"I'm truly sorry, City Lord. I've been informed of the situation. My foolish husband was very rude last night and caused you trouble!" Wei Qianqian quickly approached Lu Jingming, her face etched with genuine apology.
Her blue hair flowed smoothly like a waterfall, and her entire demeanor was youthful and radiant, looking no older than her early twenties, making it impossible to connect her to being the mother of two children.
As she spoke, she didn't forget to glare fiercely at Lan Yu, who stood awkwardly to the side.
"It's alright, Sister Wei, it was just a misunderstanding. I didn't take it to heart," Lu Jingming replied politely.
From Wei Qianqian's self-introduction, Lu Jingming learned her identity. Looking at her distinctive blue hair, Lu Jingming guessed that Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo's martial souls were most likely inherited from her.
Moreover, this seemingly young mother exuded a faint but powerful aura, even stronger than her husband Lan Yu's, clearly indicating she was also a formidable Soul Saint expert of no low rank.
Hearing Lu Jingming affectionately address her as "Sister Wei," Wei Qianqian's face immediately bloomed with a smile, and her gaze towards Lu Jingming grew even softer.
White hair, red eyes, stunning looks, extraordinary talent, noble status, and only two years older than her own daughters—all these qualities converged in Lu Jingming, making Wei Qianqian more and more satisfied the more she looked at him.
Her gaze was exactly like a mother-in-law looking at her prospective son-in-law, growing fonder with each glance.
This infuriated Lan Yu. He felt a pang of jealousy, and an expression of displeasure unconsciously crept onto his face.
But before he could react, he was shot down by a sharp glare from his wife, immediately surrendering. He stood meekly to the side like a defeated rooster, not daring to utter a sound.
"Regardless, we were truly disrespectful last night. Please accept our apology. And if you ever need anything from my Lan Family in the future, please don't hesitate to ask," Wei Qianqian said, offering a beautifully wrapped gift box.
Lu Jingming thought for a moment, then reached out and took it. He understood that only by accepting this gift could the Lan Family truly feel at ease, believing that he wouldn't hold a grudge over last night's incident.
Seeing Lu Jingming readily accept the gift, Wei Qianqian's face immediately showed delight, her smile becoming even brighter.
After a brief chat, Wei Qianqian rose to take her leave. The two little lolis, who had been standing obediently like small quails, only dared to speak now. "Big brother, goodbye," Lan Susu and Lan Luoluo said crisply, their voices as melodious as silver bells.
"Mhm, goodbye," Lu Jingming said, smiling as he looked at them. He chuckled inwardly, these two little ones were clearly as terrified of their mother as their father was.
Beside the most bustling street in Shrek City, a delicate three-story building stood quietly. On the signboard at the top of the building, the three characters "Qunyu Pavilion" shimmered, exuding a unique charm under the gentle touch of the sunlight.
Ningguang stood on the rooftop of Qunyu Pavilion, her posture elegant, playing with a exquisite pipe in her hand.
Her gaze casually swept over the bustling crowd below, finally settling on the direction of Shrek Academy. She slowly extended her hand, as if trying to cup the entire Shrek Academy in her palm, to control everything.
"You merchants are just too greedy," a clear voice suddenly broke the silence. The speaker was a small Herta puppet. It stood quietly to the side, the clear seams at its joints silently indicating that it was not a real person, but an exquisite puppet.
Ningguang did not get angry at the words, her lips curving into a faint, nonchalant smile: "Isn't Madam Herta the same? It's just that I crave wealth and money, while you pursue endless knowledge."
The Herta puppet seemed unsurprised by this answer, replying in a flat tone: "You're not wrong to say that." For Herta, unknown knowledge was like a magnet, possessing an irresistible attraction. But once those unknowns were unraveled and became known, her interest would quickly dissipate.
After a brief silence, the Herta puppet spoke again: "For the sake of that little fellow, I'll leave this puppet here. If anything happens, you can contact me through it, but whether I respond will depend on my mood." As soon as it finished speaking, the Herta puppet instantly lost its vitality, like a disconnected machine, becoming rigid and still, as if it had never spoken.
"How capricious," Ningguang shook her head helplessly, sighing inwardly. Herta's personality was indeed unpredictable. If she weren't about to take over Haiyuan City's finances, providing a continuous stream of funding for Herta's experiments, Herta probably wouldn't even bother with her.
In all of Haiyuan City, only Lu Jingming could see Herta's true form and converse with her in depth. Others, even figures like Jingliu, rarely had the opportunity to interact with Herta.
However, Herta was not entirely inscrutable. When necessary, she would also actively show herself, just as she proactively approached Ningguang, who was about to become Haiyuan City's "money bag." After all, her immensely expensive experiments would depend on Ningguang for financial support in the future.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Haiyuan City, Juzi stood at the city gate, taking one last look at the city. Her eyes shone with a determined light; she knew that she wouldn't be returning here for a long time.
"According to intelligence, the Sun Moon Empire's new crown prince, Xu Tianran, will arrive at the border soon. I don't have much time," Juzi murmured softly.
She had changed into simple attire and wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses that concealed most of her striking features.
The mission entrusted to her by the Wuchang Division was to infiltrate Xu Tianran's side and gain his absolute trust. If necessary, she was even to protect Xu Tianran at the cost of her life.
Although she didn't know why the Wuchang Division would entrust such an important mission to a twelve-year-old girl like her, she accepted the task in order to gain the power to kill Duke White Tiger and overthrow the Sun Moon Empire's high-ranking officials.
She subconsciously touched her brow, where her ultimate trump card was hidden—a level nine soul tool called the "Spirit Locust Bead." This soul tool had only one function, but it was incredibly powerful: the moment her physical body died, it could instantly transport her soul back to Haiyuan City.
And once she returned to Haiyuan City, the White Flower, which possessed the power of creation in Lu Jingming's hands, could reshape her physical body. Therefore, Juzi wasn't worried about becoming a disposable pawn.
After all, this level nine soul tool on her brow was worth far more than her current life. This was also her greatest trump card for gaining Xu Tianran's trust, as she truly could risk her life to protect him.