Chapter 48

After these two titles were spoken, the crowd behind Luo Qinghan suddenly fell silent. Shu Yan sensed obvious hatred and disgust from them, and even Electrolux, who was in Shu Yan's mental sea, was drawn by this strong emotion and briefly awakened.

Seeming to sense that the atmosphere was a little strange, Luo Qinghan snorted again, then said softly:

"What's wrong? You all feel listless and stifled just because of these trivial matters?"

"I tell you, the humiliation and oppression suffered by our ancestors are thousands, even tens of thousands of times worse than what we endure now. If you can't even control this emotion, you might as well get lost back south, each marry off, and that would count as a contribution to the Alliance."

Luo Qinghan's words were utterly unsparing, yet no one stepped forward to refute her, whether male or female. Upon hearing her words, everyone renewed their spirits, and their aura became somewhat more exalted than before.

Shu Yan stared at Luo Qinghan with slight astonishment. He saw that her status among this group was high, but he didn't expect it to be so lofty—just a few words from her could easily sway and calm everyone's emotions, and no one showed any dissent; most even displayed a faint look of respect.

Xu Jiu Jiu sat to the side, her eyes showing a hint of surprise. She hadn't expected a girl barely different in age from herself to possess such authority; surprised, she felt a touch of worry, wondering if Shu Yan could face such an opponent and still handle things with ease as before.

As for the Snow Emperor, she was completely in a spectator's mindset, closing her eyes to rest from the moment she sat down, not even opening them once midway.

After Luo Qinghan's scolding, the young men and women, whose ages were clearly not too great, visibly regained their fighting spirit. Shu Yan watched this scene, then softly said to Luo Qinghan:

"Are you interested in talking about something else? I think you'll find this topic interesting."

Luo Qinghan glanced at Shu Yan, then her gaze swept over Xu Jiu Jiu and the Snow Emperor beside him, and she nodded.

"Except for Chen Ming and Wang Lin, everyone else, leave."

Everyone exchanged glances, but out of respect for Luo Qinghan's dignity, no one dared to voice doubt. In the end, they all swarmed toward the door, and even on their way out they didn't forget to glance at the fellow who was still an ice sculpture.

After the crowd left in a throng, the hall instantly became empty, and behind Luo Qinghan only two people remained.

Shu Yan's gaze swept over the two of them; they sensed his scrutiny, but their expressions didn't change. Instead, they lightly nodded at him, performing far better than the group that had just left.

Luo Qinghan's eyes were cold as she stared directly at Shu Yan and said, "Go ahead. Chen Ming and Wang Lin are the outstanding ones of our generation, and also the heirs of two families; they are qualified to know the same information as I do."

Luo Qinghan's gaze remained fixed on Shu Yan; after being scrutinized by her sharp eyes for a moment, he lightly nodded, appearing composed.

The two youths nodded lightly at Shu Yan; their auras were very peaceful, starkly different from the previous group. Obviously, among the descendants of the Spirit Hall's survivors, they likewise held leadership positions, bearing a maturity and steadiness beyond their years.

Luo Qinghan's brows furrowed slightly, but quickly returned to normal. Looking into Shu Yan's eyes, she spoke bluntly: "I can tell you don't like beating around the bush—say what you want to say directly, no need for preamble. We live in darkness and shadow, beings that cannot see the light, without the myriad secular constraints and concerns. Since you can have the Imperial Princess and the attendant submit to you subconsciously, surely what you wish to say is absolutely not a trivial matter. Aside from our backing forces, I cannot think of any other reason for you to appear here today."

Shu Yan was somewhat surprised, seeing Luo Qinghan's gaze shift again. He gave a light smile, gathered his extraneous expressions, and returned to that inwardly restrained, gentle state. Those who know Shu Yan understand that once he enters this state, it means he is about to begin a formal topic rather than continue probing.

"'As you wish, let's make it brief. I know the origin and history of your lineage, and I know what kind of prejudice and discrimination your ancestors suffered over these ten thousand years. Watching your companions die one by one in anguish due to secular prejudice, while you were powerless, the sorrow and torment have made you increasingly listless…'"

"'In the end, the harsh circumstances even made it extremely difficult to preserve yourselves, and you were finally forced to flee your homeland, migrating to the poor, backward southern part of Star Luo. I know all this, so now I give you an opportunity—a chance to clear your ancestors' names, to restore your family's glory, to overturn Shrek and all your enemies and wash away the humiliation. Whether you can seize it is up to you.'"

Shu Yan's voice echoed in the ears of the three; Chen Ming and Wang Lin almost instinctively clenched their fists, their expressions gradually sinking. The muffled sound of bone friction matched their mood—utterly heavy and angry. Luo Qinghan's hand, hanging at her side, also involuntarily clenched, her eyes flickered slightly, and she said softly:

"'Do you want to cooperate with us, or rather, do you want us to submit to you…'"

Shu Yan gave a noncommittal nod, lightly tapped the crystal table before him, and said in a light tone:

"'Your understanding is not wrong. I need my own cadre, and my ultimate goal largely overlaps with yours. After consideration, you are undoubtedly my best choice. Moreover, given the realities and circumstances, I think you have no room to refuse…'"

Luo Qinghan lowered her eyes slightly, having fully grasped the other's meaning, while Chen Ming and Wang Lin behind her awaited her judgment and decision.

As the undisputed leader and strategist of the team, Luo Qinghan's ability to earn their respect and follow naturally stems from her unique qualities. Aside from her formidable personal strength, her mind and wisdom are top-tier, and her approach to matters has its own distinctive perspective, ensuring her faction's interests while looking after the overall situation…

After a long while, Luo Qinghan lifted those indifferent, beautiful eyes again. The result of her contemplation made her realize a very practical problem: regardless of the angle considered, they seemed to have lost the right to refuse. She could tell that the other party's understanding of them was actually not deep, but they absolutely knew some deeper things.

The two sides' understanding is not equal; since the other party dares to so bluntly lay out their ideas, it shows they have ample confidence and near‑absolute certainty of success.

Luo Qinghan would not foolishly think the other's actions were stupid or rash; judging a person's baseline reveals their breadth of vision, and in her view, Shu Yan's trio could be described as each more terrifying than the last, especially that Imperial attendant, whose presence feels even more terrifying than that of the Snow Emperor…

The hand she had hidden beneath her sleeve had clenched until it turned white; after exhaling lightly, she continued in a low voice:

"'I admit that with the strength you showed just now—effortlessly defeating Wang Hu with a raise of hand and lift of foot—I, too, would likely not be your match. But even if the Imperial Princess and the attendant stood behind you, that still would not be enough for us to abandon our present stability and choose a bottomless path.'"

"In other words, you know quite a lot, so you also know what we need. You must show enough confidence so we can see hope ahead. I can tell you clearly: to make us submit, a shared purpose is the prerequisite, and strength is the most important foundation. Otherwise, I don't think we would arbitrarily entrust our fate to you to decide."

……

ps: Perhaps some readers may wonder whether the hatred from ten thousand years ago still has such a great impact on the descendants of this era.

This will be explained later in the text; actually it's also easy to understand—roughly speaking, it just depends on one's own choice.

After the God War ended, the Holy Dragon Sect also suffered heavy blows, and at the same time faced the scorn of the world and the exclusion by various forces of the Empire; at that time, their options were actually not many.

The first is to relocate and live in seclusion, forced by reality and circumstances to swallow the humiliation of their hatred.

The second is to choose submission, for example joining either the Xing Luo Empire or the Tian Dou Empire at that time, voluntarily taking on the so-called 'crime,' that is, the so-called 'wearing guilt to achieve merit,' to seek a path of survival for their descendants…… In a sense, this is no different from choosing to surrender to the enemy and betray.

If you say that after the God War, the powerful forces of the original Spirit Hall factions could coexist peacefully with the two great Empires, that is also absolutely impossible.

(End of chapter)