Volume One, Chapter Ninety: Going Inside?

The moment the message went out, it sent shock waves through every faction. Without a word, they all began preparing to leave the Great Xia Empire, hoping that a retreat at this hour would at least preserve some strength for the days ahead.

That very night, Jiang Chen brought Lin Mo and Lin Ning back to Qingcheng.

Yet on the road, neither of them showed much emotion. Silence held sway from beginning to end.

After Lin Ning got out of the car, Lin Mo, still in the front passenger seat, asked, “Brother Jiang Chen, can you explain to me what a chosen one is?”

Hearing that, Jiang Chen turned off the engine and, in the end, told Lin Mo everything he knew.

Not for any grand reason, only because the boy had the right to know the truth. Besides, it was no longer likely that he could go on living those quiet, ordinary days; it would be better for him to make his choice sooner.

After listening, Lin Mo remained still for a long while.

“Brother Jiang Chen, does that mean I can’t keep studying here anymore?”

Jiang Chen answered gravely, “To be honest with you, yes. From now on, assassination attempts will keep coming until you are killed. There is no other way.”

Lin Mo nodded gently, already understanding his own situation.

“Can my sister still live a peaceful life?” he asked, unwilling to give up.

Jiang Chen shook his head and denied the idea. “Your sister is your family. As one who holds the highest protection status in Great Xia, you would not be exposed if there weren’t a shortage of people right now. But chaos is approaching, and everything is becoming uncontrollable. If your sister stays by your side, then you will have a weakness. And with a weakness, you are no longer the strongest version of yourself.”

In the past, Jiang Chen had been unattached, and if he wished to abandon a city, he could do so without hesitation. But once the people he truly cared about all stood in one place, he could no longer leave that place to fate without paying a price.

Lin Mo was the same. His sister was an ordinary person. If she were ever captured, Lin Mo might choose to leave as well. It was only a speculation, but not an impossible one, however slim the chance.

Jiang Chen patted his shoulder and encouraged him. “Actually, you two can still live stable lives. It would just mean moving often, changing identities often, and never staying in one place too long.”

Lin Mo could not make a decision right away, and Jiang Chen was in no hurry. He could wait. He only hoped Lin Mo would not act on impulse and make the wrong choice.

“Brother Jiang Chen, I... what do I need to do to protect my sister?” Lin Mo asked earnestly.

Jiang Chen did not know how to answer, after all, this was a matter that consumed life itself.

“Truthfully, as a chosen one, your greatest strength lies in your mind. You only need to think. But doing so will greatly shorten your life,” Jiang Chen said.

Lin Mo lightly tapped his head. “So the headaches are because I’m a chosen one. I’m not sick. Got it.”

“Brother Jiang Chen, give me three days. After three days, I’ll come to you.”

Three days were very short. For Jiang Chen, protecting the two of them was not a problem. The real issue was that he could not remain here for long; he still had his own matters to attend to.

“Three days from now, I’ll be waiting for you on the top floor of the Ning Group in Qingcheng,” Jiang Chen said as he sent Lin Mo out of the car. Then he took Li Changsheng to dinner.

While eating, Li Changsheng asked curiously, “You don’t seem to be very hopeful about this kid joining Office 509.”

Jiang Chen thought to himself that in his current situation, it was less about hope and more about wanting the boy to remember him. Even if he joined Office 509, he still needed to remember Jiang Chen—at least so that when Jiang Chen needed him, he could step forward.

“As for whether he joins or not, that’s his fate. I never interfere in other people’s decisions; I only give advice. Once karma gets involved, it isn’t easy to erase. Besides, I already have a pile of things to handle. This matter is just a small one in my life,” Jiang Chen said.

“Small matter or big matter, either way, I really do have to thank you this time,” Li Changsheng said. “The higher-ups sent the two of us siblings here to protect Lin Mo, but we failed in our duty. Luckily you stepped in, or else we would have been punished.”

Jiang Chen had his own private motives in this matter, otherwise he would not have handled it so personally.

“No need to thank me. I’ll have to trouble you for the next few days—please keep the siblings safe for the time being. I need to go back and deal with some things,” Jiang Chen said.

Li Changsheng waved it off. “Say no more. Leave it to me.”

After finishing the last bite of his meal, Jiang Chen left.

By now, the public-facing powers in Qingcheng had already been brought into alignment.

But the hidden forces had not.

Jiang Chen wanted to unite the entire underworld, and that was something he had to accomplish before heading to the capital. He needed Qingcheng to stand behind him as his stronghold, and only by doing this would that be possible.

By the time he returned to the Ning Group, it was eight in the evening. Jiang Chen stood on the rooftop, gazing down into the distance.

Ning Rou brought him a cup of coffee and placed it before him. “Everything has been taken care of?”

Jiang Chen shook his head. “Not yet. It isn’t that easy. For now, I can only say it’s half done.”

Whether Lin Mo came or not was not the important part. What mattered was that his own scheme needed someone to set it in motion. Lin Mo could lay out the pieces, but the final key move had to land in Jiang Chen’s hands.

To put it plainly, Jiang Chen would allow Lin Mo to arrange the board, but he would not allow Lin Mo to place the final move in anyone else’s hands. If he wanted the situation to remain under control until the end, that node had to be handled by him.

“So what are you going to do next?” Ning Rou asked with curiosity. She had already been helping Jiang Chen manage the open, public side of things, but he still seemed unsatisfied.

“I’m going to take control of Qingcheng’s underground forces,” Jiang Chen said.

Yet after he spoke, confusion appeared on Ning Rou’s face.

“I believe you have the ability to do it, but there’s a huge difference between Qingcheng’s public power and its hidden strength. Back then, the Ye family ruled openly with overwhelming authority, but the underworld was never that clear-cut,” Ning Rou said. She knew Qingcheng very well, so she understood what Jiang Chen meant at once.

Jiang Chen smiled. “Then please, wife, help me understand.”

Ning Rou’s eyes softened, her gaze alluring as she let out a light huff. “Hmph. You have so many wives already. Don’t call me that.”

With one arm, Jiang Chen pulled her into his embrace. Her slender warmth settled against him, and a trace of softness brushed past his arm.

“I seem to remember that wives aren’t supposed to get angry so easily. Want me to apologize properly?” Jiang Chen’s hand wandered without restraint.

Ning Rou pinched his face. “I can explain it to you, but you’d better perform well tonight. I’m giving you a chance.”

Jiang Chen froze for a moment. “Isn’t this not quite appropriate here? There isn’t even a bed. Maybe we should forget it.”

Ning Rou lifted her brows. “Trying to run? Get your elbows moving and follow me inside. I even had the secretary move a big bed in for me. Hurry up and stop talking nonsense.”