Always there when needed, always spot on.

Always deliberately wearing an annoying smile, speaking softly and gently, straddling the line between falsehood and sincerity, there's always that thin veil, close yet distant.

After aging, that fox-like cunning became even more practiced.

It was unpleasant.

"As always, you show up at just the right time."

Ye Xian did not hide his sarcasm, "You always appear after things have simplified, very much your style."

Lv Yingyue didn't mind, flinging the blood, broken bones, and flesh off her twin severed blades, her smile unwavering, "According to different situations, deciding to act in advance or delay, that is indeed the most important survival philosophy for a salary thief."

"Are you really Tian Yuan?"

"Genuine article." Lv Yingyue nodded.

Ye Xian scoffed with a cold laugh.

Lies.

Lv Yingyue smiled, "A dead salary is only so much, even civil servants have to moonlight to support their families, as a director, you should know how to adapt, right?"

"Adapting is the way of White Deer and Embers, it has nothing to do with the Security Bureau." Ye Xian looked at her deeply, with profound meaning, "Beware, Tian Yuan does not accommodate the double-hearted."

"Ah, although it's tough, they still tolerate me, for now. How should I put it? Sometimes Tian Yuan can be quite generous..."

Lv Yingyue answered breezily, looking over the scorched earth, growing more curious, "But what about you, not seen for a few months, and you're now Heavenly People?"

"Not even close." Ye Xian replied.

Lv Yingyue sighed lightly, shaking her head.

Lies.

But it didn't matter, she held her shattered blades inverted, handing them over, "Could you check if there's still any value in repairing these?"

"No hope, trash them."

Ye Xian didn't bother to look, "With your brute way of using weapons, no weapon is durable enough. Don't waste your money and the craftsman's efforts, just keep taking whatever you can use.

Are you alone? What about Tong Shan?"

"Don't know, he hasn't returned yet." Lv Yingyue shook her head, "To think positively, at least he's still alive... What about your student?"

"The same, also still alive."

Ye Xian's expression grew complicated, "But thinking negatively, it's likely that more will die."

"I don't really understand the relationship between you and your disciple."

"To tell the truth, I don't quite get it either."

"You're still the same as before, always talking nonsense."

"No, this is the truth, from the bottom of my heart."

...

And so, after an idle chat here and there, they stepped over the gnarled bones, making their way toward the outpost.

In the distance, the previously tumultuous night sky gradually fell silent.

A dazzling light rose from the ground, followed by another, and then, along with the opening of Star Core Association's portals, came various powerful presences: grand, violent, reserved, or somewhere between existence and non-existence yet omnipresent, spreading in all directions...

"Tong family, Lou Family, Yu Family, Jiang Family..."

Lv Yingyue walked gracefully, listing the identities of the newcomers, unconcerned.

She had already secured the primary credit for quelling the chaos, hitting just the right note, so she obviously was in no hurry to show off.

"What about the old man Tao?"

Ye Xian glanced at her relaxed demeanor, "To use my student's words, at times like these, you need to watch out for 'base stealers'."

"Old man Tao?"

Lv Yingyue started to laugh, "The least of my worries is old man Tao."

...

In the silent office, a crisp sound echoed.

A chess piece was plucked up and scattered on the board, disrupting the dangerous close quarters of black and white.

Conceding the game.

"Lost again."

Lu Changsheng shrugged in disappointment.

The decrepit and dull old man barely lifted his eyes, "Why so... impetuous?"

Lu Changsheng sighed, "Got impatient."

The vibration of telekinesis carried a hoarse voice, "You shouldn't have been so hasty, I thought you would have taken more time to prepare.

Why the rush?"

The sudden turn of events indeed caught the Security Bureau off guard.

But what then?

Not only had they lost their original element of surprise, the chaos within had also been exposed. Aside from breaking the blockade of Spring City and forcibly joining the present, there was no accomplishment.

And that's it, the contamination was tightly controlled by old man Tao, unable to spread.

The initial advantage gained by secretly nurturing in Spring City over the years had been nearly exhausted.

"No choice, got poked in a weak spot."

Lu Changsheng propped his chin, smiling helplessly, "I originally thought it was just a redundant move of yours, but I didn't expect it to have such an effect.

Truly unexpected.

But now that the curtain has been inadvertently pulled back by the troublemaking children, the actors, however unwilling, must rush onto the stage.

Otherwise, the audience will jeer."

After all these years of intricate preparations, 'collective wisdom and concerted effort', daily perseverance, to achieve such a scale, if they couldn't strike first to gain the upper hand, what was the point?

Wouldn't it be just like before?

The villains painstakingly develop, the heroes arrive abruptly, the villains fleeing in panic...

How laughable?

"What about my secretary?" old man Tao asked.

"Hm?" Lu Changsheng looked puzzled.

"My secretary, where did he go." old man Tao lifted his eyes to look at him, waiting for an answer.

"I get your point."

Lu Changsheng laughed self-deprecatingly, spreading his hands, "You think I killed him and took his place? There's nothing of the sort.

I am your secretary, old man Tao, from the very beginning."

Lu Changsheng began to laugh, "From the moment you awakened, from when you began planning all this, the person you knew, that was me."

"Besides, where in this world can you find a perfect substitute method? Where is there a foolproof plan?

It's just that sometimes the workload is too much on both ends, and I do lament how arduous it is to be Tian Yuan. But there's no choice, it's hard to find enough capable hands. Sometimes, you have to do it yourself—"

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