The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

"This...this plan is every businessman's dream!"

Adams roared with "surprise" and "excitement".

"Quiet down, quiet down. If you raise your voice any louder, we'll have to pray that this place doesn't collapse from your voice."

Wei Yanwu smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"I know this plan is exciting, but it's still far from being finalized. You can keep shouting like this after we succeed."

"Okay, okay—I was a little too excited."

Adams's expression now looked much more normal, as it seemed that his earlier roar had released his pent-up fear.

"This plan is excellent, no, there is no better way than this plan—Qiao Yelan, I'll leave the Emperor's side to you. Adams and I will make full preparations in Longmen. Once we get permission from the Great Yan to fully implement it, we will definitely be able to keep up."

"Alright, then the preparations are up to you. I'll give you some time. We'll set off for the capital of the Great Yan Empire a little later, but time is always precious, so you should proceed as quickly as possible."

Wei Yanwu and Adams both nodded.

Qiao Yelan smiled, raised his teacup, and the three of them clinked their cups together before drinking it all in one gulp.

The atmosphere began to lighten, and everyone prepared to leave the secret room to attend the banquet.

Just as Adams walked behind Qiao Yelan, preparing to push him out, Qiao Yelan seemingly casually turned his head and asked Wei Yanwu a question.

"By the way, where's your sister? Why didn't she come with you?"

There was an awkward moment before Wei Yanwu realized that Qiao Yelan didn't seem to know anything about it.

“My sister married Edward. It was a very small, private wedding, so I didn’t have a chance to tell you. As for why I didn’t come—Edward doesn’t like being in the public eye, and the newlyweds were naturally having a bit too much fun, so…”

Seeing a dragon head trying to make a winking or funny face, Qiao Yelan almost couldn't keep up her serious expression.

"What's wrong? You don't seem very happy. Could it be that you... also... with my sister?"

The man sighed, thinking that this guy's unwillingness to become the emperor of the Great Yan might actually be a good thing for the Great Yan.

"No, I'm thinking about something—if you've already mobilized the Imperial Guards left to you by the late emperor, then Edward can't possibly refrain from taking action, right?"

Wei Yanwu nodded.

"Yes, back then, in order to achieve victory in one fell swoop, Adams, Edward, Fumizuki, and I each led a group of people. However, Edward disguised himself well enough that even if he was discovered, people would only think he was Waifan."

"But Vaivans mainly fight with their bare hands—I've really never seen many Vaivans that can breathe fire."

Qiao Yelan's tightly furrowed brows remained unchanged.

“When I first met Edward, he was also in a disguise, but I could still tell that there was something wrong with him. Think about it, if I could spot the problem, then Koschei, as a near-immortal being, couldn't she... spot the problem?”

The scene fell silent instantly.

"should......"

Wei Yanwu swallowed back the words "it's nothing," because this concerned his best friend, and he didn't want to be fobbed off on this matter.

Is there any news circulating outside?

"No, it's just that I mentioned before that I have some connections in Letania. A few days ago, I received news that shortly after the Witch King was assassinated, a creature resembling a giant beast broke into Ludwig University, where the Witch King studied, and even alarmed the Golden Law Guard. In the end, it escaped unscathed."

Qiao Yelan said in a low voice.

"Letania's magic is unparalleled on the continent, and their magical system is the most complete. The most famous spell of the Witch King Helhunzoren is..."

"Telepathic perception...that's also Koschei's specialty!"

Wei Yanwu's face was quite grim.

Koschei not only survived, but he even tried to seize the Witch King's legacy, indicating that he had not given up at all and was still actively preparing to return to Lungmen.

In that case, Edward's identity might actually be in question.

“I’m sorry, Adams, I have to go back right away. Of course, I’ll have Fumizuki stay behind to attend in my place.”

Wei Yanwu was in a hurry to leave.

“Old Wei, it’s not easy for those who have been exposed to hide again—but those who haven’t been exposed must not show their faces again, after all, they are the bloodline of the original King of Victoria…”

Qiao Yelan didn't finish her sentence, but it made Wei Yanwu's heart sink.

He knew that Qiao Yelan was reminding him that at this critical juncture, Edward's situation might be beyond repair—but he absolutely couldn't reveal his sister's marriage to Edward, otherwise...

"Thank you, I will be careful."

As Adams watched the other person's figure disappear, he was about to push his wheelchair forward when Qiao Yelan stopped him with her outstretched hand.

"Well, Mr. Adams Swire, I think it's time for the two of us to talk again."

His voice was completely devoid of the worry and vigilance he had shown earlier; it was only calm.

A chilling calm.

Adams instinctively loosened his grip, took a step back, and swallowed hard.

Qiao Yelan turned her wheelchair around herself and met the other person's eyes.

"Talk about what? The Swire family will certainly participate in the plan—"

"If you continue to play dumb, then I won't ask any more questions."

As if someone had grabbed his throat, Adams felt his breath and the words he wanted to say were abruptly cut off.

Seeing that the other party stopped speaking, Qiao Yelan asked her question quietly.

"Your choice is Wei Yanwu, or the Tower of Babel?"

Should they remain under Wei Yanwu's command, begging him to remember their past favors and protect the Swire family's continued prosperity in Lungmen?

Or should we kneel at the foot of the Tower of Babel, exchanging cold, hard benefits for a necessary escape route to preserve the chance to rise again?

The man had never felt so exhausted. The pain, which had clearly healed, seemed to linger like a maggot on his bones, clinging to his marrow as if trying to tear him to pieces.

Qiao Yelan waited patiently.

Adams Swire, having foreseen the dramatic changes in Victoria, moved his entire family with extraordinary courage, only stopping at Longmen in the East, thus enabling his family to regain its former glory. His vision was highly praised by his contemporaries.

But what if we put it another way?

A family so wealthy it could rival a nation, upon discovering political turmoil in their homeland, immediately emigrated, taking all their wealth and capital with them to another country. They even managed to establish themselves in foreign lands, continuing to grow by attaching themselves to powerful figures.

Qiao Yelan never hesitated to drive such people to their doom.

A cornered dog will jump over a wall, but they were dogs standing on the wall, too afraid to even jump.

Whether they throw bones or stones, they will only greet them with a smile.

Chapter Thirty: Intensity

There was no other sound in the secret room except for Adams' increasingly heavy breathing.

"Why? I can compromise, the Swire family can be your lackeys, we can just eat your leftovers, but why do I have to be your dog?"

Adams' eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Qiao Yelan.

"The answer is simple—because I can't truly trust you."

Qiao Yelan said calmly.

“You are a true businessman, Adams, unlike me and Wei Yanwu. You are someone who can truly weigh everything on a scale. If even Victoria can't retain your loyalty, do you think I would dare to gamble?”

"The reason you called me here is because you want to settle accounts with me. You think Wei Yanwu is easier to deal with than me, so you want to settle the score and then properly coax those two love-struck fools, Wei Yanwu and Edward, so that you can become the 'Undying Black Serpent' of Lungmen again."

“I helped you move your family away and helped you get on Wei Yanwu’s chariot—and now you’ve won, Longmen is yours, but don’t forget, you haven’t paid me the reward I deserve.”

“I also have a share in Longmen, but you didn’t mention it—but did Wei Yanwu mention it?”

Qiao Yelan's words struck the other person's heart with every single one.

"You're so stupid, Adams, so stupid—is it because you've realized that every decision you've made since moving your family away twenty years ago was correct that you've become so arrogant? Do you really think that Wei Yanwu is like Edward, someone who sees power as dirt and only thinks about dating the person he loves?"

“Wei Yanwu’s status has never become lowly—the late emperor was willing to give him a Imperial Guard, while the current emperor still regards him as a thorn in his side. Princess Wenyue, a princess who was married off to another country, even helped her husband to capture Longmen.”

"A crown prince chosen by the emperor, who managed to leave the position without being demoted, exiled, or convicted, and escape unscathed from the struggle for succession within the Great Yan royal family, even being granted a fiefdom in a remote area—do you think such a person should be called 'love-obsessed'?"

The man couldn't help but laugh as he said this.

“Both you and I are businessmen who have invested in Wei Yanwu, and you have even invested more. So you want to settle accounts with me and then swallow my share in Longmen so that you can continue to expand your family. But have you ever thought about why, when Wei Yanwu met me, he only asked questions and did not mention my share of the compensation at all?”

"Didn't you notice how excited he was when I said I would trade all of Babel's assets in Dayan for silence? He even directly assumed that I could gain support—not because he thought I would definitely succeed, but because he thought I was planning to sell everything in Dayan and was already settling accounts."

Qiao Yelan's words made Adams' face contort.

Could it be...

“He knew what you were thinking all along, my dear Adams. He was more than happy to see me forced out of Lungmen, because he didn’t want a part of Lungmen to be in the hands of someone he couldn’t fathom, nor did he know their abilities or power!”

"Yes, you contributed more money, more effort, and even took the lead in helping him take Longmen—but this allowed Wei Yanwu to see you clearly, to see that your Swire family was nothing more than an ordinary wealthy merchant family in his eyes, and he could easily manipulate and deal with you."

The old man was trembling.

From the tongue, to the teeth, to the lips, to the whole face, to the whole person.

He finally understood why Qiao Yelan hadn't even attended his own granddaughter's birth banquet, but had accepted his invitation to attend a fifth birthday party this time.

Because this person will only appear at the beginning of one story—

And the ending.