The welcome banquet for Lu Qianqian's return was held at the Lou family estate.
By now, Lou Mengling and Lu Mingye were already divorced.
Lou Mengling held Lu Qianqian's hand, her tears never stopping.
Lu Chenyuan sat quietly to the side, listening to Lu Qianqian recount her experiences of the past year.
Ji Wushuang was also seated at the dining table.
She ate very little.
Most of the time, she was observing.
Lu Qianqian did not speak of those heart-stopping dangers.
She only spoke of the local customs of those places, the children's eyes, and the most simple wishes of the local people.
Her narration was calm, objective.
Like a detached observer.
But Ji Wushuang could hear the immense compassion hidden beneath that calm.
After the meal, Lou Mengling took her daughter back to her room, having endless private words to share.
In Lu Chenyuan's study, only Ji Wushuang and Lu Chenyuan remained.
"Sit."
Lu Chenyuan pointed to the sofa opposite.
"You've worked hard," Lu Chenyuan said.
"Just doing my job," was Ji Wushuang's reply.
Lu Chenyuan slid a black card and a document across the table.
"This is your bonus."
"And, this is a new contract."
Ji Wushuang did not look at the card.
Her gaze fell on the contract.
"Mr. Lu, my contract has already ended."
Ji Wushuang shook her head.
"I need... a break."
"I understand." Lu Chenyuan nodded.
"I'll give you three months. Paid leave."
"After three months, if you're willing to return, your salary and benefits will be doubled from the original base."
His terms were so generous they were almost impossible to refuse.
Ji Wushuang fell silent.
She looked at Lu Chenyuan, then shook her head again.
"I need... time."
She needed to find herself again.
Before she became the codename "Ghost."
Before she became that precise, efficient, cold killing machine.
She, too, had once been a flesh-and-blood ordinary person.
She wanted to go back and see.
If that ordinary person was still alive.
Lu Chenyuan looked at her, seeming to see through that untrodden wilderness in her heart.
He did not try to persuade her further.
"Alright."
He took back the contract, but insisted she keep the card.
"I'll wait for your news."
"This position will remain open for you."
"I'll consider it,"
Ji Wushuang replied.
Leaving Lu Chenyuan's study, Ji Wushuang prepared to return to her own room.
As she passed by Lu Qianqian's room.
She saw Lu Qianqian and Lou Mengling sitting on the bed.
In Lu Qianqian's hand was the proposal she had been revising throughout her journey.
"Mom."
Her voice was clear and confident.
"I want to establish a foundation."
"Its name will be 'Faraway.'"
"I want to use our own strength to change some of the things we can change."
Ji Wushuang stopped in her tracks.
She stood in the shadows, watching the radiant girl under the lamplight.
Watching the flame in her eyes, a flame potent enough to start a prairie fire.
An indescribable sense of pride swelled in Ji Wushuang's chest.
This was the spark she had personally guarded.
Now, it was ready to burn.
Her mission was truly complete.
The girl who had needed her protection had found her own battlefield.
And was preparing to become its ruler.
And what about herself?
Ji Wushuang returned to her room.
She booked a ticket back to Tangzhou for the next day.
Tangzhou. Home. That word that had grown somewhat hazy.
She should go home.
The next morning, at dawn.
Ji Wushuang, carrying a simple travel bag, prepared to leave.
Lu Qianqian was waiting for her at the door.
"I'll see you off."
"No need." Ji Wushuang shook her head. "The station is crowded."
"I'll just walk you to the gate."
The two walked side by side on the estate's tree-lined path.
"Wushuang-jie."
Lu Qianqian suddenly stopped.
She pressed something into Ji Wushuang's hand.
It was a satellite phone, the latest model from Yuanlong Tech.
Smaller and lighter than the ones they used before.
"Take this."
Lu Qianqian said.
"It has an encrypted private channel that connects directly to me."
"Global coverage, no dead zones."
Ji Wushuang held the phone, still slightly warm.
"Alright," she nodded.
"Wait for me."
Lu Qianqian looked at her.
"Wait until I get the framework of 'Faraway' set up."
"I will definitely show you a different 'Faraway.'"
"One worthy of you joining."
Ji Wushuang looked at the girl before her, at the confidence in her eyes that seemed capable of shaking the world.
Ji Wushuang smiled.
"I'll wait for you."
With that, she turned around.
Striding forward without looking back.
The high-speed train glided smoothly along the tracks.
The scenery outside the window flew past in reverse.
The skyscrapers of Jingzhou gave way to the fields of the North China Plain.
Then, the fields disappeared.
Replaced by increasingly dense, grey industrial buildings.
And towering smokestacks that no longer belched smoke.
The air itself seemed to carry a faint, familiar scent of iron.
Ji Wushuang sat bolt upright.
Her hands rested flat on her knees.
It was a posture ready to respond to any sudden situation at any moment.
But she knew there would be no sudden situations here.
This was her hometown.
Tangzhou.
A place she had left many years ago.
The high-speed rail station was new and bright.
Completely different from the crowded, dilapidated green-train station in her memory.
She walked out of the station; the sunlight was a bit dazzling.
The crowd at the exit surged, noisy and bustling.
Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd.
Then, they quickly fixed.
Standing by the railing not far away were two people.
Her Father and Mother.
Ji Wushuang's steps faltered slightly.
Mother was still smiling gently as ever.
She wore a floral print blouse.
She stood on tiptoe, straining to peer into the crowd.
The sunlight shone on her temples.
Ji Wushuang clearly saw strands of silver.
Fine wrinkles had also appeared at the corners of Mother's eyes.
The moment she saw her, those wrinkles smoothed out, brimming with joy.
Father stood half a step behind Mother.
His back was still tall and broad.
Like a mountain that could shelter from wind and rain.
He did not peer around like Mother.
He simply watched the direction of the exit quietly, steady and certain.
But Ji Wushuang keenly sensed it.
That mountain seemed to carry a trace of weariness, barely perceptible.
His shoulders were no longer held ramrod straight as in her memory.
The look of relief and relaxation in his eyes when he saw her.
Once, he had been the pillar of this family.
Now, the pillar of this family had, imperceptibly, become her.
Mother had already walked over quickly.
She took Ji Wushuang's hand, looking her up and down.
"Thinner, you've gotten thinner again."
Her voice held a heart-aching reproach.
"Were you not eating on time again when you were away?"
Father also walked over.
He didn't speak.
He just naturally reached out with those large, calloused hands and took Ji Wushuang's travel bag.
"It's good to have you back."
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
