Chapter 143: Fate Plays Tricks on People

Fang Kai's eyes widened in disbelief; he had clearly seen Ling Wu put the bullet into the chamber with his own eyes, so he hurriedly pulled the trigger several more times, but the crisp "click" sounds reminded him that there was no bullet in the gun.

Realizing this, his strength was instantly drained, and he slumped into his chair.

"Clap!"

The Colt pistol, devoid of bullets, slid from Fang Kai's hand and hit the tabletop with a dull thud.

"This gun never had a bullet from the very beginning; you lost."

Fang Kai's limbs went limp, his throat too bitter to speak, but as flashes of lightning illuminated the room, they made Ling Wu's features even clearer; those eyes overlapped with the ones from ten years ago, the sin deeply carved into his soul that had cast him into hell.

Lost.......

He had lost completely.

Harming others and harming himself.

Reaping what he sowed!

Ling Wu maintained his leisurely posture, his hand reaching from his trench coat to the pistol at his waist, drawing out the cold, hard weapon, pulling the slide to chamber a round, and aiming at Fang Kai's head, he said, "How could I dare to gamble on human nature?"

How could I possibly give you a gun with a bullet in it?

"Bang!"

Amidst the lingering sound of rain, Ling Wu pulled the trigger; as the muzzle recoiled, the bullet flew out rapidly, Fang Kai was stripped of his life, his body instantly collapsing to the floor, his murky yellow eyes wide open, having completely lost consciousness.

Ling Wu watched the corpse with cold eyes, pulled a photo of Fang Kai from his trench coat pocket, lit it with a lighter, and tossed it beside his face; his lean, upright figure stood in the empty room, the desolate night spreading out behind him, a thick sense of loneliness and sorrow......

He said, "Chop it up and feed it to the dogs."

Davis stared at Ling Wu's profile, shocked that he had killed someone, and even more shocked that he remained expressionless, yet he could clearly feel the turbulent, surging power beneath his calm exterior.

He felt heartache for this young master of the Jin Family.

Thus, he overstepped and reached out to pull Ling Wu gently into his arms, patting his shoulder, expressing his comfort in this clumsy way.

Ling Wu reached out to hug him back, closed his eyes, and the boy forcefully pressed Davis's head down with his hand; he had thought Ling Wu would show him his soft side, but instead, he heard the other's cold threat: "You are mine now; if you dare to betray me, I will kill you."

Something seemed to strike the depths of Davis's emerald eyes, causing a ripple, and he said, "I will not betray you."

The Empire had been very unstable lately; as the headline "Nobles maliciously kill but show no remorse, carousing night after night" rose in popularity, riots broke out one after another in slums across various regions; these commoners denounced the nobles with organization and discipline, blocking the entrance to the Police, as if a great hand were silently pushing them from behind.

Because of this, the major noble families were exhausted; after killing a few of the leaders, they only further enraged the commoners, pushing the conflict between commoners and nobles that had built up over 20 years to its peak.

They began to parade through the streets, holding high banners for "equal rights," crazily smashing luxury shops and noble entertainment venues; the police were dispatched to suppress them to no avail, and the armies of the Four Great Families slaughtered a batch of commoners who feared not death.

But stopping anger with killing will inevitably backfire.

And he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world.

There are millions of commoners; they cannot be killed off.

The current commoners have passion but no powerful leaders, which is why they cannot make waves, but what if there were such a wise ruler?

The nobles no longer dared to gamble.

It was precisely because they understood this that in recent years, the nobles had gradually moved toward being closer to the people, wanting to repair the rift between commoners and nobles; this was reflected in charity foundations and volunteer public welfare activities...... including the "Tree Planting Charity Meeting" at Sike Academy, which was also a disguised method.

The Jing Family took the lead in issuing a secret order, requiring their clansmen to restrain their behavior and stop provoking incidents, and also donated to the slums and opened up positions previously reserved only for nobles.

The other families, though unwilling, could only follow suit.

Amidst such internal strife, another sensational event occurred in Beidu City.

The Fu Family announced the return of their heir and sent invitations to all the famous noble families in Beidu City; the Fu Family, a massive, long-hidden clan, possessed immense wealth and unfathomable power...... now that they were reappearing in public, everyone could not help but wonder if both the Fu and Xiao families had thoughts of re-entering the world.

October 5th, Fu Family.

In the study, Huo Xi and Fu Shuchen sat on the sofa; the former had a serious expression, while Fu Shuchen, the head of the Fu Family for this generation, had cold, sharp features and was wise and elegant; standing nearby, the old butler Chen looked hale and hearty, his round belly stretching his Zhongshan suit, giving him a somewhat kind and approachable air.

Old butler Chen said respectfully, "Your Highness, we have followed your wishes and spread the public opinion; the noble families have issued secret orders, wanting to coexist peacefully."

Qi Yu sat in a soft chair; he wore a dark gray suit, the crisp tailoring outlining his upright figure, with a silk shirt underneath, the luster of the fabric flowing with understated luxury, adding a unique, tempered temperament to him; he held a fountain pen between his fingertips, and every gesture radiated an indescribable brilliance.

In just over a month, Qi Yu's growth speed had been astonishing, as if he had been reborn, possessing a natural, innate elegance.

Fu Shuchen's eyes were sharp: "If it hadn't been for a traitor back then, and the defense map had been leaked, it wouldn't be the turn of those few families to rule the Empire."

"Traitors who stole the country!"

A dark light flashed in Huo Xi's eyes; the events of twenty years ago were so distant, but as a General, he remembered them very clearly; at that time, he and Fu Shuchen were only in their early 20s, full of youthful vigor.

The Fu and Xiao families were both confidants secretly cultivated by the Imperial family, the last retreat and hope of the royal family; apart from the Emperor Chu Yu, no one knew the relationship between the Fu and Xiao families and the royal family, and Huo Xi was only told just before Chu Yu died.

With the building about to collapse and no way to hold it up alone, the Fu and Xiao families secretly sent people to support them, also suffering heavy losses, and withdrew from the competition of the Four Great Families, while Huo Xi could only lead the Imperial Army to hide his identity and wait for the day to revive the royal family.

For these 20 years, he had frequently interacted closely with the Fu and Xiao families; Huo Xi secretly recruited soldiers and bought horses, searching for the Crown Prince, while the Fu and Xiao families provided financial and material resources, as well as military assistance.

Now the timing, the location, and the people were all in their favor.

The Empire was due for a change.

Huo Xi said, "Your Highness, today is the day we agreed to meet with the Magician; calculating the time...... they should be here soon."

Fu Shuchen was still a bit vigilant: "Huo Xi, can you confirm their identities?"

"Do not doubt those you employ, and do not employ those you doubt." Huo Xi was high-spirited; he picked up the coffee in front of him, his fingertips rubbing the glazed ceramic cup: "When I was in Ganan, I had already tested their reality; as a gesture of sincerity for our cooperation, the new batch of advanced weaponry in the armory was provided by the Magician."

"Their base is in the Federation; to be able to cross the territorial waters of the Jing and Yu families and openly transport goods in, what kind of strength do you think they have?"

Fu Shuchen was reassured; better safe than sorry.

Just as he was about to say something, the study door was knocked.

"Knock!"

"Knock!"

Qi Yu stopped writing and said toward the door, "Come in."

The person who entered was the current head of the Xiao family, Xiao Zigui; he wore a brown suit, and a sharp aura radiated from him; seeing his close friend arrive, Fu Shuchen greeted him: "Why are you standing at the door? Come over and sit!"

As soon as Xiao Zigui sat down, he heard Huo Xi ask in a somewhat heavy tone: "That child...... has he still not been found?"

The air was silent for a long time.

Xiao Zigui lit a cigarette and shook his head: "Still haven't found him; it's been almost 21 years, the person who escorted him back then is dead, he might have met with misfortune long ago...... this is fate."

The emotions in those eyes were very heavy.

The rebel army pursued them into the royal palace, aiming to kill the newborn Crown Prince to root out the trouble, but Chu Yu had made arrangements long ago, ordering a trusted duke to send his son out of Beidu City; the situation was urgent back then, and if the rebels did not see the child, they would surely search every inch of the ground, so the Fu and Xiao families devised a plan to swap the children, ultimately using the child just born to Madam Xiao to draw away the bulk of the pursuing troops.

By the time Huo Xi and Fu Zichen arrived, both children were missing.

Fate is just that cruel.

Those they wanted to protect all died, and those they wanted to keep are all gone...