Chapter 1 Sunlight on the Old House

The sunlight of the old courtyard fell upon the stone lion statues.

Lu Nanjin leaned against the stone wall of the courtyard, standing silently for a while. The sounds from the inner courtyard ceased, and she quietly left. After walking a dozen steps, she reached the end of the alley.

Song Ci, squatting and smoking, felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Here."

Lu Nanjin handed over the suit jacket she had been wearing.

Perhaps it was because of the Lion's Awakening wine, but her mind was still muddled… with a feeling of disorientation like a hangover. For a Judgement Office envoy who was hacking and slashing 365 days a year, being hungover was really inappropriate.

And getting drunk and spending the night outside with a man… sounded a bit… indecent.

Song Ci quickly put out his cigarette butt on the ground. He took the suit jacket, but didn't put it on right away. Instead, he asked with a smile, "Won't you come in and sit for a while?"

Nanjin shook her head. Clutching the hem of her formal dress, she squatted blankly at the entrance of the alley, her eyes unfocused, drifting into the distance, lost in thought, her mind wandering far away, not knowing what she was thinking.

Passersby kept casting strange glances… it was rare to see such a beautiful girl in the old district, especially one dressed so fashionably.

"Madam used to tell me… many things in this world have dividing lines, take Dadu for example."

Song Ci squatted down next to Nanjin.

His gaze, like Nanjin's, drifted into the distance as he spoke aimless fragments: "The dividing line of Dadu is the old district. The people who live here can never imagine what the nights on the Jiangtan are like."

"Similarly, in the world of transcendents… the Chengxin Society is the dividing line between above and below."

"Above ground and underground are two different worlds. The rules of Chengxin Society, which work at the top of the Hua Zhi building, don't apply. Chengxin Society values strength; whoever is stronger, whoever is fiercer, is the boss."

"But the rules of the game on Madam's side… are different."

Song Ci smiled wryly, "I used to think that side was very hypocritical. Even when both sides were furious and ready to tear each other apart, they still had to maintain the last layer of 'decency'. Later, I gradually realized that the civilized world is actually just another form of barbarism. The rules of the game there are just another form of ferocity; tearing each other apart is useless."

"…What are you trying to say?"

Lu Nanjin, who had been absentminded, frowned slightly after listening for a while.

"Although I wasn't squatting in front of the house, I heard everything I needed to hear." Song Ci, holding the suit jacket in one hand, shrugged it over his shoulder, and brushed off the extinguished cigarette ash with the other, "We're all transcendents, our six senses shouldn't be that dull, right?"

The lanterns in the inner courtyard had long been extinguished.

Strong-attack-type transcendents naturally have better eyesight and hearing than ordinary people, especially a powerhouse like Song Ci, who could hear everything within a dozen houses from the entrance of the alley.

"…"

Lu Nanjin's expression was not good.

"Your teacher is really a good person."

Crow sighed, "Before today, my impression of him was probably summarized as 'old pervert'… now it's changed to 'skilled educator'."

"If I'm not mistaken, you came back to Dadu to kill people, right?"

Without waiting for Lu Nanjin to speak, Song Ci smiled, "Who to kill? Cui Zhongcheng? Zhao Xilai? Or… me? Or maybe, kill them all, whoever works for Hua Zhi, whoever was an accomplice in the Lion Lane incident back then, whoever tries to stop you from avenging Lu Cheng, whoever is the ultimate murderer."

Lu Nanjin lowered her head listlessly.

Yes.

A long time ago, that's what she thought.

Every time she drew her sword, every time she desperately cultivated, every time she imagined herself returning to Dadu… she had already predetermined her enemies in her heart.

That was the Zhao family, who had replaced her father's industry!

And she had also prepared herself for the worst… everyone on that battlefield could become her enemy.

Including… her sister.

It sounded fierce, but now, looking back, she realized it was actually a very naive idea.

But…

Isn't the reason why someone perseveres in doing something always because of a stubborn idea?

When she first grasped the knife, if she didn't know where her knife would eventually fall, could she have continued all the way?

But now she was back in Dadu, as an avenger… but she found that even if she drew her sword, she didn't know who to strike.

Cui Zhongcheng?

Zhao Xilai?

None of them… The girl who had angrily grasped the knife and started transcendent cultivation had placed the whole world on her opposite side, but ten years later, she touched the stone wall of Lion Lane again and couldn't deceive herself.

She also felt it… The Zhao family was not the real murderer in the old Lion Lane case.

…

…

"Madam, the date for the alternate councilor's inauguration is less than a week away."

Zhou Jiren sat on a stone pier, speaking softly to the tightly closed wooden-doored pavilion, "The Awakening Act is of great importance. The Zhao family will not give up easily. This week… they will launch their final counterattack."

Lu Nanzhi was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor of the pavilion.

Faint light filtered through the window leaves, delicately landing on her face.

Her state was between relaxation and tension, her face relaxed, the strands of hair at her temples swayed with the breeze blowing in from the window lattice. This meditation posture was taught to her by her father, said to be a mind-cultivation technique left by the ancients, which could adjust breathing… with the same principle as the "breathing method" in transcendent cultivation.

Regarding the Awakening Act, Zhao Xilai had already made it very clear to her.

Hua Zhi had no choice.

Under the pressure of the Supreme Council, only by cooperating with the relatively friendly "Light City" and the "Lin Family" could the overall interests of East Continent be maximized. In fact, this was giving up resistance. The East Continent Council was willing to step back from the position of chess player, allowing the Dadu district to become a chessboard for the Supreme Council's will game.

From the perspective of a Dadu councilor, her resolute opposition to the passage of the Act was to express the attitude of the East Continent Council… regardless of whether the Awakening Act was implemented or not, the Supreme Council had no right to oppress the will of East Continent.

According to the information obtained from the [Ancient Text Society].

The Awakening Act, derived from the Deep Sea's calculations, had too profound and complex an impact on humanity. If it was only promulgated to combat "Order Collapse," it was likely to pay an even greater price in the future.

The Zhao family could not accept losing cooperation with Light City and the Lin Family… Similarly, Lu Nanzhi could not accept the negative impact on Dadu after the passage of the Act. She was absolutely unwilling to gamble with the lives of tens of millions of people.

Even if the Supreme Council, which presided over the gambling game, had offered Hua Zhi attractive chips.

"I had already prepared myself before stepping onto the podium as an alternate councilor."

Lu Nanzhi maintained a calm and tranquil state, speaking softly, "There's only one week left. Hua Zhi will impose 'sanctions' on me."

Zhou Jiren narrowed his eyes in the courtyard.

The Judgement Office's tasks were always simple and brutal. Whether it was collecting sealed objects or resolving runaway incidents, they were all things that could be solved with just a fist… so he wasn't very clear about what kind of methods these figures who controlled the city's economic lifeline used to "fight" each other.

This was a battlefield filled with silent smoke.

However, it could be foreseen that if Lu Nanzhi refused Hua Zhi's final goodwill, all her assets, all her authority, everything… everything she had under Hua Zhi's banner would be frozen.

So that's why there was a meeting at the Liberty Auditorium?

The Southern Bay would provide Lu Nanzhi with everything new.

"Since you're prepared, then I won't disturb you." Zhou Jiren said, "What I just said… was just out of reminder. Also, the Special Investigation Team's mission has ended, and it's necessary to report to you."

"S-class wanted criminal Owl, the Deep Sea has confirmed his death."

"Owl's 'mind control' permeated Dadu, and the most important pawn, 'Ye Ningqiu', was killed in the wilderness of Dadu. The subsequent investigation of the case will affect the council's assessment of the Southern Bay Building… and the resources that Councilor Chen San can mobilize."

Zhou Jiren said in a low voice, "Ye Ningqiu had very high authority in the Southern Bay. If the Federal investigation team confirms that this councilor's assistant was 'mind controlled' long ago, then the Southern Bay Building's secrets may have been leaked. Without a doubt, the views of the opponents of the Act will be impacted to some extent."

"…"

Lu Nanzhi, sitting in the quiet room, frowned.

This was not good news.

In the current battle, both sides were doing their best, but the scales were still balanced. If one side lacked strength, it was likely to lead to defeat… Hua Zhi would definitely seize this opportunity to launch a final offensive. Chen San's councilor's assistant was actually the mental puppet of an S-class fugitive. Just this news alone could stir up a storm of public opinion within the East Continent Council.

"What about Chen Mo?" After thinking for a while, Madam asked.

That was the most important character.

The scandal of a councilor's assistant being a mental puppet of an S-class criminal… could be covered up by death. In fact, similar situations had occurred in earlier years. The existence of transcendents had already transcended common sense and cognition.

If the responsibility were to be investigated in detail, the Deep Sea's loopholes and Councilor Chen San's dereliction of duty should each bear half.

But Chen Mo was different. He was Councilor Chen San's biological son, and he should clearly understand his responsibilities and the Federation's position… If the Federal investigation team found that this councilor's son had a mental "master-disciple relationship" with Owl, then this would be a fatal point of public opinion attack. Perhaps Hua Zhi could use this information to launch a strong attack, accusing Councilor Chen San of being anti-Federation and anti-humanity.

"Chen Mo has a mental connection with Owl… This is confirmed information and has been written into the Judgement Office's files."

Zhou Jiren helplessly conveyed, then changed the subject, "However… Owl's trait is that he possesses a strong mental bewitchment. Back then, Zhou Yu, the talented Judgement Officer from Yinghai, could not escape Owl's clutches even with [Oblivion Dream]. According to the Judgement Office's preliminary appraisal, Chen Mo's mental connection can be considered as Owl's unilateral 'mental bewitchment'."

"The physical techniques that Owl imparted through the mental connection severely damaged Chen Mo's body, bones, functions, and potential… His intention was to plunder his body and cultivate a new container to replace Zhou Yu."

"But Chen Mo realized this in time, so he chose to join the [Special Investigation Team]. He performed perfectly in this S-class mission, luring Ye Ningqiu out and assisting the Judgement Office in erasing the mastermind's mental will."

Zhou Jiren said with a somewhat playful tone, "This case was finalized last night, and I was in charge of it. If the Federation sends a special investigator… they will only get this result. Councilor Chen San's son has no intention of rebellion, and it can even be said that he is a young hero who has awakened himself in pain."

The pavilion was silent for a long time.

Then, a sigh of relief came out.

"Thank you…"

Lu Nanzhi asked, "If I remember correctly, you should be on the side that supports the passage of the Act. On the day of the alternate councilor's speech, you personally went to the Hua Zhi Building to participate in the celebration…"

"Far from it. The Grand Judgement Officer has nothing to do with voting and making decisions. The sword of fate is in the hands of you councilors. I have never had the power to support or oppose it." Zhou Jiren smiled meaningfully, "By the way, I was not invited to the celebration banquet that day. I just wanted to see what was going on."

"One more thing… The Hua Zhi Building that day was very interesting."

A chuckle came from the pavilion.

Because she opposed the Act… Hua Zhi was in an uproar. Indeed, the scene was funny to think about.

"Alright, everything that needs to be said has been said."

The old guy patted Gu Shen on the shoulder and said, "Get ready to leave."

Gu Shen had been in the courtyard the whole time, quietly listening to the conversation between the two, and now he looked up and asked, "Teacher… the mission is over, are we leaving Dadu?"

"Not for now."

"The Federation will send an investigation team to investigate the aftermath of this case… During this time, we will stay in Dadu to assist in improving the files." Zhou Jiren shook his head and said, "Also, you have Owl's compass, and this compass is his mental sealed object. There are also believers of the Perpetual Foundation hidden in the Dadu district. If you awaken the compass, you will likely be able to obtain information about the believers from the Deep Sea. The Judgement Office needs to eliminate the remnants of the Foundation in Dadu as much as possible."

"This time, at least… will take about a week."

A week?

The final deadline for the alternate councilor's handover process.

This was an obvious hint… Zhou Jiren would stay in Dadu for this week.

Lu Nanzhi didn't know why the Grand Judgement Officer would help her… But when she thought about the relationship between Gu Shen and Zhou Jiren, and then thought about 031's remarks in the conference room, and the almost forceful way he had stuffed those pieces of information about Gu Shen to her.

Even a fool

Should have a conclusion in their heart.

The door of the pavilion was pushed open.

Lu Nanzhi, dressed in simple casual clothes, bowed slowly to Zhou Jiren who was leaving, and said, "In any case… thank you."

Zhou Ji didn't turn his head, but just waved his hand and said, "I heard that the apostle of the God's Seat has come to Dadu, you… must be careful."