Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

The rain outside had lessened a bit, but it was still falling.

As Xilun walked out of the porch with the crowd, the evening breeze carrying the scent of the sea brushed against his face, clearing his mind considerably.

He had thought that the night was over and was wondering whether to go back with Yuri or follow headquarters' arrangements when he looked up and suddenly froze.

Not far away, a silver-white sports car was already parked at the bottom of the steps.

Yuri sat in the driver's seat.

And sitting on the left side of the back row is Midas.

The car door was half open, and dim yellow light flowed out from inside, casting a soft outline on the chairman's face, which was not sharp but very pleasing to the eye.

Xilun paused slightly.

For a moment, he was unsure whether he should go to the front or the back.

Just as he was hesitating, Midas looked up at him.

"What are you standing there for?" he said in a friendly tone. "Come on over, let's have a chat."

Xilun felt a slight tightness in his chest.

But he didn't hesitate for long, walked over, and bent down to sit in the back seat.

The moment the car door closed, the sound of the wind and rain outside seemed to be cut off, leaving only the deep and steady hum of the engine.

Yuri started the car, clearly knowing better than to waste any words.

At the same time, in another place, the atmosphere was far colder than here.

In the Hawke family's drawing room, the fireplace burned brightly, yet the air still felt as if it were covered in frost.

At one end of the long table, Oin sat upright in a chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, looking impatient.

Unlike his son Oro, who was outspoken and sharp, he was more like an old wolf hiding in the shadows, with slightly sunken eyes, narrow gaze, and almost no superfluous expression on his face.

Sitting opposite him was Chief Hawk.

This baronial family has been having a tough time lately. They lost many men on their journey to the Wonderland, and Ense has lost face in the rumors. The family members have long hated the name Xilun with a passion.

But hatred is one thing, taking action is another.

"Elder Oin," Chief Hawke slowly twirled the ring on his hand, his tone indifferent, "You think you can get the Hawke family to mess with the Brotherhood's most popular young man with just a word? Isn't that a bit too easy?"

Oin said coldly, "Siren and your Hawke have a grudge against each other. This isn't about doing things for me; it's about fighting for your own pride."

Chief Hawk laughed, but his laughter was laced with barbs.

"It's fine to be ambitious, but it's not acceptable to risk your life. You really think a young man who dared to crush the Bone Gang head-on and suppress the armed rioters at a banquet after just advancing to the second tier is still the same first-tier kid he used to be?"

A shadow crossed Oin's eyes.

He knew, of course, that Xilun was no longer the same.

That's why he couldn't let this illegitimate child live too long.

Xilun took away the "Mysterious Yin Breathing Technique" from Tusol Manor, along with the goodwill of the main lineage, and also some resources and possibilities that should have belonged to their lineage.

If people like this continue to grow, Austin's line will only become more and more stable.

He absolutely will not allow it.

"You suspect that he obtained new magic from a wonderland."

Oin said slowly, "I'm giving you a chance to confirm, and a chance to take it. Either kill him, or cripple him and bring him back. Either way, it will be beneficial to Hawke."

Chief Hawke's eyes flickered, but he did not speak immediately.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and then the door was pushed open.

Auro walked in, soaked to the bone, his silver hair still damp with rain, but his face was colder than the rain.

"Father."

He first nodded to Oin, then looked at Chief Hawke.

"The news has been confirmed. Xilun was in the South District tonight. Half an hour ago, he got into a silver sedan and drove onto the elevated highway on the east side."

The room fell silent.

Chief Hawke narrowed his eyes, as if he were pondering something.

The South District is indeed easier to target than the North District.

There are many old grudges here, and the people are a mixed bag. As long as things are done cleanly, many things can be attributed to "personal grudges".

But the problem is—

He picked up his wine glass and took a slow sip.

"You'll have to pay more."

……

The car was driven very steadily.

The night view of the southern district receded outside the car window, with wet gas lamps, rain-soaked stone roads, and the occasional horse-drawn carriages and cars speeding by, leaving blurry streaks of light on the glass.

In the back seat, Xilun sat very upright.

He could smell a very faint scent of tobacco in the car, and a barely perceptible cool fragrance on Midas's cuffs.

The scent wasn't overpowering, yet it was hard to ignore, just like the person himself.

Midas did not rush to speak.

He merely glanced out the window for a moment, as if admiring the rainy night, or perhaps giving Xilun some time to process it. After a while, he suddenly smiled.

"Is tonight's dinner a little different from what you expected?"

Xilun looked at him: "Yes."

"What's different?"

"More mundane than I expected."

"Isn't something ordinary good?"

"It's not that it's bad." Xiren paused, then spoke frankly, "It's just that I originally thought more people would ask me questions."

Midas chuckled softly after hearing this.

"Young people are like that. They always think that when high-level people meet, it should be a battle of wits, with ten hooks hidden in three sentences, and they should leave people breathless before it's considered proper."

He turned his head and his gaze fell on Xiren.

"But sometimes, when you actually sit in that position, you don't talk as much nonsense."

What you've done, whether you're worth training, whether you're intelligent—it's all written in your file, and people will say it too.

I called you here simply so I could see for myself what you actually look like.

Xilun was silent for a few moments, then asked, "So, have you seen it now?"

"I saw some."

Midas's answer was casual, yet its meaning was enigmatic.

"Younger than I expected, and more stable than I thought."

Knowing when to stop and when to be ruthless is a rare quality.

As he spoke, a faint smile flickered across his eyes, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

"Yuri has been praising you all day, saying that you quietly brought the situation in the North District under control, and that you are the most worry-free young man he has met in recent years."

Yuri, who was driving, immediately coughed, as if he had been exposed on the spot and was a little embarrassed.

"President, I didn't praise you that much."

"Is that so?" Midas said unhurriedly. "Then I must have remembered it wrong."

Yuri opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't dare to argue with him.

Xilun, however, found himself somewhat amused.

The atmosphere in the car immediately relaxed a bit.

Midas leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly resting on his knees. After a while, he asked again, "I heard that the Tussol family wanted to recruit you, but you refused."

"Yes."

Why?

Siren did not evade the question, calmly stating, "I don't like entrusting my life to others."

"Very frank."

"There's nothing to hide."

Midas looked at him, his gaze carrying an indescribable meaning.

"Many young people, when faced with a larger family or a higher position, will first learn to speak nicely. But you, you're too lazy to even pretend."

Xilun said, "Fine words are useless. When it really comes down to it, no one will let me go because of a few nice words."

After he finished speaking, there was a brief silence in the car.

The windshield wipers swung back and forth across the windshield, producing a monotonous and rhythmic sound.

Midas gazed at Siren for a moment, then suddenly nodded.

"That's right, that's what someone who crawled out from underground would say."

Xilun's heart stirred slightly.

Midas's words were clearly more than just a sigh.

The other party knew his background and did not intend to avoid the topic.

"Have you always been very concerned about your background?" Midas suddenly asked.

Xilun's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes darkened almost imperceptibly for a moment.

"Why does the president ask that?"

"Because your gaze is different when you look at the upper city."

Midas spoke so softly, as if he were merely stating a trivial detail.

But Xilun's knuckles tightened unconsciously.

This person is incredibly observant.

He didn't even mention a word about it at the dinner table, but Midas seemed to have already guessed most of what had happened between him and Yuri on the road from their expressions.

Yuri, sitting in the front row, wisely held his breath, wishing he were a block of wood.

Xilun remained silent for a while before finally speaking.

"care."

"Have you ever hated me?"

"I hated it."

"And now?"

"Now..." Xilun slowly raised his eyes, looking at his blurry reflection in the car window, his voice low, "I want to see for myself what those high and mighty people are entitled to to divide themselves into two different worlds."

Midas did not respond immediately.

He simply looked at Xilen quietly, as if listening to a young man's frank and dangerous ambition.

After a long pause, he suddenly smiled.

"If some old nobles heard you say this, they would think you are being extremely rebellious."

"I didn't need them to like me anyway."

"very good."

Midas nodded slightly.

"When people strive to climb the ladder of success, it's not that they're afraid of having ambition, but rather that their ambition is too small, or that their intelligence doesn't match their ambition. At least you're pretty good at the first two."

Xilun looked at him: "And the third one?"

"The third thing is how long you can live."

This statement was made so casually, so casually, that it sounded like a joke.

But to Xilun, it had a strangely cold sense of reality.

For people like them, the future is never measured in years; often, it's measured in a battle, a job, or a night's luck.

Midas added, "You've been in the limelight lately, and more and more people will be watching you."

Tusol, Hawke, the remnants of the North District whose interests you've devoured, and even some within the organization—they'll all want to see just how far you can go.

Are you scared?

Xilun shook his head: "I'm not afraid."

Why?

"Being afraid is useless."

Midas's smile deepened.

"That's a good answer too."

As he spoke, he took a small black leather box from his pocket and placed it on Xiren's lap.

"Open it and take a look."

Xilun lowered his head and lifted the lid of the box.

A medal lies quietly inside.

Grade A.

It was heavier and more exquisite than any he had ever received before.

The silver-black base is embossed with dark gold patterns, with a raven spreading its wings at the center and a circle of fine, ancient vine patterns below.

Even just sitting there quietly, it exudes an unusual weight.

"The formalities have been completed during the day," Midas said. "This is what you deserve. Tomorrow morning, Yuri will take you into the treasury to choose your reward."

Xilun closed the box and whispered, "Thank you, Chairman."

"Why thank me? You earned it all yourself."

Midas tilted his head slightly, looking ahead at the rain-soaked road.

"However, I still have to remind you. The fraternity can give you opportunities and a stage, but it's not your lifeline."

If you want to climb all the way to where you want to go using this route, killing alone isn't enough.

"I know."

"Good to know."

The car drove forward for a while longer.

Suddenly, Midas asked casually, "Did you obtain anything good in the Wonderland?"

Xilun's eyes narrowed slightly.

finally come.

He didn't answer immediately, but simply turned his head to look at the other person.

Midas remained calm, as if asking casually, neither aggressive nor deliberately probing.

"Everyone who comes out of that place alive gains something," Siren said calmly. "I'm no exception."

I won't ask you what you took.

Midas said, "I just want to know if that thing will make you die even faster."

After thinking for a moment, Xilun replied, "It will make me live a little faster."

Midas laughed after hearing this.

"Very good, I like this answer."

He didn't ask any further questions.

This is the boundary of a smart person.

You know I'm hiding something, and I know you know, but as long as this thing still brings value to the Brotherhood, and as long as you're still on the side that can be used, many issues don't need to be said outright.

Xilun relaxed a little, but did not truly let his guard down.

He knew very well that Midas didn't press for an answer not because he didn't care, but because the other man didn't need it at the moment.

Meanwhile, on the Hawke family's side, the negotiations had finally reached their most intense point.

Inside the living room, the fireplace flames crackled and popped.

Chief Hawke placed his wine glass on the table with a soft, crisp sound.

"Two hundred pounds, plus three months of transit convenience for your Tusol North District grey coal line," he said, looking at Oin and emphasizing each word. "Otherwise, forget it."

Oro immediately frowned: "You're asking for the moon."

Chief Hawk sneered: "Lion? You and your son braved the rain tonight because that brat has been keeping you up at night."

Since you're already having trouble sleeping, why are you reluctant to bleed?

Oin raised his hand to stop his son, staring at the other side with a gloomy look.

He knew that Hawke was taking the opportunity to exploit him.

But he also knew that if the talks didn't go through tonight, it wouldn't be so easy to find another knife like that, one with both motive and willingness to take the risk.

"Fine," Oin finally spoke, his voice as cold as the back of a knife, "but I have two conditions."

Chief Hawke narrowed his eyes: "Speak."

"First, the action must be taken in the South District, in the name of your old grudge against Hawke, and Tusol must not get involved."

Second—if he's not dead, you must find out exactly how far he's progressed in his training, especially whether that item he brought out from the strange realm is still on him.

Chief Hawk pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Reasonable."

Oro followed up, "Sirlen is having a banquet at the Brotherhood's seaside hotel tonight. Afterwards, he will most likely be accommodated at the South District headquarters or VIP accommodations."

Our people will keep watch, but they won't get too close. The ones who will actually take action are you.

Chief Hawk chuckled, but his smile was far from relaxed.

"The premise is that he shouldn't be accompanied by people he shouldn't be with."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, if Brotherhood President Midas were here, your little bit of money wouldn't even be enough for my entire Hawke family to buy coffins."

The room fell silent immediately after he said that.

Oro's expression changed: "It can't be that bad—"

"Whether it's that bad or not, you'll soon find out."

Chief Hawke leaned back, his eyes revealing for the first time the caution of a long-established family leader.

"Send the message: keep an eye on things, don't rush in. Wait until Xilun is truly isolated before making your move."