Lian Que?

This person had an appearance that showed no trace of frivolity.

Like a killer trained on a field of carnage, his face held not a shred of warmth.

Yet he wasn’t cold to the extreme either!

There was still some humanity in his eyes.

Minister Chen looked in surprise at Lian Que, who stood before him in night travel clothes, and asked, “How did you come to be here?”

Lian Que said, “Master knew you might be in danger, so he had me immediately bring people from Gaoding to find you. But by the time I arrived at the Chen residence… I was still a step too late! Fortunately, I followed the clues all the way here, which allowed me to safely rescue both of you.”

“It seems Heaven has not treated me poorly, allowing me to keep this life and remain in this world. But of the twenty-seven members of the Chen household, now… only my son and I remain.”

Minister Chen’s tone could not hide his grief.

The boy behind him covered his face and wept.

Just two days ago, in a single night, several people had stormed into his manor. Except for him and his son, everyone in the Chen household had been silenced—not one was spared.

Those corpses one after another, the blood covering the ground—they still reflected in his mind even now.

Impossible to dispel!

How could he not hate?

How could he not ache?

Yet Minister Chen kept holding on.

Telling himself he could not fall!

Lian Que was not the type to comfort people. He only said, “Accept my condolences and adapt to the circumstances.”

Minister Chen sighed. “I truly never imagined that after so many years since the incident, he still refuses to let us go, determined to exterminate us completely before he’ll rest.”

Such hatred!

Such fury!

But more than that—helplessness.

And that “he” in his words—who exactly was he?

Why did he have such great ability to slaughter an entire household?

Lian Que said, “No matter what, at least Minister Chen, you’re safe now. Endure for now to preserve the future!”

“That’s right! While the green mountains remain, my Chen family’s revenge can be taken sooner or later!”

This hatred penetrated to the bone marrow.

If not avenged in this life, how could one rest easy?

Lian Que said, “Time is short. I’ve already prepared a carriage and will escort you both to a safe place. Everything has been arranged there. In the days ahead, you need not worry. If circumstances change, I’ll have people evacuate you quickly.”

But—

Minister Chen still had some concerns and said, “However, since you’ve intervened in this matter, he won’t let you go.”

“Minister Chen need not worry about that! I’ve already silenced all those people who took you away. No one knows who rescued you. Moreover, Master hasn’t involved himself in court affairs for so many years—no one will suspect him. Although Master is not what he once was, his prestige remains. For now, there will be no trouble.”

“I hope so.”

“Dawn is breaking. Minister Chen should leave quickly.”

“Yes.”

Lian Que escorted them onto the carriage that had been prepared long ago and instructed those escorting them, “Be careful on the road.”

“Understood.”

“Remember, if you encounter any unexpected situations along the way, protecting Minister Chen is the priority.”

“Yes!” The escorts acknowledged.

Minister Chen lifted the curtain, immensely grateful, and said to Lian Que, “I, Chen Shu, will never forget this tremendous kindness! Please convey my gratitude to your master. If there’s ever an opportunity in the future, I will certainly repay this doubly.”

He cupped his hands!

Lian Que said, “Master said that Minister Chen, you are a person of loyalty and filial piety. Back then, you would rather die than serve the new king. This is what Master admires most about you. Protecting you today is only natural!”

“With each new emperor comes a new court. I, Chen Shu, have a clear conscience before Heaven and before the former king! Even if today I’ve met with the tragedy of my household’s extermination, I have absolutely no regrets.”

“Minister Chen’s integrity—Lian Que cannot match it.”

Minister Chen bit his teeth, holding back tears, and finally instructed, “Lian Que, remember to tell your master that if circumstances turn unfavorable, he must protect himself first!”

If circumstances turn unfavorable, he must protect himself first!

“Yes! I will certainly convey these words to Master.”

“Good. Then we part here.”

Minister Chen let out a sigh, lowered the curtain, and sat back inside the carriage.

Inside, the boy was still trembling all over from the shock he’d received.

His fear had not yet subsided.

After all, in just these short two days, he’d witnessed with his own eyes his family members killed one by one. That kind of blow—for a child only twelve years old, what a tremendous blow it was!

He raised his bloodshot eyes and asked his father, “Father, where are we going now?”

His voice choked with emotion.

Minister Chen said with a somber face, “To a safe place.”

“Then we’re not going home?”

“Cen’er, we no longer have a home!”

“But Mother…”

“Your mother is already dead!” Minister Chen made it clear to him, and with some severity, earnestly told him, “From now on, we must leave our previous place. From this point forward, we’ll hide our names and go somewhere no one knows us. You must also remember—you’re not permitted to tell anyone about our past. Do you understand?”

“Why?”

“Cen’er, this is the fate of our Chen family! If we want to stay alive, we must hide for the rest of our lives, unless Heaven opens its eyes!”

When the boy heard this, he began crying softly.

Actually, he understood everything!

The moment he saw his own mother die, he understood it all.

He immediately threw himself into his father’s embrace.

While saying, “Yes, your son understands.”

Minister Chen held him, tears constantly swirling in his eyes.

But he kept holding them back!

Yet how could his heart not ache?

It was like being cut by knives.

The carriage had already begun moving slowly forward.

Lian Que stood in place, watching Minister Chen depart.

Until the carriage gradually disappeared from his field of vision.

But in his heart, there was still some worry.

He wondered if anything unexpected would happen along the way.

At this moment, a man in black at his side said to him, “Big Brother Lian, I don’t understand—why did you order the retreat at the ruined temple just now? Those people saw us rescue them. I’m afraid this will cause complications.”

But Lian Que’s expression was grave, his eyes tightly furrowed. For a long while, he said nothing.

The person beside him said, “Big Brother Lian? What are you thinking about?”

Lian Que took out the jade token from his waist.

Spread it open in his palm.

Silently looking at it.

This jade token was very exquisite. Carved on it was an intricate peacock, with the character “Nan” engraved in the center.

The person beside him took one look and exclaimed in shock, “This… isn’t this Master’s token?”

“It fell from the body of one of the men in the ruined temple just now.”

“How is this possible? Master only has two of these on his person and would never easily give them to anyone. Moreover, judging from their clothing, those people should be from Dalin. How could they have Master’s token? Is it fake?”

“It’s real!” Lian Que said decisively. “This is also the reason why I ordered the retreat.”

“Then what do we do now?”

“You take a few people back first to report to Master that Minister Chen has been safely rescued. I need to stay behind temporarily to investigate their background. If they’re unrelated to Master, it won’t be too late to kill them then!” Lian Que’s fingers tightened.

Gripping that token firmly!

…