Although they knew Qiu Tu had never failed all these years, the envoy group's own people were still somewhat surprised that he had settled everything so quickly.
On the way back to the Wine God Kingdom, General Li Feng moved closer to Qiu Tu and asked softly, "Chairman, have you already gone to Chaos West Capital and brought the prisoners back?"
Qiu Tu's thoughts were still immersed in his conversation with White Robe. He analyzed every detail, trying to extract as much intelligence as possible.
Thanks to the God King-level's extraordinary memory, every detail of the entire conversation in the palace had been replicated in Qiu Tu's mind exactly as it had happened.
When Qiu Tu had given Ilena a special massage some time ago, he had heard her talk about the memory of a God King.
According to Ilena, 120 years ago, a little girl had looked at her with tears streaming down her face. Even today, 120 years later, Ilena could still clearly remember the slight tremble of that little girl's eyelashes as she cried.
Oh, and that little girl was God King Qing E, who was now by Qiu Tu's side.
A God King's memory was that terrifying—like a camera, able to reproduce everything with incomparable precision.
Paired with Qiu Tu's formidable calculating ability, that memory complemented it perfectly. It made it easier for him to spot omissions and flaws, and it had also given him the habit of reviewing major events several times afterward to avoid making a wrong judgment.
So when he heard General Li Feng's question, Qiu Tu continued reviewing his memory of the conversation with White Robe while dedicating a sliver of his attention to answering her. "Mm. I brought them all back."
Compared to her mother, Heavenly King Zhi Yan, General Li Feng was clearly less skilled with words. So after Qiu Tu gave such a simple answer, she did not know how to continue for a moment.
She opened her mouth several times, but ultimately closed it again.
Just then, a warm hand gently patted her shoulder.
General Li Feng followed the direction of that hand and saw that, at some point, Heavenly King Zhi Yan had come to her side.
After giving General Li Feng a reassuring look, Heavenly King Zhi Yan took her hand and said to Qiu Tu, "While you were gone these past two days, Xiao Feng was very worried about you."
Qiu Tu could neglect Li Feng, but he certainly could not neglect Heavenly King Zhi Yan. So he paused his recollection and tilted his head toward them.
The mother and daughter were clearly more than twenty years apart in age, but because both had become Heavenly Gods and retained their youth, they looked like a pair of sisters.
The only difference was that Heavenly King Zhi Yan appeared more mature and gentle. Having held a high position for many years, her bearing was more restrained and noble as well.
Li Feng, on the other hand, was different. Perhaps because she came from a military background, she was fiery and passionate, but her temperament was also relatively straightforward.
Furthermore, the gap between her and Qiu Tu, whether in strength or status, was simply too vast now, so she was visibly unsure how to get along with him.
Yet it was precisely because of that mindset that she seemed somewhat youthful standing beside Heavenly King Zhi Yan.
The mother and daughter complemented each other, making their respective temperaments stand out even more.
Seeing that she had caught Qiu Tu's attention, Heavenly King Zhi Yan brushed back the loose strands of hair by her ear and said, "Don't always keep everything bottled up inside. You can talk to us."
"Though we may not be strong enough, we can still help you come up with ideas, or... at the very least, give you a way to vent the pressure in your heart."
Although Qiu Tu knew Heavenly King Zhi Yan was speaking seriously, given their relationship, the phrase "vent" still sounded rather strange to him.
However, there was one thing Heavenly King Zhi Yan had not been wrong about: one person's wisdom was limited, while two people could make a better plan. Qiu Tu's intelligence was limited right now, and everything was merely speculation. A person also had ingrained patterns of thought and could easily fall into blind spots. So he really could talk it over with a few people.
With that thought, Qiu Tu made up his mind.
He looked at Heavenly King Zhi Yan and said, "You have a point."
"Then come to my tent tonight. I'll feed you the intelligence and vent some pressure."
Hearing Qiu Tu's double entendre, even Heavenly King Zhi Yan, mature woman that she was, could not help but blush slightly.
Li Feng: ??
Li Feng had never understood romantic matters particularly well. But she could still recognize basic flirting.
Why did the conversation between her mother and Qiu Tu sound so strange?
Was she overthinking it, or was there really something between them?
As she pondered it, Li Feng kept her expression neutral, but discreetly glanced at Qiu Tu, then at her mother.
Perhaps it was just an illusion, but although neither of their expressions seemed unusual, Li Feng always felt that they were exchanging flirtatious looks.
Combined with her mother's occasional strange behavior before, as well as Qiu Tu's consistently cold attitude toward her...
A bold guess sprang up in Li Feng's heart.
I want you to be my boyfriend, but you want to be my dad?
The thought startled even Li Feng herself.
Still, although the idea had taken root in her mind, she felt things probably had not gotten that bad yet.
Anyway... my mom is going to talk intelligence with Qiu Tu tonight.
Should I sneak over and take a look?
As she thought about it, Li Feng could not help but hesitate.
After all, she knew sneaking around to spy in the middle of the night was not a good thing.
Maybe I should forget it?
But as soon as that thought arose, Li Feng felt unwilling to let it go.
The expression on her face kept changing as an intense inner battle raged within her.
Qiu Tu and Heavenly King Zhi Yan were both incredibly shrewd. No matter how hard Li Feng tried to hide it, she was still far too green before those two old foxes.
So, noticing that something seemed off with Li Feng, Qiu Tu proactively said, "General Li Feng seems to be very interested in intelligence work."
"If you're interested, you can come to my tent tonight with your mother."
Qiu Tu's invitation was completely open and aboveboard, which instead made Li Feng feel that she had been judging him with a petty mind.
Besides, Qiu Tu had invited her. Clearly, even if there was something between the two of them, nothing should happen tonight.
Thinking that, Li Feng tactfully refused. "I won't go."
"I'm not actually interested in intelligence work. I'm just interested in you."
Perhaps because she had been entirely preoccupied with figuring out what was going on between Qiu Tu and her mother, Li Feng's mouth ran ahead while her brain chased after it.
By the time she realized what she had said, it was already too late.
Her face immediately turned red, as vivid as her fiery hair. She no longer had the face to stay here and keep "wooing" Qiu Tu.
So she hastily added a few excuses, then ran back into the group as if fleeing for her life.
Seeing Li Feng's panicked retreat, Qiu Tu could not help but laugh.
Chaos West Capital was two days' travel from the Wine God Kingdom. Moreover, both settlements were sealed off and surrounded by the White Mist of the Immortal Heavenly Tomb. For safety's sake, Qiu Tu did not dare travel too quickly.
Even so, after two days on the road, stopping and going along the way, the group arrived at the outskirts of the Wine God Kingdom.
Just as Qiu Tu had guessed, a thick layer of White Mist also drifted around the outskirts of the Wine God Kingdom.
The mist was like clouds, a vast expanse of white that blocked all sight—and, naturally, every means of communication as well.
"Set up camp where we are."
Although, after hearing White Robe's words, Qiu Tu was now very curious about what had happened to the Order Shrine, he also knew that haste made waste. Faced with unknown danger, he did not act rashly.
He led the envoy group to a secluded valley and set up camp, intending to infiltrate and gather intelligence first, just as they had done in Chaos West Capital.
Of course, before gathering intelligence, Qiu Tu needed to discuss the information with Heavenly King Zhi Yan first and fill in any gaps.
Night.
The moon shone brightly and the stars were sparse, but the earth remained pitch-black.
The White Mist that filled the western region of the Ancient Continent hung over all living beings like massive dark clouds.
"The White Mist seems to have spread."
Standing outside the tent, Qiu Tu looked at the mist beyond the camp and spoke softly.
At that moment, Heavenly King Zhi Yan happened to walk over.
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, she raised her head and looked at the White Mist stretching for who knew how many kilometers, then said, "This White Mist truly is rather strange, just like the recent situation."
Qiu Tu could not help turning to look at her. "You've also noticed something wrong with the current situation?"
Heavenly King Zhi Yan smiled. "Not exactly."
"But if something can make you frown so deeply, then the situation must be extremely complicated."
Both were compliments, but Heavenly King Zhi Yan's words sounded far more pleasant.
So Qiu Tu smiled and asked, "Did you find someone to keep Li Feng company?"
By "company," Qiu Tu naturally meant keeping Li Feng occupied so she could not interrupt the two of them tonight.
Heavenly King Zhi Yan immediately understood. She nodded slightly and said, "Zhu Wu happened to be a little bored, so I asked her to give Xiao Feng a lesson."
Qiu Tu: ...
When he heard that unreliable Zhu Wu was the one keeping Li Feng occupied, Qiu Tu suddenly felt a little uneasy.
He said tactfully, "Zhu Wu's mouth is so poisonous it's like she's been licking pesticide."
"Are you sure Li Feng is willing to talk to her?"
Hearing Qiu Tu's exaggerated assessment, Heavenly King Zhi Yan covered her mouth and laughed before saying, "I'm not sure."
"But there really isn't anyone more suitable."
Qiu Tu recalled the personnel on this trip. Someone of similar strength and status to Li Feng, who could get along with her and happened to be free... it really did seem that only Zhu Wu fit the bill.
After hesitating for a moment, he waved his hand. "Forget it, forget it. Worst case, we'll make it quick."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Heavenly King Zhi Yan's face reddened. Then she reached for her skirt and began lifting it.
Qiu Tu froze at the sight and hurriedly said, "Heavenly King, what are you doing?"
"Didn't we agree that you'd help me come up with ideas and vent my pressure?"
Heavenly King Zhi Yan paused, then looked at Qiu Tu in slight astonishment.
Then she saw the half-smiling expression on his face.
In that instant, she understood that Qiu Tu had been teasing her, and she could not help feeling both embarrassed and annoyed.
Seeing that, Qiu Tu smiled and wrapped an arm around her slender waist. "Together, together."
"Neither will delay the other."
As he spoke, Qiu Tu lifted Heavenly King Zhi Yan's skirt with one hand while beginning to tell her about the intelligence he had gathered recently, as well as the hints he had received from Ilena, Mo Li, and White Robe.
After telling her all the intelligence, Qiu Tu held Heavenly King Zhi Yan and asked, "After hearing all that, what was your first reaction?"
After listening to Qiu Tu's account, Heavenly King Zhi Yan leaned against his chest, her eyes shifting as she pondered.
After a moment, she hesitantly said, "I feel like something isn't quite right."
"Everything seems too coincidental."
"Ilena warned you first. Then the Chaos Witch mocked you and revealed details. Finally, Shepherd Heart God King gave you an outright hint."
"The traces feel a little too obvious."
"It's as though an invisible hand is manipulating everything."
At that point, Heavenly King Zhi Yan perhaps felt that her judgment was too arbitrary, so she paused before adding,
"Of course, Chairman, you are the chosen one. If you truly encountered a great crisis, it is also possible that all sides would warn you."
"So everything I've said is merely my own speculation. Please consider it cautiously."
Qiu Tu narrowed his eyes at Heavenly King Zhi Yan's words.
Although Heavenly King Zhi Yan had tried to soften it afterward, for a topic like this, only the first half needed to be heard. That alone was enough to reveal her true thoughts.
Still, Heavenly King Zhi Yan's answer did not surprise Qiu Tu. So he gave no evaluation of his own. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Then what do you think happened to the Order Shrine?"
"Why did their attitude change by 180 degrees, directly treating me as a discarded pawn?"
Heavenly King Zhi Yan took two breaths and tried to keep her mind calm.
She considered it for a moment, then said, "Looking at the whole matter from beginning to end, I think there are two possibilities."
"The first involves Zhao Ji."
"The exposure of Zhao Ji's strength made the four giants of the Order Shrine discover that something was wrong with you, Chairman, and with your ambitions."
"Combined with the rumors that have always surrounded you and the Chaos Path, they felt you were uncontrollable."
"Then they happened to encounter this opportunity, so they simply threw you out to test the waters."
At that point, Heavenly King Zhi Yan paused before continuing, "The second possibility is that the High-Level God King stationed at the West Branch this time is not Ink God King, but Mitchell God King, who has some objections toward you."
"So naturally, their attitude would have changed by 180 degrees."
Qiu Tu could not help showing a thoughtful expression at Heavenly King Zhi Yan's words.
Seeing that, Heavenly King Zhi Yan became a little curious about Qiu Tu's own thoughts.
So she pressed down the fingers that were teasing her and asked, "Chairman, how do you judge the current situation and the Order Shrine's circumstances?"
"What are you planning to do?"
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