My Professions Have Too Much Personality - Chapter 289 - 178: I’ll Remember You! The Secret of the Morning Star

“Harboring the Faceless Divine Son is a death sentence!” Xia Hanshi’s expression had changed, becoming cold and murderous. His gaunt figure advanced like a stalking, sickly tiger.

“What ’harboring the Faceless Divine Son’? I see right through your little scheme,” Lu Kai said coldly.

“Is this how Ying Feng operates? Saint Envoy Wu is on the front lines, fighting and dying for you, yet you’re here preparing to persecute us.”

Lei Tieyan stood to the side, his eyes flickering.

“Whether Wu Chenpei can clear his name is another matter entirely,” Xia Hanshi’s tone was icy. “Stop making a scene. If you don’t surrender quietly, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

’Old Xia is so brazenly self-righteous,’ Su Chen thought, watching him. ’I could learn a thing or two.’

“You…” Lu Kai ground his teeth. His voice, like a great bell, suddenly boomed, the sound rolling outward. “Shi Yunzhou, where are you!”

“Well now, what’s all the hostility about?”

The words had barely faded when a figure drifted onto the scene. He was a middle-aged man, somewhat stout and portly, with a kind and agreeable appearance.

Su Chen’s eyes twitched. Shi Yunzhou was one of Ying Feng’s standing elders, a Tier Seven Professional, and the director of the Resources Department, managing the flow of resources. He often dealt with various factions and was widely known as an affable peacemaker.

“Elder Shi…” Lu Kai’s demeanor became more restrained. He said in a low voice, “Xia Hanshi, with nothing but empty words, accuses us of harboring some ’Faceless Divine Son’ and demands our surrender. Is this your intention as well?”

Though his voice was firm and resolute, he was deeply anxious. ’If this is the consensus within Ying Feng, then we have no chance today.’

Still, he couldn’t believe Ying Feng would be so ruthless.

“Mm, you have a point.” Shi Yunzhou frowned slightly and looked at Xia Hanshi. “Yuan Capital is on friendly terms with us, after all. Making such a big move is a bit heavy-handed, isn’t it?”

“Xia Hanshi, what is really going on?” he asked, covertly sending out a mental wave to question him.

He had known nothing about this beforehand and had rushed over only after receiving a message.

Xia Hanshi didn’t respond mentally. He just said grimly, “The Faceless Followers are swarming in, and Ying Feng’s top brass are all deployed. If someone were to cause trouble from within at a time like this, the losses would be immeasurable.”

“You also have a point.” Shi Yunzhou nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Lu Kai. “In that case, how about you cooperate with an inspection?”

’You want to get rid of Hongxuan?’ On the surface, Shi Yunzhou remained calm, but he had already guessed Xia Hanshi’s intentions, and fury was rising in his heart. ’You’re holding Ying Feng hostage, holding *me* hostage.’

“Cooperate with an inspection?” Lu Kai’s mouth twitched. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if this Shi Yunzhou was playing dumb or was genuinely clueless.

’This man… he’s a master of playing dumb,’ Su Chen mused.

He was used to his life in the Judicial Court and hadn’t had much contact with these elders. Seeing Shi Yunzhou in action today, all he could say was that the elders had certainly earned their titles.

“We of Yuan Capital have acted honorably and have nothing to hide! We will not submit to baseless slander! We would rather die!” Lu Kai declared. The members of the Yuan Capital guard beside him echoed in unison, “We would rather die than submit!”

“A fine ’rather die than submit’.” Shi Yunzhou seemed deeply moved. He turned to Xia Hanshi and said with a frown, “Since you’ve made your move, you must have some evidence. If you can’t produce it, don’t blame me for being unaccommodating.”

He gritted his teeth, his mental fluctuations growing more intense. ’You’re playing with fire! If we get rid of Hongxuan, our only hope is Su Chen. What if he fails?’

Lu Kai’s brows furrowed. For a moment, he too felt suspicious. ’Is this really just Xia Hanshi’s own idea?’

“Stubborn resistance.” Xia Hanshi was about to call for his men when he saw Hongxuan coming down the stairs with a grave expression, flanked by two people.

One was Tang Chen, whom he recognized. But the other…

Hm?

Xia Hanshi’s eyes flew wide with rage. Streams of golden light burst from his skin, converging above his head into the hazy image of a dragon. He roared like a great beast, “How arrogant!”

“And you claim you haven’t colluded with the Faceless Ghosts? For Hongxuan to stand so brazenly with the Faceless Divine Son… does he think nothing of us in Ying Feng?”

Hongxuan, who had just come downstairs, hadn’t yet grasped the situation when he heard Xia Hanshi’s roar. He was completely bewildered.

’Me… standing with the Faceless Divine Son?’

’Who is he?’

Suddenly, his gaze faltered. He looked at Xu Siyuan beside him, who also looked utterly confused.

’He… is the Faceless Divine Son?’

’They actually found me? How… But my parasitism is physical…’ Xu Siyuan was in disbelief. When he’d come down, he thought the Judicial Court was just fabricating a pretext to cause trouble for the Yuan Capital People.

But the moment he appeared, he was exposed.

A strange look crossed Su Chen’s face. ’So those two really are mixed up together?’

Lu Kai didn’t react for a moment. He truly didn’t recognize the person standing next to Hongxuan, much less know how he got involved with him.

Shi Yunzhou glanced at Xia Hanshi and snorted inwardly. ’Aren’t his methods a bit too crude?’

’Just point a finger and declare it’s true? Is he that confident I won’t expose his charade?’

“Surrender now!” Xia Hanshi barked, then turned to Shi Yunzhou. “Elder Shi, please act quickly.”

“Wait!” Lu Kai shouted hastily. “Just because you say so—”

“Whether he is or isn’t, we’ll know once we capture him and take a look,” Shi Yunzhou said flatly, though he was inwardly furious.

Xia Hanshi was determined not to back down. The plot was already laid bare; even without definitive proof, Yuan Capital would be enraged regardless. Rather than pay a higher price to appease them later, it was better to just go along with Xia Hanshi’s plan.

Between Su Chen and Hongxuan, he naturally favored the former.

But ultimately, this was not a choice he had made willingly. He had been strong-armed into this by Xia Hanshi, and his anger still simmered.

With a mere extension of his hand, Energy began to converge around Xu Siyuan.

’The Divine Son… what are his characteristics?’ Shi Yunzhou was still thinking, trying to make his actions look convincing. The public pretext couldn’t be this flimsy; he had to at least try to mitigate some of Yuan Capital’s future wrath.