo on Seagod Island is me; even that little loli named Poseidon... they are all me."

After hearing this unbelievable confession, Tang Yuehua felt a chill run down her spine.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil surging within her, and couldn't help but ask, "You... you're not planning to come up with some new identity next, are you?"

"Why not if there's a need?"

Nan Feng shrugged. "After all, you're a smart person. You should have realized that every identity I've painstakingly created has a specific purpose."

"Bibi Dong's so-called out-of-control clone is the most useful butcher's knife. It is specially used to carry out a great purge within the Spirit Hall, ruthlessly eliminate dissidents, and incidentally, it can also shift all the blame onto mental instability, thus preserving the Pope's greatness and righteousness."

"As for that little girl named Poseidon from before..."

Nan Feng chuckled lightly, "That's to lower the guard of the Heaven Dou royal family. After all, compared to a powerful adult Title Douluo, a seemingly harmless little girl is more likely to reduce their fear, thus making them dare to lower their guard and reach a trade agreement with Purple Pearl Island with peace of mind."

"And now this male Demon God Douluo..."

Nan Feng looked down at his hands. "Besides because I'm more used to this look, the more important reason is to increase the deterrent power of Seagod Island in front of the entire continent and to forcefully promote the alliance between the Heaven Dou Empire and Seagod Island from the outside."

"Put yourself in their shoes and think about it."

"There are not only two beings as awesome as me on Seagod Island, but two who can slaughter Title Douluos of the Spirit Hall like pigs! And above us, there is an unfathomable High Priest who is comparable to Qian Daoliu!"

"Tell me, for the weak Heaven Dou Empire, and even for those forces on the entire Douluo Continent that are being suffocated by the Spirit Hall... wouldn't this be considered a godsend?"

Tang Yuehua listened blankly, feeling a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

terrible!

This man is simply playing with all the top forces on the entire continent at will!

"But what if... what if one day, this truth is revealed?"

Tang Yuehua's voice trembled slightly uncontrollably, "If those people discover that the savior they've been hoping for day and night, the one they've clung to as their last hope... was just you in disguise from beginning to end..."

There are no "ifs".

Nan Feng interrupted her, casually shrugging, "If nothing unexpected happens, they'll never know the truth about this trap I've set for them."

"Even if we take a step back and the truth comes out, and they see through our scheme..."

"That only means that the balance of power that I have painstakingly maintained has been broken, the situation on the mainland has completely collapsed, and an irreversible all-out war has broken out."

"Once they're in that cruel meat grinder where everything is decided by fists and lives, do they even know the so-called truth...?"

Is there any difference?

Chapter 277 Where there's a policy, there's a countermeasure.

……

As evening approached, the sunset painted the horizon a brilliant orange-red.

Nan Feng, with Hu Liena and Tang Yuehua, landed smoothly outside Hanhai City.

If we want to go to Purple Pearl Island, it's already late, so we'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to set off.

“Since we agreed to come out for a relaxing trip, we should act like we’re having fun.” Nan Feng patted off imaginary dust from his body. “If we’re just traveling at full speed in the sky all day long, that’s not tourism, that’s just asking for trouble.”

To avoid causing unnecessary trouble while wandering around the city, Nan Feng took out three exquisite half-face masks from his soul tool.

This wasn't one of those dull and rigid disguise masks. Rather, it was one that he had specially commissioned a craftsman to make when he was bored in Wuhun City, thinking that he might need it when he went out incognito.

The mask is made of a thin and breathable material, covering only the key features of the upper half of the face. It does not affect vision or enjoyment of the scenery, and most importantly... it does not hinder eating at all.

Hu Liena received the mask and excitedly put it on her face.

This was the first time she had ever been to the beach.

As a little girl of only eight or nine years old, she is at the age when her energy and curiosity are at their peak.

Listening to the distant sound of waves and smelling the faint salty scent in the air, the little fox's eyes were filled with barely suppressed joy.

Nan Feng led her ahead, glancing back at Tang Yuehua who was silently following behind.

"Stay close, don't get lost. This place is a mixed bag; if you, an ordinary person with level nine soul power, were kidnapped and sold, no one would even know."

Wearing a mask, Tang Yuehua bit her red lips and quickened her pace, swallowing her anger.

Actually, Nan Feng insisted on having Tang Yuehua follow him closely not because he was really afraid she would encounter danger, but because he felt that... if he were the only one taking Hu Liena around, the atmosphere would be a little strange.

When a man and a woman, even if they are just master and disciple, spend a long time in a relatively private world together, it is easy for some inexplicable or even transgressive thoughts and emotions to arise in their subconscious.

However, if Tang Yuehua were forcibly inserted into the middle, making it a three-person trip, the situation would be completely different.

It won't be too noisy, and it can perfectly eliminate that ambiguous atmosphere that easily makes people overthink.

A triangle possesses absolute stability.

……

The seaside night market in Hanhai City is much more lively than during the day.

Because this is an important port city of the Heavenly Dou Empire, all the legal large-scale trades conducted openly during the day must be accounted for under the watchful eyes of imperial officials and subject to heavy taxes.

But things changed at night.

Black market goods, smuggled goods, and all sorts of shady gray transactions that couldn't be exposed to the light of day all sprang up like mushrooms after rain, circulating freely in various hidden stalls and black markets.

The official guards and the city lord's mansion of Hanhai City turned a blind eye to this phenomenon. As long as these black market merchants paid enough protection money on time, everyone lived in peace.

After all, this protection fee went directly into the pockets of local officials.

If they were to diligently crack down on and regulate these transactions, all the money collected would have to be handed over to the Heavenly Dou Empire's treasury. They themselves wouldn't even get a taste of the profits, and would instead offend a large number of local bullies. No one would have an easy time.

Conversely, if we turn a blind eye, everyone benefits, which is a perfect "win-win" situation.

The three of them strolled through the bustling black market streets. Hu Liena held a skewer of grilled squid she had just bought. Looking at the vendors around her who were clearly engaged in illegal transactions and the city guards who patrolled but turned a blind eye, her expression became somewhat strange.

"Teacher..." Hu Liena took a bite of squid, leaned close to Nan Feng, and whispered, "Is this phenomenon what you taught me in class before... 'When there are policies from above, there are countermeasures from below'?"

"That's a very good summary."

Nan Feng nodded, picked up a rare ore from a stall, looked at it, and put it back. "However, this is not just a countermeasure, but also part of the underlying ecology and people's livelihood."

As Nan Feng walked, he spoke to Hu Liena:

"You must remember that the laws and regulations of any country or power are all based on an absolutely idealized state when they are formulated. If reality could really operate perfectly according to that logic like a machine, then the country would never have any problems."

"But unfortunately, the workings of reality are always full of all sorts of unexpected events, as well as the most uncontrollable factor—human nature."

Nan Feng pointed to the bustling black market around them: "Like this area. It's clearly illegal under the Empire's laws. But it's an indispensable part of the underworld of Hanhai City. If the higher-ups suddenly ordered a forced shutdown here, it could indeed wipe out a bunch of gray industries and crack down on a few corrupt officials. But what would be the cost?"

"The cost is that countless ordinary people, porters, and small vendors along this chain of interests will instantly lose their livelihoods, and countless people will starve to death."

"So-called administrative reform and ruling the world is never about you sitting on a high throne, simply issuing orders, and then forcing the people below to carry them out at all costs. Issuing orders is too easy; even a dog tied to that position could bark a couple of times."

"But in practice, you need to compromise, adapt, and weigh the pros and cons based on the complex web of interests."

Nan Feng stopped and turned to look at Hu Liena:

"Historically, rulers are generally divided into four categories: wise rulers, mediocre rulers, foolish rulers, and tyrants."

"A wise ruler is one who deeply understands the principles I just mentioned and is willing to allow for mistakes. He can meet the needs of all parties without breaking the bottom line of the rules, create a relatively peaceful situation, expand the pie of benefits, and ensure that everyone has a share."

"A mediocre ruler is someone who doesn't have the ability to expand the business, but at least he has some self-awareness and doesn't make reckless moves, managing to keep the situation from collapsing. That's what you call mediocre ability."

"As for incompetent rulers, they neither understand the realities of the grassroots nor like to give orders based on assumptions! They always think they are invincible and wise, believing that as long as everyone listens to them unconditionally, all problems can be solved. As a result, a single order can ruin the situation and cause it to collapse. That is called stupidity and incompetence."

"And the last one is the tyrant."

"They are smarter than tyrants; they understand the obstacles in reality. But they don't care at all! They are stubborn and prefer to use the simplest and most brutal violence to deal with those who raise problems. In the eyes of tyrants, all living beings are just expendable resources. This is called blind confidence in one's own abilities and arrogance!"

Hu Liena blinked thoughtfully, and after processing the information for a moment, she suddenly tilted her head up with some curiosity and asked:

"Teacher, according to your classification... what would the Pope's teacher be?"

"Bibi Dong?"

Nan Feng chuckled, "She's currently caught between being a tyrant and a wise ruler, constantly switching between the two."

"She has the absolute ability to be a wise ruler, but deep down she just doesn't want to! She finds it too troublesome. That crazy woman's favorite way of doing things is to simplify complex problems, preferably with a one-size-fits-all approach. The result is often a bunch of messes that are hard to clean up."

Nan Feng sighed helplessly: "Unless I point my finger at her and have a big argument with her, breaking down all the pros and cons and stuffing them into her head, she won't be willing to compromise and deal with the aftermath."

“If I don’t take care of her or talk to her, she could completely lose control at any time and become a tyrant who drags everyone down with her.”

"To put it bluntly, your papal teacher is a complete tyrant at heart. But because I'm holding the reins tightly, the way she currently governs the outside world can barely be considered that of a wise ruler."

Chapter 278 Nan Feng: Men and women shouldn't touch each other. Hu Liena: It's okay, if you shrink a bit, you won't take up any space.

……

Upon hearing this, Hu Liena's expression turned strange, and even Tang Yuehua, who was following behind, had a very subtle look in her eyes.