"The essence of it," Qing Yuan continued, "is to put up a front."

"Put up a front?" Liu Xing resumed walking, rubbing his chin as he considered the idea. "You mean, like bluffing?"

"No, not really bluffing. It's about showing people the pain they'll get if they mess with you. Something similar happens in the animal world. Do you know what a porcupine is? It's an animal with quills like needles. When threatened, it raises them, discouraging any predator that wants to attack. Most of the time, it works, because the predator thinks twice."

Liu Xing began to understand what Qing Yuan was trying to convey. As he walked, feeling the soft crunch of grass under his feet with each step, bullying was the first thing that came to mind. He knew how to handle a bully in theory, but he had failed to do so because of the power difference between them. One key point he had heard, though, was to make sure the bully knew you were not an easy target—that if they decided to bully you, they wouldn't leave unscathed.

"Face is like those quills," Qing Yuan continued, "something that needs to be raised at the right time and kept sharp. The logical explanation for that gang member killing a person who accidentally stepped on his shoe was because he had a high position with many enemies, both inside and outside the gang. Hence, he needed to make sure everyone saw him as a dangerous person, to discourage them from thinking he was an easy target. Liu Xing, imagine you're in a similar position, and you would find that the logic makes sense."

Liu Xing imagined a similar situation, but instead of a gang member and a man stepping on his shoe, he pictured his current circumstances.

He glanced at the line of men to his side. He was already in the middle of the line, and the one who had woken up was probably panicking. Liu Xing ignored him for now and instead imagined these men were the ones who had stepped on his shoe. He still thought slaughtering them like chickens would accomplish little other than enraging the Qing clan. However, he knew that the gang member had killed an innocent person as a show of force. So, he imagined not killing these men here, but defeating all of them in front of the Qing clan without breaking a sweat. If he showed enough force, something so overwhelming that everyone feared him, he found the likely conclusion was that people would fear offending him, and this... would reduce the number of people he needed to kill.

Liu Xing blinked several times. He began to see it. As he walked slowly, he integrated this new knowledge into his moral framework.

He would not hesitate to kill strong people who were likely to kill him. He would likely let go of people weaker than him because he did not consider them threats. However, he was afraid that they would plan, gather, and collude to kill him. If he showed enough force, though, the weaker people would fear messing with him. The chance of revenge would still exist, but they would also likely leave him alone. Not only that, but even strong people would hesitate to mess with him if they knew they wouldn't get away scot-free.

For example, the elders of the Purple Moon Sect. No disciple dared to offend them because they had power, both literally and positionally. And so, no sane disciple would dare to mess with them.

"I see," he muttered as his mind drifted to the xianxia stories he had read back on Earth. A deeper understanding of those main characters, whom he had dismissed because he had a different moral compass, suddenly made sense.

He remembered a joke he had heard that mocked these protagonists. If he recalled correctly, it was about a protagonist who gained enlightenment about the path of protection, but instead of protecting people, he then proceeded to massacre an entire clan or sect.

Of course, it didn't mean he suddenly believed in massacring people, but he gained another layer of understanding as to why those protagonists were so keen on it. It wasn't the act of the massacre itself that protected people, but the fear he garnered after massacring the clan that became his protection.

Not that those stories were deep enough to touch on this topic; most of the time, the protagonist offended elders left and right, and they would go on about "You're courting death!" and so on. It was comical, and the whole world felt dumb because of how easily they flew into a rage. However, while those stories were perhaps indeed dumb, the writers made them that way because they understood the concept of face on a much deeper level than he did. After all, he was not Chinese, and something like this was perhaps an obvious cultural concept that hadn't quite clicked in his mind.

Liu Xing looked at Qing Yuan beside him and nodded. "It is indeed a fascinating topic."

No matter what, he could not justify massacring people. While he had a little more understanding of those protagonists, his way of doing things was vastly different. Not only that, but he knew there were plenty of stories where the nastiest and most troublesome villains rose after the protagonist massacred their clan. However, he began to see the merit in showing his full power to make people fear or respect him and maintain face. It could deter many people from messing with him.

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"Did you gain an enlightenment?" the baby asked.

Liu Xing thought for a moment. then nodded. "Yeah, it answered a question that I've never thought to ask."

"I'm glad that you're gaining something from this conversation. So, how do you intend to handle this situation?" Qing Yuan said. "Are you going to massacre them all to show them your 'quills,' or do something else entirely?"

At that moment, they finally arrived at the end of the row. Liu Xing observed the face of the man who was still pretending to be unconscious. As he looked closer, he realized this was the one who had slapped Fang Ruxue.

"Hmm," Liu Xing rubbed his chin.

He decided to close his eyes, making the world around him suddenly black. In this pitch darkness, he took a deep breath and began to cycle his qi around his body. It wasn't to do anything; it was merely a natural instinct that he thought would calm him. Indeed, once he closed his eyes and cycled his qi, it felt as if he were submerged in a dark, deep ocean, one that brought him peace and let his brain think through the conclusion of their conversation.

The concept of face was indeed fascinating. He could distill it down to two basic principles. First was to show force so that people would think messing with him was not worth it. Second, for those who did decide to mess with him, he needed to make them an example. If he didn't make an example when someone challenged him, people would see him as weak, which in turn would make more people dare to test him.

Liu Xing opened his eyes, and his gaze fell on the man whose chest was rising and falling as he desperately tried to control his heartbeat. Following this logic, sparing these people and letting them go would mean announcing to the whole island that it was okay to mess with him. After all, he had spared them, so there was a chance the next attacker would also receive his mercy and be let go.

"You can open your eyes, you know," Liu Xing said casually. "I know you're awake. Don't you think it's kind of insulting to assume I wouldn't notice?"

The man remained still, though Liu Xing could sense his frantic heartbeat and see sweat forming on his brow.

"Let me count to three. One, two—"

Before he could finish, the man's eyes snapped open, and he jumped back from his position. In a second, he was standing on the grass several meters away from him, his eyes locked on Liu Xing with sheer focus, as if trying to predict his next move.

Liu Xing began to cycle his qi, and a ferocious smile bloomed on his face. Instantly, the man's entire body tensed like a coiled spring ready to bolt. Though he schooled his expression, Liu Xing saw the man swallow hard. This man knew he had no chance, yet he still thought he could escape.

Liu Xing activated his Lightning Cloak Technique. The moment electricity surrounded him, the man kicked the ground and shot backward like an arrow, leaving a whistling sound in his wake. Liu Xing merely took a single step, and the world around him blurred. In an instant, he materialized behind the man. The man's eyes went wide, and he tried to twist his body to maneuver in mid-air. But with no foothold or technique for aerial movement, he was helpless. Liu Xing launched himself forward, summoned his shield to position himself, grabbed the back of the man's collar, and hurled him back toward the line.

The man tumbled through the air several times before landing hard on the grass, skidding several meters to a stop right where he had been lying.

"Who told you that you could leave?" Liu Xing said, electricity was still crackling around him. He flared his qi, making it surge wildly, as if the lightning were alive and trying to char everything in its path.

The man lowered his stance, ready to fight again. Liu Xing chuckled. "We both know you have no chance of winning against me. You're merely in the Lock Opening realm, while I'm a Core Splitting cultivator. To me, you're just an ant."

Upon hearing his declaration, the man swallowed hard.

"Those guys are ants, too," Liu Xing said, gesturing toward the unconscious men lined up on the grass. "So, I'll only let you go if you decide to bring all your friends with you. How about it?"

The man narrowed his eyes, but after a moment, he nodded. He grabbed the nearest man, threw him over his shoulder, and did it again, and again, until he was carrying five people at once. When he had a hard time lifting the sixth, he slapped the man until he woke up, explained what was happening, and then that man began hauling his friends onto his own shoulders. In the end, five people were awake, each shouldering three others before they started running toward Water Tower City.

The moment they were about to enter the forest, Liu Xing flared his qi, making all of them stop in their tracks. Then he shouted, "Tell your clan to put up its best defense! Activate your best defensive formation, line the walls with defensive talismans, raise barriers, bring back all your clansmen, and prepare your best treasures! Because the moment the sun dips below the horizon, I will arrive."

At that, the men looked back at him with wide, trembling eyes, which Liu Xing answered with a ferocious smile.

After they were gone, however, his ferocious smile vanished, replaced by a playful one.

"So, this is your answer, huh," Qing Yuan asked.

"Yeah. While killing them here would be convenient, it's not much of a show of force. After all, a wise man once said something along these lines." He cleared his throat. "What's important... is the presentation."

He would never massacre the Qing clan, but whatever he chose to do later, he promised to show them his full power.

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