"Immortal Master, whether these foreign women admire you is still uncertain. You are an exalted Star-Han Immortal; if your bloodline accidentally ended up outside, would that not be..."
"Long ago, envoys sent to Tang China came here to borrow seed, causing the Dongyang people to swiftly transform from savages into civilized men."
"If their bloodline possessed even two or three parts of the Immortal Master's divine might, then took the wrong path and fell into the hands of petty villains, would that not lead to the tragedy of kin slaughtering kin and bringing disaster upon Star-Han?"
Nong Jinsun panicked and hurriedly tried to stop him. At the same time, he cursed furiously in his heart. He has absolutely no manners as someone who studied abroad.
Damn foreign devil!!
We haven't even found a chance to stuff a woman into the Immortal Master's arms and become related by marriage, yet you, a defeated general who just happened to stumble into a pile of dog luck and win the Immortal Master's favor, actually dared to get there first?
I'll deal with you! Tonight, I'll have Yuanjia secretly deal with you!
Nong Jinsun no longer concealed the hostility in his eyes toward Kent.
Sensing the threatening hostility, Kent took two steps back and very meekly and respectfully lowered his head before Lan Yi.
Lan Yi wore a half-smile as his gaze moved between Nong Jinsun and Kent.
Perhaps realizing that he had been too eager, Nong Jinsun, who had somewhat calmed down, noticed his mistake. Bracing himself beneath Lan Yi's naturally oppressive gaze, he said,
"Immortal Master, your subordinate was not trying to stop you from spreading your branches and leaves."
"It's just that foreign women have excessive body hair and strong odors. They truly are, well, hardly fit for refined company."
"In the end, our Star-Han women..." Nong Jinsun's words were cut off the next second.
"Out of consideration for Master Huo, I won't punish you today. Let me ask you: which matters more to me, foreign women or Star-Han women?" Lan Yi raised his hand, and one of the twelve flying swords rotating clockwise behind him fell into his grasp.
"..." This was a life-or-death question. Nong Jinsun instantly broke into a cold sweat.
"The answer is that neither of them matters to me. The only thing that will ever matter to me is what I have told you."
Lan Yi casually tossed the flying sword. The next moment, it shot through the air with a whoosh, the fierce wind it dragged behind it scraping Nong Jinsun's cheeks painfully. He almost thought the Immortal Master's flying sword had already sliced the skin from his face. He stood rigidly in place, not daring to move.
Only when cold sweat slid down his neck and into his collar did Nong Jinsun slowly recover from his extreme terror.
Terrifying! Horrifying!
Even though Lan Yi had released no aura and had not punished him, facing a mighty existence capable of turning him into charcoal or minced meat at any moment, an ordinary man like Nong Jinsun still became too frightened to move at the slightest possibility of being caught in the aftermath—especially after gaining such a direct understanding of Lan Yi's strength.
"This is the power you want."
"This sword can release thunder and Sword Qi. In terms you can understand, it is a magic staff."
"Perhaps you can find a martial artist to serve as your bodyguard."
Kent was instantly overjoyed. He knew that he had become a tool for this transcendent existence to discipline his subordinate, but it had all been worth it!
Lan Yi had not made Kent a martial artist. Directly turning a foreigner into a martial artist would certainly provoke a negative reaction from the martial artists' group, whose shared interests were gradually taking shape. As Kent's strength swelled, so would his ambitions. Lan Yi said nothing, but he could see the martial artists beneath him changing in their state of mind day by day.
Lan Yi was glad to see this change.
Guiding it in a good direction would benefit both Star-Han in this era and his own goals.
Nong Jinsun represented the martial artists' interest group. They did not merely want to become founding heroes and leave their names in history; they wanted even more to become the only subordinates Lan Yi could use. If Lan Yi could rely only on martial artists, then even if he held their lives in his hands, he would still have to take the martial artists he had created into consideration.
Bestowing Martial Arts, bestowing weapons.
One reward and one punishment—immediate and effective.
The Immortal Master could bestow martial arts and weapons. He could bestow them upon Star-Han people or foreigners. He was warning all of you arrogant soldiers and fierce generals to behave yourselves and honestly make the Immortal Master's demands your foremost mission.
Besides.
The Immortal Master still favored us Star-Han people. Hadn't you seen how he even suggested that the foreign devil find a martial artist as his bodyguard?
The matter had only just shown signs of emerging when Lan Yi effortlessly dissolved it into nothing. This was the confidence that came from absolute force being in one's own hands: there was no fear that others would flip the table and walk away. If you refused to do it, there were plenty of others who would.
"If you make no sound, your enemies will speak for you. If you do not make history clear, your enemies will create history for you." Lan Yi had already arranged positions for those detained reporters.
In this era, the fastest way to make one's voice heard was through newspapers.
As a power occupying one side of the realm,
publicizing one's ideals and principles and displaying one's strength were among the means of swiftly winning the people's hearts and unifying Shenzhou.
Kent had given Lan Yi a reminder.
The content of newspaper interviews all came from the reporters.
How could dry, soulless articles written under threats and coercion compare with the explosive, eye-catching pieces reporters wrote from the heart?
"Restore their freedom. Let them decide whether to stay or leave. They may interview anyone, so long as they obtain that person's consent. Since we intend to accomplish great things, we must establish great trust. Great trust fears nothing being said aloud and can withstand the verification of all under Heaven."
Lan Yi patted Nong Jinsun on the shoulder.
Nong Jinsun was thoroughly convinced. Ashamed, he cupped his hands in a bow.
Lan Yi's move truly was brilliant.
So far, the martial artists' group had completed substantive control over the Pu-Hai region, yet they did not even have a unified channel for making their voice heard across the territory they controlled. Had they not sunk the foreigners' ironclad warships, dealt the foreign armies a heavy blow, maintained the city's stability, and won the people's praise and hearts, it was likely that seventy or eighty percent of those under their rule would have fled.
The various classes of Pu-Hai had only a superficial understanding of the martial artists' group.
These reporters had not been mistreated. They had also witnessed extraordinary miracles with their own eyes, as well as the victories those miracles had achieved in defeating the armies of the imperial powers. They had long been bursting with words they wanted to pour out, itching to announce them to the entire world!
The reporters, free once more, began working overtime that very day.
Interviews! They absolutely had to conduct interviews!!
The foreign female reporters in particular, once released, immediately declared that they wanted to interview Lan Yi. These wealthy ladies, left with little besides their spiritual pursuits, needed no hint from Kent. They directly stated that they wanted to interview Lan Yi—preferably in a private interview room, the sort where they could gain an in-depth understanding of each other's souls. They were desperate to understand the heart of this Thunder Angel.
Was he a demon or an angel?
What kind of fierce soul lay beneath his marble-like, handsome exterior?
These female reporters included Uesugi Reika, the second daughter of Dongyang's Uesugi Industrial Bank; Nagano Sayuri, the eldest daughter of Dongyang Products Corporation; Philia, the wife of the president of India Shipping Company; Alice, the daughter of the Hong Kong governor; Lis, the elder sister of the chief executive of Royal Armaments; as well as the maids or female bodyguards accompanying them.
Their desire to conduct the interview was urgent.
Compared with boring wars and profits,
these pampered beauties had found, for the first time in Star-Han, a male who perfectly matched their romantic expectations. He was practically poison. Even knowing that they were violating morality and committing a mistake, they still could not stop themselves from throwing themselves at him!
Soon, these female reporters received one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.
The good news was that Lan Yi was very willing to accept their interviews.
The bad news was that he would not be accepting them immediately.
Lan Yi had already set out for the major power plants controlled by the martial artists.
Before you continue