Master of Strange Dao

Regardless of whether what No. 1 said was true or not, Yu Ziqing did not dare to easily continue the conversation.

For No. 1 to pay such a high price, it at least indicated one thing: No. 1 absolutely could not handle it himself.

This decision was unlike Qingqing, who had no worries at all. Even if the Dragon Clan discovered something, they would pretend to be blind due to their strength.

Moreover, Qingqing was obedient, cute, and very sensible. For various reasons, Yu Ziqing brought him back.

But what No. 1 said, he dared not make a decision lightly.

Outside, he could do whatever, but in Jinlan Mountain, it was completely different.

Yu Ziqing walked downstairs and left.

No. 1 sat there alone, silent for a long time, letting out a melancholy sigh.

This was already the best method he could think of.

It was also the only way he could accomplish something without getting involved or meeting anyone.

His son and daughter could still survive because, when he settled them down, he borrowed the power of the Seventh Floor.

Holding the great power of the Jinyi Wei and the ring of the Seventh Floor, it might not be particularly easy to know exactly who the other members were.

But narrowing down to a certain scope was not particularly difficult.

He knew No. 2 should be someone from the Shadow Department and that No. 3 used to be connected to the White Sun Evil Cult.

He knew the wanderer No. 4 generally belonged to some family, knew roughly which family No. 5 was from, and knew No. 7 was from Jinlan Mountain.

He knew clearly whom he could trust and whom he could delegate certain tasks to.

Even though so many of his blood relatives had died, he dared not inquire rashly, dared not contact recklessly. He dared not use all the power under his control openly.

If he used it, traces would definitely be left behind.

So when he learned that one of his children had been saved by Cece, he understood that Jinlan Mountain was his last hope.

He would not naively believe that the only remaining two children would never be discovered.

If the Four-eyed Strange Face could find out, it meant someone could find out, too.

If the Four-eyed Strange Face had no information at all, he wouldn't bother, assuming he didn't know about those two children himself.

No matter how dangerous the outside was, it wasn't as dangerous as being his son. By not contacting, not meeting, not acknowledging, he was already trying to eliminate the greatest danger.

Now, Jinlan Mountain was the safest place. Those who acted in secret, no matter how brainless, wouldn't be so brainless as to dare storm Jinlan Mountain for just two children.

Once those two children entered Jinlan Mountain, it would be equivalent to completely severing ties with him.

No matter who knew, they wouldn't meddle anymore.

No. 1 sat in the Seventh Floor for several two-hour periods, left a message for No. 7, and then left the Seventh Floor.

His consciousness returned to his body, sitting there with closed eyes.

He was a typical South Qian person, where the customs and culture from ancient times had already seeped into the bloodline and Divine Soul of its people, making the clan, blood relatives, bloodlines, and inheritance the most important things.

Even if one had to die, leaving behind blood relatives was essential.

Even if one had to die, passing down skills was essential.

Therefore, in the South Qian region, there were many families or sects that did not seem very powerful yet had long traditions.

When such consciousness and thoughts became the foundation of one's existence and the root of continuation, everyone would strive to protect them.

He offered a year's condition, not because he didn't want to offer a better condition, but because he felt he might not survive beyond a year.

Within a year, Emperor Qian might leave seclusion, and the internal chaos of Daqian, after developing for another year, might reach a point where it needed rectification.

That time would be his death sentence.

Song Chengyue pondered a lot why.

Why did all knowledgeable people have to be eradicated, even if unaware?

After much contemplation, he reached a simple conclusion.

It might not be about grudges or offending many people, possibly having nothing to do with those superficial things.

It was simply because he had been in that position for too long.

He knew too much.

So much so that, even if he did not know a thing, someone would believe he did.

So much that too many people would feel uneasy seeing him alive.

This was the fate of successive Commanders.

After a long time, he pressed all these thoughts back to the bottom of his heart with his eyes closed. When he opened his eyes again, he was once more the arrogant and overbearing Commander.

...

Yu Ziqing found Cece.

"Cece, there's something I want to ask you."

Before, he had never asked. Until just now, he did not even know whether the child back then was a boy or a girl.

After all, pointlessly revealing others' scars was complete idiocy.

"Young master?" Cece was a bit puzzled.

"There's a matter now, and I need to confirm something with you. It might involve some of your past matters."

"Young master, feel free to ask. There is nothing that can't be said." Cece immediately understood, smiled, and didn't mind.

"When you were in Kuihou Country before, how did you come by that little baby girl you brought with you?"

"At that time, I was in a brothel, still undergoing various training. My qin skills teacher gave birth to a daughter.

"I did not know where she came from, but in Kuihou Country, a woman who could have such skills without falling into ruin must have come from a wealthy family.

"According to the rules, we did not inquire about origins.

"Later, during the chaos of war, the Evil Dao took the opportunity to enter the city and plunder the Purple River Carriage.