That says it all...
Xu Zhengyang certainly couldn't have anticipated the changes in the old man's mindset beforehand, and he also understood how dangerous, crazy, and even foolish it would be for ordinary people to see him going to the old man's place alone and acting so arrogantly.
Even if you are a god, your physical body cannot withstand the impact of bullets, and you will die there if you are not careful.
Even Harden wouldn't have the guts!
Xu Zhengyang doesn't possess extraordinary wisdom, a brilliant mind, or much experience in scheming and intrigue; however, he has supernatural abilities. He doesn't need to ponder or guess the thoughts and intentions of anyone living in the territory of Fuhe City, because he can be certain of what the other party is thinking, what they are concerned about, and what they are worried about.
Even the most intelligent, wise, and worldly-wise person in this world could not understand the thoughts and intentions of others as deeply, clearly, and precisely as Xu Zhengyang.
As the saying goes, victory is assured.
Therefore, Xu Zhengyang felt great and extremely proud!
What's this called outright? How should I praise myself? Hmm… exceptionally intelligent, incredibly courageous. Going to a meeting alone, knowing there are tigers in the mountains yet venturing into them, with a commanding presence, heroic spirit, and an aura of dominance that overflows, universally loved, dazzlingly beautiful…
Xu Zhengyang has become somewhat smug.
Of course, he had to seriously consider what Old Li had said to him, and also seriously reflect on his own behavior and ideas.
Xu Zhengyang narcissistically believed that apart from a few minor flaws, he was all virtues.
One key point is that he never becomes overly self-righteous and unable to accept other people's ways of thinking, nor does he insist on imposing his own ideas on others. It's like those "experts" you see on online forums, always standing on a high ground, arrogantly demanding their opinions, expecting everyone to accept them without allowing any rebuttal or questioning, otherwise they'll hurl insults and curse others as brainless, idiots, morons… Whenever Xu Zhengyang sees these posts, he finds them both laughable and pathetic.
It's no wonder that people often say online, "Reality is frustrating, and people need to vent their frustrations online to find some satisfaction." Xu Zhengyang feels that reality does indeed have many frustrating aspects, but he finds this kind of behavior of seeking satisfaction online distasteful and contemptible.
Relatively speaking, those self-righteous guys who always talk about reason are less satisfying than casual observers and bystanders who occasionally call someone an idiot. They don't argue with you or listen to your pretentious talk.
What was that saying again—"Why are you acting like such a big shot?"
You've already shown yourself what you're made of.
Because most self-righteous people tend to spout ridiculous, extreme, and ignorant opinions; while those with real knowledge, when debating in forums, provide well-founded analysis and detailed theories, acknowledge the other party's correct viewpoints, and point out their flaws, rather than resorting to unreasonable excuses or, when refuted to the point of exhaustion, resorting to insults and self-deprecation.
In this respect, Xu Zhengyang greatly admired the old forum member "March Awakening of Insects," who frequently frequented the Fuhe Information Port forum—well, that is, the young man named Xue Ziyi. He had a good reputation in the forum and was highly respected by the forum members, which is why he became a moderator.
When Xue Ziyi argues with others, he is always reasonable and well-founded, and he can clearly recognize where he is wrong, and dare to admit it and apologize. However, when he encounters those "big shots", Xue Ziyi will simply choose to remain silent, or rather, he will simply ignore them with disdain.
Therefore, Xu Zhengyang never replies to posts on the forum, let alone creates new threads.
Xu Zhengyang is humble and self-aware, knowing he has many shortcomings. Well, he doesn't consider shortcomings to be flaws; similarly, he knows this is just self-comfort. He knows that if he were to post online and engage in a debate with someone at his current level, he would most likely be thoroughly criticized.
Of course, Xu Zhengyang was too lazy to cause trouble up there; he didn't have that much free time.
This kind of personality, though seemingly weak to some extent, is actually that of a wise person.
Xu Zhengyang didn't remember the grand principles he learned from books, but he knew the meaning of the old saying from his hometown, "One is never too old to learn." Especially since... there was so much he didn't understand, so little knowledge, which resulted in a narrow perspective and limited thinking, preventing him from considering a broader, more comprehensive view.
Therefore, he had to gradually digest other people's ideas; if they were right, he would learn from them; if they were wrong, he would let them pass.
In particular, that wise and experienced old man's thinking and ideas are always beyond the ordinary, and are definitely worth Xu Zhengyang's study and study.
The old man said, "If everything were perfect, there would be no competition, no pressure, and the meaning of human existence would be lost. Humans are the animals most easily corrupted by reality. When people share both good and bad times, they become lazy and dependent on each other, and then... society will stop progressing. The driving force of human social development lies in competition, and competition inevitably leads to differences in social class. These differences are not inequality, but are determined by individual abilities and character."
These words sounded rather harsh at first glance, making Xu Zhengyang feel somewhat uncomfortable.
When Xu Zhengyang thought about it carefully, he pondered it little by little, but found that every point made a lot of sense, yet also made no sense. It was very profound, so profound that Xu Zhengyang would get confused and get lost after trying to figure it out for a long time.
As the saying goes, three cobblers with their wits combined can outwit Zhuge Liang. After failing to figure it out, Xu Zhengyang humbly registered a pseudonym called "Old and Wise" on the Fuhe Information Port forum and posted a thread titled: "Please help me analyze this passage, thank you."
The content is the same passage spoken by the old man, with slight modifications.
Initially, a few casual observers and passersby occupied the sofas, benches, floors, and even the sewers... but then nobody paid any attention. Because for most netizens, posting such a pointless message on a forum is utterly pointless and lacks any motivation; it's just boring and meaningless.
If Xu Zhengyang had added a sentence at the beginning: "I think this passage is too insightful and too precise."
That... will definitely lead to war.
The problem is, Xu Zhengyang didn't know that; he hadn't yet been deeply immersed in the spirit of the forum.
So this post quickly and temporarily disappeared, replaced by gossip news and heated debates of various viewpoints...
Xu Zhengyang became increasingly depressed, and he deeply understood the meaning of the saying, "It's terrible to be uncultured."
However, he was not discouraged or ashamed because of these things, because he knew that the conflict of ideas and some misunderstandings were due to the different positions, different sense of direction and overall perspective, which inevitably led to some misunderstandings.
Xu Zhengyang's mindset is precisely at the most common level.
Therefore, Xu Zhengyang only recognizes one thing, and that is his own conscience!
Unbeknownst to him, he had unknowingly reached a position beyond the mundane world, viewing everything in the world with his true nature; indeed, he had not yet reached the mindset that a true deity should possess: unburdened, without anger or worry, and indifferent to all things in life.
Because he is a human being, not a purely virtuous person, but definitely a good person;
A person who doesn't have much ambition, but has beautiful hopes and goals;
A deity with a unique mind, unlike any other before.
...
With the burden on the elderly temporarily lifted, Xu Zhengyang felt much more relaxed.
Time, in its gentle flow, slowly slips away.
In the blink of an eye, it seemed like only yesterday he had finished talking with the old man, and now it was New Year's Eve. But there was still no news from Li Bingjie; she was completely out of contact. Xu Zhengyang was getting anxious. Unable to reach Li Bingjie, Xu Zhengyang naturally wanted to investigate again to see what the old man and his family were up to.
However... Xu Zhengyang was astonished to find that the old man had left the courtyard house where he still lived. There was no trace of the old man in the Fuhe area, and even everyone in the courtyard house had disappeared without Xu Zhengyang having time to check. It was as if they had vanished into thin air.
Xu Zhengyang was filled with regret. Had he been too relaxed? Had he failed to notice the old man's changing mood over the past few days? Had the old man suddenly harbored some other thought that led him to abruptly leave Fuhe City? This thought startled Xu Zhengyang. This was no small matter! What if the old man had guessed that his supernatural abilities only existed in Fuhe City, and that once his physical body died, his soul would dissipate and everything would vanish? If he were to resort to a desperate measure, things would be disastrous. Xu Zhengyang couldn't be sure he could escape unscathed amidst a hail of submachine gun fire.
Xu Zhengyang immediately summoned the city scroll and carefully examined the various circumstances surrounding the courtyard house over the past few days.
As a result, Xu Zhengyang's mood plummeted to rock bottom.
Old Li is ill...
After Xu Zhengyang left that day, Old Li's mental state suddenly deteriorated, and then his physical condition deteriorated rapidly. Everyone panicked and quickly sent the old man to the capital.
After that, Xu Zhengyang had no ability to find out even the slightest bit of news about the old man.
But he knew the old man was truly ill.
It wasn't to avoid him, nor was it to take precautions against any eventuality, but rather to seize the opportunity to kill Xu Zhengyang.
Li Bingjie's family seemed to have vanished from Xu Zhengyang's world overnight, as if they had never existed in his life. There was not a single trace of them, and he could not contact anyone.
Forcing a smile, Xu Zhengyang had New Year's Eve dinner with his family before rushing to Chen Chaojiang's house.
He thought Chen Chaojiang should contact Ye Wan, because the Ye family and the Li family had a special relationship, so they should be able to get in touch.
However, when he arrived at Chen Chaojiang's house and asked Chen Chaojiang to help contact Ye Wan, and then ask Ye Wan to contact Li Bingjie or anyone else in the family, Chen Chaojiang was shocked to find that Ye Wan's phone was disconnected.
"Zhengyang, phone is disconnected, can't reach him..."
Xu Zhengyang asked calmly, "Have you been in contact with Ye Wan recently?"
“We’ve kept in touch, but I’ve been busy these past few months and haven’t been in touch much. But I did see her the day before she left for her holiday, and we even exchanged text messages the day before yesterday, no, the day before that,” Chen Chaojiang said coldly.
"Oh." Xu Zhengyang nodded, then silently lit a cigarette.
Chen Chaojiang seemed to have guessed something and said in a low voice, "Zhengyang, I'll go to the capital to look for him for you."
"How do we find them?" Xu Zhengyang was both amused and exasperated. The capital city was such a big place. If you could know where they were, wouldn't anyone know their background?
“I took Ye Wan to Huatong Network Company once,” Chen Chaojiang said seriously.
Xu Zhengyang shook his head and said, "It's no use."
Yes, it's the Lunar New Year, what can you find by going to the company to look for someone? Besides, even if you find Jiang Lan's contact number, are you sure you can get in touch with her? Xu Zhengyang knows firsthand what kind of person Jiang Lan is.
Chen Chaojiang said expressionlessly, "I'll go find it for you!"
"No need, let's wait and see." Xu Zhengyang sighed.
Chen Chaojiang stopped talking and took out his phone to keep sending text messages and making phone calls to Ye Wan.
After sitting for a while, Xu Zhengyang stood up, patted Chen Chaojiang on the shoulder and said, "It's okay. It's probably because it's the New Year and the family is gathered together. They probably don't want to be disturbed by others. Don't think about anything else. Just enjoy the New Year. We can talk about it after the New Year."
"Mm." Chen Chaojiang nodded.
Xu Zhengyang got up and walked out.
In the village, bright red lanterns were hung on the gates of every household in the streets and alleys. The streetlights were bright, and the sounds of firecrackers and double-bangs could be heard from time to time, creating a very strong atmosphere for New Year's Eve.
Xu Zhengyang walked through the village with a heavy heart.
On the street, men, women, and children would greet Xu Zhengyang warmly, and Xu Zhengyang would greet them with a smile, showing no sign of displeasure.
He had a bad feeling; the old man seemed... to be dying.
Upon returning home, he unusually greeted his parents and sister with great seriousness, saying he needed to rest and not to be disturbed. Then he went to his room, lay down fully clothed, and his consciousness descended to the Southeast Yama Palace in the Underworld. He wanted to find Elder Li's lifespan in the Book of Life and Death to see if his lifespan had ended.
While Xu Rouyue and her parents were surprised, they did not dare to ask Xu Zhengyang the reason, because they had never seen Xu Zhengyang so serious in front of them before.
Previously, when Xu Zhengyang saw the Book of Life and Death on the judge's desk in the Southeast Yama Palace after becoming the chief judge of the Southeast Yama Palace, he was extremely excited, but hesitated for a long time. In the end, he still did not use his supernatural powers to open the Book of Life and Death to check the lifespan of himself, his relatives and friends, and everyone he knew.
Because he doesn't want to see those things; sometimes, knowing too much only adds to your troubles and worries.
But this time, he had to go and check it out.
However, when Xu Zhengyang stood in the Southeast Yama Palace and picked up the black jade stone, which was the size of a city scroll, from the judge's desk in the judge's office, and opened it with his divine sense to examine it, he was astonished to find that there was no record of life or death in the Book of Life and Death. Naturally, the soul-catching pen on the desk was also useless...
Then, how were Cheng Jinchang and Cui Yao judged by the county clerk at the time to be still alive?
At this moment, Xu Zhengyang had an urge to blast the Southeast Yama Palace to smithereens once again.
What exactly happened?
Xu Zhengyang returned to the Yama Palace and spread his divine sense as far as possible. The faint sound spread throughout the entire Southeast Yama Palace. He hoped that something like a city scroll would appear so that he could find out the reason!
The City God has his city scrolls, and the judges have their books of life and death; therefore, Yama, the King of Hell, should also have a similar divine artifact.
Previously, Xu Zhengyang had never seen anything strange, so he had never thought about it. However, now, he suddenly remembered this possibility.
Sure enough, the plaque above, inscribed with "Southeast Yama Palace," suddenly flashed with golden light, then revealed dark, ghostly characters:
At that time, the underworld encountered a change, and all the divine artifacts were sealed. Those who have the divine power to rebuild the Yama Palace can repair all the records and items at the same time, but the divine artifacts need to be restored by the judges of the underworld with divine power.
Without hesitation, Xu Zhengyang teleported to the Judge's Office, holding the Book of Life and Death. He poured his divine sense into it, and in an instant, the black jade Book of Life and Death flickered and flowed with black light. He could tell from his senses that the Book of Life and Death seemed to be absorbing spiritual power little by little from an inanimate object, restoring the abilities that had been sealed inside.
He wasn't afraid of losing consciousness again due to exhaustion of his divine power, because since the Book of Life and Death required the divine power of the judges of the underworld, he was now the judge of the underworld, so what was there to fear?
Sure enough, after about three hours, the black light flashing on the Book of Life and Death stopped, and in its place was a bright, translucent radiance.
Following the instructions in the scroll, Xu Zhengyang picked up the Soul-Hooking Pen and began to consult the Book of Life and Death.
result……