The dark night, the heavy rain, the long street, the old house……
The heavy rain that had lasted for days didn’t look like it was about to stop. The rain fell from the sky on the ground and kept falling before the water on the long street could dry off. The continuous heavy rain covered the whole Dongdu, and the gloomy and cruel atmosphere filled up every corner of the city in the night rain. It was cold and depressing, like the end of the world was coming.
The old house was located on the southwestern margin and was very close to Shennai. Ordinarily speaking, Dongdu didn’t have any suburb, so even if it was on the margin, it was still a flourishing area. But it was relatively flourishing. This long street was actually the poorest district in Dongdu. Even the local people couldn’t argue with that.
There wasn’t any recreation place on this long street. The only few stores were closed already. The street lights were shining dimly in the heavy rain. The lights lit up the ground, and the ponding kept rippling, looking sad and dreary. There were still people and lights around, but the scene of the street looked bleak and sad.
It was darkness at the end of the long street. The street lights were completely damaged because n.o.body fixed them. There were potholes on the ground. The large but worn old house was located here. In the heavy rain, this was a dark world that was completely shut down from the outside world, and even the rain became quieter here.
In silence, two pure white figures appeared at the door of the old house out of nowhere.
The two figures stood still on the left and right side of the door. Then they didn’t move anymore.
The darkness hid their faces, only showing the outlines of their bodies. Maybe due to darkness, the two white shadows at the door looked offending and creepy.
The dull thunder boomed up in the sky.
The pale lightning seemed to tear up the sky at that moment. The bright arc of light fell on the lowest place from the high sky and lit up everything around the old house completely for a second.
They were in white clothes, white shoes, and white gloves.
Two faces that were pretty and coquettish in different ways appeared and then hid back in the dark again.
“It’s about the time.”
In the booming night rain, a man in white suddenly said. His voice was soft and cold, but the soft voice could be heard clearly in the heavy rain.
“Yes, about time.”
The other man in white said simply.
The two of them stayed silent again and stood still.
Another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.
In front of the door of the old house, the heavy rain, the white men, the dark night and the old door were all lit up. In the light and shadows, the old house looked like a piece of pure and depressing painting in black and white.
The bright light lit up before the thunder rang out.
In the rain, a black car was driven steadily into the long street and toward the old worn house.
The two men in white took a look at each other. In the dark, their eyes suddenly focused.
The car went steadily and finally stopped in front of the door of the old house.
The two men in white were still hesitating, but the driver had got out of the car, taken out the umbrella placed in the car door and rushed toward the rear row of the car.
It was a very tall white woman of nearly 1.9 meters with fair white skin. She had an average face but a curvy and s.e.xy body. She didn’t seem to see the two men in white at the door. She held the umbrella and opened the rear car door, pulled the umbrella close and waited in silence.
Because the umbrella was slightly tilted, the rain soon got the woman wet. But there was no change on the woman’s face. Her every move was so calm and smooth. She was naturally respectful and humble to the person in the car.
The two men in white took a look at each other again, feeling ridiculous.
It was Shadowless, one of the 12 Super Masters of Samsara!
In all the superiors at the peak of the Thunder-shocking Realm, this was a very important figure. Shadowless had the fastest speed, great ambush skill, and very violent attack. Coming from Snow Country, she was very tall, but her movement was swift like the wind. Her momentum was violent and hard to catch. In the whole Dark World, she was a big name, one of the Super Masters that got the most exposure to the outside.
Till today, the two men in white had never thought that the n.o.ble Super Master of Samsara would willingly act as a servant in public.
It was silent inside the car.
The two men in white watched in silence. They hadn’t seen the leading role, but they already felt the arrogance.
The arrogance that stood high in the leading position and was as sharp as a knife.
A thin, elegant leg stuck out of the car, and the black high heel stood on the wet ground softly and firmly. A tall woman got out of the car and stood under the umbrella. She casually lifted up her head and looked around.
The rain and wind were still the same, so was the darkness.
But at that moment, the old house that looked like a painting in black and white was added some dreamy, bright colors on it.
She was in a black suit, black leggings, and black high heels. Her soft long hair was casually tied into a ponytail. Her exquisite, dreamy face was calm and cold like the moon and cloud on the sky. In the dark, her whole being seemed to be glowing, brightly and sharply.
Perfect, elegant, exquisite, dreamy, proud, cold…
The different dispositions completely mixed up together in her, so naturally without any flaw.
The eyes of the two men in white who were no longer young suddenly lost focus at the same time.
This was the first time that they saw this woman of unusual charm from the Dark World, the woman that countless people considered as a G.o.ddess.
She suddenly appeared in the Dark World in such a high-profile way.
In recent years, behind every incident in the Dark World, she was there, openly or secretly. She was extremely charming. She was the light, pure white color in the darkest world, shining like a star.
Her beauty was like a poem, like a piece of jade.
She was the last person that should appear in Dongdu, and yet here she was, standing in front of the unknown old house.
Qin Weibai!
“Wait in the car.”
In her cold and soft voice, Qin Weibai took the umbrella from Shadowless and stepped on the stairs in front of her.
“Boss…”
Shadowless called her subconsciously.
The crisp sound of the high heels stepping on the stairs stopped for a second. Qin Weibai let out a soft laugh and said while holding the umbrella, “It’s fine. Wait for me.”
The two men in white at the door faced forward at the same time. They smiled and said, “Welcome Boss Qin. His Highness has been waiting for you.”
Qin Weibai nodded and didn’t say anything to them, just walked into the old house while holding the umbrella.
In the crackling sound that showed how old this house was, the door opened and then closed.
The two men in white were still standing there, not moving a bit.
In the dark.
In front of Shadowless.
Dawn and Daybreak.
…
The inside of the old house was just as same as the outside; this wasn’t exactly a luxury, comfortable place. The mottled walls, the uneven ground, every brick and tile, the gra.s.s and the wood, were all screaming how old this house was.
Through the flagstone pavement in the yard, Qin Weibai walked toward the living room, the only place with the light on.
The old house was worn, but it wasn’t small. In the distance of dozens of meters, Qin Weibai was walking alone silently in the rain.
The sound of the high heels. .h.i.tting the flagstone was clear and crisp.
The dark night, the heavy rain, the old courtyard.
The power of time crashed the four walls of the memory. Under the irresistible general trend, there was only the predestined fate left in the world.
Qin Weibai’s eyes lost focus a bit, but she kept walking forward.
Through the yard, her figure stopped before the door of the entrance hall.
Through the dirty gla.s.s, there seemed to be a man sitting in the living room.
Qin Weibai took a deep breath. Her eyes slowly focused again, and they became cold, sharp, rational.
She put away the umbrella.
Qin Weibai pushed the door open and walked in.
It was a big entrance hall. Maybe it was because the decoration inside was too simple, the room looked very empty. The dim light lit up the room and left big shadows where it couldn’t reach. On the couch at the center of the living room, a man sat with his back to Qin Weibai. He kept his head low and seemed to be reading something.
There was no image on the TV, no tea on the tea table, no wind from the air-conditioner.
Besides the sound of Qin Weibai opening the door, it was dead silent in the entrance hall.
Qin Weibai secretly held her fists tightly, then walked to the entrance hall slowly.
The slim high heels fell on the ground and made crisp sounds, ethereal and dreamy.
The man sitting on the couch seemed to hear something, so he casually stood up and turned around, put on a light smile and said, “Boss Qin, welcome here.”
This was a very simple man.
Not only his disposition but also his appearance was simple.
The man looked in his forties. His average body looked normal, and his facial features were very normal too. But anyone who saw him for the first time would say that he wasn’t an ordinary man.
It was because of his simplicity.
It was hard to explain. He was too quiet and clear. But his every move showed the simplicity after great enlightenment. He casually stood up and calmly opened his mouth. Everything he did was just perfection, nothing more and nothing less, showing his great power.
He was simple, calm, and unfathomable!
This was the first time Qin Weibai had trouble seeing someone clearly. This person seemed to put everything of him in front of her, no merit but no demerit, either.
The world was like a painting scroll. He never chose to synchronize with the painting scroll. Instead, he chose to hide behind the painting scroll, clear and yet blurry.
This was a…
Human.
This was a ridiculous comment.
But this was Qin Weibai’s clearest thought of him.
This was a human, the most real human, no disguise… and no ego.
Qin Weibai slightly frowned and stared at the man in front of her with her watery, dreamy eyes. She seemed to be thinking about something and trying to figure out something.
She was doing it so obviously, not trying to hide anything.
“What is Boss Qin thinking about?”
The man raised his eyebrows slightly. That average face was indescribably in high spirit along with his movement. That was a kind of raging and sharp momentum that filled up his whole body, as if he didn’t care about anything in the world.
Arrogance.
That was the real arrogance.
“Weibai here to greet Your Highness.”
Qin Weibai regained her composure and took a slight bow in an elegant way. She let out a soft laugh and said, “I was thinking about, what kind of man Your Highness is. I have been observing you for a long time, but I can’t figure you out.”
“For a long time? Is one minute a long time?”
The man laughed carelessly, made a gesture and said, “Have a seat.”
“It was a long time.”
Qin Weibai said blandly, then sat down on the couch and asked, “What should I call Your Highness?”
“I still haven’t decided yet.”
The man thought deeply for a while, then said in a mocking way, “It has been a long time since someone called my name, many years. Boss Qin can call me whatever you want.”
“Then many years ago, what should I call Your Highness?”
Qin Weibai sat on the couch quietly and asked softly. Her face was bland like the smokey rain, but there seemed to be needles hiding in her bright eyes, sharp and keen, aggressive to the full extent.
“I forgot.”
The man said in a cold tone.
Qin Weibai took a deep look at him and seemed to lose interest in the question, so she went straight to the topic. “Let’s get down to business. Now the general trend of East Island had been established, what does Your Highness think about our cooperation?”
“My opinion is still the same.”
The man raised the corner of his mouth and said slowly, “Right now, we are fully prepared and ready to fight at any time. And ten minutes ago, I have heard some news that Shinichi Miyamoto had gone to the Imperial Palace of East Island to make a promise to the Mikado, which said that he will fix all the problems in Changdao in seven days. Only seven days, which means the final battle has begun.”
Qin Weibai’s eyes, which were as bright as the Milky Way, became more dazzling. She nodded and seemed to be thinking about something.
It was top secret that Shinichi Miyamoto went to the Imperial Palace and made a promise to the Mikado. At least there wouldn’t be many people there witnessing everything; there would only be very important people. But His Highness still managed to get this information, which showed how powerful he was in East Island.
Qin Weibai felt a weight in her heart. Was an awfully powerful ally really beneficial to the general trend?
Maybe…
“Why me?”
Watching Qin Weibai who was thinking about something, the man suddenly asked.
In front of the beautiful woman, his eyes were still calm and clear. He didn’t even enjoy her company, let along being amazed by her.
Qin Weibai seemed to be zoning out. She said blandly right after hearing the question, “Because of your past.”
“Past… I don’t have a past. Even If I do, it has nothing to do with me anymore. I’m who I am now.”
The man laughed and said with interest, “You seem to know me? Samsara came to me and asked for this cooperation. You seem to know my so-called past, interesting. My opinion still stays the same; there’s nothing wrong with our cooperation this time, but I have a hard time treating Samsara as my friend. I don’t believe in helping each other without any cause or reason. Through this cooperation, I seem to be gaining too many things.”
“Your Highness just have to remember your promise.”
Qin Weibai said in a soft tone.
“To protect Li Tianlan?”
The man couldn’t help laughing. “I know that he is the successor of the Li family of Zhongzhou State, right? Do you think he can rebuild the Li family into a family of War G.o.ds again?”
He stopped for a second, kept his smile on his face and said softly, “This guy, does he deserve this?”
While he said this, there was a light of stubbornness in his eyes. “Does he really deserve this?”
Qin Weibai also put on a smile, an elegant and calm smile. In this state, Qin Weibai was truly the beautiful woman that could destroy a country. Her every expression was charming in a frightening way.
But with her smile, her eyes became cold bit by bit, as if someone had offended the thing she loved the most. Whoever was in front of her, she had reasons to persist.
“Tianlan is my man.”
Qin Weibai looked at the man in front of her and said word by word, “Your Highness, do you deserve to make comment on my man?”
The air in the hall suddenly froze.
The man put away the joy on his face.
The man’s smile became colder and colder. Finally, there was no expression left on his face.
Qin Weibai was subtly, aggressively staring at the man.
As sharp as a knife.
“You’re really arrogant.”
After a long while, the man took a deep breath, said in a cold tone while laughing, “You have to remember, this is not Samsara Palace. Your Palace Master is seriously injured and powerless now. At least in front of me, a superior of the Invincible Realm, you have to be respectful.”
“You have no right to judge my man. That’s a fact.”
Qin Weibai said blandly. There was a mocking laugh on her exquisite, dreamy face. “As for Invincible Realm… Your Highness, you have the combat capability of the Invincible Realm, but are you really in the Invincible Realm? Do you really consider yourself invincible?”
The man’s eyes suddenly condensed to the extreme. All the clearness and softness instantly disappeared in his eyes, and the thick, gloomy killing intent filled up the old house.
The killing intent was gathering and surging.
On the couch, Qin Weibai’s face was pale, but she didn’t move and just stared at the eyes of the man in front of her in an arrogant way.
“Looks like you know a lot .”
The limitless killing intent suddenly faded away. The man nodded, squinted at her and said, “If it weren’t for… Hum, I really want to kill you.”
Qin Weibai stayed silent.
The man stood up from the couch and walked around, then continued to say, “Do you know how much I hate you?”
“Hate?”
Qin Weibai asked.
“You know why. You came to me today. Don’t tell me you don’t know why.”
The man said in a cold tone. But there was a bit helplessness in his cold tone.
Qin Weibai seemed to realize something. This time, she put on a genuine smile. “I can understand that. But you’re not me, you wouldn’t know my situation. Besides, to put the wronged individuals aside, this is a good thing to the community.”
The man stayed silent for a while, then said blandly. “My overall situation has nothing to do with the community or individuals. I just hate you.”
Qin Weibai nodded with a smile and threatened him in a soft tone. “If that’s the case… Your Highness, I advise you to change your mind, or else I will do things that will make you hate me even more.”
The man didn’t raise his killing intent this time. He just let out a helpless, bitter sigh.
“What the h.e.l.l do you want?”
He asked.
“I’ve told you, I just want Tianlan to be safe.”
Qin Weibai said softly, “It’s hard to predict the general trend. Your Highness, please.”
Her proud, straight ridge bent down. She took a bow at the man in front of her.
In the most respectful way.
The man looked at Qin Weibai in silence, and his eyes looked complicated.
“You’re crazy.”
He looked at Qin Weibai and said in a low voice, “You only care about Li Tianlan and nothing else. As long as he’s safe, you don’t care about all the glory and fame. For him, you can place yourself so low in front of me. If anything happens to him, I can only imagine how hard you will take vengeance on me. Am I right?”
“Of course.”
Qin Weibai laughed and said softly, “After all, you have promised me.”
“Love to the extreme is madness.”
The man mumbled to himself softly, and his eyes lost focus.
“If Your Highness hadn’t been crazy before, how can you understand me in my position?”
Qin Weibai said calmly, “Do you feel unreconciled, or regret about what happened to you back then? Or…”
“There is no back then.”
The man interrupted Qin Weibai and said coldly, “Li Tianlan… I’ll try my best.”
“Not try your best.”
Qin Weibai insisted. “You must. To put how much you can profit from this cooperation aside, in these years… Haven’t Your Highness thought about how much you own to somebody?”
“Own?!”
The man suddenly laughed hard. He wasn’t young anymore, but when he began to make a scene, his arrogance could be so apparent. “Who did I own anything to? You should ask who own things to me the most!”
Qin Weibai froze. The face of the woman who was confronting the man fearlessly suddenly turned pale.
Pale without any redness of the skin.
That was indescribable desperation and sadness.
She moved her lips and slowly lowered her high-held head.
At this moment, Qin Weibai lost all her sharpness, and only the indescribable fragility was left.
“I’m sorry.”
She mumbled in a low voice.
“What?”
The man turned around and looked confused.
Qin Weibai shook for a bit, then suddenly regained her composure and said blandly, “Nothing.”
Her cold eyes became hotter and hotter and finally went into complete madness.
“Keep Tianlan safe.”
She looked at the man in front of her and said word by word, “You have to do this! If anything happens to him, the person who kills him will die, and Your Highness will die, too!”
The man tried to argue, but looking at the madness in Qin Weibai’s eyes, he just let out a light sigh and nodded.
“This battle has influenced the big picture. Dark Knights, Knights Templars, Heroes’ Club, the Polar Ground Alliance, the w.a.n.g family of Beihai… so many superpowers are involved. Zhongzhou State had riled up many superpowers in the Dark World. But after this battle, you’ll rile up Zhongzhou State, too… Boss Qin, is it worth it? You should know what the consequences will be.”
Qin Weibai took a calm look at him and said blandly, “The momentum inside Zhongzhou State has been established. It’s weak at the moment, but Kunlun City still can’t do anything about it. When Tianlan gets back to Zhongzhou State, I don’t matter anymore.”
The man’s heart suddenly sank a little bit. Then he shook his head in silence.
Up till this moment, she was still thinking about Li Tianlan.
As for herself…
When would she think about herself for once?
She devoted all her life, faith and soul completely to a man… She would rather be smashed to pieces and rather make everyone her enemies for this man. How scary was her madness?
“I’m off to Changdao right now.”
The man nodded and said in a firm tone.
“I’ll go to Changdao, too.”
Qin Weibai nodded.
“To visit Li Tianlan?”
The man asked with a smile.
But Qin Weibai shook her head and said softly, “I’d rather not see him.”
The man took a deep look at Qin Weibai, feeling the determination in her words. For the first time, there was respect in his eyes when he looked at her.
Apart from money and authority, force and wisdom could also change history.
But apart from all of those things, there was madness.
The man let out a soft laugh and said in a sincere tone, “Neither of us knows what will happen in the future. The world is a storm, and people are like the candle fire under the rain. The fire will be put out at any time, because we’ll never know what’s gonna happen next. But I can a.s.sure you, this time I’ll do everything I can to protect Li Tianlan, out of my respect for your stubbornness.”
“Thank you.”
Qin Weibai nodded, turned around and walked outside the door in a sharp motion.
When she was about to leave the door, she suddenly froze.
She turned her back to the man and said blandly, “If the world is a storm, under the rain, you’ll have a good ending when your fire is out.”
The man behind her laughed out loud in an uninhibited and careless way.
Outside the window, the heavy rain was still pouring down.