Nobody told me this wasn't a game.

After thinking for a moment, Zuo Chang shook his head.

He looked at Blood Rose and said, “96511 has three lords. We don’t need to rush to expand our strength. The bigger the operation, the harder it is to keep secrets. The General’s Seal can’t be rushed. For now, we should focus on ‘secretly raising assassins and dispersing them among the people’s civilians’ and lie low. You should first purge the Inspectorate and make it your toy.”

"Yes. I will take control of the Inspectorate as soon as possible."

Blood Rose nodded in agreement and left first.

Zuo Chang stood there for a moment, then looked again at the entourage selection interface guided by the moonlight.

His brain was working at high speed!

“Jianli must not have known my identity at first, otherwise even if she remained calm at the time, she could not have said anything like ‘waking up from a dream with tears on her pillow’ or ‘loving but not being able to have, wanting but not being able to have.’”

This doesn't match the image of the person Zuo Chang had in mind.

"So...it was my subsequent actions that she saw through? Now that I think about it, I was a bit too hasty back then. If I had been more perceptive, she might have guessed something."

"Or is it because I've been getting too close to Mayumi that she investigated me?"

Perhaps, both!

For a moment, Zuo Chang didn't know which link in the chain had gone wrong. The important thing now wasn't why, but what to do.

"Sigh. Running away won't solve anything. I need to make amends for the mistakes I made with sincerity. Now that Kenri knows my identity, it might not be such a bad thing!"

One day, Zuo Chang, carrying thorns on his back, apologized and expressed his deep sorrow. He then copied Su Dongpo's "Ten Years of Separation Between Life and Death" in person. Once recited, its literary spirit soared to the heavens, and extraordinary phenomena arose. It was truly a poem to be passed down through the ages and protect the nation.

Seeing Li Fei Niao deeply moved by Zuo Chang's profound affection, she shed tears on the spot. The couple, their broken relationship mended and their love restored, how wonderful!

Zuo Chang temporarily put his delusions aside.

The document bag that Kumārajīva sent contained not only checks, but also a property deed. It's unclear how he did it, but the deed was in Zuo Chang's name.

The date wasn't today, but a week ago.

Zuo Chang followed the address and saw the house he had gotten for free.

A villa.

A quiet villa in the middle of a bustling city, with high walls and a deep courtyard, which looks very expensive.

Even more bizarrely...

Looking at the Japanese-style manor a hundred meters away, Zuo Chang couldn't help but be surprised: "That's... General Misato's residence, isn't it?"

what happened!

Why did Kumarajiva choose a house next to the Misato family's house?

Is this still habitable?

Zuo Chang was somewhat shocked, but still decided to go in and take a look.

Just as he reached the gate, a man stood respectfully to his side. Zuo Chang looked at him, puzzled, and said, "Sir, what are you doing standing at my door?"

The man turned his head and smiled, "You must be Zuo Chang?"

"I'm."

"We've been waiting for you! Hello, Mr. Zuo. My surname is Wang, and I am the steward of Lord Qian."

Butler Wang greeted him with a broad smile and stepped forward to hand over an invitation: "Mr. Zuo Chang, I have been waiting for you for a long time on the orders of City Lord Qian! Tonight, the City Lord's Mansion is hosting a banquet, and I would like to invite you to join us. This is the invitation."

Zuo Chang accepted the invitation and asked in surprise, "Lord Qian invited me? What merit do I have?"

Butler Wang smiled slightly: "You're a writer, currently gathering material for a biography of General Tianwang, right?"

"correct."

"Then you absolutely must go! You'll definitely regret it if you miss it!"

Butler Wang suddenly approached mysteriously and said, "Mr. Zuo, do you know who Lord Qian invited tonight? I'll tell you their name, and you'll be shocked!"

Zuo Chang asked curiously, "Who is it?"

"It's General Misato!"

"……who?"

Zuo Chang was horrified!

Butler Wang chuckled, "Didn't expect that, did you? Not only is General Jianli still alive, but she's right here in our 96511! She was General Tianwang's first wife. You must be very interested in such a great subject!"

"..."

Where's the attraction? I'm about to have a heart attack!

Why did Jianli want to meet with Qian Wuyi?

Zuo Chang was filled with doubt, and even his facial expression was about to break free: "Really?"

"Of course it's true! Would I lie to you about something like this?" The steward said with a smile. "Lord Qian said he's inviting General Li tonight, and you must be there."

"...Then I'll have to make preparations! Please go back and tell Lord Qian that I will definitely come!"

Butler Wang waved his hand and said with a smile, "Lord Qian told General Jianli about you, and General Jianli is very interested in you. She specifically instructed me to take you to see her first. Coincidentally, General Jianli's residence is right next to yours. Let me take you there now!"

"What...what a coincidence!"

"Who says otherwise? Let's go!"

Zuo Chang was utterly helpless.

He wanted to leave, but he didn't have a good excuse.

He is currently a biographer gathering material and should be very eager for firsthand information.

Who is Misato Asuka?

That was the Heavenly King's bedmate.

If we don't dig into and interview this kind of person, won't their public image collapse?

Zuo Chang not only wanted to go, but also wanted to appear eager.

He said, "General Jianli is the Heavenly King's first wife, so she should know many things that are unknown to others. It would be best if we could interview her! Shall we go?"

"please."

The steward of the city lord's mansion gestured with his hand and led Zuo Chang toward the neighboring residence.

Zuo Chang took a few deep breaths and concluded that the problem shouldn't be too serious.

Seeing that Asuka possessed overwhelming power, if she really wanted to tear Zuo Chang to pieces, she wouldn't need to go through all these roundabout ways. She could just tie Zuo Chang up directly, and would Zuo Chang dare to say a word against it?

It would be better to say——

It is precisely because the current situation is complex that Zuo Chang appears to be safe.

But what is she planning to do?

A woman's heart is truly unfathomable, especially a powerful woman who was once a great general and controlled a community; she is even more unknowable!

at the moment……

We can only take it one step at a time and see how things go.

The two men walked to the main gate of the Jianli residence and stood quietly, waiting for an announcement. Through the gate, Zuo Chang noticed something amiss—

Not the same.

Last time I came, the courtyard was deserted and devoid of any color. Today, however, it is a riot of reds and purples, with flowers blooming in clusters, full of vitality.

It seemed that General Jianli had encountered something happy, and even seemed to be decorating the courtyard.

This……

This should be considered good news!

Zuo Chang thought to himself.

No.

To be precise, that's what he hoped for.

Chapter 99, what's so early?

"Butler Wang, Mr. Zuo, you've arrived."

After a short wait, a woman in a kimono walked towards them; it was Ryoko.

She bowed and said calmly, "The patriarch has been waiting for a long time. Please follow me."

Butler Wang politely said, "Please lead the way, Miss Ryoko."

Liangzi led Butler Wang and Zuo Chang into the living room and served them tea.

A moment later, the door opened, and a plump yet beautiful woman appeared in the doorway. Who else could it be but Jian Lifei Niao?

Asuka was still wearing a black kimono, but the material was obviously better than the plain black one she wore before. The hem and cuffs of the robe had some patterns, making it less solemn, and she no longer wore white flowers in her hair.

Zuo Chang subconsciously sat up straight.

Feiniao looked at her with her beautiful eyes, which were full of inexplicable smiles, and said, "Mr. Zuo, it really is you!"

What...what really?

Who am I, and who am I?

Zuo Chang dared not respond!

Butler Wang asked in surprise, "General, do you know Zuo Chang?"

Feiniao sat down gracefully and said, "I wouldn't say we know each other; I've only seen her once in the rearview mirror. Mr. Zuo, do you know my daughter?"

Zuo Chang, cautious and meticulous, replied: "Yes. Mayumi is lively, cheerful, and straightforward, which I greatly admire."

"Humph……"

The bird chuckled.

Zuo Chang sat up even straighter.

She laughed and said, "What do you mean by being straightforward? You're just spoiled and rude. Mr. Zuo is indeed a novelist; he knows how to talk."

and so……