Just as the two were gazing at each other, a light drizzle began to fall outside the window. The rain streaked across the glass, and the rising steam from the tea filled the air between them. Liu Xiaoran gently stroked the rim of his cup, his gaze fixed on an unseen point in the distance.
"What's the current situation of your Liu family?" Han Feng suppressed his desire to learn about hidden families and asked Liu Xiaoran.
Liu Xiaoran's fingers paused slightly, causing tiny ripples to spread across the surface of his tea. He remained silent for a moment, the light in his eyes seeming to dim with the passing memories: "I'm not really sure either."
"Don't know? That's what you mean." Han Feng raised an eyebrow.
"When I was very young, my family suffered a major upheaval," Liu Xiaoran's voice was so low it was almost drowned out by the rain. "My father sent me to the northern border overnight, entrusting me to the care of the military commander. It wasn't until twelve years later that I learned of Mengran's existence."
Han Feng recalled that Lin Zhengguo had mentioned that the Liu family had unusual connections in the Northern Territory.
"After Mengran was born, the family, fearing that other forces would exterminate her, sent her to an ordinary family in Jiang City," Liu Xiaoran continued, a hint of pain flashing in her eyes. "It wasn't until she was sixteen, when the family's situation had stabilized, that they brought her back to the capital."
Han Feng nodded thoughtfully. This largely matched the information provided by Lin Zhengguo, but one crucial point remained unclear: what exactly was the "unexpected event" that nearly led to the Liu family's annihilation back then?
"So Mengran has always harbored resentment towards the family." Liu Xiaoran gave a bitter smile. "The 'home' she remembers is the kind adoptive parents in Jiang City, not this Liu family that used her as a bargaining chip. Until a few days ago, I met her and told her all this. The family originally didn't intend to tell Mengran."
The rain outside the window intensified, the sound of raindrops pattering against the glass like the unsettling beat of a drum. Han Feng gently stroked his chin and suddenly asked, "Could I go and meet your family?"
"What?" Liu Xiaoran was clearly taken aback, almost dropping the teacup. "Why?"
"There are some things I want to understand clearly." Han Feng's gaze was sharp as a knife. "About your Liu family, about Meng Ran, and also about... those who might threaten her."
The air in the room seemed to freeze for a few seconds. Liu Xiaoran gave Han Feng a deep look, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, which were remarkably similar to Liu Mengran's—warning, hesitation, and a subtle hint of approval.
After a moment, Liu Xiaoran sighed and said calmly, "It was Elder Lin who asked you to investigate, wasn't it?"
Han Feng nodded.
After a moment's thought, Liu Xiaoran finally put down his teacup, stood up, and said, "Okay." He added, "I'll let you know when I get back, and then I'll let you know."
Han Feng also stood up. The two were about the same height and their eyes were level. Suddenly, Liu Xiaoran reached out and pressed down on Han Feng's shoulder with surprising force: "I hope you can take good care of Mengran."
This wasn't a request, but a blood-stained entrustment. Han Feng felt a slight pain in his shoulder blade, but he didn't move: "I know, I will."
"Although I don't know what your relationship is now," Liu Xiaoran's voice lowered, carrying the complex emotions unique to an older brother, "I can tell that she has developed a dependence on you."
Han Feng did not deny it. Whether it was Liu Mengran avenging him in his past life or Han Feng risking his life to protect Liu Mengran in the explosion in this life, this bond had long surpassed ordinary friendship, and even transcended life and death.
"I hope you can do it." Liu Xiaoran released her hand, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Also, her future might not be so smooth sailing."
Han Feng's eyes sharpened: "What does this mean?"
"Although the family appears stable on the surface, there's no guarantee that some of the older generation won't..." Liu Xiaoran paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, "...want to use her to make a comeback."
"A comeback?" Han Feng stepped forward, the shadows cast by raindrops on his face through the windowpane. "What exactly do you mean? What do they need from Meng Ran?"
Liu Xiaoran shook his head, stood up, and walked to the entrance hall: "You'll know these things once you get to the Liu family."
With the soft click of the door closing, Liu Xiaoran's figure disappeared into the rain. Han Feng stood there, the meaningful warning echoing in his ears. A comeback... what kind of "older generation" would place their hopes on a young girl? Unless Liu Mengran possessed something special...
Han Feng sat back on the sofa, opened his phone, and pulled up the encrypted file that Lin Zhengguo had sent him earlier—most of the part about the Liu family was blacked out, and the only information showed that the Liu family was once an ancient martial arts family, but was forced to withdraw from the Ancient Martial Arts Alliance twenty years ago due to "internal changes" and turned to business.
\"bite--\"
The voice that suddenly rang in his mind made Han Feng shudder. The familiar mechanical tone was so long-lost that it almost made him feel uneasy.
"Ding! The system has been upgraded. Please check it, host."
A semi-transparent light screen instantly unfolded before Han Feng's eyes, revealing a system interface even more refined than before. A line of golden text flashed at the top:
"Host-exclusive system version 3.0 update complete."
"Unclaimed upgrade gift packs detected. Open them now?"
Before Han Feng could react, the virtual little boy appeared.
"Hello, host, it's been so long, have you missed me?"
Han Feng rolled his eyes at it: "You've been gone for two months, guess?"
"Oh, oh, oh, still not admitting it?"
"So, what changes have you noticed since this upgrade?"
"Can't you see for yourself?" the little boy snorted.
"Aren't you afraid I'll format you?"
"Try it? I'm not the same person I used to be, okay?" Faced with Han Feng's threat, the system was not as afraid as before, as if it had gained some confidence.
Just as Han Feng was about to explore the system's functions, the little boy suddenly said, "So, you've already come into contact with an ancient martial arts family like the Liu family?"
Han Feng's expression froze for a moment, then he asked, "How do you know the Liu family is an ancient martial arts family? Didn't you say you didn't have the authority?"
The little boy paused for a moment, seemingly realizing he had said something wrong, and lied, "Even though I went to level up, I can still record what happens in the outside world."
Han Feng wanted to press further, but the little boy ignored him and said, "We have detected that the host has come into contact with an ancient martial arts family. We hereby issue the mission: to investigate the truth behind the Liu family's misfortune."
Mission Reward: Galaxy Vein Map
Failure penalty: None
Accept? (Not upgradable)
Looking at the system task, Han Feng couldn't help but click his tongue. It seemed that this system upgrade was far more interesting than he had imagined.
"Accept." Han Feng didn't hesitate at all; he was interested in the reward for this mission.
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