novelinnhs Chapter 16 What emotion could be more intense than the demons of the heart?
Chapter 16 What emotion could be more intense than the demons of the heart?
Five years have passed since the system appeared until Cheng Xiao was pulled into this small world.
The system gave him a romance script, instructing him to escape with a princess in distress and, incidentally, win her over.
But Cheng Xiao managed to turn a romance story into a story about the founding of a nation.
Over the past five years, he first helped Chu Ning ascend the throne, and then began to build up the Great Chu, rectify officialdom, and develop the economy.
Although his script deviated quite a bit from the original script.
But Chu Ning's affection for him kept increasing.
If his favorability rating increases, it means his actions were not problematic!
After all, Cheng Xiao wasn't someone who played by the rules.
Chu Ning's favorability towards him has now reached 90. Judging from the progress bar, it's about to be full, but once it reaches 90, it's extremely difficult to increase the favorability by even 1 point.
However, Cheng Xiao is not in a hurry. He is still proceeding according to his original plan.
After helping Chu Ning stabilize the Great Chu, the next step is to unify the world, completely end this chaotic era, and make Chu Ning the only female emperor in the world.
Moreover, Cheng Xiao had an even bolder idea.
Through five years of experimentation, he realized that improving favorability wasn't just about dating; all sorts of distorted emotions were factored into the favorability score.
Since embarking on the path of cultivation, Cheng Xiao has been focusing on the ruthless path.
His cultivation progressed smoothly, after all, he was a transmigrator and not a person of this world. He quickly abandoned his seven emotions and six desires, officially embarked on the Great Dao, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.
But there aren't many people like him.
Many people who cultivate the path of ruthlessness have emotions they cannot let go of. If they cannot get rid of them, they will eventually become inner demons.
At best, one's cultivation will stagnate; at worst, one will be directly affected by inner demons and ultimately perish.
To address this problem, cultivators who practice the ruthless path devised many solutions, the most common of which was "killing someone to prove one's Dao".
If you can't forget someone, then just kill them and sever that bond with them yourself.
Cheng Xiao, as one of the best practitioners of the Ruthless Path, used to despise such methods the most.
He believed that "killing someone to prove one's path" was merely delaying the inner demons, and that he would eventually suffer a backlash.
Although he looked down on it, Cheng Xiao had now come up with this idea.
Chu Ning has severed all worldly ties with him with her own hands. Her greatest obsession now is him, and Cheng Xiao knows this well.
If he were to make this little princess "kill her master to prove her Tao," wouldn't such a huge emotional fluctuation instantly fill up all the remaining goodwill?
Whether he was killed by Chu Ning himself, or Chu Ning watched him being killed, or he died of illness, all of these were part of Cheng Xiao's plan.
When he first appeared, he gave himself the setting of being physically weak.
Originally intended for future escape through a fake death, it unexpectedly came in handy here.
Cheng Xiao has been thinking about the script lately.
He couldn't simply die to save that last bit of goodwill.
He wanted to die a regrettable, a grand, a valuable, and unforgettable death, one that would be remembered by everyone in the world.
Severing all worldly ties with one's own hands—this is the cultivation method of the Path of Ruthlessness.
Chu Ning is his only disciple, and he will also willingly become Chu Ning's inner demon.
When it comes to emotional fluctuations, what can be more intense than inner demons?
At that time, wouldn't it require a certain amount of goodwill points?
Cheng Xiao had been in this world for too long and had long forgotten how people in his previous life played galgames, but he was certain that he was probably the only one who played them the way he did.
He was drawing strategic maps while thinking about the next part of the script.
Everything was for his grand exit soon to come.
While Cheng Xiao was busy, the door to the Military Affairs Cabinet was slowly pushed open, and snowflakes mixed with cold wind blew in.
Chu Ning was afraid that her teacher would get cold, so she turned around and closed the door herself, keeping the wind and snow out.
Although his teacher had said a year ago that he would no longer concern himself with matters of the court, Chu Ning still came to report on many things every day, rain or shine.
Cheng Xiao put down what he was holding and listened silently.
While listening, they also offered their opinions.
"What Dr. Lin said is worth considering. The country needs different policies and strategies at different times. You can listen to their advice on this."
"It's a good thing that someone has stood up to question me. You are the king of Great Chu, and one day I will return all power to you."
After he finished speaking, Cheng Xiao suddenly started coughing violently.
Chu Ning immediately noticed the bright red blood on the handkerchief.
"Teacher!" She rushed over quickly and reached out to support Cheng Xiao's body.
Cheng Xiao waved his hand, forced a smile, and said calmly, "I'm fine."
Chu Ning's lips trembled slightly. Whenever she saw her teacher in this state, her heart felt like it was being gripped by something.
Five years have passed, and the teacher's face seems to have remained unchanged, nor has he aged. However, his body has become increasingly weak, and his complexion has become even paler.
Sometimes Chu Ning even felt that her teacher's figure was somewhat transparent, as if he might leave at any moment.
Every time she realized this, she felt like she was going crazy.
Chu Ning asked his teacher if there was a cure for his illness.
She would do anything to find it, no matter what.
But Cheng Xiao remained calm and said that there was no one in the world who could cure him.
This is not an illness, but rather a backlash he suffers from from frequently prying into the secrets of heaven, and no one can cure him.
Chu Ning wanted the teacher to stop, but she didn't dare to say it out loud, afraid of disappointing the teacher.
Sometimes she wonders why her teacher chose to take her as his student back then.
The teacher spends his lifespan every day trying to peek into the secrets of heaven, just to help her rise to power.
How can I ever repay this kindness?
Chu Ning wanted to say that she didn't want the Great Chu, nor did she want the world; she only wanted her teacher, and for her teacher to live.
But she knew she absolutely could not say it.
"Killing Zhou Xian won't shut the mouths of the world. Only absolute achievements can make everyone shut up and kneel down," Cheng Xiao said calmly, interrupting Chu Ning's thoughts.
Looking into those calm, still eyes, Chu Ning decided to keep his wish until he died.
She replied, "What the teacher means is..."
"Five years have passed, and we have completed all the necessary preparations."
Cheng Xiao stood up and pointed his finger at the northern border of the map.
"Over the past five years, the Great Chu has implemented the new laws of the Military Council, abolished hereditary succession, and promoted people based solely on their talents. This has resulted in the absolute concentration of all domestic resources. Now, the Great Chu's war mobilization capacity and logistical efficiency far surpass those of the other six countries."
In Cheng Xiao's analysis, the Great Zhou Dynasty, having been plagued by constant warfare and internal turmoil, had seen its national strength greatly diminished by the five years of peace. The Great Yan Dynasty, lacking natural defenses, relied on the Great Zhou; if the Great Zhou was bogged down, the Great Yan would inevitably crumble without a fight. The Great Yong Dynasty, though economically developed, was dominated by powerful clans, and its military commanders relied entirely on gold and silver trading, resulting in a disconnect between soldiers and generals. The Great Jing and Great Han Dynasties, though easily defensible, were mountainous and lacked sufficient food; cutting off their trade routes and sealing off their borders would quickly lead to starvation. The Great Li Dynasty was incredibly wealthy, but had enjoyed too much comfort for too long; despite its large navy, its infantry was practically nonexistent…
The strengths and weaknesses of each country seemed transparent to him.
Even if Cheng Xiao didn't say it, Chu Ning already understood what his teacher meant.
With the national strength accumulated by the Great Chu over the past five years, we will annex the other six states and completely end this chaotic world!