Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 587 - 19: The Funeral Without Tears (Part Seven)
Lady Dan sat alone on the steps, a wild pigeon with a green neck flapping its wings, landing before her eyes, walking back and forth with its slender, distinctive neck. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over it, startling the green pigeon into flight.
Lady Dan looked up to see a beautifully dressed white-collar woman standing before her.
Yu Shiqie.
"May I sit here for a while?"
She smiled politely.
Lady Dan nodded silently.
Yu Shiqie sat down as invited, and after a while, she turned her neck and asked.
"How is Yu Shu doing?"
"She and I have nothing to do with each other now."
Lady Dan spoke indifferently.
"Yu Shu has complained to me more than once that the legacy of Taishuai is sometimes an unnecessary burden."
Yu Shiqie stared intently at Lady Dan and nodded, "I believe you."
She stood up, "I’ll take my leave."
Lady Dan showed no emotion.
"Wild pigeons can’t squeeze into a flock of eagles,"
Yu Shiqie suddenly said, out of the blue.
She extended a few fingers as if to grasp something, "It’s lost in the middle of the ocean, with a twig in its mouth, resting on the twig when it gets tired. The air is filled with the smell of blood and is thin. No one can be trusted, and no one trusts it, nor does anyone see it as one of their own."
"Men are less reliable than withered twigs—they resent giving you an extra glance when they abandon you. When he loves you madly, he doesn’t consider your feelings, wishing you were his canary. Yan Fu is vast, so leave this place of contention as soon as possible. It’s not where you should be."
Lady Dan and Yu Shiqie looked each other in the eye without speaking, only smiling at her.
Yu Shiqie didn’t say anything more and turned to leave.
Lady Dan watched the wild pigeon that was cautiously approaching from a distance, beckoned gently, and the pigeon plunged onto her palm, cooing and flapping its wings.
"Does anyone know if there’s an end at the edge of the sky?"
"All I know is that the time that has passed will not turn back."
"Each string of tears accompanies every dream, slipping away unnoticed."
"I don’t believe one can have without first sacrificing. I only believe it’s through my own hands that I find what I’m seeking."
"Each string of sweat is exchanged for every achievement; I see through the gains and losses."
Yu Shiqie paused for a moment, Lady Dan’s voice was beautiful, and although quiet, it carried a strong undertone.
Hearing half of it, suddenly Yu Shiqie shrugged her shoulders and left without turning her head back.
Coming in the opposite direction was Li Yan, with a calm expression, carrying two bottles of Eastern Tree Leaves. He passed by Yu Shiqie, glancing quickly and lightly at her, which she pretended not to notice.
Lady Dan stopped singing and smiled at Li Yan, "Gone for so long?"
Li Yan handed Lady Dan a bottle of the drink.
"Hey, I don’t know who lacks such manners, turning the restroom into a total mess."
"Achoo—" Yang Zheng sneezed as he emerged from the restroom.
He returned to Bai Xiao’s side, who gave him a look and tilted her head, "Where did you go?"
"Me? To the bathroom."
Bai Xiao glanced at the blood on Yang Zheng’s fist and gave him a disdainful look.
"Yang Zheng, Bai Xiao," Jiao Chong approached.
"You two, come back to the hotel with me now, especially you, I have something to talk about with you about the upcoming second-ranked seat referendum."
As he spoke, Jiao Chong also saw the blood on Yang Zheng’s fist, but he said nothing.
Yang Zheng helplessly stood up with Bai Xiao.
It was already late, many people had left the funeral home, waiting for the burial the next day. At that time, Zhao Jianzhong would convene the largest and most significant Yan Zhao Club of the past two years.
Cha Xiaodao leaned her head against the wall, her face one of utter discouragement. She didn’t even notice Li Yan and Lady Dan’s return.
"What did he say to you that you look as if you’ve lost your soul?"
"He wants us to join them, and he even made an offer. Do you want to hear it?"
"I’m not interested."
"Are you not interested in my part or not interested in your part?"
"I’m not interested in either."
Cha Xiaodao chuckled, sighed, and stood up, "If there’s nothing else, let’s head back for today."
"Sure."
No sooner had Li Yan finished speaking than Cha Xiaodao walked out on his own.
Lady Dan asked in a low voice, "What’s really going on with him?"
"It’s probably nothing important. Let’s ask later when there’s more time."
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Yang Zheng and Jiao Chong hurried back to the hotel they were staying at. A group of people were sitting on the sofa at the lobby entrance, engaged in a heated discussion. Upon seeing Jiao Chong and the others enter, each of them stood up.
"Boss, Brother Zheng, Sister Bai."
They greeted them one by one.
One of them, a young man in a yellow jacket with a pale face as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, stepped out of the crowd with a somewhat ashamed expression: "Boss Jiao, Brother Zheng, I’m sorry, Chou Ci escaping is my responsibility."
Jiao Chong’s face was grim as he stared at the young man, his voice very low, "Can’t even keep an eye on a cripple. Are you good for nothing but eating?"
The young man bowed his head in silence.
"Boss, let it go. Now’s not the time to scold him."
From the crowd, a man with broom-like eyebrows and a buzz-cut made a round.
Jiao Chong glanced at him and then swept his gaze over the crowd, "Where is Lv Jian?"
"Uh..."
Broom Eyebrow was momentarily at a loss for words.
He and Lv Jian were usually inseparable; last time, they went together to deal with the Tiger Dragon matter. Following the sudden death of Lou Master, the two were also ordered to quickly undergo the Yan Fu trial, representing "Luo Hou" and "Wang Lingguan" respectively.
"I don’t care what he’s up to. You two listen to me; Chou Ci made a big scene at the funeral home, and it was really ugly. He will also go to Mangshan tomorrow. I’ll say it once, if Chou Ci manages to get into the Yan Zhao Club’s meeting, you two better not show your faces to me again."
Broom Eyebrow tilted his head back and instinctively shouted, "Yes."
As night fell, sporadic chirping of insects could be heard nearby. Cars left one after another from in front of the funeral home. Some people didn’t plan to stay overnight there, and on the other hand, several old people keeping vigil for Qin An didn’t want too many outsiders around.
Su Ling stretched and asked Zhao Jianzhong with a smile, who was leaning on a cane and appeared to be dozing off, "Old master, aren’t you going to rest at home?"
"No, I’ll stay right here tonight. Let’s have a chat, just us few."
Zhan Yuejin walked in, having just sent off Si Wenji. Hearing this, he also remarked, "It would be nice if Yuan Chao were here too."
Zhao Jianzhong teased playfully, "In the past, you were always holding private meetings with Yuan Chao. By the time you see me, it’s all about official business. It’s a bit too formal."
Zhan Yuejin just shook his head without speaking.
"I sent out more than five hundred and twenty lapel flowers in total."
Zhu Jiuyin suddenly said, "In other words, after the incident with An broke out, at least one hundred and thirty new Proxy Travelers were born."
Adding together both the first and second seats, there were seventy-four existing members, plus seven second-seat reserves, whom Zhu Jiuyin didn’t need to provide lapel flowers for. This means that, after the profound incident of Lou Master’s death and the loss of dozens of people, the number of Proxy Travelers in Yan Fu had actually exceeded six hundred!
Since becoming a Proxy Traveler meant that most paths of ascension in Yan Fu were blocked, one could only strengthen oneself through external means.
Therefore, if one became a Proxy Traveler but couldn’t become a member of the Yan Zhao Club, most people chose to suppress their own Yan Fu trials, honing themselves while seeking stronger Yan Fu heritages.
This time, with a big deficiency in the Yan Zhao Club, even eighth-level walkers felt they had a chance to enter. It’s easy to imagine how many people couldn’t contain themselves and directly initiated their Yan Fu trials.
"After the Yan Zhao Club’s list is reestablished this time, the numbers will decrease again."
Zhao Jianzhong continued.
"Is there a need to expand the numbers?"
Su Ling asked.
"No."
Zhao Jianzhong, Zhu Jiuyin, and Zhan Yuejin all said in unison.
"All right."
Su Ling said with a hint of regret.
