Ying Mingyue remained silent.
"But, are you willing to accept this?" Lu Qingshan intensified his tone and questioned, "Are you really willing to let others manipulate you, even to the point of marrying me, someone you don’t even like, for the sake of your own safety?"
"What else can I do if I am not willing?" Ying Mingyue took a deep breath and spoke slowly.
"Rebel." Lu Qingshan revealed his true intentions.
"Helping me is also helping yourself." His eyes were deep and unreadable, as he persuasively said, "Cooperate with me. You help me now, and I will help you in the future!"
"First, lend me the Blood Spirit Crystal. As long as I have the Blood Spirit Crystal’s assistance, I am confident I can sweep through my generation and make a name for myself in Jian Luo King City."
"Let me tell you the truth, after Shi Wu Demon Venerable falls, I will leave Jian Luo King City and return to the Sen Luo King Realm. By then, you will have no choice but to come with me."
"Returning to the Sen Luo King Realm this time, I will no longer tarnish my reputation and lie low. Instead, I will formally join in the struggle for the position of Domain Lord."
"By then, my two ’good’ brothers will definitely join forces against me.
If I fail, you won’t have a good outcome either, because the people from your family also wish for your death."
Lu Qingshan peeled back the layers, "The two of us are in a situation of shared success and failure, so logically, you should help me."
Ying Mingyue remained silent, still contemplating something.
Lu Qingshan snorted coldly and continued, "Additionally, as I mentioned, I will also repay you.
When you return to the Sen Luo King Realm with me, it is actually your opportunity because you will escape the notice of Hong Lie Demon Lord."
"I promise you, if I gain power, I will use the full strength of the King Realm to help you eliminate Hong Lie Demon Lord, and let you take control of the Shi Wu lineage!"
"As a show of sincerity, I can first promise you that after we marry, I will not touch you at all.
Meaning, we will only have the name of a married couple, without the reality. Even if you don’t aspire to control the Shi Wu lineage, at the very least, I can let you live the life you want."
"So, emotionally, you should also help me," Lu Qingshan firmly stated.
Ying Mingyue continued to remain silent, but there was a flicker of fire in her eyes, showing she wasn’t as indifferent as she appeared.
"I’ve said enough, think it over carefully yourself."
"I admit, I need your Blood Spirit Crystal, that’s why I’ve said all this," Lu Qingshan sighed, "But every word I’ve said comes from the heart."
"Also, I have a confidential piece of information I discovered, consider it a gift."
"What?" Ying Mingyue frowned.
"Your mother, do you know how she died?" Lu Qingshan sneered.
If interests cannot move Ying Mingyue, then what about hatred?
Hatred is the most powerful force.
Ying Mingyue’s body shook, her voice slightly trembling, "What do you mean by this? Wasn’t my mother killed by demonic bandits in the Wilderness…?"
Demonic bandits, robbing demonic cultivators.
No matter the world, such people are never scarce.
And in the highly hierarchical Abyss, the probability of demonic bandits appearing is even higher.
After all, the more brutal the exploitation, the more likely people take to banditry.
"Ying Mingyue, do you really believe that story?" Lu Qingshan’s gaze was intense as he looked at Ying Mingyue’s beautiful face and questioned.
Ying Mingyue was rendered speechless for a moment, then she said, "Mother was returning to Fire Silkworm City, but that road hadn’t seen demonic bandits for many years..."
"It seems you have some suspicions, but you have been deceiving yourself."
Lu Qingshan continued to add fuel to the fire, "You are weak and powerless, making it difficult to uncover the truth.
But before I came to Jian Luo King City, my father had thoroughly investigated you and compiled a report, which I reviewed carefully.
One piece of information was that the demonic bandits who attacked your mother’s warship back then...
were not real demonic bandits, but demonic cultivators pretending to be bandits on someone’s orders!"
"As for who ordered them, you must know in your heart." Lu Qingshan’s voice suddenly grew louder.
Ying Mingyue was stunned, with blood and hatred suddenly appearing in her eyes.
Who could it be but Hong Lie Demon Lord?
Seeing Ying Mingyue’s reaction, Lu Qingshan gradually became more confident.
Indeed, he had reviewed Ying Mingyue’s records before coming to Jian Luo King City and knew her mother died at the hands of demonic bandits.
But the part about the bandits being instructed by someone and being impersonated by demonic cultivators was entirely his fabrication.
If this were truly a premeditated murder, how could the mastermind leave such a glaring flaw?
Nonetheless, everyone has that tendency.
People are always more willing to believe what they desire to believe.
This is why rumors can spread so easily.