Once, I wanted to be a good person

"It should be the remnant of the Si Family from the past."

"Because the experts cultivated by the Si Family are different from those of other families; those experts often bear characteristics of other creatures."

"So, they are particularly easy to recognize."

"And also!"

Lady Jin paused, then continued, "Fang Ze has the ability of clones. That day, he was always confronting us with his clone, while his real body was hidden."

"Although I didn't see clearly how he was hiding and appearing, but... the look of that ability, it's very similar to the Awakening Ability [Darkness] of the Si Family."

At this point, Lady Jin sighed and then said, "If it were just one thing, it could be a coincidence."

"But to have so many coincidences converge, it's not a coincidence anymore, you naive girl."

She said, "If you don't believe it, you can wait for his Fusion stage, test him, and you'll know."

"Our noble family Fusion stage advancement method has a unique signature. You'll see as soon as you try."

Bai Zhi's hand tightened around the pink crystal.

After a moment, she said, "Then... he... I..."

She stumbled over her words for a long time, not able to articulate anything clearly, perhaps not even knowing what she wanted to express herself.

But Lady Jin saw through her thoughts.

Lady Jin gently embraced her and sighed softly, "His being from the Si Family is both a good thing and a bad thing."

"The good thing is, if you want to be with him, the match in status is suitable."

"In order to keep the purity of the noble bloodlines and to avoid rejection by the World Origin, it is customary for nobility to intermarry among themselves."

"Although the Si Family has perished, their privileges at the World Origin should still exist."

"Your union, theoretically, would be beneficial for your offspring."

"But the bad thing is... the matters of the Si Family are too complicated."

"The incident involving the Golden Sparrow Flower was not as simple as it appeared on the surface."

"What exactly did the Si Family do back then?"

"How did that ancestor, the old General of the Si Family, suddenly pass away?"

"Why did the Federation keep pressing the Si Family? Even using such an absurd reason to exterminate them?"

"Why did the noble families create a stir at first, and then immediately quiet down? Is it really just because of those fifty-seven Demigod-level military bases?"

Lady Jin shook her head, "No. Those fifty-seven Demigod-level military bases just proved that the Federation had the ability to contend with the regional nobility, not that they could directly crush them."

"The issues involved here are extremely complex. They involve fifty years of Disasters, the relationship with Disaster Creatures, the struggle over national policies..."

As she spoke, she gently touched Bai Zhi's exquisite face and said, "And you are so naive... I'm really worried about you getting into trouble in this..."

"...."

"...."

....

An hour later, Bai Zhi left the luxurious guest room with her mind in a blank state.

Following behind her, Lady Jin stood at the door, watching her distraught figure and sighed softly.

Lady Jin truly hadn't expected, that after ruminating for two days, the matters would actually turn out to be true.

To be honest, she was truly shocked by Fang Ze's identity.

She hadn't thought that one day she would meet a person from the Si Family again.

Previously, she just assumed he was a poor boy trying to climb up the social ladder to match with their family's treasured daughter.

She had indeed harbored thoughts of thwarting their relationship.

But now... she hesitated.

After all, a "Prince" in distress is still a Prince.

Even though there were so many insider stories about the incident that year, the Federation had indeed gone too far, and there were not a few who sympathized with or leaned towards the Si Family.

Especially now, twelve years had passed, and the hatred had gradually faded with time, while nostalgia had gradually increased.

Moreover, the Chairperson of the Federation resigned the year after the event, and without this direct participant, there was much room for things to come full circle.

So, it seemed that within the crisis, there was a glimmer of hope?

Even someone as contemplative as her, didn't know how to properly handle the Fang Ze matter...

Bai Zhi, lost in thought, stepped out of the corridor, and just around the corner, the adjutant approached her.

Nodding to Bai Zhi, the adjutant asked, "Director Bai, are you preparing to head back? Shall we arrange for the Fang Zhou to pick you up in advance?"

Hearing the adjutant's words, Bai Zhi came back to her senses.

She pinched the amulet she had been clutching in her hand, then looked down at her purse. Inside the purse were the materials about the Flower Morning Festival that Fang Ze had asked her to investigate, which she had packed upon hearing that she would be coming today....

After a moment, she raised her head and said to the adjutant, "May I see Fang Ze?"

Hearing Bai Zhi's request, the adjutant smiled and said, "Of course, you can."

Then he added, "I'll take you to the reception room first."

With that, he led Bai Zhi to the same luxurious reception room they had used last time.

Ten minutes later, Fang Ze also arrived in the reception room, escorted by two members of the Federation Defense Team.

Upon entering the reception room and seeing Bai Zhi, he was visibly surprised.

Clearly, he had no appointment with Bai Zhi for today.

So, after nodding to the adjutant, he took a seat beside Bai Zhi and curiously asked, "Why are you here?"

Seeing that the two wished to chat, the adjutant took the initiative to leave the reception room and shut the door behind him.

Once he had gone, Bai Zhi looked at Fang Ze, and then she activated the shield device, following which she took out the amulet and placed it in front of Fang Ze.

Upon seeing Bai Zhi place the amulet in front of him, Fang Ze was taken aback for a moment.

Then, he remembered the amulet was one he had lent to Bai Zhi in order to earn "Credit Points," containing a piece of Qin 28.

And thinking of Qin 28, Fang Ze couldn't help but recall the "Nobility Fusion Advancement Ceremony" he had obtained the previous night.

In that ceremony, every level of advancement required the aid of Qin 28.

And to advance from a high-level Awakener to a Fuser, one exactly needed one gram of Qin 28.

At that time, he had been pondering how to find an opportunity to take back this gram of Qin 28 promised to the Rejuvenation Society from Bai Zhi and use it first for himself.

He planned to later find another gram for the Rejuvenation Society from elsewhere. Unexpectedly, Bai Zhi had brought it back herself.

With that thought, Fang Ze couldn't help but pick up the amulet and gently touch it.

However, as he touched it, Fang Ze sensed that something was amiss.

Because... the amulet had obviously been opened, the thread's end was even sticking out, quite crudely done.

A jolt went through Fang Ze's heart.

Could the Qin 28 have been taken?

With this thought, Fang Ze quickly opened the amulet, glanced inside, and found that the Qin 28 was still safely stored inside.

Fang Ze let out a sigh of relief.

But soon after the relief, he felt something was off again.

Huh? The Qin 28 is still here?

Then... did Bai Zhi not know what was hidden inside?

With this thought, a sense of apprehension rose within him. He looked at Bai Zhi and cautiously asked, "Do... you know?"

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8500 words. Didn't reach 10,000. I'll strive to continue tomorrow. Last day of the month, please support with your monthly votes!