A Manual for Surviving a Weird World

Chapter 357 Specious
The girl's figure was slender and supple, and the fragrance of lavender lingered in her wavy, black hair. Mary held Plumeria's thin shoulders tightly, feeling her heart beating faster than ever before.

“…Mei Lin?” Plumeria patted her on the back.

Meilin then snapped out of her turmoil, quickly released her hands, took a step back, stood with her legs together, straightened her posture, and bowed her head, saying, "Miss."

A sad, thick barrier has already formed between these two half-sisters.

Plumeria glanced up at Meilin, but without asking why she had lost her composure, she immediately turned her gaze to Ning Zhe, her eyes burning with intensity.

“Miss Meilin.” Ning Zhe rested his chin on one hand and said quietly, “As you can see, your young lady has returned now. I have kept my promise, and now it is time for you to fulfill yours.”

Upon hearing this, Plumeria was somewhat surprised. Meilin had actually made some kind of agreement with her master? When did that happen?

“I understand.” Mary put her hands down and bowed 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. Deckard.”

"Very good." Ning Zhe smiled. "Go ahead, I'll be waiting for your good news."

“Miss, let’s go.” Mary gently touched the girl’s shoulder.

Plumeria reluctantly shifted her gaze from Ning Zhe, her eyes quickly sweeping over the woman beside him. In the end, she said nothing and followed Mary out of the room, leaving the St. Abyss airship belonging to the Deck family.

After watching the two leave, Xia Yubing leaned closer to Ning Zhe, rested her chin on his shoulder, and asked, "Hey, Ning Zhe, what is the Golden Clan? And those two women, they look so arrogant... who are they?"

Ning Zhe didn't push her away, but instead asked, "Do you remember that gambler from the opera house?"

Xia Yubing nodded.

"The gambler's name is Ai Qu. He was originally a prisoner imprisoned in the sealed prison by the Golden Clan, but yesterday, something happened to a representative sent to Vivian Port by this so-called 'Golden Clan'... He has disappeared."

Immediately following was the gambler's escape.

Ning Zhe briefly explained the rules and principles of the world in the 'Xi Zhao' mirror to Xia Yubing, without holding anything back—even if he didn't say it, Xia Yubing could find out by asking her family, since those two notebooks were originally a gift from Xia Chan to Ning Zhe.

Ning Zhe didn't say much about the conspiracy between the four major families and Lan Shiwen, only telling Xia Yubing that representatives from these families were coming to Vivian Port for a meeting.

“Those two women were representatives sent by the ‘Flimmislet’ family. You should have noticed them too. They both have black hair and black eyes, and they are high-ranking nobles from old Rome with double-headed eagle banners. They are local bigwigs on the Apennine Peninsula.”

Ning Zhe continued, "Fusolus Milicato died outside the opera house. Van Dyke's identity is now in a very sensitive situation, and he may even be being watched. So I can't personally investigate the disappearance of that representative of the Golden Family, which is why I had those two people do it for me."

This involved both leveraging the influence of the local powerful family behind Plumeria and some personal reasons that Ning Zhe couldn't reveal to outsiders.

"You mean, someone is targeting you in secret? That person murdered the representative of the Golden Clan and released the gambling ghost imprisoned by Xi Zhao, all to separate a certain ghost from you?" After this explanation, Xia Yubing finally understood the current situation.

"That's generally true." Ning Zhe closed his eyes, leaned back on the sofa, and sighed, "The path to ascension, the struggle for the Dao, is a matter of life and death. That's just how it is."

Looking at Ning Zhe, who was slumped on the sofa with a calm expression, Xia Yubing's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't speak. After a long while, she lowered her head and called out, "Ning Zhe."

"Ok?"

"I... I don't think I can help you." Xia Yubing lowered her head dejectedly, her eyes dim.

"What do you mean?" Ning Zhe looked at her with some surprise.

Xia Yubing opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, but still said in a low voice, "During the time I was hypnotized by the Requiem, you were in the opera house the whole time, right? You were in danger all by yourself, facing the gambler and having to guard against the person who was secretly targeting you. I knew you might be in great danger, but I couldn't help you at all."

"Shortly after I woke up, Lan Shiwen appeared here with the body of Fusoles and used his notebook to tell you about the Taisui Worm. I don't know what that means, but it seems to be very important to you."

Ning Zhe did not deny that the information about 'Tai Chong' was indeed important and crucial.

"Then there's that missing Golden Clan. You couldn't investigate it yourself because of Van Dyke's status, and I was just an outsider recruited by Van Dyke. With both sides holding us back, we eventually reached a cooperation agreement with the local nobles of the Apennine Peninsula, letting Mary and the others investigate for you."

Xia Yubing's voice trailed off as she spoke, her mood growing increasingly dejected and disappointed: "Whether it's Lan Shiwen or Meilin, they were both genuinely able to help you and provide assistance. But what about me? I'm nominally your engaged fiancée, yet I haven't done anything for you. I'm always being taken care of by you, but when you're in danger, I can only stand outside anxiously, unable to help you at all..."

"I was actually thinking just now, if I hadn't followed you out of Kyushu and come here, with one less burden by your side, would you be more at ease dealing with the schemes of other ascendants?"

Ning Zhe didn't interrupt, quietly listening to Xia Yubing pour out her heart before putting his arm around her shoulder and whispering, "Your presence here for me like this is already the greatest help you can give me."

"How cheesy." Xia Yubing groaned, "You don't need to say such sweet words to comfort me, although many girls fall for it."

"I'm just stating the facts," Ning Zhe shook his head and said, "Or do you think I'm the kind of person who would needlessly create a burden for myself?"

Xia Yubing paused for a moment. Oh right, would Ning Zhe do something meaningless?

It's unlikely.

Although the two had only known each other for a little over a month, in Xia Yubing's impression, Ning Zhe's image had always been rational, cold, and a little mysterious, with a dangerous charm surrounding him.

Looking back at the time in Zanju Town, many of Ning Zhe's seemingly meaningless actions at the time, upon closer examination, often revealed their crucial and profound purpose. This is even more true now.

The struggle for the Dao is a fight to the death. Knowing that other ascendants are lurking in the shadows, would someone like Ning Zhe really needlessly burden himself with a useless hindrance?
"Logically, it shouldn't be like that, but..."

Thinking about this, Xia Yubing became even more puzzled: "But if you ask me what help I provided to him, or what role I played..." she really couldn't think of anything for the time being.

Could it be, as Ning Zhe just said, that simply being by his side is the greatest help he can offer?
...Is that so?

Ning Zhe simply lay motionless on the sofa, offering no comment.

(End of this chapter)