244: Fifth Incarnation: Heavenly Physician (Thirty-Six)

Initially, there was astonishment, even a hint of offended anger.

Wang Yi, bearing a Legacy and possessing strategic acumen, had, since entering this Minor Derivation Dharma Assembly world, taken it upon himself to “restore order and rebuild the Kunlun and I Ching Dao.” He recruited heroes, observed the opportune moments, and walked the grand and righteous path of a hegemon.

In his eyes, Xu Yuan’s Way of Great Peace, though possessing some peculiar methods and having gathered a certain amount of popular support, was fundamentally nothing more than a common trick in chaotic times: using religion to deceive the masses and gather bandits in the mountains. At best, he was a “King of the Grassroots” with slightly more cunning methods.

Tonight, he had condescended to come, offering benefits and detailing harms, already giving him ample Face and harboring thoughts of subjugation or cooperation.

He never expected the other party to refuse so decisively, and the reason was even more… absurd.

“Let the common people become the power themselves?”

“No need for an ‘enlightened ruler’?”

“A world where every ordinary person has dignity and hope?”

Ha!

Wang Yi almost scoffed aloud.

This was simply a madman’s dream!

He had experienced much in life and deeply understood human selfishness and the ignorance of the masses.

Without strong guidance, without strict organization, and without the ultimate deterrence of force, how could one speak of changing the world?

What could a disorganized populace do besides being incited to destruction?

Construction?

Order?

Those required wisdom, authority, and strength beyond ordinary people!

And how could ordinary people possibly possess these?

Could it be that Xu Yuan had stayed in this Spiritless World for too long, truly believing himself to be a savior, and imagining those muddle-headed illusory spirits to be “people” capable of controlling their own destinies?

Absurd! Naive! Ridiculous!

However, just as the scoff was about to escape his lips, a series of images flashed through Wang Yi’s mind:

The orderly self-saving populace of Rat Alley during the plague, the silent yet resilient Faces of countless impoverished people facing government soldiers, the complex and unreadable light in the eyes of old soldiers in the military household district when discussing the Way of Great Peace, and Xu Yuan’s unquestionable conviction in his clear eyes tonight when discussing “popular sentiment” and “mutual aid”… That didn't seem like lying, nor like empty talk of ideals.

It was a kind of… almost stubborn “belief.”

The anger and mockery on Wang Yi’s Face gradually faded, replaced by deep contemplation and a hint of… emotion that even he himself had not noticed.

He suddenly realized that Xu Yuan might… “truly” believe in that set of ideas.

Not as a slogan to win over hearts, not as a strategy to seize power, but genuinely practicing his philosophy of “self-salvation, mutual aid, and healing the world” as the Dao of this world.

Was he treating this Minor Derivation Dharma Assembly, this Spiritless World, as a real “experimental ground” that could be shaped according to some ideal?

This thought gave Wang Yi a strange sense of absurdity, which then transformed into an indescribable… fascination.

Right, the Minor Derivation Dharma Assembly.

He had almost forgotten that this was ultimately a trial of “Deriving Dharma.”

It wasn't about who ultimately became king or hegemon, but about the comprehension and application of the principles of “rise and fall.”

The path Xu Yuan chose seemed circuitous, but if he could truly, in this Spiritless World, without relying on extraordinary martial power, merely by coalescing ideals and organizing the populace, form an undeniable, bottom-up “momentum,” and even genuinely drive some level of “rise and fall” change… then this “Deriving Dharma” achievement would likely be far more profound and more in line with the true meaning of “change” and “derivation” in Kunlun and I Ching Dao than simply relying on political maneuvering and military force to change a Dynasty.

“With popular sentiment as the formation, mutual aid as the foundation, and ideals as the banner… In this Spiritless cage, perhaps… there truly is a sliver of possibility for this illusory spark to briefly illuminate a corner?”

Wang Yi murmured to himself, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curving into a complex arc, containing mockery, sudden realization, and a few hints of… appreciation that he himself was unwilling to admit.

“Truly… naively interesting.”

He finally chuckled softly, shaking his head, his smile no longer holding the initial disdain, but rather a playful amusement, like a chess Revered Master seeing an unexpected brilliant move from an opponent.

He recalled his Revered Master’s teachings: all methods can be derived, and all Dao contain change.

Wang Yi walked the path of “Hegemonic Derivation and Change,” breaking skill with force, and changing through political maneuvering.

And Xu Yuan, perhaps, walked the path of “Popular Sentiment Derivation and Change”? Convincing people with reason, gathering momentum with emotion, and responding to a “fickle” world with “constant” ideals?

Which was superior or inferior had not yet been determined in this realm.

But at least, the other party was by no means an ordinary, mediocre individual to be underestimated. Though their Dao differed, their will was firm, and their method… in this special environment, might truly have extraordinary effects.

“Our Dao are different…”

Wang Yi sighed deeply, this time the sigh contained less hostility and more of the solemnity and anticipation of a chess player before a match.

He blew out the flickering candle, and the brick kiln plunged into darkness.

“Since that’s the case, Junior Brother Su, let me, Wang, see how far your Dao of ‘the common people becoming their own strength’ can go in the coming colossal waves. I only hope… that this ‘illusory’ fire of yours isn’t easily extinguished by the winds and rains of reality.”

He turned and stepped into the night, his pace more steady than when he arrived, and his gaze clearer.

Alliance was impossible, but at least, he had identified an interesting “variable.”

The future chess game, because of the existence of this variable, seemed more unpredictable, and… more interesting.

As for whether Xu Yuan’s set of ideals could be realized in the “outside world”?

Wang Yi only sneered inwardly. That would be true delusion.

In the cultivation world, the strong prey on the weak, and great power belongs to oneself. Ideals without the support of power are merely a reflection in a mirror, a flower in water.

But at this moment, within this special “Deriving Dharma” world, he didn’t mind observing closely how this rare “utopian” experiment would unfold, and how it would… conclude.

The night swallowed the two who went their separate ways, as if pressing the accelerator button of time.

Time flew by, ten years in a flash.

These ten years, for the Great Xuan Dynasty, were ten years of slow and irreversible collapse.

The old emperor passed away amidst internal and external troubles, fear, and grief, leaving behind a crown prince who was only seven years old and frail.

Powerful officials, eunuchs, imperial relatives, border generals… various factions tore at each other in the imperial court, pushing the already riddled national affairs into a deeper abyss.

Government decrees did not leave the capital, yet tax collection became even more aggressive.

The northern barbarians, seeing an opportunity, repeatedly raided the borders for years, even breaking through defenses several times to plunder prefectures.

Floods and locust plagues followed one after another in the south, refugees swarmed like locusts, and epidemics repeatedly broke out among the starving populace.

Local magnates took the opportunity to annex land, raise private armies, and establish their own rule, either openly or covertly.

The world was already a scene of heroes rising and a Dynasty nearing its end.

Among the active participants were not only external cultivators who had entered this realm to participate in the Minor Derivation Dharma Assembly, but also the Prodigies and heroes of the Small World.