Chapter 299 He won't leave unless he dies
Shen Lun's long, willow-leaf eyes, which seemed to see through everything, focused on Mu Xi's face for a moment.
After a final examination, he bowed slightly and said, "I have spent half my life trapped in this tower. Now that I have regained my freedom because of you, my lord, I only wish to use this crippled body to stop the fighting before it starts. You, my lord, have the ambition to bring peace to the country, and the prince has the heart of benevolence. If the two of you can join hands to restore peace and tranquility to Yansheng, I am willing to do everything I have learned in my life."
"Thank you, Uncle." Mu Xi suddenly stood up, clasped her hands in a fist and bowed deeply to Shen Lun.
Shen Qiao, who remained silent throughout and knelt on the spot, looked at this scene with disdain.
Before he revealed his identity, Mu Xi had never treated him with such courtesy. But now, her brother Shen Lun had convinced her with just a few empty words about the great Dao.
It's clear that women are women; their knowledge is limited, and they are most easily fooled.
But judging from Shen Lun's words, his life is temporarily safe.
Shen Qiao's expression naturally did not escape the notice of the two men.
Before Mu Xi could say anything, Shen Lun spoke first: "Brother Luo has already told me roughly what he has done over the years, and I have a general understanding of it. But after all, he is my own brother. He imprisoned me for more than 20 years without killing me, and I cannot kill him today either. However, he is still of some use to Your Majesty's great cause for the time being. I ask Your Majesty and the gentlemen to be lenient for a while before dealing with him."
Shen Lun's plea for mercy was even more unacceptable to Shen Qiao on the ground, and a hint of madness flashed in his eyes: "The victor is king, the loser is villain. Kill if you want, use me and then kill me... You make such despicable behavior sound so noble, haha... Why bother? If you're going to do something, do it without leaving a trace, and never regret it. That's what a true man does."
"Do you think that as long as you have no regrets about what you've done, it's all over?" Shen Lun retorted.
Shen Qiao replied arrogantly, "Otherwise what?"
Shen Lun shook his head slightly: "There are some things you didn't understand back then, you don't understand now, and you probably never will understand in this lifetime. The cycle of karma is inescapable; everyone's actions are within the bounds of the natural order. If your own lack of regret causes others to feel remorse, how can Heaven tolerate you?"
Shen Qiao chuckled coldly: "Heaven's will? That's nothing but the last consolation for the incompetent. My defeat today is not because Heaven refused to help me, but because I was too soft-hearted back then and showed some consideration for blood ties."
“You have never had any blood ties. You say you don’t believe in the will of Heaven, but if you hadn’t been concerned about the will of Heaven back then, you wouldn’t have spared my life.” Shen Lun was expressionless, with only pity in his eyes. “However, if you hadn’t been so skeptical, you wouldn’t have struggled to achieve anything in the path of shamanism, and you wouldn’t have hesitated in the ways of the world. You wouldn’t have ended up like this today.”
Shen Qiao was still unconvinced, but as a prisoner, he felt there was no point in saying more: "Kill me or torture me, it's up to you, but don't give me a second chance, otherwise..."
After a heated debate, neither of them could convince the other.
Mu Xi, unwilling to delay any longer, said, “I understand your intentions. I deeply sympathize with Duke Qi’s grief over the loss of his daughter, and I will certainly avenge this wrong. However, what Marquis Shen said is absolutely right. The greatest value of Shen Qiao’s life now lies in his shady dealings and secrets. Killing him might bring momentary pleasure, but it could lead to the loss of some important information and make us blind and deaf to potential enemies.”
"My Lord..." Qi Qingyuan had been struggling for a long time and now understood the meaning of the words, but he still could not give up. "If you insist on sparing his life, how can you guarantee that he will not escape one day? At that time, it may bring even greater disaster."
"This..." Mu Xi hadn't thought of this before looking at Shen Lun, "It is indeed dangerous to spare my uncle's life, but since you advocate keeping him alive so that he can be put to use, there must be a foolproof way to control him, right?"
“Well…” Shen Lun hesitated for a moment, “If this matter only involved me, then I would simply seal him up and imprison him in that tower to live out his remaining days. But his crimes involve far more than just those of you present today. Therefore…”
Doctor Luo suddenly said, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, has been the way since ancient times. Since that's the case, I might as well come up with a compromise."
"Doctor Luo, do you have any good ideas? Tell me." Mu Xi asked quickly.
Doctor Luo first turned to Qi Qingyuan: "Master Qi has lost his beloved daughter and wants him to pay with his life. But if he can't pay with his life, how about letting him taste the suffering his beloved daughter endured from poisoning?"
"Huh?" Qi Qingyuan was stunned.
"Luo Qingming...you are so vicious..." Shen Qiao immediately reacted upon hearing this and screamed and cursed.
With a flick of his wrist, Doctor Luo inserted a silver needle into Shen Qiao's throat, rendering him speechless.
Then he explained to Qi Qingyuan, "Master Qi, you only need to tell me what symptoms your daughter has after being poisoned. Only evil sorcerers can use that kind of poison. Although I don't know how, I can still do something to make sure that the medicine is effective enough to keep her from dying and suffer that kind of torment day and night."
Shen Qiao was unable to speak, his eyes bulging with fury.
Upon hearing this, Qi Qingyuan's expression softened.
Doctor Luo then turned to Shen Lun: "Given Brother Shen's temperament, I can guess you won't really retaliate against your brother. However, it's extremely dangerous to have him work for you. Even if you imprison him in the tower until he dies... he's not you, and it's worrying that you'd have to go to great lengths to escape. But if you could control him with drugs, like you were when you were poisoned, it would be much safer. After all, no matter how ambitious a person is, without the physical body to support them, how can they accomplish anything?"
“This…” A hint of reluctance flashed in Shen Lun’s eyes.
At this moment, Qi Qingyuan said, "If Doctor Luo can really do it, then I have nothing to say. After all, I am not the only one who has suffered. All those who have been deceived for so many years deserve an explanation."
"Lord Qi is truly righteous." Doctor Luo bowed to Qi Qingyuan, then looked at Shen Lun, "Brother Shen..."
After a moment's thought, Shen Lun could only compromise: "Since you all think this method is feasible, then so be it. However, since he has already been punished, there is no need to forcibly take his life. After this is over, just confine him in the tower. Perhaps the years in the tower will allow him to reflect on his actions, which will not be entirely without benefit to himself or others."
Can Shen Qiao truly reflect on his mistakes? Nobody believes that.
After receiving their answers, Doctor Luo turned back to look at Mu Xi.
Mu Xi didn't need to wait for Doctor Luo to ask: "Doctor Luo's method is excellent. There are many situations that are more painful than death, and nothing is worse than being alive. However, Uncle must also promise that you will not be soft-hearted in the future. Once he is locked in the tower, he will not come out unless he dies."
Shen Lun nodded solemnly, as if making a solemn promise.
Thus, the decision regarding Shen Qiao was finalized. The group then ignored Shen Qiao's furious expression, took him away, and left him for Doctor Luo to carry out the plan.
Having resolved the matter of Shen Qiao, Mu Xi was finally at ease enough to discuss a plan to rescue Mu Xun.
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