novelraw Chapter 62 – Governance through non-action
Chapter 62 – Governance through non-action
"Why don't we report directly to the Inner Sect?" someone tentatively suggested.
"No way! Absolutely not!" The Outer Sect Elder was firm in his stance, immediately rejecting the idea.
"The Inner Sect is very busy. Reporting such a trivial matter to them would make us all look incompetent, wouldn't it?"
Everyone thought to themselves, 'It's you, Elder, who looks incompetent...'
"Then should we add a few new rules?"
"That's even more impossible!"
The Elder said, "Do you think this is child's play? This event involves tens of thousands of disciples. If we change the rules arbitrarily, what will these disciples say about us in the future?"
"They'll say we change our minds like the wind, that we have no credibility, and that we didn't think things through!"
"When that time comes, where will we put our faces?"
Everyone silently retorted in their hearts, 'It's your face, Elder, not ours.'
"This plan won't work. Everyone, think of something else."
"Elder, if there's really no other way, why don't you send some gifts to the Sixth Elder at the Beast-Taming Peak and ask him to temporarily seal the Dream Illusion Hounds?"
"What kind of lousy idea is that!"
The Elder shook his head like a rattle drum.
"The Dream Illusion Hounds are Divine Beasts. You think you can just seal them as you please?"
"Besides, the Dream Illusion Hounds are so fond of the Xuantian Tokens now. If you seal them and they come out seeking revenge, what then?"
"Do you want to wake up one day and find dog poop all over your doorstep?"
"And the Dream Illusion Hounds can use their Illusory Realm to hide the poop. You won't see it until you step in it."
"Do you know how frustrating that is?"
Everyone: "......"
"Elder, if I may ask, how do you know all these details?"
The Elder's face stiffened, "Of course, I have a friend... Off-topic, off-topic, quickly think of a way to handle this!"
Everyone fell silent.
The Elder sat heavily in his chair, beginning to doubt his life.
'I, Wang Yingjun, have had a smooth life. Detected with a Supreme Spiritual Root from a young age, my cultivation journey has been full of fortuitous encounters. Like a great roc soaring with the wind, I rose to become the youngest Outer Sect Elder of the Xuantian Sect.'
'But fortune was not on my side. Two months ago, I failed to break through to the Body Fusion Stage.'
'The Grand Elder of the Outer Sect wanted me to relax, so he assigned me to manage a Spring Festival event to unwind!'
'I specifically chose the simplest project, one that had never had any issues in previous years, just to gain some experience. Who would have thought that in just a few days, problems would arise one after another?'
'Sigh!'
'Why am I so unlucky this year?'
'I keep feeling like someone is targeting me from the shadows!'
'Could it be!' Elder Wang Yingjun suddenly widened his eyes, 'Could it be because in September, I disguised myself as a commoner and went to a small town at the foot of the mountain to drink tofu pudding, only to be tricked into having a sweet one first, thus breaking my luck?'
Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
'Strange, strange indeed!'
"Elder!" Finally, someone broke the silence, "I think at this point, we can adopt a 'do nothing' approach!"
"What do you mean?"
"It means doing nothing."
"Since the rules allow Spirit Beasts to participate in the event, and since the rules allow interference with other participants in finding the tokens, the actions of the Dream Illusion Hounds are not problematic at all. Why should we interfere?"
Others argued, "It's easy for you to say. If those disciples can't find the tokens every day, won't they cause trouble?"
"I disagree with your point!"
"They cause trouble because they think it's our fault they can't find the Xuantian Tokens."
"We just need to tell them the truth, redirect their anger elsewhere, and they won't come looking for us anymore."
Elder Wang Yingjun's eyes lit up, "You're right!"
"We just need to inform them of the truth and let them find their own ways to deal with the Dream Illusion Hounds."
"The Dream Illusion Hounds can interfere with others searching for tokens, but they can also interfere with the Dream Illusion Hounds!"
"If they can't find the Xuantian Tokens, it's because they're not as skilled as the hounds, and it has nothing to do with us!"
Elder Wang Yingjun immediately agreed to this approach.
Of course, this method also had its drawbacks.
The foremost issue was that it would affect the enthusiasm of disciples to participate in the event next year.
However~
'I'm only responsible for this event for one year. What happens next year has nothing to do with me, Wang Yingjun!'
......
On the seventh day of the event!
"I figured it out, the clue points to the Star and Moon Avenue!"
Two disciples from the Timber Pavilion walked together.
"Old Wang, what kind of madness has the sect caught? Adding the Dream Illusion Hounds to a perfectly good event?"
The disciple called Old Wang also complained, "Old Wang, you're right. How can we ordinary people compete with the sect's guardian Divine Beasts?"
Because both were surnamed Wang, they were both called Old Wang.
Old Wang said, "I think the sect doesn't want us to find the Xuantian Tokens at all."
Old Wang agreed, "Competing head-on with the Dream Illusion Hounds, we basically have no chance. But to say there's no hope at all, that's not necessarily true!"
"Old Wang, if you have a plan, just say it. Don't keep it to yourself."
Old Wang lowered his voice, "The Dream Illusion Hounds can pull us into an Illusory Realm, and that's indeed unsolvable."
"But the Dream Illusion Hounds have a fatal flaw, which is that they're not very smart!"
Old Wang was puzzled, "You need brains to find the Xuantian Tokens?"
"Of course, you need brains. Without brains, how can you guess the hidden location of the Xuantian Tokens?"
"The Dream Illusion Hounds don't have the intelligence of humans. To find the Xuantian Tokens, they can only follow behind everyone else."
"And we can take advantage of this."
"We'll take a shortcut, just need to time it right with the main group, and find the tokens before the Dream Illusion Hounds arrive."
Old Wang praised, "Brilliant! Old Wang, your idea is great!"
"Don't take the main road. I know a shortcut. Going through Bright Moon Plaza will save us at least a quarter of an hour."
"Alright!"
The two Old Wangs ran quickly, soon reaching Bright Moon Plaza!
[Bright Moon Plaza is under construction, no entry for unauthorized personnel, please take a detour. We apologize for any inconvenience caused during your travels!]
[Due to the difficulty of the construction, it is expected to take three months. We apologize for any inconvenience—Timber Pavilion!]
[Due to the high difficulty of the construction, it is expected to take another three months. We apologize for any inconvenience, please take a detour!]
Seeing the wooden signs about the construction ahead, the two Timber Pavilion disciples were dumbfounded.
Old Wang asked, "Old Wang, when did Bright Moon Plaza start construction, and why is it taking so long? How come I didn't know?"
Old Wang shook his head, "No idea, I have no impression of it either."
"Forget it, finding the tokens is more important. We'll check it out after the New Year!"
"Alright!"
The two took a detour and hurried away!
This delay meant the two Old Wangs only arrived a few minutes before the main group.
Ultimately, under the hard control of the Dream Illusion Hounds, they regrettably lost.