"Ah?"

At this moment, Yun Qingyao spoke, and everyone immediately turned to look at her. It was well-known that Yun Qingyao was the direct disciple of Yun Zhongzheng, and in the minds of everyone in the Yun Sect, she held a high status. Some even speculated that Yun Qingyao might succeed as the sect leader in the future.

Therefore, Yun Qingyao’s words still carried significant weight.

Upon hearing Yun Qingyao speak, Yun Zhongzheng couldn’t help but look over. Seeing Yun Qingyao’s earnest gaze, the distress on Yun Zhongzheng’s face deepened, becoming even more conflicted.

"Qingyao, what are you saying, stop talking!"

The granny beside her was immediately startled. She realized with shock that Yun Qingyao could actually speak, and it must be Lin Fan’s doing.

She immediately attempted to act, intending to seal Yun Qingyao’s acupoints again, as Yun Qingyao was her final trump card, and she couldn’t allow Yun Qingyao to become the focus. She wished Yun Qingyao would just disappear from here immediately.

However, before her hand could touch Yun Qingyao, the next moment, she felt a point on her body and her body instantly went limp, unable to control Yun Qingyao, finding herself unable to move instead.

Lin Fan!

The granny was both shocked and furious. Lin Fan had subdued her!

Lin Fan smiled and said, "She seems to have more to say, so let her finish."

The granny glared at Lin Fan, but everyone’s gaze had already turned to them, so she couldn’t say much to Lin Fan. After all, she still had to rely on Lin Fan, and their secret couldn’t be exposed!

The square-faced man indeed turned his gaze to Yun Qingyao, chuckling, "Finally, someone is clear-headed. Sect Leader Yun, listen to what your disciple says and consider it seriously."

Yun Qingyao said, "Master, I don’t know what this person wants, but regardless of what it is, it’s ultimately just an external possession. I was thinking earlier, the Yun Clan is not afraid of death, even if it means annihilation, we will never bow to the enemy. But hearing the child’s cries, seeing the sad mother, I no longer feel that way. I think life is more important than anything, the lives of our Yun Clan members are the most important."

Yun Zhongzheng listened with a solemn face, remaining silent after Yun Qingyao finished.

The square-faced man impatiently said, "Sect Leader Yun, this little bug is crying and annoying me. If you don’t make a decision soon, I’ll have to manually silence him. To be honest, I don’t want to squash a little bug, but if Sect Leader Yun orders me to, I will comply."

Yun Zhongzheng finally spoke, his tone icy, "Our Yun Sect has been passed down for a thousand years, surviving until today, driven by what? By our backbone. In the Jianghu, we are not the strongest martial arts influence, rather, we are just a lower-middle power. Yet, as those powerful forces perished, we survived. What powered us? Our indomitable spirit. We fought through a path of blood. Snatching a temporary survival is not our Yun Sect’s way. From eighty to three years old, as long as they are Yun Clan members, why fear death! If today is the day of our Yun Sect’s demise, then we fight to the end!"

Iron-blooded!

Yun Zhongzheng is an iron-blooded sect leader. Frankly, Yun Qingyao’s words a moment ago slightly disappointed him. Yun Qingyao, after all, is a female, and seeing a three-year-old child, her heart softened.

This is not qualified to be a Yun Sect leader.

Listening to these words, Yun Qingyao fell silent, despair in her eyes, knowing even she couldn’t change her master’s mind.

The mother opened her mouth wide, face filled with despair, understanding that just a moment ago, the sect leader had sentenced her child to death.

The square-faced man was indeed furious, "I didn’t expect your Yun Sect to be this stubborn. Fine, if you don’t care about a three-year-old child, why should I care? I’ll see how many disciples you, Sect Leader Yun, have to sacrifice before you change your mind!"

The square-faced man raised his palm, poised to strike down on the child’s skull.

With his ability, let alone a three-year-old child, even Yun Zhongzheng couldn’t withstand a strike from him.

The mother, terrified, collapsed on the ground, watching her child in despair.

The Yun Clan members were also incredibly outraged, watching the square-faced man make a move, yet powerless.

Even Yun Zhongzheng, with a heart of stone, as the iron-blooded sect, though resolved to stake everything on the Yun Clan, trembled seeing the child’s imminent death.

Yun Qingyao’s eyes reddened, knowing she couldn’t change anything, only shedding two sorrowful tears.

At the moment when the square-faced man was about to strike, just as the three-year-old child faced imminent death.

"Wait a moment."

A voice gently opened.

Everyone followed the voice to see Lin Fan standing up.

Lin Fan finally couldn’t bear it and stood up.

Previously, even though many Yun Sect members had died, Lin Fan hadn’t stepped forward, but seeing this three-year-old child, he eventually stood up.

Originally not planning to intervene, Lin Fan ultimately changed his mind because of a three-year-old child.

What made Lin Fan change his mind was mainly this three-year-old child himself, and secondly, Yun Qingyao’s tears. The look Yun Qingyao gave him earlier when she couldn’t speak deeply touched him. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

A three-year-old child, knowing nothing, unable to think or decide their own fate, cannot choose for themselves. Their life and death are determined by adults, which seems inherently unfair to a small life.

In human society, respecting the old and loving the young is a virtue, precisely because children have no survival abilities. Therefore, as adults, we should care for them, which is fundamental for humanity’s reproduction, and we possess a natural instinct to protect the weak.

Let alone humans, every animal on earth, even wolves, possess a natural instinct to protect the weak, particularly in the harsh natural world, where if young ones cannot be protected, a species will perish.

Compared to humans, the animal kingdom seems purer. For instance, when a mother monkey sees her child grabbed by a leopard, she will immediately rush to rescue it without hesitation, purely driven by instinct, with no so-called decision-making involved.

Humans are different; we are more complex than any animals, because unlike other animals, humans can think. Thinking leads to considerations of interest, and with interest considerations, actions are no longer purely instinct-driven. Sometimes, to achieve certain goals, even instinct and humanity can be discarded.

Therefore, human society is far more complex than the animal kingdom.

To protect inherited treasures, Yun Zhongzheng can harden his heart, disregard a three-year-old child, and strategically abandon the weak, having cast aside instinct. His decision is purely the result of interest calculations.

This is not a criticism of Yun Zhongzheng; in fact, it is a burden of humanity, but it cannot be blamed on humans. Human wisdom made us stand out in the brutal competition for survival, and the interest calculations derived from this wisdom are the price of intelligent life, much like how there’s always a shadow where there is light.

But fortunately, in humanity, there will always be heroes stepping forward, always someone standing up to dispel the shadows.