Chapter 1551: Chapter 1549: The Forsaken Are Untouchable!
The words had barely left his lips.
The scene fell into a silence, a deathly silence!
Everyone’s gaze landed on Zhu Qilue, dumbfounded!
It was as if they were witnessing a divine descent, or as if they were staring at a madman they’d never seen before.
A complex mix of emotions intertwined, hiding various feelings within everyone’s eyes.
Astonishment.
Confusion.
Bewilderment.
Puzzlement.
They thought Zhu Qilue had gone mad.
Especially the refugees; they never imagined that a young master from one of the five big tribes would make them stand up... In the past, when they saw young masters from the five tribes, they were either ordered to fight and kill or forced into bizarre acts for amusement, sometimes killed for no reason.
No young master had ever asked them to stand.
Zhu Qilue was the first.
"Zhu Qilue, are you out of your mind?" Lan Yunwei thought she misheard, her eyes nearly popping out as she stammered.
However.
Zhu Qilue ignored her, continuing to look at the refugees, and said calmly, "What, can’t you hear me? Hurry up and get up!"
"Yes... yes... thank you... thank you, young master..."
The refugee was both flattered and terrified, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead as he cautiously climbed up from the ground, thinking it was a trick by Zhu Qilue.
Previously, other young masters had told them to stand up.
But just as they began to rise, a flash of silver followed, and the refugee who had stood lost his head and died instantly!
Those who survived ran away in terror, chased by the arrogant, rampant laughter of those young masters.
Thus.
He suspected this was another of Zhu Qilue’s tricks, trembling with fear as he stood, his legs shaking uncontrollably.
"Why are you shaking? I won’t kill you," Zhu Qilue scowled, speaking coldly.
"Ah?" The refugee paused, lifting his head to see Zhu Qilue’s intense gaze, then quickly bowed his head again, frightened.
Standing straight with his head bowed, he felt a persistent chill on his neck, uneasy in his heart.
Like a Sword hanging over him, ready to fall at any moment.
However.
After waiting a long time, Zhu Qilue showed no signs of wanting to take action.
The refugee was puzzled, cautiously peeking at Zhu Qilue, confirming he showed no intention of taking action, finally feeling relieved.
"You... really won’t kill me?"
"I, Zhu Qilue, keep my word. When have I ever deceived anyone? Besides, why would I kill you? I am not like those idle, malicious young masters."
"Yes... yes... thank you, young master, for not killing me... thank you, young master, for not killing me..."
The refugees carried deeply ingrained submissiveness in their bones.
Even though they had saved Zhu Qilue and Lan Yunwei, they feared being killed by them, just because of differences in status.
Their first thought was fear and obedience.
Not resistance.
These words sounded extremely grating to Zhu Qilue; clearly, he had no such thought, yet the refugee made him feel like someone guilty of terrible crimes, indiscriminately killing the innocent.
He had never troubled the refugees; merely, he was taught since childhood that refugees were despicable, insignificant beings, as small as ants, and associating with them was disgraceful.
Thus.
This notion persisted in his mind, unable to be dispelled.
Though unwilling to harm ants, nor the refugees, he felt somewhat uncomfortable inside, perceiving a gap in status, unsuited to interact.
But he also felt it wasn’t a problem to interact, as they had saved him and Ruoling’s life.
Therefore.
He was extremely conflicted internally, the more he pondered, the more pained he felt, thus unsure of what to do.
But he couldn’t possibly let his saviors remain kneeling before him; it was highly improper, so he temporarily allowed these refugees to stand as a minor gesture of repayment.
"Zhu Qilue, what do you mean?! Are you opposing me deliberately?!" Lan Yunwei suddenly shouted, reigniting the slightly calm atmosphere.
"I don’t understand." Zhu Qilue faced Lan Yunwei, his expression stern.
"Don’t deny it, they are refugees! The lowest beings in the Five Elements Realm, how can you let them stand?! They should remain on the ground, they are ants, don’t you know?!"
"I know, so what?"
"Hey! As ants, they should remain on the ground, not stand! Why did you call them to stand? Don’t you know it impacts your status significantly? It damages your reputation! If others know you are chatting with refugees, they’ll mock you!"
"Oh, I don’t care."
"Ha?!"
"As long as I and Ling’er can live, I don’t care about anything else."
Zhu Qilue lifted his head, eyes coldly fixed on Lan Yunwei.
Initially, he was puzzled by his own change. Though previously he wouldn’t mistreat refugees, he would stay well away from them, avoiding any contact.
Moreover, he had witnessed refugee executions when he was younger.
He had been pondering the question, unable to comprehend why he would have them stand, instead of letting them continue kneeling.
Clearly, Lan Yunwei wanted them to continue kneeling, believing refugees unworthy of standing before her, unworthy of breathing the same air.
As he intensely stared at Lan Yunwei.
Suddenly, he realized a truth.
The change was only influenced by one person.
Lin Fan!
Under Lin Fan’s influence, he unconsciously changed his attitude toward refugees.
Because Lin Fan never felt humiliated or ashamed by differences in status; he faced them directly!
Even when dealing with ordinary people, as long as they didn’t provoke him, he treated them respectfully, never discriminating based on poverty, filth, or low status.
As if he was facing an ordinary person.
Subtly affected, he unconsciously changed his attitude toward refugees.
Or rather, he changed his attitude toward the entire world.
But Lan Yunwei had little contact with Lin Fan, maintaining the traditional beliefs of the Five Elements Realm, regarding refugees as untouchables, hence her furious outburst.
Yes! It must be because of Lin Fan!
Understanding relieved Zhu Qilue significantly, easing his posture slightly.
While an overnight transformation was impossible, recognizing it now was timely.
"Miss Lan." He let out a small smile.
"What?" Lan Yunwei grumbled, rolling her eyes. Zhu Qilue’s words displeased her; how could he converse calmly with refugees!
"I think you should interact more with Lin Fan."
"Ah? What... do you mean?"
In an instant.
Lan Yunwei’s face turned scarlet, feeling thirsty.
"Perhaps, after interacting with him more, your perspective will undergo a dramatic change." Zhu Qilue smiled mysteriously.
"What nonsense, acting all profound, speaking incompletely, who knows what you’re talking about, it drives me nuts!" Lan Yunwei grumbled angrily, stomping off to the side, her face still furious, yet her heart felt joyous.
