Gu Jianlin saw that there was no one behind the two sisters and knew something bad had happened.
According to what Ah Lan and Ah Yue said, Lin Lan sensed danger while out gathering materials and ventured into the snowstorm alone, instructing them to return to deliver medicine and pass on the warning.
"Bah."
Tang Ling scoffed but said nothing.
Gu Jianlin sighed. Sensed danger? More like went to meet her old flame.
Tang Ling leaned close to his ear and whispered in a low voice: "This woman actually dated Minister Lu before? With so many wives already, she's still clinging to her white moonlight. Should I call her devoted, or call her a player?"
Gu Jianlin shook his head: "You can't entirely blame her. After all, it's an overt setup. Back then, I interrogated Director Li and Councilman Zhang, and the conclusion was that The Order of the Hidden is currently adjusting the balance of this world, aiming to gradually dismantle the power of the Order World. To achieve that, they'll continue to collaborate with the You Ying Group."
"In fact, the vulnerability of Minister Lu may have been discovered long ago. They were likely only waiting for the right moment."
He paused: "That moment would be when the internal conflicts within the Ether Association were at their most intense."
Tang Ling contemplated for a moment: "You mean after the King of Qing escaped Heaven's Punishment?"
"Exactly. The Judgement Court lost two Saints at once, Li Qingsong was severely injured, and Councilman Zhang was killed. I don't fully understand the factional struggles within the Ether Association, but I imagine this must be the most critical period for the Judgement Court. They urgently need an opportunity to mitigate their losses; otherwise, during the upcoming competition, they will become increasingly disadvantaged."
Gu Jianlin placed a hand on his forehead and sighed: "Director Chen's concerns back then were valid. Minister Lu secretly supported my father's student, which already constituted her fatal flaw. Similarly, if Lin Lan went to rescue her, she would also be seen as an accomplice. What's more, Minister Lu had always been secretly helping Uncle Mu and his group to evade the Judgement Court's pursuit. If the Judgement Court had set its sight on dealing with Minister Lu, then guess what they would do?"
Tang Ling softly replied: "The Blood Moon Slaughter Incident."
"Precisely."
Gu Jianlin took a deep breath: "The Judgement Court would identify Minister Lu as a collaborator of my father."
"And that's not even the worst part."
Tang Ling seemed to think of something, her expression turning serious: "Do you know who Minister Lu's father is?"
Gu Jianlin instinctively uttered nonsense: "The old Family Head of the Lu Family?"
"The Commander of the First Combat Zone in the Dawn Combat Sequence, commanding fifteen thousand nano warriors."
Tang Ling said grimly: "He's one of the senior leaders who wields real power. If something were to happen to Commander Lu's daughter..."
"It's hard to imagine what would come next."
Gu Jianlin felt a shiver run down his spine.
If something truly happened to Minister Lu, it would stir up a major storm.
"We've been in here for quite a while already. The Ether Association must have entered as well, and I'm sure the You Ying Group is no exception. We need to determine their current positions, who's present, and their combat capabilities."
Gu Jianlin firmly stated that the plan was to relay the information they had obtained. If they could get it to the President, she would find a way to handle the situation and prevent it from spiraling out of control. Additionally, they needed to ensure Minister Lu wasn't immediately captured and had a chance to escape first.
They had to stop this from happening, or else everything would collapse.
Tang Ling fell into deep thought: "But our combat strength is limited; there's so little we can do."
For a moment, the atmosphere grew heavy.
"Drink the medicine first."
Ah Lan and Ah Yue walked over carrying a wooden bowl.
Gu Jianlin froze for a moment, then saw the swirling blood slurry in the bowl: "What's this?"
Tang Ling turned her head away, her cheeks faintly flushed, muttering: "You're better off not knowing."
Earlier, for convenience, she had squeezed a substantial amount of so-called virgin blood from her fingers.
The remaining ingredients consisted of crushed insect corpses and wood shavings scraped from timber.
If Gu Jianlin knew, he'd probably quip something along the lines of "clean and sanitary."
In the face of urgency, Gu Jianlin didn't dwell on it. He tilted his head back and gulped down the blood slurry.
He felt a warmth spreading throughout his body, even the sensation of tearing in his mind diminished significantly.
After a brief respite, he found he had regained his mobility. He stood up and surveyed the dimly lit palace: "Something's not right. These coded texts were left by my father. Even if the Ancestor couldn't recognize them, wouldn't Tang Zijing have identified them? Even if they couldn't, they should've tried wiping them out; they shouldn't have left them for us."
He strode toward the throne but stumbled, nearly collapsing.
Tang Ling hurriedly stood up and grabbed his arm, frowning: "Lin Lan also mentioned this point because he thought something was off as well. Tang Zijing might not have been able to recognize the content, but he certainly knew these were Night Watcher coded texts. No matter what, these writings shouldn't appear here—that's the oddity."
She paused: "Unless he's certain that we won't survive."
Gu Jianlin pondered for a long time: "Indeed, either Tang Zijing left them here intentionally, or he never planned for us to make it out alive. Judging by the previous battle, I lean toward the latter."
"Knowing this doesn't help us either."
Tang Ling pressed her lips tightly: "There's nothing we can do."
Gu Jianlin swiftly processed his thoughts: "We're not at the point of giving up yet."
Tang Ling looked at his resolute profile: "What other plan do you have?"