“No need for thanks, you’re welcome. We’re all just trying our best to live.”
In the Crystal Stone World, at Shawei Square, Xu Chuyao opened her backpack and distributed snacks to the people on the square.
Those who had already been treated and had regained their humanity and sanity had moved on to other places. Those still receiving treatment here were naturally those who had not yet fully recovered. They possessed a bit of rationality, but not much. The stones on their bodies had not been completely purged, and their entire beings were shrouded in a dazed, hazy aura.
They were truly dazed, quite different from the act Li Li put on.
“You don’t need to talk to them,” Shen Ning said. “They can’t understand you.”
“Oh, it’s precisely because they can’t understand that they need to hear more. They’ll understand when they look back on it later.” Xu Chuyao handed half of the remaining snacks from her backpack to her. “Don’t just watch. Go distribute some on the other side.”
Since her sister-in-law had given the order, the young girl had no choice but to take the items to the other side to distribute “kindness” to the subjects.
As she distributed them, she looked down. Oh, these were all her favorites.
So, she secretly kept two bags for herself, tore one open, and stuffed a dried sweet potato into her mouth.
‘I really don’t want to say anything, but you truly have no ambition,’ the voice of the Sexual Repression Projection whispered in her ear. ‘You’re on your own turf now. Instead of thinking about how to take control and suppress Li Li, you’re being bought off by a few petty favors!’
It said what it wanted, and the girl ate what she wanted, simply pretending she hadn’t heard a thing.
However, Xu Chuyao’s voice also drifted over. “I told you to give the candy to others! Why are you eating it yourself?”
Shen Ning looked around, feeling a bit more confident. She turned back to her sister-in-law and said, “I’ve distributed most of it. The rest of the people don’t want any.”
If they wanted it, they would have approached her. If they didn’t come, they didn’t want it.
“Is that so…” Xu Chuyao looked over skeptically. “Forget it, never mind. Come on, let’s go on a home visit.”
“A home visit?”
“It’s taking them to the Mortal World to find their relatives. It’s what you’ve been doing lately.”
“Oh.”
Shen Ning understood. She asked Mellon about the situation, randomly picked someone prepared for a reunion, and opened the Gate to the Mortal World together.
***
The Council Hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Sui Feng quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead. To be fair, he didn’t quite understand the specifics of what was happening, but his intuition told him something big was brewing—and it was a massive problem.
Putting everything else aside, who was this General Chu? He only knew who Little Chu was, but Little Chu was not even 20 years old. He was a bit too young.
Worse yet, everyone else present seemed to know. Some looked deep in thought, some looked troubled, and others had determined gazes—specifically the four people led by Zhou Tian.
This didn’t look like a simple recommendation; it looked like a desperate, all-or-nothing gamble.
“How is that possible? What nonsense are you talking about?” A councilor standing next to Wen Shengqing stood up. “Who else could there be besides Marshal Wen?”
Zhou Tian didn’t even look at him, maintaining his cupped-hand gesture. “General Chu has spent his life on the battlefield. He participated in the Pacification War as a youth and became famous alongside the city of Wenyuan. After the war, he did not settle for a life of luxury but instead took on the most difficult tasks, cleaning up the filth in the dark corners of this prosperous age. Because of this, he has never received fair treatment. This is an excellent opportunity to recall General Chu and give him what he deserves.”
“Nonsense!” The man from before was huffing with rage. “Was he ‘voluntarily’ taking on those tasks? It was clearly because of his appearance… That’s why I’m saying it! In his state, he can’t even make a normal expression. And you want him to lead the Council?”
Sui Feng felt that this man’s huffing was partly due to anger and partly due to old age. This fully proved that the Council did indeed need fresh blood. The Old Speaker’s decision was not wrong.
But that wasn’t the point. The point was this person called General Chu, who supposedly had physical flaws.
He didn’t know him at all!
“Appearance? What of it? Did we pacify the world based on appearances?” Zhou Tian did not back down an inch. “In this current world, only General Chu’s strength can stand alongside that of Wenyuan. He naturally deserves a place among the candidates.”
Hearing this, Sui Feng’s heart skipped another beat. Good heavens, not only was there an unknown powerful figure, but he was also Fifth Rank?
For those at the Second Rank, the Third Rank’s Elementalization was an insurmountable barrier that many could never reach in their lifetimes. For those in the Three Defenses, the Fourth Rank’s Haoism Transformation was a distant dream—more people would die before ever reaching that realm. And for those even further beyond, the Fifth Rank was a mere legend.
Sui Feng knew of only two such people in the world: the soon-to-be-retired Old Speaker and Wen Shengqing. But now he knew there was another one, secretly hidden away.
What was the deal with this person…
“Nonsense! Since their strength is at the same level, then factors beyond strength must be considered. Marshal Wen is the only choice!”
“Strength is the only standard! Nothing else matters!”
The two councilors began to bicker, their words becoming increasingly heated, bordering on insults.
Aside from them, no one else spoke. Both sides used their silence to express their stance, refusing to yield a single step.
“Enough, that’s enough.”
On the podium, the Old Speaker cleared his throat. “We will discuss the candidates later. Since you have made a suggestion, we will recall Little Chu and then have a proper discussion.”
After these words, Zhou Tian and the other three showed expressions of relief, while the others were filled with indignation.
Sui Feng cast a glance toward Wen Shengqing and saw that the Marshal had shown no reaction throughout. His expression remained calm, yet there seemed to be a gathering storm between his brows, making one wonder what he was thinking.
He wondered, but he certainly didn’t dare to ask. He decided it was better to ask the young people for information.
Following the Old Speaker’s decision, today’s meeting ended halfway. The curtain temporarily fell, and the crowd began to depart.
Sui Feng walked outside, ducked into his car, and immediately pulled out his mobile phone to send a message:
[Little Chu, have you ever heard of a person named General Chu?]
***
At this moment, Xu Chuyao was conducting a home visit with Shen Ning. The person returning to the Mortal World this time was from out of town, specifically a place called New Fiji. The locals did not speak the Universal Language, wore strange clothing, and had a heavy religious atmosphere.
They chattered for a while, and after the resurrected relative spoke passionately, the others grew excited as well. They brought down a palanquin to worship them, and some even took out rattle drums and splashed holy water.
The young girl looked at her sister-in-law in confusion. “What are they doing?”
“They’re performing a ritual. It’s a superstitious thing.” Xu Chuyao understood at a glance. “They’ve mistaken you for some kind of deity.”
One could only say it was lucky they didn’t believe in a single, exclusive god here. Otherwise, a person coming back to life might have been treated as a heretic, and the two girls might have ended up having to kill everyone in self-defense.
Shen Ning knew nothing of religion or faith. She only felt their enthusiasm was overwhelming. She hurriedly left a few instructions, let the two accompanying Imperial Guard members keep watch, and prepared to take her sister-in-law back…
“Wait a second.” Xu Chuyao reached into her pocket. “My phone is ringing.”
She unlocked the screen, saw the message from Sui Feng, and took a sharp breath.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Ning asked with concern.
“It’s nothing. I just found out some minor things are happening outside. It doesn’t have much to do with us.”
“Oh.”
Since it didn’t have much to do with them, Shen Ning stopped asking. She settled back into her dazed state, ignoring the voice of her internal projection.
The Sexual Repression Projection: ‘Yes, that’s right. You should keep thinking that way!’
Xu Chuyao took a step to the side, quietly turned her back, and replied to the message: [Director Sui, if even you don’t know, how would I know?]
She also sent a message to Xiao Si Nuo, telling the Special Intelligence Team to pay close attention to confidentiality, especially regarding matters related to “the place where her brother was.”
[Director Sui: Fair point. Sigh, I don’t know who he is, but I think the Council is about to face a major storm.]
A major storm?
Xu Chuyao put away her phone, and her clever little head began to spin rapidly.
Something must have caused General Chu and Wen Shengqing to fall out. Now that this person was being mentioned in the Council and the title “General” was being used, it meant he intended to return to the light and compete on the same stage as Wen Shengqing.
“There really is going to be a major storm.”
“What?”
Shen Ning heard her sister-in-law muttering and leaned in to listen. Mostly, she couldn’t understand what anyone else was saying—it was all gibberish and rattle drums, which made her head ache.
“It’s nothing, I was just thinking—” Xu Chuyao’s eyes darted around. “I think your ability is so miraculous. You can teleport anywhere, open up two worlds, and even extend the life of a soul.”
The girl rubbed her hands together shyly. “It is miraculous, but it’s not my power. It’s mainly the Soulstone.”
“Then why don’t we go study the source and essence of this power?” Xu Chuyao grabbed her. “Come on, let’s head back to that fossil corridor first.”
“It’s the Bihui Corridor…”
Shen Ning, who couldn’t keep up with her sister-in-law’s pace, corrected her in a small voice.
“Whatever, call it what you want. Let’s go—” Xu Chuyao reached out and gripped a piece of Mingshi, and a flash of lightning flickered.
Since a fight was about to break out, how could the Crown Princess be missing from the fray? It was time to help her sister-in-law speed up her progress.