Chapter 663: A New Conviction

"I believe it."

"I believe it too. Someone as amazing as the Young Miss wouldn’t die so easily." Du Ying had rushed back day and night after hearing the news, thinking only of avenging her the entire way.

"Exactly. The Young Miss is like a fairy, how could she possibly die? She’ll come back," Luo Xuan said with unwavering conviction.

Luo Wen’s eyes widened in realization. ’That’s right! Our Young Miss possesses *that thing*. How could she be a mere mortal? She’ll definitely come back.’

"She’ll definitely come back," Gu Shuo said with resolve.

Qian Fanji was just as certain. "She definitely will."

"I don’t care if it takes a year or decades. I’ll wait for her return." A new conviction seemed to take root in Zhan Chi. "When she gets back, I’ll show her a different me."

’I have to become stronger. Strong enough to protect her, so that what happened today will never happen again!’

"She wanted to partner with Nanyuan. By the time she returns, all four nations should be able to enjoy Nanyuan’s seafood." Gu Shuo, too, held firm to the plans he had made with her.

"Thinking about it now, I’m really not cut out for business," Zhan Chi said with a self-deprecating laugh.

Gu Shuo asked, "So you have a new direction?"

"I’m going to become a general. Specifically, a general of the Grand Military Council. I want command over Beili’s army and its military power." A fire burned in the depths of Zhan Chi’s eyes.

"I’d actually look forward to seeing you looking so imposing," Gu Shuo said, not at all surprised.

In that moment, Zhan Chi knew what he wanted and what he wanted to protect. Being an imperial relative or a nobleman was just an empty title. If you wanted to protect the things you cared about, you needed real strength.

’Military authority is a powerful tool.’

Gu Shuo turned to Qian Fanji. "And you?"

"To defy the way of the world."

"What does that mean?" Gu Shuo asked, confused.

Qian Fanji offered no further explanation, simply turning and walking away.

Gu Shuo frowned. ’What is he planning to do?’

"The Young Miss... she didn’t want to see children being trafficked. We will continue the work she entrusted to us," Du Ying said.

"How?" Zhan Chi asked.

"The Young Miss gave us a great deal of money. Luo Xuan and I have established a sect in Zhangzhou to take in homeless children. Meanwhile, Minister Qian has been secretly working with officials in various regions to prohibit child trafficking."

"So he’s been involved all along."

Gu Shuo knew Ye Qianning despised child trafficking, but he had no idea Qian Fanji had intervened in the matter so long ago.

"We will continue to carry out the Young Miss’s wishes."

"Establishing a sect requires a great deal of funding. Count me in." Gu Shuo was also deeply committed to this cause.

’The Qian family may own mines, but that’s far from enough. I will become the greatest merchant in the world and amass all its wealth.’

Everyone had found their resolve, their path forward. Only Ying Ge and Du Yi had yet to speak.

"Du Yi? What about you?" Du Ying seemed to sense something was off.

Du Yi was silent for a moment before looking up, his eyes filled with determination. "I want to stay by the Eighth Prince’s side."

"What did you just say?"

"Are you insane?"

"If it weren’t for the imperial family, the Young Miss would never have...!"

Du Ying, Luo Wen, and Luo Xuan were all astonished. They held a deep aversion to the imperial family.

Gu Shuo and Zhan Chi both frowned.

"The Young Miss was very fond of the Eighth Prince. From the moment I began serving her, she was always making plans for him. She had me enter the palace to protect him, and she even risked her own life for him. She would never want anything to happen to the Eighth Prince." Du Yi had thought long and hard before reaching this decision.

Luo Wen and Luo Xuan fell silent. They had all seen what the Young Miss had done for the Eighth Prince, but it was a difficult truth for them to accept.

If it weren’t for the greed and conspiracies of the imperial family, the Young Miss’s fate would never have been left unknown.