Chapter 245 - 239: Decision, Half

Chapter 245: Chapter 239: Decision, Half

Fu Juemin recounted the events of the night of the Guardian Demon’s attack in detail to Madam Ding.

He didn’t tell her everything. He only said that, in a moment of righteous fervor, he had chased the Guardian Demon all the way to the Jianghai Defense Command. Emboldened, he snuck inside and finally glimpsed Luo Zhengxiong’s true form in an underground laboratory deep within the headquarters.

Of course, he omitted the life-and-death battle he’d had with Luo Zhengxiong, claiming only that he had been so shocked that he’d quietly retreated.

As he spoke, he watched the expression on Madam Ding’s face shift from its initial calm to astonishment, then to shock, and finally, her brows furrowed as she sank into a long silence.

"Aunt Ding, you don’t believe me?"

Fu Juemin finished his story and spoke calmly. "This matter is indeed too incredible. It’s only normal that you don’t believe me.

I, Lingjun, have no desire to force you to believe me, Aunt Ding. I just want to tell you that Luo Zhengxiong is the one with the treacherous ambition. You mustn’t be deceived by him.

Just as you said, Aunt Ding, Nan Xiangcheng is just a pawn Luo Zhengxiong intentionally pushed to the forefront. Mr. Wen spends all day thinking about how to protect others, not realizing he himself is already in grave danger. Instead of racking his brains trying to get Li Mingyi safely out of the city, he should... think about an escape route for his own people first."

Madam Ding remained silent. After a moment, she finally spoke slowly, "Nan Xiangcheng and Luo Zhengxiong aren’t completely united. Nan Xiangcheng has been in frequent contact with the Easterners lately. The Xin Republic won’t just stand by and let Luo Zhengxiong become the sole power in Shenghai...

What you’ve said... I’ll... I’ll mention it to Mr. Wen."

Fu Juemin sighed inwardly but said nothing, merely nodding in silence.

An indescribable quiet fell over the tearoom. The atmosphere grew cold. Fu Juemin had never imagined there would be such an awkward and distant moment between him and Aunt Ding.

"How does Mayor Wen plan to escort Li Mingyi out of the city?"

Fu Juemin thought for a while before he couldn’t resist asking, "Of the experts under his command, Smoker turned traitor, and the Young Master is dead. All he has left is the Instructor.

He can’t possibly be planning to bring Monk Huai Kong down from Purple Cloud Mountain to act as Li Mingyi’s bodyguard, can he?"

"Don’t joke about Master Huai Kong..."

Aunt Ding shot Fu Juemin a light glare. He smiled, and the somewhat cold atmosphere between them eased considerably because of his half-joking remark.

"Mr. Wen may not have many experts under his command, but Li Mingyi has a sterling reputation. People will naturally come forward to offer their help.

In fact, many capable and righteous people have already gathered at the Wen Mansion, offering their services..."

Fu Juemin was taken aback. He hadn’t considered that, or rather, he had been overlooking the weight and hope that the common people placed in Li Mingyi.

In times of national crisis, with the country torn asunder, there was never a shortage of passionate patriots willing to advance wave upon wave, to sacrifice themselves to fill the deepest chasm and walk through the fiercest flames...

"Lingjun."

Madam Ding suddenly spoke again, her voice slightly hoarse. "Aunt Ding has one more thing to ask..."

But Fu Juemin shook his head before she could finish. "No.

If it were to escort you, Aunt Ding, I would do it.

But protecting Li Mingyi? Absolutely not."

’What could Madam Ding possibly ask of him?’

’He didn’t even have to guess. She undoubtedly wanted to ask the Demon Elephant ’behind’ him to intervene again.’

But Fu Juemin didn’t want to agree. Protecting Li Huaisuang last time was him going above and beyond. Now, he only hoped to get Aunt Ding out of this vortex of conflict as soon as possible. Why would he willingly get involved again?

His words caught in her throat. She looked at him and opened her mouth, but she didn’t know what to say.

Fu Juemin feigned indifference, lowering his gaze to avoid hers. Just then, a knock came from the door, followed by Big Cat’s low voice.

"Madam, Nan Xiangcheng has arrived."

Fu Juemin and Madam Ding exchanged a glance, and both immediately stood up and walked out of the tearoom.

Before they even reached the mourning hall, they could hear a clamor coming from inside.

When Fu Juemin and Madam Ding arrived, they found the hall was already packed with people.

A group of men stood brazenly in the center, their postures and attitudes making it clear their intentions were hostile.

Fu Juemin spotted Luo Chengying, Chen Qingyuan, and the Woodcutter Gang’s Leader, Chai Xiong, among them.

Although Luo Chengying was present, the leader of the group was a fair-skinned, bespectacled, middle-aged man with the demeanor of a Smiling Tiger. This must be Nan Xiangcheng.

"Upon hearing of Brother Renli’s heroic death in the line of duty, I was overcome with grief and came especially to offer my condolences...

This trip was rushed, so I didn’t have time to prepare much. I’ve brought only a few humble gifts. I hope you won’t mind."

Nan Xiangcheng feigned a few sighs, then clapped his hands and ordered loudly, "Bring them in!"

Dozens of Woodcutter Gang members soon entered the mourning hall, carrying objects covered with black cloths. When the cloths were unveiled, the faces of everyone in the hall instantly changed—

It was a ghastly sight: large, red coffins!

"Bastard!"

A youth of seventeen or eighteen, dressed in mourning clothes, roared with rage and charged at Nan Xiangcheng with reddened eyes. It was He Renli’s eldest son.

The mourning hall instantly descended into chaos!

Madam Ding’s brow tightened, and she was about to push through the crowd.

But Fu Juemin suddenly reached out and gently tugged her sleeve.

"Back inside, there was something I forgot to ask you, Aunt Ding."

Madam Ding glanced toward the tense, confrontational crowd, then turned back and replied patiently, "Go ahead."

Fu Juemin’s gaze was calm, but his voice was grave. "Regarding this Li Mingyi affair, whether it succeeds or fails, there will no longer be a place for you and me in Shenghai.

Aunt Ding, have you thought about where you’ll go in the future?"

Fu Juemin couldn’t persuade her, and he was tired of trying.

He had already decided that once the matter with Li Mingyi was over, he would forcibly arrange for her to leave Shenghai, whether she agreed or not.

He had the power to do so now.

Madam Ding was taken aback by Fu Juemin’s question.

She thought quietly for a moment, and then a serene yet gentle smile slowly bloomed on her face. She said softly, "If it’s really as you say, and Shenghai can no longer tolerate me, Ding Moshan...

Then I’ll... go back to the place where I grew up with your mother, and I’ll settle down there."

After speaking, she gently patted the back of Fu Juemin’s hand.

Fu Juemin slowly released his fingers. The softness on Madam Ding’s face vanished, and her usual cold and stern composure returned. She turned and strode toward the chaotic vortex.

’Going home?’

Fu Juemin gazed at Aunt Ding’s back through the shifting crowd, his eyes growing dark. He remained silent for a long time.

...

In the end, the two factions did not come to blows in the mourning hall.

Wen Zhiqiu himself appeared and, with the authority he had accumulated over many years, verbally drove back the arrogant Nan Xiangcheng.

However, after this incident, the conflict between the Wen and Nan factions was now completely out in the open. In the coming days, many in Shenghai’s elite circles would likely be secretly re-evaluating which side to take.

Fu Juemin watched the entire affair with detached coldness, and in doing so, he got to see the legendary Mayor Wen Zhiqiu in person.

In his fifties, he was tall with graying temples. He possessed both the imposing aura of a man long in a high position and the refined grace of a scholar. He was indeed a man of great charisma; no wonder Aunt Ding followed him with such unwavering devotion.

All in all, He Renli’s funeral took up about half of Fu Juemin’s day.

When he returned to the Du Mountain stronghold, he was immediately met with a report—

The moment he left, the water monkey hiding in the shadows... couldn’t hold back after all!

"As you ordered, Young Master, we stuffed the female corpse’s torso with explosives.

As soon as the Ape Demon appeared, it snatched the corpse. We followed your orders and didn’t put up much of a fight, letting it take the body. Once it had run some distance, we detonated the explosives..."

Xu Hengjiang stood at Fu Juemin’s side, recounting in detail the series of events that had occurred after he left.

Fu Juemin looked at the site of the explosion. It was a radial crater a good seven or eight meters wide, and perhaps four or five meters deep.

Even with his Copper Hide activated, he would have to seriously consider whether he could withstand an explosion of that magnitude—it had been hugging a bomb weighing dozens of kilograms!

After finishing his report, Xu Hengjiang quickly had his men bring over a pile of items.

The first thing he saw was a charred and twisted limb, likely a forearm, that had been scorched by the intense flames, half a thigh, and several unidentifiable pieces of tissue.

They were clearly spare parts from the water monkey.

"So... we only half-got it?"

Fu Juemin’s expression was placid, betraying neither joy nor anger.

Xu Hengjiang hesitated slightly before explaining in a low voice, "It should have been blown to death, but a bizarre blue light shielded the Ape Demon at the last second, allowing it to charge out of the blast’s epicenter with half its body mangled..."

Fu Juemin listened quietly as Xu Hengjiang finished. He was certainly disappointed that the water monkey wasn’t killed on the spot.

But it wasn’t entirely a bad thing. At least this way, Fu Juemin would have another chance to obtain the Talent Ability from its body.

’Perhaps it’s as Gu Shouyu said: as long as the conflict continues, its destiny is not yet severed...’

’Might as well let it grow a little longer. Once the Zhu Yan bloodline in it has matured, I’ll harvest it all at once.’

’I have a character panel. What do I have to be afraid of?’

Fu Juemin could only console himself this way.

Just then, he suddenly spotted a glint of light amidst the pile of water monkey parts that Xu Hengjiang had presented.

Fu Juemin’s expression flickered, and he casually picked the object out.