Just How Many Pieces Are There in This Thing?

"Wu Xu, get the door," Wen Jifei said with a laugh. The entire table was grinning with meaningful amusement. "Mm." Wu Xu set down his chopsticks and stood up. "Damn it, aren't you nervous at all?" He Tangtang asked, looking indignant. "Is your heart pounding?" the Little Prince followed up. It wasn't that they didn't know Wu Xu well, but they thought that in a matter like this, he might act just a little different—just as throwing his coat over her earlier had been extraordinarily rare for him. Wu Xu shook his head. "Not nervous." Then he turned, walked out of the house, crossed the courtyard, and reached out to open the gate, without the slightest hesitation or delay throughout the entire process. The gate swung open. Standing outside were the elderly man and the little girl—grandfather and granddaughter. The little girl was looking up at him, a nervous look in her eyes. Every day they passed by the front of this building, coming and going. They had known Wu Xu for a long time, maintaining a nodding acquaintance, and were already familiar with the others, but this was their first time paying a formal visit. "Pardon the intrusion," Yuan Youque said. "...Not at all," Wu Xu said. Then he stepped aside. *** At the same time, in District 21, the headquarters of Bright Moon—one of the four super factions in the City of Iniquity. Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet had over 1,200 people under her command. Naturally, not all of them were women, but the proportion of women was indeed much higher than in the other factions, and those close to her on a daily basis were all women. In the brightly lit, spacious room, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet sat on an off-white sofa, dressed in a plain shirt and long trousers, her long hair draped over her shoulders, and wearing shoes. On the coat rack beside her hung a brown military uniform jacket. Meanwhile, two women sat on the sofa across from her. Both were confidantes she could share intimate words with, the closest kind. "So, what should I do?" After a long silence of contemplation, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet finally asked. Since she had asked, her intention was already clear. "Of course you should hurry and return the jacket! Nighttime is much better than the day anyway, so go right now... Follow your heart, Minh Nguyet," Luna, who had wavy curls, said excitedly. They had known each other for many, many years, and for the first time, she saw Minh Nguyet pondering such a matter, looking so nervous, restless, and at a loss. One had to remember that Minh Nguyet was a super combat power, the leader of a faction... Although she didn't usually bother with actual administration, her aura forged from battle and slaughter, along with her combat strength and authority, had always been undeniable. Seeing Minh Nguyet like this was utterly fascinating. "As they say, love always strikes so suddenly, just like lightning. And it's always fair—regardless of status or standing, it throws everyone into utter disarray," Luna muttered cheerfully. "No, that won't do. I think it should be washed before returning it. If my memories of my mother serve me right, that's what shows a woman is virtuous and caring. They come from Huaxia; this is very important," Chunying, who was an Easterner, said. "Oh? Virtuous and caring?" Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet furrowed her brows in thought, seemingly finding it difficult to imagine associating herself with such a word. "All right," she said after thinking for a moment. "Then I'll tell someone to take it and wash it." Chunying stood up excitedly and headed toward the coat rack. Seeing this, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet hesitated, looking slightly embarrassed. "No... shouldn't I wash it myself?" "You only need to tell him you washed it yourself. Are you really going to wash it with your own hands? You're Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet, haha!" Chunying laughed. "Oh! That makes sense." Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet nodded, then stretched her body and said, "I seem to be a bit tired, though. Let's not chat anymore today. You two head out first." "What about the jacket?" Chunying asked. Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet glanced at the garment and turned back. "Same thing. Let's leave it for tomorrow." Chunying and Luna walked out, closed the door, and then, like two little mice that had found food, eagerly huddled their heads together. They exchanged a fierce dialogue using silent mouth shapes. Then, instead of actually leaving, they hid in a room at the turn of the stairs down below. After waiting for less than half an hour, sure enough, a maid walked past with a bewildered expression, carrying a brush and soap upstairs. *** "To tell you the truth, this old man hesitated for a long time, and only came after preparing myself not to return today." After staying in the room for over an hour, Yuan Youque finally brought up the real business. At this moment, Zhe Qiuhong and Rusty Sister were playing with the little girl out in the courtyard. Han Qingyu was momentarily stunned. Throughout the preceding hour, the old man had only been chatting about mundane matters, asking about their homeland. "Major Qing is searching for Bones of Eternal Life, correct?" Yuan Youque asked. That single question startled everyone present. The Little Prince stood straight up. He and Yuan Youque were not of the same generation and had never met before. He scrutinized him closely, thought for a moment... and finally came to his senses, asking, "Old sir, you said earlier that your surname was...?" "Yuan." "...I understand." Zhu Jiaming sat back down, thoroughly excited, though for a moment he felt somewhat dazed: *Am I happy for Han Qingyu, or for myself?!* *Doesn't matter. Sooner or later, it'll all be mine anyway,* he concluded in his mind. "I am Yuan Youque. My combat power is barely top-tier, which naturally is nowhere near enough to catch the eyes of you distinguished individuals. My granddaughter outside, Yuan Xiaoxin, is my only living kin. Unfortunately, according to your standards, her degree of fusion should only be F-grade..." "This old man is getting on in years, and plagued with old injuries..." Yuan Youque continued speaking, and as he spoke—*thud!* He pulled a large inkstone from the chest beside him and set it on the table. Knowing that Major Qing would soon fight Shu You, Yuan Youque had reasoned that rather than currying favor after the fact, placing his bet beforehand would earn far greater goodwill. To this end, he had even taken the risk of capturing someone who had been present at the arena earlier tonight to ask about the duel between Wu Xu and Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet. The result of his inquiry had not made it clear whether Wu Xu was stronger than Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet, but it had completely cemented his resolve. "I would like to ask Major Qing for a promise: in the future, whether you stay here or return to Huaxia... you will do your utmost to help care for my granddaughter, so she may grow up safely." His words addressed Major Qing, but after looking at Han Qingyu for only a few seconds, his gaze shifted toward Wu Xu. *The promise naturally has to be asked of Major Qing, but the truly most trustworthy and reliable person is Lieutenant Wu Xu.* That had always been Yuan Youque's judgment. At the same time, his hands applied force—*click, click... clack!* The inkstone opened, and four Bones of Eternal Life tumbled out onto the table. One of them was a horn bone. Zhu Jiaming was dumbfounded. He had already guessed that the Yuan clan possessed Bones of Eternal Life and had come for that reason, but he had never imagined that the Yuan clan held four of them. Furthermore, among the four, there was actually a horn bone. To be precise, it was the other horn bone. So... they formed a pair! "This... is far too valuable... Are you really giving them to us?" Han Qingyu asked, sounding timid and frail. *So hypocritical,* Wen Jifei thought helplessly. *The old man himself already said he came prepared never to leave alive. Did you really think he hadn't looked into you beforehand?* "Really. But what I said just now..." Yuan Youque seemed somewhat hesitant, even regretful, but he knew he no longer had any chance to back out. Entrusting her like this was by no means foolproof, but he had no other option. "Rest assured, leave it entirely to me." Han Qingyu patted his chest. "Thank you, Major Qing." Saying so, Yuan Youque turned once again toward Wu Xu. He seemed a little embarrassed, but spoke up nonetheless: "Then, I wonder if Lieutenant Wu Xu could also grant this old man a promise?" Wen Jifei and He Tangtang were snickering in secret. Wu Xu glanced at Qingzi, turned back, and gave a firm nod. Han Qingyu paid no attention to any of this. As he picked up the bones to examine them closely, he spoke as if half to himself and half asking, "Just how many pieces are there in a complete set of this thing anyway?" This was a question he had only recently begun to ponder, because he was gradually discovering that there seemed to be quite a lot of them. Only two people present could answer him. "I don't know," Zhu Jiaming said, sounding somewhat sullen; it seemed he had once been troubled by this very question as well. "This old man does not know either. When they were first discovered, the skeleton was already incomplete," Yuan Youque said. "Old Sir Yuan was present back then?" Wen Jifei asked excitedly. "Then what did the skeleton look like when it was discovered? Was it like a serpent..." "No, I was still young at the time. I only heard about it later from my family," Yuan Youque said. "Oh. Then where was it discovered?" Han Qingyu followed up. At this question, Zhu Jiaming leaned in as well. This was probably one of the only two things about the Bones of Eternal Life that he did not know either. He was not actually a direct-line descendant of the Zhu clan, and the few individuals present back then were all dead. Because they had guarded the matter as an immense secret, it had never been leaked. "About that... the divisions and names of Huaxia's provinces, prefectures, and counties may have all changed by now. I..." Yuan Youque racked his memory, recounting from the largest administrative regions down to the smallest based on his recollections and knowledge. Finally, he said: "There was a village nearby. Back then, it was called Fenglong'ao. I do not know if the name was changed later."