Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I scattered a handful of chicken feed, and a flock of chickens immediately swarmed around, pecking at the ground.

However, I used a pole to push one of them away, repeatedly blocking it from eating. Every time it tried to take a bite, I started scolding it.

“What do you think you’re doing? You’re not allowed to eat. Did you hear me, you stinking chicken? No eating for you.”

“You’re the leader of this flock. Why can’t you yield to the others? They’re smaller and thinner than you.”

“I told you not to eat, yet you insist on it. Can’t you understand human speech? Stop pretending! I know you understand. I don’t want you to eat, do you get it?”

“You’re being disobedient. If you keep this up, I’ll slaughter you for dinner tonight.”

The chicken was driven away. It clearly wanted to eat, but it didn’t dare come closer. It hesitated and lingered, looking shifty and reluctant to leave.

But as soon as it approached, I gave it a poke with the pole.

Eldest Senior Sister couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

“Second Junior Sister, don’t be like this. It hasn’t even managed to eat anything.”

“It’s the leader; it should definitely yield to the smaller chicks. Besides, there’s only so much feed. If it eats, what will the others have?”

“Does being the leader mean it has to yield to everyone? Does being the leader mean it isn’t allowed to eat?”

“Exactly. Does being the leader mean it has to yield to everyone? Does being the leader mean it isn’t allowed to eat?”

I looked at her quietly.

Eldest Senior Sister froze, her eyes suddenly turning red. She remained silent.

I lowered the pole and stopped blocking the chicken. It rushed over and began pecking at the food frantically. It seemed to have developed a sense of vengeance, as it started viciously pecking at the chickens beside it, throwing the entire flock into chaos.

I just watched silently, doing nothing as feathers flew everywhere in what had been a peaceful flock.

I said softly:

“Eldest Senior Sister, look. Even a chicken can develop a vengeful heart because it’s being suppressed. If a person is constantly suppressed, is it really such a sin for them to harbor a little bit of jealousy?”

“If I keep suppressing this chicken, refusing to let it eat and constantly humiliating it, will there come a day when it hates the sight of me and wants to peck at every other chicken it sees?”

“Would you say that’s its fault? Or mine?”

“I think it would be mine. I controlled it and turned it into this-something that bites everyone it sees because it has lost its sense of security.”

“It could have been like any other chicken, living a leisurely life of eating, walking, and playing with the flock.”

“But because of me, it spends every day tense and unhappy. it’s afraid when it sees people and angry when it sees other chickens. It has truly lost the right to live an ordinary life.”

“If it could understand the logic behind this, perhaps it would only hate me.”

“But if it can’t, it will disrupt the entire flock and become a ‘black sheep.’ Sooner or later, I’ll treat it as a troublemaker, slaughter it, and throw it in the pot.”

“And yet, it’s actually the most wronged of them all. But look at the chickens around it-do they know it’s being wronged?”

“They’re busy scrambling for food. They don’t care at all whether it’s full. They won’t say a single fair word for it because they haven’t suffered any loss themselves.”

“They’ll only think this chicken is annoying, that it’s always the one causing trouble. Over time, the other chickens will fight back and isolate it.”

“But it clearly did nothing wrong. It just wanted to fill its belly and be like the other chickens.”

“Eldest Senior Sister, if even a chicken is like this, losing its peace of mind, what about a person?”

“Are you happy? Is your Dao heart stable? One thought leads to immortality, another to a demon-have you developed an inner demon? And who was it that made you develop one? Who should you really blame?”