Noah Saiom, the envoy of the Murim Alliance, was returning to Shaanxi. He had to go directly to Xi'an to report on the outcome of his negotiations with the Heavenly Demon.
Noah Saiom knew that when they chose him—a warrior at the initial peak stage—for the negotiations, and not someone with higher martial prowess, it meant they were pessimistic about the talks' success.
One of his companions approached and placed a hand on his shoulder. Noah Saiom, who had been staring at the clouds from the back of the carriage, flinched slightly—a sign of the stress weighing on him.
The companion congratulated him on his success, having secured a guarantee from Kang Long himself in such a short meeting.
With a faint smile, Noah replied, "I was merely the Alliance's voice. My true backing was your swords outside the gate. Besides, I went with two demands and only gained one agreement." Noah knew that in the end, he had merely affirmed Kang Long's will. This was imposition, not negotiation.
After talking for a while, Noah realized they had reached the heart of the Guanzhong Plain and were just a few hundred meters from the gates of Xi'an. A group of Alliance warriors waited to greet them.
The entrance to Xi'an was always bustling. All trade from the Northern Frozen Palace, the vast Mongolian steppe, and the first of the three western trade routes passed through Xi'an. The Alliance's greatest income came from providing escort groups to ensure trade security.
Within two hours, Noah reached the Five-Tower Fortress of the Murim Alliance and was guided to the first tower: the Divine Library.
Entering the tower to deliver his report, Noah saw a man seated on the floor, surrounded by walls of books and scrolls. This man was the Alliance's strategist, referred to as the Vice-Leader.
Noah bent at the waist in respect and offered greetings to the Vice-Leader. But the Vice-Leader did not stir from his seat. He closed the scroll in his hand and said to Noah, "The negotiation report arrived by messenger a day ago. You are here to tell me what you couldn't put in the letter."
Noah broke into a cold sweat and asked for clarification.
The Vice-Leader fixed his tired, indifferent eyes directly on Noah. "You want clarification? Then explain how Kang Long imposed his own terms on you. Or how the First Steward forced you to leave Tai'an after a single meeting. Tell me about Kang Long's power display before an official Alliance envoy, and the deployment of his forces to threaten your companions."
Noah, who had not written any of this in his report, answered firmly, "The whole way back, I kept asking myself: Why me? Why was I chosen for the negotiations? Was it so that if the talks failed, all the blame would fall on me? Or is my life insignificant to the Vice-Leader? Or was this proposal to bring Alliance escorts into the city just a pretext for starting a war? You used me as a pawn, and these are the results of a pawn."
The Vice-Leader began to laugh. "I chose you—someone who rose from the bottom to this position, not one of the Twelve Sects or Five Tribes—because the Alliance needs people like you. Even securing further negotiation terms is an achievement. And you also secured the safety of the worshippers. In the future, you'll face even harsher trials—that, I guarantee as the one who moves the pieces. But now, tell me what you couldn't write."
Noah knew the answer. He began recounting every detail. The Vice-Leader sank into thought. He knew this wasn't ordinary posturing—it could only mean one thing. The Heavenly Demon Sect did not want war. They were both conceding advantages and demonstrating power, as if Kang Long wanted to protect the peace.
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Lan and Zhan were exerting all their effort to move. Their mother sat on one side, the midwife on the other, and the twins were struggling to crawl. Both were frustrated by the limitations of their infant bodies.
Their mother watched eagerly as her children tried to move.
But between Lan and Zhan, a competition was underway. On their way back toward the midwife, they had pushed themselves to their limits, but Lan refused to give in. He didn't want to lose to his brother, so he kept telling himself, No, I won't lose to a baby. I've fought with everything I had all my life. Now I'm putting everything on the line again.
At that moment, Zhan's eyes widened in astonishment. He sat up and watched as his brother, having wet himself, continued crawling toward the midwife. Zhan muttered in disbelief, What the hell is this?
When the midwife saw this scene, she decided to retreat. Her laughter vanished, but Lan did not stop pursuing her. He kept repeating, I'll succeed! I'll succeed! But right there, he fell asleep—in clothes soaked with his own urine.
Witnessing this, Zhan learned an important lesson: Giving your all for everything is a mistake. And this guy is already a lunatic who wants to mess up my cradle.