Early on the morning of June 28.
Cangwu City, Nanhai East Circuit.
Inside a secluded garden estate in the heart of the Hua District, calligraphy scrolls, paintings, and antiques lined a retro-styled room.
Most residences belonging to the Federation's Martial Marquis-level officials were historical courtyard estates. As state-owned property, they were strictly prohibited from being resold or remodeled.
He had lived here for fifteen years now, moving in the moment he assumed office as Chief of Nanhai Circuit and remaining ever since.
There was no such thing as retirement for a Federation Martial Marquis; so long as no major catastrophe arose, they basically served until death.
Even if one became too frail to move, they would still retain a titular post.
Liu Hanwen awoke on his bed and reached out for his reading glasses.
He was seventy-eight years old this year, his temples frosted with gray. Even a fifth-tier superhuman could not escape the ravages of aging.
Birth, aging, illness, and death were universal laws, holding true even for a Martial Marquis capable of moving mountains and draining seas.
The span between a Martial Marquis's breakthrough and their decline averaged thirty years, with their prime lasting only fifteen.
This was why the Federation required order—a consensus forged among all the realm's strongest.
Superhuman power could never be inherited with absolute certainty; the majority of descendants would inevitably regress into ordinary people or low-tier superhumans. No one could guarantee their clan would prosper forever.
Rises, falls, and fading back into the common crowd were the natural course.
Liu Hanwen had no offspring. He had spent the first half of his life expanding the Federation's frontiers and the second half defending the homeland, serving across four generations of the Hall of Martial Virtue.
A lifetime in the saddle, he had never settled down to start a family.
His sole devotion was to the granddaughter left behind by an old comrade-in-arms.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
His secretary knocked right on schedule and, upon hearing Liu Hanwen's consent, pushed open the door carrying a basin of water and a towel.
"Master Liu, did you sleep well last night?"
Secretary Liu was a forty-year-old middle-aged man, a fourth-tier superhuman among those with the greatest promise of advancing to Martial Marquis.
By convention, such individuals were assigned as secretaries to established Martial Marquises so that upon succeeding in their advancement, they would inherit the elder marquis's political capital and extend protection to the predecessor's family after their death.
The Federation's circle of Martial Marquises possessed the highest degree of mobility; only a handful of premier clans could guarantee a Martial Marquis in consecutive generations.
"I've got a terrible headache."
Liu Hanwen rubbed the space between his brows. "There's still no trace of that demon corpse, a fourth-tier operative from beyond our borders is suspected of slipping into Nanhai West Circuit, and the Chen family hasn't quieted down lately.
"On top of that, there's a mountain of troubles over at the Hall of Martial Virtue. If you ask me, we might as well square off and fight it out—whoever wins gets the final say."
Secretary Liu kept a smile and did not chime in, especially regarding the Hall of Martial Virtue.
With survival pressures mounting year after year, the Martial Marquises were all searching for a way forward, sparking a clash of ideologies.
Seventy Martial Marquises meant seventy factions, and even the steadfast faction splintered into three or four distinct philosophies. Liu Hanwen, for instance, belonged strictly to the conservative faction, wishing only to maintain the status quo.
Liu Hanwen propped himself up, wiping his face with the towel as he grumbled incessantly, "All of that is secondary. What matters is that Xiao Yan's marriage still hasn't been settled. I've introduced so many brilliant young men to her, yet not a single one pleases her."
On this matter, Secretary Liu dared to speak his mind. "Young people nowadays are all about free love."
Liu Hanwen muttered in dissatisfaction, "It's not like I forced her to pick any specific one."
Secretary Liu suggested, "Perhaps you shouldn't press her so hard. It might only be stirring up Miss Lin's rebellious streak."
Over the years, Chief Liu had introduced a hundred young men to Miss Lin annually; frankly, even Secretary Liu felt it was excessive.
"Ah, if I were ten years younger, I probably wouldn't push her. But I'm already past seventy, and in two more years, I'll be an octogenarian."
Liu Hanwen sighed, dropping the subject.
Once Liu Hanwen finished freshening up, before breakfast was brought in, Secretary Liu handed him a dossier.
"Chief, there's trouble in Fangshi. The special investigation team is pursuing legal charges against the Fangshi city executive."
"Who orchestrated this?"
"According to a member of the special investigation team I contacted, it was pulled off by Lu Zhao, whom Miss Lin promoted earlier."
"Lu Zhao?"
Liu Hanwen murmured the name; he had heard Lin Zhiyan mention it twice before.
Secretary Liu retrieved Lu Zhao's personal file from his briefcase.
"Lu Zhao, born in the year 3216, registered in Chuyun District of Cangwu, from a martyr's family..."
He had already completed the legwork and conducted a thorough investigation prior to reporting—a fundamental duty for a Martial Marquis's secretary.
Handling the concrete details was their responsibility; the final verdict was left to their superior.
Hearing that Lu Zhao was a graduate of Dijing University, Liu Hanwen asked, "Did he know Xiao Yan during their school days?"
Secretary Liu replied, "Neither of them likely knew the other. During his time at school, Lu Zhao was aloof and had no friends, while Miss Lin was quite introverted when she first enrolled.
"If there's any connection to speak of, this young man is that person."
Following the deaths of her father and grandfather, Lin Zhiyan had remained withdrawn for a long time.
Later, during her sophomore year, something had suddenly clicked, and she gradually returned to normal.
Because she had suffered heartbreak—perhaps driven by a rebellious impulse as well.
Secretary Liu had looked into this matter specifically; all he could say was that fate worked in mysterious ways.
Liu Hanwen's brows shot up, and he snorted coldly. "It's this brat? He dumped Xiao Yan back then, and now he's using her?"
"Actually, it can't really be called dumping. According to what I learned from Xu Fang, he probably doesn't even remember Miss Lin."
Secretary Liu produced a photograph—the portrait on Lu Zhao's graduation certificate.
A tall, upright figure, handsome and spirited features, with a pair of phoenix eyes.
A good-looking man was scarcer than a beautiful woman, and drew even more attention.
"For someone like him, he probably received dozens of love letters a year. Students handing out love letters back then might not have even known each other beforehand—they just wrote one on an impulsive whim."
"Even so, it only shows he failed to recognize Mount Tai when it stood right before him," Liu Hanwen huffed, leaving Secretary Liu at a loss for words.
In Secretary Liu's memory, Miss Lin hadn't bothered with appearances at all back then; her bangs had hung long enough to cover her eyes, giving her a thoroughly gloomy air.
When she handed someone a love letter and got rejected on the spot, it would be a miracle if Lu Zhao remembered her.
Secretary Liu steered the conversation away. "Miss Lin might be behind this entire affair. She has always been quite rebellious."
***
Fangshi, state-run guesthouse.
Lin Zhiyan lay sprawled across the king-size bed in a luxury suite, without a stitch of clothing on her body, her long legs locked in a wrestling hold around the down comforter.
It was common knowledge that psychic superhumans tended to have quirks to varying degrees. Lin Zhiyan had once fallen deep into the mental world, and ever since then, she had developed a severe case of mysophobia.
Later, Master Liu had pulled strings to enlist the help of a Martial Marquis possessing psychic divine power, who helped construct a mental palace for her before she could finally find stability.
The situation had been critical back then; had she suffered a few more mental tsunamis, Lin Zhiyan likely would have lost her sanity completely.
Sleeping naked helped sweat evaporate while she rested, keeping her skin clean and dry so she would not be reminded of the muddy quagmire of being trapped in a mental tsunami.
*Ring, ring, ring!*
The cell phone on the bedside table began to ring. Bleary-eyed, Lin Zhiyan opened her eyes, picked up the phone, and answered listlessly, "Hello?"
"The sun's already burning your backside and you're still not out of bed? Did the interrogation run late last night?"
Liu Hanwen's voice came through. Lin Zhiyan replied, "Master Liu, I certainly wanted to conduct the interrogation, but you wouldn't allow me on the front lines."
"Our little princess has grown up, and now Master Liu's words fall on deaf ears. I told you not to go, but did you really stay away?"
Chapter 74