Chapter 32: A Father’s Grief

In the corridor of Qiong Lan base, the atmosphere was suffocating.

Lan Tiantang’s military boots struck the floor, each step heavy with rage.

As the head of the Lan family and father of Lan Wuze and Lan Ling, he had rushed to the base the moment he received the morning news.

His angular face was ashen, his eyes rimmed red, grief and fury churning deep in his pupils.

He had left in such haste that he had brought no attendants.

****

He reached the central area of the base.

“Mochen! Get out here!!”

The furious general slammed open the door, his voice low, like a beast holding back its anger.

Mochen sat behind his desk, a cup of tea in hand.

Seeing Lan Tiantang, he set down the cup, rose, and bowed slightly.

“General Lan, long time no see.”

His tone betrayed no surprise, as if he had expected this visit.

Lan Tiantang had no patience for pleasantries.

“Where are my son and daughter?”

With a single burst of speed, he reached Mochen’s desk and slammed his hands on its surface, staring hard at the old steward.

“What happened to them? The message you sent, it’s a joke, right?!”

Mochen paused, then pulled a report from a folder and slid it in front of Lan Tiantang.

“According to our investigation, Young Master Lan Wuze and Miss Lan Ling… they were sparring on the training grounds. Some kind of conflict broke out. They killed each other… and both died.”

Lan Tiantang’s pupils contracted.

“Killed each other? You’re telling me they killed each other? My son and daughter grew up together, close as one person, and you’re saying they killed each other?”

Mochen met his gaze calmly.

“The traces at the scene, the residual spiritual weapons, and the wounds on both all point to mutual attack. There is no evidence of a third party.”

“Evidence?”

Lan Tiantang snatched up the report and glanced at the photos.

Lan Wuze was frozen in a punching stance, his fists covered in his own blood, an energy blade piercing his chest. Lan Ling lay a few meters away, her neck twisted at an unnatural angle, her fingers still positioned to release her spiritual weapon.

At first glance, it did look like the aftermath of a deadly duel.

He closed his eyes and threw the report back onto the desk.

“Nonsense!!!”

But he could not accept it.

He had only these two children, raised with great effort. And now, overnight, they were both dead?

He could not endure it.

Lan Tiantang clenched his fists so hard his knuckles went white.

Mochen lowered his eyelids, his face full of regret.

“General Lan,” Mochen said, his voice still calm, “please accept my condolences.”

“Condolences?”

Lan Tiantang stared at Mochen for a long time. He saw nothing in those old eyes but a dead calm, like still water.

He knew he would get nothing from this man.

But that would not stop him.

“Mochen, you can fool others, but not me!!” Lan Tiantang said coldly.

As the head of the Lan family and a core member of Lei Ze’s faction, he knew exactly what mission Lei Ze had given his children.

Lan Wuze had just told him his plans yesterday. And now, today, he was dead?

The Saintess…

Suddenly, the image of that white-haired girl surfaced in his mind.

He bit his lip in fury.

The next moment, he turned and stormed out of the office, heading for the Saintess’s residence.

Mochen immediately guessed Lan Tiantang’s intention and called out sharply, “General Lan! Don’t do anything rash!”

But Lan Tiantang was already speeding away, using his innate source, vanishing from Mochen’s sight as he charged toward Luoxue’s location.

Along the way, many guards tried to stop him, but a single glare from him made them back down.

He was one of Lei Ze’s trusted men; ordinary guards had no courage to provoke him.

****

Thus, Lan Tiantang reached the Saintess’s residence.

He came to the white door carved with snow lotus patterns.

Then, clenching his jaw, the old general raised a hand to push open the door.

But at that moment, the door opened on its own.

A beautiful black-haired maid stepped out.

Facing the furious Lan Tiantang, the young woman smiled without the slightest fear and spoke politely.

“I’m sorry, sir. The Saintess is still resting.”

Lan Tiantang ignored her completely and tried to step past her into the residence.

But as he walked by her side, a hand clamped onto his shoulder.

It was slender. And ice-cold.

The moment it landed, Lan Tiantang’s pupils shrank, and his soul instinctively trembled. The source energy around him became disturbed.

What?!

Shocked, he turned his head stiffly and saw a pair of eyes glowing with a dark red light.

The black-haired girl still wore a respectful smile, but that smile now held something bone-chilling.

“The Saintess is resting. Please leave.”

“Who are… that new maid?” Fury flashed in Lan Tiantang’s eyes.

A maid? She dared to try and stop him?

He frowned and prepared to unleash his source energy to break free. The power of the Rong Kong realm surged within him, and the shadow of a spiritual weapon condensed at his side.

“If you don’t want to get hurt, get out of my way!”

“The Saintess is resting,” Ningshuang repeated, her tone still deferential. “Please go back.”

“You… overestimate yourself!”

His eyes narrowed, and Lan Tiantang was ready to strike.

But just then, the hand on his shoulder pressed down gently, and Lan Tiantang’s expression changed drastically.

An unprecedented pressure descended upon him like a mountain, bending his knees and nearly forcing him to the ground.

What?! What is this?

Stabilizing himself, he looked up in disbelief at those crimson eyes.

They were still beautiful, but in that moment, Lan Tiantang instinctively felt a deep, primal threat.

A chill crawled up his spine.

In decades of battling alien warriors, he had never felt anything like this.

It was as if the one facing him was not human.

Something… inhuman.

Not human, nor any alien he knew, but something even more…

Sweat broke out on Lan Tiantang’s forehead, and he involuntarily stepped back.

****

“General Lan.”

At that moment, a steady voice came from the end of the corridor.

Ling Che appeared with a squad of guards, landing directly around them.

The protector of Yuhai City wore a deep frown, his eyes full of gravity and anger.

“What are you doing? This is the Saintess’s private residence. How could you? General Lan, do you want to incur Bai Wushang’s displeasure?”

Lan Tiantang gritted his teeth and said nothing.

Ling Che walked up to him, glanced at Ningshuang’s hand on his shoulder, then turned his gaze to Lan Tiantang’s face.

“The Saintess has just completed the blessing ceremony. She needs rest and peace. No one may disturb her. Please leave.”

“Ling Che, my son and daughter are dead.”

“I know,” Ling Che said, his voice flat.

“The Qiong Lan base will fully cooperate with the investigation. But that is no reason for you to break into the Saintess’s residence.”

Lan Tiantang stared at Ling Che for a few seconds, then glanced at Ningshuang.

Her hand remained on his shoulder, cold and steady, without a trace of trembling.

He knew he would not see the Saintess today.

“Fine.”

Taking the face-saving out Ling Che had offered, Lan Tiantang took a deep breath, shrugged his shoulder to shake off Ningshuang’s hand, and turned to walk away.

But after a few steps, he stopped and threw a vicious glare at Ningshuang.

Ningshuang kept her respectful smile and even gave a polite bow of farewell.

“…”

Seeing that, Lan Tiantang clenched his fists, a chill running down his spine.

He didn’t want to stay here any longer.

Suppressing his negative emotions, he turned and quickly disappeared from sight.

****

Meanwhile, around the corner of the corridor, Teresa pressed herself against the wall, her expression complicated.

She had rushed over to stop Lan Tiantang but had witnessed the entire scene.

She saw Ningshuang step out of the Saintess’s residence.

And she had suppressed Lan Tiantang with a single hand.

An enraged Rong Kong realm expert was not something an ordinary maid could hold down. Ningshuang? An ordinary orphan? How could she have that kind of power?

And more importantly…

That maid had come out of the Saintess’s residence?

At this time, when the Saintess was resting?

Realizing this, Teresa’s heartbeat quickened.

It was known that both the Holy Snow Lotus and the current Saintess shared a trait:

When dormant, they emitted a peculiar aura.

It was pleasant, but it caused hallucinations. Prolonged exposure could lead to mental collapse, even death.

Even Bai Wushang, a Saint Ruins realm expert, could not fight it.

That was why, during the Saintess’s rest, all maids and guards were withdrawn.

Only mechanical guardians and the smart security system remained.

But Ningshuang? She had been inside while the Saintess slept.

And she seemed unaffected?

Watching Ningshuang walk back into the Saintess’s residence, Teresa’s face grew more solemn.

****

On the other side, Ningshuang had finished her chores and quickly returned to Luoxue’s room, gently closing the door.

After shutting it, she turned around and froze slightly.

“Huh?”

On the bed not far away, Luoxue had already sat up.

Her white nightgown was rumpled, her silver hair loose over her shoulders.

She was bowing her head, her slender fingers gently rubbing her eyes.

Those mismatched eyes, gold and red, were half-open, as if she had just woken from a long sleep.

Her eyepatch lay on the pillow beside her.

Sensing Ningshuang’s gaze, Luoxue spoke softly.

“Good morning.”

Her voice remained gentle, with an unusual touch of laziness.

Ningshuang smiled and bowed respectfully.

“Good morning, Saintess.”

Luoxue gave a soft “mm,” then lifted her gaze to the small bear plushie on the sofa.

The bear sat quietly, its button eyes glinting slightly in the morning light.

For just an instant, as some strange sounds reached her ears, Luoxue’s empty eyes narrowed slightly, and a faint smile curled at her lips.

“I see…” the white-haired girl tilted her head, a hint of ambiguous meaning in her voice. “You two had a lot of fun last night, didn’t you?”

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