What Wan Qianhong said right off the bat was absolutely earth-shattering.
Yet, for some reason, after hearing those words, Bai Feifei felt a sense of relief instead.
In her mind, the Old-Timer's complaints immediately chimed in.
“Ah, what is this? I thought there was actually going to be some serious gossip to listen to.”
His tone was absolutely dripping with disappointment.
Bai Feifei: ...What on earth is this guy expecting?
With no time to bicker with the Old-Timer, Bai Feifei instinctively stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Wan Qianhong.
“What did you say?”
Wan Qianhong's eyes flickered with struggle. She held onto Bai Feifei's wrist, the vibration in her blood vessels continuing.
“Ever since the last Voting Assembly, the Xu family has been at odds with you, and they've been targeting you ever since.”
“Including that Xu Hu today... Since you ended up killing him, you must have felt it too.”
Bai Feifei nodded.
“There's a saying in the Inner City: ‘The Xu family owns the roads!’” A chill entered Wan Qianhong's tone. “All transportation services in Dawn City are controlled by the Xu family.”
“Not just inside the city, but even the connections between Dawn City and other external cities are managed by the Xu family.”
“Because of this, the Xu family has connections and dealings with all kinds of people. This ‘road’ also carries the meaning of having connections.”
“In a way, the Xu family vaguely gives off the impression of being the strongest among the five major families.”
Bai Feifei's heart skipped a beat.
She recalled the driver the Old-Timer had singled out. “The Xu family owns the roads” fit perfectly...
And then there was Xu Hu.
Everything fell into place now. It seemed that among the five major families, three were already entangled in this potion business.
“But what does this have to do with Liu Yun?” Bai Feifei found it somewhat baffling.
Wan Qianhong fell silent for a few seconds.
“My mentor holds a transcendent status in Dawn City. She is practically a powerhouse of her own, so no one cares about her background.”
She used such a covert method to transmit her voice, fearing that something might overhear them. “But the Xu family is actually Mentor Liu Yun's maternal family.”
Bai Feifei's pupils contracted.
“Her late mother was a member of the Xu family.”
The wind howled as it swept through the ruins.
In Bai Feifei's mind, even Xu Mo couldn't help but daze for a moment.
Holy crap? There's such a thing?
Clearly, despite having played this game so many times, even an "Old-Timer" like him didn't know this piece of information.
So raising this woman's favorability actually unlocks this kind of storyline information? Who designed this? It's way too well-hidden!
How on earth was he supposed to know this in his previous playthroughs?
So this is how the Dawn City storyline is actually supposed to be played?
Now that he thought about it, the person they killed in the coal mine had said, “The Huang family and the Li family aren't the ones at the very top.”
If that description was hinting at Liu Yun, it made perfect sense.
And since she was currently a top-tier Prophet, maybe she didn't know how to promote to the Great Saint Rank, so she started researching potions?
At this moment, a storm of shock was also brewing in Bai Feifei's heart.
She never expected Wan Qianhong to approach her specifically to share such a critical secret.
Suppressing the waves of emotion in her heart, she asked the most crucial question.
“But what does that have to do with Liu Yun? What do you suspect her of?”
Wan Qianhong's expression turned painful.
“I've thought about this for a long time. Ever since the Black Smoke Coal Mine, I've felt something was off.”
Bai Feifei remained silent, listening quietly.
“Back then in the coal mine, I retrieved that vial of aberration potion, intending to investigate it thoroughly. But Mentor took it away directly, saying she would handle it.”
“Yet in the end, she never gave me a clear answer.”
“And that other time, she covered up the aberration issues during the potion testing. For all these matters, she kept saying it was hard to explain to me, and even told me to stay away from you.”
“When it comes to the potions, the Xu family is even more invested than the Huang and Li families.” Her voice sounded dry. “If that's the case, then my mentor...”
Wan Qianhong clenched her teeth, her voice growing increasingly strained.
Standing in place and looking at Wan Qianhong's pained and struggling expression, Bai Feifei couldn't help but speak up:
“Are you worried that Prophet Liu Yun might actually be the mastermind behind everything...?” She paused. “That can't be, right? The Prophet doesn't seem like that kind of person.”
Wan Qianhong shook her head weakly.
“I don't believe Mentor is that kind of person,” she said. “She raised me since I was a child, taught me all my strength, made me the head of the East District, and supported my reforms. In my heart, she has always been the guardian deity of Dawn City.”
“I don't believe she would do something so heinous. Perhaps...”
“Perhaps because the Xu family is her maternal family, she often finds it hard to refuse them, so she shields them.”
The more she spoke, the harder it became to say anything further.
Saying these things made her feel like she was betraying her mentor, but keeping these suspicions to herself made her feel like she was betraying her own conscience.
Bai Feifei fell silent.
She could understand Wan Qianhong's struggle.
Suspecting a mentor who had been as close as a parent was not something just anyone could do.
After saying all this, Wan Qianhong let out a long breath.
“That's how things stand. I don't know if the omnipotent organization behind you knows this information, but in any case, I've told you.”
With that, she finally let go of Bai Feifei's wrist, which she had been holding this entire time.
...
Meanwhile.
In the vast, uninhabited red soil region.
A group of figures was slowly advancing.
The students of Yaoguang Academy did not split up; instead, they stuck together in a group, walking forward as one.
The one leading at the front was named Fang Yang. Since Li Yan's death, he was the strongest student in Yaoguang Academy. At this moment, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He looked left and right as if confirming something, then turned around and spoke in a low voice.
“Everyone, hold on a moment.”
The other students stopped, confused, exchanging bewildered glances.
Fang Yang's gaze swept across every face, and then he raised his hand to cover the camera on his chest.
“The camera isn't on yet,” he whispered. “I need to tell you something quickly.”
Hearing him say this, the other students couldn't help but draw a bit closer.
Fang Yang cleared his throat, a trace of an excited smile flashing across his face as he spoke:
“The North District is so huge. Trying to find anything by wandering aimlessly is like a blind cat looking for a dead mouse.”
“Do you know where we can find aberrations?”
The surrounding students responded one after another:
“Of course we don't know. It's everyone's first time in this godforsaken place.”
“Actually, I think it might be better if we split up and contact each other once we find an anomaly.”
“Yeah, exactly!”
Fang Yang slowly wore a mysterious expression.
“For normal academies, of course it's their first time here.”
“But just because they don't know the way doesn't mean no one does.”
“I have a path! A path that will guarantee our victory.”
Rate on N.U.
