Cultivators Are So Weak in This World

Chapter 581 - 545 Investigation 3

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

The Mu Chi mansion was as usual.

Zhang Rongyu got up to tidy the children’s clothes and arranged the meals. Brother-in-law Suda Heqi then tidied himself up, put on his official attire, and routinely went to the government office for reporting.

Zhang Rongfang, Li Zhen, Zhang Rongyu, and Xiaohuanqing sat together in the dining hall to have breakfast.

In the early morning hours, a thin mist lingered, and the occasional cries of passing vendors could be heard outside.

Juices, milk, steamed buns, everything was available, making it quite lively.

"Come to think of it, after the last turmoil, quite a few refugees who fled to the city remained behind, and now, every trade seems a bit more prosperous than before," Zhang Rongyu suddenly felt a pang of sentiment while listening to the cries of the vendors.

"Indeed, only after experiencing it can you understand which cities can withstand such threats and dangers," Li Zhen nodded in agreement.

"But the price of houses in the city keeps rising day by day... there are too many people. I went out yesterday and saw that quite a few new wooden shacks have been built in the south of the city, presumably for these new arrivals to live in..." Zhang Rongyu unconsciously thought back to herself and her brother back in the day.

"It’s not easy for people in troubled times... Changying, take a few people to set up some porridge stalls at the city entrance later," she turned her head and instructed.

"Yes," the manager named Changying who was waiting on the side, quickly bowed his head in response.

"Sister is a kind-hearted person, unable to bear seeing ordinary people suffer," Li Zhen gently grasped the back of Zhang Rongyu’s hand.

The two chatted about the changes in the city, while on the other side, Zhang Rongfang and Zhang Huanqing exchanged glances.

Zhang Rongfang gave a warm smile to his nephew.

Zhang Huanqing opened his mouth, wanting to complain, but... just as he was about to speak, he saw his uncle smile.

That smile... it was exactly the same as the one he saw in his dream yesterday...

No... he couldn’t tell if he saw it in a dream or while awake yesterday...

"Eat more, you’ll need the strength to study," Zhang Rongfang looked at his well-behaved nephew, thinking that children still needed more discipline.

"Okay, uncle," Xiaohuanqing replied obediently.

Zhang Rongfang quickly polished off meat-filled buns with fermented mare’s milk, and after finishing three trays, he felt he had laid a sufficient base before turning to look at his sister.

"Sister, after a while, I have a few words to say regarding Xiaohuanqing. Are you free?"

Zhang Rongyu gently put down the crab dumpling in her hand, raised her head to look at her brother. She noticed Zhang Rongfang’s solemn expression, evidently having something urgent to say.

She pondered for a moment.

"I shouldn’t be busy later, and I think I can guess what you want to talk about. It’ll be good for us to have a chat."

"Alright."

Li Zhen, standing by, flashed a curious glance but remained silent.

The issue regarding Xiaohuanqing wasn’t unnoticed in the household; everyone had their eyes open.

In fact, she had talked to Zhang Rongyu about it privately, so she could also understand what Zhang Rongfang might want to address.

Zhang Huanqing, who was having breakfast, remained silent, as if what just happened had nothing to do with him.

Half an hour later, after breakfast, Xiaohuanqing was taken away for his morning lessons.

Zhang Rongfang and his sister Zhang Rongyu strolled in the rear courtyard’s small garden, with guards faintly visible in the corners, providing protection.

Ever since the night raid, the mansion had become much more vigilant.

Spring buds were just sprouting, and the tree branches in the yard were slowly gaining a touch of green vitality.

Zhang Rongyu, in a light blue long dress embroidered with a blue floral design, stepped forward wearing loose lambskin wooden-soled slippers, every step producing a crisp knocking sound.

"Rongfang, I know what you want to ask. I’ve actually noticed Xiaohuanqing’s situation as well. He seems to be just a bit unruly, but his nature is good."

"A good nature implies that his current behavior is not his true self? That there’s an external influence?" Zhang Rongfang picked up the hidden implication.

He couldn’t believe his sister, being so astute, would be fooled by Xiaohuanqing, just a little boy.

So from this perspective, it seemed that his sister already knew.

As expected, Zhang Rongyu was silent for a moment.

"He is of Spirit People blood... some things cannot be escaped, nor can they be removed."

"Even Spirit People blood can produce good people like brother-in-law," Zhang Rongfang countered.

"Yes, which is why Xiaohuanqing’s situation is just temporary. Eventually... he will soon overcome the influence and return to normal. You needn’t worry," Zhang Rongyu seemed to know something.

"....." Zhang Rongfang let out a sigh of relief. "Is it Confucianism?"

Silence.

Zhang Rongyu halted her steps and stopped completely.

Her beautiful eyes moved around, never turning back to look at her brother.

For a long time, whether it was ten minutes or longer.

She slowly spoke.

"It seems... you’ve also caught some wind."

"After all, living together for so long, I should know some things," Zhang Rongfang replied. "Sister, you should tell me the bottom line. Otherwise, if something happens, I won’t know how to help you."

"..... Help me?" A subtle smile appeared on Zhang Rongyu’s face. It was a kind of comforting, hopeful smile.

"Rongfang, you’ve grown up now... knowing how to sympathize with your sister... But... regarding Xiaohuanqing, you don’t need to meddle. I have it under control."

"Sister, you....." Zhang Rongfang frowned slightly.

"Xiaohuanqing... I love him very much, but there’s no way around it. The world is what it is. What I want, what my husband wants, always requires some sacrifice," a flash of helplessness appeared in Zhang Rongyu’s eyes.

She turned away again, not looking at Zhang Rongfang.

"Rongfang, do you remember when I brought you the Dao scriptures, what I said to you back then?"

Zhang Rongfang was taken aback. His memories from that time were very hazy, belonging to the former self of Zhang Rongfang, but he could still recall them.

"I remember," he said. The former self had given Zhang Rongyu a hard slap.

Zhang Rongyu nodded and smiled.

"This world is so cruel, if you want more, you must give more. To climb upward, you must surpass more people, and thus give more...."

"But Xiaohuanqing...." Zhang Rongfang vaguely understood what his sister meant.

"I love him... but there’s no choice... Moreover, the Confucianism promised me that this is only the start, and they will gradually guide him onto the right track," Zhang Rongyu said earnestly.

"To make this happen, I’ve poured a lot of effort and energy into it.... So, there’s no need to say more about it," Zhang Rongyu continued seriously.

"Sister...." Zhang Rongfang was completely unprepared for this response.

At this moment, it seemed as if he was meeting this older sister, who always cared for him, for the first time.

Previously, in his mind, his impression of his sister Zhang Rongyu was always as a loving sister to her brother, genuinely affectionate towards her husband, a beautiful woman with some scheming.

But now...

He suddenly couldn’t understand her.

In this cannibalistic world, his sister climbed step by step from the bottom to the heights she reached now.

What exactly did she rely on?

In the beginning, she really loved her brother, but still, she heartlessly let him wander alone, eventually leading him to join Qinghe Palace.

In the years that followed, Zhang Rongyu indeed continued to support him, yet... many times, she was never sentimental. From start to finish, she did not delay, always doing her own things.

Such actions, unshaken by anyone!

For a moment, he seemed to understand a lot.

"Rongfang, don’t be like this," Zhang Rongyu sighed softly at this moment. "In life, many things are like moving against the current; if you do not advance, you will recede. And if you recede, perhaps the ship will capsize, and people will perish."

"Sister, are you worried about situations like the last night’s assault?" Zhang Rongfang paused and asked.

"Not just that... people always look ahead. So take a look, aren’t we living much better than before?" Zhang Rongyu opened her hands, a sincere smile appearing on her face.

"This is the result of our efforts. But it’s still not enough."

She turned around.

"For some things, our strength is not enough. I lack the talent, but my son still has a chance.

Paying a small price is no big deal for what you gain."

She extended both hands to gently hold Zhang Rongfang’s arm.

"Rongfang, I really don’t want, I don’t want to be looked down upon like before, begging everywhere for a little medicine money."

"The power you need, I have! So it won’t be like that anymore... It’s different now. I can protect you..." Zhang Rongfang said earnestly.

"Don’t you understand? I don’t need someone to protect me.

In this life, why can others stand high above, overlooking everything? Why are they born into riches and finery, while we have to struggle fiercely to live like human beings?"

Zhang Rongyu continued, her beautiful eyes flowing with an indescribable something.

"Rongfang, you’ve had your own opinions since childhood, even arguing with me back then. Sister knows you have your own insights, your own thoughts. But I am the same. Looking at it now, neither you nor I, we’re doing quite well.

It’s clear you’ve hidden many secrets, maybe even stronger than I imagined.

That’s good, really.

This shows our ideas have merit, that we can live like human beings in this world. So..."

She paused for a moment.

"So, about many things, sister knows what to do. You walk your path, and sister also has her own path. We support each other but do not disturb each other. Okay?"

Zhang Rongfang was left speechless.

Only today did he come to realize that his sister Zhang Rongyu was not just as he imagined, merely a simple and kind person who cares about familial bonds.

She also had another side he didn’t know about—ruthlessness!

"Sister... actually you don’t have to be like this...." He sighed. "I’m very strong now... stronger than everyone here, in this entire mansion! You don’t need to keep doing this... you don’t need to sacrifice so much to live better.

So, if you just say the word, I’ll help you solve everything. Bring Xiaohuanqing back!"

"Rongfang... it’s not enough... that’s your path...." Zhang Rongyu shook her head.

"What would be enough?" Zhang Rongfang retorted.

"I don’t know. But soon... soon...." Zhang Rongyu answered softly with a dreamy look.

Many times, she herself almost couldn’t differentiate if she was climbing upward under the guise of revenge to enjoy everything she gained, or if she was simply willing to sacrifice everything just for revenge.

Zhang Rongfang’s keen perception suspected some underlying state in his sister at this point.

He remained silent for a long time, understanding that Xiaohuanqing’s issue was not the root cause—the true root was his sister herself.

Did she really love her child? She spoke of doing everything for Xiaohuanqing’s good, yet she watched as the child ended up in this situation, indifferent.

"It will get better soon. Rongfang," Zhang Rongyu smiled gently, her face still as radiant as before, but now with an inexplicable quality.

Zhang Rongfang no longer spoke; he suddenly lost the desire to speak.

He had thought his sister always so kind and simple, only occasionally a little bit shrewd.

But now... perhaps being in the midst of things gave him the illusion, causing him to overlook more details about his sister.

People often overlook many details about the things and people they are most familiar with, much like darkness under a lamp.

He exhaled deeply.

"I understand now."