"Is Brother Zhang going alone, or with others?" Liu Nanfeng asked curiously.
He privately guessed it might be with the Niu Zhixiao couple. Although they often bickered, their relationship seemed good.
Zhang Xinwu shook his head. "Section Nine is organizing personnel, and I plan to go with them."
"The authorities are finally making a move?" Zhan Dundun remarked.
Yet, he wasn't surprised at all; it was the authorities holding back for so long that he found astonishing.
"With Section Nine's strength, they shouldn't need to recruit externally, should they?"
Liu Nanfeng had seen several guild leaders in action, and they were all immensely powerful. Logically, they wouldn't need to solicit help from outside.
"Because they don't dare to go, nor can they leave," Zhang Xinwu said with a laugh.
"Do you think the authorities took so long to attempt that ascent to the heavens because they didn't want to? Or weren't anxious? You know, a lead of one step means leading every step. The higher-ups are more anxious than anyone, yet no one dares to go first. Why is that?"
"It's about balance. Do you know how many years it took for the inner world to reach its current equilibrium? Whoever attempts the ascent to the heavens first will disrupt this balance. If Section Nine's experts all enter the Celestial Palace, Great Xia will be in peril."
Liu Nanfeng and Zhan Dundun suddenly understood. If Section Nine's experts were all in the Celestial Palace, and Great Xia lost their protection, other countries would definitely not miss such an opportunity. By the time they achieved anything in the Celestial Palace, their homeland might be gone.
"That's why Section Nine is recruiting from the populace. Other countries are doing something similar. If the ascent is successful, it's a fortunate event. If it fails, it's also fortunate."
Zhang Xinwu said this with an air of nonchalance, as if he didn't care about the failure of the ascent.
The reason failure was also fortunate was that unmanageable power, to rulers, was always a destabilizing factor affecting social order.
However, Liu Nanfeng found it a bit strange. Hadn't Zhang Xinwu been disdainful of the Celestial Palace before? Why the sudden change of heart?
But it was his private matter, and Liu Nanfeng didn't pry.
"Boss, could we have the menus?"
Just then, a customer called out, and Zhang Xinwu quickly got up to attend to them.
Seeing him leave, Liu Nanfeng glanced at Zhan Dundun and said, "After just a few days, you've made significant progress. It seems the power of love is indeed formidable."
"Huh? You can tell?" Zhan Dundun asked, surprised.
Unless the disparity in strength was too great, it was difficult to perceive such subtle improvements.
Zhan Dundun knew Liu Nanfeng was very strong, but he didn't believe Liu Nanfeng was several times stronger than him.
Liu Nanfeng smiled, not answering the question, and continued, "Have you thought about what arrangements to make for Wenhui after you go to the Celestial Palace?"
Zhan Dundun fell silent, then picked up his wine glass and drank it down in one gulp.
The danger of ascending to the heavens was self-evident. Success was uncertain, and even if successful, whether one could return was another matter entirely. Even if they could return, the time spent would likely be considerable. Would Shen Wenhui be willing to wait?
Therefore, Zhan Dundun was in a state of great turmoil. Was he going to have to mourn his brief love so soon?
"What about you then?" Zhan Dundun asked dejectedly.
"I've already made my arrangements."
Liu Nanfeng didn't intend to help Zhan Dundun with this matter. He felt it was inappropriate to interfere in their relationship.
Besides, Shen Wenhui was just an ordinary person, and she was still young. The world of Guanshanhai was not a good choice for her.
Furthermore, if she entered Guanshanhai, she would form a karmic connection with Liu Nanfeng, which he wished to avoid.
"What do you think I should do?" Zhan Dundun asked glumly.
"My suggestion is that you talk to her honestly. If she's willing to wait, that's best. If not, don't force it. You are both my best friends, and I respect your individual choices," Liu Nanfeng said.
Zhan Dundun glanced at him and replied indignantly, "It's not happening to you, so you say it so easily. I finally managed to impress her, and she agreed to date me..."
"Since that's the case, is there another way?"
"What way?" Zhan Dundun asked with a look of pleasant surprise.
"You stay."
Zhan Dundun: ...
"Is that even a method?" Zhan Dundun grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"Of course. For love, abandoning one's ideals is a romantic thing, isn't it?" Liu Nanfeng chuckled.
Zhan Dundun fell silent upon hearing this.
Liu Nanfeng was taken aback, "I was just joking, you're not actually thinking of staying, are you?"
Zhan Dundun glared at him with a furious expression, "What kind of person are you? You say nice things, and you say bad things too. What are you trying to do?"
"Just teasing you."
Zhan Dundun's eyes widened, almost infuriated to death.
"Be serious and help me think of a reliable idea," Zhan Dundun said indignantly.
"Alright, I got it. My parents are coming tomorrow. Bring Wenhui along, and we'll have a gathering," Liu Nanfeng said.
Zhan Dundun wore a look of exasperation. He asked for a solution and was offered a dinner invitation instead. Was that a solution?
"You'll know when the time comes," Liu Nanfeng said with a mysterious smile, lifting his wine glass and draining it.
Zhan Dundun's face lit up with joy, and he pressed, "Is it reliable?"
"Don't worry, it's definitely reliable."
"What's the plan?" Dundun pressed.
"Don't ask, you'll know when the time comes."
But the more Liu Nanfeng said this, the more curious Zhan Dundun became.
"You're going to bring Wenhui along?"
"Do you have the capability?"
"No."
"Then why are you talking nonsense?"
The ascent to the heavens was fraught with danger. Although the people his father had found were all powerful, Shen Wenhui was ultimately an ordinary person. With the slightest carelessness, she could be reduced to ashes, her soul scattered. He dared not take that risk.
"Then what exactly is the plan?"
"You'll know when the time comes. Let's go, you're paying." Liu Nanfeng stood up.
"Huh? Didn't you invite?"
"Yes, I invited, but you're paying."
"Damn it, fine, I'll pay. But you'd better give me a reasonable plan tomorrow, or we're done," Zhan Dundun threatened, looking at Liu Nanfeng's retreating back.
But could Liu Nanfeng be intimidated by his threats? He casually responded and walked out of the barbecue stall.
The reason Liu Nanfeng suggested a gathering the next day was that he would also invite an important person.
That person was Gu Gu.
Gu Gu could traverse within her own timeline, and the gathering tomorrow would serve as an anchor.
If anything happened to them in the Celestial Palace, Gu Gu could use the anchor to rectify everything.
She could even use the anchor to freely travel between the mortal world and the Celestial Palace.
This was not a sudden idea for Liu Nanfeng. Ever since he saw Gu Gu freely entering and exiting his place, he had this idea.
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Hequ Ke Tao reminds you: Remember to collect after reading.