Chapter 247 (Chapter 246) Working Hard in Progress...
The crown of blazing sun was now in Yan Shi's hands.
It no longer has its former dazzling appearance; it has become dull and gray.
No wonder Baiyujing is called the place above the clouds, the closest place to the sun.
Because Baiyujing is floating on the power of the sun.
Inside the room, Shu Yao let out a long sigh: "Alright, you know now, don't worry about it anymore."
"Go back to the council chamber. Take everything you said before as if you never said it."
Shu Zhijing stared blankly at the pattern on the carpet, her voice low, "Teacher, the...sacrifice in the blood array at the bottom..."
She spoke slowly, hesitated for a moment, and thought for a long time before finding a suitable descriptive word: "Where do they all come from?"
Shu Yao: "You don't need to worry about it. These dirty things have nothing to do with you." From beginning to end, no matter what attitude Shu Zhijing had on the other end, Shu Yao remained calm.
His tone was gentle and restrained, so calm that it chilled Shu Zhijing to the bone.
She paused for a moment, then said, "...I understand."
"Teacher, you go ahead, I want to calm down a bit more."
Shu Yao raised her hand and glanced at the time: "Perfect timing. I also need to take care of some things first. I hope to see you in the council hall in a quarter of an hour."
Shu Zhijing: "Yes."
Shuyao pushed open the door and left. A long silence fell over the room.
After a long while, Shu Zhijing raised her head and looked at the roof: "Aren't you coming in?"
Yan Shi, who had been secretly observing all along: !
She continued to hold her breath, pretending nothing had happened, and remained lying still.
It couldn't be her. There's someone else on the roof?
Shu Zhijing looked up: "'Lord of the Wine City'?"
Yan Shi: ...
After a moment of awkward silence, she quietly pried open a few more tiles to enlarge the small hole she was observing through, and then poked her head in: "Good evening."
Shu Zhijing: "Good evening."
Yan Shi jumped through the hole in the roof and landed lightly on the carpet, asking curiously, "How did you find me?"
It's worth noting that even Shu Yao didn't notice her; Yan Shi was certain of that.
After all, what Shu Yao had told Shu Zhijing before was practically a scandal in Baiyujing. If she had known there were outsiders present, she would have cleared the area first and would never have been so candid.
Compared to Shu Yao's strength and cultivation, Shu Zhijing is definitely no match.
Shu Zhijing's mood darkened further after hearing this. She chuckled softly, "Because the teacher is injured."
Her teacher, the master of the Kunlun Sword, had reached the point where every time he wielded the sword, he would suffer a backlash.
Unlike the sword maiden of Mingchun Terrace, who is all about killing, the Kunlun sword is all about benevolence.
This directly contradicts Bai Yujing's bottom line.
Yan Shi was stunned: "The Sect Leader is injured?"
Wow.
She instantly felt at peace.
It turns out that she wasn't the only one injured in the fight with Shuyao on the main street!
Given this, it's only a matter of time before her strength surpasses that of Shu Yao.
“No,” Yan Shi continued. “Then how did you know it was me?”
Shu Zhijing: "Because you are the lord of Wine City."
Yan Shi: ?
Shu Zhijing: "Today's Baiyujing Conference will begin at midnight."
“Yes.” Yan Shi nodded.
She remembered that she wasn't late.
Could it be that the disguise hairpin Xiao Jingqiu gave her was also a counterfeit product?
Shu Zhijing: "Lord Xiao has never held a meeting this late before."
Yan Shi: ...
She wondered why Xiao Jingqiu was so kind as to give her the invitation; it turned out he didn't intend to give it to her and wouldn't normally use it.
Shu Zhijing continued to stare blankly.
Yan Shi walked to the table by the window, casually pulled out a chair and sat down, resting his elbows on the armrests, and looked at her with great interest.
To be fair, Shu Yao treated Shu Zhijing very gently, explaining the pros and cons clearly, and even paving the way for her to make amends.
Shu Zhijing is also the young master of Kunlun, so theoretically, she should agree with Shu Yao.
However, Yan Shi could also clearly sense Shu Zhijing's confusion and pain.
Yan Shi leaned back in the soft chair: "You don't seem to agree with Master Shu."
Shu Zhijing stood there blankly, without answering.
Yan Shi continued, "But why? Judging from the results, the actions of the Sect Leader Shu were definitely beneficial to Bai Yujing."
"I thought you would always stand by Bai Yujing's side."
Considering the previous incident involving a huge sum of compensation on the Ju'e Plain, it was Shu Zhijing who came to deliver the Bai Yujing compensation to Yan Shi.
The room remained quiet, so quiet that they could hear each other breathing.
Shu Zhijing finally turned her head to look at Yan Shi, her expression tired and stiff: "Because this is wrong." Her voice was soft, but it was firm: "Bai Yujing's floating and high-and-mighty status should not be built on the suffering of others."
Moreover, it's on a physical level, beyond pain.
Yan Shi raised an eyebrow: "When you took it for granted that you were embezzling the war orphanage funds for the Ju'e Plain, you didn't think this way before."
Shu Zhijing: "This is different."
"What's the difference?" Yan Shi's eyes were dark. "The victims beneath Baiyujing were innocent lives that shouldn't have been taken. But the orphans of the Giant E Plains aren't?"
"Such a flexible and adaptable bottom line, so grand and dignified." Her voice was icy.
"Protect humanity."
"That compensation payment was signed when Director Shan was in office, and Bai Yujing consistently voted against it. Such a large sum of money is not only used to appease the beastmen cubs, but it would be better to invest it in the construction of the human race's main city."
As Shu Zhijing spoke, her gaze drifted toward the woman not far away.
White hair, black eyes, and a gentle expression. But she was quite certain that the person in front of her was not Xiao Jingqiu.
Xiao Jingqiu wouldn't hold a meeting in the middle of the night, nor would he have the leisure to "meddle in other people's business."
The city lord of Wine City shares the same stance as Wine City: absolute neutrality.
As for who was in front of her, she thought quickly but couldn't figure it out for a moment.
The invitation was sent out by the crane that night, and Xiao Jingqiu couldn't interfere with these matters. The woman in front of him could only intercept the crane silently.
A single, fatal blow, or exceptional puppetry skills.
And superb disguise skills.
At least Shu Yao didn't see anything wrong; she just felt it was unusual.
Yan Shi seemed to be deep in thought, tapping his fingertips on the table one tap at a time: "So, that's what you're thinking."
"Humans should protect their own kind." Shu Zhijing walked to the table by the window and pushed open the window.
The night wind carried the chill of late winter, and the moonlight shone on Yan Shi's white hair and onto her fingertips.
The disguise was flawless. Even upon close inspection, Shu Zhijing couldn't detect any flaws.
She continued in a flat tone, "As humans, we are not born with strong physiques and cannot run immediately. We need to learn to master magic."
“We are a rather weak race in the Otherworld. If we do not protect our fellow human beings, then only extinction awaits us.”
Yan Shi tilted his head: "But now it seems that most of the things that will harm the human race are the human race itself, right?"
She laughed, her eyebrows raised: "Smuggling caravans, hunting grounds, and the blood array beneath the Jade Capital—aren't they all harming their own kind?"
Shu Zhijing's palms tightened little by little, her knuckles turning white: "So I'm trying, I'm trying to change these things. I thought Bai Yujing was different."
The woman in front of her finally laughed out loud, as if she had heard something amusing: "But you are Shu Zhijing."
Yan Shi raised his hand and pointed his fingertip at the emblem of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs on Shu Zhijing's chest: "Even if you don't admit it, as long as you are still under your teacher's protection, your efforts..."
"It will always be a game that can be manipulated."
Shu Zhijing remained silent, her gaze lowered once more. She stared blankly at the pattern on the carpet, trying to find the answer within it.
“You’re right,” she murmured, “but I can’t help it.”
“If,” Yan Shi leaned closer to her, looking into her eyes, “I have a way to solve your current problem, but it would require you to betray everything you have, would you do it?”
Shu Zhijing met her gaze, a hint of wariness in her eyes: "Will it hurt the teacher?"
"Physically speaking, definitely not," Yan Shi shrugged. "Emotionally speaking, you betrayed her, don't you think?"
After a brief silence, Shu Zhijing said, "I will."
She looked intently at the woman in front of her and said, word by word, firmly and confidently, "I will."
"If there is a new way to keep Bai Yujing floating in the air without the cost of innocent lives and suffering, I will do it even if it costs me my life."
Yan Shi gazed at her, a slow smile playing on his lips: "You promise?"
Shu Zhijing: "I promise."
"In that case, it's a pleasure to cooperate." Yan Shi chuckled and reached up to remove the jade hairpin from her hair.
Her long white hair fell down, then instantly turned black again. The night wind blew her loose hair, and her face gradually lost its gentleness, revealing sharp features.
Shu Zhijing froze, her pupils suddenly contracting: "Yan...Yanlan?"
"Huh?" Yan Shi blinked. "It can't be me?"
"We just made a promise."
“...No.” Shu Zhijing was somewhat lost in thought. “I was just… a little surprised.”
She stared at Yan Shi, her gaze sweeping over her eyebrows and eyes.
Shu Zhijing had only met Yan Ju once before, and had only heard of Yan Lan.
Among the many rumors circulating among the powerful families in the underworld, Yanlan is described as having an eccentric personality, unpredictable moods, and reckless behavior.
Furthermore, Yanlan is a deceased person; who knows what price she paid to emerge from death?
Both Shu Zhijing and others cannot deny this.
She never believed rumors.
At this moment, she had a rare opportunity to look at Yanlan so closely.
Yanlan and Director Yan really do look alike. No wonder everyone says that if you see Yanlan, you can tell what Director Yan is like.
However, unlike the rumors, Yanlan is very genuine.
If it's Yanlan.
Shu Zhijing slowly exhaled: "What do you want me to do for you?"
She had indeed made up her mind.
Yan Shi: "Don't be nervous." She laughed, "Perhaps you know about the counter-bombing propaganda from the Outer World and Director Yan?"
Author's note: I'll get my first ever perfect attendance record in just three days!
I'll be writing extra chapters on the weekend to cover major plot points. I've had so many classes lately, from 8 am to 6 pm, and by 5 pm it's already midnight in China QAQ
I sneak around to class every day and occasionally slack off to write.
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