It's the cyber age now, and you're still playing traditional villains?

It seems that he is no longer affectionate with other mistresses... I don't know if he doesn't have such intention, or if he is using this method to silently express his compromise with Xie Qingyan.

If Pan Ling were to say it herself, she would certainly prefer the latter. It would be good for everyone if you ended the cold war as soon as possible, but how could it be enough? Why don't you say something? Maybe if you say one word, everything will be fine... Silence is not always a good thing.

"That's what you said..."

Pan Feng agreed with this, but he still urged him, "Why don't you go and try to persuade him? You are his disciple, so he will listen to you at least."

"……Let me try?"

Miss Xiaoling's answer was ambiguous.

The fact was that she didn't want to be the peacemaker at all. Even if she really wanted to persuade him, it would not be at this critical juncture - she already understood the bad nature of the evil master very well. At this moment, no one else's words would work, not to mention that it would not be her turn even if she tried to persuade him. There were so many wives of the masters around... Even the junior sister had more weight than her.

And she was also very clear that other people had probably advised the master to some extent, but to no avail... If it were her words, it was hard to say whether Xu Shi would listen to her or not, and he would probably vent his anger on her.

It would be better to wait and see, let time settle, and then we can talk about more ways and methods.

As for now, the most important thing is...

"Speaking of which, it's our turn today. Let's pack up and go to church?"

She stood up and stretched.

As one of the founders of the Cat Cult, Pan Ling, the "little priest", now has good popularity and prestige, and she is indispensable to the Cult in many cases.

Now that her elder sister is here, she prefers to be with her. One is responsible for clerical work and the other is responsible for public security. It is not tiring for sisters to work together.

"Okay."

Pan Feng nodded and gestured above her head jokingly, "Meow meow meow?"

"Meow meow meow meow."

……

It was not only the people around Xu Shi and Xie Qingyan who noticed the relationship, but Dongfang Xiao who was far away in the palace also felt it.

Although they quarreled, the illness still needed to be treated. Xu Shi would not be absent in this regard and would often bring Xie Qingyan to the palace for treatment.

However, in the eyes of the little queen, this was actually more like a routine, and the atmosphere was completely different from before - in the past, the two would have bickered or quarreled with each other, but now, they were silent from beginning to end, and it would be strange if there was no sign of a problem.

"...Okay, thank you, sister."

After finishing today's treatment, she couldn't help but say a few more words, "Has anything happened to you recently? I feel like you're in a bad mood."

"It doesn't matter."

Xie Qingyan looked at her and smiled, then shook his head to indicate that she didn't need to worry.

"There are still some."

Dongfang Xiao said seriously, "I've said before that my ability is useful for this kind of mental erosion, but what's more important is to have a good attitude. Otherwise, not only will it slow down the treatment progress, but in serious cases it may even have the opposite effect..."

This is indeed the truth. The erosion of the sea god should not be underestimated. If you are not mentally stable, it is easy for him to take advantage of you. If the degree is mild, it is okay. If it is serious, let alone her, no one can save her.

This was more for Xu Shi to hear. You can tell from the look of it that there is a conflict, right? Xu Shi is such a bad guy. Everyone knows that you are a bad guy, but there is a time to be bad...

Of course, her concern for Xie Qingyan was genuine. Compared to other people, he had always left a good impression on her, so she naturally didn't want to see him suffer so much.

"Know it."

Xie Qingyan patted her hand gently, his tone gentle but a little sarcastic, "Of course I know these things... but there are people who don't know."

Of course, this was also said to Xu Shi, and she became more and more unhappy as she spoke - think about how I took great pains to treat that little Xia Ke'an back then? Why didn't I see you the same as you are now?

From the disappointment on her face, we can see that there is no harm without comparison.

"...Speaking of which, I asked Cheng Cheng to help you renovate the palace. How was the result?"

Xu Shi seemed not to hear and started asking about other things.

Of course he would not break his promise to the little empress. Jiang Chengcheng had been going to the palace quite often these days, but she had not been exposed to much of what Maomao taught her. Everyone has their own expertise.

"Well...it's still very good."

Dongfang Xiao didn't expect that he would not take this question at all, but he could only answer honestly, "The power system has been popularized in the palace, replacing most of the "divine breath" equipment, and the weapons you brought have also been put into use. Now a new part has been specially established among the Royal Court Knights, and young knights have been selected to specialize in these."

In fact, only a few weeks had passed in total, but as the saying goes, first time is new, second time is familiar, and with the previous experience of Silver Pine Island, it is naturally easier to handle the second pilot project like the Imperial Palace. In terms of scale, this place is not as big as Silver Pine Island... Not to mention that this place is actually more like a simple pilot project, and there is no need for large-scale construction like Silver Pine Island.

And the effect is just as the little queen said, it is indeed very good.

Since the renovation, both the convenience and maintenance costs have been greatly improved compared to before - not only herself, but also other princes and ministers, except for a few staunch diehards, have given surprisingly high evaluations after contacting them. The most common memorials seen these days are probably requests for the royal family to upgrade their mansions comprehensively...

This also made her more convinced that choosing Xu Shi to cooperate was the right choice.

"Well, that's fine."

Xu Shi nodded slightly. "As for how to promote it, you can handle it yourself... I sent someone back to Night Sin City before, and they should be back in the next few days, and they will bring more supplies."

"Thank you, teacher."

Dongfang Xiao bowed and saluted. This alone was enough for her to be disrespectful to Xu Shi.

"Okay, let's stop here for today."

Xu Shi didn't seem to want to stay any longer, and after a brief exchange he was about to get up and leave.

"Uh...are you leaving now?"

Seeing that he was about to leave, the little queen asked subconsciously.

"otherwise?"

Xu Shi narrowed his eyes, "Is there anything else you want to do?"

“…No, no.”

Dongfang Xiao came back to his senses and waved his hands quickly.

Of course she knew what Xu Shi meant by "other things". It was nothing more than training her... Of course she would not rush to ask for such things. She was just enduring humiliation and suffering, and her brain was not really a mess.

She was eager to enter the small dark room at that time.

But the fact that he didn't do so was actually the most abnormal thing - did this also indirectly indicate that there was really a big problem with his relationship with Xie Qingyan? He didn't even want to spend a single second with her alone...

Well.

……

"Brother Xu, long time no see."

After leaving the palace with Xie Qingyan, Xu Shi met Cheng Gujian who came to see him after a long time.

"Brother Cheng, long time no see."

Xu Shi responded politely, "I rarely see you come to the palace these days. What are you busy with?"

"Brother Xu has devoted all his efforts to the development of the empire. It seems that it doesn't matter whether I come or not, right?"

Cheng Gujian rarely teased, "But I have also experienced the transformations you and your wife have made. They are more interesting than I expected."

To be honest, he was actually the first person to reach a deal with Xu Shi, but the deal with him only involved weapons and did not involve daily people's livelihood, so many things were new to him, and this admiration came from the heart.

"Since it's a collaboration, I certainly won't break my promise."

Xu Shi smiled and said, "I am a very honest person."

"I see it."

Cheng Gujian did not comment. "But I still want to remind you that although you are taking the nibbling method against the Church, they will not tolerate even a grain of sand in their eyes. Now that they seem to have no reaction, I am afraid they have not stopped their plan against you at all."

"I'm not that naive, but again, who's afraid?"

Xu Shi waved his hands, very confident in himself.

"Oh? So it seems that Brother Xu already has a follow-up plan?"

Cheng Gujian asked curiously.

"When that day comes, Brother Cheng will naturally know the outcome."

Xu Shi said mysteriously, the plan involves not only the Holy See, but also you.

"Yes, we will see the result then..."

Cheng Gujian nodded in agreement, with a hint of meaning in his tone.

……

same moment.

For Lu Baiyan, what happened to Xu Shi actually had little impact on him.

Because he was still thinking about what Pan Ling said to him that day... Thinking about it now, he still felt mixed emotions.

On the one hand, it was really embarrassing to be lectured by a little girl, but what the other party said seemed to be nothing wrong - no matter how you look at it, it seemed that Xu Shi's side was more popular, and now with the pressure from the Holy See on him, it seemed that keeping a low profile was a good choice.

There is an old saying that teaches us that a gentleman should not stand under a dangerous wall.

But he is indeed the same as Pan Ling said, the type who won't release the eagle until he sees the rabbit. Now that everything is not settled, it is not easy to make him really defect.

Of course, he also knew that adding icing on the cake was not as good as helping someone in need, but his choice would involve his own life and even the life and property of his entire family... Even if Xu Shi failed, it would be easy for outsiders like them to withdraw, at least easier than for him.

By that time, he himself would definitely be highlighted as an example and would be infamous as a clown forever.

Ugh……

While thinking, he seemed to realize something and suddenly looked up at the air behind him.

The expression in his narrowed eyes suddenly became very unfriendly, and even tinged with murderous intent.

"Is that enough? How long...are you going to keep an eye on me?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 283: Restoring the glory of the Holy See is our responsibility!

2023-10-05

As Lu Baiyan questioned, the air he was looking at twisted slightly.

"…Don't be so angry, Lao Lu."

Then came the faint sound of mosquitoes, "I am only following orders. Pay attention to your actions. It is not my intention to send people up and down."

"Your Holiness the Pope or Your Highness the Saint?"

Mimiyan didn't buy it and asked again.

"This is an order from the Holy See."

The mosquito responded calmly, "I actually don't know what you did... Have you been in contact with outsiders too much?"

Lu Baiyan was silent.

Although he had noticed it a long time ago, he still felt bad when he saw that the methods used by the Holy See to deal with outsiders were now being used on him.

Others may not know, but he knows best that the mosquito sound also comes from one of their Knights Templar, Han Jingchuan, who is ranked sixth.

As for his ability... although it's hard to see clearly with the naked eye, if you look carefully, you can actually find a very small bug hiding behind him.

This is Han Jingchuan's ability, which is most suitable for acting as an eyeliner for the Holy See and quietly searching for various intelligence.

Even if they are the "Chosen Ones" of God, it is difficult for ordinary people to detect the existence of these small eyes unless they focus on mental power. Even those with a certain level of mental power may not be able to detect them.

Lu Baiyan's strength was not weak, but he could only roughly perceive it, and this was based on the fact that he knew all of his colleagues well.

The other party is also considered an old man among the Knights Templar. Sometimes rank does not explain everything, but relying on such ability, with his help, the Holy See has always been able to collect a lot of unknown information in the past, and seize the initiative in some open and secret struggles with the royal family or other parties.

But this is not the problem. The problem is that this ability is now being used on their own people.

Of course, Lu Baiyan still thought of himself as a member of the Holy See, which was why he was unhappy - he remembered very clearly that the other party had a mission before and had left the main city for a long time and had not returned.

Now you suddenly appear here, obviously you have received an urgent message from the Vatican and come back to monitor me... What were you doing before?

Why didn't you come back when Xu Shi launched the economic war and made a fuss in front of the Vatican? Now that the child is dead and your mother is here, are you using this method to bully others?

You can call it a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted, or something else, it is true that Lu Baiyan is unhappy - he doesn't care whether the person who issued the order is the Pope or the Saint. Of course, it stands to reason that the former is more likely, but no matter who it is, the nature of this practice will not change.

In fact, for Mimiyan, who came from a noble family and had been in the Vatican and the royal family for many years, if he couldn't even think of this, he might as well find a piece of tofu and kill himself.

Otherwise, he would not have been so vigilant in front of Xu Shi’s mansion before. He would not have said a single word that was unfavorable to the Holy See. Even if he had said it, it would have been a hundred... He would just have to wait for the consequences.

Now he had a clear idea in his mind. Compared with the gentle means of peace talks, he was afraid that the Pope himself would prefer to cut the knot quickly and use more radical means to end the conflict that was shaking the status of the Holy See. This was completely different from the previous statement of using courtesy before force.

Sending people to keep an eye on me was, of course, also to avoid unnecessary trouble. Once I showed any dangerous tendencies, the unnecessary trouble would be nipped in the bud.