“My time… is running short.”

Zhao Xilai forcefully turned his wheelchair to face Lu Nanzhi, speaking words he had pondered for a long time. This mountain climb, the discussion, the meeting, were all so he could say these words face-to-face: “I will hand over Huazhi to you. Everything Lu Cheng left behind, including my share… all of it, everything, I will hand it over to you.”

This was news that would shake the entire capital.

It was also a move that took Lu Nanzhi completely by surprise.

As Zhao Xilai said… he really had no choice. Bright City and the Lin family, as well as external pressures, did not allow the Zhao family to hesitate any longer. They had to strike with all their might and win this legal battle.

“Even if I oppose the bill?”

Lu Nanzhi frowned slightly and said, “I don’t understand…”

“Don’t mention you, even I don’t understand.”

Zhao Xilai chuckled softly, “If I still had time, even just a year, I probably wouldn’t have made this choice… People are greedy and insatiable animals. Only when their time is truly coming to an end do they realize that everything is about to end.”

“It’s not you, nor Huazhi, but the ‘Zhao family’ who is giving up the bill competition.”

The old man said calmly, “I have already sent emails to Bright City and the Lin family, expressing my attitude… After the invasion of the Source Tower apostle, many changes may occur with the bill, and the attitude of the Eastern Continent Council is likely to change. Given the time factor, I can no longer sit on this ship, continue to steer, and welcome the arrival of the new world… My heart is willing, but my strength is insufficient. This is probably the biggest regret of my life.”

“So…”

“As you can imagine, your path will be very difficult in the future.” The old man said quietly, “Bright City and the Lin family’s attitudes will change because of my withdrawal. Huazhi’s help in the outer continents may disappear… But they can’t blame anything, because I have tried my best. It’s just that in the final stage of my life, I can’t hand over Huazhi to…”

He paused slightly as he said this.

He looked down the mountain, “To that idiot…”

“So… congratulations, Nanzhi, you won.”

This was a war without gunpowder.

It was also a war without casualties.

Beneath that gentle and warm congratulations was actually the heartfelt blessing of a dying lion… Lu Nanzhi certainly knew that even if Zhao Xilai had only one day, one hour left, he could still use the existing Huazhi system to launch a fatal counterattack against her and the entire Nanwan, causing her huge trouble.

There was no gunpowder or casualties because the war never broke out.

Everything was extinguished in that congratulatory remark.

“……”

The Madam hugged her arms, not knowing what to say.

She looked at the old man in front of her, her mind filled with complex emotions… Perhaps at some point, she had regarded this old man as her teacher, all because of Huazhi’s cultivation over the past decade, which had allowed her to grow. But at other times, she regarded him as an enemy, constantly reminding herself that everything she did was to accumulate strength, all for this war that would break out sooner or later.

But now.

She thought in a daze.

Perhaps in this long period spanning the entire decade… she had also regarded this old man as a guide, a pioneer, and someone she could trust.

Everything was the same as she had expected.

When she insisted on her ideals, insisted on her beliefs, and chose to stand on the opposite side of the Awakening Bill… the war broke out.

But what followed was completely contrary to her expectations.

There was no sacrifice, no conflict.

The old man seemed to be waiting for her to stand up… and then take off the crown and present it to her.

Was this a coincidence?

Or was it all calculated by him long ago?

“Old Lu said, ‘Parting is harder than meeting.’”

Zhao Xilai smiled softly, “Thinking back to those years, I was very happy to meet him. That was a scene I will never forget in my life, because I once truly believed that Lu Cheng and I could work together to create a brighter world… But after the dream was shattered, I realized that ideals and reality are different.”

“Because of the Federation, I stood on the opposite side of him.”

“Because of differences, he fell in Lion Lane.”

“Because of all kinds of things… countless things that can’t be explained… I came here again. No one can escape the fate of death, and of course, I am no exception. But fortunately, outside this mountain, the banner of Huazhi is flying.”

Zhao Xilai smiled softly and asked, “Since we are happy to meet, why be sad to part?”

Lu Nanzhi silently repeated it in her heart.

These words, rather than saying them to herself.

It was better to say… they were for Lu Cheng.

The wind blew, and the simple wooden tablet swayed gently in the wind.

“Finally… I have a request.”

The old man raised his head.

He said sincerely, “I’m handing everything over to you. You will become the owner of Huazhi, a councilor of the capital… I only hope you will spare that idiot.”

Lu Nanzhi stood silently in the wind.

This time, she brought with her the embedded pearl camera and the evidence from the auditorium.

This was irrefutable evidence.

It was also the key to her confidence in winning this game against Huazhi.

But… she never showed it, and didn’t even tell the old man about it.

“The spiritual exile in the Liberty Auditorium was planned by him… he has already confessed to me.”

Taking a deep breath.

Zhao Xilai raised his head, looked at Lu Nanzhi, and smiled with difficulty, “I’m really envious of Old Lu sometimes, for being able to have such an outstanding daughter. But… no matter how you look at it, the father is more responsible for this kind of thing.”

“I’m sorry to him…”

At this moment, the old man in the wheelchair was no longer a councilor of the capital, but a father.

His face no longer radiated a rosy glow, but gradually became pale and wrinkled, his eyes flickering with dim guilt, “I… am not a good father…”

“How do you want me to deal with him?”

The Madam shrank into the inner lining of her coat, silently clenching the hand holding the evidence, then released it again. She lowered her eyes and pondered for a while, then asked softly.

“As long as you don’t kill him… that’s fine…”

The old man’s voice was as light as a mosquito’s hum, “I will arrange for him to go to the Northern Continent… If he can die in the fortress, that would be the best thing. Provided that you are willing to give him a chance to leave the capital.”

Lu Nanzhi hesitated.

Everything tonight was beyond her expectations.

She had even prepared to fight to the death, with both sides suffering heavy losses… She thought she would be bruised and battered, and was prepared not to take a step back.

But that’s how fate is.

The wind rises without knowing when, and scatters without knowing where it will return.

Hatred, resentment, entanglement… all dissipated with the evening breeze of Xiaohuang Mountain.

“…Okay.”

After a long time, she nodded, as a promise.

“There’s one more thing…”

The old man suddenly thought of something, and tried very hard to speak, pointing to this barren mountain, and squeezing out a smile with difficulty, he asked cautiously, “After I die… can I be buried here?”

The Madam’s nose felt a little sore.

She sighed softly and said with a choked voice, “…Of course.”

“Ha…”

Hearing this answer, the old man sitting in the wheelchair showed a childlike smile.

“I want to… stay with Old Lu, for a while…”

He gathered his shoulders, shrunk into a ball, and murmured softly, “It’s getting dark… it’s so cold…”

Lu Nanzhi silently picked up the lantern and placed it beside the old man. The warm flames emitted by the lantern enveloped the simple tombstone and the lonely wheelchair. She took off her coat, draped it over the old man, and turned to leave.

A very soft laugh came from behind.

Accompanied by the rustling of rolling dead leaves.

Zhao Xilai hadn’t laughed like this for many years.

The last time was many years ago, when the two spirited men in the capital district met.

And now, all the strength in his body had dissipated, and the voice squeezed from his throat was also blurred.

These sounds drifted away with the wind.

“Thank you…”

“I’m very happy…”