The Emperor God left without saying a word. I have no idea what he wants me to help him with, but I won't cooperate with him—there isn't even a trace of willingness in my mind.
Rachel Lan sat silently on the sofa. I watched her quietly. I’ve come to understand this version of her in this world—she hasn’t changed at all from before. The biggest difference lies in her mindset.
"Oh, you’ve already eaten, huh? Heh."
Xu Fu quietly walked out of the kitchen, chewing on an apple.
"Where did you go?"
"Just took a walk on the island."
Under the light, I finally saw Xu Fu’s exhausted face. His forehead shimmered, and there was a scent—a bloody smell.
"You smelled it, didn’t you? Heh. The things on the ninth island are extremely unstable. I went to check and ran into a sudden incident."
Xu Fu looked very tired. After sitting down, he closed his eyes to rest.
"Are you hurt?"
Although Xu Fu didn’t say anything, my Specter Web sensed at close range that his body was very weak.
"By the way, where did we leave off in the story?"
Xu Fu asked.
"You should rest for the night. Continue tomorrow."
But Xu Fu shook his head. He forced himself upright and looked at me. In that instant, my eyes widened, and Rachel Lan noticed it too—the change in Xu Fu’s body. Just moments before, his aura had been chaotic and he looked extremely weak, but in a flash, he recovered.
"Heh, don’t worry about it. All right, I remember now. Heh, that was the first time I realized I could control everything."
Things began to change. That morning, Lord Simon Su was put in a prison cart and escorted by soldiers to the capital.
Lady Julie Zhou sat in her study, deep in thought, holding her forehead. Everything was chaotic. Right now, she was worried that Qiland’s army would invade at any moment, so she ordered her nephew, Charles Zhou, to take the city’s fewer than 3,000 soldiers to the border.
Yanland had just suffered heavy losses. If Qiland made a move now, then Zhuo City would be theirs for the taking. The people who had previously gone to the capital still hadn’t brought back any news.
However, what Lady Julie Zhou didn’t know was that her nephew Charles Zhou had already intercepted the messenger sent to the capital.
Because the matter was so serious, Charles Zhou himself was uncertain. He planned to investigate thoroughly and then submit a report to the capital himself.
A thirty-man escort team left Zhuo City, heading north along the main road. Wu quietly followed behind the convoy, waiting for the right moment.
At lunchtime, Wu found her chance. She quickly put on a black veil, and while the soldiers were cooking, she rushed out. The leading officer barely saw Wu before her sword had already slit his throat.
The panicked soldiers fumbled for their weapons, but faced with Wu’s twin swords, they fell one after another into pools of blood.
"You..."
"Master Zhou sent me to rescue you."
With just those simple words, Wu rescued Lord Simon Su and fled with him. When they reached a secluded spot, Lord Simon Su finally breathed a sigh of relief—only to be run through the chest by a sharp sword.
"You..."
Wu’s eyes showed no emotion. Then she found a pond, tied stones to Lord Simon Su’s body, and sank his corpse to the bottom.
Charles Zhou sat in the barracks, troubled. He had already sent his adjutant with soldiers to the Qiland–Yanland border, but he still couldn’t decide whether his uncle had really colluded with Qiland.
"Something’s wrong, Master Zhou—the escort team ran into trouble."
Charles Zhou was shocked, then stunned, as a severely wounded, barely alive soldier was carried in. He reported that Lady Julie Zhou had sent someone to rescue Lord Simon Su.
In an instant, Charles Zhou’s expression changed drastically. He immediately ordered the troops to apprehend his uncle first.
"The greatest conflict between people is mutual distrust. Heh, today, Zhuo City will run red with blood."
Xu Fu sat quietly in the room, while Ms. Genesis and Oblivion looked at him with disgust. Adam Dale was already asleep.
"Hmph, do you really think things will go your way?"
At that moment, noises came from outside—many footsteps could be heard.
Xu Fu set down his teacup, woke Adam Dale, and led them outside.
"What are you planning to do?"
Lady Julie Zhou was so angry her face turned green. Her trusted aide had just reported that the troops she sent out had suddenly returned, and now Charles Zhou’s soldiers had completely surrounded the Governor’s Manor.
"Uncle, I’m just doing my duty—executing traitors who collude with the enemy."
Charles Zhou raised his sword, facing Lady Julie Zhou.
"Are you trying to rebel? You all are the same—this is treason..."
Charles Zhou immediately interrupted Lady Julie Zhou, reciting the contents of another document from Qiland. In that moment, Lady Julie Zhou seemed to realize something and turned to look at Xu Fu.
"Xu Fu, it was you..."
Chaos erupted—the shouts and screams of killing filled the air, and nothing could stop it now. At this moment, the He Family also joined in, as Charles Zhou had already informed them of the situation.
The whole city went mad. Two factions began fighting, and all trust collapsed in an instant.
"Hahaha, you really are ruthless. Was it really just for the experiment?"
"Not entirely. Anyway, let’s hide for now. Ms. Genesis, you should know where the Governor’s treasury is, right?"
Ms. Genesis nodded. Outside, the cries of battle were deafening. The four of them retreated into a warehouse.
The fighting was fierce and unending, and darkness began to fall.
"It’s time for us to leave as well."
With a bang, the door was kicked open. Suddenly, twenty or thirty soldiers appeared at the entrance—led by Lady Julie Zhou, now filthy and disheveled.
"Well, Xu Fu, all of this..."
"It was all orchestrated by me."
Xu Fu said nothing, quietly watching Lady Julie Zhou.
"Men, seize him..."
"I advise you to hurry up and hand him over to your commander, Charles Zhou. Otherwise, you’ll all be implicated."
"You..."
Lady Julie Zhou glared hatefully at Xu Fu. The twenty or thirty soldiers she brought stood motionless, not obeying her orders. Distrust was written on every face.
"Get out of the way, all of you!"
Realizing something was wrong, Lady Julie Zhou ran, pushing past the soldiers and fleeing into the night, shouting as she went. The soldiers at the door hesitated.
"Anyone who captures a traitor will be richly rewarded!"
With that, the soldiers who had just been frozen in place rushed after her.
"This must be the treasury, huh."
They looked at a locked room, but Ms. Genesis walked over, took out a key, and opened the door. Inside, Xu Fu saw chests of money and only took the gold, having Oblivion and Adam Dale carry it as they prepared to leave.
The standoff continued. Lady Julie Zhou still had several hundred men, but today’s slaughter convinced Charles Zhou even more that his uncle had betrayed them.
Though it was late at night, the Governor’s Manor was still surrounded. Many soldiers waited outside with torches, planning to storm in at dawn.
Charles Zhou sat at the gate, his face cold as he watched the Governor’s Manor. But there was excitement in his eyes—if he could capture his uncle tomorrow, the governorship would be his, especially with the He Family’s help and testimony.
However, just then, an army of several hundred arrived outside the city—led by Jing Kerr, who held an official document from the capital, personally endorsed by King Simon of Yanland.
"What's going on?"
Jing Kerr looked outside the city. Countless refugees, families in tow, were moving along the road under the cover of darkness. After asking around for a while, Jing Kerr immediately realized that something was wrong.
"Men, advance at once!"
With a large force, Jing Kerr quickly entered the city. Outside the Governor's Manor, he found Charles Zhou, who was visibly excited. After clarifying the situation, Jing Kerr's expression turned deeply displeased.
For more than a year, Jing Kerr had been searching for a way to rescue Oblivion. He traveled to the capital of Yanland, hoping to serve under someone with true power and influence. He succeeded, receiving the respect he deserved, and told his sponsor about Oblivion’s plight. Only then did he obtain the official decree allowing Oblivion’s release from prison. Yet, he never imagined that Oblivion was actually from Qiland.
"Tomorrow morning, I hope you can help us storm the place and capture my uncle in one fell swoop."
Jing Kerr nodded at Charles Zhou's proposal, but inside, he felt helpless—perhaps even a little desolate.
Yet at dawn the next day, Lady Julie Zhou emerged, sword in hand, staggering forward, with no one behind her.
"Nephew, all of this was orchestrated by that wretched Xu Fu. You must believe your uncle."
Faced with Lady Julie Zhou’s cries, Charles Zhou’s expression didn’t change at all. He shouted loudly.
"Uncle, I need you to come with me to meet the King. Some matters must be explained face to face, or no one will be convinced."
"Enough, enough..."
A bleakness shone in Lady Julie Zhou’s eyes. She knew, deep down, that no matter what she said, she could never clear her name. Slowly, she raised her sword and, with a rasping sound, drew it across her own throat.
Instantly, Charles Zhou rushed forward with his men, vowing to capture those from the enemy nation.
"Sigh, something feels off here."
Xu Fu and the others were still waiting in the treasury, but when the main doors were finally battered open, Xu Fu’s expression changed.
"Lady Julie Zhou has taken her own life to atone. The rest of you, come out."