April 22, 2018

Objectively speaking, Zhao Chenlu’s promiscuity is more egregious in nature than the typical promiscuity.

After all, the latter only concerns personal morals and reputation, while the former involves the vested interests of countless others. Couples forced to break up are merely a few words on discarded drafts, but putting oneself in their shoes, Zhao Chenlu’s promiscuity is like a bolt from the blue.

And Zhao Chenlu is like a moving storm cloud, recklessly striking down lightning bolts... There are as many as seventeen or eighteen pieces of solid evidence against her promiscuity, with countless suspected cases... Recently, Zhao Hongwu and others have contacted several victims, who have agreed to attend the public trial and testify against Zhao Chenlu’s actions in person.

"Seriously... why does she do such things?!"

After reading the data, Shen Qingming found herself unable to comprehend the other party’s mindset.

What does she gain from doing such things?!

Similarly, Shen Ruoshi’s matchmaking chaos, where Shen Qingming was forcibly paired with the square-faced Zhao Jincheng, at least had an understandable reason — not wanting Shen Qingming to repeat past mistakes and die young, although this reason is quite absurd upon further consideration. But compared to Zhao Chenlu’s reckless indulgence, it’s negligible.

"Because her desire for beauty is insatiable," Wang Jiu explained.

"What desire?"

"An extreme desire for beautiful things. Uh, have you heard of the vampire zombie legends?"

Li Wanqing raised her hand, "I’ve heard of them."

Li Chaolu also raised her hand, "I’ve heard of them too. There are many romantic stories, but they seem to be mere legends, as such vampire zombies who fall in love with humans have never appeared in reality."

Wang Jiu said, "Vampire zombies did exist in the Jiuzhou Era. Zombies with advanced cultivation could repeatedly refine their corpse qi, approaching a state of returning to basics, behaving normally and maintaining clear minds, indistinguishable from humans. But no matter how advanced, vampire zombies inherently crave the blood of living creatures, and this cannot be suppressed."

"...So?" Li Wanqing asked.

"So, Zhao Chenlu’s desire for beauty is akin to a zombie’s bloodlust, and she cannot control it herself," Wang Jiu said. "Zhao Chenlu didn’t become the most beautiful woman of the Jiuzhou Era by consciously seeking the title. Her innate commitment to beauty naturally made her the most beautiful woman."

"Although your metaphor is somewhat chilling, I roughly understand," Shen Qingming concluded. "Her pursuit of beauty makes her intolerant of people she finds displeasing, so she goes to great lengths to torment and make things difficult for those with unattractive appearances?"

Wang Jiu said, "Not exactly. For Zhao Chenlu, tormenting insignificant people is just a waste of time. She’s subconsciously reshaping the world into what she deems a beautiful world. In her ideal world, most people are beautiful, but even those unattractive few have a place, allowing them to fulfill emotional and physiological needs while eradicating the transmission of unattractive genes, thereby enhancing overall human aesthetics. It’s a gentle medicine for the world. Compared to extremists who resort to violence against those they find displeasing, espousing theories about purifying humanity, Zhao Chenlu’s actions are a paragon of advancing human civilization."

This left everyone speechless, and Shen Qingming stared wide-eyed at Wang Jiu, as if questioning sincerely, "Do you really take me for a fool?"

Li Wanqing showed an amused expression, "Did you come up with these words yourself? You’re really defending your old friend to the utmost..."

Wang Jiu said, "It’s what Zhao Chenlu told me. I’m merely recounting her words. I don’t fully understand human thinking patterns, so I cannot judge their authenticity. However, after every episode of Zhao Chenlu’s promiscuity, Shang Lanfei and others would call on me to join them in beating her up, and every time we left her severely injured, she’d promise to change, but alas..."

Li Wanqing was surprised, "Wait a second, severely injured? Do you really have to take it that seriously, and could you really hit that face? It’s utterly inhumane."

Wang Jiu asked curiously, "So you’re saying I should disfigure her first?"

Shen Qingming said somewhat sympathetically, "No matter what, being beaten by someone you love must be doubly painful for her."

Wang Jiu said, "Although I don’t understand her inner thoughts, she seemed to enjoy it at the time."

"What’s there to enjoy?! It’s utterly baffling!"

Li Chaolu nodded gently, "I... I think I can understand."

——

After confirming that Wang Jiu was not involved with Zhao Chenlu’s promiscuity, everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief, dispelling unnecessary worries. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Although to some extent, this behavior of promiscuity is quite reprehensible, it is nevertheless not a capital crime. Besides this accusation, Zhao Hongwu and others haven’t gathered more substantial evidence, like corruption or murder, and can only harp on Zhao Chenlu’s promiscuity.

Therefore, Zhao Chenlu may have various character flaws, but as City Lord Golden Jade, she hasn’t committed any significant wrongdoings. Even at a public trial, the most severe consequence would be her removal from the City Lord position, with hardly any more severe punishment.

Of course, if the Jiu Immortal Venerables who saved the world were reincarnated only to become a malevolent dictator, that would indeed be rather ironic.

"So, Ah Jiu, I say there’s no need to rescue her because she doesn’t need us to at all," Shen Qingming said.

Wang Jiu was naturally dissatisfied with this conclusion. Even as a Celestial Sword Spirit not well-acquainted with human affairs, he knew that humans were utterly shameless when it came to political issues.

Wang Jiu had complete faith in Zhao Chenlu’s character; aside from her promiscuity, there were essentially no major issues. However, if it involved political issues, she could easily be maligned as a tyrannical and corrupt ruler, and then executed.

Because the Myriad Immortals Alliance had framed her in this way in the past.

But just when Wang Jiu was about to express his objections, a very familiar voice emerged from the basement.

"That’s right, you don’t need to rescue me. I don’t need anyone to save me."

As the words were spoken, a graceful female figure appeared in the corner of the basement. Although her figure was semi-transparent and her face somewhat indistinct, it was recognized as an apparition of Zhao Chenlu.