Wait a little longer, it will be better...

Li Yingling pinched the jade token in her hand, passing it to Chen Baiqing beside her using spiritual energy. She then looked at Li Xingtian and said:

"There is accurate news from the Cangwu Nation. Great chaos has erupted. People have already begun burning, killing, and pillaging the noble families under the banner of the Hinayana Buddhist Sect. The noble families can no longer tolerate this situation and have applied absolute pressure. The Cangwu Nation has officially defined this incident as a rebellion."

"Without utilizing his cultivation base or the resources of the Buddhist Sect, Wu Wang has completely lost control of the situation."

Hearing this, Li Xingtian stood up, his tone serious:

"What do you need me to do?"

Li Yingling paused, looking at her Second Junior Brother for a moment before hesitantly saying:

"Then I must trouble Second Junior Brother to inform Mr. Li to prepare for departure to the Cangwu Nation."

Li Xingtian was also taken aback. After a moment, he nodded gently and replied:

"I will go right away."

Chen Baiqing watched Li Xingtian's retreating back without a word. It wasn't until Li Yingling also stood up, preparing to depart first, that she slowly spoke:

"Eldest Senior Sister, it would be better to wait a little longer."

Li Yingling paused her movements. She looked at Chen Baiqing, her tone puzzled:

"If we wait any longer, the situation will completely spiral out of control. If we truly let them slaughter each other, it will be a true devastation of life. By then, it will be difficult to clean up the mess."

"Furthermore, Master shares this view. Master should have already explained this to you."

"Master has always been soft-hearted." Chen Baiqing's gaze was calm. "Senior Sister, you should actually understand. We must truly wait until an irreversible great chaos arises in the Cangwu Nation, until more than half of its noble families are slaughtered."

"Let those noble families see with their own eyes the blood that is about to stain their throats. Let the commoners discover that overthrowing the noble families requires a price they too will find unbearable to pay."

"Only then will Mr. Li's slightly moderate methods truly gain recognition."

"The noble families will return the future to the commoners, allowing the commoners to see a glimmer of dawn for their future."

"Right now, neither side believes they will lose. If Mr. Li departs now, I am afraid he will not be the dawn for either side, but rather an obstacle to their victory."

"Senior Sister, the timing is wrong. One misstep, and everything Master has painstakingly pushed forward will become meaningless."

Li Yingling completely stopped what she was doing. Looking at Chen Baiqing, she asked:

"Then how many people will have to die?"

Chen Baiqing answered without hesitation:

"No matter how many die, that is on Wu Wang. It is the responsibility the Buddhist Sect should bear. We even mediated the conflict between the two sides."

"I understand that Eldest Senior Sister is also soft-hearted, so why don't you pretend you don't know about this? I will handle Second Junior Brother's side. In the end, I, Baiqing, will personally explain everything to Master."

Li Yingling looked at Chen Baiqing's expressionless face and slowly said:

"If I hadn't come, would you have done exactly this?"

Doing this didn't even require extra arrangements; it only required a natural delay.

Yet the results and consequences would be earth-shattering.

Chen Baiqing nodded very straightforwardly and replied:

"If Eldest Senior Sister hadn't come, I would have done exactly this. Whether as a Sub-Sage or a cultivator, the path we have walked was always meant to be stained with the blood of countless people."

"Just as the eighteen immortal sects are said to be demonic sects."

"Master understands everything. Master even understands me, which is why he had Eldest Senior Sister come at the most crucial moment."

"It's just that Master is always too soft-hearted, but being soft-hearted comes with a price. Just like when Master fell into an illusion and nearly died in the Southern Jambudvipa Continent, wasn't that because he was soft-hearted?"

"Just like how Master's cultivation base fell from the Mahayana realm to the Nascent Soul realm, suffering severe injuries."

"If Master wasn't soft-hearted, all of this could have been changed."

"The heart that Master cannot harden, Baiqing can harden for him."

Li Yingling's tone relaxed a little as she said:

"If that were really the case, I thought that given your mindset, you would most likely have tricked me into leaving."

Chen Baiqing lowered her eyes and said softly:

"The one who came was Eldest Senior Sister. Baiqing understands that I cannot deceive Eldest Senior Sister."

Li Yingling walked slowly to Chen Baiqing, reaching out to gently pat her head, saying:

"Although Eldest Senior Sister is the smartest in the world, who asked Eldest Senior Sister to dote on you the most? Actually, Baiqing knows you could have deceived me, you just weren't willing to."

"About some things, you are right. Handling the matter that way would indeed be more secure, but principles do not work like that."

"Since Master asked us to do it at this time, there is naturally room for us to succeed, it will just be a bit more difficult."

"Baiqing has grown up too. Let us work harder together, so we don't make Master sad, alright?"

Chen Baiqing fell silent for a moment, then slowly looked up at Li Yingling's gentle gaze.

Master always possessed an indescribable charm.

The people around Master would all be won over by this charm, subconsciously learning from him.

They would want to be as responsible as Master, as soft-hearted as Master, and as trusting of the people in their own sect as Master.

They would even speak like Master.

Second Junior Brother was like this, Cui Hao perhaps was too, but the most deeply affected among them was Eldest Senior Sister.

Eldest Senior Sister had become Master's disciple when she was at her most ignorant and impulsive.

She had watched with her own eyes how her Master went from a cultivator forced to hide in a ruined temple to an existence that the entire Central Continent could not ignore.

Eldest Senior Sister had also seen firsthand how Master's charisma attracted a myriad of prodigies to become his disciples, and how even renowned geniuses of the past would join him in doing the most ridiculous and hilarious things.

Even the Eighteen Immortal Sects held Master in the highest esteem, and the Venerable Buddha addressed him as a fellow Daoist.

Eldest Senior Sister had also watched Master accomplish almost everything he set out to do.

Chen Baiqing looked at Li Yingling's gentle gaze, which even somewhat resembled Master's.

Perhaps in Li Yingling's eyes, Master was nearly omnipotent and omniscient.

Even though there was a considerable price to pay, the victories they achieved were immense.

Eldest Senior Sister probably wanted to become someone like Master more than anything else.

But Eldest Senior Sister subconsciously forgot that Master could also be fragile, could make oversights, and could fail.

Especially his soft-heartedness—that had always been Master's greatest flaw.

Although Chen Baiqing was warmed by Master and had always been the closest to him, she could not learn to be like him. She had always been the person least like Master.

She was not soft-hearted. She was utilitarian, she rejected all risks, and she would shift all risks onto others.

Chen Baiqing could only imitate Master's warm actions and words, but deep down, she did not agree with his ideals.

Eldest Senior Sister wanted to inherit Master's character.

But Chen Baiqing only wanted to use every ruthless means possible to protect Master.

After all, for someone whose heart was completely cold, if she were to lose even Master's warmth, then everything would lose its meaning.

Master's warmth was the only warmth in her heart.

She understood that arguing about right and wrong at this moment was meaningless and would not change anything.

A smile appeared on Chen Baiqing's face, as if she were truly moved by Li Yingling's words. She gave a slight nod and said,

"Since Eldest Senior Sister has put it this way, I have no way to refuse."

Hearing this, Li Yingling smiled and reached her hand out to Chen Baiqing.

Chen Baiqing grasped Li Yingling's hand and was pulled to her feet by her Eldest Senior Sister.

"Let's go," Li Yingling said with a confident tone.

Chen Baiqing nodded gently.

It was a pity. Despite following Master for so long, she had never truly taken his teachings to heart.

She simply could not bring herself to be that sincere and open with the people around her.

Deep in Chen Baiqing's eyes hid a cold indifference that perhaps only she understood.

But this kind of person was who she truly was.