Chapter 10 (1/2)
Chapter 10
Watchmen Chapter 10: Integrity
Gu s.h.i.+ Tong lead the way out of the hall and outside of the teaching block. He took a few steps down a meandering lane, then sat down on a bench under some shade.
He patted at the s.p.a.ce next to him, speaking to Jiu Jie, “Sit down too.”
Jiu Jie then sat down after being offered to.
Noon was fast approaching, the sun was s.h.i.+ning brightly, and the breeze was delightful. Sitting in the school courtyard where everything smelled of books, Jiu Jie felt his whole body relax. The tenseness from being in the hall was gone. Although he felt relaxed, he felt that his mind felt completely empty, as though he was cut off from the outside world.
“Are you prepared?” Gu s.h.i.+ Tong asked.
“Prepared for what?”
“To listen to my proposal, of course.”
“Ah, okay. Explain.”
Gu s.h.i.+ Tong adjusted his posture, making himself more comfortable before complying. He explained his proposal, then asked, “What do you think?”
Jiu Jie thought for a moment, and then replied, “Basically, you want me to pretend to be a patient of your sister. When undergoing the hypnosis treatment, I need to find a chance to enter her dreams and hypnotise her instead, right?”
Gu s.h.i.+ Tong laughed, “Not bad, just like that. You’ve just seen that girl’s skills. To directly spy on her heart would be difficult, but if you pretend to be her patient, you can catch her off guard and hypnotise her, which will in turn, increase your chances of success. It’s just like going to war. When you go on the offense, it’s exactly when the defense is at it’s weakest. Of course, there are still a few details we need to perfect, but the general idea is just that. Do you have any questions?”
Jiu Jie thought about it, then said, “I do. I think this method is inappropriate.”
“Oh? Why?”
“Because Watchmen need to be honest. If we follow your methods, I will be lying and cheating people. This is against the Watchmen’s values and beliefs; I cannot do this.”
When Gu s.h.i.+ Tong heard it, he laughed. “That’s right, Watchmen need to be honest, ha, honest. So meaningful.”
He paused, asking, “Other than being honest, Watchmen also need to be merciful about the wills of people, right?”
Jiu Jie nodded, saying, “Yes, the seven principles that the Watchmen uphold do include such a condition.”
Gu s.h.i.+ Tong lifted his sleeve, and exposed the small of his arm to Jiu Jie, replying, “If there is a chance, I recommend you look at this spot on my daughter.”
Jiu Jie knitted his eyebrows, showing that he did not understand his meaning.
Gu s.h.i.+ Tong continued, “She has three scars there.”
“But… what does this have to do with what we discussed just now?” Jiu Jie asked, confused.
“There’s a relation, of course.” Gu s.h.i.+ Tong said, “The three scars only appeared recently. Her self-harm is getting more and more serious. n.o.body knows why she would suddenly do that to herself. She’s just a ticking time bomb now. On the surface, everything is fine, but she can explode at anytime. Facing with such a person on the edge of danger, can you really be just a bystander? Where’s your mercy?”
“What you said makes sense, but…” Jiu Jie hesitatingly said, “But I cannot give up my honesty because of mercy. When I became a Watchman, I made a pledge to my red book. I can’t abandon my honour as a Watchman.”
“Abandon your honour?” Gu s.h.i.+ Tong grinned. “If you choose to back down because of your honour, then how are you different
from a coward? Watchmen need to be brave, right? Doing this is also the same as abandoning your beliefs.”
Jiu Jie argued back, “Watchmen should be heroic, but at the same time, they need to be upright even more. Lying, no matter how it’s painted, is still lying. Upright people should never compromise on such a baseless excuse.”
Gu s.h.i.+ Tong grinned, “Baseless excuse? Ha, you’re just afraid of affecting the strength of your beliefs. You’re worried that the pages in your red book would decrease, right?”
Each of Gu s.h.i.+ Tong’s words pierced his heart. Jiu Jie was unable to refute it for a moment.
Gu s.h.i.+ Tong’s smile vanished as he said, “Watchmen promote sacrificial spirit, they must be able to abandon their own self-interest or even their lives. Your thinking that’s too selfish, right? Doesn’t this go against the Watchmen’s sacrificial spirit?”
Jiu Jie was speechless. His left hand held his head in dismay as his right hand waved in front, while saying, “c.r.a.p, okay, okay. Uncle Gu, you don’t need to say anymore, let me think. My brain is in a bit of a mess.”
Gu s.h.i.+ Tong was amused by his appearance and couldn’t stop smiling.
Jiu Jie thought about it. He held out a finger, while minding his own business and said, “According to the logic we discussed just now, if we reject your proposal, even if we upheld honesty, we lose our mercy instead. Protecting honour, but losing bravery, Upholding uprightness, but abandoning sacrificial spirit. That’s the pattern, right?”
Gu s.h.i.+ Tong nodded, “Yes. Additionally, when speaking to me, your senior, you speak using profanities. Even if I don’t really mind, but that kind of appearance is not humble.”
Jiu Jie opened his eyes, stared into s.p.a.ce for a while, before speaking in a daze, “Uncle Gu, speaking to you today, I finally realized that being a Watchman is very intricate.”
“Oh? Why do you say that?” Gu s.h.i.+ Tong laughingly asked.
“Humbleness, Uprightness, Mercy, Bravery, Fairness, Sacrifice, and Honour. These principles don’t look like much at first, all being direct and positive strengths, but there are times that they are in conflict. Protecting one will inevitably result in contradicting another. Going against one will protect another. When such a conflict has appeared, then what should be done? This… this is really a pain in the a.s.s!”
“You’ve been with Luo Yi De for so long…he never told you about how to handle this kind of situation?”
Jiu Jie shook his head,”No. Also, I have this feeling. Recently, intentionally or otherwise, he’s been avoiding me.”