In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

Dongfang Xiao didn't know what to say.

It's true that we hope they leave soon, but haven't you overlooked something?

Didn't you promise to give me private lessons on weapons knowledge? Does nobody remember?

But given the current situation, she didn't dare to speak up, otherwise, she might be used as a teaching tool...

"Could you allow me to organize things regarding the lecture?"

Fortunately, the wicked master's wife hadn't really forgotten. Looking at her calmly, she asked, "I've only just arrived in the main city, and some of the information I had before wasn't complete."

"...Then I'll have to trouble you, Madam Jiang."

The little empress raised an eyebrow, surprised that she still remembered, and unconsciously felt a little happy.

Finally, for the first time, she felt a little bit of goodwill towards this wicked teacher's wife.

……

"You're really something else, do you find it so fun to bully a little girl?"

On the way back, Xie Qingyan couldn't help but tease, "I think she was about to cry."

"This is not my problem."

Xu Shi didn't care and shrugged, "She chose this path herself. I told her everything before we made the deal, so no matter what happens now, she shouldn't even think about escaping."

Making a deal with the devil comes at a high price; this is nothing compared to what's to come.

"Oh my, you've come to act all high and mighty now?"

The woman chuckled, but she knew that what Xu Shi said was actually true.

"No way, I'm clearly a really bad guy."

Xu Shi shook his head; he was probably the only one in the world who would accept such an identity.

"But speaking of which, we don't seem to have seen that Ancient Sword Duke?"

Jiang Chengcheng noticed the blind spot, "Based on his previous behavior, he should be the one in power in this empire... Now that you're going too far, doesn't he have any reaction at all?"

"...I don't know exactly what he's thinking, but it's a good thing he doesn't care."

Xu Shi pondered for a moment and then said.

He had actually noticed this problem a long time ago. After all, he had promised Dongfang Xiao that he would deal with not only the Holy See, but also his good older brother... And as the First Madam said, Cheng Gujian was indeed deflated in the face of this situation.

This is actually quite illogical. Even if you're using the method of slowly boiling a frog and testing his limits step by step, how could he possibly be so tolerant?

He never thought that the previous private deal would be enough to completely keep the other party in check, but the other party seemed to have really fallen for his tricks. Not only did they tacitly approve of these new reforms, but now they have even stopped monitoring him.

Something unusual must be going on... but for the time being, he really couldn't figure out what the other party was up to.

However, he wasn't too worried, since he only had two territories in the Hualan Empire: Silver Pine Island and Cat Cult.

He had prepared backup plans for both sides, so Cheng Gujian wouldn't dare to act rashly. Even if something unexpected happened, he could handle it.

After much thought, he could only temporarily attribute all of this to the fact that the two sides were in a honeymoon period of jointly eliminating the Papacy. At this time, Cheng Gujian would certainly not engage in any internal strife or targeting; someone of his level would not do something so foolish.

As for deeper issues, I'll just have to go back and think about them carefully to see if I've missed anything.

Speaking of the Vatican, Xu Shi wasn't too worried either—he knew what they had been doing lately, such as increasing relief and welfare, but let alone him, the Vatican itself knew that this was just a belated attempt to salvage the situation, and naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to think that it could get back at them.

What truly puts him at ease is the technology and weaponry at his disposal.

These things will never reach the Papacy. As long as this barrier remains in place, the gap between the royal family and the Papacy will only widen. When everything is truly laid out, it will be clear who is swimming naked.

"However, we should be more careful recently, and increase the manpower of the combat teams secretly stationed around us."

Thinking of this, he immediately added, "Who knows if those guys will resort to desperate measures?"

This scoundrel is one who enjoys playing tricks, so naturally he wouldn't overlook the possibility that the Vatican might resort to underhanded tactics.

Thinking about it, we were actually a bit careless today. None of the three of us had high combat power, yet we just swaggered in like that... Jiang Chengcheng is completely out of the question, and with his and Xie Qingyan's level, if the other side really went all out, we'd probably have a hard time dealing with them.

"So, should we invite Wuyou to come visit the Little Empress next time?"

Jiang Chengcheng smiled.

"It's not impossible."

Xu Shi shrugged. It wasn't a bad thing to let her cheap apprentice see her as a true senior, and at the same time, he could also learn about the diversity of the "master's wife" species.

"And you still say you weren't bullying them, huh?"

"Don't slander someone's innocence out of thin air..."

Amidst their laughter and conversation, the carriage arrived near the mansion.

However, I sensed from a great distance that there were several people standing at the door.

Specifically, there are three.

The two sisters, Feng and Ling, and Lu Baiyan.

Oh? The squinty-eyed guy is here again?

And what are they talking about now?

Instead of going over, Xu Shi left the carriage there and used his powerful mental energy to eavesdrop remotely.

"Miss Ling, if I may ask when your master will be back? I have some things I'd like to discuss with him."

It's so annoying... These past few days, previous chapters have been appearing in the black room every day, which is making me very upset.

I was planning to take a day off today, but I think I'll update this instead. Sigh, me, always so diligent.

By the way, 269 is probably not going to come out, that's all.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 278 Just wait for the traitor's backlash!

2023-09-29

Lu Baiyan was of course looking for Xu Shi, but unfortunately Xu Shi had left home for the dock when he arrived, so the two missed each other.

It's a case of missing out on the good times.

However, the man with squinty eyes was very patient and waited for a long time at Xu Shi's residence... But as everyone knows, Boss Xu went to the palace later, and private lessons usually take a long time, so even after Lu Baiyan drank a cup of tea from green to colorless, he still did not see him return.

Even the most patient person would eventually lose patience, so he reluctantly prepared to return home and come back another day.

As soon as he stepped outside, he encountered the two sisters, Feng and Ling, who had just returned home from their outing.

Since he was already there, he decided to talk to her, at least to ask her to pass on a message to her master. That way, the trip wouldn't have been in vain.

"Miss Ling, Miss Feng, my name is Lu Baiyan."

So he took the initiative to step forward and greet him, "Excuse me, when will your master be back? I have some things I'd like to discuss with him."

"...It's you."

Although she didn't pay as much attention as her own master, Pan Ling still remembered those squinty eyes. "Hello."

"So the master isn't home right now?"

The foolish apprentice was stunned for a moment when he heard him say that.

"Then I think he must have gone to the palace... I can't say for sure when he'll be back."

However, she quickly recovered and replied with a smile, "I will tell my master that you came. Of course, if you would like to stay for dinner, that's fine too."

"I won't eat, Miss Lao Ling will take care of it."

Lu Baiyan nodded. His situation in the Vatican was already precarious, and waiting this long to find Xu Shi was already the limit. If they were to have dinner together, regardless of whether Xu Shi was there or not, word would get out and he would be completely ruined.

"You're welcome, it was no trouble at all."

Pan Ling nodded slightly, but then changed the subject, saying, "However, I need to confirm one thing first: you are here representing yourself, and not as a lobbyist for the Holy See, right?"

"...Miss Ling, which type do you think I am?"

Lu Baiyan was about to leave when he heard this, but his interest was piqued, and he couldn't help but ask in return.

"If it's the former, I advise you to prepare for failure."

Pan Ling gave an irrelevant answer, saying leisurely, "You don't need to come again in the future. Although Master is not here, I can still make this decision."

"So, Master insists on... relentlessly pursuing this?"

Lu Baiyan's face turned bitter upon hearing this, and he helplessly advised, "Your master should know very well that continuing this saga will only result in mutual destruction and will not benefit his plans to expand his territory."

"Really? I don't think so."

The foolish apprentice chuckled, “I think the atmosphere in the royal city is quite good now. At least the Holy See has finally started to do some real good deeds. According to Master, this should be called healthy competition, and the ordinary people are the ones who benefit... Otherwise, you would still be giving rice gruel to those poor people who believe in you.”

This was actually her way of downplaying the issue, since the Vatican's methods were varied and numerous, such as selling indulgences... She knew about this, as the general public had been exploited by these things over the years.

It was only when Xu Shi created the Cat Cult that the Vatican was forced to improve welfare benefits, which alleviated the situation somewhat. Regardless of what people did for a reason, the fact that ordinary people benefited is what truly matters.

Also, don't mention that Xu Shi orchestrated the Poseidon Stone transaction before. We've returned the items to you, so you should thank us.

He squinted and was speechless; he couldn't refute those words.

"As for why I said you should stop wasting your time, it's because you, or rather the Vatican behind you, have no sincerity whatsoever."

Pan Ling continued leisurely, "Master has already given you his conditions. If the Holy See is truly sincere, they could have simply sent Commander Qin in a maid outfit, carrying a severed head, instead of continuing to shift the blame onto you and making you wait here all day."

"...If I remember correctly, Xiao Luoyu is your older brother?"

Lu Baiyan's eye twitched. "You really don't mind at all that your master wants to kill him?"

He had simply asked her to pass on a message, but who knew things would turn out like this... If Xu Shi had said this, he wouldn't have been surprised at all, but since it was Pan Ling who said it, he couldn't help but be astonished.

Thinking back to a few months ago, he had witnessed what had happened. At that time, although Pan Ling had also rejected Luo Yu, she seemed quite introverted and timid. Now, she had changed so much that she even overshadowed him in terms of her aura when she spoke.

He even felt that he vaguely saw Xu Shi's shadow. It hadn't been long, yet it had already taken on his shape so quickly.

Pan Feng, who was standing to the side, was also a little surprised. He couldn't help but tug at his sister's sleeve, giving her a look that said, "Are you serious?"

Although she, like Pan Ling, chose Xu Shi over Luo Yu, it was definitely not to this extent!

At most, she thought she would never see him again and would gradually forget about him and never mention him again... In comparison, her sister was far too heartless, especially the phrase "holding a human head," which made her shudder.

"If I remember correctly, you were there that day, weren't you?"