The improved female villains regained their memories.

"The naive heroine has no idea that these two are secretly having an affair behind her back! What shameless people they are, to do such a despicable thing!"

Yang Pingsheng asked directly, "Doesn't the male lead resist?"

"He didn't resist because he became a fanatical follower of Su Murong," the system said. "When Su Murong raised the banner of rebellion in Nanzhong, this guy decisively abandoned the female lead and went to join him. The female lead couldn't stop him and could only kill her beloved with tears in her eyes."

"???"

Yang Pingsheng was caught off guard and never expected things to develop this way.

Looking back at the previous three lifetimes, no matter how powerful or charming the female villains were, they never managed to cause such an absurd split between the male and female leads. They either opposed the male lead, the female lead, or both of them fought together; there was never a case of one of them being dragged into fighting the other.

Su Murong could make the male lead die at the hands of the female lead, and then make the female lead commit suicide. He certainly deserves the title of villain, so it's no wonder the system sent him here.

Yang Pingsheng couldn't help but ask, "Could you show me this part of the original plot?"

"No!" the system resolutely refused. "Heaven will not allow you to watch a part of it. The reason I told you this is to tell you, never pity the female villain."

Even if she looks harmless right now, even if she looks pathetic right now.

"You must remember, her name is Su Murong, and she is a female villain in the original storyline who can make even the male protagonist become her fanatical believer."

Chapter 163 The Interests of All People

Mountains and hills, shrouded in mist, stretch as far as the eye can see, the sea of ​​trees rises like green waves, and a cold wind blows, creating ripples.

Mu Chaoyang, panting heavily and with blood in his mouth, was healing his wounds in a mountain cave.

The Guan family army's elite troops are laying a trap here. Each of them is basically a powerful expert who has taken a fourth-level pill, and there is even an elite squad that has taken a fifth-level pill to search for him. Mu Chaoyang can be said to have no way to escape.

A pursuer lay before him, bleeding profusely and unable to move, but his eyes, fixed on Mu Chaoyang, still held a cold smile.

"Mu Chaoyang, my master and you were childhood sweethearts, and she treated you well. When your family suffered, it was my master who helped you. When you were bullied, it was my master who protected you. She gave you status, power, and unprecedented trust. But what have you done? You damned traitor, you deserve to die a horrible death!"

Mu Chaoyang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, ignored the fallen person, and strode past.

He walked towards the cave entrance, but the man was still cursing:

"You heartless beast! You're not even human, you're worse than an animal! Even a dog knows how to repay a debt of gratitude. My master gave you everything, and this is how you repay her!"

Mu Chaoyang walked step by step, the pain in his chest making him cough forcefully, but even so, he kept walking.

Even with the decline of spiritual energy, the effects of elixirs remain powerful.

A fifth-grade pill can completely elevate a person's strength to a higher level, let alone the well-trained elite of the Guan family army. Mu Chaoyang himself is just an ordinary person, his methods mostly derived from the martial arts world, which is nothing compared to those of true elites. It's already quite remarkable that he's managed to hold on this long.

The scene before him gradually blurred, and he walked shakily until he finally stopped.

The entrance to the cave was surrounded by a crowd.

A stunningly beautiful woman in armor stood there, her figure graceful, her face resolute, yet her eyes held a hint of sorrow and grief.

Her body churned with energy, and her blood surged forth, a manifestation of the effects of consuming the Five-Rank Dragon-Soaring Pill. Her gaze towards Mu Chaoyang held a mixture of longing, admiration, resentment, confusion, and grievance.

The accumulation of various emotions caused this tough, battle-hardened woman to reveal another side of herself.

"Bathing in the morning sun..."

When she spoke, her voice was no longer that of a serious and iron-willed soldier, but rather that of a girl who had lost her lover.

“Back then, when your family suffered a calamity, everyone advised me to break off the engagement with you, even you advised me, saying that you were not good enough for me.”

“But I won’t agree. I’ll tell you: ‘Even if your family falls into decline, even if you become stupid, insane, sick, or crippled, I, Guan Hongyi, have chosen you, and I will stay with you for life. You, Mu Chaoyang, will always be mine!’”

"Later, you left without saying goodbye to seek your freedom in the martial world. I didn't stop you, but I always firmly believed that you would come back. Sure enough, when I needed you the most, when the country was in danger and the barbarians were invading, you came back. I was very happy because I knew that you were still Mu Chaoyang, still Mu Chaoyang who was devoted to the country and had me in his heart."

“We’ve been through so many crises together. Every time, just when I was about to give up, you would come to my side, take my hand, and work together to overcome the crisis. So I gave you everything—power, money, trust. I gave you everything. But what have you done?”

"Chaoyang, you're so unfamiliar now, so unfamiliar that I don't recognize you. Has Su Murong's popularity charm affected you? Why have you become like this? Where has the righteous, passionate, and unwavering Mu Chaoyang gone? Chaoyang, come back! Stop being so stubborn! Joining Su Murong is the act of a traitor. Do you want to be a rebel who defies the emperor?!"

At this point, the gentle female voice disappeared, and Guan Hongyi, with tears in his eyes, questioned, "Look at you, Mu Chaoyang, what have you done?!"

"You have disobeyed the emperor by passing on confidential information from the court to Su Murong!"

"You murdered your colleagues, and in order to escape to the south, you didn't hesitate to turn against your former comrades!"

“You are ungrateful, you stole my jade token, tricked the city gates and the army into opening, disregarded my feelings, and risked your life to seek refuge with Su Murong.”

"I can't understand it. I can't understand why the kind and righteous Mu Chaoyang from before has become like this. Wake up, Chaoyang. The only one who truly cares about you is me. Su Murong's popularity charm is fake. It has bewitched your mind. You've been deceived by it! Come back with me. I'll think of a way. I will find a way. I will definitely make you become the kind and righteous Mu Chaoyang again!"

Guan Hongyi said this, but Mu Chaoyang slowly shook his head.

He leaned against the stone wall, gently lowered his hands, and tried his best to straighten his back to relieve the pain in his chest before speaking: "You're wrong, Xiao Yi. Lord Murong didn't use any popularity talismans on me. I did this voluntarily."

Upon hearing this, Guan Hongyi felt a surge of anger. She had been deceiving herself, saying that Su Murong had used despicable popularity charms to control Mu Chaoyang, but in reality, she knew that Mu Chaoyang was not controlled by Su Murong, and that many of his actions were what he wanted to do himself.

Seeing that he could no longer deceive himself, Guan Hongyi took a deep breath and asked in a trembling voice, "So, why did you do this?"

“Mu Chaoyang, when you were a child, you were just a spoiled brat who didn’t even know what pills or martial arts were. It was my father who taught you martial arts and lightness skills. All the skills you have now are what you learned from my father back then.”

“When you were despised by everyone, I supported you. When your family fell on hard times, I protected you. When you were framed by your colleagues, I risked the reputation of the Guan family to testify for you. I can say with my hand on my heart that our Guan family has never wronged you.”

"Is it because of my love for you that you've come to this point? Do you know that stealing secrets, disobeying the court, and joining the rebels are all capital offenses, and are sins that cannot be redeemed? Is it because of my love for you that you've embarked on this path of no return?"

Tell me, why did you do this?

"What is it about me, Guan Hongyi, that makes me inferior to Su Murong? Your family fell into decline, yet I insisted on our marriage. You left without saying goodbye, yet I remained chaste. I've been waiting for you, and I've been loving you all this time. Tell me, what is it about me that makes me inferior to that brat Su Murong?!"

As Guan Hongyi spoke, tears streamed down his face.

She didn't cry when fighting the barbarians; she didn't cry when framed by her colleagues; she didn't cry when injured and undergoing surgery. But now, she cried when Mu Chaoyang questioned her.

She didn't understand why Mu Chaoyang was like this. She could give Su Murong wealth, power, and status, but Guan Hongyi could. So, she could only guess that it was because of his good looks.

However, Mu Chaoyang smiled slightly and said, "As expected, in the end, Xiao Yi can only think of me this way."

"Yes." Guan Hongyi let his tears fall and answered coldly, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have found the answer."

Mu Chaoyang stopped smiling and fell silent.

He walked past Guan Hongyi and looked out of the cave, where the sunlight was dazzling and the greenery was lush.

Su Murong's phantom appeared, and he still remembered the words that girl had said to him.

Mu Chaoyang slowly opened his mouth and said, "Lord Su Murong told me what she wants to do."

Guan Hongyi was slightly taken aback, then flew into a rage: "Just because of this? You actually believed what a little girl said?!"

“Now, she has already started doing it, right here in Nanjun, right here in Nanzhong.”

"Those are just slogans to fool you!" Guan Hongyi was furious. "Su Murong is an ungrateful, shameless person who would do anything for profit. How could you believe such a person!"

Mu Chaoyang looked at Guan Hongyi and nodded seriously: "I believe you."

Guan Hongyi was stunned.

With a firm gaze, Mu Chaoyang looked out of the cave and said, "From childhood to adulthood, my teachers, my parents, and everyone around me have told me to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, and to be devoted to the court and serve the emperor when I grow up."

“My teacher died; he died for reform, on his way to petition for the reform of the army. My parents died; they died for loyalty to the emperor, on the emperor’s edict. I grew up under the education of benevolence and morality, but when my family fell into decline, no one was willing to lend me a helping hand.”

"No one ever told me that your parents didn't have to die, at least not for the sake of loyalty to the emperor."

"No one ever told me that my teacher didn't have to die, at least not for the sake of reform."

"No one ever told me that those people didn't have to die, or at least they didn't have to die like this."

“If His Majesty had been wise and discerning and knew that my parents were innocent, they would not have had to die. If the teacher’s reforms had not affected the interests of those people, he would also not have had to die. But in the end, they all died because they did not live in the inner city.”

Mu Chaoyang closed his eyes: "Xiao Yi, you keep talking to me about righteousness, but I can't see any righteousness. The walls of the capital are too small, too small to contain the righteousness you talk about, nor can they contain the benevolence and righteousness I've upheld since childhood. In all my years of wandering the world, all I've seen is self-interest."

"Uneducated, illiterate, unruly, barbaric, starving, struggling to survive, and fighting with all their might for survival—this is the scene I witnessed where people risked their lives for profit."

"At this moment, a woman stepped forward. She swept away the foreign enemies, drove out the barbarians, and restored peace to the creatures of the North. Then she said to these people: 'Come with me. In the future, I will build a great house for all the poor people in the world, for all the oppressed demons, and for all the suffering creatures. I will fill the world with spiritual energy, fill the granaries with food, and give all people, all demons, and all living things the basic right to survival.' Xiaoyi, wouldn't you follow such a person?"

Guan Hongyi's gaze narrowed slightly, his mouth went dry, and he forced a defense, saying, "Su Murong is a person who values ​​profit over righteousness; she will ultimately..."

"Don't you understand yet?" Mu Chaoyang interrupted her. "What Lord Murong values ​​most is the interests of the people!"

The world belongs to all people.

Heaven has its seasons, and earth has its resources; to share these with others is true benevolence.

To share joys, sorrows, likes, and dislikes with others is a matter of righteousness.

To spare someone from death, to relieve someone from hardship, to save someone from suffering, and to help someone in urgent need—this is virtue.

Ordinary people fear death and rejoice in life; they love virtue and seek profit. The way that generates profit is the Way.

Those who share the benefits of the world will gain the world; those who monopolize the benefits of the world will lose the world.

Where benevolence resides, the world submits. Where righteousness resides, the world submits. Where virtue resides, the world submits. Where the Way resides, the world submits.

"She is shameless for the sake of the world. She is ungrateful for the sake of the world. She is shameless for the sake of the world. How can such a person not be worthy of my following? How can such a person not be worthy of my allegiance!"

Guan Hongyi suddenly understood.

The demon race had been oppressed for a long time, and Su Murong was able to put forward the slogan of equality between humans and demons, so the demon race turned to her.

The Yan Kingdom had long suffered from deep-seated problems, and its military merit reward system was ineffective, with a large amount of silver belonging to lower-ranking soldiers being embezzled. Su Murong provided subsidies to the army and strictly enforced them, which is why veteran soldiers flocked to her.

With collusion between officials and merchants, large business associations monopolized the buying and selling channels, making it difficult for many small and medium-sized merchants to survive. Su Murong opened up the channels for the trade between humans and demons, allowing them to trade, which is why merchants flocked to her.

All the spiritual energy in the world gathers in the capital city. Ordinary people have no hope of advancement and can only be suppressed by the royal immortals for their entire lives. Su Murong created the Popularity Talisman, which gave mortals the power to fight against immortals. Therefore, people all over the world flock to her.

Guan Hongyi felt a chill in her heart. She finally understood why her loyalty and righteousness had failed, and why the glory of her Guan family had also dimmed. It was because Su Murong didn't talk to you about glory and loyalty; she only talked about interests, the interests of everyone in the world.

She tore away the four words of benevolence and morality, laying bare the naked interests on the table.

Everyone wants to live, everyone wants to be well-fed and clothed, everyone wants wealth and glory. Su Murong has precisely grasped everyone's interests, which is why she can use a popular talisman to command people all over the world to do things for her.

A popularity talisman can control one person, but it can't control everyone in the world. Opportunists, idealists, gentlemen, brutes, gangsters, demons, merchants, veterans... no matter what kind of person you are, you can get everything you want from Su Murong.

Before anyone knew it, this young girl, only twenty years old, had become a representative of the world.

Guan Hongyi closed her eyes; she knew that Mu Chaoyang was beyond persuasion.

With a trembling voice, she said, "No matter what you say, I cannot betray the court or the emperor. Now that your mind is made up, I cannot let you leave. I have the right to execute you without even sending you back to the capital for your crimes. For the sake of our past friendship, let me see you off on your final journey."

Hearing this, Mu Chaoyang was not afraid. Instead, he grinned and said, "If that's the case, then that would be wonderful."

They emerged from the cave, and in the distance, the sky was bright with the light of day. They breathed in the fresh air, feeling the morning sun, just as his name suggested, and gazed southward into the distance.

There, towering mountains blocked his view.

He looked at it and said, "Before I die, I have a wish."

Guan Hongyi replied, "Go ahead."