Large-Scale Construction (2)

On the way down the mountain, the three of them encountered a person. In the freezing weather, that person was still waving a folding fan in his hand, looking exceptionally pleased with himself.

"Mr. Chi? Had you not returned to the North for the New Year?" Xu Lu asked casually.

"Ah, worthy nephew is indeed very concerned about me," Chi Fangshu laughed. "I returned home to pay my respects and then rushed back. How could I miss the Jiangdu Shangyuan Flower Festival, such a grand event?"

"Old Chi, at this hour, should you not still be lingering in Lanling Fang, refusing to get out of bed? Why have you run to this place?" Dao Liuliu, who was no stranger to Chi Fangshu, spoke up.

"Is it not because the esteemed son-in-law of the Bohai Marquis Manor came to pay New Year respects to the Old Madame, and insisted on dragging me along?" Chi Fangshu closed his folding fan, tapped his palm, and said with a face full of helplessness.

Dao Liuliu and Situ Yanqing both reacted calmly, as if they paid little attention to Chi Fangshu's mention of the Bohai Marquis Manor's esteemed son-in-law. Xu Lu also had no interest in other people's family matters, only feeling surprised that Xue Huan was already engaged.

"Eldest Young Master Dao, Miss Situ, the Old Madame is still waiting for you to go down the mountain to pay your respects. Worthy nephew Xu Lu, do not join in the bustle. Why don't the two of us, as outsiders, enjoy the mountain scenery together?" Chi Fangshu invited Xu Lu. Xu Lu thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. With guests at home, Dao Liuliu and Situ Yanqing indeed needed to pay their respects. They hurried down the mountain, while Xu Lu and Chi Fangshu walked toward the pavilion halfway up the mountain.

"Have you seen it?" Chi Fangshu looked toward the mountain peak and suddenly spoke. At this moment, only the two of them were there, with no one else around, and only the howling of the mountain wind could be heard. Xu Lu knew what Chi Fangshu was referring to and nodded.

"The Hongyan Secret Treasure," Chi Fangshu said with emotion. "Fu Yuanhe can indeed be considered to have founded a new school. What a pity—"

"What is a pity?" Xu Lu said calmly. "Even if you kidnap him, he has no intention of compromising with you from beginning to end."

"I feel pity for you," Chi Fangshu smiled and said. "Fu Yuanhe succeeded, but you also participated in it. He has now returned to Tiangong, yet you gained nothing. Are you willing?"

"I was merely unfortunate to be kidnapped by your people along with him," Xu Lu said coldly. "His success is because of his decades of research. I had no effect at all."

Regardless of Fu Yuanhe's purpose, he had at least concealed Xu Lu's involvement. Naturally, no one knew that the foundation of the Hongyan secret treasure series, those four crucial mathematical formulas, had been calculated by Xu Lu.

"Mr. Chi, did you come aiming for it?" Xu Lu asked. He did not believe Chi Fangshu had come to Xue Mountain just to accompany someone to pay New Year respects.

"Thousand-Mile Voice Transmission," Chi Fangshu did not deny it and said. "If the Hongyan is truly built, the various Tiangong will be able to maintain contact at all times. By then, our intelligence speed will not keep up, and we will suffer."

In a clash between two sides, if one side could transmit intelligence at any time while the other was ignorant of the enemy's situation, the advantages and disadvantages of both sides were obvious.

"Do you want to destroy the Hongyan Base Station?" Xu Lu glanced at Chi Fangshu and asked.

Chi Fangshu smiled and did not answer. "What, have you changed your mind? Do you wish to join Liaoyuan now?"

"No," Xu Lu shook his head firmly. He had absolutely no interest in a terrorist organization.

"Then I also cannot tell you our secrets," Chi Fangshu smiled and said. "If you wish to know, it is very simple. Just join us."

"Then forget it," Xu Lu shook his head and said. "What you want to do is none of my business. But I must remind you of one thing: this base station is built on Xue Mountain. If any accident occurs, the Xue family and the Dao family will be implicated. Your relationship with the Xue and Dao families is not bad; surely you would not harm them?"

Xu Lu believed that a person like Chi Fangshu would not care about friendship at all. He would not care about the survival of the Xue and Dao families. Just like before, he had constantly claimed to be close friends with the Tiannan Su family, but what happened? When the Tiannan Su family met with disaster, he did not appear. Xu Lu's survival had nothing to do with him either. Any help he offered was merely icing on the cake afterward.

"Destroying this one will not ruin much," Chi Fangshu said casually. It seemed they already understood a great deal about the Hongyan Base Station.

"Xu Lu, when you were by Fu Yuanhe's side, did you truly not see the genuine blueprints?" Chi Fangshu asked as if casually. "I heard Brother Chen mention that you once learned several hundred characters in just one month. He said you possessed the talent of photographic memory."

"I truly did not," Xu Lu said seriously. "For such a secret item, you understand, would Fu Yuanhe let me see it? Although I was imprisoned with him for many days, he always conducted his research behind my back. I was called an apprentice, but in truth, I was a servant, doing only menial tasks daily."

Chi Fangshu looked into Xu Lu's eyes. Seeing that Xu Lu did not evade his gaze, he nodded after a moment. "Fu Yuanhe is resourceful and deep; indeed, he would not let you gain any advantage."

"Mr. Chi is wise," Xu Lu praised without any sincerity.

"Xu Lu, do you truly not want to join Liaoyuan? Joining Liaoyuan, you can cultivate secret arts. Cultivating secret arts not only allows you to obtain power that ordinary people can hardly possess, but can also greatly extend your lifespan..." Chi Fangshu suddenly spoke.

"I truly cannot," Xu Lu said seriously. "I have self-knowledge. I am merely an ordinary person and truly cannot withstand great winds and waves."

"Very well," Chi Fangshu sighed, looking somewhat regretful. "I still think highly of you."

"Mr. Chi, I heard Tiangong is building the Hongyan to transmit poems for the Shangyuan Flower Festival. Are you planning to act during the Shangyuan Flower Festival?" Xu Lu said. "If you truly plan to act, could you let me know in advance? At that time, I will hide far away to avoid being caught in the crossfire."

Chi Fangshu looked at Xu Lu and could not help but laugh. "Are you truly so afraid of death? Rest assured, we will not act during the Shangyuan Flower Festival. In truth, we still understand too little about this Hongyan, so we will not take any action in the short term. If you can provide some valuable information, perhaps we can achieve something."

Chi Fangshu was still probing to see if Xu Lu knew any secrets from Fu Yuanhe.

"Mr. Chi, I knew Fu Yuanhe for only a few days, and most of that time was spent being kidnapped by your people. How much contact I had with him, you should be the most clear. If I truly knew any secrets, you understand, would Fu Yuanhe not have taken me with him?" Xu Lu shook his head and said.

"You child, your vigilance is simply too high," Chi Fangshu shook his head with a smile. "Based on my friendship with your father, would I harm you?" Xu Lu remained noncommittal.

Seeing this, Chi Fangshu said with some helplessness, "Since you wish to seek peace, I will let you have your way. Remember my words: if one day you have the opportunity to meet the Tiangong Palace Master, do not meet her."

"Why?" Xu Lu asked instinctively. Although he did not feel he had any chance of meeting the high and mighty Tiangong Palace Master, he did not like Chi Fangshu dictating his actions.

"Your identity is not completely flawless. If someone insists on investigating, they can find out," Chi Fangshu answered a different question. "If you truly hide your identity and vanish, there may be no issue. But you are now a famous scholar known throughout the world. If I had not helped you conceal it, your identity would have been exposed long ago."

"Thank you, Mr. Chi," Xu Lu was silent for a moment, then bowed seriously and spoke with sincere gratitude. On this point, Chi Fangshu had indeed helped him.

"Your experiences have given you vigilance, which is not wrong," Chi Fangshu said. "Since you have chosen peace, the opportunities for us to meet in the future will not be many. Consider this my final reminder to you: stay far away from the Tiangong Palace Master!"

Xu Lu was utterly baffled. Was he not currently very far from the Tiangong Palace Master? He did not even know who the Tiangong Palace Master was. Let alone the Tiangong Palace Master, he was still ten thousand miles away from the Great Heavenly Official of the Jiangdu Tiangong. Xu Lu understood that in this life, he would never have the opportunity to see that Tiangong Palace Master. After the Shangyuan Flower Festival, he would leave Jiangdu to search for Yujing Mountain. By then, he would have even less intersection with Tiangong.

"I have remembered it," Xu Lu said to Chi Fangshu. "Even if the Tiangong Palace Master wishes to meet me, I will resolutely refuse. Will that do?"