352: The storm is coming

"Wait, I actually do have something to discuss with you, Senior," Ran Min said hurriedly.

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"It's like this..." Ran Min explained the matter in detail before adding, "I wonder if Senior could do me this favor? I will certainly petition the Great Emperor to credit you with a great service afterward!"

Liu Xihe fell silent for a moment after hearing this, then said, "Commander, please wait a moment. I will contact you shortly!"

"Ah? What's going on?" Ran Min was startled.

"You'll know in a while." Liu Xihe didn't say more and hung up the phone directly.

Ran Min sat in a daze for a while, his heart in turmoil, wondering what Liu Xihe was up to. After about fifteen minutes, the phone finally rang. Seeing it was Liu Xihe, he answered immediately.

"Senior, how is it?" Ran Min asked urgently.

"Commander, I've sent my granddaughter, Ru Shi, to South Yue City to take a look. With her there, Long Yuan should be safe!" Liu Xihe said.

"What? Your granddaughter? Liu Rushi?!" Ran Min was stunned, thinking to himself, *Who is this Liu Rushi? How dare she claim she can protect Long Yuan and that everything will be fine? I don't believe a word of it!*

"Haha, could it be that the Commander doesn't believe my words?" Liu Xihe laughed heartily.

"Well... Senior, this mission is of no small importance. You might not know, but that Long Yuan looks remarkably like the Great Emperor did in his youth..." Ran Min hinted.

Liu Xihe interrupted him, "Commander, I have been following Long Yuan for a long time and know far more than you do! As for my granddaughter Ru Shi, her strength already surpasses my own. With her there, Long Yuan's safety is guaranteed!"

"What?!!! You're saying Ru Shi's strength is already greater than yours, Senior?!" Ran Min cried out in disbelief.

"Indeed! However, I am only telling you this. You must not spread it further!" Liu Xihe warned.

"Alright! Thank you for your support, Senior. I am truly grateful!"

"No need for formalities! We are all working for the Great Emperor, after all!"

Liu Xihe put down the phone, a playful smile appearing on his face. He certainly wouldn't tell Ran Min the truth. In fact, Liu Rushi was currently cultivating Wood Spiritual Power beside the Green Lotus in the pond of Falling Flower Valley in Shanyang County. Her progress was rapid, and her time was incredibly precious. However, his decision to send his precious granddaughter away from the Green Lotus to "protect" Long Yuan at this time was naturally calculated. His primary goal was to use this as a pretext for Liu Rushi to get close to Long Yuan, hoping she could gather more information about Spiritual Power from him. Ideally, she might even be able to buy or exchange for Cultivation Techniques related to Spiritual Power cultivation from Long Yuan, as he himself was also a Spiritual Power Seed.

That's right; he had long since learned of Long Yuan's true strength from Liu Rushi. Even Liu Rushi might not be a match for Long Yuan, let alone anyone else.

Those who attempted to move against Long Yuan would likely meet a tragic end. Liu Xihe had been wondering how to approach Long Yuan, and he hadn't expected Ran Min to hand him such a rare opportunity so suddenly. This secretly delighted him, and he immediately made the arrangements... Furthermore, his suspicions aligned with Ran Min's, and Liu Rushi had also revealed to him that she sensed a dense Xuanhuang Aura on Long Yuan. Thus, Long Yuan's identity was practically obvious. For the Liu Family, how could they let such a potential asset slip away?

"Haha, I've sent the most beloved woman of my Family directly to Long Yuan's side. Let's see how the other families and forces react!" Liu Xihe laughed towards the sky, a look of old-fox-like triumph on his face... On the other side, Ran Min put down the phone and leaned back in his tiger-skin chair, letting out a long breath as a heavy stone was lifted from his heart!

In his view, with Liu Rushi—who was stronger than Liu Xihe—protecting Long Yuan, the matter was settled... However, Liu Rushi's sudden appearance was definitely a major event for the Great Ming. If this news were to spread, it would surely cause a massive stir throughout the Great Ming. Good heavens, a young female Martial Commander! That was a new pillar of strength for the nation, worthy of a grand celebration by the entire Great Ming!

Although a Martial King had already appeared, a young Martial Commander naturally had a great hope of reaching the Martial King rank in the future. Therefore, her value was almost equal to the birth of a Martial King.

However, Liu Xihe had clearly anticipated this, which was why he strictly cautioned Ran Min against spreading the word. Ran Min naturally wouldn't leak the news casually, but as a confidant of the Great Emperor and the Battalion Commander of the Divine Machine Camp, he solemnly recorded this information in the records and sent it secretly to the Great Emperor for review... At the same time, the upper circles of the Great Ming were shaken. Many had obtained information about Long Yuan through various channels. Combined with the evidence from the Cloud Challenge Space videos, they took action, sending capable subordinates to South Yue City to observe. This included princes competing for the throne, such as the eldest prince, Prince Rui; the Third Prince, Prince Lu; the Fifth Prince, Prince Ding; and the Eighteenth Prince, Prince Gong. As for Prince Zhao, who had always been watching Long Yuan, he did not act as he was busy arranging a response to Sir Dubi's surveillance. However, since the backend of the Cloud Challenge Space was controlled by the Tiangong Group, he was actually keeping track of Long Yuan's affairs all along... The rising wind forebodes the coming storm.

Over the past two days, the Yan Yu Stage also seemed to sense this change. The mist permeating the mountains and rivers became even more elusive and ever-changing, captivating all who saw it... "So beautiful, I feel like I'm in heaven!"

"What heaven? This is where the celestial immortals live, alright?"

"To watch a top-tier international collaborative concert in a place like this—an opportunity like this probably only comes once in a lifetime, right?"

"To hear the Dao in the morning and die in the evening without regret..."

"I don't want to die. I want to keep listening to top-tier music until the end of time..."

"Indeed, indeed..."

Fans flocking from all over had brought the atmosphere to a fever pitch. Many had been staying in South Yue City for days, their hearts filled with anticipation. Had it not been for the scenery that surpassed a fairyland, their suppressed emotions might have already boiled over.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" A rapid clip-clop of hooves sounded, and people scrambled to get out of the path. Some who couldn't dodge in time were whipped aside, falling into the crowd as cries of pain rose up... Many on both sides of the road were filled with righteous indignation and were about to shout in anger, but they were held back by those beside them. After seeing the passing troop, they all fell silent, watching intently until the horses disappeared into the distance... "That's a troop from the Jianxuan Envoy Department!"

"Why have they come to South Yue City?"

"What a joke, South Yue City has its own Jianxuan Envoy Department. It's just that they don't usually gallop before the public with such fanfare..."

"True. Could it be that something major has happened?!"

"It's possible... Isn't the concert a major event?"

...