Nightmare Light

Chapter 138: God’s Authority and the True Secret (Long Chapter)

Lin Wang looked at Bishop Du, who still had a gentle and calm smile, as if he had done nothing.

He even looked at Lin Wang with an interested look on his face.

With that posture, if she adds a handful of melon seeds, she will look like a clerk.

Lin Wang looked at Bishop Du and said slowly, "Although I have done a lot for the Federation before, and these things are indeed not small, if these things, plus a phone call from me, can alarm the Bishop of the Temple, then it is a bit too much."

"So, at this point, I have basically completed my own judgment - someone wants to use this incident to achieve some of their own goals... and the center of this goal is me." Lin Wang said, glancing at the woman.

"If the soldiers of the Guards Brigade can get me out, that would also achieve this man's goal."

"If the soldier fails, then this person will personally take action, go around in circles... and still achieve his goal."

He looked at the woman and spoke more slowly, "In this case, this important person... has given me both the inside and the outside. Why shouldn't I be flattered?"

"Am I right? This great figure from the Candle Clan's royal family...how should I address you? The Master of Lushan, or Your Majesty?"

After he said this, the woman did not move, but the two bodyguards behind her changed their expressions.

One of the two men pulled out a gun and pointed it at Lin Wang, while the other took out a small wooden building-shaped object.

The two men shouted at Lin Wang, "How dare you treat my wife like this..."

The woman raised her hand and said casually, "It's none of your business. Leave."

Afterwards, she smiled at Lin Wang, for the first time, showing a genuine smile. She lowered her head and said, "As expected, you are worthy of being Mr. Lin Wang... Your wisdom is much stronger than the rumors say."

"Let me formally introduce myself. I am the current owner of Lushan Villa, Ji Xuanyun."

Lin Wang heard the surname.

Ji Xuanyun... is indeed a descendant of the royal family...

"Madam, what does Lushan want from me?"

"If Mr. Lin Wang doesn't mind, you can just call me Xuanyun or Sister Yun from now on. There's no need to be so formal." Ji Xuanyun said with a smile, "I've heard that Mr. Lin Wang has a strong ability to analyze case details."

"When I saw him today, he certainly lived up to his reputation."

Her tone gradually became serious: "Lushan, something strange has happened recently."

Ji Xuanyun said as he walked into the hall and sat down at the long table.

She picked up the coffee pot with a gentle gesture, changed the coffee beans, poured water, lit the fire, and started brewing in one go. Her movements were as smooth as flowing water, as if she was brewing tea in front of her own tea table.

After cooking, he took the initiative to pour a cup for Lin Wang.

I asked for another cup for Bishop Du.

She glanced at Lao Qiao, who quickly waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need it.

Ji Xuanyun did not force them and gestured for Lin Wang and Bishop Du to take a seat.

Lin Wang took the coffee cup calmly and sat down naturally - in this way, the previous wave of small-scale open and secret struggles came to a temporary end.

"The so-called Three Imperial Clans are the descendants of the three emperors during the Three Emperors period. I believe Mr. Lin Wang has heard of this to some extent."

Lin Wang nodded without saying anything more.

He muttered to himself: I only found out about this this morning...

Ji Xuanyun added, "There's a small secret that many outsiders know. The reason why our three royal families are royal families is not just because we are the masters of worldly power."

"There is another more important reason, because..."

Having said that, she paused for a few seconds, looked up at Bishop Du, and then looked at Old Joe.

Bishop Du smiled and said, "Servants of God will not spread rumors at will... Besides, I know about what happened in Lushan."

Old Joe turned around and left the equipment yard with his men and the mercenaries of the Wild Wolf Group.

Ji Xuanyun then continued, "The reason why the Three Imperial Clans were able to become the true rulers of the secular world is not only because we fought for the right to rule the secular world in those years, but also because..."

She paused and emphasized, "The gods have truly given us some authority."

Did the gods leave the power to rule to mortals?
Ji Xuanyun's words sent shockwaves through Lin Wang's heart.

The authority of gods, gods leave some things to mortals, gods instruct mortals to rule the world.

These words were churning violently in Lin Wang's heart.

He couldn't help but think of the events he had experienced in the past few days.

The false gods are resurrected, the old gods suffer disasters...

It was clear that in this strange and otherworldly world, gods weren't just a concept. They truly existed, and they had indeed reached out from the divine realm to the mortal realm...

The mundane world.

Lin Wang couldn't help but start to think: Is this divine authority really something left behind by the true God?
Is it really something pure and unpolluted?
What was the purpose of the gods or them who left these powers to the three royal families?

While he was thinking, he heard Ji Xuanyun continue speaking.

"Every member of the royal family who becomes emperor will accept this gift and become the most powerful person in the secular world, and the one closest to the gods."

When he said this, Bishop Du's eyes flickered, but he said nothing. He just shook his coffee cup slightly and continued to listen to Ji Xuanyun.

Ji Xuanyun stared intently at the coffee pot. "Whenever an emperor dies, the new emperor—who must be the most promising and upright member of the royal family—will take over this gift from the gods and become the new most powerful ruler in the secular world—as well as the holder of divine power, and begin to maintain stability in the secular world."

"This history continued for a thousand years until the fall of imperial power and the end of the Three Emperors period. The descendants of the Three Emperors were warned not to use this gift without permission, so they all sealed it away."

"Each of the three tribes selected the most steadfast and powerful individuals to become the guardians of the seal. These guardians are known as Box Keepers within the tribe."

Ji Xuanyun was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Lin Wang and said, "Two days ago, the keeper of Lushan's box died."

Lin Wang didn't say anything, but quickly sorted out the information he had just heard in his mind. He knew that the hostess of Lushan had hit the point.

Sure enough, the next second, Ji Xuanyun let go of the coffee cup, folded his hands, and said to Lin Wang in a solemn and sincere manner: "Mr. Lin Wang, on behalf of the entire Lushan Villa, I invite you to come and help us find the murderer who killed the box keeper."

"Why me? Shouldn't we go to the Public Security Bureau for something like this?"

Ji Xuanyun did not answer Lin Wang's question. Instead, he said to him, "Mr. Lin Wang, after you help us accomplish this... Lushan will reward you with an astonishing amount of wealth, and Lushan will also owe you a huge favor."

As if afraid that Lin Wang would refuse, Ji Xuanyun quickly continued, "Mr. Lin Wang, do you know how powerful the favors we have at Lushan are?"

"We, Lushan, have a huge influence in the entire Chu Federation. It can be said that whether it is in front of the president or in the depths of the temple, Lushan's influence is extremely huge."

"A favor from Lushan Villa is enough to help anyone in the Federation reach the pinnacle of life overnight." After saying this, she looked at Lin Wang and said, "Mr. Lin Wang, are you willing to come and help us?"

However, something unexpected happened.

Lin Wang rejected her without hesitation: "If you use these worldly favors and wealth to convince me, then I am not interested. I refuse."

After Lin Wang finished speaking, the two priests behind Bishop Du showed expressions of surprise, but Bishop Du himself showed a subtle smile.

The next second, Ji Xuanyun was stunned for a moment, and then she also smiled.

Her tone suddenly became much more relaxed: "As expected of Mr. Lin Wang... Then, I can rest assured and tell you my 'real' request."

The real request... She was really testing me just now...

Lin Wang narrowed his eyes, sneered in his heart, picked up the coffee and took a sip, staring at the woman.

The next second, something surprising happened to everyone.

Ji Xuanyun, a descendant of the three royal families and the real ruler of Lushan Villa.

He stood up and bowed deeply to Lin Wang respectfully.

"Mr. Lin Wang, I beg you to save Lushan."

She raised her head and looked at Lin Wang straight in the eye. “The keeper of Lushan’s box was killed, which means someone is eyeing the power of the gods.”

"We hope you can take action and find that person."

Lin Wang did not agree, but asked: "Why must it be me?"

The mistress of Lushan replied, "If you had just accepted Lushan's reward, this commission would not be valid."

"Because, if you accept Lushan's reward, it means you are different from the rumors...it means you still care about worldly wealth and power."

"Lushan is practically at the pinnacle of worldly power and wealth. Even in today's federation, his influence is not much less than that of the president."

"If, and I mean if, under these circumstances, you accepted Lushan's wealth and favors... then the mastermind behind the murder of the box keeper could also use their wealth and power to influence you, interfere with you, and stop your investigation."

"Then your investigation is doomed to fail."

Lin Wang narrowed his eyes: "You mean..."

The woman nodded. "Yes, he must be from Lushan, because the gift from the gods... only has an effect on Lushan's bloodline."

"I understand." Lin Wang nodded. "The gift from the gods only works on the people of Lushan."

"And a Lushan person has a huge influence on the secular world, not much less than you... In this way, if I investigate further, he will definitely stop me - if I were a secular person, I would definitely fall into his trap."

"Mr. Lin is smart." Ji Xuanyun nodded again. "In Lushan's intelligence system, Mr. Lin Wang not only possesses extremely strong case analysis and detection capabilities, but has also participated in many major cases of divine disaster level."

"So, whether it's your experience solving cases, dealing with divine events, or even your resistance to divine powers... Mr. Lin Wang is the perfect choice," the woman said sincerely. "I can't think of anyone more suitable than you."

Lin Wang smiled and said directly, "Let me tell you the more important point - I'm from the North. Even if I fail or die, it won't have any impact on the existing structure of the Federation or the structure within your Lushan, right?"

Ji Xuanyun raised his eyes and looked at Lin Wang deeply. Then he lowered his head and looked at the coffee pot. He said calmly, "Mr. Lin Wang, in our world, this part of the content cannot be told."

"So I never care about your rules of the game. I prefer to play by my own rules."

"Rules...Mr. Lin Wang, what are your rules?" Ji Xuanyun instantly adjusted his sitting posture and switched to negotiation mode.

"I agree to go to Lushan Villa to take a look and help you find the murderer... My condition is that after I finish this, I want to borrow some books to read in Lushan."

"Mr. Lin Wang, I assume the books you want to read are not those placed in Lushan's living room for guests to browse at will, right?"

"You agree?"

"Mr. Lin Wang, can you change the conditions? I can promise you many benefits that are much more valuable than this."

"In my opinion, the most valuable things in your Lushan are these books."

"Is this the only value Lushan has in your eyes..."

Ji Xuanyun was silent for more than ten seconds.

After more than ten seconds, she raised her head and looked at Lin Wang calmly and neither humbly nor arrogantly.

She extended her hand towards Lin Wang: "Mr. Lin Wang, on behalf of Lushan, I agree to your request, but I have two conditions... Don't worry, they are very simple conditions."

She deliberately "won" a little here.

This small gesture seemed to make her very happy, and she even smiled. "First of all, Mr. Lin Wang can only read these books in Lushan and cannot take them away."

In Lin Wang's eyes, Ji Xuanyun's little action made her look like a living person, so Lin Wang smiled secretly, not annoyed at all, and waited for the latter's second condition.

"Secondly, when Mr. Lin Wang is reading these books, Lu Shan will send someone to follow him... Don't worry, he won't disturb or interfere with you. However, those books, after all, involve knowledge of the gods and even some ancient taboos. Just flipping through them will cause some strange phenomena..."

"Don't worry, if those things really appear, I will be able to deal with them faster than your Lushan experts."

Lin Wang's expression was calm, and he changed the subject: "However, as long as you are sure that all the books are open and there is nothing hidden - I agree to your terms."

"On Lushan's behalf, I promise that all of Lushan's collection halls will be open to our guests... our most distinguished guests."

"In that case, happy cooperation."

"It's a pleasure to work with you, Mr. Lin Wang."

Hold the two hands together.

Lin Wang felt the warmth of Ji Xuanyun's palms - those well-maintained hands gave people a pale and cold feeling at first glance, but when he held them, he felt a burst of heat coming from her palms - warm and scalding.

She calmly withdrew her hand. "In that case, let's set off as soon as possible. Although Lushan has arranged a new guardian for the box, I'm not sure when the person who wants to seize the seal will make his move."

Ji Xuanyun turned around and made a "please" gesture towards the outside of the equipment field.

Everyone walked outside.

After walking a few steps, Ji Xuanyun suddenly turned his head and took a deep look into the depths of the equipment field.

A figure instantly hid back in the shadows.

Ji Xuanyun said nothing, just turned around, looked dignified, folded his hands in front of him, and walked out of the equipment field calmly.

Deep in the equipment yard, Dog Brother looked at the departing Zhong Ren with a complicated expression. He opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing and just turned and left.

(End of this chapter)