Chapter 256: The Shen Family of the Past, Departing for Luohe County

"Uncle Wang."

Yan Jing extended his hand, smoothly following his lead.

Wang Changnian was a veteran, after all. He handed over what needed giving without hesitation, and his method of closing the distance didn't feel off-putting.

He smiled faintly.

"You can call me Xiao Jing or Xiao Yan."

"Xiao Jing it is, then. Xiao Yan sounds a bit too distant."

Wang Changnian smiled and patted Yan Jing on the shoulder.

"As for the matter of your status as a seed, I'll report it to the Fifth Ring Domain Federal General Administration Hall later. I don't usually work out of Rainbow City; my office is in Nanyun, another surrounding city. This is just a temporary workspace."

"It's not far, though. If you run into any trouble, give me a call anytime."

"Also, this is the symbol of your identity as a seed."

Wang Changnian handed Yan Jing a black badge. Its shape resembled a newly sprouting seed, looking somewhat similar to Yan Jing's Fear Seed.

"This is forged from Lunar Yin Stone, a specialty of Yueyin. It has the effect of focusing the mind and clearing the heart. The only Lunar Yin Stone vein in Yueyin is controlled by the Federal Government, so you don't have to worry about counterfeits."

Pausing for a moment, Wang Changnian looked at Zhou Zimo.

"Secretary Zhou, take Xiao Jing around to familiarize him with Rainbow City's municipal hall. I'll arrange a nominal administrative title for him later. As we discussed earlier, since he will be staying in Ling'an, having an administrative identity will make things easier for him."

"I'll stay here and discuss some other details with his investor."

"Understood."

Zhou Zimo nodded and led Yan Jing out the door.

Before leaving, Yan Jing glanced at Shen Youran. Receiving a reassuring look from her, he finally followed Zhou Zimo out.

"Mr. Yan, the domain chief has already briefed me. I'll continue to handle your liaison work going forward. If you have any matters that you feel don't require his personal attention, you can come to me. It would be my honor."

Zhou Zimo smiled softly.

"You are young and promising, Mr. Yan. I'm sure it won't be long before your name rings throughout the Fifth Ring Domain."

"I wouldn't go that far."

Yan Jing's expression remained calm as he chuckled. "Uncle Wang and I just hit it off because our personalities match."

"You make a fair point, Mr. Yan," Zhou Zimo said with a smile. "This is my contact information. Shall I add you? If anything comes up, feel free to call on me anytime."

"You did that on purpose, didn't you, Domain Chief? You wanted to give Miss Zhou and Xiao Yanzi some space alone."

Shen Youran took a sip of her tea, her eyelids lowered.

Although her attitude toward Wang Changnian remained polite and respectful, it clearly lacked the earlier distance and reverence.

This wasn't their first time meeting.

Back when she was escorted to this region, Wang Changnian was the one who met her escorts.

"She's a daughter of the Zhou Family."

Wang Changnian closed his eyes.

"The Zhou Family of Diqi City."

Tianqi, Diqi, Xuanqi, Huangqi.

The four Qi cities, along with Crime City.

These five cities collectively formed the most prosperous region of the Fifth Ring Domain.

Beyond these five were bustling cities like Longhe and Wuqing, and only then came the surrounding cities like Nanyun and Rainbow City.

The Zhou Family of Diqi City, much like the Wang Family of Tianqi City, was a behemoth with deep foundations.

"Her father is an old friend of mine. It's just that his situation in the Zhou Family is terrible, and his tier has remained stagnant. That's why he hoped I could lend his daughter a hand."

"You hail from the Shen Family, so you naturally understand how these great clans work. They're so crowded you could suffocate; her father simply doesn't rank."

"So?"

Shen Youran took another sip of tea. "Are you hoping something happens between her and Xiao Yanzi?"

"No."

Wang Changnian spoke calmly. "The gap between her and Xiao Jing is too large. But whether it's merely a good connection or a fleeting romance, either would improve her family's current situation."

Truthfully, to the outside world, Zhou Zimo was already considered exceptional. She was the kind of woman many geniuses desperately wanted to cling to, yet Wang Changnian wore a calm expression, as if he were discussing a transaction.

There was nothing wrong with a transaction. Many things in this world were exactly that.

Including Wang Changnian himself.

If a trade was fair, it was ten million times better than messy, tangled emotions.

But Shen Youran spoke up.

"If you really want to leverage your investment in Xiao Yanzi to take another step forward, I have to make this clear: it's best not to treat this like balancing a ledger right from the start."

"Xiao Yanzi may seem warm on the outside, but his heart is cold. That's all I'm going to say."

...

Wang Changnian fell silent for a few seconds before looking at Shen Youran.

"I understand that, but I still need to adapt to it."

"I actually wanted to have a chat with you, Miss Shen. You should be well aware of Xiao Jing's talent. Let alone you, even I might not be able to hold onto him."

He paused and let out a soft sigh.

"I don't know how you found him, or rather, how you attracted him. But I hope you can let go, and not for any ulterior motive."

"It's because of that rumor."

At the mention of this so-called rumor, Shen Youran's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she looked down at her tea.

Noticing this, Wang Changnian continued.

"Rumor has it that the Shen Family's old master, who was only one step away from reaching the Summit, planted two items previously used by a god—which your family had unearthed—into his only great-granddaughter before she was even born, and then he passed away."

"I originally thought it was just an excuse that almighty figure used back then for his actions. But looking at it now, it seems to be true."

"One item is called the God-Seeking Seed. The other is the Beckoning Calamity."

...

Wang Changnian said no more. Many of these things were just hearsay to him as well.

Shen Youran suddenly spoke.

"The God-Seeking Seed automatically draws highly talented people to my side. For an investor family, it's a supreme treasure."

"But such a destiny cannot be suppressed by anyone less than a god. Because of that, my great-grandfather also planted the Beckoning Calamity to balance it out. His original intention was for the God-Seeking Seed to attract geniuses for me, while the Beckoning Calamity would serve as a life-saving trump card."

"If someone were to hurt or kill me, that calamity would erupt instantly, tormenting them for eternity and bringing misfortune to everyone around them, as well as generations of their blood relatives."

"But what he didn't anticipate was that the God-Seeking Seed was incomplete, whereas the Beckoning Calamity was whole."

"That is why my Shen Family was wiped out so quickly."

Wang Changnian raised an eyebrow.

Although he had guessed most of it, hearing Shen Youran admit it herself still left him surprised.

It made sense.

If it hadn't been for this so-called Beckoning Calamity...

When Shen Youran first returned to avenge the Shen Family and failed, she should have died. She wouldn't have just been exiled here.

Shen Youran smiled.

"But you can rest assured. I found a way to suppress the Beckoning Calamity long ago. It absolutely will not affect Xiao Yanzi."

"Once Xiao Yanzi finishes helping me with my task, I'll leave."

"Everything between him and me will end there."

Wang Changnian's face remained placid, and he finally nodded.

"Good. I hope you can do as you say. I can tell you harbor a different sort of feeling for Xiao Jing. Because of that, you should understand even more clearly that leaving him is best for both of you."

"Besides, I also believe he isn't someone who takes bonds lightly. He won't forget you—" Wang Changnian didn't get to finish before Shen Youran stood up and offered him a slight bow.

"Let's end the conversation here, Domain Chief Wang. Thank you for everything you've done. I'll leave Xiao Yanzi in your care from now on."

...

Shen Youran walked out the door. The corridor, the passing staff members, the carpet beneath her feet—everything in her vision turned into a blur.

Nothing could stay.

Six years ago, she had proudly led her group back to the Third Ring Domain. As a young girl, she had vainly attempted to topple behemoths, seeking her revenge while reaching for the heavens.

And they had almost succeeded. They were only one step away.

But the arrival of the almighty figure Wang Changnian mentioned ruined everything.

That almighty entity from an outer domain took a liking to her chosen seed and revealed the secret hidden within her body to everyone. Her team fell apart in an instant. No matter how much she tried to explain that the Beckoning Calamity could be controlled, it was utterly futile.

That genius—the person she thought was her closest friend, who had made countless promises to her—also chose to leave with that almighty figure.

Before leaving, he heavily crippled the Mu Family for her in order to balance the karma, but that was as far as it went; he didn't want to interfere too deeply with her karma.

The God-Seeking Seed and the Beckoning Calamity—the presence of these two items inside a god would be a symbol of divine might. But existing within a mortal, they only spelled a cycle of misfortune.

The people around her who learned of this secret left her one by one. Even the Mu Family didn't dare lay a hand on her; they simply dispatched people to escort her to this border region.

Her escorts also suffered varying degrees of bad luck.

Thus, this matter was deliberately sealed away in this small region.

Before Yan Jing arrived, she felt as if she were trapped in a cage. Those with mediocre aptitude couldn't help her. Those with better aptitude didn't understand her background and wouldn't choose her. And those with astonishingly high aptitude knew her history and were too terrified to pick her.

Every time one of her past friends learned about the curse, they would leave. The group chat on her phone that used to be incredibly lively saw its numbers dwindle more and more.

All she could do was hype herself up every night before bed, wishing that tomorrow would be a little better.

She had fallen deep into her memories once again.

"I unilaterally declare that this Beckoning Calamity is definitely fake!"

The voice of the twin-tailed girl rang out, jolting Shen Youran awake. Only then did she realize she hadn't turned off her earpiece.

"Indeed. I found out about this five years ago, and I'm still alive and kicking."

Lin Xiaoran's crisp voice chimed in as well.

Shen Youran stared blankly.

Five years ago?

"Oh crap, I let it slip." Lin Xiaoran hastily disconnected her earpiece.

"That's why I'm telling you, Auntie Shen, stop agonizing over it! The Summit! The Summit!!! Isn't that our goal?"

The twin-tailed girl said, "We accomplished things those great clans couldn't—now that's badass!"

"If you ask me, the people from your previous team were all trash! I bet you anything that if you told that monster of yours about this, he definitely wouldn't run!

"From now on, whether you're looking for a seed to invest in or just a friend, you have to look at their character first! In the future, if there's anything I can do to help your family's monster, just say the word—"

"..."

Amidst the twin-tailed girl's incessant chatter, a familiar voice rang out in the distance.

"Let's go home, Teacher Shen!"

Shen Youran looked up to see Yan Jing waving at her from afar. She smiled and ran toward him.

"Coming!"

Five days later.

Bianliu County, at the train station.

The field trip squad was ready to go!

The leader: Luo Sheng, dressed in a long gown, holding a flag in his hand.

The team's head of security: the Old Man, wearing an olive-green military coat over a formal Chinese tunic suit, looking like someone from Across the Lake.

Next was the logistics service captain: Fei Yu, dressed in an emerald blouse. The cheerleading captain: Tiger, draped in a gown and wearing a scholar's hat. The tour guide: Liu Ye, the newly minted, soon-to-be section chief of the Inspection Bureau. And the sigh-heaving captain: Bi Jie, wearing a Chinese tunic suit.

As for the one left behind to watch the house, it was our all-powerful Yi Ji!

On the tracks, steam billowed from the locomotive, and the sharp shriek of its whistle sounded as if urging everyone to board.

"Move out!!!"

Today, everyone wore round sunglasses on their faces.

This had been Yan Jing's idea.

It was originally meant to be a uniform travel sign to make keeping track of everyone easier. Unexpectedly, it made the team look like a bunch of seasoned gangsters. This was especially true for Xiao Yu, who practically transformed from a demure girl-next-door into a terrifying underworld boss.

Seeing this bizarre group, the people around them quickly backed away.

What a joke! Didn't they see County Magistrate Luo preparing to head out of the city on business?? Who would dare block their path!

But looking at their setup, it didn't seem like they were heading out for some minor errand—

It looked like they were going to war!