Chapter 1441: I Do Not Agree
Xu Meijing accepted the challenge, but Luo Yao did not speak immediately; he seemed to have some reservations.
However, under Xu Meijing's emotionless gaze, Luo Yao hesitated slightly, then finally spoke.
"In truth, from the very beginning, I felt Yang Haoran was unworthy of you. In terms of appearance, even a blind man, by touch alone, could tell that you are a swan from the heavens and he is a toad from the earth. You are someone Yang Haoran can only ever look up to; he is utterly unworthy of you."
Luo Yao paused, his gaze fixed on Xu Meijing. Seeing no change in her expression, he continued.
"In terms of strength, from what I understand, there shouldn't be much of a gap between you two. However, the reason his power increased so rapidly is largely due to his good fortune, and his greatest stroke of luck was acquiring you as a girlfriend. If not for your Supreme Yin Body, no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't possess his current strength. To put it bluntly, by hitching his wagon to you as his girlfriend, Yang Haoran saved himself at least dozens, if not hundreds, of years of struggle, and that's a conservative estimate."
At this point, Luo Yao paused once more. Xu Meijing's brows had subtly furrowed as Luo Yao spoke. Seeing him stop without immediately continuing, Xu Meijing couldn't help but ask, her brow still furrowed,
"Emperor, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Xu Meijing knew that despite Luo Yao's extensive remarks, he hadn't touched on the crucial point, so she spoke to clarify the matter.
Luo Yao revealed his seemingly desperate solution. As he spoke, he watched Xu Meijing intently, as if hoping to discern something from her expression. Unfortunately, apart from a slight tightening of her brows, Xu Meijing's demeanor remained unchanged; she showed no signs of erupting in rage, appearing quite calm.
"The Emperor is truly too modest. If doing so yields such a multitude of benefits, how can it be called a not-a-solution solution? This is an excellent method! Most people wouldn't be able to conceive of such a brilliant idea. It truly has to be you, Emperor."
"Heh heh, from the sound of that, does it mean you agree?"
Luo Yao, who had maintained a stern expression, finally allowed a faint smile to appear on his face. He immediately struck while the iron was hot, pressing Xu Meijing for an answer. However, under his hopeful gaze, Xu Meijing shook her head.
"I do not agree."
Xu Meijing's refusal was decisive. The faint smile that had only just appeared on Luo Yao's face immediately froze.
"Why?"
Luo Yao asked, frowning, the faint smile on his face vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
"Because my heart is locked, with a lock that has no key."
Xu Meijing explained calmly. Luo Yao seemed somewhat unconvinced.
"Even Yang Haoran can't open this lock of yours?"
Hearing this, Xu Meijing gave Luo Yao an affirmative reply without a second thought.
"Since it's a lock without a key, of course, he can't open it either."
With that simple explanation, Xu Meijing said no more. Luo Yao, having received Xu Meijing's definite answer, also fell silent. A moment later, it was Luo Yao who first broke the quiet.
"If you are unwilling to do so, I naturally won't force you. After all, a forced melon yields no sweetness. But this way, the original problem still remains unresolved."
Luo Yao said, his brow furrowed. Xu Meijing's expression remained unchanged as she calmly replied,
"Solutions are conceived. Just because this one is unfeasible doesn't mean there are no other ways."
Had it been anyone else, Xu Meijing could have remained completely silent, for in such situations, the more one speaks, the more mistakes one might make. But Luo Yao was different; he was her direct superior, and her past relationship with Yang Haoran had indeed been extraordinary. Thus, after Luo Yao broke the silence, she still chose to respond, not remaining silent throughout.
"Heh heh, solutions are conceived, you say it so simply. Do you have any good ideas?"
Luo Yao no longer maintained a stern expression, but instead spoke with a sneer. From his demeanor, it was clear he was now dissatisfied with Xu Meijing.
Xu Meijing was no fool; she could naturally discern Luo Yao's dissatisfaction from his choice of words and tone. If she couldn't provide him with a reasonably satisfactory answer at this moment, it went without saying that his displeasure towards her would only intensify.
"Your subordinate has also suddenly thought of a solution that isn't really a solution. I wonder if the Emperor deems it feasible?"
Xu Meijing asked. Luo Yao seemed somewhat surprised. Whether he was surprised that Xu Meijing could think of a solution, or by her choice of words, his expression didn't reveal.
"Speak your mind."
Luo Yao spoke. Xu Meijing didn't keep him in suspense, nor did she make a grand preamble as Luo Yao had just done. She immediately gave her reply.
"Your subordinate can draw up a sworn statement and explanation. First, Yang Haoran and I have severed all ties and goodwill, and no longer have any connection whatsoever. Second, I was completely unaware of his betrayal, and during our time together, I never saw any signs of it. Third, I do not know where Yang Haoran is currently hiding; I am entirely ignorant of his whereabouts. My pledge is this: if I encounter Yang Haoran, this traitor, I will ruthlessly eliminate him on behalf of the Underworld Office. Should I violate this promise, I am willing to descend into the Eighteen Layers of Hell, never to reincarnate, and endure all the tortures of hell."
Xu Meijing's words clearly intensified the surprise on Luo Yao's face. The Eighteen Layers of Hell are located within the Underworld, where vicious and heinous criminals are imprisoned. Due to their grievous sins, they are stripped of their right to reincarnation by the Underworld Office. Furthermore, because they are too ferocious and dangerous, they don't even qualify for service in the Underworld, so the Underworld Office confines them to the Eighteen Layers of Hell, where they forever endure torment. Which specific layer they are imprisoned in depends on the individual circumstances.
Xu Meijing was not only an Underworld Official but also a Guardian of the Underworld Office, an absolute high-level figure within it. Such an existence, even if they hadn't personally visited the Eighteen Layers of Hell, would be well-informed about it, as it's basic knowledge. The means of acquiring this knowledge, naturally, came from various records. The Eighteen Layers of Hell are no secret within the Underworld Office; the information regarding them is comprehensive and detailed. Not only was it easy for Xu Meijing to learn about the Eighteen Layers of Hell, but it was easy for any Underworld Official to do so.
Because of this knowledge, she understood its horrors. Yet, Xu Meijing was willing to make such a promise, one that completely cut off her retreat—this was something Luo Yao had not anticipated.
"I don't deny that your method indeed has a certain effect, but won't the cost be too great?"
Luo Yao, his face grave, asked Xu Meijing extremely earnestly. Whether he was testing her or genuinely concerned, Xu Meijing had no interest whatsoever. Facing Luo Yao's inquiry, Xu Meijing responded with a calm expression.
"The cost is not great. How else can those who doubt me believe me? Only in this way can I disassociate myself from Yang Haoran and make the Emperor's situation less passive, isn't that right?"
Luo Yao didn't respond immediately. Instead, he maintained a stern expression, pondered with a furrowed brow, and finally, slowly nodded.
"This method comes at a heavy cost, and the effect might not even be good. It can hardly be called a good method. However, at present, we temporarily have no other options, so we can only proceed with this."
Judging from Luo Yao's words, he didn't seem to genuinely agree with the method Xu Meijing had conceived, only nodding out of helplessness. Xu Meijing, however, didn't care much about that. What she wanted was simple: merely Luo Yao's nod of approval.
"I will implement this matter shortly. Once finished, I will transmit it to the Emperor via the Underworld Iron Tome for review. If the Emperor finds no issues, my sworn statement can then be published within the Underworld Iron Tome, thereby silencing the mouths of some vile individuals."
The corner of Luo Yao's mouth twitched slightly. He felt as though Xu Meijing's words had implicitly included him in the insult, but he had no proof. He could only nod again with a grim expression, indicating his agreement.
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