The two of them rode the escalator downwards.
At a great height, a massive transparent skylight was carved from the peak and then artificially assembled.
Within the hollowed-out mountain, there was only this solitary, long escalator.
A few holographic lights hovered and followed them, illuminating the entire interior of the mountain with alternating dimness and brightness.
Fu Yafang feigned a delicate sense of unease, gently gripping Feng Gong's hand.
"Don't be afraid," Feng Gong said softly. "We're going to pay respects to my... mother. It's very safe."
His voice trembled slightly when he uttered the word "mother."
Fu Yafang speculated that Feng Gong still harbored apprehension and resentment towards his deceased mother.
Furthermore, despite his innate fear of women, he still craved love.
Or rather, he wanted to use the love of other women to compensate for the psychological trauma inflicted by his mother during his childhood.
After descending for nearly fifteen minutes, they finally reached the bottom.
The cool air sent a chill through Fu Yafang's body.
Feng Gong thoughtfully draped his jacket over her, and warmth instantly enveloped Fu Yafang.
They walked through a short corridor and arrived at a stone chamber, finally meeting Lai Jing·Fan Nan.
In the center of the stone chamber stood a tombstone, as tall as a person, inscribed with small black characters.
"The air here can calm one's mind," Lai Jing·Fan Nan said, looking at the tombstone. "Feng Gong, you should visit your mother more often."
Feng Gong let out a gentle breath, steadied his mind, and stepped forward.
The tombstone split in the middle, revealing a descending passage behind it.
Fu Yafang tried to follow, but Lai Jing·Feng Gong stopped her. "It's a family tradition. You wait outside. I'll go in alone."
The tombstone closed, leaving Lai Jing·Fan Nan and Fu Yafang alone in the empty stone chamber.
Lai Jing·Fan Nan looked at Fu Yafang and said softly, "Feng Gong is willing to share his innermost secrets with you, which means he trusts you. But do you deserve it?"
"Gu Ya invaded my consciousness life research institute, the military intelligence department, and the Double Nine Bureau. He was looking for you, and your relationship is not ordinary."
Fu Yafang froze instantly, her pupils trembling.
He even knew about this!
Lai Jing·Fan Nan had brought them here to test Fu Yafang.
Lying was no longer an option.
Fu Yafang adjusted her breathing, striving to maintain her composure, and said, "Gu Ya did approach me. He wanted to use me to gather intelligence on Hai Yang for him."
Lai Jing·Fan Nan smiled, as if unsurprised. "You have a perfect grasp of Feng Gong. He's no match for you. It's said that beautiful women bring disaster. Keeping you around will inevitably bring disaster to Black Star."
Fu Yafang gritted her teeth, her body tensing.
Lai Jing·Fan Nan intended to leave her no way out.
Fu Yafang decided to take a gamble. After a few seconds of rapid thought, she calmly said, "If you wish for me to disappear, please don't do it in front of Feng Gong. He has already lost love once and hates you deeply. You wouldn't want to inflict another wound on his already shattered heart."
"Heh heh..." Lai Jing·Fan Nan chuckled. "You dare to use Feng Gong as a shield? I underestimated you. Fu Yafang, you are a double-edged sword."
The duel between masters happened in an instant.
Hearing "double-edged sword," Fu Yafang felt a slight relief. She had won the gamble.
The Grand Commander had temporarily abandoned the idea of killing her and was instead planning to use her.
He employed a top-tier manipulation technique, using an enemy's beliefs and life as leverage to make them serve his purpose.
If Fu Yafang, this sword, proved difficult to wield, he could still eliminate her.
Now, life or death depended entirely on Fu Yafang's decisions and actions.
Lai Jing·Fan Nan said grimly, "Let's talk about Gu Ya. I know he has lost his divine power and is searching the world for his treasures."
With her mental preparation, Fu Yafang's response became more poised. "Grand Commander, let's be direct. What do you want me to do for you?"
Lai Jing·Fan Nan walked up to Fu Yafang, placed his large hand on her shoulder, and said clearly, "If you want to work for me, first show me your sincerity."
With that, Lai Jing·Fan Nan actually raised his hand and unbuttoned Fu Yafang's collar.
Then, his large hand ventured even more inappropriately deeper.
Standing at two meters tall and with a robust physique, Lai Jing·Fan Nan made Fu Yafang feel like she was facing a formidable enemy.
On fundamental principles, when it was time to fight, Fu Yafang could not back down.
She raised her hand high and slapped Lai Jing·Fan Nan forcefully, stopping his impertinence, and said sternly, "I am Feng Gong's wife, and I will never betray him! Kill me, or make me work for you, either is fine, but nothing else!"
Fu Yafang took a step back, tilted her head back, and glared at Lai Jing·Fan Nan with defiance, quickly fastening her collar buttons.
At that moment, the tombstone slowly opened.
Feng Gong walked out calmly. He hid his grief and fear very deeply, yet it did not escape the eyes of Lai Jing·Fan Nan and Fu Yafang.
Feng Gong walked to Fu Yafang, gently tidied her collar, and said softly, "It's okay, let's go."
Fu Yafang linked her arm with Feng Gong's, and the two of them lightly left the stone chamber.
Not long after, the sound of light footsteps echoed from a dark area not reached by the lights.
Lai Jing·Xi Mei revealed herself from the shadows, smiling sinisterly and evilly. "Hee hee hee, Father, you've met a tough one. How do you plan to use that woman? Hee hee hee..."
Lai Jing·Fan Nan sniffed the hand that had just touched skin, remained silent, and turned to walk down the passage.
Xi Mei, with her hands behind her back, cheerfully skipped along, saying, "Father, are we going to see Hai Yang?"
The tombstone closed, and the stone chamber returned to silence.
On the way back in the escalator,
Feng Gong hesitated, unsure of what to say to Yafang.
Fu Yafang sensed his concern, gently tightened her grip on his arm, and smiled, saying, "It's alright. For you, I can risk my life. No one can separate us."
"Yafang!" Feng Gong suddenly turned, bent down, and embraced her tightly.
For the first time, this strong man revealed his vulnerability.
"I heard everything behind the tombstone. Forgive me for not coming out to protect you sooner... My ex-wife was insulted and killed by my father. I always knew!"
Fu Yafang's eyes lit up. She gently patted Feng Gong's broad back and whispered in a voice only they could hear, "I know. Together, we will avenge your ex-wife..."
But in Fu Yafang's heart, her thoughts were different. She wanted more, and she was more ruthless.
None of the Lai Jing family would escape.
Feng Gong was now firmly in Fu Yafang's grasp, becoming her shield.
But this shield was too fragile and could not last long.
She had to find another way to survive before Lai Jing·Fan Nan could find a way to deal with her.
At this moment, Feng Gong lowered his voice and said sinisterly, "I've always been afraid to come to my mother's grave because I know my father's secrets are hidden there. I'm afraid that if he finds out, he'll kill me."
Fu Yafang smiled tenderly and raised her voice, saying, "Feng Gong, can we talk about such shy matters when we get home?"
Feng Gong immediately understood that this vast mountain was filled with surveillance.
Even though they had lowered their voices to the absolute minimum, there was no guarantee they wouldn't be overheard.
The two remained silent and returned to their residence.
Once home, Feng Gong eagerly closed the door and said, "Compared to me, Father cares more about his technological invention: Hai Yang."
"That's right, Yafang, I used you. I begged my father to take you to pay respects to my mother so that I could find the entrance to the underground research institute."
"I succeeded. The switch is located beneath Mother's memorial tablet."
Fu Yafang pondered for a long while and said, "So, your ex-wife's death was indirectly caused by you. The truth is, you had her approach the Grand Commander to find the entrance to the research institute."
"As a result, her purpose was discovered by the Grand Commander. She was insulted and killed, and then declared a spy."
Feng Gong looked ashamed and sighed, nodding regretfully. "Yes. Yafang, you are the smartest woman I have ever met. Nothing escapes you."
Fu Yafang continued, "Soon, the Grand Commander will assign me a mission. I will find a way to get close to him and discover Hai Yang's weakness."
Feng Gong said, "We have to be quick. Ever since Gu Ya invaded Black Star Mountain, Father has been hiding in the underground research institute. His external strategic policies have tightened dramatically. I suspect he is close to succeeding!"
"Once he succeeds, the empire will regain its dominance, and he will achieve eternal life. It will be even harder to defeat him then."
"My vision is to reshape a unified and orderly world, but my father is an absolute doomsday madman!"
"Although his ideas seem naive to me, if he succeeds, the world will likely descend into hell."
Fu Yafang pressed her temples with her hands and nodded, saying, "We can use your sister Xi Mei as an opening..."
But in Fu Yafang's heart, she was thinking of something else: "The Heiyang research report I studied meticulously before should be useful!"