Free Web NovelWhen Lu Yibei heard the blonde girl in front of her call out the name “Lu Yibei,” she was slightly stunned. Her first reaction was that Jiang Li, in her haste, had called out the wrong name.
But then, she came to her senses and noticed something different from usual.
Ever since the two of them joined the Monster Story Chat Group as “Miao Miao Jiang” and “Wang Bu Liu Xing,” Jiang Li had never once called her by the wrong name, even after repeatedly confirming through various means that Wang Bu Liu Xing was Lu Yibei.
She wasn't some third-rate web novelist with a bad memory who would even get character names wrong. How could she make such a low-level mistake?
Now that Jiang Li was calling her “Lu Yibei,” it meant that she had intended to call her that, and it wasn't a mistake.
Then why would she call her “Lu Yibei”?
It shouldn't be that she truly didn't know how to deal with the problem at hand, at least not entirely.
If it were Jiang Li, she would definitely think of more than one solution in a short amount of time, and as the owner of the Power of the Xiezhai, she could also determine the most “correct” one from multiple solutions, which would likely be much more reliable than Lu Yibei blindly coming up with some torturous bad ideas.
So, all she needed was someone she could rely on and someone who could comfort her.
This kind of thing is like a child playing alone who accidentally falls. They will often bravely get up by themselves, but if a close person is nearby, they will instead lie on the ground and wail.
Lu Yibei, who was gradually understanding everything, pulled back her thoughts, composed herself, and lowered her head slightly to look at Jiang Li, letting her eyes meet hers.
Her exquisite face was still as cold as ever, unapproachable.
She looked very calm, at least from an outsider's perspective.
But Lu Yibei was not an outsider. Through Jiang Hao's eyes, she saw what she was trying hard to hide—anger and helpless vulnerability.
In the depths of those eyes, a dry red light burned, making it feel as if something was tearing at her heart, ready to rip open her chest at any moment and let out a painful sob.
And above that red light, a gloomy shadow loomed, like dark clouds obscuring the sunlight.
After a brief silence, Lu Yibei took a step forward and, without any warning, gently embraced Jiang Li, just as Jiang Hao had embraced her in Dream City. She gently patted her back and softly comforted her in her ear, “You must have been so anxious when you found out, right?”
Jiang Li, “...”
“Now that you've said it, do you feel better? Actually, there's no need to be so troubled. Isn't it a good thing to know Auntie's whereabouts? At least there's a direction to work towards.”
“We can first find Tan Qiuming, ask him for information about Auntie, and then find Auntie together. If Auntie has been misled, we'll tell her the truth.”
“If...” Jiang Li hesitated, then whispered the thing she worried about most into Lu Yibei's ear, “What if she still remains deluded after knowing the truth?”
Would she really deal with her mother according to the Night Watch's plan for handling cult followers? Jiang Li thought.
Although her Night Watch file, to conceal her detailed experiences in the Eclipse Society, contained some ambiguous and misleading content, which led some to believe that she had personally killed her misguided parents, she had never denied it.
However, when truly faced with a situation where one must sacrifice family for righteousness, how many people wouldn't hesitate?
Lu Yibei thought for a moment and said seriously, “Then destroy what she believes in. Although it might be a bit cruel, it should be very effective, shouldn't it?”
It's just getting rid of the X Heavenly God's offspring, not the X Heavenly God himself. With more methods, it should be possible, right?
According to Smelly Girl, after the X Heavenly God gives birth to offspring, it will also kill them immediately. If handled properly, they might even be able to cooperate with the X Heavenly God!
As everyone knows, cooperating with Disaster usually leads to a win-win situation! Disaster... twice.
Hearing Lu Yibei say something she hadn't expected, Jiang Li was stunned, and surprise appeared in her eyes.
This is possible?
“As for the psychological trauma caused by the collapse of faith, I can't do anything about it. Only you, as her daughter, can think of more ways,” Lu Yibei said.
“I will,” Jiang Hao nodded, her eyes finally regaining some light.
“Also, I'm very—no, I should say extremely happy that you're willing to share your worries with me, ask for my help, rely on me, and let me face this with you.”
Hearing the trash talk again, Jiang Li was stunned, a blush spread across her cheeks, and she mumbled in response, “Mm.”
And so, the two fell into a brief silence, and the whole world quieted down.
In the unspoken stillness, only the rustling of the wind through the treetops and the sound of each other's breathing echoed in their ears, like the sound of bubbles rising in a glass of soda on a hot summer day, calming.
At this moment, Lu Yibei felt Jiang Li was more real than ever before.
It wasn't because Jiang Li was in her arms, and she could smell Jiang Li's faint hair fragrance and feel Jiang Li's body temperature.
It was because of the vulnerability and dependence Jiang Li showed in front of her.
That's right!
In this world, who can always remain strong?
They're not made of iron, and even iron rusts!
After a long time.
Lu Yibei glanced at Jiang Li out of the corner of her eye, seeing that she was gradually emerging from her low mood, and it seemed to be a moment when her psychological defenses were fragile. She took advantage of the situation and said, “Feeling better? Do you need a deep kiss to end the hug?”
“Are you dreaming?”
“Oh, understood.”
Meanwhile, Old Man He, who had sent the little girl back to the ward and rushed over, stood frozen in place, looking at the two girls embracing each other from afar.
It seems I, an Old man, have come at the wrong time?
As a patient who had quit smoking for over a decade and whose cancer cells had already metastasized to his lungs, he suddenly felt like having a cigarette.
On the other side, Longmen Tea House.
The negotiation between Zhang Xian and Zhang Shuisheng, as expected, completely broke down.
When Zhang Yu mercilessly exposed that Zhang Shuisheng, who had always feigned compliance with the Elder Council's orders, had been so desperately working to cooperate with the X Heavenly God during this period, even willing to give up the “business” that brought him huge profits every year, simply because he was dying and wanted to live, Zhang Shuisheng flew into a rage and directly overturned the table.
Amidst the sound of the table overturning, like axemen receiving a signal from a broken cup, all the Black-Clothed Men surrounded them. With a series of “clangs,” each person held a short-bladed, standardized Spiritual Energy item. frёewebnoѵēl.com
The blades gleamed brightly, flowing with a faint crimson light under the gloomy sky.
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However, the next moment, Zhang Yu's trusted aides held guns with Spells engraved on their shells and Alchemy bullets loaded, against the Black-Clothed Men's foreheads, silently telling them that times had changed.
A truly tense standoff!
The air seemed to be mixed with gunpowder—a single spark could trigger a tragic explosion.
How could Dorees have ever seen a scene like this, something only found in gangster movies?
Her mind went blank on the spot, and she almost crushed the Paper Cicada Immortal in her pocket, ready to summon her Teacher for help.
But after several deep breaths, she quickly calmed down, focusing her attention on Zhang Yi, who was trembling just as much as her, and then recalled what her Teacher had once told her.
When deeply trapped and unable to escape, even if you have a chance to win, try not to confront the enemy head-on. You must find a way to grasp the enemy's weakness!
This man is that Old man's son, so he should be his weakness, right?
Although troubles shouldn't extend to family, Teacher said that when necessary, there's no need to play by the rules with the enemy!
Having made up her mind, she composed herself and silently crept behind Zhang Yi. With one hand, she grabbed the back of his neck, lifting him like a chick, and with the other, she activated a Spell, then shouted, “Don't move! If any of you dare to move, I'll kill him!”
So, in silence, both sides stared at Dorees with strange, bewildered looks for a moment, then simultaneously put down their weapons.
“Miss Hatuoer, actually, we wouldn't have fought just now.” In the «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» car leaving Longmen Tea House, Zhang Yu told Dorees the truth, “That was a test, testing each other's bottom line.”
“It's somewhat like a weapons display, you know? As long as we prove to the other side that we indeed have the strength, it's enough to challenge them.”
“It's no longer an era where problems can be solved just by fighting. If we really fought, it would not only result in casualties but also give the Night Watch an excuse to intervene, which would be a net loss.”
Of course, if one side's strength is found to be much weaker than expected, the other side would probably not hesitate to kill them. As long as they are clean about it, the Night Watch would have no chance to intervene, Zhang Xian added in his mind.
“Eh?” Dorees took the drink Zhang Yu handed her, looking bewildered, “So, I just... had good intentions but messed things up?”
Zhang Yu smiled awkwardly, “Not entirely. Without Miss Hatuoer's brave act, ending the standoff would probably have required several more rounds of verbal probing.”
Dorees nodded, looking a bit embarrassed.
When Zhang Yu said that, she completely understood. She had seen and heard about similar things many times in Dream Come True Entertainment City.
It was like Liu Bang had just arrived at the Hongmen Banquet, and before Xiang Zhuang even started dancing with his sword, a reckless man suddenly rushed in, shouting “For the Hegemon!” and then split Liu Bang's head open with an axe.
No acting, totally against the rules of the jianghu!
The vehicle continued to move forward. A moment later, Zhang Yu patted Dorees's shoulder and pointed out the window, “Miss Hatuoer, we've arrived.”
Dorees looked in the direction Zhang Yu pointed, and low-rise buildings in the style of a European town came into view: dark gray brick walls, pure white spires, and brightly colored floor-to-ceiling glass.
She withdrew her gaze and looked at Zhang Yu, asking, “Where is that?”
“One of Mountain City's highest-class restaurants!” Zhang Yu feigned surprise, “Miss Hatuoer, have you forgotten? Before we left for the negotiation, we agreed to eat together afterward.”
It seemed there was such a thing? Dorees lowered her head, rubbed her little belly, and said, “So, shall we go?”
“I'd also love to go with Miss Hatuoer,” Zhang Yu pulled out his phone and waved it in front of her, a wry smile on his face, “But I need to report the results of the negotiation to Feinikesi (Phoenix) Mr. first, so I can only ask Miss Hatuoer to go ahead. I hope you can understand.”
“I understand, I understand, you're on official business!” Dorees nodded, politely saying, “Then I'll go in first?”
With a big meal to eat, she didn't care about much else. Without Zhang Yu nearby, she could enjoy her meal even more.
What's more, she also wanted to take the time to tell her Teacher about the negotiation just now!
Hearing this, Zhang Yu nodded, made a gesturing motion for Dorees to enter, then gave a look to the two trusted aides who were already waiting outside the car door. The two aides pulled open the car door, welcomed Dorees out, and walked with her towards the restaurant.
Watching Dorees walk away until her back disappeared from sight, Zhang Yu put away the phone he had shown her earlier, took out a satellite phone from the car door's compartment, and dialed the pre-set number.
After the communication tone rang a few times, a strong, resonant voice came from the other end of the line.
“Zhang Yu? Is the negotiation over?”
“It's me, Feinikesi (Phoenix) Mr. The negotiation is over. Everything is as you expected; that Old man is indeed critically ill,” Zhang Yu replied.
“Yes, he believed it! Heh, in that Old man's eyes, I'm probably still that idle, dissolute young master, right?”
“However, Feinikesi (Phoenix) Mr., your subordinate has something unclear.”
“Speak,” the person on the other end of the phone said concisely.
“Why did you specifically ask me to mention Unmyouki and Li Gate during the negotiation with that Old man? It seems completely unnecessary?”
“That was the Chairman's wish,” Feinikesi (Phoenix) said. “I can only say this much. Knowing more won't benefit you.”
“I understand.” Zhang Yu paused, then changed the subject, “Also, your subordinate has something else to say, but I don't know if I should.”
“Then don't say it for now. Talk to me when you've thought it through.”
“It's about Miss Hatuoer.”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, then a deep voice said, “Speak!”
Zhang Yu recounted Dorees's performance during today's negotiation and asked, “Feinikesi (Phoenix) Mr., has Miss Hatuoer always had such a brave style of doing things?”
Feinikesi (Phoenix), “Obviously not! How did this girl become so strange after only a few days out? Could it be that Hatuoer's Power has quietly transformed into Sekhmet without my knowledge?”
Seeing that the other end of the phone had fallen silent, Zhang Yu waited for a moment, estimating that he wouldn't answer his question, and changed the subject.
“Feinikesi (Phoenix) Mr., what should I do next?”
Not to make things difficult for the Leader, and knowing when to give the Leader an out, is what a good subordinate should do.
“Everything as usual, proceed according to the original plan.”
“Understood!” Saying that, Zhang Yu paused and said solemnly, “For the black sun to rise!”
“For the black sun to rise!” The other end of the phone responded just as solemnly, then hung up.
Hearing the “beep” sound in his ear, Zhang Yu's eyes deepened. After a moment of contemplation, he casually tossed the satellite phone aside and sneered.
“Heh, black sun?”
There isn't that much absolute loyalty in this world; it's just a matter of mutual benefit.
Working for the Eclipse Society is fine, but selling out for the Eclipse Society...
He didn't think so!
