Han Yue Palace was still Han Yue Palace.
Only a few people knew that the exquisite and luxury palace built by the Jiang family of South America in Huating had changed hands.
Now, it was the headquarters of East Emperor Palace.
Initially, Qin Weibai took it from the Jiang family of South America and gave it to Li Tianlan.
Ridiculously, Li Tianlan knew it, but he never came here before returning from Changdao.
What was even more ridiculous was that the woman who gave it to him had no relationship with him anymore.
Li Tianlan did not laugh.
It was nearly a week since he reappeared in Zhongzhou State. Li Tianlan had been living here, but he had not laughed once.
The news that he was alive had spread throughout Zhongzhou State. As a result, the Special Warfare System of Zhongzhou State was buddling with noise and bustling. It caused a great disturbance, especially in Sky Academy and Deep-sea Academy.
However, it was extremely calm inside East Emperor Palace.
Yu Donglai assumed personal command in the headquarters of East Emperor Palace. The day Li Tianlan came back, all the people of East Emperor Palace got together to drink after the initial surprise and excitement. All seemed to go away, such as the turbulent general trend and uncanny resurrection. As Yu Donglai said, everything was not significant, and the most important thing was to be alive.
After the battle of Changdao, East Emperor Palace had become a close-knit group. After tests of life and death, there was a tactic understanding among Li Baitian, Ning Qiancheng, Xu Chu, Du Hanyin, Yu Qingyan, Ye Huayu, and Li Tianlan.
Among the seven persons, five ranked amongst the top ten experts of the younger generation. Such an influential group meant that the incredible potential and explosive power of East Emperor Palace in the future. Everyone could confirm that if East Emperor Palace did not disband, it would become the real colossus in Imperial Special Warfare System with an imponderable future after ten years at most.
It was the most-watched young generation. Nobody denied their future achievements. What they needed most now was growth.
Only practices could stimulate growth.
Several young men of East Emperor Palace clearly knew what they needed to do most.
No matter what would happen to it in the future, the East Emperor Palace needed the most potent strength to support it, even though it had 100,000 credits now. Therefore, everyone was practicing and also gave up some courses at Sky Academy, except Li Tianlan.
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Li Tianlan did not practice.
It was already the sixth day since he returned from Sky Academy. He rarely spoke and moved.
There was an artificial lake built around the main building in East Emperor Palace. The lake was clear and surrounded by green grass. It was Li Tianlan’s favorite place.
During the day, he sat there and watched the lake.
At night, he sat there and watched the starry sky.
The lake was clear.
The starry sky was vast.
Everything was beautiful.
However, Li Tianlan became quieter and quieter.
His amazing perfection after resurrection began to fade away.
He became more and more ordinary.
In this state, he seemed to have given up completely martial arts and all fighting wills. He held on to only one thing—quietness.
He remained quiet day after day.
Zhongzhou State became turbulent because of the news that Li Tianlan was still alive.
Yu Donglai had kept silence for a few days. Looking at Li Tianlan getting quieter and quieter, he finally could not help but ask.
What the hell are you thinking?
When Yu Donglai asked, night fell in Huating. The stars were very brilliant in early autumn. The lake was covered with starlight. Most of the main buildings behind him were of glass, emitting faint light. There was no light in East Emperor Palace but only starlight around. Li Tianlan sat on the grass quietly and watched the twinkle and flowing water. He seemed to totally immerse himself in the irresistible rhythm.
Yu Donglai interrupted his immersion.
His voice was a bit cold, with some anger and disappointment.
Nothing.
Li Tianlan looked at Yu Donglai and said softly,
It’s good to be in a daze like this. It’s the best.
You even don’t think about Li family?
Yu Donglai sneered and narrowed his eyes, with his pupils shinning with fierce lights.
It’s your East Emperor Palace and your foundation. Li Baitian and Ning Qiancheng are struggling, but what did you do these days? I can’t see any fighting spirit in you. So? Do you want to give yourself up as hopeless after your foundation was ruined?
He took a step forward and looked down at Li Tianlan.
If so, what’s the point of staying here?
It’s meaningful.
Li Tianlan replied blandly.
You stare blankly like this and don’t even bother to move every day. It’s meaningful?
Yu Donglai poured ridicule on him. It was not his fault that he lost his cool. As one of the sacred guards of Li Honghe, the older man had indescribable feelings for the Li family, and his children were dead at borders due to Li Kuangtu’s case of treason. For many years, Yu Donglai repressed his emotions. However, when he became numb, Li Tianlan, who had Wind and Thunder Veins, appeared in his life.
Yu Donglai had pinned all his hopes on Li Tianlan. He hoped in his lifetime that Li Tianlan could rebuild Li family and take revenge for his children. But now, he only saw that Li Tianlan was dispirited.
What did it mean to sit near the lake every day?
It’s meaningful to be in a daze.
Li Tianlan said softly and firmly,
Rest assured. Senior Yu, I know what I’m doing.
Yu Donglai knitted his eyebrows. In recent days, he was anxious about Li Tianlan’s state. He sat down next to Li Tianlan and murmured,
What exactly are you going to do?
I’m very hesitant, and I’m trying to find a way suitable for myself.
Li Tianlan said gently,
The world is quiet.
Yu Donglai looked at Li Tianlan with astonishment.
What do you mean?
We can hear sounds of talk, water, various music, explosion, collision, and so on. We can hear them because we are in a low place. If we stand on a high place and look down from above, the surging seas, roaring rivers, and swaying mountains are all quiet. It’s the nature of the world.
Li Tianlan’s voice was getting quiet.
Yu Donglai was getting severe. He looked at Li Tianlan and waited for him to continue.
What if it’s higher?
Li Tianlan sat there quietly, and he sounded calm, but Yu Donglai felt a fever.
When we look at mountains and seas at a high place, they are quiet. What if we stand at a higher place? When it’s higher and higher, no matter how vast the mountains and seas are, they will become nothing. So, it’s nothing above quietness.
What the hell are you talking?
Yu Donglai had a headache.
Let me talk about my martial arts.
Li Tianlan smiled for the first time in days, but he laughed without emotions.
In the battle of Changdao, I’ve reached the Invincible Realm. At that time, I stood high in martial arts. Whether it’s Frosty Ice, Raging Fire, or Shocking Thunder, they were quiet in my eyes, as almost frozen pictures. These pictures were like papers, so when I chopped up, they were nonentities, whether they were of Thunder-shocking Realm or Qi-controlling Realm.
Then I saw the fighting between Deity and Wang Tianzong. From beginning to end, they did not show themselves. Only two sword intents fought for mastery. More ridiculously, nobody could see through them. Even at that time, there was a long gap between them.
Li Tianlan said calmly and looked firmly and clearly.
So, at that time, I got to know that quietness is not the acme of martial arts. At the highest position above it, everything will become nothingness. The flashes and shadows of swords, light, and darkness, all were nothing.
It was the true road of Heavenly Sons!
However, there was a hesitation and confusion in Li Tianlan’s eyes.
If everything is nothing, what are the Four Realms of Martial Arts?
What are they?
Yu Donglai did not notice Li Tianlan’s tone and asked subconsciously.
I’m thinking too.
Li Tianlan chuckled and said,
When I figure it out, I can start over again.
Yu Donglai produced a forced smile.
He finally understood Li Tianlan’s problems. He was not downhearted after his foundation was ruined. Instead, he doubted about his current ideas about martial arts.
If the commanding height of martial arts was nothing, then what was the Four Realms of Martial Arts?
It would be anything except the Four Realms of Martial Arts.
Li Tianlan was a Heavenly Son of Zhongzhou State. Moreover, he saw the commanding height of martial arts. Now, he began to doubt Four Realms of Martial Arts. All this showed that he could not reach the end that he saw through the Four Realms of Martial Arts.
Were the end and nothingness he saw wrong? Or was the Four Realms of Martial Arts false?
Yu Donglai sighed deeply.
He only reached the peak of Thunder-shocking Realm in the past, so he was far from seeing that the world was quite. He could not help Li Tianlan with this problem.
The phone rang suddenly.
Yu Donglai picked up the phone and said hello.
People on the other end of the line said something. Yu Donglai looked at Li Tianlan with a look of confusion.
A call from the security room at the entrance. Who’s Li Wangsheng? Looking for you?
Li Tianlan was stunned and immediately said,
It’s my brother. Let him in.
Yu Donglai nodded. He talked something and immediately put away the phone.
The security room was a temporary facility of East Emperor Palace. In these months when Li Tianlan was in Changdao, Wang Yuetong was in charge of everything here. The Jiang family of South America gave Han Yue Palace to Qin Weibai, but Qin Weibai gave it to Li Tianlan. Both of them would not arrange anything in security.
Wang Yuetong hired some security guards and put them at the entrance. Besides, a large area of East Emperor Palace was rebuilding. The training ground, shooting gallery, and leisure area already took shape. Wang Yuetong ransacked her brains to leave some traces of her own. Yu Donglai saw her actions with his own eyes, but he did not say anything.
Li Wangsheng… This name is a bit familiar.
Yu Donglai repeated and suddenly began to speak.
He’s the President’s guard now.
Thinking of his grandfather and the principal Zhuang Huayang’s words, Li Tianlan said,
He’s one of the Spirit Tortoise candidates of Zhongzhou State. When the president went to the border some time ago, Grandpa recommended him.
Yu Donglai nodded with somewhat complicated and sad eyes. It was not a secret that Li Honghe fought at the border. He also got information from some channels. He paused for a while and whispered,
His Highness is now in Lonely Mountain, Lin’an.
Li Tianlan nodded and said,
Are there any special response in Zhongzhou State?
No response.
Yu Donglai said in a solemn and depressing tone.
No response did not mean that there was not any special response.
On the contrary, no response was the most special.
Li family would only live for themselves.
Li Honghe went out of the border brazenly with the residual forces of the Li family to Lin’an. He occupied Lonely Mountain near West Lake in an overbearing and almost unreasonable way.
Zhongzhou State had no response to this.
Whether it was Kunlun City, Wang family of Beihai or Prince Group, they did not say anything more, as if they did not know this matter.
Li Tianlan remained in silence. He appeared to be quieter.
A military off-road vehicle headed towards the East Emperor Palace.
The vehicle parked near Li Tianlan, and the door opened. In the night, a young man, who appeared to be in his mid-20s, got out of the car with a box.
He was a sincere young man.
It was Yu Donglai’s first impression of Li Wangsheng.
He was a short and homely young man. He looked a bit dull. He came to Li Tianlan with joy in his eyes.
He heard that Li Tianlan died in Changdao.
He also heard that Li Tianlan resurrected.
He experienced the excitement and surprise. Now, standing in front of Li Tianlan, he scratched his head. He laughed sincerely and shyly, whispering,
Young Master.
Sit down.
Li Tianlan smiled and patted the grass around him.
The young man seemed to be ineloquent. He sat down beside Li Tianlan.
This is Li Wangsheng, the son of Aunt Qingye.
Li Tianlan briefly introduced,
This is Senior Yu, Yu Donglai. He was once Grandpa’s guard.
Li Wangsheng scratched his head again, with a little stiff look on his dull face.
Greetings, Senior Yu.
Qingye’s son.
Yu Donglai sighed with regrets. Qingye was one of the most outstanding women in the younger generation of the Li family. Yu Donglai even was Qingye’s immediate superior for a while. But now, the ever-younger generation’s son was so old in a flash.
Yu Donglai smiled and nodded without saying anything.
What’s in the box?
Li Tianlan looked at Li Wangsheng’s box.
Debris.
Li Wangsheng said in a simple and severe tone. He hesitated for a while, opened the box, and sent it to Li Tianlan.
Starlight and moonlight covered the darkened East Emperor Palace.
In the faint light, some broken silver metal blocks in the box emitting a dim light, which was almost invisible.
Debris of Infinite Sky?
Li Tianlan remained silent for a moment and then asked softly.
Yu Donglai suddenly changed his complexion.
It was the murderous weapon, Infinite Sky!
The murder weapon was broken at the border with the treason case 19 years ago.
His Highness had been at the border for many years, but he only found this debris?
Yeah.
Li Wangsheng scratched his head.
When I came out, so many things hadn’t happened yet. When Grandpa Li asked me to give you this, he asked you to give this to Dongcheng Clan. He said that Dongcheng Clan was trustworthy.
Li Tianlan paused for a while and closed the box in his hands.
Li Wangsheng looked at him intently.
From childhood, he and Li Tianlan were on good terms, but they did not communicate too much. Both of them were not talkative—their friendship formed during competition.
Li Wangsheng was not Li Tianlan’s opponent.
However, he was the only young man in the Li family who could keep up with Li Tianlan.
Even if Li Tianlan was at its peak, Li Wangsheng did not lag farther behind Li Tianlan.
When Wang Shengxiao, Gu Hanshan, and Jiang Shangyu retired from the competition of Spirit Tortoise, Li Wangsheng was definitely the best candidate for the Spirit Tortoise of Zhongzhou State.
Moreover, Li Wangsheng was more desirable than Xu Chu to Academics.
What did the President order you to do?
Li Tianlan touched the box nearby, looked at Li Wangsheng, and asked.
Terracotta Warriors.
Li Wangsheng paused for a while and replied with a muffled sound.
Li Tianlan nodded and said,
It’s a good location.
Young Master, I follow you.
Li Wangsheng laughed and said sincerely.
Well,
Li Tianlan put the box next to himself and said with a smile,
Go to rest and leave tomorrow morning.
No… Young Master.
Li Wangsheng hesitated and shook his head.
I have to go back to Youzhou overnight. The President has been under a lot of pressure recently. He had a lot of meetings. Tomorrow, there are foreign affairs, so I must be there.
H’m.
Li Tianlan said,
Alright.
In the night, Li Wangsheng stood up and looked somewhat uncertain. He was not unsure if he should tell Li Tianlan, but he was afraid of misleading Young Master because his information was not clear. Hesitating a moment, he said,
Young Master, be careful these days. It’s said that Wang family of Beihai and Kunlun City get closer. Um… you must be careful.
Li Tianlan lowered his head.
In the darkness, his eyes were deep and silent, bottomless.
Got it.
He said,
It doesn’t matter.
Li Wangsheng looked at him gravely, nodded, and turned away. He got in the car and left.
Until the car went far, Yu Donglai frowned.
I’ve heard of something recently. Wang family of Beihai is getting closer and closer to Kunlun City. They seem to want to join hands to change the pattern of Special Warfare System. Even if it’s not all about you, you’ll become a major factor.
Grandpa is still there.
Li Tianlan said faintly,
They dare not act rashly.
They dare not to attack you directly, but they can join hands to change the situation and suppress your living space. Your Highness, what can you do?
Yu Donglai produced a forced smile.
It’s okay.
Li Tianlan said calmly,
That shouldn’t be my concern now. As a wreck, what can I do? For the matters that happened outside the world, let them go. Now the most important thing is to find my way to the future.
Only look at yourself, not the world!
Li Honghe was still there, so he did not need to worry about the Li family.
Tribulation had broken through the Invincible Realm, so he did not need to worry about Sigh City.
In Samsara Palace…
Li Tianlan looked a little pale.
Qin Weibai had nothing to do with him. How could he care about Qin Weibai?
Li Tianlan closed his eyes, felt the pain and anger of tearing his chest. After a long time, he took a deep breath, and his eyes became quiet again.
Yu Donglai did not know when he had got up and left.
Li Tianlan was sitting alone, with gently rippling lake and dazzling starlight in front of him.
Suddenly the wind blew.
The ringing bell sounded in the wind.
Wang Yuetong walked over in the night. She looked so young, wearing a white T-shirt, a pair of jeans, canvas shoes, with her hair tied in a ponytail.
She held the Golden Retriever that she gave to Li Tianlan.
The Golden Retriever had grown up a lot in a few months, with a bell around its neck, tinkling in the night wind.
Senior Brother.
Wang Yuetong came to Li Tianlan. Her voice was sweet and tender, like the night wind.
You’ve been sitting for a day. Go to have a rest.
She squatted down around Li Tianlan and said tenderly.
I’m not tired.
Li Tianlan looked at Wang Yuetong and whispered,
You go to bed first.
They were so intimate that they could sleep in a bed. In recent days, they were still confidential. However, as Li Tianlan became quieter and quieter, there seemed to be a clear gap between them.
She did not know what was going on, and she only felt wronged inside.
However, he was suspicious.
I’ll stay here to accompany you.
Wang Yuetong forced a smile and whispered.
No.
Li Tianlan looked at the lake in front of him and said softly,
I want to be alone.
The night wind blew the hair in front of her forehead. Her face was a little pale, and her eyes were resentful.
Then… I ask Baby to stay with you.
She lowered her head and looked at the Golden Retriever holding in her hand.
With a whimper, it lay down beside him and gently swept her shank with its tail.
Okay.
Li Tianlan smiled and nodded.
After a pause, she looked at him seriously and finally turned away.
Her figure was enchanting and beautiful, but she only looked a little absent-minded.
A ring of phone calls suddenly sounded.
She took out her phone and looked at the number. Her face suddenly changed. She dared not to answer the phone for a moment.
The phone kept ringing. The sound was calm and patient.
Wang Yuetong looked pale, and her fingers began to tremble.
She was hesitated to answer the phone. When she put the phone to her ear, she did not dare to speak for a while.
Yuetong?
A gentle and calm male voice was heard on the phone.
She became more and more frightened. She let out a mournful cry,
Dad.
Wang Tianzong!
The Sword Emperor of Zhongzhou State, who indulged his daughter with staying with Li Tianlan, finally got through to Wang Yuetong.
Come home!
Wang Tianzong said indifferently,
You’re not fit to stay in Huating. Do you want me to pick you up?
Wang Yuetong bit her lips tightly and refused to speak.
She turned her head and looked at the night when she came.
The night was tender.
Li Tianlan still sat there quietly.
The Golden Retriever lay down beside him, wagging its tail gently.
They were carefree.
