Part 3
Even if she didn’t accept the position of head, she would absolutely make the trip.
On the way to find Rui Hu, Yus finally learned the truth. He was completely stunned. “Holy crap, Mr. White, you hid this way too well! You’re saying the person who saved Rui Hu back then… was Marshal Zong’s sister, Lady Zong? And you’ve already rescued her?”
Ning Yunyi hummed. “Lady Zong hasn’t fully recovered yet, so we didn’t tell you. Plus, with the Crown Prince before…”
Yus said hurriedly, “I get it, I get it. Secrecy is a must. Don’t worry, my lips are sealed. I can’t believe the Crown Prince, the Emperor, and the Late Emperor caused such a massive mess. Should I… go with you?”
Ning Yunyi shook his head. “No. Your identity can’t be exposed. We might… still need you later.”
Yus’s expression grew serious. “Is there still danger?” If so, he wanted to go even more. What if something happened to Mr. White?
Ning Yunyi: “I’m going with Marshal Zong, so the danger is minimal. Your task now is to continue playing the Young Head of the Herman family. While you’re at it, visit the palace and bond with the Empress Dowager. Try to get her to talk more about the Late Emperor.”
The Late Emperor had three wives. Although the current Empress Dowager wasn’t his favorite, she was still the Empress Dowager. She might know more about him, or at the very least, she might know something about his “cheap” maternal grandfather whom he had never met.
The Late Emperor had been ruthless enough to strike at his own blood-brother shifter. As the Late Emperor’s son, was the current Emperor really as uninvolved as he claimed? The Late Emperor had three Empresses, two Princes, and one Princess. In the end, the current Emperor won, while his cheap grandfather’s whereabouts remained unknown to this day.
If his grandfather were still alive, news would have surely arrived when the “accident” befell Ning Mother, but there was nothing. That left only two possibilities: either he was being held against his will, or… he had passed away years ago.
Yet the official record only stated he went missing after a failed coup. Unless there were hidden details about that so-called coup that couldn’t be made public.
Ning Yunyi didn’t trust the Emperor, but since he had to go to the Desert Planet, he could only rely on Yus to fish for information.
Yus understood and patted his chest, guaranteeing he would complete the mission.
On Rui Hu’s side, she was both shocked and delighted upon learning the news. She was shocked that Mr. White was one of the Marshal’s people—with the Marshal backing them, the shifters at the Base might actually be saved. She was delighted that her benefactor was still alive and was even the Marshal’s sister.
But then, a wave of panic and “homesickness” made her sad. Returning to that place after all these years, she actually had little hope. The thought of finally facing the reality of her mother’s tragic death—instead of lying to herself that she might still be alive—made her eyes well up.
She quickly wiped them and gave a strong smile. “Alright, I’ll go with you, Mr. White. As for the position of Base Head…”
Ning Yunyi knew she was afraid she wasn’t up to the task and stopped her. “You can think about it; there’s no rush to decide. After the Base is reclaimed, things will need to change slowly. Whether the surviving shifters will harbor thoughts of revenge is something you’ll need to help them work through. You are currently… the most suitable person. So, please decide after considering it carefully, alright?”
Rui Hu realized the hidden risks behind his words. After a moment’s thought, she nodded. “Alright.”
The Base was the Late Emperor’s sin, and the Crown Prince had continued the atrocity. They couldn’t demand that the imprisoned shifters feel no resentment, but they also couldn’t allow them to strike at innocent citizens. That would just be jumping from one extreme to another.
Rui Hu understood why Mr. White wanted her there. The past couldn’t be erased in a day or two, but it wasn’t… truly impossible to move past.
After settling things with Rui Hu, Ning Yunyi returned to the Ning house.
He decided not to travel with Zong Hao. Zong Hao had to wait for the Legion to finish organizing before departing tomorrow, so Ning Yunyi decided to leave early.
He spoke with his elder brother after returning. Big Brother Ning was part of the expedition team this time. After some thought, he agreed with Ning Yunyi’s plan. Though the Crown Prince was captured, he had managed the military for years; there were likely still many of his people within the ranks.
Furthermore, Marshal Zong had been missing for a year due to his injuries. If Ning Yunyi followed the army openly, his identity might be leaked.
Traveling separately under the guise of an Interstellar merchant was safer.
Ning Yunyi left behind a large supply of energy stones just in case, then contacted Zong Hao.
Zong Hao agreed but insisted that Ning Yunyi travel with Godefroi.
Godefroi was the Interstellar merchant identity Ning Yunyi had used when he took the Big Cat to the Desert Planet before. Having visited once already, returning now wouldn’t draw much attention.
More importantly, Godefroi was one of Zong Hao’s people. His mental power was much higher than it appeared. With Godefroi acting as his guard, Zong Hao felt more at ease.
Ning Yunyi needed assistants anyway, and since he wasn’t going alone, he agreed.
After finishing his instructions and saying goodbye to the little kitten and the others, Ning Yunyi departed. He used his “Rui Bao” identity with the existing ID. When he met up with Rui Hu and Godefroi, he immediately saw the large lion, Brownie, standing beside Godefroi.
Ning Yunyi’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch its ears.
Brownie sniffed his scent and actually remembered him, actively rubbing his massive head against him. Ning Yunyi began to ruffle the fur on his head, laughing as he played with the lion.
When Godefroi reported in, he recorded a video for Ichi to show they had departed.
On the other side, Ichi saw the video while the Marshal was in a meeting. He muted the sound and opened it. The first thing he saw was Mr. White ruffling the big lion’s fur behind Godefroi.
Mr. White was dressed in black with a mask obscuring his face, but that stance and those practiced movements—that was clearly an expert cat-ruffler. It couldn’t be anyone else.
Ichi hesitated, then couldn’t resist forwarding the video to the Marshal with a caption: I didn’t expect Mr. White to have such a way with beasts. Godefroi’s lion usually won’t let anyone touch him, but look at him! Not only letting him pet, but actively asking for it. As expected of Mr. White; his charm is cross-species.
Look how he’s enchanted our Marshal.
Earlier, as soon as the Marshal returned, he had issued orders and spent his spare time studying ancient encyclopedias. Ichi had peeked and seen the romance-deficient Marshal looking at Ancient Blue Star yellow monthly roses. He had been stunned. “Marshal, why are you looking at that? You don’t actually believe Monthly Roses can be grown, do you?”
Though he thought the “Sect’s First Blade” might be right, Monthly Roses came in so many colors; growing any would be a sensation. What were the odds it would be that exact color?
He had meant to tell the Marshal not to get his hopes up, but the Marshal had simply looked at him and said he had seen a real one—that Mr. White had personally made one bloom for him to comfort him.
Ichi thought the Marshal had gone crazy and started hallucinating flowers. He feared the “flower” was actually made of paper and the lovesick Marshal just thought it was real.
So, Ichi decided to bring the Marshal back to reality. After all, nothing was certain yet, and that Young Head Yus was still lurking around.
Zong Hao had been in an excellent mood until he opened Ichi’s message. He watched as the hands that had surprised him not long ago were now petting another big lion, their owner’s eyes practically glowing with delight. Even with the sound muted, he could almost hear Ning Yunyi calling the lion “Brownie” with excitement.
Consequently, the soldiers ready for departure that day found Marshal Zong surrounded by a heavy, freezing aura. They shivered, wondering if this secret mission was going to be a suicide mission. Look how solemn the Marshal looks! They immediately tightened their discipline, which would actually make the upcoming operation unexpectedly easy.
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