I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1788 - 221: Levels of Thinking

Chapter 1788: Chapter 221: Levels of Thinking

"Outdated principles are only useful to old folks; young people’s doubts must be resolved by themselves."

The Flower-Coat Old Man picked up another peanut and popped it into his mouth, chuckling as he said, "The road ahead is long, why rush this moment?"

"Thank you for your guidance, Ancestor. It was reckless of me, Yanran."

To the majority of disciples in Long Valley, the Flower-Coat Old Man was akin to a divine presence on earth, with each word he uttered imbued with boundless profundity.

Thus, Cao Yanran did not perceive the old man’s words as shirking responsibility, intuitively seeing them as a higher level of care and instruction. He expressed his gratitude and apologized full of emotion.

This, however, infuriated Cao Changqing, who saw it entirely differently. To him, the Flower-Coat Old Man had merely said some nonsense!

If someone seeks answers to a perplexing question, and you tell them to think it through slowly—what kind of useless advice is that?!

"Bah!"

Spitting out the red skins of the peanuts, Cao Changqing thumped his chest and exclaimed, "You stingy old man! Yanran, senior brother, don’t pay him any mind. Whatever doubts you have, speak to me! Two minds are better than one, right?"

"Um..."

Looking at Cao Changqing’s enthusiastic demeanor, Cao Yanran couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. Seeing the Ancestor munching on peanuts indifferently, Yanran gritted his teeth and said, "It’s not a bad idea to discuss things together. Let me ask you, Changqing: If you have a double-dealing relative who has suffered greatly and seeks you out for justice, would you lend a hand?"

"Of course not!"

Cao Changqing replied without hesitation, "A relative who’s two-faced? Just imagine how many outrageous deeds they’ve committed in the background. Even if they’ve truly been wronged, it’s probably just karma for their misdeeds. I wouldn’t just refuse to help, I’d cheer for their suffering!"

"I see. Thank you for sharing, junior brother."

Cao Yanran smiled, nodding slightly, neither expressing agreement nor outright dissent—making it impossible to discern his standpoint.

"Don’t stop with me! What would you do, senior brother?"

Clearly, Cao Changqing was uncomfortable with the asymmetry of his candid response versus Cao Yanran’s reserved reaction, and he promptly pressed the question back.

"At first, I thought similarly to you, junior brother," Cao Yanran said, shaking his head. "I figured the natural course of justice would take its path. That karma is inevitable, and evildoers will meet their match."

"But upon deeper reflection, I realized that handling it that way isn’t entirely right."

"How so? What’s wrong with that?"

Cao Changqing was momentarily stunned. "I think it’s perfectly good reasoning!"

"Good? If all judgment of good and evil solely stems from me, then what’s left of right and wrong?"

Cao Yanran replied with a bitter smile.

"How could there be no right and wrong?"

Cao Changqing was indignant, even forgetting his peanuts as he craned his neck and argued, "Our sect boasts the most extensive intelligence network across Xiehe, including the Wind Media organization overseen by the Dutian Heavenly King. If they gather information, wouldn’t the distinctions of right and wrong naturally become clear?"

"If it were that straightforward, things would indeed be easier."

Cao Yanran’s face clouded further. "Yet, over these days, I’ve reviewed more than a dozen reports from subordinate branches of the Wind Media Organization—a stack enough to fill three large bookshelves. After thoroughly examining all this intelligence, the matter has instead become harder to judge."

"There is verified intelligence providing evidence that Unparalleled City made the first move. At the dock, the station commander tasked with delivering grain from Unparalleled City clashed with disciples from Ten Thousand Beasts Manor, escalating into violence. Several station guards, along with the commander, were torn apart by battle beasts."

"In that case, it’s Red Cloud Mountain at fault!"

Cao Changqing pronounced decisively, "Ten Thousand Beasts Manor belongs to the Mao Sect—a relative of the holy land itself. For Unparalleled City’s station guards to dare attack them, that’s insubordination! Clearly, Unparalleled City is in the wrong!"

"Is that so?"

Cao Yanran shook his head helplessly. "There’s additional intelligence from within the city reliably affirming that upon arriving, Shi Ganhai received an unprecedented welcome—yet he allowed his retainers to abduct the station commander’s wife and concubines, proceeding to..."

"Uh..."

Earlier full of righteous indignation, Cao Changqing now froze, his face flushing red before muttering in a muffled tone, "Shi Ganhai in this matter...definitely acted dishonorably."

"And that’s not all."

Cao Yanran continued, "Ten Thousand Beasts Manor claimed over thirty top-quality beast breeds intended for offering perished. But combing through the Wind Media’s records, eyewitness accounts indicate only a few beasts slain by feral creatures. All in all, when these tangled threads of information collide, distinguishing right from wrong becomes exceedingly difficult. But what’s more pressing is the broader impact this incident has had on the Mao Sect."

"How does something like this even affect the Mao Sect?"

Cao Changqing’s jaw dropped; he found it baffling.

"After the debacle at Red Cloud Mountain, tens of thousands of war beasts defected or fled mid-battle, plunging the entire Longzhou region’s enthusiasm for rearing battle beasts to an unprecedented low!"

Cao Yanran spoke with an expressionless look. "Reports from the Mao Sect’s beast centers in major cities detail a decline exceeding thirty percent in the sale of feral beasts and spiritual beasts compared to previous years. Worse still, the five families we cultivated for hundreds of years as stewards of beast-rearing are now nothing but laughingstocks."

"According to estimates from several Mao Sect scholars, without completely erasing the shadow of the Red Cloud Mountain battle, it will be exceedingly difficult for the ethos of beast-rearing cultivation to resonate with the youth in Longzhou anymore. Haven’t you noticed how few people are attempting to break into Long Valley to seek apprenticeship of late?"

"Uh... Now that you mention it, senior brother, that does seem true."

Cao Changqing stroked his chin, pondering. "Previously, every few days our fellow disciples would ride out to rescue unlucky folks chased by feral beasts. But this past stretch has been eerily quiet—so that’s why?"

"Now you understand the reasons behind my troubles, junior brother."

Cao Yanran sighed. "The sect leader once advised: upon reaching our level, decisions must be made with extreme caution. Such is the case now. The muddled lines of right and wrong leave us in a position where whichever side we choose can be justified—but whichever side we support will also bear flaws. Coupled with the emergence of that enigmatic Human King during Red Cloud Mountain’s ordeal, I genuinely find myself at a loss for how to manage this affair."

As he watched his truly gifted senior brother from the Mao Sect tied up in knots, Cao Changqing felt an earnest desire to offer help. Yet the preceding exchange made it clear:

While he was still stuck debating matters on the second level, his senior brother Cui Yanran had already reached considerations on the fourth or even fifth level.

The supposed wisdom of "two minds are better than one" seemed to thoroughly mock him. Growing impatient, the third son of the Lin Clan naturally turned his gaze toward the Flower-Coat Old Man, who was busy shoving peanuts into his cheeks.

"Stop eating, old man, and help us figure something out!"

Cao Changqing implored earnestly, adding a little bribe: "Next time I’ll bring some mountain delicacies for you—so lend a hand with Yanran, senior brother!"

"Crunch, crunch."

The Flower-Coat Old Man cheerfully swallowed his last mouthful of peanuts, his eyes rolling languidly before remarking with disdain, "Didn’t the stinky brat just say two minds are better than one? What’s the matter—out of ideas now?"

"I’m a stinky brat, not a proper person, so what’s the problem with running out of ideas?"

Cao Changqing protested angrily, "You’re the Beast Taming Sect’s Ancestor, aren’t you? Don’t tell me you’re just as clueless as this stinky brat!"

"Stinky brat—knows nothing."

Snorting dismissively at Cao Changqing, the Flower-Coat Old Man turned his gaze to scrutinize Cao Yanran, who was sitting upright solemnly. After a moment, he nodded in satisfaction, saying, "This kid’s not bad. With a few more years of tempering, the Mao Sect will have a worthy successor."

"Thank you, Ancestor, for your kind praise!"

Again Cao Yanran prostrated himself, bowing deeply to express his gratitude to the Flower-Coat Old Man.