Chapter 1936: Sudden Tidings of Grief

Commander Yan was, if nothing else, a clever man. He turned the situation over and over in his mind, only to realize he had no viable path forward. Returning to the Blue Smoke Island Domain had all but closed off his retreat. Never mind whether Jiang Chen would even let him go — even if he were released, would the imperial household of the Blue Smoke Island Domain still place the same trust in him as before?

That was practically impossible!

As for choosing martyrdom? Forget it. Though it sounded heroic and hot-blooded in the abstract, Commander Yan was getting on in years and had no interest in playing at youthful fanaticism. So this particular brand of noble defiance never even crossed his mind.

Unless Jiang Chen was dead set on killing him and he had no means of resistance, leaving death as his only option — that would be one thing.

But now that Jiang Chen seemed rather ambivalent about executing him, Commander Yan was hardly about to walk willingly into his own grave.

He did not know where the flash of inspiration came from in that instant, but he chose to pledge allegiance to Jiang Chen.

In truth, the reason Jiang Chen had maintained that ambiguous posture was precisely to give Commander Yan a chance. Of course, in Jiang Chen's reasoning, if he could bring Commander Yan under his wing, that was certainly preferable. But if this man lacked the wit to read the situation, he would absolutely not force the matter.

So when Commander Yan proactively offered his submission, Jiang Chen was not particularly overjoyed.

Instead, he regarded the man with a deep, penetrating gaze and asked with a faint smile, "Are you certain this isn't simply a desperate choice made to save your own life?"

Commander Yan shook his head, his tone firm. "It is not."

"How can I be sure of that?" Jiang Chen pressed.

"The reasons are straightforward. First, I can no longer return to the Blue Smoke Island Domain — even if I did, I would never regain the status and prestige I once held. Second, I wish to establish my own merit and make a name for myself in the Blue Smoke Island Domain's grand endeavor to build a divine kingdom. All of that becomes immediately possible if I submit to Young Master Jiang Chen. Third, I feel that if I die now, it would be a worthless death — one I could never accept."

These words carried genuine conviction.

But Jiang Chen was not won over immediately. He chuckled and said, "You're quite the silver-tongued speaker. However, swearing allegiance to me means you follow my rules. Before this, Lu Che and the others from Little Soup Island were defeated by me and also pledged their loyalty — but they chose to become my servants. What about you?"

Commander Yan froze. Servants?

A surge of anger shot upward through his chest. The words "a scholar may be killed but not humiliated" nearly leapt from his lips, but he forced them back down with sheer will.

He had a nagging premonition that if he uttered such defiant words, Jiang Chen might very well kill him on the spot. The young man would not hesitate in the slightest.

Still, becoming a servant — that was far too humiliating.

Yan Qingsang, seeing Commander Yan still waffling, grew irate.

"Surname Yan, don't you dare forget your current position. Do you really think you have room to bargain?" Yan Qingsang rebuked him sharply. "Back in the Blue Smoke Island Domain, weren't you nothing more than a puppet-servant of that God-realm senior? What you did and what a marionette does — what was the difference? Young Master Jiang Chen is young and accomplished. His ascension to the God-realm is an inevitability. If you become his servant, then one day you will be a god's servant. How many half-gods in this world beg and pray for the chance to serve a god, hoping for even a touch of divine salvation? And here you are, surname Yan — what makes you so special that you'd hesitate when handed such an opportunity?"

These were words that should have come from Jiang Chen's own mouth.

But Yan Qingsang had spoken them on his behalf.

Credit where it was due — the impact of that speech was considerable. Commander Yan's internal struggle, which had dragged on for quite some time, began to crumble bit by bit.

Circumstances were stronger than pride. He may have been brimming with arrogance and loathed the thought of serving as someone's servant. But refusing now would amount to pushing himself into the abyss of death.

Besides, Yan Qingsang's words were not without merit. The momentum behind Young Master Jiang Chen — an ascent to the God-realm seemed unstoppable.

If he could become a god's servant and one day receive divine guidance and salvation, it was not beyond the realm of possibility.

With that thought, the last traces of Commander Yan's hesitation slowly melted away.