[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-national-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done":3,"chapter-national-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done-national-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done-chapter-20":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","National Guardian's Gone and We're Done",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1743786,2228,"Chapter 20: Confirming Everything Is Under Our Control","national-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done-chapter-20",20,"\u003Cp>The night was ink-black, the moonlight a silver ribbon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Shengyue took out her phone, swiped gently across the screen, and dialed a special number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A voice quickly answered from the other end. \"Your Majesty, this is Zong Yajuan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Shengyue skipped the pleasantries and asked directly, \"Is there a problem at the Demon Cave?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, Your Majesty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zong Yajuan’s reply was swift and firm. \"Everything is under our control.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Shengyue breathed a small sigh of relief. As the source of the Great Jing Empire’s Evil Spirits, any anomaly at the Demon Cave could bring unforeseeable disaster to the entire Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Zong Yajuan’s response, the heavy weight on her heart seemed to lighten a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you sure?\" Ji Shengyue confirmed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m sure, Your Majesty.\" Zong Yajuan’s answer held not a trace of hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hanging up, Ji Shengyue fell into a brief, deep thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the person in charge of the Time Girl Group, Zong Yajuan knew the situation at the Demon Cave like the back of her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Since she says there’s no problem, then I should trust her judgment.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Ji Shengyue hang up the phone, the ministers in the Council Pavilion rose one by one and took their leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their steps were hurried, as they all sensed the tense atmosphere emanating from Ji Shengyue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, deep within the Demon Cave, the members of the Time Girl Group were gathered in a brightly lit room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zong Yajuan sat in the center, facing the other nine members of the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All their eyes were focused on Zong Yajuan’s face, awaiting her instructions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Zong Yajuan hung up, Gao Yimin asked urgently, \"Did Her Majesty find out there’s a problem at the Demon Cave?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zong Yajuan shook her head and said in a low voice, \"I don’t think so, but I don’t understand why Her Majesty would suddenly call to ask. Perhaps something has happened in the outside world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her brow furrowed as she pondered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What happens in the outside world has nothing to do with us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dai Ju’s voice broke the silence in the room. \"Our mission right now is to solve the problem here in the Demon Cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where in the world are those abnormal Evil Spirits coming from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why are they able to hunt and kill King-level experts so silently?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words pulled everyone’s thoughts back to the most pressing issue at hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zong Yajuan nodded. Dai Ju was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The biggest problem facing them now was the abnormal situation in the Demon Cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they didn’t solve this problem soon, the consequences would be unimaginable should the situation worsen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, after a moment of thought, Ji Shengyue picked up her phone again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She dialed a number saved under the name Xiao Cangqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「In a spacious, brightly lit villa.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shoes, socks, and clothes were strewn about carelessly. Even some intimate apparel was scattered on the floor, creating a scene of utter disarray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sofa and coffee table were covered in wet stains that gave off an indescribable odor, hinting that something regrettable had happened here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faint traces of blood were interwoven with the wet stains on the sofa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stepping into the bedroom, a pungent smell filled the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Used tissues were scattered across the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Cangqing sat on the edge of the bed with a cigarette between his fingers. Through the swirling smoke, his eyes looked deep and cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Shuling was curled up beside him, covered only by a thin blanket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face was pale, her eyes filled with pain and fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling what had just happened, Gu Shuling felt as if her body had been torn apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Cangqing’s behavior during the act had completely shattered her every perception of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was like a mindless beast, all savagery and crudeness, with no regard for her feelings whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That endless, brutal onslaught left her feeling utterly hopeless and tormented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as she was drowning in her pain, Xiao Cangqing suddenly pressed the smoldering cigarette butt firmly onto her breast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The searing heat sent a jolt of excruciating pain through her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She frantically slapped the cigarette butt away, wrapped the blanket tightly around herself, and struggled to get up from the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why would you do that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice was filled with helplessness and grief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sinister smile suddenly appeared on Xiao Cangqing’s face. He lunged off the bed, grabbed Gu Shuling by the neck, and forcefully pinned her down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand was like an iron clamp, locking tight around her throat and cutting off her breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feeling of suffocation filled her with immense fear and despair. She struggled desperately, but it was useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you think I didn’t know why you got close to me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Cangqing’s voice was cold and cruel. \"You were only interested in my status and my potential to surpass Chu He.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who do you think you are?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I confessed my feelings for you back then, you wouldn’t even give me the time of day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Chu He is disgraced and his reputation is in tatters, you couldn’t wait to throw yourself at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You said you were a virgin?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How would I know if that’s true?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Medical technology is so advanced these days. For all I know, you secretly had yourself ’repaired.’\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words were like a sharp knife, plunging cruelly into Gu Shuling’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt an intense pain spread from the depths of her heart, making it almost impossible to breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She struggled to retort, but with her throat clamped tightly in his grip, she could only let out weak whimpers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the phone on the nightstand suddenly rang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the caller ID, Xiao Cangqing slowly released his grip on Gu Shuling’s neck, answered the call, and walked out of the bedroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally free from his grasp, Gu Shuling gasped for air in huge, ragged breaths, trying to expel all the foul air from her lungs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terror and fear washed over her. She felt as if she had just struggled out of a raging sea, only to be immediately dragged into an even more terrifying whirlpool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lay on the messy bed, her body drained of all strength. Tears welled in her eyes before finally sliding silently down her cheeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’The choice I made wasn’t nearly as wonderful as I’d imagined.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The image of Chu He suddenly surfaced in Gu Shuling’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That man, once so familiar yet now a stranger, whose eyes and emotions were always constant—calm and gentle, like a clear lake, bright and pure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She remembered what Chu He had said when they were signing the divorce papers: \"So you believe those outside rumors too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the time, Gu Shuling had been so full of anger and confusion that she had no patience to listen for the meaning behind his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But thinking back on it now, she felt a sudden, inexplicable panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Would Chu He really neglect his duties just to chase fame?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His past contributions were all real, hard-earned achievements. There was nothing fake about them.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the Demon Cave, she had even felt the impulse to give herself to Chu He completely, but he had refused her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu He had told her that the crisis at the Demon Cave was not yet over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was afraid he might meet an untimely end one day and bring her unbearable pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This detail replayed in her mind like a lightning bolt splitting the night sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Maybe Chu He wasn’t the person the rumors made him out to be. Maybe he was truly wronged.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tears welled in her eyes again, and this time, they streamed down her face, impossible to hold back.\u003C\u002Fp>",1279,"2026-06-06T16:46:31.807Z",1,"novelbin.me","d253295507ca227ea154899b791fc7f896c704d23e23ed8513577700de711d2f","national-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done-chapter-21","national-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done-chapter-19",274,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnational-guardian-s-gone-and-we-re-done-cover.jpg"]