Huala!
A large jar of wine was smashed into pieces at the side of the starship. The broken pieces rained down on Iron Saint Qi Zhongdao's face, raising clinking noises.
"Why?"
Qi Zhongdao's voice was like a cluster of cold ice enshrouded in a scorching fire. He said in pain, "Why do the people of the major sects not understand the big picture at all? If every sect offered some food and assets, millions of disaster victims would've been settled so that they would not cause trouble and be taken advantage of by Mother White Lotus.
"It was the best way to stop the army of ghouls from showing up. It was better than slaying the devils after thousands of ghouls showed up, wasn't it?
"But — but they have been so disobedient to this extent.
"What would they have done without Fellow Cultivator Ba's help? Would they have watched a million disaster victims die and turn into brutal ghosts before they could do anything? I wonder what kind of hearts and brains those people have." Li Yao shook his head and said, "That's the only way they could have done it.
With the assets of Roaring Tiger City, it seems that we will be able to tide over the crisis. However, none of the heroes of the world is blind. Who can't tell that they have played such a trick? With such an approach, they will gain petty profits for the time being, but all the southeastern sects will be bitterly disappointed. The reputation of the major sects in the central plateaus will be ruined. How are we going to cooperate with the southeastern sects in the future? There is not the slightest trust between us anymore.
"They are shortsighted and lose the big picture for the small gains. They are still gloating over the loss of the watermelon. What an idiot! What an idiot!"
Qi Zhongdao cursed aloud under the influence of alcohol. He was shuddering all over. Even his eyes seemed to be burning furiously, with crimson magma flowing out of them.
He swallowed, and a sound was echoing in his throat, as if his vocal cords were burning. He said, his voice shivering, "The Great Qian Dynasty seems to be flourishing right now, but everybody here is a top expert of the world of Cultivators. Who doesn't know the inside story?
"The White Lotus Cult is savaging the southeast, the Heaven Battering Army is trampling the northwest, and Ghost Qin is coveting us from the north. One moment of carelessness, and we will be doomed forever.
"In such a time of life and death, the major sects are still taking advantage of their neighbors. They are still scheming and scheming against each other. Even the rules on the surface are being kicked away one by one and thrown away completely."
"If things go on like this, the country will not be a country at all. Even though the White Lotus Cult, the Heaven Battering Army, and the Ghost Qin are just scabies at first, if they continue to mess around like this, they will develop into fatal pains sooner or later. By then, it will be too late for regrets when they are beyond cure."
"If the Great Qian Dynasty does fall apart, there will be at least a hundred years of lawless, bloody wars. All the sects and all the Cultivators will be involved in the swirls of slaughter. They will either live like devils or die the most miserable deaths.
"If the Great Qian Dynasty is a high tower, so many Cultivation sects and so many Cultivators are already standing on the highest floor of the tower. Why can't those people understand such a simple logic as to what benefits will we get if the tower collapses? Why can't they understand it at all? Why can't they?"
He clenched his fists and was about to punch the crooked tree hard.
However, Crooked Tree's half-dead and tottering appearance made him think of something. He turned around and heavily slapped his thigh. "Hey!"
"Brother Qi, don't be hasty. What you just said is all very reasonable. You can't be more correct."
Ba Xiaoyu was somewhat drunk, too. Burping, he chuckled and said, "However, logic is one thing. You have been the grand leader and the leader of the Cultivators for too long. You don't know what your subordinates are thinking.
"Yes. Right now, the food is just a trivial matter. After all, the price of food outside is very cheap.
"However, what will happen when the influence of the natural disaster spreads out and there is a shortage of people before the autumn harvest?
"By then, the price of food will soar. It is very possible that it will increase by ten times or even twenty times, especially in the southeast, which will certainly be mired in famine this year. The Cultivation sects in the southeast will be willing to pay any price for precious food and to consolidate their influence.
"If the food is delivered and the dire situation in the southeast is resolved, what benefits will there be other than the gratitude of the poor folks?
"However, if the food is delivered when there is a shortage of people and the southeast is in famine, the food will definitely be sold at a sky-high price.
"Don't be hasty. Let this beggar finish first. The shortage of people is one of the reasons. There is another reason, which is more important, which is to recruit people.
"The southeast is where the spiritual energy in the world gathers. The ordinary folks here are nurtured by the spiritual energy and have a much higher chance of awakening their spiritual roots than in other places. They are all the best candidates for Cultivation.
"Before, the place was dominated by the southeast sects. It was difficult for the foreign sects to establish a foothold here and recruit disciples.
"However, the natural disaster is a great opportunity for the major sects in the central plateaus to join hands.
"As the saying goes, it's hard to leave one's hometown. Unless it's absolutely necessary, who would be willing to leave tens of thousands of miles away from home and go to an unfamiliar Cultivation sect and struggle like a dog for a slim chance of survival?" "That's right. That's right.
"If you have truly delivered enough food to allow so many disaster victims to survive the crisis safely, how many of them would be willing to be recruited by you? Even if they want to join a Cultivation sect, they can always choose the local forces in the southeast.
"Therefore, even if we do have food, we cannot release it to feed the disaster victims so easily. We have to let them starve to death and then stimulate their appetite with some porridge. We have to show them a slim chance of survival and let them know that the major sects in the central plateaus have plenty of food and that going to the central plateaus is the only way to survive. Only then will they be willing to take part in the entrance tests of the major sects."
"Only those who are strong and talented can get enough food after passing the entrance test and signing a contract to sell themselves."
"In such a way, we will be able to increase our strength with the elites of the southeast and weaken the development potential of the southeast sects without us knowing. Isn't it the best way to kill two birds with one stone?"
"This is against the rules."
His eyes bloodshot, Qi Zhongdao declared aggressively, "Such an act of recruiting disciples across the territory of other sects will easily lead to large-scale conflicts and chaos. The world will be in chaos. I never did such a thing when I was the leader of the Grand Mystery Sect.
"It's a pity that you are no longer the leader of the Grand Mystery Sect, Brother Qi. I'm a straightforward man, and I'll say whatever I want to say. Please don't take it to heart, brother. Is there any difference between the leader of the sect and the wife who has been kicked out of the house by a divorce letter?"
Ba Xiaoyu grinned. "Do you think that the world is not in chaos right now, Brother Qi? Rules are only interesting if everybody talks about them. If none of you talk about rules and I talk about them alone, won't I suffer a great loss? I'm not an idiot. Why should I talk about the bullsh * t rules? Even if the rules come from the mouth of the almighty leader of the Cultivators, they do not mean anything at all."
As if struck by lightning, Qi Zhongdao was dazed for a long time. Then he suddenly burst into laughter. "Good. Good. You are absolutely right, Fellow Cultivator Ba. What kind of leader of the Cultivators am I exactly? I'm just someone who can be summoned and dismissed at will.
"When the major sects join hands to force the emperor to abdicate, they will think of me as their leader and praise me. After the emperor and Wang Xi both collapse, who will really take me as their leader?
"The major sects want to suppress the Purple Pole Sword Sect and share the enormous interests of the Purple Pole Sword Sect. I will be the high and mighty leader of the alliance, and I will have to fight 'Sword Maniac' Yan Liren to death. After the interests are divided and the Dragon Spring Meeting is over, who will take me seriously?"
"When the natural calamity in the southeast required someone to show up and work hard to gather all the forces and coordinate the messy relationships, I suddenly became the leader of the alliance again. Even when Roaring Tiger City was attacked, I had to be the first to take action as the leader. Then, if Emperor Phoenix burst into fury in the future and blamed us for acting on his behalf without asking for permission, I would be the one to take the blame for it."
"Haha. Leader. Leader. Is there such a bullsh * t leader in the world?"
Qi Zhongdao roared at the sky in agony.
"Fellow Cultivator Qi, you are drunk," Master Bitter Cicada said.
"I am drunk. I have been drunk for too long. I was so drunk that I thought that I had a way to change everything." Qi Zhongdao sat on the chair and sighed.
Qi Zhongdao sat down on the railing of the ship and sighed. "But why is it like this? Why is nobody willing to look at the long-term and truly consider the big picture and the entire world of Cultivators? Leader Xiaoyue, sigh. I've always had high hopes for him. I hope that he can lead the world of Cultivators with the demeanor of the leader of the greatest sect in the world. He has never disappointed me in the past, but I don't know when he has become so … so unbearable."
"Perhaps it is not Fellow Cultivator Xiaoyue who has changed but this world."
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