Aunt Qin turned around with a smile on her face.
"You've lived with me for so many years. Have you ever seen anyone like him?"
A disappointed look appeared on Miss Jia's face, and in the end, she could only let out a long sigh.
"No."
"Aunt Qin, have you ever seen one?" Miss Jia asked again.
Aunt Qin's hand paused as she watered the flowers. "Perhaps there were such people in the past."
She thought of that long-ago era, bleak and tinged with wonder.
Unfortunately, such an era would never come again.
"You went to the Great Wilderness Mountain Range?"
"Yes." Miss Jia nodded.
Aunt Qin sat down, supporting her waist as she panted. "Back then, Dafeng had rotted to its very roots.
"It exalted scholars and suppressed warriors; the nation was rich, yet its people were weak.
"I thought that when the Wolf Clan invaded, Dafeng would fall apart. Yet unexpectedly, the Wolf Guard vanished without explanation, and the Wolf Clan declined.
"Originally, I thought this matter, like so many unsolved mysteries throughout history, could only be buried beneath the dust of time.
"Who would have thought that the incident in the Great Wilderness Mountain Range would unearth a historical mystery.
"I never expected Heize to be behind all of this. I'm very curious—how did Heize destroy the Wolf Guard?"
Miss Jia sat in her chair, her gaze shifting, but in the end, she said nothing.
"You've known Heize for so long. Haven't you noticed anything special about him in military affairs, or in any other respect?" Aunt Qin asked, her gaze deep and unfathomable.
She had seen many figures whose names had gone down in history.
The feeling those people gave Aunt Qin was completely different from that of ordinary people.
Either they made others feel exceptionally comfortable in every interaction, or they possessed a spirit that naturally inspired admiration.
Outstanding people were still people, but anyone worthy of being called outstanding must surely possess something beyond the ordinary.
"He's very strong. Even Liu Xiu couldn't withstand a single exchange with him." At the mention of Heize, a faint smile curved Miss Jia's lips.
"That isn't enough. Liu Xiu is merely someone a little stronger than most." Aunt Qin sighed. "There is no one in this world who can hold off ten thousand alone.
"Even if such a person existed, it would not be Heize.
"I'm also very curious how Heize managed to annihilate that branch of the Wolf Clan.
"I suppose we won't know the truth of history until the investigation results come out."
A trace of disappointment appeared on Miss Jia's face. "Even you think Heize has no hope of holding off ten thousand alone, then..."
In Miss Jia's understanding, Aunt Qin had absolutely the strongest capacity for accepting the unbelievable.
Or rather, she was the most knowledgeable and well-traveled.
She longed for Heize to be different from the rest. Then perhaps there might still be a sliver of hope that, before she died, she could see once more the person who had haunted her dreams since childhood.
"How strong was the strongest person Aunt Qin has ever seen?" Miss Jia asked. "Could he hold off ten thousand alone?"
"No." Aunt Qin sank into her memories. "Some of the strong people I saw could perhaps only kill a thousand.
"Yet whether ten thousand soldiers or a hundred thousand soldiers formed an encirclement to kill him, he would not die.
"Instead, those hundred thousand soldiers would ultimately collapse for some inexplicable reason."
"Why?" Miss Jia was slightly stunned.
That was highly unreasonable.
Of course, her own existence was also extremely unreasonable.
"Because... destiny."
Where destiny lay, there would arise a Child of Destiny.
"Hm?" Miss Jia still did not understand.
"Destiny cannot be defied by mortals."
Aunt Qin said no more. Clearly, she had no intention of continuing this topic.
Miss Jia did not press further either.
"Have they excavated Heize's body?" Aunt Qin asked casually.
"Not yet." Miss Jia felt both anticipation and fear.
If there was no intact corpse, or if she did not see the body.
She could still cling to a faint hope through the Shrine of Life and Death.
After all, the Shrine of Life and Death recorded that Heize's combat prowess was peerless, beyond imagination.
If Heize truly possessed peerless combat prowess, was it possible that he might still be alive?
Of course, this was only Miss Jia's wishful thinking.
No matter what, one had to see the person alive or the corpse dead.
"Once they dig him out, I'll go take a look with you." Aunt Qin's voice was weathered with age.
"Aunt Qin?" Miss Jia was somewhat surprised.
Their conditions were not very good now.
The Immortality Elixir was not true immortality.
Over the years, Miss Jia had spent many years in deep slumber.
Sleeping and waking through a thousand years.
This awakening might be her last.
Once she fell asleep again, she truly would never awaken.
Aunt Qin was the same as Miss Jia, perhaps even worse off.
That was why, over these years, Aunt Qin had avoided traveling around, cultivating herself and preserving her health.
"Since there's only that final stretch of time left anyway, what harm is there in accompanying you for a walk?" A smile appeared on Aunt Qin's face.
"I'll immediately have the Justice Association exert pressure and continue speeding up the excavation!
"At present, they've already unearthed nearly ten thousand sets of remains. I believe it won't be long before I can see Heize!"
Miss Jia said hurriedly.
"Alright."
"Father." Lin Chao returned home and saw his father in the garden.
"You went to see... Madam Ma?" Lin Leng looked at Lin Chao, his eyes full of gratification.
"Yes." Lin Chao nodded. "Destiny lies with Azure Lord. In the Central Plains, I intend to send Madam Ma out of the Central Plains. No matter how powerful Azure Lord's claws and fangs are, they cannot reach overseas."
This was the solution Lin Chao had found.
Azure Lord's fortune was currently far too abundant.
It made one feel as powerless as if facing natural disasters and calamities.
For example, no matter how hard you worked, how skilled you were in martial arts, or how profound your knowledge was, if you encountered a magnitude-twelve earthquake, you would still be finished.
"Ping'er, during this time, cultivate diligently and raise your strength.
"In four years, the forces of our various families will clash." Lin Leng's expression grew solemn.
"Will the decisive battle finally begin?" Lin Chao asked, though his voice was unexpectedly calm.
"Yes." Lin Leng said, "Once Mount Taiqing is moved to Kyoto and fortune is eternally anchored in Great Cang, we truly will not have even the slightest chance left."
"Yes." Lin Chao nodded.
Before you continue