321 I Had a Though

The importance of knowledge was unquestionable. It was a fundamental principle that knowledge must be valued and protected.

Ye Lingchen, being the prodigy that he was, absolutely did not allow knowledge to be humiliated in such a manner!

The group of people looked at Ye Lingchen in confusion before exchanging glances with each other. They had doubts all over the face and Ye Lingchen did not say a word for quite some time.

The housekeeper gave Ye Lingchen a careful look. “Boss, you…”

“I have a thought.” Ye Lingchen suddenly said.

“Boss, what thought?”

“Boss, we all listened to you?”

“Are we going all out? I knew we couldn’t just leave like that!”

The crowd below murmured between themselves and looked at Ye Lingchen.

“We surrender!”

“…”

Silence!

The entire place was deathly silent!

Everyone was stunned. They stood in a daze for some time with a stunned expression on their faces.

After a long time—

“It’s over, it’s over. Something’s wrong with my ear. What did Boss just say?”

“I think Boss said…surrender?”

“F*CK! What does that mean?”

“Impossible! My boss can’t possibly be like this!”

Everyone’s complexion changed in an instant and they looked at Ye Lingchen in disbelief.

“Boss, are you kidding me?” The old man’s face sank too and he stared at Ye Lingchen incredulously.

“I’m serious. This is no joke!” Ye Lingchen looked solemn. “This is the decision I’ve made after careful consideration.”

He waved his hand and the situation finally calmed down a little.

Suddenly, Ye Lingchen looked at one of the men present there. His tone was very relaxed. “Do you have a dream?”

The man was caught flat-footed by the question. He could not help but nod after a brief moment of confabulation. “Yes.”

“What’s your dream?” Ye Lingchen continued to ask.

“My dream is…” The man tensed up and hesitated.

“Come on, don’t be shy. We’re all brothers here. Speak your dreams out loud!” Ye Lingchen said loudly in a very contagious manner.

“I’m going to be the Martial Arts King in Earth’s Gate!” The man blushed as he stuck his head out and yelled.

“Okay! That’s good! You have a pursuit!” Ye Lingchen applauded and encouraged him. Then his face turned solemn and he shook his head in regret. “That’s a good dream, but unfortunately, you can never achieve it in your entire life.”

“Why?” The man’s face expressed grief and indignation, and he was almost unwilling to speak.

“Look at what you’re doing?” Ye Lingchen was filled with righteousness. “Pilfering around, hiding your heads, and showing your tails. Are these the things that martial artists do? These are precisely the things that will condemn you to unfulfilled aspirations. You can only reach your peak once you set your heart on the right path! Do you understand?”

“This, this…” The man’s face was blank while his eyes were empty and lost.

Ye Lingchen turned his head again and looked at another person beside him, “Do you have a dream?”

“I… I have one too.” The man was already a little scared.

“Come on, don’t be afraid, proclaim your dreams boldly!”

“My dream is simple, to make a lot of money, then let my wife and children live a good life,” the man said.

“It’s over, your dream is all over.” Ye Lingchen shook his head sadly.

“What? Why? We can go home after we complete this task,” the man refuted quickly.

“Do you think you can go back!?” Ye Lingchen sighed. “What are doing? We’re committing crimes! This is unforgivable. If someone finds out, you’re nothing but cannon fodder. You’ll be sold off without any hesitation, and your life is gone. How can you let your family and children live a good life?! Have you ever considered your family’s feelings when you decided to do such a dangerous thing? You said that you love your family, but you will lose your life at any time. Is that love? You are a typical scumbag!”

“I… Am I really a scumbag?!” The man shed tears and repented. “I’ve disappointed my family…”

Next up, Ye Lingchen’s eyes glowed and his gaze fell on a third person. “Do you have a dream?”

The man gritted his teeth and said firmly, “I have no dreams! I only obey orders! To complete the task!”

“What? You don’t have a dream?” Ye Lingchen’s tone was incredibly contemptuous. “What’s the difference between a dreamless man and a piece of salted fish? You don’t even know your reason for living. You’re just a waste of air when you live. If I were you, I won’t even dare to continue living in this world, you… Kill yourself!”

The man was at first confused, then ashamed. He subsequently looked at the scornful looks cast by everyone around him and shouted, “I have no dignity to continue living in this world! Farewell, brothers!”

After he finished his words, he drew the knife and slit his own throat.

“Amitabha, very good indeed.” Ye Lingchen continued to speak, “Praise be is the virtue of recognizing one’s mistakes and learning from them! As Buddha said, the sea of bitterness has no bounds, but turn your head and you shall see the shore! My brethren, feel your conscience, look back at your own life. Do you have no regrets? If you go on like this, you will be the cancer of society. You’re still young. There’s still time for you to change…”

Ye Lingchen blabbed on and on like a stream of firecrackers. He yapped on from Buddhism to philosophy, and from philosophy to the future—he was talking about the meaning of life.

Clang!

A loud clamor was heard. Someone had thrown away his weapon.

Immediately after—

Clang!

Clang!

One by one, clamoring sounds were soon heard. Hundreds of burly men all tossed away their weapons, then sat right on the ground and crying with their hands around their heads.

Cries of grief shook the heavens and made for an astounding sight.

“I’ve lived for half a lifetime but I never expected to live like such a dog!”

“It’s like I can see the lost years of my youth. It’s so hard to accept it!”

“Now that I think about my dreams, I realize the stupidity of everything I did!”

“Enlightened with purest wisdom, enlightened with purest wisdom! Our boss is the man, his words awoke the dreamer in me, huhuhu…”

…

“Very well, since all of you know that you are wrong, go ahead and turn yourselves in.” Ye Lingchen nodded. He was satisfied with his achievements and his diatribe was not phony at all.

He used his status as their boss to unleash his diatribe, hence the stronger persuasiveness. He utilized his diatribe to the fullest and left them unable to refute him. If that had not been the case, the effect would truly be hard to say.

“Boss, if all of us surrender, what are you going to do?” someone asked worriedly.

“Yes, boss, you’re the main culprit and you’ll be punished heavily.”

“Me?”

Ye Lingchen sat still and upright. The look on his face was that of someone who pursued justice with no second thoughts and he said solemnly, “You don’t need to worry about me. Sacrificing myself will help complete your aims. I’ve lived…long enough!”

“Boss!”…

The crowd cried even more bitterly and each one of them was completely shocked. They looked at Ye Lingchen with teary eyes and were truly touched.

“Boss, you’re my reincarnated parent! It’s like you’ve given us a new lease in life! We’ll never forget the boss’s kindness!”

“Once a boss, always a boss! Please accept my humble respects!”

…

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