Chapter 45: Shen is a ruthless strategist; what does it matter if the whole world is put to the sword?

Hiss...

Seeing Shen Lang confessing, An Yaoyao was deeply shaken.

Having manipulated men all her life, she never expected that one day she would be manipulated by a man herself.

This made her gaze towards Shen Lang exceptionally solemn at this moment.

After a long silence, she finally voiced the doubt in her heart: "With your capability, dealing with Zhou Hao should be effortless. Why go to such painstaking lengths?"

Shen Lang chuckled, sat down at the dining table in the room, and tapped the tabletop.

Seeing this, An Yaoyao immediately snapped at Qingyou, "Serve tea to Master Shen!"

"Miss..."

Hearing this, Qingyou subconsciously wanted to protest.

Before the words could leave her mouth, they were forced back by An Yaoyao's stern gaze.

Reluctantly and discontentedly, she picked up the kettle and poured a cup of flower tea for Shen Lang.

Shen Lang took a light sniff, then said indifferently, "Just like this cup of tea, the world only appreciates its refreshing elegance, while ignoring how many processes are required behind it!"

Hearing this answer, An Yaoyao understood in an instant.

Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "Zhou Hao was part of your plan. Am I the same as him?"

Faced with this question, Shen Lang raised his head without the slightest timidity, looked straight at An Yaoyao, and countered, "Do you want to end up like him?"

"Shen Lang, how audacious!"

Sensing the threat in Shen Lang's words, Qingyou was the first to scold him.

Yet Shen Lang remained utterly unconcerned. "In my view, wiping you all out is nothing more than a wave of the hand."

"Don't flatter yourself too much!"

"You!"

Qingyou was furious.

Just as she was about to say more, An Yaoyao shouted coldly, "Silence! How dare you show disrespect to Master Shen!"

"Miss..."

Qingyou felt immensely aggrieved.

However, An Yaoyao offered no comfort. Instead, she smiled warmly at Shen Lang and said, "Master Shen, my apologies. This girl has been spoiled by me."

"If I had wanted to settle scores with her, I wouldn't have just pinched her leg last time!"

With these words, Shen Lang drained the tea in his cup in one gulp.

The next second, a system prompt rang out in his mind.

[Ding, detected that the host has ingested the Eternal God-Slaying Pill. Does the host require detoxification?]

What the fuck!

This woman is vicious!

Shen Lang cursed inwardly, but maintained a calm expression on the surface. "The taste of the Eternal God-Slaying Pill is quite pleasant."

Swish.

As these words fell, An Yaoyao's expression changed completely.

Although she had already recognized that Shen Lang was extraordinary, she still believed the outcome remained to be seen.

As long as Shen Lang drank the specially prepared tea, he would still remain a puppet in the palm of her hand.

Never in her wildest dreams had she expected Shen Lang to know what was added to the tea.

This made An Yaoyao look at Shen Lang with extreme gravity once more.

Conversely, Shen Lang smiled playfully. "Alright, those little tricks of yours are nothing more than children's play in my eyes—hardly sophisticated!"

"Tell me, if I can help you solve the problem of leaving the brothel behind, what benefits can you offer me?"

Realizing how unfathomable Shen Lang was, An Yaoyao completely abandoned any thoughts of matching wits with him.

She bowed respectfully and asked, "What benefits do you desire?"

"I want all of you to work for me!" Shen Lang demanded boldly.

He had already figured it out.

An Yaoyao and her people were likely similar to characters in other fictional worlds—a faction that utilized feminine charms to gather intelligence.

Once he subdued them, everything he did in the future would yield twice the result with half the effort.

An Yaoyao never imagined Shen Lang's appetite would be so voracious.

Narrowing her eyes, she replied, "Master Shen jokes."

"This humble servant is merely a courtesan of the pleasure quarters. How could I possibly be qualified to work for Master Shen?"

Seeing An Yaoyao's polite refusal, Shen Lang gave an amused smile. "Miss An, I understand your situation quite clearly. Playing games now is pointless."

"Let me state my offer first. Listen to it before you make your decision."

Observing Shen Lang's unwavering confidence, An Yaoyao fell silent for a dozen seconds before slowly nodding. "Please enlighten me, Master Shen!"

"First: follow me, and if any of you are ever bullied or mistreated, I will unconditionally stand up for you. Even if it costs me my life, I will demand justice for you!"

Thud.

At this single condition alone, An Yaoyao's heart quaked.

In their line of work, suffering grievances and bullying was an everyday occurrence.

Even though they had trained their own assassins to handle such matters, lacking the backing of a true powerhouse had always been a thorn in An Yaoyao's heart.

Now, this unfathomable monster of a man was offering to back them up.

It truly touched a chord within her.

Yet, striving for the maximum benefit, An Yaoyao continued, "And the second?"

"Second, from the moment you follow me, your business model will change. You will no longer need to work in brothels. I will arrange respectable jobs for each of you, ensuring that everyone can marry with dignity when they meet the right person!"

Before An Yaoyao could respond to this second point, Qingyou couldn't help but blurt out, "What kind of jobs?"

"That is a commercial secret and cannot be revealed just yet!"

"But I can guarantee that these jobs will be far better than what you do now, and they won't interfere with gathering intelligence!"

Seeing that Shen Lang wouldn't give her the desired answer, Qingyou's eyes were filled with resentment.

Yet An Yaoyao caught a glimpse of unshakeable confidence in Shen Lang's eyes.

She pursued further, "Is there a third condition?"

"Third, you marry me, and together we shall rule the world!"

Boom!

Hearing Shen Lang's third condition, shock surfaced on An Yaoyao's face.

She could hardly believe he would offer such a term.

This made her look at him with utmost solemnity.

Yet no matter how hard she looked, she could only perceive absolute sincerity on his face.

This prompted her to ask, "I am a globally renowned courtesan. Aren't you afraid it will ruin your reputation?"

"History is written by the victors."

"I am a ruthless strategist. What does it matter if I slaughter everyone in the world?"

Feeling the terrifying aura emanating from Shen Lang, An Yaoyao was completely numb at this point.

She had always considered her own methods to be extremely vicious.

Yet compared to Shen Lang, it truly felt like children playing house.

Still, as someone capable of controlling the top-tier faction known as the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, she was no mere servant.

Enticing as Shen Lang's offer was, she narrowed her eyes and asked, "On what grounds do you expect to rule the world?"

Noticing that An Yaoyao was tempted, Shen Lang mentally asked the system, "System, do you have any props for putting on a divine display in front of mortals?"

"Crossing Tribulation Stage powerhouse trial ticket. Price: one billion grudge points!"

Hearing the system's price quotation, Shen Lang's mouth twitched violently.

One billion grudge points.

If he had that many, he would have just forced her hand directly.

Why would he even need to resort to sweet-talking?

"Give me something practical, dammit!"

"Then draw a lot!"

Hearing that he had to gamble his luck again, Shen Lang felt extremely displeased.

However, with the arrow already nosed on the bowstring, he had no choice but to fire.

"Give me a tenfold draw!"

[Ding, deducted ten thousand grudge points. Opening the lucky draw wheel!]

[Ding, thank you for participating!]

[Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining the divine-grade cultivation technique, One Qi Turns into Three Purities!]

[Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining the Heart of the Emperor!]

[Ding, thank you for participating!]

[...]

Listening to the system's broadcast, Shen Lang was dumbfounded.

Initially, he had only wanted to pull some minor gadgets to act cool.

He never expected the system to trigger a massive jackpot this time around.

This prompted Shen Lang to immediately tell the system in his mind, "Quickly fuse the Heart of the Emperor into me!"