"If anyone asks, just say we were wicked through and through and met with a righteous swordsman who gave us our just desserts," Niu Sanbao thought for a moment and said.
"All of you are grievously injured, how will you command respect?" Duge asked again, "What if those beggars you controlled choose this chaos to rebel? How will you handle it?"
"This..." Niu Sanbao, looking at his miserably wounded brothers and recalling how he had oppressed those people on a daily basis, hemmed and hawed, unable to utter a word.
"Fool," Duge glared at him, "Buy books!"
"Buy books?" Niu Sanbao was stunned, never expecting such an irrelevant answer from Duge.
Liu Laowu likewise cast a puzzled look at Duge.
"The Carefree Sect roams the world freely, relying not only on the martial arts passed down from our ancestors but also on a wealth of knowledge," Duge said, "Without knowledge, one wouldn’t understand the principles of how everything in this world operates; without understanding principles, the mind won’t be clear; with a muddled head, one might be taken advantage of and die without even realizing it—how would you be carefree then?
Every Disciple of the Carefree Sect is well-versed and skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; only in this way can one truly wander freely between heaven and earth, doing whatever one wishes to do.
Otherwise, if you snatch a secret script and can’t even read it, how will you be able to cultivate it, relate it to other knowledge, and incorporate the essence of the script into the Divine Skill of our sect?
Remember, the Carefree Sect has always emphasized one word: ’through’. With penetrating thoughts and wisdom, understanding one law leads to understanding all laws..."
The fourth and seventh brothers, who had just dealt with their wounds, came back and, hearing Duge’s reasoning, their faces fell. Looking at their own mangled wrists, they suddenly felt as though their efforts had been in vain.
Who knew that even becoming a Demon Head required cultural learning!
Niu Sanbao’s eyelid twitched violently, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Elder, if we could understand books, we would have gone to take the imperial exams long ago; how would we have fallen to our current state?"
"Not understanding is because you haven’t pushed yourself hard enough," Duge said, "Now, you’ve only lost one hand; lose a foot, and you’ll naturally become able to get into books. If you still can’t, then break..."
Saying this,
he cast a glance between Niu Sanbao’s legs.
Niu Sanbao shuddered violently and crossed his legs, involuntarily taking a step back, fearing that Duge would take ruthless action immediately.
"Are you willing to learn now?" Duge asked.
"Willing, willing," Niu Sanbao and the others nodded hurriedly, "Elder, rest assured, we will learn everything."
"The Carefree Ancestors were right: It is pain and pressure that drive progress. The teachings that have been passed down for thousands of years are certainly tried and true," Duge mused with a sigh, "Sanbao, a thug is not to be feared; a cultured thug is.
You have lost so much already; without putting in more effort than others, those things you lost will never come back.
One step forward, and you have boundless prospects. One step back, and it’s an abyss.
Remember, what’s driving you forward is not only your broken bodies but also me. If you don’t learn, then you have no reason to exist.
I will not leave a person who could pose a threat to me alive in this world."
In Tie Tou’s memory, there was no knowledge of the words of this world; to find a suitable learning approach for himself, Duge was also making a great effort.
He possessed great spiritual power. To attend a school to learn would be entirely a waste of time and too conspicuous, not conducive to staying hidden.
Still, this way was good—ferocious yet instructive, improving attributes while learning, without delaying anything...