Chapter 40: Neither Good Nor Evil, Please Take The Lead

  The sunset sinks slowly in the west, and the golden twilight spills into the courtyard, warm and cozy, making people reluctant to move.

  "Oh no, we're out of salt at home, look at my memory."

  Ning Caichen patted his head, looking extremely frustrated.

  Ning Feng thought that after doing good deeds for several days, he hadn't gained much, and when he turned around, he had done something evil in the eyes of others. Heaven knows what's going on inside the Jiuyou Stone. He didn't have a good mood, but patiently said: "Let the wine house send over a table of dishes."

  "My son, it's been a long time since I've had your cooking." Ning Caichen looked over with a pitiful expression.

  "Alright."

  Ning Feng could not withstand this and immediately surrendered.

  "Ha, as expected of my son, so filial. I'll go borrow some salt."

  Ning Caichen was afraid he would change his mind, so he acted extremely quickly and disappeared in a flash.

  Looking at the courtyard gate that he had brought up still swaying, Ning Feng shook his head and smiled wryly to himself: "Father must have seen that I'm in a bad mood and wants me to do something to distract myself."

  "What's the big deal anyway?"

  Ning Feng self-deprecatingly smiled: "Even if there's no more Golden Water, relying solely on my mastery of the Taiyang Technique and the Nine Deaths Boundary, I can still walk very far, very far on this immortal path."

  "Stick your head out and you'll get cut; pull it back in and you'll still get cut; go ahead and take a look."

  Ning Feng took a deep breath and summoned the Jiukong Stone, his mind sinking into it.

  The sky above the courtyard is a brilliant sunset like the most beautiful brocade; inside the courtyard, the wind is still and quiet as if it were a realistic statue.

  Suddenly——

  The wind rises in the sky, and the melancholy sunset is blown away. Immediately afterwards, large tracts of orange-red clouds envelop the universe. The whole process is like a flower blooming on brocade, like fierce fire boiling oil, filled with a sense of splendor and prosperity, completely changing the desolate atmosphere of the setting sun.

  Suddenly——

  Ning Feng's whole body trembled as if he had seen a ghost, his face pale with shock at first, then suddenly filled with wild joy.

  "What...what...what is going on here?"

  In the Nine Apertures Stone Boundary, Ning Feng muttered to himself, unaware that his expression was reflected on his face, strange and bizarre.

  He doesn't have time for those things.

  At this moment, Ning's face is reflected in the golden light, which is the shimmering water and wave light, sparkling and rippling, as if it were a mischievous child, sometimes coming closer and sometimes jumping away.

  The light reflected in the golden pool.

  Ning Feng rubbed his eyes again and again, a total of three times, before he was convinced that he hadn't seen things wrong.

  Within three feet of him, the pond was filled with a small half pool of golden water, swaying and shaking, as if it were a face smiling at him.

  "I did good deeds for three days, and in the town of Chaoyang, even a lost cat or dog was found by me, accumulating golden water is just enough to moisten the bottom of a pool."

  "I became a villain in other people's eyes, beating and robbing the elderly of their medical expenses on the street, but instead I was full of half a pool."

  "Is it not difficult to be virtuous, but rather to be a villain?"

  Ning Feng was so flustered that he wished he could dunk his head into the Golden Pond to clear his mind.

  "No, no, there must be something wrong somewhere."

  "Find out, must find out, what is the reason?!"

  Ning Feng suddenly turned around and stepped out of the Jiukong Stone Boundary, leaving behind only a voice filled with doubt that still echoed inside.

  He opened his eyes and seemed to still see the light reflected from the half pool of golden water in front of him. The courtyard door opened, and Ning Caichen walked in.

  Ning Caichen held a soy sauce jar in his left hand, an oil dish in his right hand, and still had a salt container tucked under his arm, with a joyful smile on his face.

  "Son, son, did you see that? The neighbors are so enthusiastic!"

  "Haha, don't let him go, insisted on keeping him for Father to drink a few more cups of tea, and they were all praising you."

  Ning Feng had something on his mind, but he forced a smile and replied casually, "Is it because the child has been too good at doing things?"

  "It's not like that."

  Ning Cai Chen snorted in disdain, hastily putting down those things, and counting on his fingers: "They envy your great skills, those five or six miscellaneous servants of the gods can be ordered around by you, coming and going."

  "Oh, really?" Ning Feng was still distracted.

  "It's not, is it?" Ning Caichen had an expression of "my son has a promising future, I'm so proud" and said excitedly: "They are flattering, but as a father, I am not giving them anything for free. You can tell they are jealous that I have such a talented son."

  Ning Caichen was getting more and more excited as he spoke, but he didn't notice that because of one sentence, one word, Ning Feng suddenly stiffened up like he had been struck by lightning.

  "It's a small town, news spreads like wildfire. You just beat up those bastards in public, and now everyone knows about it. Who wouldn't praise your awesomeness?"

  "We had just left when the temple servants came over and caught them, breaking their legs and throwing them out. What a glorious sight!"

  "It's just a pity that it was you who didn't finish off those scattered cultivators last time, or else this would have been a big deal and the whole town would be talking about it."

  ……

  Ning Caichen was still chattering away, thinking about all the condiments and wondering if he should get his son to cook some mutton hot pot or something for him to eat, it's been a while since he last had it and he's craving it.

  Ning Feng stiffly turned his neck and asked, "Father, what did you just say?"

  Ning Cai Chen only realized now that his state was off and said nervously, "What are you talking about? I've said a lot, which sentence are you asking about?"

  He scratched his head, for the first time feeling that his mouth was too fast, and he had blurted out a whole string of words. How did Ning Feng know which sentence he was asking about?

  "Dad, what did you just say the neighbors are jealous of?"

  "Besides, it's a pity that those scattered cultivators' legs weren't broken by me, or else how would they be?"

  Ning Feng's expression was somewhat tense as he looked over, vaguely feeling that he had grasped something very important.

  "Show off!"

  Ning Caichen was bewildered and responded perfunctorily.

  "Rumble rumble rumble~~"

  A loud thunderclap exploded in the sky, rolling in and dispersing the clouds of wildfire that filled the air. The clear sky was shattered by a single crack of thunder, its sound shaking the earth for miles around.

  "Ah!"

  Ning Caichen jumped up, "It's thundering, it's going to rain, I'll go collect the clothes."

  Ning Feng was still standing there, motionless, but his face and eyes were radiating light.

  "So it was..."

  "That's right!"

  "Showing off, it's actually showing off, hahahahaha~~~"

  Ning Feng suddenly burst out laughing, his eyebrows violently twitching, the Nine Apertures Stone shot out, spinning in mid-air, with golden light emanating from all nine apertures on its pale purple body.

  Billions of golden lights burst out suddenly.

  Bathing in this golden light that only he could see, Ning Feng's mind flashed with images, and one by one, his doubts finally had answers.

  "In the realm of the soul, a few words from the gods and Buddhas vanished into thin air, three characters bloomed like flowers, one palm shattered heaven and earth, and the wind burst forth without bounds."

  "At the Fu Yao conference, the world is watching, the spirit is strong and the smoke is thick, life is intense, what is this if not showing off?"

  "On the lectern, ranked among the true transmission, recorded names and affiliated, all grateful, show off?"

  "Bronze ancient tree, a generation of heroes, I am the leader; three days and three nights, demonstrating the Sun's law, helping people in all directions, even the Heavenly Moon Fairy looks up to me, naturally showing off."

  "Haha, it turns out I've been thinking wrongly all along."

  The wind is suddenly clear and bright.

  "Not benevolent and not virtuous, not malevolent and not resentful."

  "Whether it was before or just now, the accumulation of gold and water is looking at how much momentum I have released."

  "Numerous good deeds, either go unnoticed or I remain behind the scenes, so there's little gain; one evil act, committed in public, with ordinary people and scattered cultivators present, under the watchful eyes of all."

  "That's the difference!"

  Ning Feng's mind had never been so clear and transparent as it was at this moment. After several twists and turns, he finally grasped three words: show off!

  He couldn't help but want to burst into tears, this was exciting.

  No need to be excited about being called the world's number one good person or the world's number one bad person in the future, and then go down this road of showing off, will be known as the world's number one what...

  This idea was too frightening, and he didn't dare think about it anymore.

  Ning Feng came to and found himself back in his own body, with Ning Cai Chen's worried face before him.

  He didn't explain anything either, and a clean and clear smile appeared on his face. He tilted his head and asked, "Father, what do you think if your son makes more appearances in the future?"

  "Alright."

  Ning Caichen was unclear about the situation, but he kept nodding repeatedly, his mind racing with thoughts. "Heh heh heh, it seems like we won't need to buy our own firewood, rice, oil, and salt from now on..."

  ……

  One night without words, the next day, Ning Feng wore a three-change robe, carried a bag of sea and rivers, ascended to the top of Tianyun Peak, and paid respects to his master, Tianyunzi.

  The doubts that had been lingering in my mind for a long time finally have an answer. Ning Feng's footsteps are light and nimble, her whole body is relaxed, and there is always a bright smile on her face, making everything look three times more beautiful than usual.

  Yes, as usual at the foot of Tianyun Mountain, with a wide robe and large sleeves, standing in the wind, waiting for his guide, senior brother Shen Zhaoxuan.

  "Junior brother, you've arrived."

  Shen Zhaoxuan smiled warmly and stretched out his hand. "Come with me for now, Master is waiting for you."