Chapter 6: The Path a Real Man Must Tread!

  "Here's what happened to me yesterday..." said Lin Feng to Zamazingo and Picockyo. In truth, he was telling this story to Jin Kai, but since speaking directly to him always resulted in his infamous outbursts, he behaved as if he were addressing a puppet and a cock.

  ("Even though they are nothing but mindless puppets and a cock, it doesn't matter, after all, Patron Jin listens to me.") he thought proudly. During his time here, he had somewhat deciphered Jin Kai's peculiar character. Direct communication with him was difficult, but he was convinced that Jin Kai paid attention when the story was relayed to Zamazingo and Picockyo. The only problem was that Jin Kai didn’t seem to care much.

  No sooner had Lin Feng finished speaking than Picockyo moved for the first time in a long while. There was a disdainful glimmer in his eyes:

  "Why didn't you kill them?"

  Seeing the puppet speak, Lin Feng's pupils narrowed, and every hair on his body stood on end. But immediately thereafter, a glimmer of enlightenment appeared in his eyes and he took a deep breath:

  ("Ha. I almost pissed myself. I forgot that it was Patron Jin who made him move. But why does he use the puppet instead of speaking to me directly? What a truly strange man...")

  "Why didn't I kill them?" Lin Feng replied. "Because killing is not a solution. Besides, I wasn’t even sure I could pull it off. They are at a higher cultivation level than I am. What’s the point of risking my life over a mere spiritual herb?"

  Picockyo's disdain deepened even further. Lin Feng's heart constricted—he had never felt such intense humiliation in his life. The puppet had adopted a disdainful attitude as if he were looking at the most insignificant being in the universe.

  Finally, harsh words spilled from Picockyo's mouth:

  "A handful of useless excuses! They tried to steal what was yours and wouldn’t hesitate to kill you. Instead, you abandoned the treasure you found and ran away like a coward. A real man fights to the death for what is rightfully his! What will you do if tomorrow, one day, they set their eyes on the woman you love? Will you abandon her too and run away? Or will you demand that your wife accompany your enemies so they leave you alone?"

  Lin Feng was stunned. What was happening? Why was Patron Jin so furious? Why was he blowing this simple incident out of proportion? Why did he want to risk his life over a mere spiritual herb? It made no sense; risk and reward were far from balanced!

  As if reading Lin Feng's thoughts, Picockyo spoke again:

  "A true cultivator defies the heavens. He strives to shatter the chains that confine him. Your enemies may have a higher cultivation level than you? They may even outnumber you? So what? If you can’t even protect what’s rightfully yours, then why cultivate at all? Go live like a king in some mortal kingdom. Take the most beautiful women, feast on the finest food. Let people worship you. Even if your chance of survival is just 50%, why did you become a cultivator if you’re going to run away?"

  As Lin Feng stared, at a loss for words, Picockyo continued:

  "Besides, had you attacked when they turned their backs, you could have killed both of them. But because they left you an escape route, you accepted defeat and fled! A real man fights for what is his! The gap in strength between you isn’t an insurmountable mountain, but merely a small hump. Yet you didn’t even show the courage to overcome this tiny bump! Is your whole life meant to be spent on a straight, weed-free path? If you run away even from small bumps, how will you ever overcome the hills and mountains ahead?"

  Lin Feng instinctively protested:

  "But it wasn’t worth the risk—"

  Picockyo cut him off sharply:

  "This has nothing to do with risk. You’re just using cowardice as an excuse! 'It wasn’t worth the risk,' 'killing isn’t a solution,' 'I’d have gotten myself into trouble...'—these are nothing but stupid excuses!"

  "The path of cultivation is a bloody one! Resources in this world are limited, but cultivators are endless! Even in this shabby forest, countless people struggle every day over a mere spiritual herb. And what about the grand realms to come? As your cultivation level rises, resources will dwindle, struggles will intensify, and while the rules become stricter for the weak, they’ll be relaxed for the strong! Are you going to sit idly by, grow old, and wait for death?"

  Lin Feng's eyes widened in shock. But Picockyo continued without pause:

  "They turned their backs on you, and you didn’t even consider killing them! Because you were playing some absurd mind game! Like all the other losers here, you conformed to unwritten, stupid rules! And yet it was clear they intended to kill you! Even knowing that, when the opportunity arose, you chose not to attack! Because you’re a pathetic coward! No one with such a mentality ever achieves anything in life!"

  Picockyo's words echoed in Lin Feng's ears:

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  "This incident isn’t about risk and reward! It’s about your Tao Heart! If you want to defy fate, you must seize the opportunity when it comes! And if you’re at a dead end, create your own chance! I’m not telling you to do stupid things or take unnecessary risks. But learn to overcome the obstacles that stand before you! Even if you are to die on this path, then die while trying! Only in that way can you defy fate! If you keep searching for weed-free paths by avoiding even the smallest bumps, one day you’ll be crushed beneath walls that block your way!"

  Time seemed to stand still in Lin Feng's mind. His heart felt as if it were split in two. No, it had always been divided; the only difference was that the suppressed part was now surfacing.

  ("Killing is not a solution.")

  ('But they were ready to kill me.')

  ('But I’m not a bad person. Only evil cultivators kill for pleasure.')

  ('But I was defending myself! I wasn’t killing for pleasure!')

  ("Killing is not a solution!")

  ("But they would have killed me!")

  Lin Feng's consciousness was becoming increasingly muddled. Thoughts clashed in his mind, as the two voices within him struggled to overpower one another.

  ("You could have killed them. They had their backs turned—you could have taken advantage of the opportunity.")

  ('Have you ever wondered why they did that? Because they were sure you wouldn’t attack! Because everyone knows you’re a weak coward!')

  ('You could have killed them but you didn’t! You chose to run! You don’t deserve the fighting ability you possess! People take countless risks and work day and night just to reach your level—some even die in the process! Yet you, despite your innate talent, run at the first sign of trouble! It’s all because of you! Even a puppet knows just how much of a coward you are!')

  As Picockyo's voice echoed in his mind, the other part within Lin Feng was further suppressed:

  ("If you weren’t such a cowardly rat, by now we would have been Martial Apprentices! Maybe even more! But because of you, we're still just 9-Star Martial Novices! Because every time trouble arose, you chose to run! Always running! YOU NEVER FOUGHT!")

  Lin Feng felt his consciousness growing hazy. He brought his hands to his heart, as if something were about to burst in his chest. His heart pounded wildly, and beads of sweat trickled from his body. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground.

  ('I-I did the right thing! If I were like them, I would have killed Patron Jin the moment I thought he was mortal! I’m a good person. I wouldn’t kill anyone for no reason!')

  His eyes darted upward as his consciousness began to fade. His pulse was over 500 beats per minute.

  ("YOU IDIOT! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT THIS IS A WORLD RULED BY THE STRONG?! HAVE YOU NO MEMORY OF THE MISERY WE’VE ENDURED SINCE CHILDHOOD?! HAVE YOU FORSAKEN THE DEATH THREATS WE FACED OVER AND OVER?! HAVE YOU BEEN SO BLINDED THAT YOU’D EVEN FORGET THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KILLING YOUR ENEMY AND KILLING an innocent person?! DO YOU THINK I WANT TO KILL THE INNOCENT?!")

  Lin Feng's heart tightened, but the other half of his heart continued relentlessly:

  ("Do you really think I haven’t known there are still good people in this world? Those who saved and supported us throughout our lives... Do you think I’ve forgotten all of that?! This has nothing to do with our matter! You always held me back, suppressed me! Because of your pathetic excuses, we never made the right decisions!")

  ('Violence isn’t the answer... killing isn’t the answer... Because of this damned nonsense, we always held back! If we weren’t so lucky, we would have died dozens of times!')

  Lin Feng brought his hands to his head. ("No! You’re wrong!") he shouted inwardly. ("I protected us! I couldn’t risk my life over something so trivial! That was the sensible thing to do!")

  The voice in his mind grew even louder:

  ("DO YOU THINK THIS IS SOMETHING SIMPLE? YOU BASTARD! COUNTLESS OPPORTUNITIES CAME OUR WAY, BUT BECAUSE OF YOU, WE MISSED EVERY SINGLE ONE! HOW DARE YOU CALL THESE SIMPLE THINGS?!")

  Lin Feng's heart rate spiraled out of control. His breath came in gasps, his body trembled, and he panted. His pulse soared to over 2000 beats per minute.

  ("I did it so we could live! Without me, we would have long been dead! I kept us alive! You owe your life to me! You live because of me! If I had left control to you, you would have killed us ages ago!!!!")

  ('DEATH...')

  Crack!

  Something indescribable shattered. Lin Feng's heart suddenly stopped.

  ("Death...")

  Crack!!

  ("If I am to live my whole life as a weakling, what is the point of living?")

  CRACK!!!

  ("If the only regrets I have before I die are 'if onlys'... if my last words are 'if only,' then why do I even live?")

  CRACK!!!!!!!!

  Something in his mind completely shattered. The two halves of his heart merged, and a brand new heart—the Tao Heart—was formed.

  THUMP!!!!!!!!

  Lin Feng's heart throbbed so powerfully that it shook the entire room. No, not just the room; all of Rising Sky City trembled. Countless people shuddered at that moment. This was not merely a physical heartbeat, but the resonance of the Tao Heart. The Tao Heart was one of the most mysterious phenomena in the universe…

  Rngg! Rngg!

  ??

  I looked at my ringing phone in astonishment. I immediately checked the incoming call and saw that the caller was the Author Support System. Without delay, I answered the phone.

  "Cracked Storyteller, we have both a major and a minor problem," the Author Support System said to me.

  What problem?

  "Lin Feng has transformed from a mere minor character into a main character! The Guardian of the Wheel of Fate is extremely furious! If we don't intervene immediately, everything will be thrown into chaos!!!"

  Fuck, fuck, fuck!

  What about Jin Kai, Zamazingo, and Picockyo?

  "That's the real problem. They are not in the wheel of fate!!!!"

  WHAT?!!

  In a state of great astonishment and horror, I saw Jin Kai, Zamazingo, and Picockyo looking at me with disdain...

  "GHAAA! Hhhuuuh!!"

  Lin Feng woke with a deep breath. "Where am I?" he mumbled, looking around in bewilderment. Then, scratching his head, he murmured, "What was I doing..?"

  Pat!

  He fell to the ground and fainted. The experience he had endured had imposed such a tremendous burden on his mind and body that he needed a deep sleep.

  Picockyo looked at Lin Feng carefully and murmured softly, "Not bad..." His finger slowly extended and transformed into a slender branch. The branch twisted through the air like a snake, approaching Lin Feng's face. At its tip, a small, clear drop of water appeared and gently fell onto his lips. The moment Lin Feng's body swallowed the drop, he instantly regained all his health. He had never felt this healthy in his life. Now, all he needed was to let his mind rest.

  While Zamazingo looked at Lin Feng with an expression of curiosity, Jin Kai continued to attend to customers as if nothing had happened.