This Is My Planet - Chapter 35 - Chapter 35 – Cause And Effect
“Haha…” Xia Guixuan couldn’t help but chuckle at her words.
He wanted to communicate normally with Ling Moxue, so naturally, he wouldn’t trigger any soul binding. At this moment, Ling Moxue only felt a faint sense of fear and submission, but she didn’t have the instinctive urge to kneel down and plead for mercy. Therefore, they could converse normally.
However, Xia Guixuan had originally thought she wouldn’t have the courage to resist. The previous soul suppression and absolute fear of his power were sufficient to make her obedient.
Over the years, he had seen many people, and sometimes, all he needed to do was show a bit of his power to make people kneel and beg.
He never expected that Ling Moxue, who he had initially thought would stop at nothing to climb higher, would still dare to resist under the soul suppression.
Feeling somewhat different from what he had imagined, Xia Guixuan became intrigued and smiled, “What makes you think you have the qualifications to negotiate with me? If I induce the slave mark, you’ll naturally do anything, so why negotiate?”
Ling Moxue fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, “A person of your immense power surely acts with a purpose and a clear goal. There must be countless people willing to be your servant. Since you have no interest in my body and naturally no need to hold onto me after the task is completed, Moxue thought it’s reasonable to at least ask how long you want this servant.”
“Indeed reasonable,” Xia Guixuan chuckled.
Taking a deep breath, Ling Moxue lowered her voice and said, “If Master insists and refuses to let go under any circumstances, compelling me to do anything with the slave mark, then Moxue naturally has nothing to say and will comply.”
Xia Guixuan stroked his chin as he looked at her for a moment and chuckled, “Becoming a sect leader, even with a hidden master behind you, is still more powerful than your current position. Most of the time, I won’t interfere with your affairs. In terms of the transaction itself, what reason do you have to refuse?”
Ling Moxue didn’t answer.
“Is it because the current sect leader might have a chance to help you remove the slave mark? If you make a deal with me, overthrow the current sect leader, and in doing so lose the last chance of escaping servitude?”
Ling Moxue clenched her lips tightly, feeling a sense of despair.
This man understood human nature too well; her attempts to negotiate were practically meaningless. Even if she refused, the other party only needed to activate the slave mark, and everything would be settled.
“You are very unwilling to be a servant and have exhausted all methods to find a chance for liberation,” Xia Guixuan chuckled. “It’s okay; I’m not angry… in fact, I even admire it a bit.”
Pausing for a moment, he smiled, “It’s the kind of pride that doesn’t stoop to serve others, a rather admirable trait.”
Ling Moxue quietly glanced at him, unsure if his tone indicated genuine appreciation or if it concealed sinister intentions…
“Tell me, why did you want to kill Yan Wuyue? Just because she happened to stumble upon your secret and had to be eliminated?”
Ling Moxue said, “We didn’t originally intend to kill her. If Master had been secretly observing the entire time, you would know that we initially wanted to negotiate peacefully and reach a deal. It wasn’t simply because she suspected us of wanting to shift the blame onto the divine descendants. Of course, I won’t lie in front of Master; her suspicions were correct, and we did have a plan to kill her if she didn’t comply.”
“But Yan Wuyue is an important general of Great Xia, a vital pillar of the country. As the granddaughter of the Senate President, you should have some concerns about such matters, right?”
Ling Moxue glanced at him strangely again. Wasn’t he an evil cultivator? Why did he sound righteous?
She pondered for a moment and whispered, “Master… I fear you might torment me for telling the truth.”
“Don’t try to be cunning. Are you trying to provoke me into promising not to punish you?” Xia Guixuan chuckled. “Don’t play these games with me. Just speak the truth. Who has time to torment you?”
Ling Moxue sighed, “Master, although Yan Wuyue is a key figure for the nation, not everyone in the human military thinks so. The mainstream opinion doesn’t trust her at all and believes she will eventually lean towards the divine descendants…. There have been several battles where we suffered losses, and many people suspected that Yan Wuyue leaked information. If it weren’t for Deputy Marshal Gongsun’s protection, she would have been dismissed and held accountable long ago. Since she is under the Marshal’s protection, some of the more extreme and radical individuals even considered assassinating her.”
“Are you part of that group?”
“I’m not that extreme, but I also don’t trust a person of divine descendant in a high position within our nation. It’s a potential source of chaos. Since the decision had to be made, there was nothing wrong in eliminating her for the greater good of the nation. Many would support such an action.”
Xia Guixuan nodded and didn’t ask further. The reason Ling Moxue feared torment was apparent – she thought he’d be angered by her skeptical and rejecting attitude towards the divine descendants.
Indeed, Xia Guixuan wasn’t comfortable with it either. It was disheartening to see his descendants in such a state… It seemed he needed to visit the divine descendants at some point to understand the situation better.
He didn’t mention this but simply said, “But wanting to kill her is your own business, not for the nation. Don’t try to justify personal matters as public affairs, alright?”
Ling Moxue’s expression became even stranger, and she whispered, “Yes.”
“Let me make it clear. You being a slave is your punishment for this matter. At the right time, I’ll transfer this master-servant relationship to Yan Wuyue. It’s fine if she willingly forgives you. Otherwise, no one else has the right to forgive on her behalf.”
Ling Moxue couldn’t fathom this reason and couldn’t help asking, “Master… Could it be related to Yan Wuyue’s…”
“Regardless of what it is, there are always things that some people like while others don’t. I like her, so I dislike your actions. It’s just personal preference, as simple as that. Of course, some people might find your actions more pleasing and think I’m interfering unnecessarily. Fine, that’s just karma. Discussing good and evil, right and wrong, varies from each person’s perspective, and arguing about it isn’t meaningful.”
“… “
“I’m explaining it to you because your unyielding spirit deserves some respect, but don’t be confused and not understand what it’s all about. So, now you understand how the slave mark will be released and when, and you can consider what to do. For other matters, do what you’re asked to do; no need to rack your brains unnecessarily.”
Ling Moxue’s mind did indeed calm down a lot. Great powers like him usually don’t lie; what was said would be done. Now that she understood the root cause, she no longer felt lost, knowing there was always a way.
However, making Yan Wuyue forgive her—how could she possibly achieve that? She was already afraid to reveal her true identity in front of Yan Wuyue, as it would invite more trouble. With both sides refraining from mentioning the issue, what discussion about forgiveness could there be?
Trying to befriend Yan Wuyue under her current identity would only lead to more anger if she ever found out the truth. How could she forgive such purposeful deception?
Nevertheless, having some clarity was better than being clueless before.
Ling Moxue regained some composure and whispered, “In that case, Moxue will try to obtain the core techniques of the sect for Master to review. I currently don’t know where the sect leader is, so I can’t do this yet. Once there’s an opportunity, how will Moxue contact Master?”
“You silently recite ‘Xia Guixuan’ three times in your mind, and I will know.”
Ling Moxue’s heart pounded.
This ability, wasn’t it a legend among the divine descendants?
“Alright,” Xia Guixuan reached out and tapped her forehead. “I’ve concealed the slave mark for you, you can freely hold your ‘concert.’”
Ling Moxue’s expression became strange again. Actually, whether there was a slave mark during the concert didn’t matter; it could be passed off as a new look. However, constantly hiding behind this ‘new look’ was inappropriate. Being able to conceal it was, of course, the best option. She just hadn’t expected her Master to pay attention to the concert. Was he really that idle?
Then she heard something even more surprising, “Hmm, the female general you portray is quite good, fierce and sharp. But the original script is bizarre. During the early Xia Dynasty, where would there be a female general having a romance with Tai Kang? Tai Kang even stole Chang’e, which provoked Hou Yi’s rebellion. The author really made things up out of thin air.”
Ling Moxue was speechless. “It’s alternative history, it’s fictional…”
“Well, there are other things that could have been written… Oh, forget it, why am I even telling you this?” Xia Guixuan waved his hand, “Off you go.”
Suddenly, his watch beeped.
While Ling Moxue looked increasingly strange, Xia Guixuan answered the call. It was Yin Xiaoru’s voice from the other end, “The Zhou family claims that the formula we provided to the military was stolen from their research, and they’re suing the Yin family!”
Xia Guixuan asked curiously, “On what grounds are they saying it’s their research?”
“They probably had members from the Cultivators Association analyze our formula, and now they’re arguing, claiming our research has never been in the direction of cultivation pills… This will turn into a contest of relationships. The Zhou family is intentionally using their influence to pressure us, and someone from the Yin family is already blaming me for stirring up trouble,” Yin Xiaoru said angrily, “Blaming me! The people from the Yin family are simply crazy!”
Xia Guixuan blinked and glanced at the strange-looking Ling Moxue, then suddenly chuckled, “Our formula was clearly provided by the Cultivators Association.”
Yin Xiaoru was speechless.
Ling Moxue had no idea what her expression was.