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"Tianji... will see clearly sooner or later..."

In Jiangnan, King of Qin silently observed the barrier but made no move.

"Did Tianji just go in?" Mr. Origami asked.

"Hmm..." King of Qin replied with a smile, "Chen Qing has linked the Formation path of the Dragon Palace with his own divine path, using the main god of the underworld as the Formation’s eye. Almost any high-energy creature that approaches can be detected by the god of the underworld. This method can block the invasion of most demons, but it can’t block Tianji. "

Mr. Origami nodded. Tianji, for starters, doesn’t have much energy to begin with, and secondly, Tianji is very good at finding loopholes in Formations.

There are hardly any Arrays in this world that can trap him.

This is also why those ancient players were able to seal away so many disobedient players but couldn’t seal these developers.

No one can trap Tianji, including himself...

"What is he here for?" Mr. Origami inquired curiously, "You seem to know that he would come here."

"His actions are unpredictable, but his thoughts are quite easy to guess," King of Qin said with a bit of melancholy.

"Of those of us who survived back then, only a few remain.

He saw with his own eyes how we failed completely and how the people reacted upon learning our identities.

He knows better than anyone that... humans and demons cannot coexist! "

"If he’s so clear on that, why did he come here?"

"Because of naivety..." King of Qin sighed.

"He knows all too well that the humans in this world will not accept us, yet he can’t bear to leave, thinking that as long as he hides his identity, he can enjoy the kindness here for a lifetime.

After all, such kindness and human nature cannot be enjoyed in the Federation.

He hates the Federation, so he resists its arrival. "

"I see..." Mr. Origami looked puzzled at the other, "So you’re not stopping him? In your plan, the invasion by the Federation is necessary, isn’t it?"

"No need to stop..." King of Qin shook his head. "Because it’s unstoppable. Tianji can’t kill or trap anyone. He’s always looking for like-minded people, but he doesn’t understand that the world is full of either the cowardly or the ambitious.

Someone like him with ability but no ambition, carrying that bit of na?vety, is truly one of a kind. .."

Mr. Origami: "...."

"He’s following Chen Qing because he wants to see if Chen Qing is someone like him.

Chen Qing is very capable, and his divine path fits perfectly with his na?ve dream of building a home for the Human Race.

Even if it fails, he has no regrets. In his mind, they can always reincarnate.

No matter how many times they die, they won’t always be discovered, right? "

"Uh... Does Tianji know you think of him this way?" Mr. Origami asked somewhat speechlessly.

"I actually didn’t used to believe such people existed," King of Qin said with a chuckle. "But he just is..."

"So, is Chen Qing that kind of person?"

"No..." King of Qin shook his head. "Chen Qing... is even more na?ve than him..."

-----------------------------

"What do you want me to do?" Jiang Xiaoling asked with red-rimmed eyes.

Even with his limited experience, he could tell that the person before him was there to entice him, but still, he couldn’t help but entertain some thoughts.

As he had said, if the people from the Federation came, his identity would certainly be exposed. What would his mother and sister think of him then? What would become of this world?

Anyway, he didn’t think things would get any better...

"It’s not about what I want you to do, but what you think you should do," Tianji said as he stood up. "Enjoy life here for a while. You’ll soon understand that Chen Qing cannot get into trouble. What would this world become like if Chen Qing were controlled? I don’t think you’d like to see that happen. "

Jiang Xiaoling looked up, about to say something, only to find that the old man had vanished without a trace, leaving him even more bewildered.

Remember why you joined the Federation’s plan, what your purpose is.

Feeling dizzy, Jiang Xiaoling didn’t even know how he made it home.

Once in Jiangnan, his family was settled and lived in the Lyuzhou characteristic Heaven Piercing Tower, which was said to house mostly military families. Many wealthy people vied to get in.

His family was arranged to live on the thirteenth floor.

The tower featured elevators powered by jadeite energy, very similar to modern elevators.

Having been here only a few days, Jiang Xiaoling could already feel the strong academic atmosphere, with every household either joining the army or hoping to send their children to study at the Jiangnan Academy.

Such an atmosphere... Would it create a modern world in the future?

Chen Qing probably also wished for that, didn’t he? To build this place into an era of his choosing within his lifetime...

"Xiaoling’s back?"

Jiang Xiaoling’s mother, seeing her son return, called out eagerly, "Hurry and wash your hands. Dinner’s almost ready."

Jiang Xiaoling paused, then smiled. His mother had learned the local habit of washing hands before eating in just three days since her arrival...

The atmosphere here was really good. Since most residents in the building were from military households and the women didn’t have to work thanks to excellent welfare benefits, they liked to visit each other when they had nothing else to do.

His mother was infected by the enthusiasm of their neighbors on the very first day, and in just three days, she had learned quite a few things, even how to play mahjong.

Sister had become much more cheerful, too, since none of the people around her were from the Southeast. A new environment, full of warm faces, had at last allowed her to temporarily forget that terrible ordeal.

"Mother... what dish is this?" Jiang Xiaoling asked, sitting down and looking at the dining table.

"Oh, this is called sour soup sea cucumber, a real delicacy. I heard it’s extremely nourishing for the body. Your Aunt Yang from upstairs gave it to us."

"Huh... this is... sea cucumber?" Jiang Xiaoling was a bit confused.

In Digital City, there were simulated restaurants that allowed ordinary people to experience the various delicacies once enjoyed by real humans. Although he had never eaten sea cucumber, he knew that it definitely didn’t look like what was in front of him...

The so-called sea cucumber in the plate really resembled a ginseng, fleshy and black, and at first glance didn’t look edible at all.

But it did indeed fit the name sea cucumber, ginseng of the sea... He thought this might be just Chen Qing’s peculiar sense of humor.

Now that he thought about it, he suddenly felt a bit envious of Chen Qing: to create his own ideal world in such a place, to do as he pleased—was there anything better in this world?

But that guy should know that such things... wouldn’t last, right?

"Xiaoling, what are you daydreaming about?" A somewhat frail but delicately featured little girl approached with a plate of dishes, asking with concern.

Jiang Xiaoling snapped back to reality, his gaze drifting towards her. His sister’s recovery over the past three days had been remarkable. Her occasional radiant smile warmed his entire being. The closer he had come to losing her, the more he cherished her.

He would never let anything take away the only two family members he had left!

"Mother... Elder Master Tian came to find me just now."

"Elder Master Tian? Which Elder Master Tian?"

"The one from the big house on the street opposite us, Elder Master Tian Hesong."

"What... what did he want with you?" Panic flickered in the woman’s eyes, and the sister’s body stiffened for a moment. Obviously... they were quite resistant to those old neighbors from the Southeast.

"Mother, don’t worry..." Jiang Xiaoling hurriedly said in a soothing tone, "Elder Master Tian came to discuss a marriage alliance."

"A marriage alliance?" The woman was taken aback. "How old are you? Which daughter of his does he expect you to marry?"

"It’s for sister..." Jiang Xiaoling looked up. "Elder Master Tian wants to betroth his legitimate grandson to sister."

"His legitimate grandson?" Jiang Xiaoling’s mother gasped, taking a breath. "Are you sure you heard correctly?"

The Tian Family must be aware of their family’s plight. Under such circumstances, they were still willing to marry their legitimate grandson to their daughter?

"Mother... I’ve told you before, I’m quite sought after," Jiang Xiaoling said with a smile. "Elder Master Tian knows what he’s doing, wanting to invest in our family early..."

"This... isn’t quite right, is it?" the woman hesitated, glancing at her daughter, who was lost in thought.

"That’s for you to judge, Mother." Jiang Xiaoling did not decide for her but whispered instead, "The Tian Family doesn’t mind our past, and that should be made clear from the start. Compared to marrying into a local family under false pretenses, the Tian Family might be a bit safer. Of course, if sister doesn’t want to, I can also plan for her to marry someone local. "

"This..." Understanding her son’s intention, she realized it might be better to choose someone who knew everything from the start, over someone who could cause trouble in the future. Keeping the past a secret and marrying off into a family with it hidden means one would be at fault if the truth ever came out. However, if they went with the Tian Family, fully aware of the situation, they would be in the right, as long as the son became successful; the Tian Family wouldn’t have grounds to mistreat their daughter.

Thinking of this, the woman felt that it might not be a bad match after all; especially considering the Tian Family’s excellent background.

She had seen the Tian Family’s legitimate grandson before: knowledgeable, mild-mannered, respectful.

He would greet and salute his elders from afar, clearly a well-bred child.

In the past, even without the incident, they couldn’t have hoped to marry into such a family. Now, it seemed their son’s prospects had turned the tide.

With this in mind, she looked at her daughter. The little girl blushed upon her mother’s gaze and said, looking down, "I... I... I don’t know..."

Seeing her daughter like this, the woman laughed. It was clear the daughter was quite willing, as she had also seen the Tian Family’s legitimate grandson: handsome and learned—a match few women could resist.

"Then try to discuss it, but be clear—if they decide to form an alliance, they should not dwell on that day’s incident. If they go back on their word..."

"If they go back on their word... I will make sure the Tian Family regrets it!"

Looking at her confident child, the woman laughed again. "You, where do you get such confidence from? I wonder if your father would laugh so much he couldn’t sleep if he knew how successful you’ve become now?"

At the mention of his father, Jiang Xiaoling’s heart skipped a beat.

In Jiangnan, there was the underworld, and since his father hadn’t been dead for long when the Southeast fell into the hands of the divine, if Jiangnan completely conquered the Southeast County, the underworld would likely expand there.

His father’s spirit had not been gone for long; perhaps it was still intact on the Path of Yin and Yang in the Southeast. If Chen Qing managed to fully conquer the Southeast, maybe.

.. his family... would still have a chance to reunite!