Chapter 353: Apparent but Not Real

The girl’s figure was slender and supple, her jet-black hair, like ocean waves, fragrant with lavender; Mei Lin clung tightly to Prumelija’s thin shoulders, her heart pounding faster than ever before.

“...Mei Lin?” Prumelija patted her back.

Only then did Mei Lin snap out of her emotional turmoil; she quickly released her hold, stepped back, stood with feet together and posture rigid, bowing her head: “Young Lady.”

A tragic, thick barrier now lay between these half-sisters.

Prumelija glanced up at Mei Lin, asked no question about her outburst, and immediately turned her burning gaze toward Ning Zhe.

“Miss Mei Lin,” Ning Zhe said, propping his chin on one hand, his voice low: “As you see, your Young Lady has returned. I have kept my promise—now it is your turn to fulfill yours.”

Prumelija was taken aback—Mei Lin had made some kind of agreement with the Master? When had this happened?

“I understand,” Mei Lin said, letting her hands fall to her sides and bowing deeply to Ning Zhe: “The investigation report on the missing representative of the Golden Clan will be on your desk no later than tomorrow afternoon... Mr. Dai Ke.”

“Good,” Ning Zhe smiled. “Go. I await your good news.”

“Young Lady, let’s go,” Mei Lin gently touched the girl’s shoulder.

Prumelija’s gaze lingered unwillingly on Ning Zhe, flickered briefly over the woman beside him, then said nothing at all—she followed Mei Lin out of the room, leaving the Dai Ke family’s Saint Abilene airship.

After watching them depart, Xia Yubing leaned close to Ning Zhe, resting her chin on his shoulder: “Hey, Ning Zhe, what’s the Golden Clan? And those two women—they seemed so haughty... who are they?”

Ning Zhe didn’t push her away, only replied: “Do you remember the gambler in the opera house?”

Xia Yubing nodded.

“The gambler’s name is Aiqu. He was originally a prisoner held in a sealed dungeon by the Golden Clan—but yesterday, one of their representatives sent to Vivian Port vanished under mysterious circumstances.”

Then came the gambler’s escape.

Ning Zhe briefly explained to Xia Yubing the principles of the Xizhao Mirror’s inner world, without hiding anything—even if he didn’t tell her, she could ask her family later, since those two notebooks had originally been given to him by Xia Chan.

He said nothing about the four great families’ conspiracy involving Lan Shiwen, only that representatives from these families were coming to Vivian Port for a meeting.

“Those two women just now are representatives of the Fuli Misi Leite family. You probably noticed—they both have black hair and black eyes, descendants of the ancient Roman double-headed eagle nobility, local power brokers on the Apennine Peninsula.”

Ning Zhe continued: “Fusolus Milicato was killed outside the opera house. My identity as Fan Daike is now highly sensitive—possibly already under surveillance. So I can’t personally investigate the disappearance of the Golden Clan’s representative. That’s why I assigned those two to do it for me.”

This move served both to leverage the local influence of Prumelija’s family and stemmed from private reasons Ning Zhe could not reveal to others.

“So you mean someone is secretly targeting you? That person murdered the Golden Clan’s representative, freed the gambler imprisoned by Xizhao, just to peel off some ghost from you?” After this explanation, Xia Yubing finally understood the current situation.

“Broadly speaking, yes,” Ning Zhe closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa, sighing: “The path of ascension—struggle for the Dao—is life or death. That’s all there is to it.”

Watching Ning Zhe slumped motionless on the sofa, calm and composed, Xia Yubing’s lips moved as if to speak, but no words came. After a long silence, she lowered her head and whispered: “Ning Zhe.”

“Hmm?”

“I... I can’t seem to help you at all,” Xia Yubing said, head bowed, her eyes dim.

“Why do you say that?” Ning Zhe looked at her, surprised.

Xia Yubing opened her mouth hesitantly, then whispered: “When I was under the lullaby’s hypnosis, you were always inside the opera house, weren’t you? You faced the gambler alone, guarded against whoever was targeting you—I knew you might be in grave danger, yet I couldn’t help you at all.”

“Soon after I woke up, Lan Shiwen arrived with Fusolus’s body, used the notebooks to tell you about the Tai Sui worm. I didn’t understand what it meant, but it clearly mattered to you.”

Ning Zhe did not deny it—the information on Tai Sui was vital, absolutely crucial.

“Then there’s this missing Golden Clan representative—you can’t investigate him yourself because of your Fan Daike identity, and I’m just an outsider recruited by Fan Daike. Between these two constraints, you ended up making a deal with local Apennine nobility, sending Mei Lin and the others to investigate for you.”

Xia Yubing’s voice grew quieter, her mood sinking: “Whether it’s Lan Shiwen or Mei Lin and the others—they can all genuinely help you, offer real support. But me? I’m officially your betrothed, yet I’ve done nothing for you. I’ve always been the one you take care of, yet when you’re in danger, I can only stand outside, helpless, unable to lift a finger...”

“Just now, I was thinking—if I hadn’t followed you away from Jiuzhou, if I weren’t a burden beside you, wouldn’t you have an easier time dealing with other ascenders’ hidden attacks?”

Ning Zhe said nothing, listening quietly as Xia Yubing poured out her heart, then wrapped one arm around her shoulders and said softly: “Simply being here beside me is already your greatest help.”

“That’s so sappy,” Xia Yubing groaned. “You don’t need to say pretty words to comfort me—even if lots of girls fall for that.”

“I’m just telling the truth,” Ning Zhe shook his head. “Or do you think I’d deliberately burden myself with someone useless?”

Xia Yubing froze—right, would Ning Zhe do something meaningless?

Probably not.

Though they had known each other for barely over a month, in Xia Yubing’s mind, Ning Zhe had always been rational, cold, and slightly enigmatic, radiating a dangerous charm.

Looking back at his actions in Zanju Town—many had seemed pointless at the time, but upon reflection, each revealed a crucial, deliberate purpose. Now, even more so.

The path of ascension—life or death. Knowing other ascenders lurked in the shadows, could a man like Ning Zhe really burden himself with a useless liability?

“Logically, no—but...”

Thinking of this, Xia Yubing grew more confused: “But if I’m supposed to have helped him, contributed something...” She couldn’t think of a single thing.

Was it really as Ning Zhe had just said—that her mere presence beside him was the greatest help?

...Was it?

Ning Zhe remained motionless on the sofa, offering no comment.

(End of Chapter)