Engagement Canceled: I Can Extract Prefixes - Chapter 398 - 397: Why Wear It?
Chapter 398: Chapter 397: Why Wear It?
The two sat in a small pavilion within the Imperial Palace.
All around them were people coming and going from the palace.
Those who had fled earlier hurriedly returned.
After a short while, Yan Yun brought a pot of tea, and then retreated to a distance, not disturbing them further.
“Calculating the days, it’s been almost a century, and this period is finally coming to an end…”
The elder in plain clothes carried a hint of nonchalance, despite his destroyed strength, he did not let his heart thought collapse.
Judging by his appearance, he seemed much more relaxed.
“Previously, I still had some reluctance.
Reluctant to give up the power to rule a region, reluctant to give up the strength to turn clouds with one hand and rain with the other.
But now I’ve realized that this, actually, isn’t too bad.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Han frowned slightly.
“Could it be that the position of Domain Master has caused you distress, senior?”
“In at most half a month, you’ll understand.
You have surpassed me, and thus, the Northern Mountain Domain will come to regard you as its superior.
However, our Northern Mountain Domain is such a remote and impoverished place.
We top experts, before them, are nothing more than servants to be ordered around.”
The elder in plain clothes spoke lightly, and everyone saw him as proud of the Northern Mountain Domain, but did not know his hardships.
Shen Han could vaguely guess something from the elder’s words.
There was yet another layer of power above him.
But this layer of power only existed to exploit.
Shen Han didn’t continue to question him, but asked about other matters.
First was the issue of the Secret Realm.
Shen Han tried to have Yan Yun arrange for someone to search for the Secret Realm, but ten days had passed with no results.
Ten days was not long, but Shen Han was worried that there might not be a Secret Realm here at all.
Hearing Shen Han’s words, the elder in plain clothes widened his wrinkled eyes slightly.
“To be able to ask such a question, you clearly are not a young man who grew up in the Northern Mountain Domain.
I only heard about the existence of Secret Realms after reaching the Divine Land.
After returning to the Northern Mountain Domain, I had people search for over twenty years, without any findings.
Later, I came to understand.
Secret Realms are things left by immortals for their descendants, and our Northern Mountain Domain has never seen an immortal.
The north borders the Poison Sea, and experts from the Divine Land don’t even bother to include the Northern Mountain Domain in their territory.
Of course, although the Northern Mountain Domain is not included in their territory, every year, they send people over to plunder resources.
The Northern Mountain Domain is already poor, and over seventy percent of its resources must be handed over to them each year…
Shen Han frowned, looking at the elder: “What if you don’t submit?”
“Don’t submit? Just wait until they arrive and try for yourself.”
The elder in plain clothes chuckled bitterly: “I was once like you, but look at me now?
The world is cruel like this, and many things are not up to your desires.”
Sitting in the pavilion, Shen Han looked into the distance.
Currently, with the intention of improving my strength, staying in this Northern Mountain Domain is pointless.
The resources are scarce, and the cultivation path is in decline.
Remaining in such a place would only be a waste of time.
In the days that followed, Shen Han did not leave the Jiuxiao Imperial City.
He read the books of the Jiuxiao Country daily, attempting to craft those powerful magical artifacts.
In his spare time, he would give guidance to Yan Yun.
This woman grasped military arrays quickly enough, but always lacked attentiveness in other governance matters.
Occasionally, he would chat with the Domain Master.
Discussing cultivation methods of the Northern Mountain Domain with him.
The more he listened, the more he felt that the cultivation methods of the Northern Mountain Domain were lacking.
The methods of body refining and refining spirit were handled with much roughness.
Even the strongest in the Northern Mountain Domain did not impress Shen Han with his spoken path of cultivation.
Leaving the Northern Mountain Domain was imperative.
This leisurely period passed for a month.
Yan Yun succeeded to the position of Sovereign, and everyone knew who was backing her.
Now, who in the entire Northern Mountain Domain would dare to defy Shen Han?
Although she had ascended to the position of Sovereign, Yan Yun would still occasionally come to make tea for Shen Han.
Sitting by Shen Han’s side like a little girl.
Even in the presence of outsiders, she made no attempt to avoid them.
For this matter, Shen Han had reprimanded her several times, reminding her to maintain the Sovereign’s dignity.
As autumn deepened, the scenery of the Jiuxiao Country was quite beautiful.
The originally verdant peaks had adorned themselves in golden attire.
They presented a very prosperous appearance.
Shen Han and the elder in plain clothes stood atop a high platform.
Two young people drifted in from afar.
Upon seeing who arrived, the elder’s face turned ashen, and he immediately knelt.
As he knelt, he kept tugging at Shen Han’s clothing.
“Quick, kneel. The visitor today is the eldest son of the Zheng Family; his temperament is peculiar, and will resort to harsh measures at the slightest disobedience.
Don’t doubt, lest you suffer and prefer dead to alive!”
This former Domain Master seemed extremely afraid of the newcomers, even breathing heavily.
In an instant, the two were very close.
Each standing on a magical artifact.
The young woman looked around, seemingly admiring the unfamiliar scene.
The man with her showed a face of indifference, looking at Shen Han and the elder.
“Don’t look at the Venerable like that, lower your head…”
Faced with the elder’s advice, Shen Han only furrowed his brow.
The two before him had stable auras, much more so than the cultivators of the Northern Mountain Domain.
“Wei Qun, haven’t you told them the rules?”
Hearing his name called by the newcomer, the elder hastily shuffled forward on his knees.
“Returning to Venerable Changye, this old servant has told them what needed to be said.
It’s just…”
Upon hearing the words “it’s just,” Zheng Changye chuckled lightly.
“It’s just that every newly ascended Domain Master carries a bit of arrogance, is that it?”
The elder kept his head low, not daring to speak more.
As they talked, Zheng Changye descended from the magical artifact and walked to the elder’s side.
Then he reached out, took out a collar, and tossed it into the hand of the former Domain Master Wei Qun.
Holding the collar, Wei Qun turned to look at Shen Han.
“Don’t think of resisting, I really am not making this up…
Although I’ve cultivated for over a century, I still fall far behind the young generation of the Divine Land.
We are no match for them…”
Beside him, Zheng Changye leaned idly against a pillar.
Shen Han looked at the collar.
[A highly resilient magical artifact]
It was actually an artifact with a purple inscription.
“Wearing this collar signifies your allegiance to the Zheng Family, and only then will the position of Domain Master officially belong to you.”
“Why must I wear it?”
From not far, Zheng Changye glanced at Shen Han and spoke indifferently: “Why? To ensure obedience, to make you sensible, to prevent reckless actions.
Whenever you dare to defy the Zheng Family’s intentions, with a mere thought, the collar will tighten around your throat, making life worse than death.
Of course, so long as you obey, the collar is nothing more than an ornament.”
Hearing this, Shen Han looked up at the person before him.
“So, isn’t this akin to being livestock?”
“Precisely, you indeed are livestock, and the Northern Mountain Domain is a place for keeping livestock.
Do you still wish to pursue the great way of immortality like us?
Honestly, wearing this collar marks you as elite among the livestock.
Enough for you to take pride in.”
