Chapter 34: A Mess Everywhere

Chapter 34: A Mess Everywhere

Faced with questions about my family, Gu Qiutang clearly didn’t want to answer. “Some things I am not in a position to answer. I hope you’ll have patience for what comes next. Once you have sufficient ability, you’ll see them. Then you can ask them yourself.”

“What level of ability do you mean? And did my parents truly pass away?”

“By ability, I mean at least the ability to see them. Without sufficient ability, even standing before you, you couldn’t see them.”

Couldn’t see them? Were my parents invisible too? But Grandma who raised me was normal.

From Gu Qiutang’s expression, he obviously wouldn’t discuss my family.

Fine. I wouldn’t press him.

I knew enough already. Hard to digest. I was no longer the student who’d fled Liutan Town. Xuanhong’s thoughts still moved in my mind.

“Then what should I do next?”

“You still need to grow. Your ability is nowhere near sufficient. You need tempering, growth. Only when powerful enough can you handle what’s ahead.”

“How do I temper myself better and grow faster?”

“Didn’t you bring down the Zhuo Group? Start there. I want you to take part in the restructuring investment company. A temple is, after all, a place of quiet cultivation. Do not stay there too long. It is too idle.”

“You want me to run a business? I can handle technology, but investment management is completely outside my field. It would take up too much energy. I’d rather work alone.”

“Working alone feels satisfying, but tempering has many dimensions. How much do you understand society? Human nature? Do you have a team? All require tempering.”

“All right. I’ll follow your arrangements.”

That was what I said, but honestly, I was reluctant.

I had only just gotten comfortable at Tansong Temple.

Seeing that I had accepted his suggestion but was not really willing in my heart, Gu Qiutang pointed out: “Actually, your revenge against the Zhuo Group was a little too heavy-handed. Too many innocent people were affected, and the shock to society was too great. A mess everywhere. Granted, the root wasn’t your fault, but you chose how to solve it. You could have made a precise strike, subtle and unnoticed. Instead you shook the whole country.”

I nodded. He was right. I’d realized afterward.

“As they say—playing chess, look five moves ahead. How many moves did you look ahead? You threw a wild flurry of punches and felt great yourself. Did you think about how many unemployed people would be affected? Did you think about the industrial chaos caused by a market vacuum? Did you think about the consequences of alarming the Sweepers, especially the Soul Hunters?”

That hit where it hurt.

Had I thought about it?

Not really.

I had only thought about taking down the Zhuo Group as fast and brutally as possible.

When I cheated on the exam at Liutan High School, I had not expected Grandma to get dragged into it, much less that it would attract the Sweepers’ attention and leave me wandering in exile. Of course, that had to do with my level of understanding at the time. But now I was different.

This showed that I truly needed tempering. I needed to understand that many reactions are linked to one another.

“So the reason I want you to gain experience in business is so you can return to ordinary society and experience the warmth and chill of people’s lives. In the future, when you act, you will be able to put the people first and take human beings as the foundation. You cannot be like elite people, floating outside the world, enjoying every good thing alone. Responsibility and conscience are the greatest difference between elite people and those who fled. For this new enterprise, I plan to have Gu Kunling preside, with you as her deputy. Learn more from her.”

I was satisfied with this arrangement. “Your criticism is right. My action against the Zhuo Group was rash and poorly considered. I am willing to accept the new arrangement.”

Seeing that I had come around, Gu Qiutang said, “Before you leave…