Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 408 - 206: Let Me Tell You Two Stories

"I’ve been delayed here the whole day and haven’t seen anything of value. If your purpose was just to keep me here, then you have indeed accomplished your mission," Wang Yunxiao said as he withdrew his gaze from the rainy darkness of the night and yawned mightily, sipping from the honey-colored whisky on the table.

"There’s no need to look any further. I can now say with certainty that you and your master behind you are nothing but self-righteous clowns. Just because you possess fragments of future intelligence, you strut around, believing you have grasped the pulse of destiny and can change history..."

"History has been changed!"

Said the nondescript man sitting opposite him, his face showing a slight but clear distortion.

He was very unhappy and very confused.

"She was supposed to die today!"

"Good for you, since this is the last time."

Wang Yunxiao shrugged and said, "Seeing as you treated me to a drink today, I’ll let you off the hook. You can leave now. And don’t bring up any business of cooperation again. I think you are utterly unqualified to work with me, nor do you have anything that could interest me."

"I understand."

The nondescript man suddenly said, "The commander at the site, that young man named Wang Yunxiao, he’s a tender hearted fellow. He’s taken a liking to that woman. What other reason could explain his current actions?"

Just as Wang Yunxiao was about to stand up, he sat back down.

He looked at the man before him with a pitying gaze.

"Although I prefer not to use crude words to judge others, you are ridiculously foolish."

"It’s late, and to repay you for inviting me to this show today, I’ll tell you two bedtime stories," Wang Yunxiao said.

The moment he heard this, the nondescript man perked up. "I wonder what insight Mr. Qiao has, I am all ears."

"The first is a story about the Fusang people."

Wang Yunxiao raised a finger and said, "After the Meiji Restoration in Fusang, as the Emperor of Heaven government introduced Western educational doctrines, many commoners got the chance to attend school. Literary creation became more popularized, giving rise to many vernacular literary works. As close neighbors, many of these works were translated into Chinese and entered our country. I loved reading those popular novels written by the Fusang people when I was young."

"The Fusang people have a unique understanding of gods, which is evident from their literary works. I remember a common theme in those books—about remote villages cut off from news where uneducated villagers both feared and worshipped the bizarre. Beneath the fear, there was a covetous desire."

"Worship first, then covet. Steal, then blaspheme. Finally, they receive the gods’ curse and retribution, regretting their actions too late, hoping others will take warning. Sounds very familiar, doesn’t it? I remember one author summed up this pattern with a profound term, ’overthrowing those above.’

"Do you know what the most amusing part of this story is?

"It’s that they still think this represents a universal human flaw, but in reality, it’s a reflection of their own faults."

The nondescript man silently listened to the story, his expression showing he couldn’t quite grasp the humor in it.

Wang Yunxiao didn’t bother to respect his intelligence and immediately raised a second finger. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"The second is a story about the people of Ming themselves."

"In our country, there’s an ancient system that has been passed down for thousands of years to select talented individuals to govern the state, called the imperial examinations."

"Every three years, scholars from across the nation take this examination. After various levels of selection, the most outstanding talents are chosen to become officials involved in national governance. Since its inception, even through dynastic changes, it has never been interrupted."

"However, there have always been skeptics of the imperial examination system. They feel that the scholars study the same classics, and the differences between them aren’t that significant. In other words, whether one passes or not depends on one’s family background and the preferences of the chief examiner, or perhaps merely on fortuitous alignment with exam topics."

"This view later evolved into what’s known as a theory of the era. Simply put, since every founding emperor in history rose to power with the help of their relatives and friends, who were mostly from the same counties, it’s concluded that one can gather enough talent within a single county to govern the whole world, indicating that governing isn’t as difficult as imagined. A founding emperor and his makeshift team weren’t particularly remarkable; they were just luckier than the leaders of the neighboring counties... That’s all."

The nondescript man couldn’t help but frown. "That sounds quite reasonable, doesn’t it?"

Wang Yunxiao smiled. "The most amusing part of this story is that you also think it makes sense."

"So what are you trying to say with these two stories?"

"How ridiculous it is that you clearly understand Chinese but can’t comprehend what I’m saying."

Wang Yunxiao sighed. "Then let me put it even more plainly—nothing I’ve seen in your tricks could possibly change the entire course of destiny."

"My personal betrayal or death wouldn’t affect the normal operations of the Special Service Bureau. I’m in this position because my abilities qualify me for the job, not because Wang Yunxiao as a person is so special or irreplaceable."

"You think you’ve seen a future senior official of the Special Service Bureau reacting correctly in this scenario, but in fact, it’s his current correct response that is accumulating valuable experience for his future role."

"You’ve got the causality all wrong."

"A person unwilling to study sincerely wouldn’t pass the exams even if given ten chances."

"A person lacking sufficient wisdom and bravery can’t govern effectively, even if they gather talents from four states—what use would that be?"

"I know you still have one last ace up your sleeve, but I can almost guess what it is and no longer care to see it. Send my regards to your master, but I truly hope he isn’t the one who wrote this script, otherwise, I’d be very disappointed."

Wang Yunxiao set down his whisky glass, walked to the door, and opened his umbrella, stepping slowly into the sheet of rain.

Leaving only the nondescript man sitting in the tavern, lost in lengthy contemplation.