Su Liuying watched as the wedding day drew closer, her sense of triumph growing with each passing moment, a smile never leaving her face.
Su Liuying knew that once she married Chang Jianyi, she would become the nominal City Lord of Yuzhou. With the backing of the Tianlong Bureau, she would gain access to a wealth of secret information, preside over a crucial upstream city on the Yangtze River, wield immense power, and have a beautiful woman by her side. This, she believed, was the true pinnacle of life!
On the other hand, the military esper group maintained an air of indifference. Their mission was to end the secessionist state of Yuzhou. Although the methods employed were rather underhanded, the progress of their mission was undeniable. As long as Yuzhou could be brought back into the fold of the headquarters, that was all that mattered.
However, on this particular day, food was delivered to the manor as usual, precisely at eleven o'clock. This time, more items were brought along: a crisp Western suit for each person, gleaming leather shoes, an alligator-skin belt, and a detailed itinerary for the wedding, all delivered on paper.
Upon seeing the suits delivered, Su Liuying exclaimed with delight, "The wedding is tonight! I almost forgot. Heh, don't be so reserved, everyone! Let loose, let loose! Today must be a joyous occasion!"
Looking at the attire that had arrived, Su Liuying could barely contain her joy. The mission was nearing completion, she was on the verge of reaching life's peak, and soon she would be a person of influence. The entire world would learn her name, and she would possess everything that Shen Feng once had!
Su Liuying eagerly reached for the suit, but as her hand slipped into the pocket, she felt a different texture. It turned out there was another slip of paper inside. The smile on her face vanished instantly, and she quietly moved to a corner to examine the note.
The content of the note was simple: "Chang Jianyi has no intention of marrying and has secretly contacted eight espers from out of town, preparing to initiate combat during the wedding!"
This single sentence exposed Chang Jianyi's entire plan. Not only that, but it also shattered all the pleasant plans Su Liuying had been harboring in her heart. She finally realized she had underestimated her opponent. She had assumed that once she had leverage over Chang Jianyi, the latter would surely surrender without a fight.
But now, it seemed that even at this late stage, Chang Jianyi had not given up her resistance.
"Heh, so spirited. I like spirited women. You want to start a fight? Then I'll show you with my strength that in the face of true power, all schemes and tricks are useless!" Su Liuying's beautiful dream was shattered, but this only ignited her intense desire for conquest. The more unattainable something was, the more alluring it became!
At this moment, Su Liuying became truly serious. Her previous smooth sailing had led to complacency and arrogance. However, now, facing a setback, she immediately took action. The most important thing now was to defeat the opponent with overwhelming strength, thereby forcing Chang Jianyi to see the reality of the situation. She imagined how glorious it would be to see Chang Jianyi's face when she witnessed Su Liuying leading numerous espers to defeat Chang Jianyi's own espers.
"Brothers, come here. I need to discuss something," Su Liuying said, taking a deep breath and calling out to those around her.
Su Liuying ushered all outsiders out of the room and then addressed those beside her: "I've received reliable information from an informant that my fiancée, Chang Jianyi, has secretly contacted eight espers and is preparing to fight us in Yuzhou. What do you think we should do about this?"
"What else is there to say? Of course, we'll defeat them and force Chang Jianyi to swear her marriage to you!" the scions of noble families immediately shouted. At this point, overwhelming strength was necessary to compel submission.
The military personnel, however, remained largely silent. They appeared calm and seemed reluctant to get involved.
"I say, everyone, we're at this point now, and you should all state your positions, right? We agreed before that after achieving merit, a portion of the credit would be shared with you. Now that we've encountered trouble, and you're remaining silent, that doesn't seem right, does it?" Su Liuying asked directly, looking at the eleven soldiers.
Kong Jialie glanced at Su Liuying and shook his head helplessly, saying, "I don't like killing our own people. Although Yuzhou is managed by civilian organizations, they have stabilized the local situation and protected the people. Killing them would invite criticism!"
At this point, his meaning was clear: he did not want to offend the people of Yuzhou over this matter. After all, in the eyes of the Yuzhou populace, it was the City Lord's mansion that had always been saving them, and this was indeed the case. There had been times when people attempted to retake Yuzhou, but they were ultimately defeated by plagues.
Su Liuying quickly retorted, "When did I say I wanted to kill anyone? We don't need to kill. We just need to defeat these guys. As long as they recognize the gap in strength, that's enough! Anyway, I don't want to kill anyone either."
Upon hearing Su Liuying's assurance, the soldiers nodded in agreement. As long as there was no bloodshed, it was fine. If it was merely about subduing the opponents, that would not be a problem.
Seeing that her teammates on the other side had also agreed to her decision, Su Liuying became elated, thinking to herself, "Now I've promised not to kill, but once the battle begins, fists and feet have no eyes, so who knows? However, I'll only need to offer a perfunctory apology to resolve it!"
Su Liuying's plan was excellent. First, she would unite the espers on her side. To complete the crucial mission of reclaiming Yuzhou, she had brought all the combat-ready espers from the Tianlong Bureau. Currently, only a dozen or so espers remained in the Tianlong Bureau in Yanjing, all of whom were unsuitable for combat and were only assigned to guard duties at home. As for herself, by uniting her teammates, she possessed the power to roam the world.
With twenty-two espers, such a large number was enough to easily destroy a city. Compared to some smaller countries, these twenty-two espers, in such great numbers, were beyond their reach.
"Then let's prepare for the battle before the wedding. Let us use our upright strength to crush these civilian espers head-on and tell them that Yuzhou has changed hands!" Su Liuying sneered.
Chang Jianyi could never have imagined that her highly confidential actions had already been discovered by the enemy. Meanwhile, she was still preparing for the wedding ceremony that evening.
"Quick, quick! All ordinary people leave the Fengshen Palace. The personal guards are to change into servant uniforms. Soldiers are to be stationed in the secret passages on the city walls, all armed. Once the battle begins, no one is allowed to retreat!" Chang Jianyi was bustling about. To prepare the battlefield, she had already had everyone in the Fengshen Palace leave. The servants were to be played by her personal guards, who were all evolved individuals and could play some role at a critical moment.
Du Xinshi, also an ordinary person, had no choice but to leave the Fengshen Palace. Chu Chaoyan had specifically arranged a place for her to stay in a secluded house in the city.
"Sister Du, if something unexpected happens to us, you go to Rongcheng and find Shen Feng's family. Take refuge in Rongcheng. There is a lot of gold and silver here; take it with you, and you will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life!" Chu Chaoyan said helplessly to Du Xinshi.
Regarding the battle that night, Chu Chaoyan was uncertain, so she had made the worst-case scenario plans. If their side was defeated, she would place her hopes on Du Xinshi and Zhang Xixi. If they could find a way to avenge them, it would be best. If not, they could expose the shameless actions of the Tianlong Bureau and reveal the truth to the world.
Du Xinshi said earnestly, "We will definitely win. You all fight hard!"
Du Xinshi knew that Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi were in Yuzhou City. They had removed their worries, and these two were powerful fighters who were hidden in the shadows. As long as they appeared, the problem would surely be solved. However, she could not reveal the news in advance for fear of it being known by the enemy, so she could only offer words of comfort.
Chu Chaoyan gave a wry smile and said in a low voice, "To tell you the truth, although we have twenty espers, their actual combat strength is not as good as the opponent's! Take Lu Xian, for example. He is also an esper, but besides investigating enemy movements, what other use does he have? Furthermore, Lu Kaiyang and Li Xiang's abilities cannot be used in combat. The rest are mostly material-type espers, and their combat capabilities are uncertain!"
Chu Chaoyan knew that the main force in this battle was the eight espers they had invited from the southeast. Only if they displayed formidable combat strength would their side have a chance to win.
Du Xinshi pointed to the many soldiers on the city wall and asked, "Aren't there many soldiers who can fight?"
"Them? The combat capabilities of ordinary people are uncertain. If the enemy uses any strange abilities, they may not be able to help!" Chu Chaoyan said helplessly.
"It's alright, we will definitely win!" Du Xinshi picked up her luggage and the gold and silver and left the Fengshen Palace, still speaking words of encouragement.
Chu Chaoyan shrugged and said nothing. She was not a pessimistic person, but at this moment, she could only make pessimistic plans.
Taking out her notebook, Chu Chaoyan began to record the day's events: "The Tianlong Bureau is forcing Sister Chang to marry. Today is the deadline, or they will execute the hostage. Sister Chang can only comply, but this is a final desperate attempt. The child has not been found, so she can only choose this last method: capture these espers and obtain hostages, thereby completing the exchange of hostages! It is truly lamentable that in the apocalypse, if one lacks strength, they are easily targeted."
Du Xinshi already knew the whereabouts of her son, who was in a small clinic outside the city. However, she dared not act rashly, because once she left the protection of others, she would be extremely vulnerable.
Du Xinshi had never told Chang Jianyi and Chu Chaoyan about Shen Feng's return, because she knew very well that Yuzhou's current intelligence network had been thoroughly infiltrated. This was told to her by Shen Feng using his mobile phone. Therefore, currently in Yuzhou, only Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi had not truly been exposed. If this information were revealed, the element of surprise would be lost.
Finally, the Fengshen Palace was decorated with lanterns and streamers, the ground was laid with a red carpet, and as the sunset clouds gradually drifted over, a scene of peace and harmony emerged.
The setting sun cast a golden hue over the Fengshen Palace on the mountaintop, and the light reflected off the glazed tiles, emitting a soft glow. The wedding banquet also began at this time.
The Fengshen Palace then began to welcome guests. The prominent figures of Yuzhou entered the Fengshen Palace one by one, engaging in conversation as they walked.
"Now that the Vice City Lord is getting married, who knows what will happen to us in the future. Everyone must unite!" a small city lord whispered to the person beside him.
"Yes, yes, we must unite, otherwise, something might happen!" others responded in agreement.
The various city lords of Yuzhou were all confidantes of Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi in the past. A few were leaders of organizations that had pledged allegiance to the City Lord's mansion. Previously, they had all united under the Yuzhou City Lord's mansion led by Shen Feng. After all, in Yuzhou, Shen Feng's influence was the greatest. However, now that a powerful force had arrived, the Tianlong Bureau from Yanjing, these local powers had no choice but to react.
Therefore, the city lords' intentions were simple. While seemingly attending the Vice City Lord's wedding banquet, their true purpose was to band together in private!
Li Zhenli also appeared with two bodyguards and Ban Xian. She represented the people of Wanzhou. As she walked, she scanned her surroundings, trying to find Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi, but she did not see them, and she couldn't help but feel anxious.
"Young Lady, today's banquet is not just for congratulations, but also for taking sides!" Dan Zhengming understood the situation immediately upon seeing the scene. His eighty years of experience were not for show; he had realized that taking sides was necessary tonight, and if one chose the wrong side, they would face repercussions.