Holding the bowl of noodles that Li Yao made for her just now, with half a braised egg in her mouth, she stared at Li Yao in a daze for a long time. Then, she suddenly burst into laughter. Her shoulders were shaking, and she was out of breath. Even her tears were flowing to the corner of her lips.
"So, you have seen through everything a long time ago. Seriously. I was worried for nothing for such a long time."
She glanced at Li Yao, somewhat complaining. "At first, I was worried that you were going to turn against each other, and the Federation would fall apart and collapse under the scourge of the expedition army of the Imperium!
"I didn't know that everything was within your calculations. It makes me, Han Baling, and the rest of us seem to be fools. Monster Li is indeed Monster Li. The somewhat joking nickname is not wrong at all!
"Perhaps I was joking just now, but right now, I am seriously considering clinging to your thigh all the way!"
Li Yao chuckled and swallowed the large bowl of noodles that had been soaked in water. Then, he picked up the bowl of noodles and had a mouthful of broth. In the end, he burped in satisfaction and patted his belly, letting out a long sigh of satisfaction.
His face was flushed and glowing. Every pore on his body was opened, releasing the most powerful aura to the outside world. The aura of 'Monster Li' was unmistakable.
"Well, I wasn't pretending on purpose."
Li Yao explained dutifully, "I didn't calculate everything until last night. Naturally, it was easy for me to infer the conclusion when the data and graphs were placed in front of me. But I didn't have anything at the beginning, and I didn't want to raise suspicion. Therefore, I couldn't ask other people to retrieve the files directly. I could only dig out the files on my own and even find the news clips decades ago to piece everything together.
"The work took up more than half of my time.
"Thankfully, the final result is not bad. Although there is no direct proof, the data is enough to prove that the CFIA is not really an evil organization for me. It does make sense. Jin Xinyue is such a smart person. Even if I don't trust her integrity, I should at least trust her wisdom. If she wants to control the federation for a long time, how could she have done such insane things and turned herself into a 'second Lu Zui' so that other people would be able to take advantage of her?
"Since she did not cross the bottom line, made such great contributions and sacrifices for 'Li Yao's group', and was so loyal to me, as her master, why can't I be generous and hand over the helm of 'Li Yao's group' to her?
"As the saying goes, the disciple will do the work for the master. You all call me 'Monster Li' now. With my identity and position today, wouldn't it be too demeaning if I had to be involved in the messy affairs of the group in person? The purpose of taking in disciples is to do this kind of thing! "
Looking at Li Yao's casual and cheerful face, Long Yangjun truly smiled bitterly and shook her head. "I really can't see through you. Sometimes, you make me feel that a fool is hiding inside the magnificent statue of 'Vulture Li Yao'. But sometimes, I feel that the fool is ten times more dreadful than Han Baling described. What kind of person is the real 'Vulture Li Yao'? What does he want to do?"
Pausing for a moment, before Li Yao replied, she opened her hands and said with a smile, "Ha. But forget it. The result is a happy ending after all. It seems that Jin Xinyue has gained the upper hand this time. The guests from the Ancient Sages Sector can just sit aside and watch the show, can they?"
Weird brilliance flashed in Li Yao's eyes. He shook his head and said, "Not exactly."
Long Yangjun was slightly dazed. "Why do you say that?"
"So far, everything has been going too smoothly."
Li Yao said solemnly, "However, things shouldn't be so smooth when I'm around."
Long Yangjun chuckled. "You're at it again. What kind of bizarre theory is that? Or do you really believe in the existence of 'destiny' and 'luck'?"
"Not destiny, not luck, but some sort of law that exists in reality."
Li Yao frowned softly. His eyes were deep and distant, and his thoughts seemed to have drifted back to a long, long time ago. His voice sounded like a mumble from a weird dream. "I don't know how I should explain it to you. Even I haven't figured it out yet. But you can consider me as a person who is rejected by the entire world, like a thorn or a foreign object that is deeply stabbed into your flesh.
"When a thorn pierces into your flesh, your body will have natural reactions and try to squeeze it out. Chances are that my body and my soul have undergone subtle mutations during the space jumps from the third dimension to the fourth dimension, and from the fourth dimension to the third dimension. The world considers me as a certain foreign object and has' rejection reactions'. It certainly won't allow me to enjoy the fruits of other people's labor comfortably."
Long Yangjun was amused. "Too many people have performed space jumps multiple times, but I've never heard of any weird mutations. However, judging from your certainty, I assume that you must've discovered more than the so-called 'rejection reactions', right?"
"Exactly."
Li Yao nodded his head and said, "Since Jin Xinyue has been planning for a hundred years, her entire plan is naturally much more than what we see right now, because her current plans can only help Li Yao's group rise unstoppably at best and allow her to control both Li Yao's group and the Xing Yao Federation one day.
"But the more critical problem is the imminent invasion of the expedition army of the Imperium!
"If the Black Wind Fleet cannot be completely crushed and the Xing Yao Federation's' regional hegemony 'cannot be established, all the previous plans will be a joke however splendid and meticulous they are!
"Therefore, the changes in the past half month are just appetizers. Everything that is going to happen in the next half month or even less is Jin Xinyue's most critical, central plan!"
Li Yao did not disguise his attitude. Observing his face, Long Yangjun immediately realized what was going on. "In the meantime, you are not optimistic about your disciple's' central plan 'to deal with the Black Wind Fleet, are you?"
Li Yao sighed and said, "Yes. I feel that her plan is not perfect enough. On one hand, she is too greedy. She is trying to swallow all the forces including Li Yao's group, the traditional conglomerates, the Xing Yao Federation, and even the Black Wind Fleet with a single plan!
"In such a complicated series of traps, one moment of carelessness, and the whole game will be lost. Even her father, Jin Tuyi, might not have been able to achieve it a hundred years ago. She is indeed pushing herself too hard and acting too hastily!"
Long Yangjun smiled. "Perhaps, this is the difference between the young and the cunning."
Li Yao nodded. "More importantly, you were not wrong just now. Disguising a common accident in a mine as a terrorist attack and creating a fake evil organization such as the 'CFIA', although the last line is maintained, it is indeed possible that it will be her greatest flaw."
"Are you worried that … the Black Wind Fleet will see through it?" Long Yangjun asked.
"Who knows?"
Li Yao said. "Generally speaking, the Immortal Cultivators of the Black Wind Fleet, who are not very familiar with the Xing Yao Federation, are unlikely to think in that direction. However, as long as somebody gives them some pointers and explains the whole thing, it will not be difficult for the Black Wind Fleet to calculate the same curve."
Long Yangjun blinked. "It seems that you already have someone in mind?"
"No. The information that I can gather is still too little. It is impossible for me to frame somebody else."
Li Yao paused for a moment and went on. "However, I do feel somewhat uneasy and scared about some of Jin Xinyue's subordinates."
"Who is it?" Long Yangjun asked.
"Lu Qingchen," Li Yao replied.
Long Yangjun was slightly dazed. "According to your speculation just now, Lu Qingchen is not really the most wanted criminal in the Federation. He is not planning any terrorist attacks but is just a 'magnet' that Jin Xinyue intentionally released to attract all the Immortal Cultivators. So, he must be very loyal to the Federation. Otherwise, with Jin Xinyue's insight and methods, she wouldn't have hired such a person."
"But his' true path of immortality 2.0 'gives me a very bad feeling," Li Yao said. "It is too creepy. Even if it is fake and made up on purpose, I feel that a guy who can come up with such a plausible theory does not seem to be a fake Immortal Cultivator." Long Yangjun snorted softly.
"Even if he is really an Immortal Cultivator, so what? The Immortal Cultivators do not necessarily have to be loyal to the Imperium of True Human Beings. Doesn't the Federation value 'freedom of thought'? Before the rise of the 'CFIA', all kinds of theories about the true path of immortality were publicly published. Lu Qingchen could've been both a believer in 'version 2.0 of the true path of immortality' and a loyal patriot who was absolutely loyal to the Xing Yao Federation.
"His features, on the other hand, were discovered by Jin Xinyue with her keen eyes. Such an Immortal Cultivator who loves the Federation couldn't have been more suitable to play the role of the 'leader of the CFIA'!"
Li Yao nodded solemnly. "Yes, I think so, too. The Federation values' freedom of thought 'today. It is not illegal to believe in the true path of immortality. Since Jin Xinyue was bold enough to use Lu Qingchen to play such a critical and dangerous role, it suggests that he must've passed all the tests and is the firmest patriot who will never surrender to the Imperium of True Human Beings."
This time, Long Yangjun was truly dazed. She thought hard for a long time but still failed to come up with an answer. "If you also believe that Lu Qingchen is a firm patriot who will never betray the Federation and surrender to the Imperium, what are you worried about?"
Li Yao smiled bitterly. "If Lu Qingchen is truly a firm Immortal Cultivator who believes in 'version 2.0 of the true path of immortality' and a determined patriot who loves the Xing Yao Federation so much that he is willing to bear the humiliation for the Federation and bear the title of 'most wanted criminal' for decades …
"Then, how can he watch his motherland walk further and further on the wrong path of the Cultivators while doing nothing?
"He will never betray the Federation and surrender to the Imperium, but it doesn't mean that he will not reform the Federation at the most critical moment with his own methods, his own beliefs, and the path that he believes to be absolutely correct!"
A new month has begun. I forgot to ask for monthly votes and recommendations yesterday.
I'll make it up to you today. If you have monthly votes and recommendations, please give me a hand!
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
