Wuhun element periodic table, rubbing black hole in Douluo

Chapter 443 Traveling Through the Sun and Moon
According to the established plan, he needed to persuade the city lords of several key cities and a special group of soul masters to pave the way for Xu He's future grand plan.

The first destination was Luofeng City, famous for its beautiful scenery.

Inside the city lord's mansion in Luofeng City, he met the city lord, Feng Yuanshan, a middle-aged man who looked to be about fifty years old, with a refined appearance and dressed in casual clothes, leisurely sipping fragrant tea.

All I can say is that rich people know how to have fun. I heard that the tea leaves for this fragrant tea are picked by beautiful young women with their lips.

At this moment, Lin You is still using the name Lao Huo to swindle and deceive people.

The famous one is Huo Yuhao, what does that have to do with me, Lin You?
"Young Master Huo, please have some tea." Feng Yuanshan smiled and gestured, his every move exuding the composure and detachment of someone accustomed to a high position.

Lin You picked up his teacup, took a sip, and savored the refreshing aroma of the tea. He put down the teacup and got straight to the point: "Lord Feng, let's not beat around the bush. I've come here today hoping that you can lend a hand to the former Crown Prince Xu He."

Upon hearing this, Feng Yuanshan's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes narrowed slightly. He slowly put down his teacup and said, "Young Master Huo is joking. My Luofeng City is located in a remote corner and has always been indifferent to worldly affairs. The upheavals in the court have little to do with people like me who are outside the world."

He didn't ask why Xu and the Crown Prince, who had disappeared without a trace years ago, had suddenly reappeared, nor was he sure if the news was true or false. However, he had heard about the current emperor's rapidly deteriorating condition and naturally had his own guesses that it was probably a power struggle within the royal family.

"Lord Feng is mistaken."

Lin You's voice was calm, "The current situation in the empire is something the city lord must be well aware of. Crown Prince Xu Tianran's perverse actions and collusion with the Holy Spirit Cult have already incurred the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. Xu and His Highness's efforts to restore order are in accordance with the will of heaven and the people. If the city lord can assess the situation, he will surely be richly rewarded in the future."

Feng Yuanshan shook his head slightly and sighed: "Young Master Huo, it's not that I'm out of touch with reality. It's just that the people of Luofeng City live in peace and prosperity with great difficulty, and I really don't want them to be involved in this conflict. Whether it's Prince Xu Tianran or Prince Xu He, to me, they are both legitimate members of the royal family. Luofeng City only wishes to remain neutral and impartial."

"Neutral?" Lin You raised an eyebrow.

"In this storm that is sweeping across the entire empire, no one can truly remain unscathed. The city lord's so-called neutrality is probably just a mirage."

He leaned forward slightly, an invisible pressure spreading out: "Lord Feng, I respect you as a ruler of this region, and for loving your people like your own children. But sometimes, choices are more important than perseverance. The fact that I am here means that I have enough strength. Lord Song Yi of Dongyang City has already agreed to join us in this uprising. The Ten Thousand Souls Douluo and the Abomination Douluo have also lost their lives at my hands."

He didn't reveal his background, but his brazen behavior already spoke volumes.

Upon hearing the names of the two Title Douluos, Feng Yuanshan's hand holding the teacup paused almost imperceptibly, but his expression remained calm: "Young Master Huo, you are so young yet possess such strength; I admire you. However, the stance of Luo Feng City will not change. Whoever tries to disrupt this peace, I will do everything in my power to protect this tranquility. Even if it means mutual destruction, I will not hesitate."

Although his tone was gentle, the determination in his eyes was undeniable.

Lin You stared at him for a long while before slowly speaking: "Lord Feng, you should think this through. A great change is coming. If you refuse me today, you may regret it later."

Feng Yuanshan put down his teacup, stood up, and bowed deeply to Lin You: "I appreciate Young Master Huo's kindness. But please forgive me for being unable to comply. If one day the flames of war truly spread to Luofeng City, I will live and die with the city. As for today's events, I can pretend they never happened. Young Master Huo, please return."

Lin You watched his resolute back and knew that further words would be useless. This Feng Yuanshan was, at heart, a stubborn neutralist, or rather, he had an obsessive belief in the "neutrality" he was protecting.

Since we can't get it, then so be it.

"That's fine."

Lin You stood up. "Since the city lord has made up his mind, I will not force him. I only hope that the city lord will not regret today's decision in the future."

He turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

It's pointless to waste words on someone who is so unyielding and clearly doesn't want to be involved with either side.

Intimidation through force? The other side has even gone so far as to threaten total annihilation, so they're clearly not afraid of that. Unless they actually massacre the entire city, but that's not their intention, and it would push more potential allies to the opposite side.

We can only give up temporarily.

Lin You sighed and rubbed his throbbing temples. His trip to Luofeng City had come to nothing.

Next up was the remote Rift Sky Soul Master Corps.

Lin You's brows furrowed involuntarily at the thought of what it was like there.

The Rift Sky Soul Instructor Corps' headquarters is located in a desolate Gobi Desert on the northwestern border of the Sun Moon Empire.

This place is a real horrible place.

It was less like the headquarters of a proper Soul Master Corps and more like an abandoned junkyard.

The dilapidated barracks, the rusty training equipment, and even the soul guides worn by the patrolling soldiers all appeared old and worn out, many of them being outdated models.

If I weren't fast enough, I probably wouldn't have been able to get there.

The leader of the Soul Master Corps over there was named Shi Xuan, a man with a resolute face.

When he saw Lin You, he wasn't too surprised, as if he had already expected someone to come looking for him.

It can only be said that both parties were in love and their relationship blossomed into marriage.

Then, Lin You quickly explained his purpose, and the two hit it off immediately.

"Young Master Huo, please have a seat." Shi Xuan's voice was a little hoarse.

Lin You looked around. The tent was extremely simple, and the air was filled with the smell of lubricating oil mixed with dust.

Wait, this lubricant should be used on soul tools, right? Lin You made wild guesses in his mind.

However, he quickly came to his senses: "Commander Shi, your regiment's situation does not seem very optimistic."

Shi Xuan gave a wry smile: "Young Master Huo, you flatter me. Our Rift Heaven Soul Instructor Group has long been abandoned by the Empire. If it weren't for the old emperor's kindness in recognizing our talents, our team would probably have been torn apart by those who only know how to fight for power and profit."

A flash of resentment crossed his eyes: "Back then, a few spoiled brats sent by the royal family acted arrogantly and domineeringly in our regiment because of their status. We taught them a lesson. Ever since then, our lives have become difficult. Our supplies have been cut, our equipment hasn't been replenished, and even normal training has become difficult to maintain. This is clearly pushing us to our doom!"

"What about the other Soul Master Corps?" Lin You asked.

"Other Soul Master Corps?" Shi Xuan sneered. "They'd love to see us make a fool of ourselves! The military is full of factions, and those of us with no background and who have offended powerful figures naturally become the chickens to be killed as a warning to others. If it weren't for the fact that my brothers still had some backbone and held on, we probably would have disbanded long ago."

Lin You nodded; this basically matched the information provided by Ju Zi.

Although the Rift Sky Soul Master Corps is not among the top-tier Soul Master Corps in the Empire, it has extremely strong cohesion and is full of resentment towards the current royal family, making it a worthy target for recruitment.

(End of this chapter)