When the two came up from underground, it was already late—six o’clock, and darkness had fallen here.
At the foot of the main peak, Feiran and Yuan Cang were struggling with their men to search for the two.
From beginning to end, none of them believed that an avalanche like this could do anything to their master.
In the vast snowy wilderness, a group struggled to search, running every thermal detector again and again.
But what they dug out were only the corpses of squirrels and snow hares. As the sky grew darker, Fei Ran grew more anxious.
“Is there anything over there?”
Yuan Cang raised his hand toward Fei Ran five hundred meters ahead, and the latter made a gesture.
He gestured to show there were no living survivors discovered.
As Fei Ran’s expression grew darker, the sky was nearly black, and once night fell this place brimmed with danger.
If they still cannot find the master, the situation will likely turn grim.
Just as everyone searched carefully, in the eastern woods the once‑calm snowfield suddenly began to show signs of smoke.
Right after the lights flared, a silver lift rose, its hatch opened, and Wen Li and Fu Yuxiu stepped out.
Wen Li lowered her head to look at what she held in her hand; Qingya had long since set out for Continent D.
But that woman’s face had been altered, so even Qingya would likely fail to recognize her.
Fu Yuxiu looked at the little girl and suddenly spoke: “Don’t you think the person in this painting looks familiar?”
Hearing his words, Wen Li lowered her head, spread out the painting in her hand, and fixed her gaze on the sketch upon the paper.
After staring for a while, Wen Li suddenly also felt a sense of familiarity.
“Still haven’t noticed?” Fu Yuxiu suddenly lifted his hand to pinch her chin. “The person in this painting has brows and eyes much like yours.”
This also proved that when the woman underwent plastic surgery, she had used Wen Li as the template.
At the thought of that possibility, Wen Li’s expression turned cold.
"What kind of grudge do you have against this woman?"
Wen Li put away the portrait in her hand, suddenly rose on tiptoe, and seized the man’s collar to make him lower his head.
The two were very close, their breaths mingling, heated and ambiguous.
“If you can find her, then I’ll tell you.”
Fu Yuxiu lifted his hand, his sharply defined fingers resting on her waist; the man’s lips curved faintly as he leaned in to kiss her lips.
“Since my darling has said so, as your husband I am of course glad to oblige.”
This little one has always been aloof, rarely probing things to the root—yet this woman has lingered in her thoughts for so long.
There must be a reason behind it.
Just as Fei Ran led his men into the forest, he saw a man standing lazily in place, head lowered, fingers resting on the waist of the girl in his arms.
As if speaking with great care, the man’s eyes brimmed with laughter, and from time to time he leaned in to kiss the girl’s face.
“Young Master!”
Fei Ran came charging over, leading a noisy crowd of people.
Fu Yuxiu released Wen Li from his embrace, lifting his eyes lazily to regard the person who had appeared before him.
“Are you alright, sir?”
Fei Ran stood ramrod straight, sizing up the man and woman before him from head to toe.
They had clearly gone through an avalanche, yet their clothes looked spotless, without a speck of dust.
It was as if they hadn’t been the ones caught in the avalanche at all.
“Let me take you back first, we’ll discuss it later.” Fu Yuxiu swiftly gathered her into his arms.
Fei Ran led the way with his men, welcoming the return of their king.
After leaving North Mountain, the thick stench of blood made people frown.
Wen Li gazed at the snow before her, stained crimson with blood and frozen into ice, where the corpses had already been cleared away.
Yet the acrid stench of blood told everyone nearby exactly what had once happened here.
“As the master ordered, these people have all been dealt with.” Yuan Cang nodded.
Fu Yuxiu nodded, and beside him Feiran spoke: “The Mo father and son have already been escorted back to the dungeon of Black Forest Hall. Shall the master go to deal with them now?”
The man chuckled softly, his face carrying a smile as warm as the breeze, yet in his eyes surged hidden undercurrents.
“Shall I take you back first?” Fu Yuxiu lowered his head, speaking to the girl in his arms.
Wen Li shook her head. “No need, I’ll go with you.”
To make it out of North Mountain alive, only they themselves knew how many assassins from the Li and Mo families they had encountered along the way.
These people were determined not to let them walk out of North Mountain alive.
They had come back unharmed, yet certain scores still needed settling.
Fu Yuxiu gave a gentle laugh, carrying the girl with him as he boarded the car.
The driver was Hong Yun. Like Yuan Cang, he had changed into a comfortable leather jacket, looking full of vigor.
He kept checking the rearview mirror, until a black partition suddenly rose, cutting off the view of the back seat.
“So this is the girl the master likes so much?”
Hong Yun checked with Fei Ran beside him.
He knew that by the master’s side there was a girl the master favored greatly, and from Lu Min he had heard that Miss Wen Li was a formidable figure.
“Yes, the master pursued her of his own accord.” Fei Ran spoke.
Hong Yun’s nerves were steel‑strong, and he drove with remarkable steadiness.
Some time ago, he had watched a video of the master and Wen Li racing cars—the driving was astonishingly smooth, handling even the modified vehicle with such skill.
Indeed, she was quite a formidable figure.
Before coming here, he could never have imagined how that iron‑blooded, ruthless man would go about courting a girl.
No matter how many women tried to get close, none ever caught the master’s eye—in all these years, not a single woman had appeared at his side.
That flamboyant, unruly man, when ruthless, could destroy heaven and earth—in their eyes, the master was like a god.
What kind of woman could ever be worthy of such a man? Yet just now, when he glanced over, Miss Wen Li was tilting her head up to speak with the master.
The young girl’s skin was fair; though her little face showed no expression, the flush at her ears was visible.
In terms of looks alone, there was no question—the two were perfectly matched.
“But this Miss Wen Li—she doesn’t seem very old, does she?” Hong Yun asked Feiran for confirmation.
Fei Ran glanced at him. “She just turned twenty.”
She really isn’t very old—almost the same age as Lu Min, who himself is nearly twenty.
“Does the master truly like her?”
The moment he asked, Hong Yun regretted it—for judging from the master’s series of gestures just now, it hardly looked like dislike.
It truly was the first time the master coaxed a young girl like this—his brows lowered, his whole being softened into gentleness.
“So the day has truly come.”
The master clearly liked this young lady, but what Miss Wen Li truly thought remained unknown.
.........
On the eastern side of North City stood White Water Hall.
The Li family’s White Water Hall occupied a site with countless natural hot springs; because of the high sulfur content, the name “White Water Hall” was most fitting.
Unlike the grim austerity of Black Forest Hall, White Water Hall became especially beautiful after nightfall.
The estate sprawled wide; beyond the old timber gates, springs on both sides gurgled with bubbles.
The rising steam made the snowy, frozen world feel unexpectedly warm.
Beneath the traditional wooden buildings, in the largest spring of the rear courtyard, Li Zhui leaned against the pool wall, eyes closed in rest.
Two slender jade‑like hands, nails painted black, traced inch by inch up the man’s chest; the woman in a pale yellow bikini leaned against him, soft and boneless.
Her legs wound ceaselessly around the man’s waist beneath the water; the rising steam left a fine sheen of sweat across her brow.
“Young Master…” The woman’s soft call was so sweetly alluring it seemed to drip with charm.
Across the vast pool, two women in black bikinis slowly swam up from beneath the water.
When they reached Li Zhui, they rose slowly from beneath the water, fingertips lightly grazing his abdomen.
The intent to seduce could not have been clearer.
The servants came, setting the freshly opened wine by the pool, then one after another laid out delicate pastries and fruit plates.
“Young Master, you don’t even properly keep me company.” The woman clung to Li Zhui as she spoke.
He raised his arm to hold the woman, leaned close to her ear with a wicked grin, “Oh? How do you want me to keep you company?”
The woman’s smile grew more enchanting: “Of course, this is the kind of company I want.”
The other two women, seeing their movements, hurried over and spoke, unable to contain themselves.
“Young Master, I want it too… Young Master…”
“Young Master…”
Li Zhui spread his palm to catch the two women, a wicked grin on his face: “Oh? Then I’ll see which of you has the greater skill.”
From the pool came the man’s teasing laughter and the women’s restless moans.
The servant lowered his head and withdrew to the corridor. At this hour each day, the Young Master would soak in the hot spring, but he had never before brought back so many women.
It seemed that a few days ago, the Young Master’s mood had grown especially good; for three days in a row he brought back different women.
These past two days, serving here has been sheer torment for them.
“Where’s A‑Zhui?” Li Jie came from behind and asked the servant.
“The Young Master is inside.” The servant lowered his head.
The closer Li Jie drew, the louder the commotion inside became, the voices of men and women growing ever clearer.
He showed no hesitation, as if it were nothing unusual, stepping straight out of the corridor and into the courtyard.
Li Zhui was in the pool, engaged in the most primal of motions, utterly unaware of the footsteps approaching from behind.
“At such a critical moment, you still have the mood for this?”
Li Jie spoke up.
Hearing his father’s voice, Li Zhui swiftly turned in the water, looked at him, and asked: “What brings you here?"
These women had grown accustomed to such scenes—wasn’t this the way of the underworld?
It was not uncommon for fathers and sons to come together; if one acted too affected, it would only make men weary.
Thus, when Li Jie suddenly entered, they could still lie calmly by the poolside, unperturbed.
“Since noon there’s been no movement from the Mo family, and those we sent out haven’t returned. Yet you, in all this, still have the mood for such things.”
When Li Jie spoke these words, he was deeply dissatisfied.
Leaving aside the Mo family’s situation, no one even knows whether Fu Yuxiu is alive or dead.
The spies they planted in Black Forest Hall have given no reply; if Fu Yuxiu is alive and comes out of North Mountain, the situation will be troublesome.
“Why the rush? Killing or punishing is Mo family’s affair. From start to finish we’ve never acted openly. Even if Fu Yuxiu returns alive, he won’t be able to pin trouble on us.”
As Li Zhui spoke, he rose from the water, while the woman beside him, shivering against the cold, attended to him and helped him into his robe.
“We can’t easily account to the Young Master." Li Jie remarked.
They have already reported to Fu Yuheng’s side—Fu Yuxiu is certain to die in North Mountain. But if he returns alive…
Isn’t this a blatant slap in the face?
Before Fu Yuheng, how could the Li family still have any credibility?
“Dad, you’re overthinking it. How could Fu Yuxiu possibly walk out of North Mountain alive? With the main peak buried in avalanche, even if he had three heads and six arms, he couldn’t make it!” Li Zhui scoffed.
When he first arrived in North City, that man’s aura was overwhelming—anyone unaware might have thought he was the head of the Fu family.
In truth, he was nothing more than an illegitimate son unfit for the stage—lowly and humble at his core, yet parading with airs of superiority. Once this matter is reported upward…
Fu Dingfeng didn’t even bother to send a couple of men to check—one can well imagine Fu Yuxiu’s standing.
A family like the Fus, who prize lineage and bloodline above all—how could they ever give the head’s seat to such a bastard?
“What you say makes sense, but my heart still feels unsettled.” Li Jie spoke.
Ever since noon, when the Mo family surrounded the entrance to North Mountain, no word has come through. Those sent to investigate returned only saying everything seemed as usual.
He kept feeling a chill of unease in his heart.
It felt as though something were about to happen.
“Don’t scare yourself. He can’t possibly get out of North Mountain alive. Even if he did, with Mo Xiao’s stance, there’s no way he’d be allowed to live. Let them fight like snipe and clam—we’ll be the fisherman who profits in the end. Isn’t that perfect?”
The Mo family has found themselves a strong backer. Once Fu Yuxiu is dead, Fu Yuheng will never stand idly by and let the North fall into Mo hands.
When the time comes, whatever kind of bloody storm it turns into—so long as we can fight it out with real steel and fire, that will be enough.
“You’re right about that.” Li Jie relaxed completely, tugging lightly at the tie of his suit.
“I’ll soak too—you may leave.”
Li Zhui had gauged his father’s thoughts precisely, and cast a knowing glance at the women still in the pool.
The woman in the yellow bikini was the first to rise from the pool, moving to Li Jie’s side to attend him, helping remove his suit jacket.
“Master, let us sisters serve you well…”
A greasy smile spread across Li Jie’s face as he impatiently yanked the woman and leapt into the water.
Separated by a wall, Li Zhui sat down on a chair by himself, listening to the sounds drifting from the other side, while preparing to review the documents his men had just delivered.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!!!!”
A burst of machine‑gun fire erupted, tearing the courtyard into chaotic disarray.
Li Zhui sprang up from his chair and hurried toward the main gate.
This is White Water Hall —throughout the entire North City, no one has ever dared run wild here!
The heavy carved wooden doors swung open from both sides, and two rows of men entered carrying heavy weapons—opening fire the moment they stepped inside.
Expressionless like a killing machine, cold and grim in the night, exuding murderous severity.
All the brothers inside the hall rushed in at the sound; those who drew weapons to resist were struck down and fell to the ground.
Those who surrendered with raised hands were disarmed, forced to crouch in the corner with hands on their heads, while the black‑clad men around them stood expressionless, pressing gun barrels to their skulls.
It seemed that if these men moved even slightly, his head would be blown apart in an instant.
In just an instant, the entire White Water Hall was locked down tight under control.
Several corpses floated in the hot spring pool at the gate, the ceaseless flow of red blood staining the entire basin.
Treading on the blood‑soaked ground, Yuan Cang and Fei Ran stepped over the corpses before them.
“Who are you?!” Li Zhui, barefoot without even his shoes on, leapt down from the tatami.
Yuan Cang stepped forward, his silver hair strikingly conspicuous in the brightly lit courtyard.
"You’re Li Zhui, correct?"
Li Zhui’s face stiffened as he looked at the brothers held under control in the hall, staring closely at the man’s face to make sure of his identity.
It was an unfamiliar face, one he had never seen before.
“Do you know who I am, and yet you dare to be so arrogant and reckless? This is White Water Hall! You dare to run wild here?!”
Yuan Cang let out a contemptuous laugh, slamming the gun against him without hesitation: “Watch your attitude!”
Li Zhui was struck on the forehead, splitting the skin open, and blood immediately streamed down.
Fei Ran, leading his men, dragged Li Jie out from the back courtyard, where he had been indulging with a woman.
They threw him to the ground as if tossing out garbage.
Li Jie lifted his head forcefully, and upon seeing clearly the Dark Palace insignia on Yuan Cang’s shoulder…
His eyes suddenly widened, fixed unyieldingly on Yuan Cang, his expression as if beholding a ghost.
“You… you’re from the Dark Palace!”
At hearing that name, Li Zhui’s expression changed drastically.
Now, across the whole of Continent H, all nations—except for Country G—are in the grip of this iron‑blooded army.
It is the absolute sovereign.
Rumors about this army are countless, as numerous as hairs on a cow.
It’s no wonder they could be so brazen—bold enough to storm into North City and even break through the gates of White Water Hall.
“Sir, let’s speak calmly.”
Li Jie struggled to climb up from the ground; the current situation was utterly unfavorable to them.
For the moment, they had no choice but to lower their tone and bide their time.
“The Fu family and the Dark Palace have always kept to their own paths. For the Dark Palace to march in so openly—it’s hardly proper.” Li Zhui spoke coldly.
No matter what, invoking the Fu family at this moment was the wisest choice.
No matter what, the Dark Palace cannot ignore the Fu family’s prestige—White Water Hall belongs under their name.
Yuan Cang looked at the father and son with utter disdain—worthless vermin, daring with such meager courage to scheme against their master.
Truly, they don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth.
“Since we’ve entered your territory, naturally our master has matters to ask of you both,” Yuan Cang said.
As soon as his words fell, a man and a woman walked in through the wide‑open doors.
The man, lazily holding the girl in his arms, stepped easily over the threshold; his exquisite, striking profile shimmered enchantingly under the light.
A shout that shook the skies rang out, leaving Li Zhui completely collapsed on the ground.
“We respectfully welcome the Master!”
Li Zhui looked at the man who appeared, disbelief clouding his eyes.
Wasn’t he dead? How could he still appear here?
More importantly—could that illegitimate son be the master of the Dark Palace?
What kind of joke is this—that bastard is actually the master of the Dark Palace!!
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