Volume Two: Taking on a Task Chapter Fourteen: Representing Justice

A star, profound and mysterious, carrying countless destinies to distant realms.
The star’s journey is endless, bringing many to the path of eternal life.
Life is filled with countless unexpected moments—some happen right beside us, while others are as beautifully serendipitous as green waters embracing ancient mountains.

Chen Chen rose to his feet. No matter the time, Chen Chen was always himself. In the end, he had to guard his own identity, steadfast through his efforts and daily toil.
The freedom of the great mountains remained as ever, but who, after truly experiencing the warmth and chill of human nature, could still see reality with the innocence and vitality they once had?

Once again, Chen Chen set off with many companions. Perhaps the journey would be fraught with hardships, forcing him to confront various faces and guises.
Even he himself—how many truly understand the image that "Chen Chen" projects in the eyes of the world and the place he holds in the hearts of his friends and family?

Time rewinds to the beginning, to the cultivation star where he landed. The true story of Chen Chen needed to be told by none other than himself; the canvas of his life had to be painted by his own hand.
A new journey of life, living fully in the present, embracing the existence of an independent being.

Chen Chen’s cultivation spanned countless years, countless versions of himself.
Chen Chen’s cultivation was timeless, and thus, he was also a child of his homeland.
He had a homeland, though the word felt too distant, too ancient for him—he needed to seek a new place to belong.

Having received the final mysterious task from the novice village, Chen Chen stepped out. He had needs—food, clothing, shelter, travel.
After leaving the novice village, Chen Chen crossed mountains and rivers, passing through the ancient city of Qingfeng and the Zhouyou Mountains. From afar, he saw a town—a place steeped in ancient atmosphere. The mottled city walls, the aged pavilion of blue bricks, and the heavy gates weathering countless storms still stood firm, guarding the old city.

“Ancient City Qingfeng…” Chen Chen murmured, as if recalling a distant memory.
Qingfeng was once a humble, dilapidated village that, through the skillful hands of generations, had grown into a town.

The architecture was largely simple and rustic, bearing the style of Tang dynasty buildings—blue bricks accompanied by glazed tiles that reflected the rosy glow of dawn.
Chen Chen chose this place as the second stop in his quest to conquer the world. Beyond the novice village lay the higher-level territory of the Ancient City Qingfeng.

This city was a hub for commerce, industry, services, and entertainment, gathering people from the surrounding villages.
By day, it bustled with life—people striving for survival, for love.
By night, the noise gradually faded; those who should return did so, while some remained, and the city once more embraced its quietude.

Carrying a faint sense of unease, Chen Chen came here, guided by intuition that this place held the answers he sought.
Countless yesterdays were worse than death; many pasts were tainted with worldly grievances.
His intuition told him that dark secrets lurked here, and not just one.
With just a slight perception, he could sense the tangled webs of resentment that wove through this place.
Chilly winds blew, and within them hid countless falsehoods and scams.

Ancient City Qingfeng—northward lay more ancient cities,
westward, more of the same,
southward faced the Underworld Mountains,
and eastward stood the Zhouyou Mountains.

Chen Chen’s closest landmark was the Zhouyou Mountains. When he left the novice village and arrived at Qingfeng, he was already a traveler of the ancient city.

Chen Chen was always bold in his actions, loving and hating fiercely, loyal to a fault. If he saw wrongdoing, his nature was to intervene—his readiness to unsheathe his blade in defense was well known.

At Chen Chen’s arrival, the Zhouyou Mountains outside the city were in turmoil, a commotion stirring up much noise.
From the mouths of Qingfeng’s residents, he learned that the Zhouyou Mountains had been haunted by demons and plagued by zombies.
In the past, this area had witnessed beast attacks on the city and zombie invasions into the town.

Chen Chen’s current visit was not only for survival but for something beyond.
With a flicker of uncertainty, he reviewed the tasks assigned back in the novice village.
“Investigate thoroughly the Ancient City Qingfeng, and resolve the grievances left behind by Chen Fan.” At last, Chen Chen found clarity and knew his mission.

Using Qingfeng’s location as his starting point, Chen Chen began a thorough investigation into the crimes committed here.
Before he arrived, rumors had circulated about human trafficking in some places.
In Qingfeng, Chen Chen meticulously sought out every piece of information.
Not a single detail escaped his notice—even those fallen girls sometimes sought to understand their origins.

From the resentment thick in Qingfeng’s air, Chen Chen felt the city was riddled with grievances.
There were many accumulated resentments and countless misunderstandings. Chen Chen did not waste time explaining; he quietly set to work. The task from the novice village was clear: to investigate thoroughly.

Truth and justice often rest in the hands of a few. Chen Fan was once an actor who appeared in Qingfeng and had a history there.
But because he could no longer tolerate the darkness of this circle, he chose to leave.

During that time, many things happened in this place.
Some people believed malicious rumors, thinking that the unseen heavens had arranged for Chen Fan’s departure to manipulate the city’s resources. This belief stirred great resentment toward the heavens among the residents, who truly thought that something precious had been taken away.
Since then, some began to seek revenge against these unseen celestial forces.

In truth, whether or not the heavens had indeed removed Chen Fan, life’s necessities continued to be provided.
The key lay in who managed and operated the city.

Months passed. Those who resented Chen Fan’s departure sought out the unseen heavens and launched a series of retaliations.
Rumors spread swiftly. Against a backdrop of various technical means and conspiracies, the heavens endured relentless attacks.
Yet, with wisdom, they withstood the storm of public opinion, preserved themselves, and identified the true culprits behind the grievances, restoring peace to the land.

Chen Chen’s arrival played its part in this.
Once, Chen Chen himself was a man of bold love and hate. Here in Qingfeng, he found himself once more.

Resentments and grudges often escalated only because of someone’s interference—leading to deadly conflicts or the rise of evil forces committing crimes.
To survive in this world demands skill everywhere.

No matter how complicated the entertainment circle or how sick some are to believe rumors and breed hatred, often such manipulation of public opinion and hearts is the work of malevolent forces.

This world is rife with cases of intricate alliances and betrayals—the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Even today, some still live by such means.

Chen Chen wandered through the world and was rare in encountering such intriguing affairs.

In a lifetime, one must contend with heaven and with men.
Walking through this world, one inevitably provokes all manner of people.

Using stratagems to sow hatred is a sign of ignorance and pettiness.
Such tactics, when employed for defense and self-preservation, are tales of human wisdom.

But to believe lies and use them as weapons to attack those more famous or to snatch petty gains, maliciously proving oneself superior, is laughable and utterly foolish.

Chen Chen dwelled in the mortal world; he was not without faults, but such misdeeds were rare among his actions.
He stood with the moral high ground, qualified to scorn such conduct.

Heaven and hell reside in the human heart; grievances often arise from ignorance.
Many use intricate tactics, but peace should not be turned into rebellion.

In times of peace, wars are few.
When internal and external crises reach a critical point, great governance is required once more.

To the strong, love affairs are but contests between rivals or lovers that foster mutual growth.
When malice turns to united targeting involving illegal acts, defeat brings imprisonment.

Human trafficking is a vile act, an insult to human intelligence.
Humankind has grown strong and dignified.

If the nation were to regress decades, such as becoming impoverished, human trafficking might emerge.
In the present-day nation of Z and in modern China, such things are shameful and utterly forbidden.

Fighting traffickers and evil forces has become the duty of many.
Survival by human trafficking is intolerable to citizens of developing and developed countries alike.
Such acts are unbearable to nations that value their dignity—like declaring the country so poor it must trade humans like animals to survive, tarnishing its image at home and abroad.

Human trafficking remains a crime, even today.

In the history known to Chen Chen, on the Third Cultivation Star where he now dwelled, similar incidents had occurred long ago—centuries, even millennia past—in colonial times, where one colony forced another into human trafficking for gold and tea.

Such history, if repeated today, would be a disgrace.

Now, the time has come to end such shameful acts.
In both developing and developed nations, such dark evils must be resolutely stamped out.