Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

Although Zuo Le was puzzled, he obediently did as he was told, took out paper and pen and spread them on the ground, and looked up expectantly, waiting for Qi Yan to speak.

"When the Year Beast fell into slumber, it split into eleven fragments..."

Before Qi Yan could even open his mouth, Zuo Le couldn't help but interrupt, "Isn't it twelve portions?"

“The Grandmaster Chongyue inside the Jade Gate is, in a sense, the true form of the Year Beast; the remaining eleven are the Year Fragments,” Qi Yan said calmly.

Zuo Le was dumbfounded, and even the Rat King couldn't help but blink.

Nian, who was admiring Qi Yan's graffiti, turned her head in bewilderment, her confusion almost turning into a physical question mark on her forehead.

You were supposed to open your second brother's box, but why did you open your own eldest brother's box first?

At a street corner not far away, the storyteller who had previously ignored Wuyou and slipped away from the teahouse poked his head out and began to eavesdrop.

Qi Yan spoke eloquently: "Let's return to these Sui Beasts. According to the agreement between the True Dragon and the Sui Beast back then, these Sui Beasts will use their power to bring blessings to the Yan Kingdom."

However, the saying goes, "Those who are not of our kind must have different hearts." Whether these young people are actually different or not is another matter, but some people have already categorized them as "different."

Zuo Le paused slightly as she took notes, feeling as if she had been tapped.

Qi Yan didn't stop and continued, "After a long period of time, some troubles occurred in Kyoto's Hundred Kitchens, as you should know. One of the young men got into trouble during that incident."

The second child, still resentful about this, decided to become a family hero and do something for his younger siblings.

"What is he going to do?" Zuo Le interrupted again, unable to contain himself.

Qi Yan and the Rat King slapped Zuo Le on the head at the same time, successfully silencing him.

"Sui Lao Er wants to study the original form of Sui Beast and directly replace it to become the new Sui Beast!" Qi Yan said, glancing at Nian deliberately. "The wine cup that was sent to Shang Shu contains a part of Sui Lao Er's consciousness."

The purpose of Sui Lao Er's plan this time was to lure Nian and Xi to Shang Shu to find another Sui Pian who was living in seclusion there.

When the three Year Phantoms gather, his method will take effect, summoning the phantom of the Year Beast known as the Year Phase, as an experiment to possess it.

The Rat King's expression turned solemn: "So, the chess match between Wang and the Grand Tutor was nothing but a smokescreen?"

"That's not true. It's undeniable that the Second Prince of Sui dislikes the Yan Kingdom."

Qi Yan pointed to Nian, whose expression was strange, and continued, "So, the solution to this situation is very simple. All I need to do is pack up the three Nian sisters and take them to Rhodes Island to raise them, cutting off the possibility of Sui the Second having contact with them. All my efforts will be wasted."

"So, this is where they've been waiting." The Rat King revealed a slight smile.

"I'm just asking you, are you tempted by this deal or not?" Qi Yan smiled.

Nian couldn't take it anymore: "I'm still here, can't you guys have some basic respect for me?"

"Now that you're on the island, I'm appointing you as Rhodes Island's Chief Editor."

Seeing that Nian had been successfully bribed by Qi Yan, the Rat King asked again:

"So, you're planning to break Shang Shu's scheme in this way—by cutting off his supply lines—without even entering the game?"

"I should still go." Qi Yan also showed a serious look. "I want to see where Sui Lao Er got the courage to scheme against me."

The Rat King seemed quite interested: "Then I'll go and see for myself."

But Qi Yan shook his head, his gaze falling on Wu You beside him:

"Lian Zixu is dead."

The Rat King's body trembled, and his knuckles clenched tightly around his hand: "Is this what Wang did?"

Qi Yan explained, "Not necessarily, but even if it wasn't his arrangement, this could be one of the chain reactions caused by his plan."

Wu You was just enjoying the gossip when he suddenly realized that he had become a gossip himself, leaving him stunned.

A surge of anger erupted from the depths of his heart, but was then swallowed up by despair.

If his master's death was truly related to a fragment of a Sui Beast, then how could he possibly avenge his master?

The Rat King, quick-witted and perceptive, immediately noticed Wu You's unease and inquired:

"And who is this young friend?"

"A disciple of Lian Zixu."

"I understand," the Rat King said earnestly. "I can arrange for you to stay temporarily in Longmen, until this matter is resolved..."

"Old sir, my benefactor!"

Wu You suddenly interrupted the Rat King, his eyes bloodshot, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I'm not going anywhere. I want to stay by my benefactor's side. I want to go to Shang Shu!"

Chapter 826 The Lian Family's Yin-Yang Fan

Faced with Wu You's request, the Rat King fell silent.

His aura collapsed like an abyss, becoming unfathomable.

One second he was an old man chatting and laughing with Qi Yan, the next second he transformed back into Lin, the man who held sway over the world in Longmen and whose name struck fear into the hearts of all.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on Wu You's forehead: "Mr. Lin..."

"Heh, not going to act anymore?" The Rat King sneered. "The moment you saw me, I knew you recognized me."

But clearly you've found a more powerful vessel than I have, which is why you made this decision, isn't it?"

Wu You revealed a hint of embarrassment at having his thoughts exposed.

When he heard Nian and Zuo Le call out Qi Yan's name, he understood everything and recognized the thickest thigh present.

But judging from the Rat King's attitude, his decision seemed to have displeased the Rat King.

The Rat King's gaze fell on the folding fan that Wu You was clutching tightly in his hand, which he had never opened, and he suddenly said:

"Why isn't the Lian family's 'Weather Fan' open?"

“I…I am not worthy to use this fan,” Wu You said through gritted teeth.

"So you keep saying you want to avenge your master, is it because of Qi Yan?"

"No, I just..."

The Rat King stomped his cane hard, kicking up a cloud of dust: "I'll give you three moves, and you'll break this cane of mine!"

Faced with the Rat King's imposing aura, Wu You subconsciously took a half step back and shook his head repeatedly:

"Master said that Lin of Longmen has done a favor for the man surnamed Dong, which means he has done a favor for her as well. Under no circumstances should we disrespect him..."

"Coward!" The Rat King's aura surged once more.

“My surname isn’t Lian, and this fan shouldn’t have been mine in the first place…”

"Now it's your turn to hold it!"

"But my surname isn't Lian!"

"Then your master died in vain!"

Wu You's body trembled violently, and his pupils suddenly contracted to a single point.

The memory of his master lying in his arms, slowly losing body temperature, surged towards him like an all-consuming wave. Guilt, regret, self-blame, and all sorts of emotions made him want to tear Wuyou to pieces.

But a forceful aura, sharp as a knife, suddenly pierced through the surrounding emptiness of emotions.

All he could see was the Rat King staring angrily at him.

Before Wuyou could regain his senses, he instinctively opened the folding fan.

A wind arose from nowhere in the town, and the ten bright suns in the sky inexplicably dimmed.

The sun and moon, sunshine and shadow, all return to the opened folding fan; life and death, reality and illusion, are all revealed in the wave of the folding fan.

A dark white light suddenly flashed past the Rat King's side, and Wuyou appeared behind him, his breathing disordered and his forehead covered with a fine layer of sweat.

"Hmm, that's efficient enough."

As the Rat King's commentary faded, his cane silently snapped in two by Wu You's single, decisive move.

Qi Yan and the others watched the drama unfold silently, showing little reaction to the outcome of the fight. Only Zuo Le couldn't help but be stunned.

He suddenly realized that he was probably the worst person there!

No, there is another one...

Zuo Le turned to look at Saga, whom he had just forcibly protected. Saga looked at Wu You with approval, without any surprise or shock, clearly having already seen through Wu You's true strength.

Well, I guess I'm still the worst one!

Zuo Le gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, feeling a pang of sadness.

When Zuo Le became withdrawn, the Rat King restrained his aura and returned to his usual leisurely strolling manner.

He said calmly to Wu You:

"Kid, I'll give you two choices again. One is to come with me to Longmen, and I'll guarantee you for five years. After five years, I'll send you back to Gouwu City."

Secondly, you will continue to stay by Qi Yan's side, and from now on, I will no longer interfere in your affairs.

"Mr. Lin..."

"Why bother? If I insist on giving him a third option, what will you do, sir?"

Qi Yan suddenly stepped forward to interrupt the two, put his arm around Wu You's shoulder, and said with a smile:

"I've given him time. Wuyou can stay on Rhodes Island as long as he wants."

"Either I do it for him, or you, sir, take care of everything, and then Rhodes Island will work with him to get things done!"

The Rat King said softly, "Qi Yan, you've been too domineering."

"I have the right to be domineering."

"...What I mean is, I agree." The Rat King gave Wu You a deep look. "Come find me when you've made up your mind."

Wu You revealed a look of joy, bowed to the Rat King, and then turned around to try to bow to Qi Yan, but Qi Yan raised his hand to stop him.

"We're buddies, let's skip the formalities. Treat me to a meal sometime, and I'll rip you off."

Qi Yan's casual words made Wu You feel dizzy and lightheaded.

This time, I wasn't nervous; I was simply a little giddy from the good news.

Seeing that the matter between Wu You and the Rat King had come to a temporary end, Qi Yan turned his head and his gaze fell once again on a certain girl named Pero in the corner who was trying her best to make her presence as inconspicuous as possible.

Noticing Qi Yan's gaze, Saga forced a wry smile and adopted a well-behaved demeanor, saying:

"Teacher, I haven't prepared my apprenticeship gift yet, please don't rush me."

"You want to lie to me a second time?" Qi Yan raised an eyebrow.

Saga looked shocked and said, "Teacher, please don't talk nonsense. Monks don't lie!"

However, this apprenticeship ceremony... well, it's a very important matter, and I need more time to prepare it carefully.

"Alright, take your time preparing."

Qi Yan actually stopped talking and turned to Nian, saying, "Come on, let's combine our skills and create an unprecedentedly large firecracker to blast out the big evening melon."

She's the best special effects artist we can work with in the future. With just one of her paintings, our movie could save so much money!

"That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say!"

As if by magic, he pulled out an enormous, ridiculously large object from behind him.

Placing the massive cylindrical object on the ground, Nian proudly introduced it:

"This is a giant firecracker I specially prepared for my silly sister. It's eight feet long and three feet wide, and it uses technology never seen before in Terra to detonate it!"

Everyone looked up at the huge thing in front of them and gasped in unison.

Only Qi Yan circled the firecracker twice and commented:

"It has enough power, but its range and accuracy are somewhat lacking. Let me tell you about my improvement plan..."

The two huddled together, pointing and explaining the areas to be improved. Nian nodded repeatedly, his eyes gleaming with increasing intensity.

All of Qi Yan's ideas could be put into practice on the spot and added to that giant firecracker.

To ensure consistent effectiveness, Qi Yan even took out the little remaining red gold and, under Nian's rapid breathing and wide-eyed gaze, gently tapped it into the firecracker.

By the time the final product was completed, the firecracker in front of the two had been completely transformed.

Qi Yan waved his hand and personally inscribed words on the missile with his blood.

"Dongfeng Express?" Nian asked, somewhat puzzled.