It was a bit complicated.
The Old Speaker did indeed need a reason to knock Wen Shengqing down a peg, and this had been delivered right to him. It was just… he didn’t know whether to be happy that this child’s political instincts were so sharp, or to worry that she was standing up too early.
It would have been better if she had this kind of drive in a few years. Was it perhaps a bit too soon now?
The Old Speaker worried that Chuyao’s strength wasn’t enough to contend with Wen Shengqing, but since things had already reached this point, he could only brace himself and continue. “Yao Yao, is there something you want to say?”
“Words are empty; evidence is what matters most.” Xu Chuyao clasped her hands and spoke with righteous conviction. “I have a witness currently in Center City. I will bring him here in a few days. I hope the Old Speaker will host the meeting for me then.”
Wait, she was for real?
Long Jun’s expression stiffened slightly. He felt as if he were seeing himself one and a half years ago, meeting this overly clever girl for the first time through a video conference and deciding on the spot to take her in as a confidant.
It wasn’t a flashback; he was just confirming that Xu Chuyao had indeed been promoted by his own hand and was already bound to the same faction.
It was an exaggeration to say they shared the same fate, but facing a figure like Wen Shengqing, they no longer had a way to retreat.
Even if they couldn’t win right now, the situation was so complex, and it wasn’t a simple head-on confrontation… If they actually succeeded—
Long Jun gritted his teeth and raised his right hand, speaking for the first time since joining the Council. “I know of the witness. I was responsible for that matter previously. I will arrange for personnel to escort him here as soon as possible.”
‘Little Chu, by saying this in public and waiting a few days, aren’t you just waiting for the witness to be silenced?’
But it was precisely because the old leader handled matters flawlessly that he would process it this way.
“Then let it be so.”
The Old Speaker was still deep in thought and did not linger in the hall.
***
After the meeting ended, Xu Chuyao ran into Long Jun in the hallway.
“Little Chu, your proposal was good, but there’s a small problem.”
He knew the so-called witness was a remnant of the Supreme Society—the former Clown Gang Leader, Morris, who had surrendered voluntarily and was currently being held at the Spirit Ascension Academy.
Xu Chuyao nodded. “But I originally planned to bring him here via Crystal Projection.”
Long Jun was stunned.
He certainly knew about Crystal Projection; he had personally arranged the related mission back then.
“Didn’t you say it would take a few days? Isn’t Crystal Projection instantaneous?”
Xu Chuyao’s lips curled upward. “Let the bullet fly for a while.”
It was an ambiguous phrase, yet it seemed to carry a profound meaning that left Long Jun momentarily dazed.
But he quickly snapped out of it.
“Don’t give me that mysterious act. I’m telling you, Little Chu, he is not easy to deal with. If you’re really going to make a move, you must think it through thoroughly. Let’s discuss it properly.”
He spoke with extreme caution, not even mentioning the name, substituting it with “him” instead.
Xu Chuyao was slightly taken aback, realizing her old boss truly intended to pick a side. She couldn’t help but laugh.
“Of course I have a plan, hehe…”
“Quiet! Don’t laugh!”
“Of course I have a plan,” she whispered in an extremely low voice. “And I have a trump card in my hand. Just wait and see.”
Long Jun wanted to ask more, but people were passing by, so he had to give up.
“Make sure to notify me before the meeting in a few days!”
Leaving those words behind, he hurried away.
Xu Chuyao glanced down the corridor. People were coming and going; Wen Shengqing’s people were already in motion, and Chu Cang’s people were also scurrying about. The situation was faintly chaotic.
Today’s meeting had completely unsettled everyone’s hearts.
As one of the instigators, Yao Yao kept her hands behind her back, pretending it had nothing to do with her as she ran back to her room in a few quick steps.
“Shen Ning, I’m back! Let me tell you, just now I— Shen Ning, what’s wrong with you?”
As soon as she entered the door, she saw the young girl slumped on the bed. She had actually fainted!
—
The sky turned dark.
The tea room remained closed. A few Councilors stood outside the room, their expressions nervous.
However, Wen Shengqing still told them to go back.
“We aren’t the ones who suffered a loss today. As for Miss Xu’s accusation, it is nothing more than nonsense.”
He spoke calmly, and his words did indeed make some sense, so the crowd gradually felt at ease.
True, Chu Cang had lost an arm today, while everyone on their side, from Marshal Wen to Peter Mo, was safe and sound.
As for Xu Chuyao—she had acted inconsistently today. One moment she helped deal a heavy blow, and the next she turned around and called it unfair. Who knew what she was thinking?
Perhaps it was just the restlessness of a young person.
“Then we will take our leave. Please rest well, Marshal.”
The sound of footsteps outside the door gradually faded.
Inside the room, Wen Shengqing pulled the curtains shut and slowly closed his eyes while sitting in his chair.
He remembered what Peter Mo had said many days ago when he sent him to test Xu Chuyao. Her behavior today matched those words perfectly.
Was she deliberately trying to create a balance? Did she want to cause both him and Chu Cang to suffer so she could reap the benefits?
If that were the case, it was too blunt, even a bit clumsy.
He couldn’t figure it out.
—
Chu Cang couldn’t figure it out either.
But his attention was not on Xu Chuyao.
The blood at the stump of his arm had long since dried and had even begun to heal.
Shen Ning’s Wind Attribute Stage Four had a rejuvenation ability, and his Water Attribute naturally had one as well, but it stopped there—a severed hand could not be regrown.
“He’s truly ruthless, isn’t he.”
For so many years, he had been handling all sorts of unspeakable matters in the dark for the other man. Now that he had become a threat, he was being cleared away without mercy, just like those people from the Ghost Party.
the reason why the Twin Stars only had one name left was because the other had already been reduced to a shadow.
And how could a shadow stand up from the ground?
Chu Cang muttered to himself.
He was the only one in the dark room, yet it was as if he were talking to someone who didn’t exist.
Rather than calling it deception, it was more like psychological manipulation. Although Wen Shengqing hadn’t said it explicitly, he had instilled ideas through various hints—your image isn’t suited for the front stage; the strong won’t respect you, and the weak will fear you. It’s better to hide behind the scenes where you can have both freedom and profit.
The young Chu Cang had indeed developed an inferiority complex because of this and had reluctantly accepted the role.
By the time he grew tired of the darkness and wanted to step back into the sunlight, he found the landscape had already been set. There was no space for him.
Why could only one person stand in the light?
Why couldn’t it be him?
“Losing an arm is actually a good thing?” Chu Cang looked into the void. “Right, you all also actively severed your limbs and fell into darkness back then… But you’re right. Being injured does indeed make people drop their guard.”
—
“You’re awake? It’s already dark outside, and the meeting is over.”
Xu Chuyao sat by the bed, watching Shen Ning slowly wake up.
“You didn’t see the expressions on those people at the meeting. It was quite a sight.”
She excitedly recounted the events of the meeting and the reactions of the various parties.
“I’m telling you, that guy Chu Cang kept a dark face the whole time. No matter what anyone said, he didn’t react. I bet he’s definitely bottling up something bad, preparing to give Wen Shengqing a hard time.”
“Anyway, that’s it on my side. What about you? Why did you faint?”
Shen Ning was still a bit dazed.
“I… I don’t know. I just tried that ability again, and it seems like it worked.”
As it turned out, she had been pondering alone in the room during the afternoon, thinking that while Chu Cang was heavily injured, she might be able to try her ability.
It had failed.
But since she was already trying, she decided to try it on another target—Wen Shengqing.
She closed her eyes and channeled that mysterious power.
And then—she fainted immediately.
“Which means, it worked?” Xu Chuyao’s eyes lit up. “You performed a Rule Interference on Wen Shengqing?”
Shen Ning nodded, then shook her head. “I… think so?”
She wasn’t sure herself.
But Xu Chuyao was basically certain of it.
The Butterfly Effect was something that couldn’t be explained clearly anyway.
But one thing was certain—
“I definitely created the conditions for you. I brought charges against him, and when I bring the witness in a few days, the causal chain will be complete.”
However, Shen Ning was clearly exhausted and couldn’t use the crystals to open the door.
Thus, Xu Chuyao could only temporarily adopt the plan proposed by Long Jun.