Chapter 243: Clash of Ideologies, a Mouse in the Rice Vat, Divine Harvest (4K)

Chapter 243: Clash of Ideologies, a Mouse in the Rice Vat, Divine Harvest (4K)



Ning Yuantai curled his lips in disdain, "Take a closer look, that's no ordinary cat..."

Xu Mude furrowed his brows, examining the cat perched on Xue Jing's shoulder, his gaze fixing on the platinum tail ring adorning its fluffy tail.

"That's...GOD-1391?"

"So, this cat is a person? I didn't expect to see one here. I thought the Lion Saints would have come after him by now."

Ning Yuantai shrugged, "The Lion Saints are known for their persistence. Wherever there's a GOD-1391, they'll be there too until they retrieve their 'sacred object'. The fact that they haven't taken it back yet only proves one thing."

He paused, a hint of pride in his voice, "As long as it's in Brother Xue's hands, they won't get it back."

Xu Mude remained noncommittal, "Oh? A mere commoner, no matter how capable, is still limited. No matter how impressive, they can't truly amount to much in the end."

Ning Yuantai frowned, "You always bring up the Thirteen Great Houses. It's as if you believe that without that background, one is destined for mediocrity."

"Those who rise through their own efforts are far more admirable than those who rely solely on their birthright and achieve nothing. Why do you flip this notion on its head, acting as if being born into the Thirteen Great Houses is the only path to success?" Ning Yuantai's frustration was evident.

Xu Mude smiled, his tone casual, "Young Master Ning, your fundamental beliefs are flawed."

"The more you emphasize the achievements of self-made individuals, the more you highlight the advantages of being born into the Thirteen Great Houses."

"It's precisely because of those so-called 'good-for-nothings' in your words, who don't need to exert themselves or possess any real abilities, who are nothing but lumps of flesh and dung...that simply by virtue of their birth, they can stand taller and live better lives than those self-made individuals you admire. That's what I take pride in—the superiority of birthright." Xu Mude's smile widened as he continued, "The harder you try to praise this Xue Jing, the more amused I become. No matter how hard he tries, no matter his abilities, he's just a lone martial artist. At best, he'll attain a grand title, or perhaps an eternal one if we're being generous. But that's where it ends."

"So what? With a single command from the 'Cang Court', even with his grand title, he'd have to obey. In the end, he'll still be beneath us 'good-for-nothings' from the Thirteen Great Houses. Doesn't that prove our superiority?"

Ning Yuantai clenched his fists, his brows furrowed. "The ancestors of the Thirteen Great Houses were once commoners themselves!"

Xu Mude waved his hand dismissively, "Young Master Ning, calm down. I know you like to emphasize your independence from your family, but do you truly believe what you're saying? You're also sheltered by the Thirteen Great Houses, so don't bite the hand that feeds you."

Ning Yuantai tightened his fists but remained silent. He was well aware that despite his assertions, and even if his family truly offered no covert support, the mere fact of his birth into one of the Thirteen Great Houses brought him countless invisible advantages.

However, he couldn't shake the feeling that Xu Mude's mindset was inherently wrong. This was a fundamental difference in their core beliefs, a clash of ideologies, if you will.

Ning Yuantai opened his mouth to argue but found himself at a loss for words. He sighed and, turning to Xue Jing, said listlessly, "Never mind. You go ahead with your business. Just assign me a guide, and you can be on your way."

Xu Mude smiled smugly, "Rest assured, I have no interest in conversing with this self-made Xue Jing. I'm only giving you, Young Master Ning, this face...You see, this is the convenience you enjoy because of your birthright, the superiority of the Thirteen Great Houses."

Ning Yuantai no longer bothered to respond and walked silently towards Xue Jing.

Xue Jing, who had been curiously observing their surroundings, noticed Ning Yuantai's dejected demeanor and inquired, "Yuantai, what's wrong?"

Ning Yuantai scratched his head, "It's nothing, Brother Xue."

Xue Jing smiled and casually replied, "Do you feel frustrated because you can't convince others of the infallibility of your long-held beliefs?"

Ning Yuantai was surprised, "Brother Xue, you heard all that?"

Xue Jing took a step forward, "With how loud you were speaking, I could've heard you clearly even from ten times the distance."

Ning Yuantai caught up with Xue Jing, trailing half a step behind, and said softly, "My apologies for the disturbance..."

After a moment of silent walking, Ning Yuantai couldn't contain himself any longer, "Brother Xue, don't you have anything to say...?"

Xue Jing turned to glance at him, "Are you hoping that I'll affirm your beliefs, chastise Xu Mude for his aristocratic ideology, and give you a boost of confidence for your wavering thoughts?"

Ning Yuantai forced a smile, not bothering to deny it.

"Unfortunately, Yuantai, although I should be one of those 'self-made' people in your eyes, I can't wholeheartedly agree with you." Xue Jing stated.

He walked up to what appeared to be a computer mainframe, standing in front of it without turning his head and said, "Thoughts themselves are neither right nor wrong... These are things that humans, with their limited understanding, arbitrarily conclude. There are no absolutely correct thoughts, only those that relatively align with one's self-interest."

Ning Yuantai looked disappointed. "Brother Xue..."

Xue Jing paused before continuing, "However... I find your thoughts quite admirable."

"Even though it's like the naive thinking of a child, you, despite your privileged background, can empathize with those less fortunate. This may not necessarily be a good thing for you, but it's a rare quality."

"Being able to set aside your self-interest and consider and think about the interests of others, even if this thinking is immature and small, perhaps when your thoughts are fully formed in the future, you will mock and disdain your own stupidity and ignorance at this moment."

Xue Jing paused again, a smile playing on his lips, "But at least at this moment, I think you're great. Compared to those who are content to enjoy their birthright, you are far superior."

Ning Yuantai's eyes welled up with tears at these words, "Brother Xue..."

...

Mocheng Center, 1052nd Floor.

"This is one of our 'Xushi Bio' and 'Xushi Shelter' shelters."

In the long white corridor, a mature woman in an OL skirt and exquisite makeup smiled and introduced the place as she gestured to the large and small transparent compartments that crisscrossed the area.

As she watched Ning Yuantai look around curiously, her gaze lingered on his strikingly handsome face, and she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

What a stunning young man. I really could...

Xue Jing's eyes fell on one of the transparent compartments, where a white display stand stood in the center under the illumination of the lights. On the stand was a... dried fish?

About a meter in length, the dried-up, weathered white fish body was stiff, and its dead eyes were wide open. Apart from its unusually straight body, it looked like an ordinary dried fish.

"This is the 【GOD-1468·Sword of Dried Fish】."

Noticing Xue Jing's gaze, the OL woman quickly smiled and introduced it in a soft voice.

"Don't be fooled by its comical appearance. In fact, it's extremely sharp and hard. It's a very powerful weapon, and those who have used it rave about it... However, the side effect is that it will leave a fishy smell on the user."

Xue Jing's gaze shifted away from the Sword of Dried Fish, scanning the surrounding compartments.

There were dozens of these transparent compartments on this floor...

He felt like a mouse that had stumbled into a rice vat, and his fingers began to itch with anticipation.

After a moment's thought, Xue Jing turned to the OL woman and smiled gently, "May I touch these divine relics?"

The woman was almost dazzled by his smile, and she paused before replying with a hesitant expression, "Well...

"It's just a touch, what's the harm? I'll talk to Xu Mude later, and it won't cause you any trouble." Ning Yuantai interjected, seeing her hesitation.

The OL woman forced a smile, "But... many of the preservation measures for the divine relics are fully enclosed, with no entrances or exits. You can't get in or out, so you can't touch them..."

Ning Yuantai glared at her, "Since you said 'many', not 'all', then there must be some that aren't fully enclosed, right?"

Sweat formed on the woman's forehead as she nodded, "That's correct..."

"Then what are we waiting for? Take us there!" Ning Yuantai urged impatiently.

The OL woman hesitated, thinking to herself that this person was a friend that Mr. Xu had instructed her to treat well. It shouldn't be a problem if he just wanted to touch it.

She walked up to the compartment containing the Sword of Dried Fish and entered a few digits on the digital keypad on the wall, which looked like a computer.

The transparent compartment made a soft sound, and one side of it slowly opened like a door, revealing the interior.

A strong fishy smell wafted out, causing the OL woman to cover her nose and scrunch up her face. "This is one of the non-fully enclosed divine relics..." she said in a muffled voice.

"Damn, that smell." Ning Yuantai also covered his nose, unable to bear the stench.

Xue Jing had held his breath from the start, his expression unchanged, but the cat covered its nose with its front paws, its eyes tearing up as if it was about to pass out.

Xue Jing stepped into the compartment and placed his hand on the Sword of Dried Fish.

【Detected divine substance, absorbing divinity...】

He pretended to be a curious researcher, touching and examining the sword as if he found it fascinating.

After several seconds...

【Divinity absorption complete】

【Divinity Held: 4299】

With a gain of roughly five hundred divinity points, Xue Jing maintained his composure and turned to leave the transparent enclosure.

"It's my dream to touch every divine relic... Let's continue browsing, and if any of the relics are not fully enclosed, please let me know." Xue Jing said to the OL woman.

Seeing that he was only touching the relics, the OL woman breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Xue Jing, "Of course."

...

As Xue Jing followed the OL guide, he listened to the introductions of the divine relics while secretly using his spiritual observation to scan the surroundings, committing everything to memory—the locations of the guards, surveillance cameras, and alarm devices like infrared detectors.

After touring the entire floor, there were a total of five non-fully enclosed compartments out of several dozen, and Xue Jing had entered each one, including the initial Sword of Dried Fish compartment, gaining a total of 2,027 divinity points.

【Divinity Held: 5,829】

Seeing the number surpass five thousand, Xue Jing suppressed his excitement and skillfully feigned a satisfied expression, saying:

"It was truly worth the trip, and I appreciate your help, Miss. However, as a large company, don't you have any divine relics with serial numbers below three hundred?"

The OL woman shook her head and smiled at Xue Jing's question, "I'm not too sure about that... But the 1097th and 1098th floors of the Mocheng Center are strictly off-limits to everyone, so if there are extremely valuable items, they're probably there..."

She realized she might have said too much and quickly stopped, laughing awkwardly.

Xue Jing showed no reaction to this information and only sighed, "Ah, I wish I could see them someday."

Ning Yuantai checked his wristband and quietly reminded Xue Jing, "Brother Xue, we're running out of time."

Hearing this, Xue Jing smiled at the OL woman, "Thank you for your hospitality and for being our guide today. We shall take our leave now."

The OL woman was relieved but also a little reluctant to see them go, "It was my pleasure to introduce the divine relics to you...both of you."

...

The bread-like aircraft hovered and slowly flew away from the Mocheng Center, heading back to Yuan City.

Inside the cabin, Ning Yuantai eagerly asked Xue Jing, "Well, Brother Xue, although we were a bit rushed, I hope you're satisfied?"

Xue Jing was gently patting the cat's back. Ever since she smelled the Sword of Dried Fish, she had been sneezing intermittently.

"Achoo!"

The cat rubbed her eyes with her front paws, looking rather listless.

Xue Jing nodded, "I'm very happy to see so many divine relics in one place. Thank you, Yuantai."

Ning Yuantai rubbed his nose, beaming, "I'm glad to help, hehe."

During the journey back, after a few hours of casual conversation, they arrived back at the Yuan City Zhige base by evening, around 8 p.m.

After their return, Xue Jing invited Ning Yuantai to stay for dinner, treating him to a hearty meal that almost stuffed him.

This time, the cat had no objections, as Ning Yuantai had just helped Xue Jing.

After seeing Ning Yuantai off, Xue Jing sat cross-legged on the sofa in the living room, deep in thought.

"Xu Corporation's defenses are formidable... According to my spiritual observation, there are at least seven dangerous entities, not to mention the deadly AI-controlled weapons. A direct robbery is out of the question."

"Luckily, I've pinpointed the possible location of the 【Wind of Primordial Beginning】—either on the 1097th or 1098th floor..."

"I need to come up with a more foolproof plan... "

Xue Jing's mind raced with ideas.

"I'll need an alibi, and I'll have to rehearse my infiltration and escape routes... It looks like three days of rest won't be enough. I'll have to postpone this plan for a while."

He muttered to himself.

"I need to strengthen myself further. Let's start with an upgrade."

Xue Jing opened the panel and looked at the divinity count, which had exceeded five thousand, and he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end