chsdbacks Chapter 33 Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 33 Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 33 Equivalent Exchange
The following day, in the Papal Palace and the State Affairs Hall.
Although the imperial bedchamber has not been renovated yet, the government affairs hall does not require such trouble.
The war against the four major clans is no child's play; it requires the mobilization of Soul Masters from various Spirit Halls, their allocation, strategic deployment, and logistical issues.
War is not something that can be resolved with a few words; pre-war preparations are a major issue.
Moreover, even though those titled Douluo said they wanted to fight at the Elders' meeting, Bibi Dong knew very well that they were probably just going through the motions.
When a country wants to start a war, the biggest problem is never whether it can win, but getting people to be willing to fight and risk their lives.
The same applies to the Spirit Hall.
The Soul Masters below are easy to deal with; if you throw out high-ranking positions and generous salaries, there are plenty of people willing to fight for them. But for the Elders' Hall, these are all meaningless.
They were already titled Douluo, holding high positions of power and influence, and their families were prosperous.
For them, their current status is already the pinnacle; pushing themselves any further would yield very little reward but carry extremely high risks.
If they were to face a desperate counterattack from the Clear Sky Sect, they would prioritize their own safety above all else, and they wouldn't even flinch at the sight of their Soul Masters being wiped out.
As long as they live, the family will continue.
If they are seriously injured or die, the Elder Hall will not keep useless people. Without the titled Douluo to guard them, their families will inevitably decline.
Therefore, those elders would absolutely not risk their lives.
Even their current lack of effort is because Nan Feng, who was in control of her body, gave them a severe dressing-down, making them lose face.
Otherwise, the elders wouldn't have gotten involved in this matter at all.
Bibi Dong was simulating the progress of the war, but no matter what, as long as those titled Douluo in the Elder Hall didn't take it seriously, the so-called blitzkrieg and the so-called besieging the point and attacking the reinforcements would just be a joke!
"Nanfeng, I'll ask you one more time: how exactly do we resolve the issue of the Elders' Hall not putting in their full effort?"
Bibi Dong asked herself.
"My original plan was to proceed gradually, not only to lower the guard of the outside world, but more importantly, to slowly win over the true core forces of the Spirit Hall with benefits. I wanted them to see that they would benefit from following me, thereby gradually eroding the influence of Golden Crocodile and Thousand Daoliu."
"And what happened to you!"
"Instead of trying to win them over or showing them any goodwill, they pointed their fingers at everyone in the Elders' Hall and called them cowards and good-for-nothings!"
"Now look what's happened! Even if Golden Crocodile stays silent for the sake of the bigger picture, those elders definitely hate me to death! They'll never give me a kind look, let alone genuinely support me!"
"If they shirk their duties on the battlefield, or even deliberately let the elders of the Haotian Sect escape in order to preserve their strength, then my so-called blitzkrieg will turn into a lousy war of attrition!"
"If this battle fails to achieve the desired results, or if the losses are heavy, my prestige as the new pope is already low, and it will only plummet further."
"If things continue like this, forget about controlling the Elders' Hall; I might not even be able to hold onto power in the Papal Palace!"
Faced with Bibi Dong's anxiety, Nan Feng in the Sea of Spirit simply yawned leisurely.
"What's the rush? I told you, the problem with the Elders' Hall will be resolved soon."
"As for scolding them—ha, that's a minor matter, even necessary."
"Little Dongdong, in the end, it's because you were too cautious in front of Qian Xunji for too long in the past few years. Your mind was restricted by your identity as a disciple."
"You're thinking of trying to win over those elders and curry favor with them? This very idea puts you in a passive position, even in a subordinate one."
"You are the Pope! You are the monarch! Does a monarch need to appease his subjects?"
"I don't like being passive, and I especially dislike having to read other people's faces."
"What I want is not to win them over, but to force them to come and join me!"
"Easy for you to say." Bibi Dong frowned.
"The elders of the Spirit Hall are only inferior to the Pope in administrative power, but in terms of status, the elders are equal to the Pope! This is the ancestral rule of the Spirit Hall!"
"If the Pope incurs public wrath or violates the fundamental interests of the Spirit Hall, the Elders' Hall has the right to impeach him or even strip him of his power!"
"But the Pope has no right to strip elders of their titles and status! Why should they come to rely on someone like me who has no connections?"
"And this young girl has offended them all?"
"They obey Jin E and are at Qian Daoliu's beck and call! As long as Qian Daoliu doesn't give the order, they can keep stalling with me!"
"That's right."
Nan Feng snapped his fingers. "You've finally hit the nail on the head. The Elders' Hall is watching Qian Daoliu's expression."
"Then may I ask—"
Nan Feng's voice turned playful: "Qian Daoliu, whose face are you looking at?"
"Or rather, in this world, who can control Qian Daoliu's joys and sorrows? Who can force this demigod-level peerless Douluo to suppress his grievances?"
Bibi Dong was stunned.
A golden figure flashed through her mind instantly—the little girl who always followed her, calling "Mommy," the one who ran away crying last night.
"You mean—Qian Renxue?"
Bibi Dong was startled, a chill creeping up her spine. She asked in fear, "So—you old spider, from the very beginning you were trying to befriend Qian Renxue, putting on that show of maternal love and filial piety, even going so far as to self-destruct to deepen her hatred for Qian Daoliu—"
"You—you've been planning this all along?!"
Seeing that Bibi Dong had finally realized what was happening, Nan Feng stopped denying it.
"Planning before acting is your strength. But being too hesitant and indecisive is your fatal weakness."
"And, little Dongdong, your heart—is still not ruthless enough."
"Qian Renxue is clearly your best and most unbeatable trump card. As long as you hold onto this card, not only those elders, but even Qian Daoliu will be led by the nose by you."
"But what about you?"
"You just don't want to use it. You're holding a winning hand, but you insist on pushing it away!"
"You keep saying you hate the Qian family, hate Qian Xunji, and want revenge. But you have a strange—protective instinct towards Qian Xunji's daughter?"
Don't rush to deny it.
Nan Feng interrupted Bibi Dong, who was about to explain herself, "If you really hate her, you would ignore her. But your current avoidance is precisely because you are afraid of involving her, afraid of using her."
"But that's ridiculous."
"Back then, in order to survive, you were able to feign compliance and act as a submissive disciple to the man who raped you, Chihiro."
"Now, for the sake of power and revenge, why can't you just pretend to be nice to Qian Renxue? Why can't you appease her?"
"As long as you appease her and get her on your side."
"Even if Qian Daoliu and Jin E knew you were acting, even if they knew it was fake, would they refuse Qian Renxue's request? Would they want to hurt Qian Renxue?"
Bibi Dong fell silent, her face pale.
She never expected that the lingering guilt and reluctance towards that child in the most hidden corner of her heart would be seen so clearly by Nan Feng, and that he would regard it as weakness.
"For this, you did not hesitate to give up your greatest advantage and chose the most difficult path."
Nan Feng sighed, his voice full of disappointment, "This is too stupid."
"Since you're unwilling to use this trump card—"
"Then I'll use it."
"Why do you think I went on strike last night? Why did I make Qian Daoliu face Qian Renxue's tears?"
"It's all to make that old man feel guilty! To make him feel sorry for himself! To let him know that he was the one who destroyed his granddaughter's maternal love!"
"Now, it's almost done."
"Qian Daoliu must be as anxious as a grasshopper on a hot pan right now. All we need is to add a little more fuel to the fire—"
"To please his granddaughter and to make up for what he owed her, he would have to relinquish command of the Elders' Hall—"
—I'll obediently hand it over to you.
After a long silence, Bibi Dong slowly spoke: "What if—I oppose this plan?"
"be opposed to?"
Within the sea of consciousness, Nan Feng's voice carried an incomprehensible absurdity: "Bibi Dong, have you lost your mind? Why are you objecting?"
"What is our situation now? We're climbing up a tightrope! One wrong step and we'll be shattered to pieces!"
"Use every available resource to climb up the ladder, and survive by any means necessary—that's the only thing you need to consider right now! It's the only truth!"
I know what you're worried about.
Nan Feng's tone softened somewhat as he tried to reason with her, "You think it's despicable and cruel to exploit a child, right?"
"Okay, I'll take care of that."
"That little girl is crying her eyes out right now, feeling like the whole world has abandoned her. At this moment, I act as her good mother, comforting her, telling her stories, giving her maternal love and warmth she's never experienced before. Even if it's all acting, even if it's fake, isn't the joy and satisfaction she feels in that moment real?"
"Isn't this a win-win situation?"
"This is an equivalent exchange!"
"I gave her what she wanted most, filling the void of her childhood; and in exchange, she used her value as the young angel to help you gain a foothold and take control."
"What's wrong with this? What's so cruel about it?"
"This is a hundred times happier than having her stay with that grandfather who only knows how to cultivate and has a stern face all day long!"
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