Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 544 - 121 The Hidden Truth of Shen Family_2

"After making a round like this, everyone is happy."

"So, the question arises—who’s losing money when everyone is making it?"

...

Ito Hidemi massaged his temples in silence.

He had been completely confused.

"Can’t we just cut them down?"

"No, because what they’re doing is legal, legitimate business."

Wang Yunxiao answered for Cheng Xuefei, "It has always been like this since ancient times; it’s just that we have a new dynasty now."

The masters eventually have to eat, do you dare to flip the table? Do you not want to live?

"Then what are we going to do? Can’t we continue the investigation?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Ito Hidemi gritted his teeth—he hated problems that couldn’t be solved with a knife the most.

"If we couldn’t investigate, we wouldn’t be gathered here in the first place."

Yan Yu’an calmly said, "The new government has only been established for its second year, and various laws and regulations are not yet comprehensive, but we still need to prudently formulate the laws in an organized manner. Rushing them may only lead to future troubles. Just because they are operating legally doesn’t mean they aren’t involved in other illegal activities. If we don’t figure out a way to deal with pests like the Shen Family, do we leave them to grow and become powerful for future generations to handle?

"When we bore the various humiliations of the foreign invaders, the Imperial Court was corrupt and infested with wolves, and there were countless people like Shen Jianzhen, who were corrupt and perverted the law. Even in those dark days, there were still innumerable men of honor trying to find a solution and fighting back with all their might. Are we now, after a few meals of braised yellow croaker, lacking the courage to fight these scoundrels to the end?"

He looked around at the three of them and said gravely, "The Shen Family still has cards they haven’t played, but they’re not intended for us. If we continue the investigation, we may not easily extricate ourselves. If you choose to back out now, I would understand."

Disdainful smiles simultaneously appeared on the faces of Wang Yunxiao and Ito Hidemi.

Backing out at this time? Are you kidding, brother?

Yan Yu’an’s words were mainly addressed to Cheng Xuefei, for a simple reason: Eldest Miss Cheng’s family itself was one of the newly risen nobles after the establishment of the new government.

She had managed to dig up the Shen Family’s dark history to this extent, and Yan Yu’an felt that was enough. To investigate further might involve the Cheng Family if they follow the trail... These things were unpredictable, and how would she cope then?

"It seems you always misunderstand me, thinking that as a child of a wealthy family, I can’t play in the same league as you."

Cheng Xuefei said helplessly, "But don’t forget, it was my parent’s generation who followed the President to forge a new world, and you are the latecomers. The Shen Family is just an exception; you can’t negate the efforts of my father’s generation just because of one Shen Family. Are all customs officials so clean and selfless? Are there no rebels among the naturalized citizens from Fusang? Are all the loafers on the streets as loyal as you are, Captain Wang?"

Her words left the three men looking at each other.

Alright, let’s not point fingers at anyone.

Yan Yu’an coughed, and said gravely, "No one misunderstands you; I’m just worried it would be difficult for you being caught in the middle."

"There are many difficult things."

"Then, Eldest Miss Cheng, since we’re speaking openly, can you answer a question for me that might touch on your family’s secrets?"

"Why can the Shen Family mass-produce Human Skin Painters, and your Cheng Family also has quite a few people serving in the Secretary Bureau? Including you, the Eldest Miss, who has already advanced to the level of the Heretical Path. Those who followed the President in the past, including the Cheng and Shen families, do they possess deeper secrets about the Twelve Laws?"

This question posed by Yan Yu’an stirred something in Wang Yunxiao’s heart.

He had indeed suspected before that there might be too many Human Skin Painters from the Shen Family, feeling as if he had poked a hornet’s nest. He killed one in Cangzhou, and then another four upon returning to Tianmen.

Could these things really be mass-produced?

Among the Twelve Laws, the Garrison Soldiers Dharma Gate was the most focused on collective cooperation, with the possibility of group training. Other Laws required certain talents. Besides Chen Yan and Little Gourd, up to now, no one else in the school had shown talent for Chess Herald or Advisor.

So the Human Skin Painters of the Chess Herald Heretical Path weren’t that valuable?

"Of course, there are secrets, but they might be different from what you’re thinking,"

Cheng Xuefei glanced over those present, gently pushed aside the hair by her ear, and spoke softly, "The essence of the Twelve Laws, you all should know it, right?"

"Are you talking about cognition?"

"Yes, cognition, which is the shaping of one’s personal values and worldviews. What they call talent is actually the difference in individual understanding of the world. The world as you see it determines the Law that you are suited to cultivate in. The reason why the vast majority of ordinary people don’t have talent is actually because they lack a complete understanding of the world."

"The Twelve Laws are not ancient secrets passed down from the primeval times, but a cultivation system specially developed by the President to deal with the natural disasters brought about by space-time tides."

"The President alone certainly couldn’t have accomplished such a feat, so when developing this cultivation system, he consulted many experts, it was a collective effort. Whether it was Shen Jianzhen or my father, they were both directly involved in the research and discussions, so naturally, they understand some insider information better than others."

Cheng Xuefei picked up a piece of ribbon fish and said, "The difficulty naturally varies between choosing to go to sea to fish and sitting in the cafeteria waiting to eat fish. That’s why even within the same Law, there are distinctions between the Righteous and Heretical Paths. The method of cultivation on the Heretical Path can’t really be said to be heretical, it just requires lower talent and allows for faster cultivation."

"Take the Chess Herald Law as an example, the Righteous Path requires extremely high talent, and only a very few who have received higher education and are determined can remain calm and not fall into hysterical madness upon witnessing the truths of this world."

"The Heretical Path, on the other hand, is much simpler. It only requires an understanding of the secrets of the human body. The original advanced profession of the Heretical Path should have been called a surgeon, which sounds quite respectable. However, being a surgeon also requires high talent, so eventually, it devolved into the more sinister-sounding Human Skin Painter."

"After all, performing a dissection is easy; you just need a sharp enough knife. But removing a lesion and suturing up a wound to treat and save a patient is complicated, requiring a vast knowledge of modern medicine."

Wang Yunxiao had to admit that Eldest Miss Cheng made a lot of sense.

The Righteous Path of the Garrison Soldiers Dharma Gate was the same, it appeared simple in training, but what was truly important was not the military drill, but the cultivation of trust among one another, with the core ideology being collectivism.

Wang Yunxiao himself could at most make his brothers, who grew up with him, follow his heart. For others, such as the second team of the Special Service Section, developing an unreserved trust would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

People are naturally selfish.

In comparison, the Heretical Path of cultivation is much simpler and more in line with human nature—so long as one is strong enough personally, everything else can be managed regardless of whether there are teammates, embodying individual heroism.

So the reason the Shen Family could mass-produce Human Skin Painters became clear.

As long as there is a sufficient number of experienced teachers?

"After finishing the meal and resting for a while, we will first investigate Yamazaki Pharmaceuticals this afternoon."

After pondering for a moment, Yan Yu’an concluded, "Whether it is the disappearances of the overseas immigrants from the Dwarf Hut, the Samurai and Ninja of the Fusang Salvation Warrior Association, or the materials needed by the Shen Family to mass-produce Human Skin Painters, all clues point to Yamazaki Pharmaceuticals. Ito, Captain Wang, the two of you will come with me this afternoon. We’ll merge forces, and if we come across any danger, we can look out for each other."

"As for you, Eldest Miss Cheng... go back and investigate Shen Qingxi further, especially that Auntie Yun around her. I always feel that Shen Jianzhen won’t let us continue the investigation so easily, who knows what tricks the old man might have up his sleeve!"