Start By Parsing The Sun

Chapter 232: Manipulating Hearts, Exploiting Tragedy

Dongshan Park.

The first part of the memorial ceremony, "All personnel pay tribute to the victims," lasted only fifteen seconds.

The second part was the mourning of the families and the distribution of compensation.

The families, in groups of fifty, dressed in black and lined up in neat rows, placed a lit soul-summoning candle in front of the monument.

The sound of crying filled the air, truly heartbreaking.

The so-called "soul-summoning candle" is a custom in this world. The candle has two layers, with the outer layer being red, representing flesh and blood, and the inner layer being yellow, representing the soul. When the candle burns, white smoke rises into the sky, symbolizing that the soul will return to the top of the Divine Banyan Tree.

A side note.

The batch of soul-summoning candles used by the families was sponsored by a business association, which also donated one hundred gold coins as "naming advertising fees."

Among the crowd at the foot of the mountain.

Many people spontaneously repeated a phrase.

"May your souls return to the top of the Divine Banyan Tree!"

This phrase was repeated over and over again.

Until tens of thousands of people chanted it together, forming a huge wave of sound that spread far into the distance.

Many people were too emotionally overwhelmed and even shed tears.

Cheng Han stood on the mountaintop, listening to the wave of sound sweeping over, and couldn't help but be moved.

This was unexpected.

But it just proved one thing - this memorial ceremony had truly united the hearts of these tens of thousands of people.

*

The Political Council Building.

Prime Minister Bai Yichuan was presiding over a meeting.

Recently, His Excellency had been under tremendous pressure, and his temper had become increasingly irritable. He also liked to hold various meetings to showcase his diligent governance.

Ironically, because Bai Yichuan personally intervened in certain matters, things that could have been easily resolved became more and more complicated.

This also made his subordinates extremely miserable.

"...top of the Divine Banyan Tree!"

A wave of sound swept through the city, faintly drifting in.

Bai Yichuan, who had been speaking nonstop, frowned unhappily, "What's that sound outside?"

Some of the attendees listened carefully and suddenly realized something.

But no one spoke up.

Everyone knew that mentioning a certain director in front of the Prime Minister was an absolute taboo. Speaking up once would most likely result in being reprimanded.

"...top of the Divine Banyan Tree!"

The wave of sound came again.

Bai Yichuan looked at his female secretary with a commanding tone, "Shulin, go out and see what's going on."

Ding Shulin respectfully responded and quickly left the meeting room.

As she walked, her right foot limped slightly.

Just now, the Prime Minister had lost his temper and used her as a punching bag, causing her to twist her foot due to his excessive actions.

Five minutes later.

Ding Shulin returned to the meeting room and cautiously approached her boss, whispering the situation, "Your Excellency, this is..."

After she finished speaking, another wave of sound drifted in.

"...top of the Divine Banyan Tree!"

Bai Yichuan turned his head to look out the window, his face instantly turning extremely ugly.

Because in the ears of the Prime Minister, the mourning cries shouted by the people seemed like a blatant demonstration against him.

Damn commoners!

Bai Yichuan forcibly suppressed the urge to curse, took a deep breath, and with a grim face, ordered, "We'll discuss the remaining matters tomorrow. Let's adjourn for now."

Ding Shulin's calf couldn't help but tremble.

The female secretary suddenly had a bad premonition that this old dog might trouble her again.

She glanced at her boss's face, covered in age spots, and cursed in her heart: Why didn't the Xuan Court drive away this old immortal earlier?

*

Dongshan Peak.

The second part of the ceremony was coming to an end.

The families' offerings had already been completed, and it was now the turn of a group of wealthy donors to present flowers to the monument one by one.

At this moment.

Cheng Han suddenly froze.

The next moment.

The surrounding scene suddenly froze.

Four smooth mirrors appeared silently around him.

Cheng Han observed and found that his figure was reflected repeatedly in the mirrors, as if there were countless versions of himself.

He stared for a few seconds and then bowed, "Impressive technique, Lord Guardian!"

According to the deduction, this was the city's guardian Xuan Shi, Zhao Qihuan, using the power of the Xuan Formation to display the "Mirror Projection Technique."

After a moment.

A gentle male voice with a hint of a smile sounded out of thin air, "How did you guess it was me?"

Cheng Han flattered with a small remark, "Lord Guardian, as the guardian of Anhua City, the Dream Birth Society wouldn't dare to openly display such mystical arts. The answer is already apparent."

Zhao Qihuan smiled and said, "You are indeed as sharp as the rumors say."

This mention of "sharpness" in the sentence is enough to prove that this guardian of the Xuan Clan has done quite a thorough investigation beforehand.

Cheng Han modestly said, "You are too kind."

After a moment.

Countless illusory figures suddenly appeared from the mirror.

The figure in the mirror was quite tall, almost 1.9 meters, wearing a delicate black robe of the Xuan Clan, and holding a crescent-shaped short weapon in his right hand.

It was Zhao Qihuan's "projection".

The short weapon in this person's hand was intricately carved with complex patterns, obviously a powerful weapon used by the Xuan Clan - Xuanbing.

Zhao Qihuan looked into the distance, his voice filled with a sense of vagueness, "The situation in Dongshan is not small, I heard the cries even in the 'Guardian Hall'."

The so-called "Guardian Hall" is a building constructed by the Xuan Pavilion within the city, which is said to be only accessible by the means of the Xuan Clan.

Cheng Han spoke honestly, "It was just a sudden idea."

Zhao Qihuan then revealed his true intention, "I want to know, what is your purpose in organizing the memorial ceremony?"

Cheng Han replied with a question, "Do you want to hear the official version or the truth?"

Zhao Qihuan couldn't help but laugh, seeming quite curious, "Tell me, what is the official version and what is the truth?"

Cheng Han calmly said, "The official version is that people's hearts can be manipulated, and tragedies can be exploited."

Zhao Qihuan was greatly surprised, "Please explain in detail."

Cheng Han explained at length, "Even rational individuals, once placed in a group, often easily lose themselves and lose their ability to think independently.

"Specifically, in the recent event of the Divine Language, if a single individual knows the huge number of casualties, their hearts will inevitably be filled with fear.

"If the crowd is slightly guided, such as through this memorial ceremony, inciting the group to become fanatical, individuals can gain courage from the crowd.

"Every individual participating in the memorial ceremony, in the frenzy of the crowd, will willingly identify with the identity of the 'Wan Hao Clan' and feel strong indignation towards the Divine Beings."

Cheng Han continued, "If a commoner were to shout 'Down with the Divine Beings', after rational thinking, they would know that they are insignificant in front of the Divine Beings and may not have the courage to say it.

"But the crowd is different, they have actually lost their rationality and will blindly follow authority..."

He paused for a moment, then immediately validated it with an example.

Cheng Han looked down at the crowd in the mirror and suddenly shouted loudly, "Down with the Divine Beings, avenge the deceased!"

One second later.

The crowd responded with fervor, "Down with the Divine Beings, avenge the deceased!"

Zhao Qihuan's expression revealed a visible shock.

At this moment.

This scene deeply made the guardian of the Xuan Clan understand a sentence Cheng Han had just said - people's hearts can be manipulated, and tragedies can be exploited.

Zhao Qihuan suppressed his astonishment and looked at the monument, "You had people carve the names of the deceased on the stone monument, is it for the same purpose?"

Cheng Han nodded gently, "The significance of the monument is an anchor for the collective emotions, so that in the future, as long as a ceremony is held, it can easily evoke the frenzy of the crowd."

Zhao Qihuan couldn't help but sigh, "You are more formidable than I imagined."

This guardian of the Xuan Clan originally wanted to say "more terrifying", but the pride of his Xuan Clan identity prevented him from uttering the word "terrifying".

Cheng Han once again modestly said, "You flatter me."

Zhao Qihuan remained silent for a moment, then asked, "What is your sincere confession?"

Cheng Han calmly said, "On the night of the language of the divine, I witnessed too much death. I hate the divine beings immensely. I hope more people can hate the divine beings like me."

Zhao Qihuan nodded slowly, "I prefer sincere confessions."

The town guardian of Xuan Shi felt that the director who spoke sincerely was more like a person with warmth, rather than a monster manipulating people's hearts.

Cheng Han smiled, "Me too!"

Both sides suddenly fell silent.

After several seconds passed.

Zhao Qihuan asked another question, "What is your opinion of the Grand Chancellor?"

Cheng Han answered very briefly, "Virtue does not match the position, and talent even less so."

The people around him knew that he didn't like the Grand Chancellor. This point couldn't be hidden from the other party, so it was better to directly express his inner thoughts.

Zhao Qihuan narrowed his eyes and asked, "So, would you be willing to concurrently serve as the Grand Chancellor? It won't take long, maybe about half a year."

From this question, it could be seen that this Xuan Shi completely agreed with Cheng Han's evaluation.

Cheng Han didn't refuse, "I would be honored."

He then asked, "I have always suspected that the Xuan Ge has been delaying the replacement of the Grand Chancellor. Could it be that they are using Bai Yichuan as bait?"

The Grand Chancellor's performance was so terrible, yet the Xuan Ge had been tolerating this guy all along. This was the only answer Cheng Han could think of.

Zhao Qihuan was shocked in his heart, but his face remained calm, "I can't tell you."

This statement was tantamount to admitting Cheng Han's speculation.

Cheng Han blinked his eyes and didn't say anything more.

"Crack! Crack!"

Accompanied by an illusory sound, the mirror suddenly shattered.

Countless figures also became fragmented.

It was obvious.

The town guardian of Xuan Shi had left.

A faint voice drifted over, "Get ready, within the next ten days at the earliest, you should be able to take over the position of the Grand Chancellor."

A cold wind swept by.

The fervor of the crowd continued.

"Overthrow the divine beings, avenge the deceased!"

Cheng Han suddenly sighed inwardly, "My sincere confession is indeed sincere. I really want to crush that little snake with my own hands!"

Recently, he often thought of the woman who was strung up by the snake monster with its claws, and the words it said, "This is the arrangement of fate, it's not your fault."

The public sacrifice today, at its root, was because of this woman.

But from the expression of the town guardian of Xuan Shi, it seemed that he regarded Cheng Han's sincere confession as a cover-up.

(End of this chapter)