Chapter 00213: Wolves, Bears, Tigers, and Leopards, but Only One Rat
# Wolves, Bears, Tigers, and Leopards, but Only One Rat
Chapter 213
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 213: Wolves, Bears, Tigers, and Leopards, but Only One Rat
It always seems to come at just the right time when it's needed.
Always with that annoying smile, soft-spoken and gentle, walking the line between sincerity and hypocrisy, always keeping a thin layer of distance, close yet detached.
As she grew older, the fox-like demeanor of her youth faded, and this act became even more polished.
It was irritating.
"Always right on time, as usual," Ye Xian didn't bother hiding her sarcasm.
"Always showing up after things have been simplified. Very much your style."
Lü Yingyue didn't seem to care.
She flicked the blood, broken bones, and bits of flesh off the two broken blades in her hands, her smile still intact.
"Depending on the situation, deciding whether to act early or delay—that's the most important survival philosophy for a salary thief."
"Are you really from Tianyuan?" Ye Xian asked.
"Absolutely genuine," Lü Yingyue nodded.
Ye Xian sneered, clearly unconvinced.
Lies.
Lü Yingyue smiled.
"The salary is just too low. Even civil servants have to take on side jobs to support their families. As the bureau chief, I have to be flexible, don't I?"
"Flexibility is the way of Bailu and Yujin. It has nothing to do with the Safety Bureau," Ye Xian said, giving her a deep, meaningful look.
"Having divided loyalties is dangerous. Tianyuan might not tolerate it."
"Well, though it's troublesome, Tianyuan has been quite generous so far," Lü Yingyue replied casually, looking around at the scorched earth with growing curiosity.
"But what about you? It's only been a few months, and you've already reached the Heavenly Realm?"
"Not even close," Ye Xian answered.
Lü Yingyue sighed and shook her head.
Lies.
But it didn't matter.
She handed over the broken blades, holding them upside down.
"Mind taking a look? Are they worth repairing?"
"Hopeless. Just throw them away," Ye Xian didn't even bother looking.
"With the way you use them, no weapon, no matter how durable, would last. Don't waste your money or the craftsmen's efforts. Just keep using whatever you can get your hands on. Where's Tong Shan?"
"Don't know. He hasn't come back yet," Lü Yingyue shook her head.
"On the bright side, at least he's still alive... What about your student?"
"Same. Still alive," Ye Xian's expression grew slightly complicated.
"But on the downside, more people might end up dead."
"I don't really understand the relationship between you and your student."
"Honestly, I don't either."
"You're still the same as always, always saying things that don't make sense."
"No, this is genuine, from the heart."
...
And so, after some idle chatter, they stepped over the jagged bones and made their way toward the outpost.
In the distance, the chaotic night gradually settled into silence.
A dazzling light shot up from the ground, followed by another.
Then, as the Star Core Association's portal opened, a mix of powerful, violent, restrained, and almost imperceptible yet omnipresent auras spread out in all directions...
"The Tong family, the Lou family, the Yu family, the Jiang family..."
Lü Yingyue listed off the identities of the newcomers with a light step, completely unfazed.
Having fought her way here, she had already secured the primary credit for stabilizing the situation.
There was no need to rush to show off.
"What about Tao Gong?" Ye Xian glanced at her relaxed demeanor.
"As my student would say, this is the time to be careful of 'home theft.'"
"Tao Gong?" Lü Yingyue laughed.
"He's the last person we need to worry about."
In the quiet office, a crisp sound rang out.
A handful of chess pieces were picked up and scattered across the board, disrupting the tense battle between black and white.
Resigning the game.
"Lost again," Lu Changsheng shrugged regretfully.
The old, frail man slightly raised his eyes.
"Why so... impatient?"
Lu Changsheng sighed.
"Got too eager."
The sound of telekinetic vibrations echoed, a hoarse voice speaking up.
"It shouldn't have been this quick. I thought you'd prepare for a bit longer. Why the rush?"
The sudden turn of events had indeed caught the Safety Bureau off guard.
But then what?
Not only had they lost their initial advantage of secrecy, but they had also exposed the internal chaos within their ranks.
Aside from breaking the blockade of Quancheng and forcibly bringing it into the present world, they had achieved nothing.
And even then, the contamination had been firmly suppressed by Tao Gong, unable to spread.
The early advantages gained from secretly developing in Quancheng over the years had almost been completely exhausted.
"Can't help it. They hit a weak spot," Lu Changsheng rested his chin on his hand, smiling helplessly.
"I thought it was just a casual move of yours, but who knew it would have such an impact? Truly unexpected. But once the curtain was pulled open by some mischievous child, the actors, no matter how reluctant, had to rush onto the stage. Otherwise, the audience would boo."
After so many years of meticulous preparation, with everyone contributing bit by bit, they had finally reached this scale.
If they couldn't make a grand entrance, what was the point? Wouldn't it just be like before? The villains painstakingly build up their forces, only for the heroes to arrive and send them scurrying away...
How ridiculous.
"What about my secretary?" Tao Gong asked.
"Huh?" Lu Changsheng was puzzled.
"My secretary. Where did he go?" Tao Gong raised his eyes, waiting for an answer.
"I see what you're getting at," Lu Changsheng smiled self-deprecatingly and spread his hands.
"You think I killed him and took his place? That's not the case. I am your secretary, Tao Gong. I always have been."
Lu Changsheng laughed.
"From the moment you woke up, from the moment you started planning all this, the person you knew was me."
"Besides, where in the world is there a perfect replacement method? Where is there a foolproof plan? It's just that sometimes, when the workload on both sides is too heavy, I can't help but sigh at how difficult it is to be Tianyuan. But there's no helping it. When you can't find enough capable people, sometimes you just have to do things yourself—"
As he spoke, he suddenly stood up, walked over to Tao Gong, and pulled out a silk handkerchief to carefully wipe away the eye gunk and drool from the corners of his mouth.
Tao Gong cooperatively lifted his chin, exposing his neck to this great enemy, completely unbothered.
"Truly, I'm flattered," the old man's voice was muffled.
"I thought you were just some spy or mole, but who would have thought the leader of the Heretic Cult would act like a nanny, taking care of me for nine years?"
He said, "Such determination and patience. Admirable."
"Likewise," Lu Changsheng sighed.
"For nine years, Tao Gong has tirelessly advocated for Quancheng, for a city that no longer exists and has been forgotten by others. Even a scoundrel like me can't help but admire your dedication."
"The ancients said that a lotus rises untainted from the mud, but if the lotus had a mind, it might despise the mud too, don't you think?"
He folded the handkerchief neatly and placed it on the table in front of Tao Gong, fulfilling his duties as a secretary and assistant one last time.
Then he returned to the other side of the table, sitting upright and solemnly asking, "Why won't you join my side?"
Tao Gong chuckled disdainfully.
"The filth in a single room can still be cleaned. But if an old turtle jumps into a mud pit and rolls around, thinking it's enjoyable, that's truly beyond saving."
"But you knew all along, didn't you?" Lu Changsheng shook his head.
"You should have known from the start... Not just about your secretary's identity."
"The indifference of the central city, the disdain of the council. The Federation's westward expansion was decided decades ago. Quancheng had already been abandoned. Otherwise, why would they have left you to struggle alone for so long?"
"Using all your strength, exhausting all your credit, betting on the future and yourself, taking on the mess of being the guardian of Haizhou, surrounded by people like me—scheming, self-serving, and full of ulterior motives. The exiled governor of Yacheng who pretends to be dead every day, the lackey of Chuancheng who only cares about making money for his master, the power-hungry incompetent of Chaocheng who clings to his position, the cruel and unruly military, the hordes just waiting for a chance to slaughter... And these so-called bureau chiefs of the Safety Bureau—those who half-heartedly do their jobs, those who seize power opportunistically, those who respond hypocritically. Even your most trusted Lü Yingyue is just an opportunist who won't act unless there's something in it for her, a politician who waits for others to pave the way before swooping in to reap the rewards... With such ambition, who knows? She might already have her eyes on your position as the guardian of Haizhou."
Lu Changsheng pressed, "Is this the Tianyuan you follow? With these people, how do you expect to succeed?"
Tao Gong didn't respond.
He just looked at him.
Not disheartened or upset, but more like he was looking at a fool.
"... Isn't this Tianyuan?" he asked matter-of-factly.
Lu Changsheng's expression faltered slightly.
"This is Tianyuan, Lu Changsheng," Tao Gong shook his head pityingly.
"Don't you understand? Even if they're scheming, even if they're self-serving, when they come together, don't they still make you rats uneasy?"
Conflict, internal strife, ambition, hatred, schemes, compassion, courage, greed...
None of it really matters.
They're just trivial details.
It doesn't matter where they come from, what their goals are, or their gender, age, or race—people who should be at each other's throats are walking side by side, united under the same framework and order, following its rules.
A pile of scattered sand, when brought together, can become a unified whole, trusting their backs to people who are completely different from them, even people they might look down on...
Isn't that a miracle?
Isn't that the most majestic and boundless force in the world?
"Great is Tianyuan! Majestic is Tianyuan!!" Tao Gong laughed, his voice hoarse and muffled, spreading his thin, withered arms from his chair, displaying this achievement.
"What I've been chasing and admiring for the past nine years has always been right in front of you, hasn't it? I never hid it, so why didn't you notice, Lu Changsheng? When I see mountains and rivers, I know the vastness of Tianyuan. But what do you see when you look at the same landscape?"
Lu Changsheng fell silent.
For a long time.
In the prolonged silence, he sighed in admiration.
"Tao Gong's resolve is as firm as a rock. It's probably beyond the reach of a depraved person like me. I admire you."
"I don't care," Tao Gong said.
"I know," Lu Changsheng lowered his gaze to the messy chessboard between them, placing his hand on the central Tianyuan position.
"I want to play another game with you."
"Go on."
"Same as before, same as just now. Do as you wish—you against me, the Safety Bureau against the Heretic Cult, Haizhou against the forces of heresy. Let's settle this once and for all."
He said, "Don't worry, I won't blow up Quancheng and plunge the situation into chaos. As long as no Heavenly Realm experts intervene, let's decide the fate of Quancheng based on our match. How about it?"
He proposed, "If you win, Quancheng is yours, and I'll leave. If I win, you can throw the agreement aside and face us head-on in an all-out war. How about it?"
Tao Gong didn't respond.
His cloudy eyes drooped, as if lost in thought.
But after a long while, when those eyes lifted again, they were sharp.
Like a blade that had been cleaned of dust and rust, cold and piercing.
"So that's how it is..." he murmured in realization.
"This was your plan all along, wasn't it? You gathered all these heretics, prepared for so many years, just to recklessly face the Safety Bureau head-on in the present world? Why?"
"Why?" Lu Changsheng suddenly asked the same question.
"Huh?"
"Why does Tao Gong think we have to hide in the shadows?" Lu Changsheng asked curiously.
"I don't understand. Why do people like me have to skulk around like rats, feeding on scraps in the corners where you can't see us? Even everyone in the Heretic Cult feels that this is how it should be, that this is normal? The rats have been crawling in the sewers for too long, afraid of the light. But why do you look down on us so naturally? Over the years, I've been thinking about this—"
He grinned.
"What if one day, a foolish rat takes the lead, raises its arms, and calls out? What if the snakes and rats crawl out of the manholes and march through the streets in broad daylight, dancing and flaunting themselves? Would those panicked, screaming lords finally realize that there are others living under the same sky as them? Or would they still cover their ears and eyes, deceiving themselves, pretending not to see anything?"
Tao Gong lowered his gaze, suppressing the coldness in his eyes.
"Provoking Tianyuan... Are you prepared to be crushed to pieces?"
"Tao Gong, how do you know I don't have the power to shake the world and turn it upside down?" Lu Changsheng raised his head and asked.
"How can you be sure I fear being crushed to pieces?"
For a moment, the quiet room seemed to ripple with endless waves, as if a hidden malice beneath the ocean had risen like an iceberg, revealing its ferocity.
But in the end, everything dissipated silently.
Once again hidden.
Throughout it all, Lu Changsheng remained motionless, unfazed.
Only the old man in the chair sighed.
"Unlike those fools who join the Heretic Cult for power and ambition, you truly are a great threat to the present world."
"Perhaps so, but given time, maybe the great threat will be to Tao Gong, to the Federation, to the Empire, to all you virtuous people!"
Lu Changsheng laughed and extended his hand.
He waited.
Until Tao Gong's withered hand slowly rose.
They met.
A handshake sealed the agreement.
Within five days, in Quancheng, they would settle this once and for all!
As the sound of the handshake faded, Lu Changsheng vanished like a phantom.
The office returned to silence, leaving only the frail old man in the recliner, his eyes drooping as he gradually fell asleep.
On the chessboard, amidst the chaotic mess of pieces, a black piece that had been caught in the crossfire slipped away, revealing a white piece buried beneath.
Helplessly bathed in the chaotic flames shining through the window, it trembled with the shaking ground.
It lay crookedly in the corner of the ruined game, unable to influence the approaching storm, yet with nowhere to escape.
Unable to live, unwilling to die.
And so, in the turmoil, it moved—helplessly and reluctantly—just once...
(End of Chapter)