Mo Li and Leng Jinchan, the inheritor of the School of Diplomacy, journeyed together to the thirty-six caves of the Southern Barbarians to mediate peace. Not only was their effort utterly fruitless, but the various armies of the Southern Barbarians launched a counterattack after Wuduyai’s death, only just having been suppressed.

Feng Zikang already suspected foul play, and hearing the argument erupt between Mo Li and Leng Jinchan only deepened his suspicion.

He stepped outside the military tent and saw a cloud chariot above, emitting five-colored radiance, circling overhead. Mo Li stood at its center, directing the Black Stone Mechanical Men in hot pursuit. Leng Jinchan sat comfortably within the chariot, commanding the phantom image of a yellow dragon that coiled and struck, barely holding its own against the assault.

"Fellow Daoist Mo, allow me to explain..."

"Silence!"

Mo Li’s face flushed crimson, his hair standing on end in fury, resembling the very first time he had encountered Feng Zikang.

That previous time, it was because Feng Zikang had subtly agitated his inner demon using his anger; this time, however, the rage was entirely his own spontaneous fire.

"Entice with profit! Betray with virtue! What else do you people know besides pursuing gain? How will you explain the tens of thousands of lives lost in the thirty-six caves?"

"Brother Mo’s words are profoundly mistaken..."

Leng Jinchan, with his silver tongue, tried to argue his case, but was sharply interrupted by Mo Yu's roar.

"The tens of thousands of citizens across these thirty-six caves—their fate was sealed by a single word from you! Now, war has engulfed the Southern Barbarian caves, and countless more will die henceforth! All your painstaking efforts were merely for your own worldly prosperity. Such conduct cannot be atoned for even by ten thousand deaths!"

"I heard that your School of Diplomacy practiced ruthlessness, and I refused to believe it. Seeing this tragedy today, I find it indeed to be true!"

"It is a shame that my Mohist School is ranked alongside your School of Diplomacy among the Nine Schools!"

Mo Yu, usually reserved in his speech, was so infuriated today that his words were like knives, incredibly sharp!

Leng Jinchan’s expression gradually darkened. It was one thing for Mo Yu to insult him, but to directly attack the foundation of his entire lineage was something he could not ignore.

"The Barbarian King Wuduyai was slain by Senior Brother Feng; these Southern Barbarian soldiers and civilians brought their own demise upon themselves by overestimating their strength and challenging the might of the Imperial Army. Who else is there to blame?"

"Pah!"

Mo Yu glared, his brows furrowed: "If you had not devised this insidious scheme, luring Wuduyai into rebellion with immense profit and then inciting the thirty-six caves to join his cause, how could the Southern Frontier have descended into such chaos? Where did those tens of thousands of old and weak people find the courage to provoke the Imperial Army even after Wuduyai’s death? No matter how eloquently you speak today, you cannot wash the blood from your hands!"

Mo Yu was honest and simple, yet he was also a man of supreme intellect. When he and Leng Jinchan traveled to the Southern Barbarian caves, many strange things occurred that he initially couldn't decipher. Now, with the events having unfolded, and being immersed in the situation, connecting the dots made him understand everything: it was Leng Jinchan stirring the pot from behind the scenes all along!

"So that is how it is..."

Mo Yu’s rage burned, while Feng Zikang experienced a sudden moment of clarity.

The rebellion in the Southern Barbarians was layered with hidden motives. Perhaps Leng Jinchan wasn't the sole orchestrator, but various factions must have been at work. Otherwise, with the world at peace, why would Wuduyai suddenly invade the Central Plains?

But the fact that the barbarians rose up together after Wuduyai’s death must be due to this Leng Jinchan; he went with Mo Li under the guise of reconciliation, but in reality, he was secretly sowing discord. The enmity between the barbarians and the Central Plains people was already deep-seated, making it far easier to inflame conflict than to pacify it, which is why he succeeded so easily.

Now, with half the barbarians dead or wounded, although the Tang army had won this battle, there was no room left for turning back; the situation had become one of irreconcilable hostility. The chaos in the Southern Barbarians could only be settled when the barbarians were utterly destroyed—it was no longer a matter that could be resolved simply by executing Wuduyai.

The School of Diplomacy—what a School of Diplomacy!

Undoubtedly, Leng Jinchan's meritorious task was to instigate the Southern Barbarians to unite in rebellion, and he cared absolutely nothing for the outcome.

If the world were not in turmoil, there would be no stage for the School of Diplomacy to perform. That is why, during the Spring and Autumn period, the inheritors of the vertical and horizontal alliances dragged the age of chaos on for several hundred years.

Now that the world enjoys peace, how could these individuals willingly endure obscurity?

Today they could persuade the thirty-six caves to rebel together; tomorrow they could enter the Tang camp and propose strategies of keeping distant powers friendly while attacking those nearby, dividing and conquering.

Who would win or lose, how much suffering the common people endured—none of it factored into their calculations.

Their words always invoke profit, and their actions never seek true consequence. The School of Diplomacy considers only its own interests, relying on their glib tongues to fan the flames everywhere, fearful only of peace.

This is why the adherents of the Three Teachings universally condemn them as the ultimate in shamelessness, declaring that the School of Diplomacy is without Tao, driven only by profit!

Among cultivators, this counts as the fiercest criticism.

All cultivators aim to seek the Great Tao, though each school and sect has its own understanding. To say that the School of Diplomacy possesses no Tao at all, that they are purely tricksters, is essentially declaring that they should be expelled from the orthodox succession of the Three Teachings and Nine Schools.

Earlier, Mo Li pursued and relentlessly berated Leng Jinchan. He could have maintained his playful demeanor and shamelessly pretended nothing happened, but once the attack shifted to his lineage, Leng Jinchan had to face the matter seriously.

"Those people of the Southern Barbarians refuse the King’s governance. If we do not use this opportunity to eliminate them entirely, they will surely become a threat at our doorstep..."

"That is not what you told the various caves in the Southern Barbarians!"

"I employed deceitful words to achieve success. I acted for the peace of the world; what is wrong with that?" Leng Jinchan argued righteously.

He shamelessly claimed he had lied to the barbarians simply to achieve his objective—what consequence did that carry?

Mo Li trembled with rage: "The Southern Barbarian caves originally held a deep fear of the Central Plains Great Tang. If we had guided them properly, taught them agricultural skills, and ensured they no longer suffered hunger, making their lives prosperous, they naturally would not conceive of rebellion again."

"Naive!"

Leng Jinchan snorted through his nose: "These barbarians harbor the heart of wolves. If they become wealthy, that will be the great disaster for the Central Plains. Human desire is boundless; do you truly think they are content to remain in this desolate, miasmatic wasteland?"

"To practice the King’s Way and impart culture, to transform the land and harmonize the environment—even the Southern Barbarian miasma can be turned into a Celestial Treasury!"

To promote education and transform their homeland—the Southern Barbarians could become a paradise. If the barbarians were prosperous, they would naturally seek nothing from outside.

"A joke! How many years would that take?"

"If ten years is not enough, then a hundred; if a hundred years is not enough, then a thousand." Mo Li’s expression was resolute, an imposing aura radiating from between his brows.

"The matters of this world are not impossible, merely undone!"

If it can’t be done in ten years, I’ll work at it for a hundred; if it can’t be done in a hundred, I’ll work at it for a thousand! Everyone says worldly affairs are impossible, but in truth, they are not impossible—no one is willing to do the work! If someone truly sets out to do it, even the Taihang and Wangwu mountains can be moved; what difficulty could transforming the Southern Barbarians present?

As Mo Li spoke these words, the surrounding heaven and earth subtly responded, faint echoes of agreement arising.

Leng Jinchan’s spirit faltered. Though usually eloquent, he was momentarily speechless.

After a pause, he muttered lowly,

"Pedantic!"

Their views on the Southern Barbarian issue were poles apart.

No matter who it was, neither side could convince the other.

"Since that is the case, our paths diverge, and further talk is useless. Let us settle this with a single confrontation!"

Leng Jinchan knew today’s matter could not end amicably. Holding a banner embroidered with a yellow dragon, he stepped down from the cloud chariot.

"That is precisely what I intend!"

Mo Li's expression grew stern. He formed hand seals, and the Black Stone Mechanical Men returned before him, poised and ready.

"Wait!"

Feng Zikang suddenly called out, stepping forward boldly.

"Allow me to take this battle for Brother Mo!"