“Did I ever claim to be a good person, young master? But let’s not throw stones, sister. We are all much the same; Miss Mei is hardly a saint either.” Jun Mo Xie smiled, a trace of curiosity in his eyes, “May I ask, Miss, what is your relation to Venerable Mei of Heavenly Punishment?” “Venerable Mei?” Mei Xue Yan’s eyes flickered. She cursed him as an idiot internally!

Then she laughed, “That’s my elder brother.” “Just as I thought.” Jun Mo Xie mused to himself. No wonder their skills were identical. Damn it, the losses he’d suffered were all thanks to that ‘Prison of Heaven and Earth’ move—it turned out they were truly brother and sister, a pair of ‘Plagued’ (Mei) siblings! It wasn't entirely unreasonable for Jun Mo Xie to think that way.

After all, the Venerable Mei who had appeared in the Heavenly Punishment Forest that day, intimidating all assembled, looked every bit the stern, powerful man—in both voice and combat, he was an undeniable, robust male! Yet the woman before him, Mei Xue Yan, was delicate, a peerless beauty whose grace was unmatched. The contrast was day and night! No matter how vivid Jun Mo Xie’s imagination might be, he could never have conceived that the Mei Xue Yan before him—this peerless beauty whose backside he had just soundly beaten while having his own backside soundly beaten—was the very Venerable Mei who had so thoroughly tormented him on the Heavenly Punishment Forest battlefield… “Young Master Jun, your human folk have a saying that puts it well: straightforward people don't deal in riddles.

I shall be blunt. Our primary reason for seeking you out is your Master. You likely already know why. Saying too much would only make us, the Heavenly Punishment faction, seem petty.

Heh, but your Master is an unparalleled scholar, profound and inscrutable, a dragon whose head and tail are never seen at the same time…” Mei Xue Yan stated calmly, “Therefore, we wish to know any news of your Master, even a tiny scrap will do. Please, share it, Young Master. I have urgent matters to discuss with him!” “Oh?” Jun Mo Xie cocked his head. “Of course, if it’s truly inconvenient for Young Master Jun to say, then we can drop it,” Mei Xue Yan smiled, advancing by retreating.

If the Xuan Beasts of the Heavenly Punishment Forest hadn't understood the gravity of the Heavenly Punishment Sacred Fruit, Mei Xue Yan, despite being out adventuring, would never have chosen to shadow Jun Mo Xie immediately. Her main concern was rooted in that matter. “Indeed, this matter is terribly inconvenient. Thank you for your understanding, Miss,” Jun Mo Xie seized the opportunity, grinning maliciously.

“Hmph—” Mei Xue Yan was so frustrated she could barely breathe. After a moment, she sighed, “Jun Mo Xie, you truly are no gentleman.” By now, she had given Jun Mo Xie two assessments: ‘Truly not a good person!’ and ‘Definitely not a gentleman!’ “Miss, your words are rather contradictory, aren’t they? I already admitted I’m not a good person. If I’m not a good person, naturally, I can’t be a gentleman either.” Jun Mo Xie shrugged and chuckled, “Being a good person means getting hurt too easily, and being a gentleman is exhausting.

So, feel free to see me as a rogue, a bully, a scoundrel, or even a demon, but never mistake me for a good person or a gentleman. If you do, you’ll only suffer the consequences… Heh heh.” “You… what are you talking about? Don’t all humans aspire to be good people and proclaim themselves gentlemen? I genuinely don’t understand why you refuse to be good!

Have your human race abandoned the so-called thousand-year-old moral heritage? Or do I simply not understand the current standards of human morality?” Mei Xue Yan grumbled, annoyed. In her experience, she had dealt with countless difficult individuals, but facing such a laid-back Jun Mo Xie left her utterly helpless. Jun Mo Xie laughed heartily, “That cannot be generalized.

Let me tell you a story to illustrate. Suppose there were two men living alongside seven or eight other households; one of these men was universally regarded as a villain, a scoundrel, an outlaw. The other was considered a good man by everyone. People both feared and hated the outlaw, while the good man went out every morning to fetch water, filling every neighbor’s water urn, and always gave his full effort when help was needed.

Thus, everyone adored him, feeling safe with him around. “One day, the outlaw, rushing back after a robbery, accidentally bumped into someone, knocking them down and causing their death. Coincidentally, the person he killed was another scoundrel, who had just been preparing to assault a pitiful woman. Although it was unintentional, the outlaw had done a great good deed!

The crowd immediately praised him, calling him a prodigal son returned, suddenly reformed, and they even reported him to the magistrates, holding him up as an example. For a time, everyone lauded him, and all memories of his past misdeeds vanished.” Mei Xue Yan didn't grasp the meaning behind his tale, nor could she understand why he suddenly shifted to storytelling in the middle of their serious conversation, but she suspected he had his reasons and listened quietly without interrupting. The Serpent King Qian Xun also sat silently nearby, listening intently. Jun Mo Xie smiled and continued, “… Another day, the universally good man fell seriously ill.

He couldn’t get out of bed that morning; his fever was raging. He was desperately thirsty and wanted some water, but his urn was completely empty. He called out, but no one was home. So, he forced himself out of bed and managed to draw one load of water.

But he was utterly exhausted and had no strength left, so he only filled his own urn before crawling back into bed.” “In the afternoon, the neighbors returned. They were accustomed to the good man fetching water for everyone, but upon returning, tired and thirsty, they found their urns empty. They instantly flew into a rage and rushed to the good man’s home to demand an explanation. When they found him lying in bed drinking water, the crowd’s anger erupted.

They cursed him: Selfish brute! Pretending to be sick to be lazy at home! Hoarding for himself! And so, the good man was immediately shunned by everyone.

They all declared: After knowing him for so long, we realize we were tricked by him all this time; he’s such a selfish person.” Jun Mo Xie finally finished, letting out a mocking laugh, “So, what defines a good person? What defines a bad person? Nothing more than the narrow perspectives of a bunch of fools. Take how the common folk view officials: an official might be incorruptible, upright, possessing boundless integrity and empty pockets.

But if the people under his jurisdiction starve, they will all call him a useless fool who knows nothing. Conversely, another official might act like a vampire, insatiable in his greed, never satisfied with wealth, aiming to hoard as much as possible during his tenure. Yet, if the people under him are well-fed and live in peace, everyone calls him a great official who benefits the populace… That is the moral compass of humans in this modern age!” “I, Jun Mo Xie, why should I live according to the opinions of others? What benefit or good result does being a good person bring?

What harm does being a bad person bring? I am Jun Mo Xie, and I am who I am! When I want to do something, and the entire world says I shouldn't, I will still do it, precisely because I want to! When I don't want to do something, and everyone says doing it will bring eternal renown and I must do it, I will stubbornly refuse!

Because I don't want to! My philosophy of life is that simple! There are no overly pure lines drawn between good and bad, no fixed limits of right and wrong! There is only one thing…” Jun Mo Xie burst into laughter, “A thousand pieces of gold cannot buy what I wish to do!” Mei Xue Yan was stunned.

After a long pause, she shook her head and chuckled wryly, “Listening to this nonsense of yours, I truly don’t know whether to call you open-minded or obsessive… In truth, what you say isn't entirely wrong; perhaps this is a common failing among your kind.” “What you say is partially true, but perhaps it’s not limited to us humans. You Xuan Beasts are no different. Everyone despises and looks down on a bad person. Involuntarily, they feel they are a level higher than that person.

So, when this bad person finally reforms and repents, everyone thinks: Truly remarkable effort. But the good person, who has always worked diligently to help others, whose help others grow accustomed to, while feeling gratitude, also develops an unspoken sense of superiority—‘He is stronger than us.’ Because of this mindset, if the good person makes any mistake or oversight, the accusations leveled against him will be a hundred times harsher than normal! Less forgivable, less excusable, as if everyone derives a perverse pleasure from dragging a deity down from his altar!” Jun Mo Xie calmed himself, “So, being a good person is truly tiring. And being a gentleman requires building upon being a good person first.

Thus, being a gentleman is even harder! And the so-called great heroes... they must go one step further than being good people and gentlemen! That’s not tiring; that’s tragic!” “Therefore, I’d rather be a bad person, I prefer being a bad person!” Jun Mo Xie stated quietly, “I only wish to be strong!

As for good or bad, I never consider it. I am merely curious; for someone like you, who comes from the Heavenly Punishment Forest, why are you so fixated on good and bad? Don't your kind believe in the supremacy of the strong? Have your own concepts changed?” Mei Xue Yan started.

It was true; the fundamental and foremost principle of the Heavenly Punishment Forest was the supremacy of the strong. But why was she getting tangled up in debating good and bad at this moment? Good or bad made no difference to her; they were all just people, weren't they? Had her transformation into human form somehow caused her to adopt human moral concepts?

“Young Master Jun is correct. It seems I was indeed being dogmatic,” Mei Xue Yan laughed self-deprecatingly. “Perhaps it’s not you who is obsessed, but perhaps I am the one who has become too worldly.” Jun Mo Xie smiled faintly, “In truth, a personality like mine is better suited to the Heavenly Punishment Forest than to the bustling mortal world.” “That’s not entirely true. With your disposition, no matter where you live, I suspect the first person you would never allow to be disadvantaged is yourself, and only yourself,” Mei Xue Yan indulged in a rare joke.

“Naturally. The thing this young master excels at is taking advantage, scrambling to seize every benefit—I would sooner die than suffer a loss,” Jun Mo Xie snorted twice, rubbing his hands together. He even brought them to his nose, sniffing, his face breaking into a look of lustful satisfaction. He rubbed his fingers together, pursed his lips, and smacked them twice, clearly savoring the memory of the ‘advantage’ he had just gained.

Mei Xue Yan snorted, her pretty face flushing scarlet, utterly infuriated. This vulgar fellow—you couldn't offer him an inch of kindness without him taking a mile.