You Sun, oblivious to Qin Luo's expression beneath his veil, continued his narration.

"But not long after the Queen and her brothers recovered, the King suddenly fell seriously ill! The Queen said that someone had found a curse cast by a sorcerer at my mother's maternal home!"

Tears welled up uncontrollably as she spoke.

"The talisman had the birth dates of the Queen, my father, and all my brothers written on it. In a fit of rage, the Queen led her men to surround my mother's Luo Lan Palace! My mother hid me, and I overheard the sorcerer monk who always served the Queen saying..."

He was trembling all over and took a few deep breaths.

"He said that only by disfiguring, skinning, dismembering, and sealing my mother could the curse be broken and my father recover. He also said that my mother's skin should be used to make a lampshade to illuminate my father's body and ensure his health!"

He seemed to have trouble breathing as he said this, and clenched his fist and pounded his chest.

"When I heard that, I was terrified. I hid under the bed, too scared to make a sound or move. I could only watch helplessly as they made a lampshade from my mother's skin! Her body was hacked to pieces and finally devoured by vicious dogs!"

Qin Luo understood the pain of losing a loved one.

He handed him a handkerchief through the vines.

He accepted it and thanked him.

"The Queen ordered her skull to be sewn into a football, and the bones in her body were sealed by a sorcerer monk in her favorite flowerbed. After they left, an old nanny secretly took me back to my palace!"

He exhaled and continued his narration.

"The old nanny told me that I had to insist I had never left the palace, and that I had to accept whatever the Queen gave me with both hands, smile at her, and be friendly to her, otherwise I wouldn't survive. Only by surviving can one take revenge!"

His hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Sure enough, the Queen soon arrived at my palace with the football made from my mother's skull. Remembering the old nanny's words, I smiled and accepted it!"

As he spoke, he was on the verge of another emotional breakdown.

"She even made the servants play with me. I could only smile and kick the ball. The queen left satisfied, and I cried all night. I wanted to go find my father, but I was being watched and couldn't go anywhere or receive any news!"

You Sun was already sobbing uncontrollably.

"It wasn't until half a month later, when my father had fully recovered, that the Queen came to tell me that my mother had used witchcraft to harm people, and that her entire clan had been slaughtered! The reason I was still alive was because I was my father's son and still young, but I had to leave the palace to become a nun and atone for my mother's sins!"

At this point, his expression turned to despair.

"On the day I left the palace, my father summoned me. In his palace, I saw that lantern. I couldn't believe my eyes. My father loved my mother so much; how could he believe she would curse him? How could he believe that a lantern made from her skin could bring him good health!"

Qin Luo also sighed.

"Indeed, the imperial family is the most ruthless!"

You Sun wiped the tears from his face.

"From that moment on, I couldn't distinguish between what was real and what was fake! On the way to the temple, I was assassinated, fell into a raging river, and drifted all the way to the border of Pingzhao Kingdom, where I was rescued!"

"And then?"

"And then? After that, I was sold several more times and suffered endless torment before finally becoming the second-in-command of Grayfire Stronghold. It wasn't until you killed Shi Yuandiao that I took control of Grayfire Stronghold!"

Qin Luo was deeply shocked after hearing this.

But he pretended to be nonchalant.

"What do you want me to do for you? Kill the entire royal family of Lancang Kingdom and avenge you and your mother?"

You Sun's eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was frantic.

"You also think they all deserve to die, don't you? Every single one of them has my mother's blood on their hands, every single one of them..."

Qin Luo remained noncommittal.

"After hearing your story, I do feel great sympathy for you. You are not only pitiful but also innocent. However, after you entered Grayfire Village, you indiscriminately killed innocent people. How are you any different from those who murdered your mother?"

Yousun immediately retorted

"No, it's different. I have never intentionally killed anyone unless they wanted to kill me."

Qin Luo disagreed.

"You bunch of bandits drove them to the brink of desperation. Did you think they wouldn't kill you then? Your actions then were no different from attacking them the moment you met them?"

You Sun was stunned upon hearing this.

Qin Luo continued to elaborate on his point of view.

"I cannot help you fight your way back to Lan Cang Kingdom, nor will I cooperate with you. First, we are not familiar with each other, and I have no way of verifying anything you say. Second, I do not have the ability. Third, your Grayfire Stronghold has killed many people who are very important to me!"

Her voice suddenly turned fierce.

"We can only be enemies. I can spare your life today, but I'm taking this person with me. If you want to fight me, feel free to come at me!"

You Sun knew that the men she brought were no match for her.

He silently got up and walked towards the alley entrance, then suddenly stopped.

"Can you tell me, if you were me, what would you do?"

Qin Luo pondered for a long time before finally offering his advice.

"Secretly expand your influence, earn enough funds, and build a wider network of connections. Use your current identity to climb step by step to the center of power, accumulate enough capital, and leverage external forces. I think you currently have the power, funds, and connections you need, so what follows shouldn't be difficult for you. But don't use the name of Grayfire Stronghold anymore!"

You Sun understood that Qin Luo was genuinely giving him advice.

Instead of deliberately making excuses, he turned around and bowed to her.

"Although I don't know exactly what you are, I can assure you that you are not the bloodthirsty, ruthless monster they describe. You've killed so many people from Grayfire Village; do you know how many forces want to capture you? Go! This chaotic world is not for you!"

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