Ever since arriving in this world, all the people and all the events had been challenging Yun Ye’s various bottom lines. After he had lowered his baseline again and again, he still discovered it wasn’t lowered enough. They had no bottom line in their actions. As long as it benefited themselves, they never cared how many people would die or what consequences would result.

The higher up people were, the more indifferent their moral concepts became. The lower down people were, the more noble they were. What kind of logic was this?

By what right, by what right were good people destined to be ruled by evil people? By what right was goodness powerless before ugliness?

“Heaven and earth have righteous energy, manifested in various forms. Above it…” After reciting the entire “Song of Righteous Energy,” Yun Ye didn’t become impassioned and generous—instead, he became extremely dejected. Words without thought and emotion couldn’t move people, couldn’t even move himself.

Life had made him understand how lonely the ancient sages must have been. Someone like himself, a hooligan with a bit of conscience, had almost no place to stand. How sorrowful those ancient virtuous men must have been.

Dou Yanshan patted Yun Ye’s shoulder and said: “Stay. Let’s fight and kill together in Nanzhao and see if we have the power to change heaven and earth. This place is savage and barren, but for you and me, it will only be fertile soil.”

“Since our ancestors could create China with their bare hands, why can’t you and I establish our own nation in Nanzhao? The Li family is of barbarian blood—they are usurpers of power. You and I are both of pure Han stock. My Dou surname dates back to ancient times, and so does your Yun family. Restoring the Han people’s robes and caps is our inescapable responsibility.”

“I’ve always believed nobility comes from the soul, not from power. Dou Yanshan, you and I have different philosophies—like two carriages traveling in opposite directions. We’ll only grow further apart, with no possibility of intersection. Moreover, your methods have taken the wrong path from the very beginning. You’re well-read in poetry and books—have you ever heard of anyone founding a nation by relying on Worry-Forgetting Grass? Don’t tell me this is a newly discovered thing. Do you know that in the distant Roman Empire, this substance has always been used as medicine to treat illness and not for other purposes? It’s not that they hadn’t discovered its properties, but that no emperor dared to utilize it on a large scale. Other things at most take lives, but this thing takes people’s souls. Between the two, how do you choose?”

Dou Yanshan burst into laughter, pointing at Yun Ye and saying: “People say ‘without poison, one cannot be a real man,’ yet you’ve grown a woman’s heart. As long as the goal is achieved, it’s a good path. I’m giving you time—you’ll come to understand. Let’s not discuss this now. Let me show you my realm. Although it’s small now, it will soon become powerful.”

Dou Yanshan seemed forever full of confidence, never dejected. Hardship and suffering had given him almost infinite strength.

Poverty might disappoint people more, but what truly makes people despair is seeing no hope.

Many men wandered through the village. Some lay in corners catching lice, others yawned with tears streaming down, and those with a bit more conscience gathered a thin child in their arms. Whether adults or children, their eyes were all cold—or rather, numb. Only when they saw the Dou family servants would their eyes gleam as they gathered around, extending withered arms to beg for something.

A pellet the size of a longan was tossed out. All the men pounced on it like starving wolves hunting. Only the child thrown to the ground let out a shrill cry.

“Old Dou, you plan to rely on these waste cases to accomplish your dreams?”

Dou Yanshan waved his hand and laughed: “Last year I sent a group of people to raid other villages for grain. Who knew nearly half would be eaten by wild beasts in the jungle? You should know I sent out three hundred people, all with weapons. After that time, I no longer held any hope for them. They’re a bunch of waste who only know how to eat, sleep, and demand Worry-Free Grass. If it weren’t for the fact that killing all the men would cause the village to perish, I would have cleaned out these waste cases long ago.”

“Marquis Yun, you also know that three hundred armed men from Guanzhong would absolutely be kings of beasts in the jungle. They’re the ones who eat meat—how could there be any logic in them being eaten by wild beasts?”

Dou Yanshan spoke lightly. He still didn’t have a clear understanding of the jungle. In a savage jungle, wild beasts were the masters. When encountering some extremely terrifying creatures, courage was useless.

Like leeches and ants, and there was also a type of insect that could lay eggs under human skin. It survived on human blood and flesh. When it matured into an adult, it would bite through the skin and burrow out to find a mate to reproduce with, then find the next target.

As for the person serving as the host, there was no need to think about their outcome, because that type of insect could lay one thousand eggs invisible to the naked eye at once.

This was the earliest venomous insect传说ed in people’s mouths for thousands of years. Of course, their targets weren’t necessarily humans—more often they were wild beasts and livestock. Heaven and earth had their own laws. The more formidable an animal, the fewer there would be—like tigers, like lions, or perhaps like Li Er?

Dou Yanshan couldn’t wait to lead Yun Ye to see his wealth. Ever since experiencing that terrible hunger, fat pigs had become his most precious treasures.

If there had only been fat pigs in the pigsty, watching those round, plump creatures, Yun Ye would have found it pleasing to the eye. Unfortunately, there was also a person chained with iron in the pigsty—an almost naked woman.

This woman must have been very fat before, because hanging from her chest were two huge, shriveled breasts. The iron chain fastened around her neck was covered with rust. This woman had a tall frame and a massive build, but now she was like a fish thrown on the beach, opening and closing her mouth that was missing several teeth, not knowing what she was saying. Only those pitch-black eyes still revealed hatred.

Yun Ye felt dizzy. These scenes were what he most hated to see. He would rather see a corpse than see a person ruined to this degree.

“Old Dou, give me this woman. Name your price, I’ll take it.”

Dou Yanshan was washing his hands in the water trough nearby. Hearing Yun Ye’s words, he was greatly surprised. He shook off the water droplets from his hands and turned to ask: “Aren’t you as fastidious as I am about cleanliness? How could you want this woman? I know it must be your woman’s heart taking the upper hand again. Do you know? Originally this pig of a woman actually dared to hold my hand, saying she liked me. Thinking about it makes me want to chop off my hand. I deliberately left her alive just to tell her she only deserves to be with pigs. You can actually tolerate her existence.”

Yun Ye began to grow irritated and shouted: “I’ll take her and kill her with one stroke—how about that? Will you give her to me or not?”

Dou Yanshan stroked his chin and said: “Giving her to you isn’t impossible, but this woman has a great secret. Only she knows where their generations have hidden copper drums and ritual vessels. You should know those ritual vessels are all made of gold. I really want to know, but I’ve used every method on this woman and she still won’t open her mouth. If you…”

“Dou Yanshan, do you want any grace at all? Do you even care about a few hundred, a few thousand taels of gold with impurities? When you used to rent out the entire Yanlai Building for our all-night revelries, wasn’t it hundreds of taels of gold each time? Now you see gold and your eyes turn red?”

These words made Dou Yanshan’s face flush red. The aristocratic bearing cultivated over many years made him ashamed to discuss money. If the Dou family hadn’t fallen, he indeed wouldn’t have valued that bit of wealth in the savages’ hands. The problem was that now he had fallen on hard times—even a mosquito’s legs were meat.

“Yun Ye, do you think I want to drill into money holes? Buying grain, buying horses, buying weapons—which doesn’t require money? I don’t even value this bit of gold, but my subordinates need money to be appeased. I’m now in the wilderness—where should I get money from? One sentence: unless you tell me where the gold is, otherwise this waste will continue competing with pigs for food. A waste who can’t even beat pigs for food still has the face to claim to be a warrior.”

Yun Ye turned to the woman and said: “Tell him where the gold is. Later I’ll help you cast better gold vessels.”

That woman struggled for a long time before spitting out a thick glob of phlegm. However, being too weak, she didn’t spit it on anyone—instead, it landed on her own chest.

Dou Yanshan pursed his lips and spread his hands toward Yun Ye, indicating he was powerless.

“Old Dou, you name a number. I’ll go get you the gold. Don’t tell me you don’t even know where they mine for gold.”

“I’ve seen it. They just use baskets and leather pouches to find gold, slow as death. They can’t collect much in a day. It’s not as good as me getting money from outside.”

Dou Yanshan quickly came over, leaning close to Yun Ye to curry favor. If large amounts of gold could be extracted from the mountains, it would greatly help him.

“Hurry up and say a number. Gold is different from other metals—you can’t be greedy, otherwise strange calamities will descend.”

At this moment, Dou Yanshan couldn’t care less about whether strange calamities would descend or not. Getting the gold in hand first was the proper thing to do.

He had just opened his mouth to say one hundred thousand taels when, seeing Yun Ye’s contemptuous gaze, he quickly changed his words: “Fifty thousand taels, can’t be any less.”

“Then you can take this woman and feed her to the pigs. Let me tell you, pigs are omnivorous animals. Don’t think pigs only eat grain and grass. If there’s meat, they don’t mind either.”

“Then ten thousand taels, can’t be less.”

“Old Dou, five thousand taels. I’ll help you mine five thousand taels. Figure out the rest yourself.”

Dou Yanshan and Yun Ye clapped hands three times, considering the deal done. A key was tossed over, and then his shadow disappeared. A promise between nobles was often more effective than a contract, even if they were mortal enemies. Dou Yanshan regarded himself as a noble in this savage land. Although he was a fugitive, for the glory of his ancestors, he cared more than anyone about his dignity.

Yun Ye jumped into the pigsty, covering his nose and driving away those pigs. The Yun family’s pigsty would never have this much feces and urine. In farmers’ pigsties, as soon as there was even a bit, someone would immediately shovel it out and bury it with yellow earth. After it composted, it would be good to add a bit of fertilizer to their own fields.

After groping for a long time, he found the lock in the woman’s loose skin. The lock was badly corroded. Yun Ye spent a full incense stick’s worth of time before he could open the lock for the woman.

He had just helped her up when a suffocating stench wafted over. A cold iron chain suddenly wrapped around Yun Ye’s neck.