Chapter 384

"Are you a reporter?"

The abrupt voice appearing at his side nearly scared Lu Xiuqi half to death, and the bulging briefcase in his hand instantly slipped from his grasp.

Ao Yulie caught the briefcase that had flown out and handed it back to Lu Xiuqi.

Lu Xiuqi instinctively stepped back, took the briefcase, and looked at the man before him.

Just ten-odd minutes ago, this man and another person had walked out of a building shrouded in black qi.

The other white-haired man was still acting as a "guide" in the dark building, seeing people out; otherwise... who knew what terrible things might have happened.

Lu Xiuqi was among the first batch of people to leave with that white-haired man, and he was also the last one who did not continue following the two of them.

To put it that way isn't quite accurate, because just a few minutes ago, panting from exhaustion and having already lost track of Tang Luo and Ao Yulie, Lu Xiuqi was still looking around, instinctively searching for the two of them.

Ao Yulie felt that someone with this much perseverance might well be a reporter looking for a big scoop.

True enough, if a major event like this could land an interview with the parties involved, it might mean a promotion and raise to editor-in-chief, marrying a rich beauty, and reaching the peak of life — if the higher-ups were willing to run the story.

"Y-yes." Lu Xiuqi was breathing heavily because he had been chasing wildly just now.

But one could also tell his physical condition was good, at least good enough to keep chasing all the way here.

Other people gave up after a few hundred meters, already exhausted; it wasn't as if they had to film for a full hour to prove endurance before they stopped following.

Lu Xiuqi, this oddball, stood out conspicuously.

"If it's an interview, not needed right now." Ao Yulie said, "Leave a business card; when we need you, we'll find you."

"No, no." Lu Xiuqi shook his head repeatedly, "Not an interview. I want to know — in this world, are there really ghosts, right? Are there really various supernatural existences?"

"Didn't you just see for yourself?" Tang Luo walked over and said.

"Mm." Lu Xiuqi nodded, "So you're a special department... no, a special department wouldn't accept interviews, right."

"No, we're the Exorcism and Consecration Society." Tang Luo said, "Private enterprise; main business: consecration, exorcism, no fee if ineffective."

"Right, no fee if ineffective!" Ao Yulie emphasized, deeply aware of how tempting "free" is to modern people.

Hearing Tang Luo and Ao Yulie's words, Lu Xiuqi's expression grew slightly agitated, then he forced himself to calm down.

"Looking at this benefactor, it seems you've encountered some bizarre event you can't resolve?" Tang Luo asked.

Business coming to the door — oh, no, it should be a bizarre event coming to the door.

One after another; Tang Luo quite liked this rhythm.

"..." After two seconds of silence, Lu Xiuqi glanced left and right, lowered his voice, and said, "This isn't a place to talk."

The open street certainly wasn't a place to talk.

The three people and one cat changed locations, going to a quiet coffee shop private room; a cup of water was placed before Lu Xiuqi, his face full of conflict.

Now that things had come to a head, he shrank back; clearly what troubled him was no ordinary event.

Tang Luo and Ao Yulie weren't in a rush either, slowly sipping the tea in their hands.

Three people came to a coffee shop, yet not a single one drank coffee.

After several minutes of conflict, Lu Xiuqi opened his mouth and asked, "That... the two masters look quite young, ah."

Yet he had no intention of getting straight to the point — at first it was a momentary impulse, but now that he'd come to his senses, he couldn't help feeling some regret and unease.

He felt he had been a bit rash, caused by the excessive pressure during this period.

"No." Tang Luo smiled, "This poor monk's years are beyond what you can imagine."

"..." Lu Xiuqi looked at Tang Luo's white hair, slowly let out a breath, and asked, "Then the master has also traveled far and wide, seen much and known much?"

"This poor monk's experiences are also beyond what you can imagine." Tang Luo "exuded boundless style, towering above the heavens."

Lu Xiuqi's originally uneasy heart gradually settled: "The master isn't from this country, is he?"

Tang Luo lightly shook his head.

Getting this answer, Lu Xiuqi's mood seemed to improve a little, and he asked, "Then does the master think it's possible for a person to have longevity approaching the point of immortality?"

"Immortality, eternal life?" Tang Luo laughed, "Ones like that, this poor monk has seen many."

A grand scripture-fetcher — what scenes hasn't he seen?

Even if he truly hadn't seen them, the answer right now still had to be "I've seen them."

"Does the master think a long-lived immortal might be hiding among us, even with an identity we'd never imagine?" Lu Xiuqi "patiently guided," inching closer to what he really wanted to say.

So he could withdraw in time — though this behavior was also deceiving himself.

He'd already said half; suddenly saying "I'm not saying anymore," at that point wanting to walk safely out that door wouldn't be easy.

"Very normal situation. What, you ran into an immortal?" Tang Luo said, "Tell this poor monk; this poor monk will go take a look?"

"Heh." Lu Xiuqi gave a bitter smile and shook his head, "If only it were that simple."

"Oh?" Tang Luo looked at Lu Xiuqi with considerable interest.

Lu Xiuqi took a deep breath; things had come to this, there was no turning back, he was going to say it!

"Our Empress is an immortal!" Lu Xiuqi's words were shocking.

Or rather, he thought they were shocking.

When he observed Tang Luo and Ao Yulie's expressions, however, he discovered the two remained as calm as ever.

Who knew what they felt inside, but on the surface there was not a ripple, even a hint of wanting to laugh.

"I'm not lying to you two; you're not from our country, so you might not know much about the Empress." Lu Xiuqi said anxiously; he needed these two to believe him.

Lu Xiuqi began to introduce the Empress in detail, and the entire royal family.

The royal family has existed for several hundred years, with successions of generations; currently it resembles a constitutional monarchy, in a figurehead ruler state.

The Empress holds no real power; she is the nominal supreme leader of the country.

The current Empress "Yi the Fifth," this year happens to be one hundred and twenty years old, and has reigned for a full hundred years.

A true centenarian, deeply beloved by the people.

Everyone hopes to see this Empress once more, to see how she is doing; it has been ten years since the Empress last appeared before the public.

Currently, the first in line to the throne under the Empress is her grandson — seventy years old this year.

The world not only has a Crown Prince who died at eighty-five, but also a seventy-year-old imperial grandson.

"A hundred and twenty is indeed quite long-lived, but it doesn't count for much either," Ao Yulie said.

Given this mission world's conditions, a high-and-mighty Empress, even if only a nominal leader, living to a hundred and twenty isn't impossible.

"No, the Empress's true age isn't a hundred and twenty — she's at least a hundred and fifty!" Lu Xiuqi lowered his voice, his expression barely containing his excitement.

"She isn't the Fifth Generation; she's the Fourth!"

"Oh?" Ao Yulie's gossipy fire began blazing.

"Yi the Fourth" was the current Empress's aunt, thirty years older than the Fifth; she passed away at seventy-six, after which the Empress inherited the throne.

"I have a friend who investigated the truth." Lu Xiuqi produced several not-very-clear old photos, comparing them as he spoke, "This is the Fourth, this is the Fifth — these two look far too alike!"

"This friend of yours — is it actually you?" Ao Yulie said.

A fine "fabricating a friend" move, but it doesn't seem to mean anything either.

"Of course not me." Lu Xiuqi said with a bitter face, "I can't reach my friend anymore."

"Were they silenced?" Tang Luo asked.

"Most likely." Lu Xiuqi said.

"A bit interesting." Tang Luo said, "Then how does the benefactor hope we'll help you?"

"Uh—" Lu Xiuqi was momentarily at a loss for words; how to help him?

Truth be told, he really hadn't thought it through; when his friend sent him these scraps of clues, Lu Xiuqi was shaken to the core.

Although people often treated the Queen's longevity and the XX-year-old Crown Prince as talking points and jokes.

No one had ever thought in that direction.

Just as Ao Yulie said, a hundred and twenty, though extremely rare, was still within the range people could accept.

But a hundred and fifty was different; even now, a few conspiracy theorists were muttering, why can the Empress live this long?

Lu Xiuqi's friend was probably one of those conspiracy theorists, one of the skeptics.

Gathering these scraps that couldn't be called evidence, he felt stifled — or perhaps he ran into danger and decisively dragged Lu Xiuqi down with him.

Then Lu Xiuqi couldn't hold it in either, and dragged Tang Luo and the others into the water.

In short, they wanted to "share" this shocking news — otherwise they'd feel like they'd suffocate.

As for what exactly should be done, Lu Xiuqi really hadn't figured it out.

Right, how were these two supposed to help him?

"How about... the two of you protect my safety? My friend is already... who knows, it might be my turn next." Lu Xiuqi said anxiously.

What fate awaits one who discovers a superior's secret — many stories have already made it clear; no need to elaborate here.

"We can't very well protect you for a lifetime, benefactor." Tang Luo said.

"Then how about sending me abroad?" Lu Xiuqi said with a frown.

"Would going abroad make you safe?" Ao Yulie asked.

Lu Xiuqi gave a wry smile and shook his head; for now he was safe, no black-sunglasses special police suddenly dropping from the sky to gun him down.

Maybe he hadn't been noticed by the higher-ups yet, but having abruptly discovered the world's truth, danger loomed close; the mental torment was imaginable.

"Master?" Ao Yulie looked at Tang Luo.

This was most likely another strange incident; might as well call it "The Undying Empress"?

"Since the benefactor has spoken, this poor monk will make a trip and resolve this problem for you." Tang Luo said.

"Make a trip? Resolve?" Lu Xiuqi froze, what did that mean?

"If that Fifth Generation truly is an undying person, this poor monk will ferry her across, resolving the trouble at its root." Tang Luo said, "The benefactor's safety would then be guaranteed as well."

"..."

Lu Xiuqi was stunned; resolve the trouble at its root? It actually sounded reasonable.

But how the hell are you going to ferry the Empress across — recite sutras at her?

And how are you going to meet the Empress?

Resolving the trouble at its root sounds wonderful.

But in reality, it's like a game guide whose first line is "First, drop a million on him" — zero feasibility.