"A brilliant young talent, a fine and peerless jade."
Rarely did anyone receive such praise from the elderly man before her.
It had been a very long time since any newcomer among the Celestial Chosen had earned such acclaim from him. Were word of this to spread, it might well cause quite a stir.
After all, the last person praised in such terms was the current Warden of the Void Abyss, known as the Pristine Jade of Tianyuan—Su Biluo.
Lyu Yingyue offered a faint smile. "I always get the feeling 'fine and peerless jade' isn't much of a compliment these days. Last time I praised him that way, his face went completely pale."
"Having worthy successors is always a blessing."
The old man sighed wistfully. "Tong Shan, Wen Wen, Lou Yanyue, Zhou Yu, Chen Haiqiu... and now, a Chief Craftsman on top of that. Presiding over that region all these years, your accomplishments have truly been remarkable."
"Just good luck, that's all. What do the accomplishments of young people have to do with me?" Lyu Yingyue dismissed it casually. "Children who have suffered hardships grow up fast. They only seem tall because they stand among dwarfs. How could they compare to the abundance of talent here in Midtown?"
She paused, letting out a soft sigh. "Haizhou is the same—remote, plagued by chronic decline, struggling to revive itself. It's only by shouting with every ounce of our strength that our voices seem loud.
"Everyone simply thinks too highly of me."
"Whether they think too highly of you or not, facts are facts," the old man said. "The struggle between the two parties is now like fire and water. At this critical juncture, there is indeed room for you to play a weak hand for high stakes. But do not forget, the truth will come to light eventually, and human patience is not infinite.
"If you intend to keep swaying between both sides, waiting to sell to the highest bidder, I fear neither side will tolerate you in the end."
"I know."
Lyu Yingyue nodded without arguing. "I understand that if this goes on, I probably won't meet a good end. But if I don't take the risk and make a gamble, I can only let people walk all over me, taking whatever they please.
"Your Excellency, did I ever have a choice?"
The old man remained silent.
"Haizhou is remote, its resources scarce. After the Flame Tide Calamity eleven years ago, agriculture never recovered, and now we rely entirely on imports from other states. Prices are exorbitant and constantly fluctuating. Since the Great Depression, industry has remained in a slump. We had hoped the Haian Group might turn things around, but the moment it showed a glimmer of progress, it was suppressed and carved up completely...
"Disasters grow more frequent by the day, and life only gets harder."
Lyu Yingyue spoke slowly. "So many people work themselves to the bone, only to pile up mountains of debt. They suffer day and night, unable to see a shred of hope.
"Yet there are still people sitting at the top, gorging themselves until their bellies swell, unwilling to let even a drop of broth drip down to the ants, oxen, and horses below.
"If not for the leftover scraps from maritime trade, life would have collapsed long ago. If things continue like this, in a few years, we might not even be able to pay the spiritus tax."
Lyu Yingyue asked, "Your Excellency, do we really have a choice?"
In the silence, the old man said no more, merely nodding slowly. "Since you have already made up your mind, it seems this old fossil doesn't need to waste any more breath.
"I doubt you would care for a papering-over compromise where both sides take a step back anyway."
Those four families had gone to great lengths to ask him to step in, wanting nothing more than to make money together. But if Lyu Yingyue had any intention of compromising to secure her own safety or position, she would have long since used this storm to shake off her burdens and jump ship. How could she have held out until now?
Yet the deterioration of Haizhou's condition had not happened overnight; how difficult would it be to revitalize it in a single stroke?
"Have you thought this through?" the old man asked.
"Hesitating and shrinking back in fear is hardly my style. Some things must simply be done before looking back," Lyu Yingyue answered solemnly. "Besides, what falls into your lap can never compare to what you fight for. If you cannot prove your worth, then even if you pick a side, you will merely be treated as cannon fodder and pawns, wouldn't you?"
The old man said nothing, watching her quietly.
In those pitch-black pupils, there was no soul-crushing majesty or spine-chilling glint.
At most, there was only the faint frost left behind by the grinding of time.
"Even so, Lyu Yingyue—" he asked solemnly, "what have you done all this for?"
"I simply do not wish to let Lord Tao's sacrifice go in vain," Lyu Yingyue replied decisively. "Whatever prominence I enjoy today, one part might be opportunistic maneuvering, but all the rest rests entirely upon Lord Tao's legacy. If not for him bustling about day after day for decades, using his aging body to connect all factions and unite the scattered families and cities, how could I have achieved my stature today?
"Before Lord Tao passed away, he entrusted Haizhou into my hands. How could I allow it to tear itself apart again?"
Having said that, she paused and gave a self-deprecating smile. "If there is anything beyond that... it is simply that I refuse to yield."
Lyu Yingyue lowered her gaze, staring down at her reflection in the teacup. Blurred and hazy, even she found it unfamiliar, no longer who she once was.
"A wild orphan like me, who begged for food and fought for my life, tasted more than enough bitterness living under the roofs of others. To get ahead in the world, one must stop at nothing.
"Yet after risking life and limb for so many years and scraping together a bit of status by sheer luck, I look back only to find that besides myself, not a single one of my old friends or relatives remains.
"Those who were stronger than me, those who were more likable, those who were more noble and upright... they are all dead. Only I have lived until now, and the reason happens to be nothing more than good luck. Nothing more.
"Apart from me, apart from what you have seen, how many brilliant young talents, how many fine and peerless jades, fade away into obscurity before ever having the chance to show their edge?
"Yet that wretched sort can rely on their pedigree and machinations to strut about in palace halls like monkeys in human clothes, basking in the luxuries of Midtown, summoning wind and rain."
Lyu Yingyue lifted her head, no longer concealing her determination. "Rather than letting them continue running amok and holding offices while doing nothing, I would rather ask:
"—Why shouldn't I be the one to direct the affairs of this world?"
Under that resolute gaze, the old man's expression shifted slightly. He was not angry; rather, he seemed surprised and wistful. After a long silence, he sighed softly. "Harnessing the public's hopes to stir up the broader board all for your own selfish aims... Should I call this 'ferocious ambition'?"
"'How little differentiates man from beasts?'"
Lyu Yingyue did not waver in the slightest, asking in return, "If I am a wolf, then I must be a wolf raised by the Federation itself. How could it blame the wolf for biting too hard?
"Is it not the towering Tianyuan itself that has allowed a ravenous beast like me—one who uses the masses for private gain—to rise to power?"
The old man said coldly, "And what if I forbid it?"
Lyu Yingyue raised a hand, brushing her graying hair behind her head, and smiled. "Then please, sever my head to appease Lord Tao's spirit and give an accounting to the Federation and Haizhou.
"Only..."
She asked curiously, "Is it truly me whom you wish to strike down?"
For a fleeting moment, the entire lounge seemed frozen. No, not just the lounge—an invisible power circulated, blanketing the entire building, the immense Federal Security Bureau, causing countless people to raise their heads in shock, yet not a single soul dared approach or cross the boundary.
When the old man cast his downcast gaze, the myriad phenomena of the world seemed to manifest within the palm of his hand.
Everything was so fragile, so minuscule, like dust.
A single thought...
would suffice to pull up this calamity threatening to throw the Federation into turmoil, roots and all.
Yet after that instant, everything dispersed like a gentle breeze, including that unseen guillotine.
"To think that beyond having the ruthless ambition of a wolf, you are also so deceitful and crafty..."
The old man let out a soft sigh. "Tell me, why didn't I notice it earlier back then?"
Lyu Yingyue laughed. "Wasn't it precisely because of that ruthless ambition and deceitful mind that an unpresentable person like me was chosen by you?"
"Back then, you really weren't this annoying, nor did you have the nerve to chatter on endlessly in front of me."
The old man shook his head and lifted the cup before him. Hesitating for a moment, he pinched his nose with a grimace and poured the medicine into his mouth. Putting the cup down, he winced at the foul bitterness. His hands fumbled around for a good while, only to find the candy jar in front of him was already empty.
Then, he saw Lyu Yingyue's outstretched hand.
A hard peppermint candy lay in her palm.
Lyu Yingyue said, "I brought it specially from Haizhou before setting out. Whether things work out or not, it represents your subordinate's goodwill. Care to try it?"
"A bribe? Just this little?"
The old man curled his lip disdainfully, picked it up, unwrapped it, and tossed it into his mouth. By habit, he crunched down on it noisily. Soon, the intense sourness made him suck in a sharp breath of cold air.
His face contorted.
He fucking knew it—no candy from her was good candy!
Expecting Lyu Yingyue to bring any proper gift... he really had grown old enough to get Parkinson's.
"Then let them fight."
An immovable fixture among the nine members of successive cabinets, the Minister of Federal Security, a living Sage who single-handedly maintained a third of the order of Tianyuan in the present world, spoke thus.
They had spoken, the medicine had been drunk, and the candy had been eaten.
There was no need to waste each other's time any longer.
"Things have reached this point. Since neither is willing to back down, there has to be a loser..."
He slowly pushed himself up and cast one last glance back at Lyu Yingyue, full of curiosity. "The question is, can you win?"
"Who knows?"
Lyu Yingyue shrugged, nonchalant and unconcerned.
Those who walked barefoot, even if they lost, would merely continue living barefoot.
Those wearing shoes, however, might not be so lucky...
Before departing, she flashed a final smile.
"In any case, the one who loses the worst definitely won't be me."
***
At that moment, at the end of the silence, the excited shouts and cheers of the audience echoed from the television screen once more.
Right at the end of the product launch, after Haian Auto had rallied its forces, stormed back into the military-industrial sector, and rattled countless competitors with its wild, provocative moves, Director Ji Jue struck while the iron was hot and made an announcement to everyone.
This year, Haian Auto Works would accept the invitation and dispatch a professional team to officially participate in the blockbuster event starting in the middle of this month—
The Desert Sea Extreme Rally!
A triennial large-scale rally primarily sponsored by Universal Heavy Industries, its contestants encompassed major automakers and military-industrial giants across the Federation. It was one of the rally world's highest honors, watched by millions, and regarded as the ultimate touchstone for all off-road vehicles.
Over the span of half a month, stretching from Huangzhou in the north to Haizhou in the south—from the small snowfield town of Heihe in the Federation's far-north Huangzhou all the way to Chaocheng in the southernmost reaches of the Federation!
Subzero freezing cold in Huangzhou, clashing mountain ranges in Kunwu, yellow sands filling the sky over Longyuan, and mud and swamps sprawling across Haizhou...
Spanning the entire Federation, this was a wilderness drive covering more than 5,960 kilometers.
A grueling, endless trek worthy of being called a journey through hell was about to begin.
Chapter 348