Chapter 153: Lord Nuo Makes Her Entrance

The moment Xu Yunzhou finished speaking, the floor-to-ceiling glass door leading to the large open-air balcony was pushed open from the outside—silently, just a crack.

Morning light slipped through the gap, spilling into the room and slicing a dazzling golden ribbon across the floor.

Within that ribbon of light, dust motes danced gently.

A figure stepped forward on the light, wearing a moon-white traditional Chinese kungfu suit.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile lingered on her face.

Her eyes were as clear as a mountain spring—yet unfathomably deep.

It was Xu Nuo.

Twenty-six years old. The youngest "Lantern Bearer" in the history of the overseas Chinese organization, the Incense Gang. Those in the underworld who spoke of her did so with the respectful title of "Lord Nuo."

(TL: Nuò Yé [诺爷]. In Chinese underworld culture, appending Yé [爷], literally meaning lord or master, to a name is a supreme honorific indicating power, high status, and deep respect, regardless of gender.)

Xu Yunzhou's breath caught almost imperceptibly.

This was already the third time he had personally witnessed a "character" he had painstakingly cultivated and watched grow within that mysterious game walk out of the screen and into his real world.

Yet every single time, the impact never diminished.

Especially now.

His gaze involuntarily fell upon the right hand that swung naturally at Xu Nuo's side as she walked.

There, where the moon-white sleeve had slipped back slightly, a pale, slender wrist was exposed.

On that wrist hung a string of deep brown prayer beads.

They were the consecrated beads he had asked Xu Xinyi to procure from Luoyang's White Horse Temple eight years ago.

Now, eight years had passed.

The beads still hung perfectly on her wrist, their color deeper, their luster more restrained.

Much like the young woman before him.

Her features were still exquisite—even more so now that the last traces of baby fat had melted away, sharpening the line of her jaw.

Her brows and eyes had matured, adding a breathtaking, bone-chilling beauty compared to her eighteen-year-old self.

But what had truly changed was something that emanated from deep within her bones.

Simply standing there, she naturally exuded a serene composure—the kind forged by long years of holding power, of deciding life and death, of weathering countless storms. A calm that was almost inhuman.

It seemed the storms she had weathered, the choices she had made, and the burdens she had shouldered over these eight years had far exceeded ordinary imagination.

An immensely complex emotion surged in Xu Yunzhou's heart.

It was a bit like an old artisan gazing upon a jade vessel he had spent half a lifetime carving—one that now radiated inner brilliance and was famed throughout the world.

Gratification. Pride. But even more than that—heartache and tenderness.

Xu Nuo walked straight up to Xu Yunzhou, stopping about three steps away—a distance neither too close nor too far, respectful enough and safe enough.

She halted.

Then she raised both hands, forming a right fist and covering it with her left palm, holding them before her chest.

The gesture was ancient and elegant, as if traced directly from some classical book of rites.

She bowed slightly in Xu Yunzhou's direction.

The bow was not deep, but it was exceptionally solemn.

"Teacher,"

she said, her voice calm as still water:

"Long time no see."

Xu Yunzhou looked at her lowered head, the nape of her neck exposed, pale and delicate. He fought the urge to reach out and tousle her hair.

That would be too frivolous.

For the Xu Nuo of today, it would be inappropriate.

A warm smile spread across his face:

"Ah Nuo, you've grown up."

Hearing that familiar "Ah Nuo," Xu Nuo's entire body trembled almost imperceptibly, unable to control itself.

It was him!

It really was him in person, in the flesh!

Even the gray Mao suit he wore... it was exactly the same as the last time she had "seen" him, eight years ago!

The style of the clothes, the luster of the fabric, even the tiny crease at the collar... identical in every detail!

The calm expression Xu Nuo had so carefully maintained instantly crumbled.

Time seemed to rush backward in a roaring torrent!

Before her eyes appeared that cramped, cluttered little attic of "Happiness Manor" in Edo City.

In her ears echoed that guiding voice, always carrying a hint of mockery, which had become her only light, her only faith through countless lonely nights!

...

She snapped back to reality, looking at Xu Yunzhou once more.

A thought forced its way into her mind, unbidden:

Teacher... could it be that he has only worn this one set of clothes for all eight years?

Is this what he occasionally referred to as "crossing the tribulation of the mortal world?"

He had gifted her unimaginable wealth—tens of billions—and immense power, allowing her to command respect and fear overseas...

While he himself lived in frugal simplicity... unwilling to buy even a single new garment?

"Teacher..."

Her throat tightened abruptly. A scalding hot surge rushed unbidden to her eyes, her nose stinging instantly.

She instinctively wanted to step forward, just like the helpless, crying girl who once curled up in that attic corner, seeking a support, a comfort.

Even if it was only him using that virtual, warm, glowing hand to gently pat her head.

But reason—and the self-control forged over eight years—forced her to suppress the urge.

Because on the sofa beside them, another "old acquaintance" was still seated.

Xu Nuo rapidly concealed her emotions, restoring that unruffled composure.

She offered Xu Yunzhou a faint, apologetic smile, then slowly turned.

Facing Wen Xi, who had been sitting on the sofa with arms folded, a playful smile on her lips.

Although Xu Nuo, at 168 cm (5'6"), appeared somewhat petite and delicate next to Wen Xi's nearly 180 cm (5'11") frame with her impossibly long legs.

When she stood still and raised her chin slightly, her eyes locking onto Wen Xi with a half-smile, the aura she radiated was in no way inferior. In fact, it carried an undertone of barely contained rivalry.

"Sister Xi,"

Xu Nuo said, her voice still gentle, but her tone laced with sharp edges:

"That remark you made just now... was far too absolute."

"It's true: a king never meets a king."

She paused. Her gaze met Wen Xi's in the air between them—invisible electric sparks seemed to crackle:

"But it also depends on who needs to yield to whose edge."

The moment she spoke, it was an undisguised, direct challenge!

Wen Xi suddenly laughed:

"Lord Nuo, don't say I didn't warn you. This isn't overseas. This is within the borders of Great Xia."

She tapped the sofa armrest with a fingertip, her gaze sharp as a blade:

"Here, gods are forbidden and specters retreat. Strutting around and throwing your weight... probably isn't appropriate, is it?"

"Throwing my weight?"

Xu Nuo let out a soft laugh.

"Sister Xi, I can't bear such an accusation."

"In the past three years, the Incense Gang has responded seven times to invitations from the International Cooperation Department of Great Xia's relevant authorities, assisting in cross-border crackdowns on major telecom fraud syndicates.

We've provided nineteen pieces of key intelligence, and helped rescue over two hundred Great Xia citizens trapped overseas. Three of those core takedown operations were personally coordinated and synchronized by me."

She lifted her eyes, her gaze clear as she looked at Wen Xi:

"Just last month, a leader from a certain ministry in Jingzhou personally called me to explicitly welcome me to return often. They said the motherland will always be my home, and that they are the backing the Incense Gang can rely on."

"I came home to visit family and stopped by to pay respects to my teacher. Is that what you call... 'throwing my weight'?"

Her tone shifted, her smile turning cold:

"Rather, Sister Xi, you..."

"I don't know if it was some slip of my tongue beforehand, or if your title of Criminal Investigation Queen is truly well-deserved, but you managed to precisely calculate that I would be here today, arriving first to take the lead."

She shook her head slightly, half-sighing, half-praising:

"As expected of you. Before you... one truly cannot afford the slightest negligence."

Faced with this watertight yet subtly barbed response, Wen Xi showed no irritation. Instead, the interest in her eyes deepened.

She didn't directly address Xu Nuo's questioning about the "leaked itinerary." Instead, she shifted topics casually, as if chatting about everyday matters:

"Speaking of that joint cross-border operation in Feibei the year before last..."

She suddenly raised a hand and patted her right outer thigh, wrapped in tight black leather pants with well-defined contours:

"To cover your Incense Gang infiltration team's extraction, I drew enemy fire from the flank in the combat zone. Took a solid bullet right here. Laid up for half a month."

As she spoke, she even made a motion as if to unfasten the metal button on her leather pants!

"The bullet was extracted, but the scar's still there. You little ingrate—not even a single check-in call afterward?"

The move was bold and abrupt, full of Wen Xi's characteristic wildness and provocation.

"Hmph."

Xu Nuo let out a light snort. Faced with this nearly shameless gesture, her expression remained largely unruffled, though her gaze turned several degrees colder:

"That operation cost our Incense Gang a core sleeper agent who had been embedded for two years. Because of a last-minute change in the extraction route, he was exposed and caught by the opposing side. To this day, there's been no word from him. Did you provide any assistance?"

They locked eyes. The temperature in the room plunged to a freezing degree.