Corpse Recovery Diver

"He wouldn't have done it back then..."

Li Zhiyuan knew who "he" referred to, and also why "he" wouldn't have done it.

In fact, the young man himself didn't intend to take the money at the start.

Having come this far, the young man's understanding of cause and effect was already quite profound. Even from a self-preservation perspective, he shouldn't lightly accept this unwarranted cause and effect.

But who could say no when the Grandmaster had instructed him to?

"He is he, and I am me."

Li Zhiyuan never denied his admiration for Wei Zhengdao. There was even a bit of reverence in it, but he never thought he would become a second Wei Zhengdao.

He could, through the depiction from Wei Zhengdao's pen, experience the scenery of a different path.

But ultimately, he and Wei Zhengdao were walking two completely different paths.

Indeed, he was not as free, unrestrained, and unfettered, but Li Zhiyuan didn't believe that his path was any worse than Wei Zhengdao's.

He wouldn't have done it back then, but I did.

Doesn't it prove that, at least in these two "time segments" that have been separated, his recovery is faster and more noticeable than Wei Zhengdao's?

The wind under the peach tree continued to blow, carrying its intentions.

"Merit... is this how you use it..."

"My Grandmaster taught me that money earned should be spent and used as needed."

"Some things... once started... can't be stopped..."

"I have plenty of merit, can't use it all up, simply can't use it all."

As he said this, Li Zhiyuan even laughed.

Seemingly affected by something, peach blossoms danced, and the petals around the young man were especially dense.

Pushing a ghost fetus to form, once it forms, the resulting resentment would inevitably seek revenge on those responsible. This debt, going round and round, would still fall on the young man.

But this loss of merit, to Li Zhiyuan now, really meant nothing.

Some things aren't meant to be priced, because once weighed, their nature changes.

But if you really were to be particular, lift it and weigh it, you could still estimate a rough range.

Without even mentioning the distant future, just the merit earned from resolving the curse at the General's Tomb and preventing the Old Transgender's blood sacrifice, two catastrophes averted, and all he did was let those three ghosts form. What does that even count for?

The one under the peach tree naturally knew this too, so its point was: you can indeed afford to spend, but not like this.

It: "Have you thought it through..."

Li Zhiyuan extended his fingers, flicked the money in his hand twice, making a crisp "snap! snap!"

"This little money, if wasted, let it be wasted."

Li Zhiyuan closed his eyes, preparing to embrace the feeling of pain.

Every time he made a "foolish" decision, this symptom would appear, and he had grown accustomed to it.

However,

after waiting for a long time, the pain did not appear.

Li Zhiyuan opened his eyes.

Fingers gripping the money, exerting more force, gradually turning pale.

The absence of pain meant he inwardly accepted this choice.

Yet this wasn't from a sense of morality, justice, compassion, or responsibility, but purely from a cold, rational standpoint, this decision was quite self-serving.

Along with the pain that typically followed "foolishness", Li Zhiyuan would habitually find a self-consistent reason for himself.

The Grandmaster's tricycle rode slowly, allowing the young man ample time to sit atop it and rationalize his actions.

Often, this rationalization was forcibly pieced together just to ease the pain.

At this moment, he had to pull this set of reasons out from his mind again, to air and dry:

He had long suspected, nearly confirming, that the special treatment he received from the Heavenly Dao was greatly tied to the past with Wei Zhengdao.

Too rational, devoid of emotion, indifferent even to close family, meant having no weaknesses.

Perhaps,

his moments of foolishness, occasionally exhibiting some controllable benevolence, might be more appreciated by the Heavenly Dao.

On the surface, deductions were necessary, but behind the scenes in places unseen, who would know if a hand was lent?

The Heavenly Dao might not like souls like Wei Zhengdao's, but didn't mind having someone like Wei Zhengdao to settle matters for it.

Coming to the Peach Forest to propose his plans, with its deep ties and entanglement with Wei Zhengdao, and hearing it explicitly say, "He wouldn't have done it like this back then."

Isn't this deliberately cutting ties with Wei Zhengdao in terms of justice?

The opportunity was accidental, but the stage and actor were chosen by Li Zhiyuan himself.

At worst, couldn't he lift the oppressive aura surrounding the Peach Forest himself?

Setting up an array at Old Wu's house to shield the three small ghosts from this influence wasn't difficult, was it?

It's merely deeper cause-and-effect entanglement, with greater backlash, but turning a loss from fifty to a hundred wasn't much different for someone like him, who could afford thousands.

This play, with no one around, is performed for the heavens.

Thoughts recollected.

Li Zhiyuan looked again at the money in his hand.

The matter remained the same, but its nature had changed.

Only he knew personally, he made the choice first, then found a reason for it afterward.

But who could blame him if his mind worked so quickly, turning what was originally foolishly wasting money into a calculated, deeply strategized plan?

The feeling was peculiar.

Then, a stranger scene emerged.

A voice emerged from under the peach tree:

"You... are a lot better than he was back then..."

"Thank you for the compliment."