Orden des Roten Lotus

Kapitel 78

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then suddenly clapped their hands and exclaimed, "Excellent! Excellent! What a pair of Wind Breath Kings! What a pair of White Wind and Black Breath!"

Looking down at the excited heroes of the Imperial Dynasty, Yun Wuyai felt no anger, only a deep weariness. He watched coldly, then looked into the distance, his thoughts seemingly drifting away.

Just because he doesn't care doesn't mean everyone else does.

"What's so good about them!" Wan Ai suddenly jumped forward, gripping his sword and roaring, "What's so good about them! The late king regarded them as confidants and treated them as honored guests, but what did they do? They murdered the late king, slaughtered more than ten generals, emptied the national treasury, and stole the Imperial Seal! What's so good about such treacherous and unrighteous people! Their actions are no different from those of bandits!"

Upon hearing this, someone immediately stood up and responded, "To our dynasty and millions of people, they are truly good people! They are even our greatest benefactors!"

"Exactly! If they hadn't killed the Northern King and cut off their supplies, you would have stormed the Imperial Court long ago. At that time, not only would a few people have died, but tens of thousands of civilians would have suffered! What wrong have they done?"

"They did nothing wrong, so is it Dongming that is at fault?!" Wan Ai roared, his eyes practically spitting fire, gritting his teeth as he said, "Our Beihai was destroyed by their ancestors. We endured hundreds of years of humiliation and hardship, only to be completely destroyed by their hands in the end. This is an irreconcilable hatred!"

"Isn't the death of a few people the same as the death of thousands?" Qu Huailiu retorted in a deep voice. "Are the people of your dynasty human, but we people of Dongming are not? We can die, but you can't? They can kill, but we can't? They kill to seize the seal, which is a good deed and a righteous act, but we kill to seize the order, which is an evil deed and a crime?"

The crowd below paused for a moment, then fell silent.

Then a tall figure stood up; it was Dao Ai Wuying. He said, "That's not how it's said, and that's not what we meant either. Your words are a deliberate misinterpretation, which only makes you seem like you're being unreasonable."

"Oh?" Qu Huailiu looked at Ai Wuying, then deliberately asked, "So this hero admits that what Feng Xiyun and Feng Lanxi did in Dongming was wrong?"

“Of course not.” Ai Wuying frowned. “I meant…”

"It's an evil deed!" Van Ey abruptly interrupted him, shouting hatefully, "None of the women surnamed Feng are good!"

His words were mostly born of personal resentment, but upon further reflection, it's not surprising that he said them. Hundreds of years ago, Beihai fell at the hands of Feng Duying, who chased him to a deserted island. And hundreds of years later, all his plans and preparations were destroyed by Feng Xiyun. He truly could be considered to have fallen into the hands of a woman surnamed Feng.

"Hey, how dare you speak like that!" Among the heroes, there were many who revered Bai Feng and Hei Xi, and upon hearing this, they couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

“Actually…” A delicate, crisp voice suddenly broke through, and everyone looked in the direction of the voice. It was Sui Qingchen who stood up gracefully, looking at Qu Huailiu and Wan Ai on the corridor with a cold smile, “Those two seniors, and even the ‘Phoenix King,’ are not wrong. The mistake lies in the incompetence of you Beihai and Dongming!”

"You!" Van Eba glared angrily, his hand gripping the sword trembling, while Qu Huailiu also suppressed the lazy smile that had been on his face.

"Yes! The leader is right!"

"It's all because Dongming is incompetent and tries to shift the blame onto others."

As soon as Sui Qingchen finished speaking, many people echoed her, looking at the Dongming group on the corridor with mockery.

"So, you were all once prisoners of the Eastern Sea, does that mean you're capable?" Qu Huailiu retorted sarcastically.

“That’s right. Even the ‘Lan Yin Bi Yue’ that you regard as a supreme sacred object was easily obtained by us. If you can’t even protect something so important, what ability do you have?” Wan’e added.

"Damn it, isn't that because you all resorted to despicable means!"

"Damn it! If you dare to fight one-on-one, I don't believe I can't chop you up!"

…………

…………

Suddenly, a quarrel broke out in the room. Everyone was talking back and forth, arguing fiercely and refusing to give in. The argument grew louder and more chaotic.

"Oh my, how lively! I love watching this kind of excitement." Lan Qi chuckled, tapping on his chair.

Ming Er's gaze swept across the audience, and after a moment, he said, "I wonder what your silly boy is thinking right now?"

Lan Qi also turned to look down at the crowd. He saw Ning Lang sitting in the crowd, with Yuwen Luo writing furiously next to him. He looked around at the noisy heroes sitting or standing, and then at Qu Huailiu and Wan Ai, who were arguing with the heroes on the eaves. He looked quite bewildered.

Lan Qi's emerald eyes lit up, and she said, "Let him talk about it and we'll know what he's thinking."

As for the noise in the arena, Yun Wuyai just watched indifferently, neither participating nor trying to stop it.

While most people were focused on the noise in the arena, only Qi Shier's gaze quietly lingered on Yun Wuyai. It seemed that only he could see the deep weariness hidden beneath that tall figure. After a long while, he sighed softly.

"Palace Master Qi?" Kong looked at him from the side.

Qi Shier shook his head, looked up at the blue sky like Yun Wuya, and remained silent.

Yuwen Lindong, Qiu Changtian, Nan Wofeng, Lie Chitang, and the others frowned as they watched the commotion below, all turning their gazes toward Kong, hoping he would intervene. Kong, however, merely shook his head almost imperceptibly, his gaze falling to the other side of the eaves, where Lan Qi and Ming Er were chatting leisurely.

"Stop arguing."

Someone shouted amidst the noise, but the voice was too low for anyone to hear.

"Stop arguing!"

He raised his voice and shouted.

The crowd, who had been making a ruckus, was suddenly jolted by the loud shout. They all turned to look and saw a handsome young man, still somewhat childish, standing there with a slightly flushed face and a little flustered. For a moment, the place was quiet except for gasps of surprise.

"What Seniors Feng Xiyun and Feng Lanxi did can neither be considered good nor right." The voice was soft but clear and bright.

Everyone was shocked to hear this. They never expected that someone in the imperial court would say such a thing. Even Yun Wuyai, Qu Huailiu, and Wan Ai looked at him in surprise.

"But what you, Dongming, have done is absolutely neither good nor right." He then added, this time raising his voice slightly.

Huh? Everyone was stunned again. What was this? A palm strike from each side?

The speaker was Ning Lang. In truth, that shout was only uttered in a moment of panic, and those two sentences were spoken only after mustering all his courage. Now, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he couldn't help but panic. Just as he was nervously wondering what to do, his hand was suddenly gripped tightly by a warm hand, and then released. Looking down, he saw Yuwen Luo's bright eyes, and the smiling face revealing his sharp tiger teeth made him relax.

“What those two seniors did was wrong to your Dongming, but they did it not out of selfishness, nor for their own benefit. But you…” Ning Lang looked at Yun Wuyai and the others with clear and bright eyes, “Your Northern King did everything out of selfishness, all for his own benefit.”

"Huh?" The crowd gasped in surprise.

On the eaves, Lan Qi and Ming Er exchanged glances, then looked at Ning Lang with great interest. Qiu Changtian and the others looked at Ning Lang with extreme surprise. Kong Kong's eyes flashed with astonishment, and then he kept looking at Ning Lang.

"What makes you say that?!" Van Ey retorted angrily.

“For hundreds of years, countless people have sacrificed their lives for the great cause. How could we have any selfish motives?” Qu Huailiu also questioned.

"because……"

"Because of what?" Van Ey interrupted him. "Countless ancestors of ours devoted their lives to the restoration of our nation, and you actually say they did it for personal gain?!"

"If it's for selfish reasons, then what have we been working so hard for, generation after generation?" Qu Huailiu countered.

"because……"

"Why?" Van Ey pressed, his sharp eyes fixed on Ning Lang.

"because……"

"Can't answer?" Qu Huailiu pressed.

"You say you want to restore your kingdom, then where is the Beihai Kingdom?" Ning Lang asked, his words cut off several times. He finally shouted it out in one breath.

There was another moment of silence in the room, then Qu Huailiu replied, "Of course it's in..."

“I know you’re going to say it’s on the shores of the North Sea, but that North Sea Kingdom has already been destroyed by the First Emperor and the Phoenix King.” Ning Lang interrupted him, “I’m asking about today. Where is the North Sea Kingdom today?”

today……

Qu Huailiu and Wan Ai were taken aback.

“Today, the shores of Beihai are Yizhou and Baizhou, and before that, it was the Bai Kingdom of the previous dynasty. Yizhou and Baizhou have existed for over 160 years since the establishment of the dynasty, and their people have lived through several generations. If you go there now and ask them, they will only tell you that they are people from Baizhou and Yizhou of the dynasty, that they are native to the dynasty, and they will never tell you that they are from Beihai or the Bai Kingdom. If you don’t believe me, ask Brother Hua. He is from Baizhou. Ask him and see if he will say that he is from Beihai.” Ning Lang pointed to Hua Qinghe beside him and said.

All eyes turned to Hua Qinghe.

Hua Qinghe stood up, nodded to his surroundings, and then looked at Qu and Wan, saying, "Our Hua family has lived in Baizhou for generations and has been a prominent force in the martial arts world for a hundred years. But if it weren't for today, I wouldn't have known that there was once a Beihai Kingdom there." After speaking, he lowered himself down and sat down again.

As Qu Huailiu and Wan Ai listened to Hua Qinghe's words, a chilling sense of foreboding arose in their hearts.

Ning Lang continued, "More than five hundred years have passed, and the Beihai Kingdom no longer exists. It's like... like the previous dynasty. It can't last forever; at most, it can only leave its name in the history books. Without land and people, how can you restore your kingdom? No one on the shores of Beihai will agree with or welcome you. If you were to attack now, it would only be considered an invasion of the dynasty, an unjust and inhumane act."

“Who says we have no land or people? Does Dongming have no people? We, the people of Dongming, think about going home every moment!” Wan’e retorted loudly.

Ning Lang looked at Wan Ai and said, "After more than five hundred years of nurturing, they are already native to Dongming. Their country is on this sea, their home and their relatives are on this island. The shores of the North Sea are a completely unfamiliar place to them. Have you asked the people of Dongming if they are willing to leave their homes and follow you across the sea to a dynasty they know nothing about?"

“Of course I would!” Van Eyed replied reflexively.

But a sneer rang out from the crowd: "I'm skilled in martial arts, I can go anywhere, but if it weren't for 'Lan Yin Bi Yue,' I would rather die than come to your wretched island. I don't believe that you commoners who are afraid of swords and blades would want to go and cause trouble for us!"

“Young Master Ning, you seem to have gone astray. The state of our land and the well-being of our people are our own business,” Qu Huailiu said. “I simply cannot agree with your criticism of our ancestors’ loyalty and sacrifice.”

Ning Lang scratched his head, looking somewhat awkward and helpless, and said, "I'm not going off-topic. What I'm trying to say is that the people of Dongming live peacefully and happily here, so why do you drag them into the war? Why do you lead them to kill or be killed? The Northern King says he wants to restore the country and avenge the destruction of the nation, but the First Emperor and the Phoenix King have long since turned to ashes. There is no one in the current dynasty who is your enemy for destroying the country. Who will you seek revenge against? Even if you march on the dynasty and reach Baizhou, no one there will recognize you. They will only resist you and see you as invaders and hate you. Where is that still your territory? Does the Northern King still want to restore such a country?"

Ning Lang looked up at Yun Wuyai, staring intently. “That’s not what restoring a kingdom looks like, and it’s not for the people. To be honest, it’s all for the throne, for the sake of possessing vast lands and rivers, for the sake of having more people submit, for the sake of leaving a mark in history, for the sake of having one’s achievements praised for generations to come. In the end, it’s all about selfishness. It’s all for his own sake, not for the people. That’s selfishness.”

"Well said!"

"Good lad, that's exactly what you said!"

The heroes praised it loudly.

Qu Huailiu and Wan Ai gritted their teeth upon hearing this, but they were stunned by these words and could not immediately refute them.

Yun Wuyai looked at Ning Lang in silence.

Kong, Qiu Changtian, Nan Wofeng, Yuwen Lindong, and Lie Chitang nodded in approval, and even Feng Yi looked at Ning Lang, a hint of delight flashing in his indifferent eyes.

"I don't know what an emperor or king is like." Ning Lang scratched his head again, his face still a little red, but his eyes were incredibly clear, upright and firm.

"But I think a good and responsible king should think about his subjects and not actively start wars to bring disaster to them. Because... when I was in Qianbi Mountain, I often heard the people at the foot of the mountain say that they were happy and content as long as they had enough to eat, wear, have a house and land. So I think the people of Dongming are probably the same. So the Northern King... he shouldn't always think about revenge and restoring his country. Isn't Dongming his country now? The people of Dongming are his subjects. He should be thinking about them."

After Ning Lang finished speaking, he saw that everyone was looking at him and the mountaintop was quiet. He froze for a moment, not knowing what to do with his hands and feet.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Suddenly, another round of cheers erupted. Everyone looked at Ning Lang, their eyes filled with newfound respect for this young man. If they admired his courage and resilience during his imprisonment, now this young man's magnanimity and composure had earned their respect and admiration.

The praise made Yuwen Luo feel honored. He pulled Ning Lang to sit down and said happily, "Ning Lang, you truly are my good younger brother!"

Ning Lang scratched his head, his face flushed, and dared not look at anyone else.

"Sigh, people say that when you push someone to the limit, they'll jump over the wall. I never thought that Ning Lang would become so clever when pushed to the limit." Lan Qi sighed, but there was also a faint sense of joy in her blue eyes.

“Ning Lang may not be considered a very intelligent person, but in some areas or at some level, he surpasses us,” Ming Er said, a hint of a smile playing on his vacant eyes. “Ning Lang will definitely become a great hero in the future.”

"Oh? It's rare for the Second Young Master to think so highly of someone." Lan Qi turned his head.

"Of course, he also needs to live a long life," Ming Er said with a smile. Chapter 80, Part 31: Still Asking Bi Yue about the Cause of Lan (Part 1)

Updated: [2008-11-28 14:08:09.0]

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The cheers of the imperial heroes angered Wan Ai, who was both angry and anxious but did not know how to refute Ning Lang's words, so he could only stomp his feet.

Qu Huailiu looked at the young man sitting with his head down, thought for a moment, and said, "I really didn't expect Young Hero Ning to be so eloquent. But if Young Hero Ning says that everything in Dongming is for selfish reasons, how can we be sure that Feng Xiyun and Feng Lanxi's actions were not also for selfish reasons? You know, they took a large amount of gold and silver from Dongming."

Perhaps because it was too noisy around, Ning Lang in the crowd did not hear him and kept his head down.

“This guy is really persistent.” Lan Qi shook his head and gestured to Ming Er beside him, “Second Young Master, you should say something too.”