"Horrifying?"
Appreciating his perfect body in the full-length mirror with the most delightful eyes, Li Jialing said casually, "Every person that I killed deserved to be killed. Those guys were all the guards of 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky'. They had done a lot of bad things. Too many 'test subjects' were killed by them miserably. Today, they have been minced into pieces by me. That's their retribution for their sins.
"As for lying to Li Lingfeng? Hehe. He was lying to me, too. What 'Origin Plan'? Did he really think that I was stupid enough to believe such a stupid thing?
"This is a world where the strong preys on the weak. Everyone has to be unscrupulous in order to get what they want. Only then can they … completely control their own destiny. I'm just trying to protect myself. What's wrong with that?
"Do I have to believe Li Lingfeng's bulls * it obediently and become a killing machine of the Li family? Only in such a way will I be harmless and not 'horrifying', right?"
Li Yao was lost for words for a moment. Frowning, he said, "It does make sense. If I were in your shoes, I would've made the same choice as you. However, when I was your age, I definitely did not have your strength, cunningness, and acting skills. If it were me at that time, it was very likely that my tailbone would've been shivering in front of such a big shot as Li Lingfeng, and I would've definitely exposed myself.
"Let me think about where my uneasiness comes from. Right. Perhaps it's because I'm worried about my own safety after 'appreciating' your amazing performance, fearing that I will be silenced by you one day. After all, I've heard too many great secrets about you!"
"Silencing?"
Li Jialing smiled casually. Touching his marble-like muscles, he said, "Firstly, I don't want to climb up with the power of the Li family, nor am I interested in becoming 'Li Lingfeng's successor and the future hope of the Li family' or involved in the messy internal strife between Li Lingfeng and Li Linghai, the queen of the Imperium. I only want to live a free, unrestrained, and lawless life that absolutely nobody can control.
"Therefore, even if my identity is as described by the 'Origin Plan', so what? I don't want to borrow any resources from the Li family, so I am not scared that my identity will be exposed. Who can threaten me with such an identity? This' huge secret 'was completely worthless!
"Secondly, besides, the so-called 'Origin Plan' is probably false. At the very least, it contains a lot of fabricated elements. Hehe. Did Li Lingfeng think that he could convince me of my 'origin' just because he carefully crafted a jade chip that was filled with all kinds of information and pretended to be real? You're really looking down on me!
"Therefore, the judgment that I told you earlier was correct. From the beginning to the end, Li Lingfeng never thought highly of me. His real enemy was the big shots such as Li Linghai. 99% of his computational ability and attention were devoted to dealing with the 'real enemy'. As for me, I was nothing more than a chess piece that could be manipulated at will in his eyes. All he needed to do was to come up with a clumsy scam and fool him.
"Since the Origin Plan contains a lot of false information, it doesn't seem to be a big deal for you to hear it.
"Thirdly, the Li family is a super family that has roamed the sea of stars for thousands of years after all. They have been dominating the world since the Star Ocean Republic. The whole sea of stars is full of their tentacles and shadows.
"If I really want to get rid of the Li family's control, even if I am extremely lucky and manage to kill Li Lingfeng, it doesn't mean that the Li family's hunting will end. Perhaps, I will have to spend many, many years and kill many, many people before I can completely get rid of the Li family's control, right?
"If possible, I naturally do not want to fight against the enormous Li family on my own. If I have an ally who has mysterious origins but extraordinary capabilities, is there any reason why I should not fight side by side with the ally but try to 'kill him to keep his mouth shut'? Wouldn't I be too stupid in such a case?
"Despite the vastness of the sea of stars, there are few unparalleled experts who are willing to go against the Li family. Now that I have run into one by chance, I can't wait to cling to your thigh. How can I have any ill intentions toward you?"
"Don't. Please don't."
Li Yao said, "I can already vaguely see what will happen to Li Lingfeng after you cling to his thigh."
"How is that the same?"
Li Jialing chuckled, but this time, there was not the slightest hint of weirdness or cunning in his smile. It was the purest and most sunny smile of a big boy. Scratching his head, he said, "Fourthly, well, you may find it hard to believe, because even I don't quite believe it myself. Although I have never seen your face or heard your real voice, I somehow feel that you are … a person who is worth getting close to and trusting.
"Forget it. Let's not talk about such childish things. Just consider it my imagination."
"Then … it might not be your imagination."
Li Yao thought for a moment and said solemnly, "It is true that you can get close to and trust me without any reservation. I assure you that I am different from Li Lingfeng and all the other Immortal Cultivators that you have met in the past!"
The young man was slightly dazed. Sensing Li Yao's tone, genuine confusion popped up in his eyes for the first time.
"After such a long time, I still don't know what to call you."
The young man shook his head hard to get rid of the feeble confusion and put on a face that looked like a mask that had been carefully adjusted. "Should I call you Senior Li, Fellow Cultivator Li, Master Li, Uncle Li, or Uncle Yao?"
"I am not as old as you think."
Li Yao said, "If we are to be serious, I am no more than twenty years older than you. I am also in the prime of my life. Just call me 'Brother Yao'."
The delicate mask on the young man's face was broken again. He slightly raised his eyebrows, as if he felt like laughing but did not dare. He said, "Fine. I admit that you are indeed different from the Immortal Cultivators that I have met in the past … Brother Yao."
"Just drop the 'you' and use 'you'. As we get along with each other, you will know that although I am an unparalleled expert whose Cultivation is unparalleled and whose combat ability is destructive, I am actually quite easy-going and unadorned. There's no need for you to talk to me in a condescending manner. Just treat me like a family member."
Li Yao paused for a moment and said, "Right. I want to know more about the 'Three Fundamental Laws' in your head. You didn't seem to have told me that at the beginning."
Staring at his own eyes in the mirror, Li Jialing pondered for a moment and asked instead of answering, "Brother Yao, you don't seem to be surprised that there are barriers such as the 'Three Fundamental Laws' in my head, do you?"
Li Yao: "Well, do I?"
"Yes."
Li Jialing said solemnly, "The Imperium and the Holy League are mortal enemies, and the Holy League is best at injecting simulated feelings and will into the brains of their spies, instigating riots, revolts, and intelligence into the Imperium.
"After hundreds of years of development, the technology of the Holy League's spies to simulate the feelings of normal people has reached the peak. Even the most advanced 'Ring-Tu Test' of the Imperium cannot tell the difference between 'humanoid' and 'real person'.
"Normal people's first reaction when they hear that there is such a weird barrier in my head must be wariness, vigilance, or even confusion, right?
"But why can't I sense any such ripples from your waves? I feel that … you have known it for a long time, or maybe you can figure out the cause and effect?"
Li Yao smiled and said, "Maybe, after you tell me everything, I will really be able to figure out the cause and effect. You want to figure out your real origins too, don't you?"
Li Jialing's eyes twitched again.
Li Yao's words touched the young man's heart.
He closed his eyes and thought for a long time, before he said, "Ever since I had self-awareness and memories, I've been haunted by an uncanny barrier or fear, like …
"Like some people are scared of chickens, some of them are scared of spiders and worms that are not poisonous, and some of them have a strong fear of heights and fall to the ground when they are too scared to reach a high place.
"Many studies have shown that it is the work of a certain primitive memory embedded deep inside the genes and even the soul. Perhaps, in the primeval age a long, long time ago, the ancestors of chickens were a certain group of dinosaurs, which posed a great threat to human beings. Or maybe, spiders at that time were behemoths and top ferocious beasts more than seventy meters long.
"The fear and disgust passed on through bloodline, genes, or soul generation after generation has effectively increased the odds of survival of human beings.
"As for what I'm scared of, it is not chickens, spiders, or snakes, but killing. To be more exact, it is attacking other people.
"Brother Yao, you know that I grew up in the Li family. The competition among the descendants of the family can be very cruel. In the training field, it is not unusual to hurt or even kill the young people of the family accidentally.
"As for me, even if I only watch other people fight each other in the training field until their bones are broken and they're vomiting blood, I will feel my heart race, my breathing quicken, my vision blur, and the strong urge to vomit. I can't even stand properly, much less fight."
Li Yao thought quickly and said, "Of the Three Fundamental Laws of the Holy League, one of them does stipulate that human beings are not allowed to kill each other. So, this is how it works without the order of the Pangu?"
Li Jialing said, "At that time, I was still young. Naturally, I did not understand what the problem that happened to me was. Other people only considered me a piece of garbage who was weak in nature and a target to be bullied. Hehe. Now that I think about it, it was truly a bit unbearable!"
Li Yao was silent.
In the Li family, where the strong preyed on the weak and barbaric competition, what kind of treatment would a bottom-level descendant who was born cowardly and did not dare to attack other people suffer? It was truly chilling to think about it.
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