[Hey! Wake up, girl. It's not good to take this all on yourself. Even if what this old guy says is true, even if you're one of those people, did you force him to update the mainframe? Did you force him to attack Noel?]

Lian Han pursed her lips, feeling no sense of comfort, and looked at the screen again, "I've realized our topic has gone a bit off track."

"Yes. Because you haven't opened the box yet."

Suppressing his complicated feelings, Lian Han looked at the black box and asked, "What's inside?"

"Something that can protect you until you truly become strong. Rest assured, child, you, Xiaoya, and Sihan are all my juniors. I will not harm you."

Lian Han quickly realized that he was referring to her mother and Aunt Shen, and couldn't help but ask, "You mean, we are your descendants?"

"Yes. When I broke free from that person's control, my lover was no longer with me. Fortunately, she left me with a child, who is also your maternal grandfather."

Lian Han: ?!

Well, it wasn't exactly surprising. Before she came, she had even thought that this "adult" would be her maternal grandfather. After all, it had to be their parents who raised her mother and Aunt Shen.

Lian Han quickly found the loophole, "Wait a minute, is Aunt Shen also your descendant?"

"Yes."

Upon seeing this answer, Lian Han's expression turned cold, and he continued, "Did she tell you? That she was the adopted daughter of the Shen family? Actually, that's not the case."

“I lied to Sihan. She was the woman your maternal grandfather had an affair with. Your maternal grandmother was someone I chose; she was a very good girl. But he didn’t seem to like her, and he even wanted to divorce her for another woman. At that time, Xiaoya was already two years old, and of course I wouldn’t allow it. So I killed that woman, but I didn’t expect her to already have a child, so I brought her back to raise.”

Lian Han: "...Aunt Chen, does she know?"

"They probably don't know. I kept this a secret from everyone. Until Xiaoya left the Federation, she thought she was just an adopted daughter."

Seeing that Lian Han remained silent, Shen Liang asked, "Do you think I was too cruel? Killing her birth mother?"

Lian Han paused for a moment, then said, "I have no right to judge my elders."

"You're a good child. Sihan is too. It's a pity about Xiaoya—"

"What's wrong with her?"

"Her? If I'm not mistaken, apart from being unable to return to the Federation, she's living a more comfortable life than the Federation's president."

Lian Han: ?

"Xiaoya is with the Ice Clan. I heard that the Ice Clan has sent envoys recently. I don't know if you've seen them. Even if you haven't, be careful if you encounter them in the future. They are quite interested in Xiye, which is your eyes."

Lian Han silently recalled Qianya's insistence on dragging her along on this mission, and helplessly agreed with Shen Liang's words, because it certainly seemed to be the case.

"But what does Mother do in the Ice Tribe?"

"The Ice Clan needs the light of the past to see the past. Although your mother does not have the light of the past, her spiritual talent allows her to travel back in time. So when the Ice Clan came to take away Sihan, who possessed the light of the past, they ended up taking away Xiaoya instead. It didn't really make any difference to the Ice Clan."

"That's not quite right. There are some differences. Xi Ye can transfer to other people, but her spiritual power talent can't, so no one in the Ice Clan dares to touch her."

Is that how it is?

Lian Han felt slightly relieved, but then warned herself to be vigilant. Although the other party's words were completely logical and not much different from what she had guessed, it was still only one side of the story.

"You've asked all your questions. Are you still not going to open it?"

Lian Han looked at the box in her hand again, and after confirming that the Guardian Card was still on her, she slowly opened the box.

A flash of red light appeared, and something entered Lian Han's brow. The defense card didn't react, so it probably wasn't an attack.

"[Wow! Look at your sea of ​​consciousness!]" Xing Yucheng exclaimed in surprise.

Lian Han frowned, quickly sensing something new in her sea of ​​consciousness. It was a bewitching flower made of crystal, beautiful far more vibrant than the Blood Nether Flower, yet without the aura she disliked.

"What's this?"

"It serves as a layer of protection. With it, that person will no longer be able to influence your will through mental power. After all, even if he defies the heavens, he cannot harm himself."

Lian Han's heart skipped a beat. "Is this flower his source power?"

"You're as smart as Xiaoya. I call it Red Flower."

This name is so perfunctory. Lian Han's lips twitched. "Why me?"

"Because I don't want his scheme to succeed, and also because you are my junior. I hate him to the core, but I don't have the power to challenge him, so I can only prevent him from getting what he wants," Shen Liang frankly admitted.

So that's how it is? After confirming with the old man that the things in her sea of ​​consciousness were harmless, Lian Han said, "As far as I know, the military suspects that the Heavens and the Blood Netherworld Palace are involved. And some things I saw last night happen to prove this point."

She was referring to the things she had seen in the commercial building that Li Yingmo had taken her to in Zhuyanxing. Because of Li Yingmo's attitude at the time, she had concealed some information, such as the items that the two parties had traded.

"After many years of establishment, the Heavens have inevitably expanded after suppressing the pirate groups of all sizes in the Federation. Coupled with my current state, dissenting voices have finally emerged within the Heavens. What goes up must come down, and there's nothing we can do about it."

As the former ruler of the heavens, Shen Liang was quite familiar with these matters.

"So those people are biased towards the Blood Netherworld Palace?"

"If given the choice, who would refuse immortality?"

"But you refused."

Sensing the probing tone in the girl's words, a line of text appeared on the screen: "No one can live forever, except that monster!"

This answer surprised Lian Han. Just as she was about to ask another question, he continued to explain, "I don't know how he, as a human being, could have such a long life, but I'm certain that his success is just an isolated case and cannot be replicated, whether in the past, present, or future."

"Of course, it can also be considered revenge for His Majesty the President. I have wronged him."

Lian Han inexplicably felt that this last reason was the key point, so his expression softened a bit, "What do you want me to do?"

Regardless of blood ties, at least their goals are aligned.

"No, you don't need to do anything. What you need most right now is to become stronger, preferably like His Majesty Juecheng."

Xing Yucheng, who was suddenly called out: ?

Wow! Your elders have great taste!

However, before Xing Yucheng could even laugh out loud, he saw the new words, "But Juecheng is too naive. With your vigilance, at least you won't be as unguarded as he is about your back, which is a good thing."

Lian Han nodded, replying to the old man, "[He certainly has a good eye.]"

Xing Yucheng: ...Naive? That hurts.

"I'll let Xiaowei know. You can leave later. Go back to where you belong, but take a child with you, the one who brought you here. I guess I'm getting old; I can't remember names very well."

"It's Yi Jun. What's the use of bringing him along?"

"He's not bad; he might be able to help you. And if you want to contact the heavens, you can do so through him."

Lian Han opened his mouth, wanting to ask more questions, but then saw him write: "Go back. The affairs of the heavens are not something you can interfere with now."

...