Chapter 114 - 113: 3,000 Lunatics, Each Crazy in Their Own Way
Chapter 114: Chapter 113: 3,000 Lunatics, Each Crazy in Their Own Way
Qingyuan paused, her expression changing. "You two have already recognized each other? When?"
"By pure coincidence," Xie Qingshi replied noncommittally. "I didn’t expect him to be the first old acquaintance I ran into either. However, it was precisely because I met him that I finally found a glimmer of hope."
Qingyuan fell silent. True enough. It wasn’t until she had reunited with Hua Shao that she realized they might not be the only two who had reincarnated.
"Now that I have seen Your Majesty, my heart can finally rest easy." Xie Qingshi raised a hand, pressing it gently over his heart. "Across two lifetimes, I finally get to see her."
Qingyuan’s expression was complicated. Because of those words, she finally found him a little less irritating. Ultimately, they were both here for Empress Taichu.
"I’m very happy that Your Majesty no longer has to shoulder such a heavy burden in this lifetime." Xie Qingshi tilted his head, asking softly, "By the way, I heard that not long after I returned to Jianghuai, you went back to Meizhou as well. And Meizhou was the first to be invaded."
"Indeed. Meizhou was strategically vulnerable. With the Great General gone, who could possibly stop those Barbarians?" Qingyuan’s voice grew hoarse. "All I could do was kill them off one by one."
When she died, the Great General who had achieved fame at a young age had already been dead for two years, forever frozen in his twenty-seventh year.
While the two stood in mutual silence, the door opened. Shi Changying sensed the unusual atmosphere. "What are you talking about?"
"Just reminiscing about the past." Qingyuan wrapped her arms around Shi Changying’s arm, resting her head on her shoulder. "Thinking back to the days when I worked with Lord Xie, I can’t help but feel a bit nostalgic."
Shi Changying nodded. "You two surely must have a lot in common to discuss."
Qingyuan hugged her even tighter. "Sister Ying treats me the best." As she did this, she shot a provocative glance at Xie Qingshi.
Xie Qingshi furrowed his brows, letting out a soft chuckle. "Speaking of the past, I’m actually starting to miss Lord Zhuge a bit."
Qingyuan’s hand twitched, clearly recalling some unpleasant memories. She chose to change the subject. "Sister Ying, who braided your hair? If Lord Zhuge saw this, they would definitely be furious."
Shi Changying undid her hair. "A Yuan, you braid it for me."
"No problem!" Qingyuan was eager to try. This had originally been Zhuge Mingyue’s exclusive job, yet now she had the chance to steal the position. In this round, she had won!
Xie Qingshi watched with a neutral expression as Qingyuan braided Shi Changying’s hair. Perhaps, he and Pei Xuan treating each other as rivals was a mistake all along.
Meanwhile, in a certain underground base in Jianghuai.
Led by a uniformed young man, Ning Liuyu finally set foot inside the Qi Sha Jianghuai Branch. It was indeed highly concealed; without an insider from Qi Sha guiding the way, it would be impossible to find.
Ning Liuyu thought, "Now this is what you call a real intelligence agency."
Compared to Qi Sha, intelligence agencies like A17 in the Western Continent, the Ninth Department in the Southern Region, and CSC in the Northern Region—which constantly flexed their presence in movies to the point where even elementary school students had heard of them—certainly paled in comparison.
Someone brought her hot tea, and a professional psychologist was called in to soothe her nerves.
After a while, the uniformed young man returned. "Miss Ning, these people don’t know who their top boss is. However, we speculate that it’s the same faction responsible for the hijacking incident you encountered a year ago."
"I knew it was them again!" Ning Liuyu’s gaze turned a few degrees colder. "To think their reach has already extended into Jiuzhou."
"They don’t have that kind of capability yet, so they can only deploy small fry." The young man smiled faintly. "Rest assured, Miss Ning. Even if the agents of A17, the Ninth Department, and CSC teamed up to kill you, they wouldn’t succeed."
"COUGH, COUGH..." Ning Liuyu choked on her tea. She fell silent for a moment before asking, "Speaking of which, why don’t you guys produce a few movies to promote yourselves like they do?"
"The higher-ups told us to keep a low profile; we’re here to do actual work." The young man looked somewhat regretful. "To be honest, I’d like to be on the big screen too."
Ning Liuyu asked, "Do you... do you know who saved me? I want to thank her in person."
A hint of surprise flashed through the young man’s eyes. "I’ll go check. Please wait a moment."
He left again, taking several turns left and right before entering a room. He respectfully reported to the person in front of him, "Miss Ning is fine now. It was our failure to protect her properly. Miss Ning would like to know the identity of the young lady who saved her..."
He had mobilized immediately upon receiving the news, but he was still a step too late. Although those young thugs weren’t worth taking seriously, they were still trained fighters. Yet, they had been completely dismantled by a little girl.
Shaoyuan’s eyebrow twitched slightly. He then wrote down a string of phone numbers and handed it to the young man.
The young man took a step away but stopped. "Should we dispatch someone to stay by this young lady’s side as well...?"
"No need," Shaoyuan finally looked up. "You may leave."
He didn’t intentionally exude any aura, yet his innate majesty made the young man’s heart skip a beat.
"Yes, sir." The young man didn’t dare to look at him and turned to leave.
Shaoyuan glanced at the time, left the base, and went to pick up Shi Changying. She had arranged to discuss some study questions with him today, and since he had promised, he wouldn’t go back on his word.
His timing was impeccable. Just as Shaoyuan arrived at the restaurant, Shi Changying finished her last piece of meat. There were three people in the private room. If you randomly picked out two of them, either one could send shockwaves across the entire internet. However, Shaoyuan’s eyes held no room for the other two; his gaze rested solely on Shi Changying.
Shi Changying immediately showed off her newly acquired, exquisitely braided hair. "A Yuan braided it."
Only then did Shaoyuan’s gaze sweep over Qingyuan and Xie Qingshi. After giving a polite nod, he reached his hand out to Shi Changying. "It’s getting late. Let’s go."
Shi Changying slung her crossbody bag over her shoulder and left with him.
Qingyuan narrowed her eyes. "Did you see that? We have another rival now. Have you met him before?"
"Yes, I have," Xie Qingshi said. "At the end of the day, he’s just a child."
"A child?" Qingyuan raised her voice. "When you and I were bestowed titles and honors by Your Majesty, we were barely his age. How can you say something like that?"
Xie Qingshi frowned. "Times have changed. It is no longer the dynastic era."
"That’s true," Qingyuan agreed for the first time. "If he had been born four hundred years ago, he would truly be a formidable opponent."
With Shi Changying gone, Xie Qingshi naturally had no intention of staying any longer. "Lord Qingyuan, until we meet again."
Qingyuan shrugged. "To be honest, I really don’t want to see you."
Xie Qingshi tilted his head, smiling faintly. "Well, for now, it’s just the two of us."
"I knew you didn’t tell Pei Xuan that you found Your Majesty." Qingyuan dragged out her syllables. "Everyone says Lord Xie is as pure and noble as a clear breeze and a bright moon. But from what I see today, Lord Xie harbors quite a few hidden schemes."
"I indeed didn’t tell him, but I also didn’t intentionally stop him." Xie Qingshi’s voice was elegant and clear. "Whether or not he can recognize Your Majesty depends on his own abilities. Why should I help him?"
Qingyuan sighed with heartfelt admiration. "My thoughts are exactly the same as yours, Lord Xie."
Hua Shao, the Su Xian, often showed off in front of her. She really wanted to see how long it would take someone with Hua Shao’s unrivaled intellect to finally find Shi Changying. Even if that day came quickly, as long as she firmly gripped the first-place position, she could mock Hua Shao to her heart’s content.
Just thinking about it was an incredibly wonderful thing.
The two parted ways. As the sun set, the night gradually deepened.
Shi Changying and Shaoyuan arrived at a juice bar outside Jianghuai High School. She had just sat down when her phone rang. It was an unknown number. With so many scams going around, there were always scoundrels plotting against the throne. Shi Changying had no intention of answering.
She was just about to hang up when slender fingers reached past her and tapped the answer button. Shi Changying looked at Shaoyuan, asking with her eyes what he was doing.
"Miss Shi, hello, I am Ning Yu. You saved me today, and I cannot thank you enough," Ning Liuyu’s voice rang out over the line. "If there is a chance, could I treat you to a meal?"
She had some very important matters that she needed to ask about in person.