Su Ziyu knew that Longxu had abandoned its long-held "peace rules" and launched its war machine for Li Qianfan.
She felt a pang of guilt.
After all, she knew very well that most people in the long-peaceful Longxu did not approve of suddenly activating the war machine.
But due to Li Xiao's immense personal prestige!
Especially after he cruelly ordered those unstable elements (like Roman and others) to be closely monitored, ready to be imprisoned at any moment, before activating the machine, no one dared to express even the slightest dissatisfaction.
They could only give their all, follow Li Xiao's orders, and act with the utmost speed.
Su Ziyu felt that she (as she and Li Qianfan were one) had shattered Longxu's peace and disrupted its life.
She was also certain that many would be made to bleed and sacrifice in this war.
However.
Su Ziyu also knew better than anyone that no matter what she thought, she could not stop Li Xiao's decision.
All she could do was continue to kneel here and pray for Li Qianfan.
Now—
Longxu's war machine had only been in operation for a day when Li Xiao approached her and told her that, due to irresistible reasons, he had to terminate all actions.
After Li Xiao said this, he looked into Su Ziyu's eyes.
A fleeting sense of "relief, as if a stone had been lifted from her heart" flashed in Su Ziyu's eyes!
Li Xiao silently thought, "Although Ziyu is rational, her heart is too kind. She doesn't want to implicate others because of her own affairs. This won't do. It seems I need to use her opportunity to intern in Longxu to assign her some important tasks to change her mindset. Make her realize that the masters of Longxu must not be too concerned about others' feelings."
Su Ziyu said in a low voice, "Father-in-law, Qianfan and I have caused you trouble."
After saying this, she closed her eyes.
She saw no need to say more.
Alas.
Li Xiao sighed softly, placing his left hand on the heads of Su Ziyu and Mo Hongti, then turned and walked quickly into Longxu.
He would not try to persuade Su Ziyu and the other woman that they had knelt long enough and that their sincerity would be rewarded, so there was no need to continue kneeling.
Because he knew very well.
Only in this way would Su Ziyu and the other woman gain the feeling that they were "fighting alongside" Li Qianfan.
This would allow their anxious hearts to settle down a little.
The night grew deeper and deeper.
The wind began to blow—
This was the Blackwater Forest!!
After an uninterrupted search for a full 26 hours, Rhode had no choice but to issue the order to retreat.
Li Qianfan had vanished.
From last night, when he pursued Murong Mingyuan and charged into the outer defense zone, he had inexplicably disappeared.
Or rather—
If they wanted to find him, they would have to wait until spring, when the snow melted!
After the snow melted, perhaps somewhere, they would find Li Qianfan's corpse.
Because no one, dressed only in thermal wear, could survive for 26 hours motionless in sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow.
No one!!
Rhode desperately wished he could find Li Qianfan's body.
"If he's alive, we find him. If he's dead, we find the body."
This was a death order from Madam Jessica to Rhode.
But the outer defense zone was a full twenty kilometers long and a kilometer wide. With Rhode also needing to focus on preventing threats from the west, how could the tens of people he could muster possibly find a body hidden somewhere in such a vast area?
Especially after another flurry of snow fell this afternoon.
The search party was exhausted, both men and beasts.
With midnight approaching, they could only temporarily withdraw.
The howling of snowmobiles, the barking of hounds, and the curses of Tostaff and others gradually faded with the howling of the cold wind.
Of course.
The outer defense zone on the eastern line of the Blackwater Forest would surely return to its usual routine patrols.
The forbidden zone reappeared!
Li Qianfan's arrival had only made this snowfield lively for a little over twenty hours.
"What a pity, we couldn't drag that woman in."
Tostaff, walking at the rear, looked back at the warning sign and swallowed hard.
While everyone was unscrupulously searching for Li Qianfan's whereabouts, almost all of them had made a special trip to the warning sign.
Outside the warning sign, on the snow, a woman was kneeling.
Tostaff and the others had long known that this woman's surname was Jiao and her given name was Yin, and like Murong Mingyuan, she was Li Qianfan's slave (plaything).
However, Jiao Yin was clearly much smarter and calmer than Murong Mingyuan.
She would never rashly step foot into the outer defense zone!
As long as she didn't cross the warning sign—
Even though Tostaff and the others knew very well that she didn't have the "Qianfan's mark" tattooed on her, and if they captured her alive, they could toy with her in countless ways, they could only stare at her alluring figure and beautiful face, their mouths watering.
As expected of a mother with two grown children.
In terms of maintaining absolute rationality, she was by no means comparable to a twenty-year-old girl like Murong Mingyuan.
Rhode and the others had finished their work and returned.
Jiao Yin, who had been kneeling for over ten hours, had finally reached the end of her workday.
Even with her high level of martial arts and thick clothing, she couldn't bear it.
How could Li Qianfan, who was only wearing thermal wear, endure it?
"I never imagined that after he made such a big fuss about coming to the Blackwater Forest, he would disappear without a trace, likely frozen to death somewhere."
"Then what's the point of me staying here?"
"Is it just so Longxu knows that I am Li Qianfan's woman?"
Jiao Yin frowned, got up, and started walking east with unsteady steps.
She had been kneeling for too long, and her blood circulation was surely restricted.
She needed to move around properly.
She was also almost certain that Li Qianfan had frozen to death.
Her plan to get pregnant again was now impossible.
Therefore, she had to carefully consider what benefits she, as Li Qianfan's woman, could gain after his death.
She was sure there would be benefits!
At the very least.
She could use this connection to infiltrate Eastern Soil more extensively.
But compared to the possibility of conceiving Li Qianfan's child and competing for the position of future Dragon Lord in twenty years, this was like comparing sesame seeds to watermelons.
Jiao Yin began to regret—
She regretted not having instigated Li Qianfan to foolishly come to the Blackwater Forest to court death!
But what was the use of regretting it now?
"I gave up so much of myself for so long, and all I got was this little benefit. It's simply not worth it."
After walking a few hundred meters east, Jiao Yin's numb legs and feet finally regained their freedom, but her mood became increasingly gloomy.
She took out her phone.
A new video appeared. It had been posted on a certain website by Rhode just half a minute ago.
The title was roughly:
"Mourning Mr. Li Qianfan, who Froze to Death in the Blackwater Forest!"
Even though Rhode had not yet found Li Qianfan's body,
Anyone with common sense could be sure that he had frozen to death in the vast snowfield.
Upon seeing this video message, Jiao Yin closed her eyes in annoyance.
But then, she suddenly thought of something.
She turned around and ran at top speed to the warning sign.
She knelt heavily, raised her phone high, and cried, "Master! Master! I refuse to believe you are dead! Please appear before your Mei Nu and take me home! What will I do if you die!?"
She wanted everyone to know how distraught she was upon receiving the news of Li Qianfan's death.
How heartbroken she was—
While some were grieving, others rejoiced.
As Jiao Yin posted her mournful video on the snow, certain people within Eastern Soil were ecstatic!
Even though it was already three in the morning, none of the more than a dozen core members of the Si Jiu Yao family felt sleepy.
They were all waiting for news.
Waiting for the latest news from the Blackwater Forest!
Finally, the news arrived—
If it weren't for Yao Dapeng and the others being present, Yao Dongping would have jumped for joy, shouting, "Li Qianfan, Li Qianfan, you're finally dead! You deserve it! This is retribution for slapping me back then. Ha, haha."
Although Yao Dapeng would not lose his composure and laugh uncontrollably,
Joy radiated from his brow. He waved his hand, saying, "It's getting late, everyone should go and rest. There's still much to do tomorrow."
What the Yao family needed to do was to officially release "Guangmingzhe" (The Luminary).
The unit price was 3666!!
This was 667 yuan higher than the initial release price of 2999.
Who could they blame for this?
They could only blame Li Qianfan for causing trouble and angering International Ruixue.
Even at this price, it was only after the Yao family had tried their utmost to secure it.
Otherwise, International Ruixue would not have exported a single box of Guangmingzhe to Eastern Soil.
Allowing the more than 100,000 patients currently suffering from vampiric afflictions to continue moaning in pain.
After returning to his bedroom, Yao Dapeng thought for a moment and tried making a call.
The call was almost instantly connected!
The calm yet noble voice of the Shen family patriarch came through, "Dapeng, you're still not resting so late?"
Yao Dapeng smiled courteously, "Hehe, thank you for your concern, Patriarch Shen. I'm a bit sleepless tonight. On a whim, I wanted to ask your opinion on the release of Guangmingzhe in Eastern Soil. You know, our Yao family has limited manpower and might not be able to handle everything."
He paused.
Yao Dapeng added, "I wish I had an extra hand right now."
A single hand—
Slowly emerged from the snowdrifts at the edge of the Blackwater Forest defense zone!