Chapter 113: The Collapse of Zhuge Ni

Facing Zhuge Ni’s question, Ye Lin did not know how to answer.

He did not know how he should tell Zhuge Ni that Zhuge Qianxing had passed away.

Although he had never really liked Zhuge Ni and even thought the woman was a bit dim-witted, Ye Lin still did not know how to bring himself to tell her the news of her father’s death.

Zhuge Ni stared at Ye Lin with burning eyes, and seeing Ye Lin remain silent, she felt a bit puzzled.

Then, her gaze caught sight of the ice-crystal coffin Ye Lin was carrying on his shoulder; her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she forced an awkward smile onto her face.

"Ling Ye, why aren't you saying anything? What is this you're carrying on your shoulder?"

"I'm sorry."

Ye Lin took a deep breath and lowered the ice coffin from his shoulder, setting it down in front of Zhuge Ni with a clatter.

Zhuge Ni stepped forward to take a look, and when her gaze passed through the ice to see Zhuge Qianxing’s pale face—

A smile suddenly appeared on her face, and then she lifted her eyes to look at Ling Ye.

"Ling Ye, you and Dad are playing a prank, trying to trick me, right? My dad is the renowned Mr. Zhuge of the Great Xia; how could he possibly be dead?"

"You’re trying to trick me, aren't you?"

Zhuge Ni’s gaze was fixed intently on Ye Lin, like a drowning person desperately trying to grasp at a final straw.

At this moment, she hoped, she hoped so much to hear from Ye Lin’s mouth that everything she saw was fake, that it was all just a prank.

Seeing Ye Lin remain silent, Zhuge Ni rushed forward and grabbed Ye Lin by the collar.

"Speak! Say it! Hurry up and say this is a prank of yours!"

"Hurry and say that the person lying in here is not my dad!"

"Say it! Speak!"

Zhuge Ni’s emotions completely collapsed; she cried out hysterically, tears streaming uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes.

"Mr. Zhuge said... he hoped to be buried with your mother," Ye Lin said in a hoarse voice.

"You're lying! How could my dad be dead! He is Mr. Zhuge!"

Zhuge Ni gripped Ye Lin’s shoulders tightly, not even daring to look back at the ice coffin a second time.

"Ling Ye, I beg you, tell me, this must be fake, right? Am I still dreaming?"

"I'm sorry. Eventually, everyone will know: Mr. Zhuge was a hero."

Ye Lin murmured softly, as if giving Zhuge Ni a guarantee, and also as if making a promise to himself.

"I don't want a hero, I just want my dad to come back safely!"

Zhuge Ni threw herself onto the ice coffin and sobbed uncontrollably, her tears sliding down her cheeks and freezing upon hitting the ice.

Ye Lin took a deep breath; for Zhuge Ni, accepting this was still too cruel.

In this world, there are few people who can remain calm after seeing a loved one pass away unexpectedly.

He did not know how to comfort Zhuge Ni either, so he could only stand in place like a statue, watching her quietly to prevent her from doing anything foolish due to extreme agitation.

After crying for who knows how long, Zhuge Ni’s sobbing quieted down; her gaze remained fixed on Zhuge Qianxing as she asked calmly.

"My father, how did he die? It’s impossible for anyone to have killed him!"

"Too much divination, he suffered the Heaven’s Devouring; he died for the sake of all living beings," Ye Lin said softly. "Mr. Zhuge... had long since calculated that he would die."

Zhuge Ni nodded calmly.

"He is so heartless, not even willing to say a proper goodbye to me."

"Perhaps... Mr. Zhuge didn't dare to."

Ye Lin’s gaze was complex; Zhuge Qianxing had had a chance to live, if only he hadn't meddled in those messy affairs and had just taken the Eternal Balance and left.

If he had said goodbye to Zhuge Ni, perhaps Zhuge Qianxing... would truly have been unable to bear dying.

He didn't dare to say goodbye to Zhuge Ni because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to harden his heart.

Zhuge Ni reached out, gently stroking the ice coffin, and looking at Zhuge Qianxing inside, she said calmly.

"I understand. Ling Ye, you should go; let’s just pretend we never knew each other."

Ye Lin opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

Perhaps what Zhuge Ni wanted most right now was to be alone and quiet for a while.

Ye Lin turned and left; as he departed, he gently closed the door. After the door closed, a series of stifled sobs came from behind it.

"Sigh, the young lady is pitiful. When the lady passed away, she still had Mr. Zhuge to accompany her. Now that Mr. Zhuge is gone too, she is truly all alone in this world," Guo Qin, who had been guarding the door, sighed gloomily.

"For the next few days, guard this place. If there is any situation, notify me at any time. Remember not to show your face in public," Ye Lin instructed.

"Understood." Guo Qin nodded and vanished into the shadows.

Tan Qingjiang and Wang Lichuan were not minor figures; one was the deputy director of the Qingcheng Investigation Bureau, and the other was the president of the Transcender Guild. Their deaths would certainly cause a stir within Qingcheng.

Not to mention Zhuge Qianxing; the passing of such a figure would shake the entire Great Xia. He and Guo Qin had to prepare early.

With even the slightest investigation, one could find out that when Zhuge Qianxing left the city that day, he had gone out with him and Guo Qin.

This also meant that from now on, the identities of Ling Ye and Guo Qin must absolutely not appear in public again.

Ye Lin directly used the forbidden spell Space Leap and vanished from the spot. Next, he had to manufacture more evidence that he had not left Qingcheng for the past two days.

A moment later, Ye Lin, having removed his Illusion Face, walked out of the villa arranged for him by the Ji family, looking drunk and as if he had just woken up. After walking out of the villa area, Ye Lin hailed a taxi.

"Driver, take me to find the centipede's natural enemy."

"Huh?"

The driver’s face was full of terror; who goes looking for a centipede's natural enemy first thing in the morning?

But when he turned his head and saw the face of the person in the backseat, the driver was instantly relieved.

The national top scorer, Ye Lin.

This kid had been partying so hard in Qingcheng lately he was practically unreachable, living in a drunken stupor every day. If it was him, going to find a centipede's natural enemy in the morning seemed quite reasonable.

"What price range are you looking for? 698, 888, or 1888?" The driver looked left and right, and after confirming no one was eavesdropping, he asked in a low voice.

"Don't you recognize me? Of course I want the most expensive one! And I want five!"

Ye Lin stuffed a stack of cash to the driver. Upon receiving the money, the driver didn't say another word and drove straight toward the place in Qingcheng where centipede natural enemies could be found.

Just as the driver was driving, Ye Lin suddenly spoke up.

"Driver, why do you look a bit familiar? Have I ridden in your car in the last two days?"

"Eh? Really? If I had driven a top scorer like you, would I not know?"

The driver thought carefully for a moment, then slapped his thigh and said.

"Oh! I remember! I did drive a kid yesterday, with two beauties in the car, one wearing black silk and one wearing white silk. That kid buried his head in the lady's chest as soon as he got in the car. So that person was you!"