'Huijie.'
'May this letter find you as if we were meeting in person, and may it bring a smile to your face.'
'That is how it's written, right? Having been away from Lungmen for so many years, I've actually forgotten the most basic letter-writing formats. Although I've learned a lot in Ursus, with you... I still want to write using the way from those hazy memories of our childhood.'
'I wonder how you have been all these years?'
Chen Huijie sat on the sofa with her legs tucked against her chest, reading the rough stationery in her hand word by word.
Talulah had poured all the longing she felt for her over the years into it, yet it was only a single page long.
'I'm sorry, Huijie,' she pulled out the second page of the letter.
'Clearly, as your elder sister, I haven't done anything to help you, yet I still have the gall to ask you to help me look after Doctor Xia Yu. The Snowfield is no home for her; a good person like her... shouldn't have to face the wrath of Ursus with us. That fleet is drawing closer and closer to us. I imagine by the time this letter reaches your hands, everything will have already been settled.'
"That's not right," Chen Huijie suddenly looked up upon reading this. "The wrath of Ursus? Didn't you say that fleet was completely annihilated?"
"Oh," Xia Yu put down the spatula at those words. "It seems this letter was written before that. Your sister wanted Big Sister Tarnished to come to Lungmen to escape the disaster..."
"Of course, at that time she didn't know about the issues with Big Sister Tarnished's body. Otherwise, she wouldn't have said such a thing. Once the fleet was dealt with, Big Sister Tarnished had to distance herself from the Snowfield quickly, so there wasn't time for her to switch to a different letter."
Hearing this, Chen Huijie silently rubbed the stationery in her hand with her fingers. Every word... though full of fighting spirit, also revealed an undeniable sense of despair... This was clearly a suicide note!
"Sister... she had a very difficult time on the Snowfield, didn't she?" she asked, her voice raspy.
"It was indeed quite difficult," Xia Yu added a bit of salt, then tossed in a handful of peppercorns. "It is the Snowfield, after all. Freezing cold, sparsely populated, and accompanied by the encirclement and suppression of Ursus."
"The Infected are a group that isn't welcome anywhere. Those people she led... it's already good enough that they managed to barely survive."
"I see..." Chen Huijie was dazed for a few seconds before continuing to read the letter.
There wasn't much content after that. It was basically asking her younger sister to look after this Doctor Xia Yu, along with her feelings of guilt—that as an elder sister, she had never helped her younger sister with anything, yet ended up placing such a heavy burden on her.
Chen Huijie's eyes reddened as she read.
Her right hand gripped the stationery tightly, leaving deep creases in the rough paper.
"Tell me..." she lowered her head. "If I went to the Snowfield to help her..."
"To do what? Be one more mouth to feed?" Xia Yu shook her head at this, took out the Supreme Gourd, uncapped it, and poured some Loong Balm into the pot. She had a feeling this would be delicious.
This was the confidence brought to her by her Root-level culinary skills!
"At least I still have the sword in my hand," Chen Huijie touched the Chi Xiao at her waist. "I can't shield her from the wind and snow, but if it's just about drawing a sword..."
"They don't need you for that," Xia Yu shook her head, carefully stewing the beef. "Ursus lost an entire fleet; how could they possibly dare to stretch their claws toward the Snowfield now?"
She looked up. "Before Big Sister Tarnished exiled herself to the ocean for the sake of civilization, one of the final instructions she left for us in her last moments was to take care of those Infected for her."
"If Ursus dares to rear its head, Big Sister Firefly will take action. When that happens, it won't be the Frenzied Flame igniting Ursus, but her Firefly IV burning the earth! We may not understand how to govern a country, how to pacify the populace, or how to restore order, but in a place as big as Ursus, someone will understand."
"Given Big Sister Firefly's style, she'll just search all over Ursus for the castles and manors of those Nobles, then drag everyone inside out to be burned to death. Well, in a place as big as Ursus, the death of a few hundred Nobles shouldn't be much of an issue, right?"
Besides, Black Snake would naturally help. He paid the price of a life to send the Tarnished away. If anyone dared to act recklessly and cause that Evil God to descend upon Ursus once more, he didn't think he could achieve the current outcome by paying just one more life.
So anyone wanting to move against the Snowfield would first have to face the heavy fist of Black Snake. As the shadow of Ursus, he still held a great deal of influence.
Chen Huijie was just momentarily caught up in her emotions. Once she calmed down, she would realize how unrealistic her ideas were.
"Then what should I do?" Chen Huijie slumped onto the sofa.
"Aren't you the future Chief Executive of Lungmen?" Xia Yu tilted her head and slightly opened the lid. Mmm, the color, aroma, and taste were all perfect. "As the future successor of a trading city, isn't it simple if you want to help her?"
"Seeds, tools, all sorts of survival supplies—they're desperately short of those."
"Feeding that many Infected on the Snowfield is no easy task."
"The Chief Executive of Lungmen... it's not that easy," Chen Huijie lowered her head. "My uncle is in his prime, and as for me... how Baizao feels about it is a problem in itself."
"Didn't I give you a bottle of wine?" Xia Yu said, frustrated by her lack of initiative. "Go pay a visit to your uncle in Yan!"
"You've never met him, and he doesn't understand you, so of course it's a long shot. But you are his blood niece! What's wrong with a niece visiting her uncle?"
"Visit a few more times and you'll naturally get closer. Once you're familiar, everything is negotiable, isn't it? You should know, your uncle is very lonely right now. Back then, taking that throne was a matter of being forced by circumstances. He was originally raised to be a leisurely prince. After all these years, he's been crushed by the weight of state affairs."
"And he happened to encounter this turbulent era. Sigh, he's a man of bitter fate too—he doesn't even have an heir to this day."
As Xia Yu brought the dishes to the table, she continued, "At a time like this, if you don't show some filial piety as a junior, how can you appear close?"
"Huh?" Chen Huijie was completely stunned. "What do you mean 'forced to take the throne'?"
Someone could be forced into that? And being crushed by state affairs—that didn't sound like a puppet monarch at all.
"Do you think being the Emperor of Yan is a good thing?" Xia Yu shook her head. "Do you know why I don't like Wei Yenwu? Because he has no sense of responsibility."
"Hah, even if that incident back then meant regicide, so what? He was the Crown Prince everyone looked up to! The old Emperor in the palace had been deserted by everyone, and the entire court tacitly approved of his military coup!"
"In the end, just because he happened to walk in with a sword just as his father breathed his last, he felt like everyone was out to get him. Without a care for anything else, he took his wife, sister, and confidants and ran!"
"Doesn't that just leave his younger brother in Baizao to suffer? The poor guy was all set to be a leisurely prince after his brother took the throne, traveling around to see the beautiful scenery of Yan, only to be forcibly hoisted onto the throne!"
Xia Yu sighed. "It's only because he is kind-hearted. Otherwise, do you think Wei Yenwu could sit securely in this position as Chief Executive? Back then, the Grandmaster who supported him most had to take the fall for 'treason' to settle the matter, and his entire family was executed."
"That Grandmaster worked his heart out for Yan for so many years and could be said to have students all over the world, yet how did he repay him? I can only say his younger brother is a truly good person to still tolerate him and let him serve as the Chief Executive of this city with a beautiful wife in his arms."
"If it were me, he'd still want to be Chief Executive? Keeping his name hidden for the rest of his life would be the limit of my kindness!"
Chen Huijie was dumbfounded.
As a junior, she didn't know what had happened back then. She only knew that many of the events were complicated and beyond words—a complete mess. She had asked before, but everyone had the same look of not wanting to revisit the past.
She never expected it to be spoken so easily now.
And listening to it this way... it seemed Wei Yenwu really wasn't that great of a person...
But regardless, he was her uncle, the man who raised her. Even if she had many grievances against Wei Yenwu herself, it wasn't right to agree with Xia Yu too much.
"So visit your uncle more," Xia Yu said, revealing her true intent. "When the time comes and you've made him happy, wouldn't Lungmen belong to you with a single decree?"
"But I have some self-awareness," Chen Huijie shot her a look. She could naturally see that Xia Yu was fanning the flames. "I can't govern Lungmen."
"Who said being the Chief Executive of Lungmen means you have to govern it?" Xia Yu tilted her head. "When the time comes, hire Wei Yenwu as a special assistant and dump all the work on him."
"You just be a hands-off boss. If anything goes wrong in Lungmen, you hold him accountable. How satisfying would that be?"
A flicker of interest flashed in Chen Huijie's eyes, but she forced it down. "Forget it, there's no use talking."
"I'm not that kind of person."
If she became the Chief Executive, there was no way she would push everything onto others. She would definitely do everything personally, let alone to the Wei Yenwu she was already dissatisfied with.
"That's why I said, compared to Wei Yenwu, you're more like your other uncle," Xia Yu sighed. "That's why I told you to get closer to him. You might find some unexpected gains."
"Then what's in it for you?" Chen Huijie frowned. "If I became the Chief Executive of Lungmen... and got close to the True Lung, what would you gain?"
She wouldn't treat the tiny Draconic Girl in front of her as a child. This person spoke of such secrets so casually; heaven knows how old she actually was.
And what designs she had on Lungmen.
"Making Wei Yenwu miserable is enough," Xia Yu shrugged. "I just can't stand him. As for designs, hah."
"Don't think too highly of yourself. In your eyes, Yan is vast, but to us, this world... is still much too narrow."
"Let's eat first, otherwise it'll get cold," Xia Yu pushed the dishes forward. "This is a grand feast I've painstakingly prepared!"
Consider it a reward for her main vanguard from the server launch, just like that bottle of wine for Exusiai.
These two were truly distinguished veterans. Without the pioneering work of these two, Xia Yu wouldn't have had that later squad of top-tier units!
"Mmph!" The moment the Loong Balm stewed beef entered her mouth, Chen Huijie's eyes instantly lit up. Her previously listless expression became spirited at once.
"What... kind of meat is this? How was it made?" She couldn't help but pick up another piece. "How is it so delicious?"
"Beast meat," Xia Yu gave her a sidelong glance. "And you're thinking about supporting your sister? With the way there isn't a single ingredient to be found in this house of yours, you're poorer than she is on the Snowfield!"
"I have to provide the ingredients myself just to cook you a meal!"
Just now, she had been reading the letter while being emo. Seeing that she couldn't be counted on, Xia Yu had to do it herself to be well-fed.
"Just eat," Xia Yu picked up a piece of beef and put it in her mouth. Mmm, so tasty. As expected of me!
...
"That is how it was," Lin Yühsia stood respectfully before Wei Yenwu and the Rat King, recounting everything that had happened from last night until now.
"This is truly quite something," the Rat King sighed. "I thought Baizao was making a move again, but I didn't expect... sigh."
After saying that, he looked at Wei Yenwu and winked. "Your niece did something quite big in Ursus. Recently, quite a few Ursus people have appeared in the Slums. When asked, they say something big is about to happen in Ursus and they're fleeing."
"...Indeed," Wei Yenwu narrowed his eyes. "A while ago, there was news from Yumen that a Grandmaster encountered a character radiating a terrifying, evil aura. After a few exchanges, she escaped. The entire inland of Yan has been under martial law for some time."
After all, that person was truly too terrifying—to be able to trade blows with a Grandmaster and then easily retreat, combined with that ominous aura...
"So, she sought out that 'Inside the Painting' immortal to trick her out of a painting? Using that miraculous Painting Scroll to suppress herself?" Wei Yenwu lightly tapped the armrest of his chair with his pipe. "And that Draconic Girl calling herself Bailu... her origins are far too suspicious."
If she wasn't sent by Baizao, then her identity... would be truly hard to say.
"But she brought news of Talulah, sigh," Wei Yenwu sighed. "These are turbulent times."
Moreover, more than all that, what concerned him more was the matter of forcing Kaschey to his death.
The Evil God on that person could force something like Kaschey to die just by existing; its terror was evident. If such an Evil God were to break out inside Yan...
Wei Yenwu didn't even want to think about the consequences.
But it could also be a scheme by Kaschey. Regardless, he couldn't investigate the internal affairs of the Ursus Icefield clearly. If it really was a trap laid by Kaschey... how should he respond?
He rubbed his temples with a headache at the thought. To be honest, compared to some Evil God that could overturn Ursus by itself, he was more willing to believe this was Kaschey refusing to give up and trying to stretch his hand toward Lungmen once more.
Yet even for him, making up something like this would be too far-fetched. It didn't fit Kaschey's style.
But he had to remain on guard.
"Yühsia, you've done well," Wei Yenwu encouraged Lin Yühsia. "You can stop following this matter here. Don't pay any more attention to it from now on."
"I will have the Shadow Guard keep a close eye on her at all times. Whatever she plans to do in Lungmen must be within our control."
Wei Yenwu's biggest problem now was that he couldn't distinguish the origins of the Draconic Girl calling herself Bailu. The way to respond to someone from Baizao versus someone from Ursus was absolutely different!