"Old Du, you've got some nerve. You had a powerhouse like Su Xiaoyou hidden away and never told me. He gave me quite a beating. I was worried about Earth's safety before, but now I'm much more at ease. Even if he doesn't get involved much, just having him on Earth will make the enemy think twice." Sun Wukong immediately started complaining to Ducao.
Since Su Xinghe and Sun Wukong had spoken earlier, the members of Xiong Bing Lian already knew that Sun Wukong and Ducao knew each other, so they weren't too surprised.
"Hahaha, I didn't know either. I never would've guessed. Still, protecting Earth is up to you. Here, the Shenhe Armor is for you."
"Big Brother Xinghe, could you come over for a moment? There's something I want to ask you," Ge Xiaolun quietly murmured to Su Xinghe while everyone was focused on Sun Wukong.
"I wanted to ask, since we were classmates, how did you manage to find such a pretty girl? Give me some pointers, will you? You know I like Qiangwei."
Su Xinghe glanced at Ge Xiaolun. The kid had called him over just to ask that? He'd thought Ge Xiaolun wanted to talk about getting stronger. Who would've thought he was only interested in girls? What a loser. Angel Yan was practically being handed to him, but he insisted on being Qiangwei's lapdog.
"When it comes to love, what's meant to happen will happen. Mine came to me for free. The ones you're looking at now are my wife's personal guards—in other words, bodyguards. They're not my wives. Got it?"
"When the time comes, you'll find someone too. If you really can't win Qiangwei over, just give up."
"Maybe all you know of me comes from novels and TV: my mighty presence and bad temper. But no one knows the real me. I don't like arguing with others, and I don't care who leads the team. We're all soldiers. What matters most is standing together against our enemies."
"Let's be honest. As for your business with Lieyang, I think you should leave it alone for now. Once we've dealt with Earth's current problems, you two can have a fight. They couldn't deal with you 1,400 years ago, but 1,400 years have passed, and Lieyang's technology has advanced much faster than Earth's."
Su Xinghe gave Sun Wukong a thorough talking-to. There was no way he could let him go pick a fight with Lieyang right now. Would he have to step in or not? As the Main God of the Shenhe Civilization, both sides had been influenced by the Shenhe Civilization.
If he really went, whose side should he take—Earth's or Lieyang's?
To spare himself the trouble, he simply told Sun Wukong not to go looking for trouble with them for the time being. Lieyang Star would disappear eventually anyway. When that happened, the two sides could work through their differences further.
After all, they'd have lost their home. What could anyone say then?
"Old Sun doesn't know what Su Xiaoyou is getting at, but I'm afraid my grudge with Heavenly Dao Star won't be so easily resolved."
"What happened more than 1,400 years ago still haunts me to this day. They have to pay for it."
"Tricky."
Xinyue stepped forward. "Your Highness, the Lieyang Civilization is actually part of the Shenhe Civilization's system. Although they have their own Main God, the previous generation's Sun God, they're fundamentally different from the Angel Civilization. At their core, they still depend on the Shenhe Civilization."
"And Earth Star is also one of the Shenhe Civilization's influenced civilizations. So you only need to use your status as a prince to issue an order to Lieyang Star, demanding that they provide compensation for what happened 1,400 years ago."
"The Black Armor Warriors of Xiong Bing Lian do need to be upgraded to Third Generation Super Soldiers. We can ask them to provide several sets of upgrade resources as compensation."
Su Xinghe thought this was a pretty good solution. If every member of Xiong Bing Lian could be upgraded to a Third Generation Super Soldier, the pressure they faced in the future would be much lighter.
"Great Sage, what do you think? With these resources, we can upgrade the combat strength of the entire Xiong Bing Lian. That will help us protect Shenzhou better."
"Preserving this country's legacy would also be a way to answer to those who sacrificed themselves 1,400 years ago."
"All right. If that's the case, Old Sun can refrain from going after them for a while. But if they dare harbor ill intentions toward Shenzhou again in the future, don't blame me for showing no mercy." Sun Wukong wasn't happy about it, but the matter had already been decided. And for Shenzhou at this stage, it really was a great help.
Besides, he couldn't beat the other guy, so he had no choice but to agree for now.
"Then it's settled. Xiong Bing Lian can continue training under the original system. I'll head back and deal with the matter concerning Lieyang."
When Su Xinghe and Xinyue returned to the villa, the luxurious furniture that had originally filled the living room had all been cleared away by the angels. A throne had been placed in the middle.
Su Xinghe plopped down on the throne. At last, he understood how Holy Keisha must have felt. Now he knew why He Xi and Holy Keisha liked sitting on sofas while they mocked their enemies. It really was comfortable.
"You just told me to write an imperial order from the Shenhe Civilization's royal family. If I'm not mistaken, there must be a proper format for something like that, but I've never written one."
"As one of the oldest angels around, I'm sure you've seen the proper format before."
"I really can't remember, but you could contact Queen Hexi. She's more familiar with this sort of thing."
"Right."
[Establishing a Space-based Computing Dark Communication link.]
"Well, little brother, it hasn't been long, and you're already missing your big sister? How about I come to Earth and keep you company? Your big sister is very gentle, and I guarantee you'll have an unforgettable experience." As soon as the call connected, He Xi opened with a suggestive tease.
"Don't joke around, sis. You know about the conflict between Earth and Lieyang Star 1,400 years ago, right?"
"With everything going on right now, the situation is rather difficult to handle. But Xinyue told me that I could use my status as a member of the Shenhe royal family to issue an imperial order, requiring the Lieyang Civilization to provide some resources as compensation for what they did on Earth 1,400 years ago. That would help resolve the long-standing grudge between the two sides."
"But I don't know how to write the order. I don't know the format."
"Oh, that's all? It's such a small matter. I'll go to the Lieyang Civilization in your place. There's no need to make a fuss. You don't have the authority to issue an imperial order until you ascend the throne, and your father has fallen. The Shenhe Civilization's government is incomplete right now. I can go there for you and bring back some resources without any problem." After hearing Su Xinghe out, He Xi replied lazily. In her eyes, writing an imperial order over something so trivial simply wasn't worth the effort.
Before you continue