Chapter 140: Rain and Thunder

It wasn't just Ji Jue; everyone present fell into silence, including Lei Yaoxing, who was staring over. For a fleeting moment, his expression twitched, as if he had sensed something.

But he didn't even have time to think, because the second car had already pulled up to the entrance.

It was a luxury car, the kind the Young Master of the Lou family would travel in—a top-spec Light Origin!

Stepping out of it was a seemingly unremarkable, slightly chubby man. Aside from his high-end luxury brand clothing and the famous watch on his wrist, there was nothing extraordinary about him, yet his arrival caused the atmosphere at the scene to tighten once more.

Even more so than before.

"Long time no see, Mr. Tong."

Lei Yaoxing shook hands with the newcomer. The current CEO of the Tong Group nodded slightly and had someone present a wreath.

"My old man said that he and the late Mr. Lei were acquaintances for many years, so he sent me to pay his respects on his behalf."

Lei Yaoxing was silent for a brief moment, then stepped aside to make room:

"……Please."

And so, Tong Shengnian stepped inside, took two incense sticks, lit them, and after pressing his palms together in silent prayer for the departed, he also ignored the master of ceremonies' invitation and turned to walk toward the very back of the venue.

Right as Ji Jue's eyelids were twitching wildly, the man sat down beside the elder of the Chongguang Sect.

The Tong family was here too!

Immediately following, the next vehicle to arrive was an Imperial Shadow, its decoration low-key yet luxurious. From the door opened by the driver stepped a middle-aged woman with short hair and a stern expression.

Ji Jue had seen this person before.

In Professor Ye's workshop…

When Professor Ye introduced him to her back then, Ji Jue had smiled brighter than a kindergartner… because she was the manager and plenipotentiary representative of the All-Realm Artisan Association's Taiyi Ring in Yacheng!

At this moment, just the same, after offering incense, she did not leave. Instead, she walked toward the back, sat down next to the elder, exchanged a few brief greetings, nodded at Ji Jue, and then fell silent.

Ji Jue's scalp was growing increasingly numb.

The subsequent arrivals were also, damn it, heavyweight characters…

The local chapter president of the Star Core Association, the confidential secretary of the City Hall, a special envoy from the Viceroy's Mansion, the business manager of the Eternal Inheritance Bank, and the heads of Cosmic Heavy Industry and Boundless Communications.

And finally, the car that stopped at the entrance of the farewell hall, directly ignoring all rules.

Well, it wasn't a great car, nor was it a bad one, but whether it was good or bad didn't matter, because it bore the emblem of the Yacheng Anquan Bureau.

The young man who stepped out adjusted his sleeves and strode inside.

He ignored Lei Yaoxing, cared even less about Lei Wuye, and couldn't even be bothered to offer incense.

He didn't even glance at the coffin.

From beginning to end, he remained expressionless, his originally handsome face carrying a coldness that kept people thirty thousand miles away, walking in with total indifference.

Thus, facing numerous angry gazes, he walked to the very back, exchanged greetings with Tong Shengnian, and then sat down directly beside Ji Jue.

Ji Jue's expression twitched, then twitched again; at this moment, he just wanted to be like Chen Yubo and shrink his head away.

Before he could decide to move to another seat, he heard a voice beside him.

The cold man turned his head to look at him, his expression carrying a hint of warmth. "Ji Jue?"

"Uh… hello?"

Ji Jue nodded, studying the face he had never seen before. "Your surname?"

"No need for formalities, Tong. Tong Shan."

The head of the First Division, currently acting as the director of the Yacheng Anquan Bureau, introduced himself and shook hands with Ji Jue: "Before I came, Supervisor Wen specifically entrusted me to look after you. Now it seems I don't need to go to any extra trouble."

"Uh…"

In an instant, Ji Jue let out a sigh of relief, feeling all the pressure vanish.

Damn, with such a big Buddha sitting right next to him, even if Lei Yaoxing pulled out a knife, he wouldn't lose a single hair, right?!

Wasn't this the sense of security he needed?!

Just as he was about to climb the social ladder and say "we're on the same side," he heard Tong Shan's words: "It's not just Supervisor Wen; my silly sister also mentions you often."

"Ah?"

Ji Jue instinctively felt something was wrong. "What did she say about me?"

Tong Shan was silent for a brief moment, the corner of his mouth seemingly curling up. "I don't need to repeat the 'Famous Quote Brother' incident, do I?"

Ji Jue's expression twitched again, unable to stop.

I knew it! I damn well knew it!

Nineteen years of being clean and innocent, and one slip-up leads to eternal regret!

Can't we just skip over this part?! Why do I suddenly feel like this is going to follow me for the rest of my life?!

"Cough, cough, you flatter me."

"I don't find it funny at all."

Contrary to Ji Jue's expectations, Tong Shan shook his head solemnly, so earnest that Ji Jue wondered if he was teasing him: "I think what you said was very good, and what you did was not bad either.

These days, there are too few people who dare to speak their minds and then truly go out and do it with their feet on the ground."

He suddenly asked: "Any interest in joining the Anquan Bureau?"

"Uh…" Ji Jue's expression twitched. He wanted to say he was already an informant, but in the eyes of someone like him, an informant probably didn't even count as being on the periphery, right?

Tong Shan said: "I know the Second Division's messy affairs are a headache, but don't worry, the First Division welcomes you anytime. No, with your ability, you could probably go straight into the Third Division, right?"

Aside from logistics or finance, the Yacheng Anquan Bureau had three main departments, which everyone referred to as One, Two, and Three for simplicity.

Usually, the Anquan Bureau everyone saw was the Second Division, the largest and most complex of the three, the Security Department, which managed public order in various areas of Yacheng. This was why Wen Wen self-deprecatingly called herself a beat cop.

The First Division was the Action Department that Tong Shan currently headed, directly under the director, and could be called the elite civil servants of the Federation, responsible for Yacheng's defense and the safety of important figures.

It was dominated by the Tian Tian Yuan lineage, and its internal management and discipline were far stricter than the Second Division's, with equally staggering pay and benefits. Wild Tian Tian Yuan followers dreamed of passing the civil service exam to get in; once inside, you were a permanent staff member. And only those in the First Division could access the Federation's orthodox Tian Tian Yuan Matrix and various inherited techniques…

You have to know, the Empire and the Federation were the only two Tian Tian Yuan strongholds in the whole world!

And the Third Division he mentioned was the smallest and most mysterious part, the Technical Maintenance Department, which was in charge of maintaining Yacheng's important facilities, including but not limited to large-scale war works or various alchemical items… and even Heavenly Works and Forbidden Creations. Its internal personnel were backed by the Federation's supply, and they wouldn't even frown at the consumption of ordinary materials.

If this had been half a year ago, Ji Jue would have been so happy he couldn't close his legs if he'd received even one of those offers. But now, not regrettably, he was completely indifferent.

The Tide Sound Workshop is my home, and in my heart, there is only one sun: Professor Ye!

Ji Jue shook his head without hesitation: "I'm prioritizing my studies for now, sorry."

Tong Shan nodded slightly, not surprised, and simply handed over a business card, solemn and earnest: "If you're interested, contact me anytime."

"Definitely."

Ji Jue carefully put it away, and only then did he feel the increasingly solemn and oppressive atmosphere in the farewell hall.

Without realizing it, the seats around him were already completely full!

And, looking around, there were people from all walks of life, high and low, but… not a single one was from the Wilderness Gathering.

First the elder of the Chongguang Sect, then Tong Shengnian of the Tong family, the Taiyi Ring, and then the acting director of the Security Bureau, Tong Shan—it was like giant stones being thrown into a pool, stirring up turbulent undercurrents.

When all of them were sitting here, this funeral was destined not to be an internal affair of the Wilderness Gathering.

Rather, it felt more like…

…a call to account?

A guess suddenly surfaced in Ji Jue's mind, but perhaps, only this could explain everything that was happening.

The half-month-long Dark Side War had been far too long.

And as the struggle spiraled out of control, it affected more than just the Wilderness Gathering. The Chongguang Sect's hospitals and relief, the Tong family's business and operations, the Taiyi Ring's material transport and contraband control, the Star Core Association's neutrality and unity, the City Hall's operations, the Viceroy's Mansion's security, and even the most important thing of all… Yacheng's order and stability.

Admittedly, as long as human nature remained, the wilderness would be destined to have chaos and disorder, but now, too much blood had been shed on the wilderness, overflowing into the world outside, flowing to everyone's doorstep.

And until the next guest arrived and took their seat after offering incense, the entire farewell hall was dead silent, the sound of a pin dropping audible.

The middle-aged man, whose features bore some resemblance to Tong Shan's, sat down leisurely, wearing a casual suit, his demeanor handsome and unconstrained, possessing quite a bit of charisma.

After nodding to Tong Shengnian, he patted Tong Shan's shoulder quite affectionately and sat down beside him. "Long time no see, A-Shan."

"Hello, Fourth Uncle."

Tong Shan nodded solemnly in greeting.

"Oh, relax, Fourth Uncle was just hesitating whether to use his official title. Wouldn't that be more interesting?"

Fourth Uncle waved his hand with an indifferent laugh, showing no solemnity: "After A-Hua went home last time, she was so angry she ate several extra bowls of rice. Your sibling relationship is still more interesting."

Beside him, Ji Jue and Old Tang watched their noses and hearts, sitting upright, not daring to breathe loudly, obediently shrinking their heads.

The moment he appeared, he had already identified the badge on the other's chest…

The brooch of the Haizhou Reading Club.

It looked like a harmless club, but who would have thought that this damn place was the largest intelligence exchange organization in all of Haizhou, formed by Aether Chosen?

And the man Tong Shan called Fourth Uncle was none other than the Tong family's Chosen, the current president of the Haizhou Reading Club, Tong Ting. At this moment, his sitting here represented all the Aether Chosen in Yacheng.

But among the many visitors present, the Tong family occupied three representatives—industry, the Anquan Bureau, and the Aether lineage—from which one could vaguely glimpse just how terrifying the influence of the usually low-key Tong family was…

But unexpectedly, he wasn't as stubborn or fierce as Tong Hua; Tong Ting never opened his Aether Eye from start to finish, nor did he look around. After exchanging standard greetings with Ji Jue and praising the young man a couple of times, he said no more.

And as one visitor after another arrived, worshipped, and then sat down or left, the farewell hall, which had seemed somewhat empty, was now so crowded that there were no seats left.

The busy staff intended to move more chairs inside, but Lei Yaoxing, who had been silent all along, raised his hand and waved it.

There would be no more guests.

Or rather, the last guest had already arrived before him.

"Sorry, I was delayed on the way, I'm late."

On the wheelchair, the man with a slightly pale complexion coughed twice and instructed the master of ceremonies beside him: "I had someone buy some fresh flowers before I came, please help me place them up."

Behind him, the one-armed old man waved his hand and closed his umbrella, a string of sparse raindrops falling from the tip, carrying a faint scarlet hue.

"Brother!"

Chen Yubo, who had been cowering at the very back, finally raised his head. Upon seeing the person clearly, his eyes lit up, and tears almost flowed out.

But apart from him, no one else spoke.

Only the faint sound of the wheelchair rolling over the ground entered the mourning hall.

The mourning hall was quiet, the sound of rain dense.

"Long time no see."

Before the spirit, Chen Xingzhou raised his eyes calmly and greeted Lei Yaoxing: "Young Master Xing, have you been well?"

At this very moment, it was just like that time, that moment.

In the long, sultry tide wind, lightning flashed across the dark clouds in the distance.

The thunder of heaven arrived. ===== CHAPTER 141 =====