“That’s good.” Grace Lowes relaxed and smiled. “Since Mr Wade has planned everything, I won’t worry needlessly.”
Charlie wade nodded slightly and smiled. “Once the psychological suggestions are done at dinner, the two of you can safely seclude yourselves in your rooms, or come join me if you prefer. Staying indoors for a few days won’t be a problem. As for Miss Lin, they can deliver meals to her room, and she can request anything she wants to eat. They will certainly do their utmost to oblige.”
Lin Wan’er tentatively asked, “If the young master is also going into seclusion, may this servant stay in the same room as you? Otherwise, being alone always feels unsettling.”
Charlie wade smiled and said, “Of course, no problem.”
…
When Charlie wade and the four others returned to their respective rooms, on an island approximately three thousand kilometres from Ushuaia, Wu Fiona was meditating cross-legged in her palace chambers.
In front of her were placed five jade stones of varying shapes and sizes.
She continuously circulated her breathing technique, drawing precious spiritual energy from the five jade stones until all the spiritual energy within them had been completely absorbed.
These five jade stones had been painstakingly collected from around the world by the Wu family and specially presented to her.
Over the past three hundred years, Wu Fiona had never stopped searching the world for rare treasures, spiritual stones, and magical artefacts. In earlier years, the harvest had been abundant, with all manner of excellent items continuously delivered to her. This not only helped her open her Niwan Palace and greatly increase her cultivation, but also allowed her to win loyalty and build her own troop of cultivators.
However, as modernisation advanced, such rare treasures became increasingly difficult to find. Many heavenly materials and earthly treasures that required thousands or even tens of thousands of years to mature had gradually died out before reaching maturity due to climate change and human activity.
In the age of declining spiritual energy, such treasures were already rare. The vast majority perished prematurely, making them even scarcer.
In recent years, medicinal herbs for refining pills had become scarce, and spiritual stones that could be directly absorbed for spiritual energy were even rarer.
Yet at Wu Fiona’s current level of cultivation, let alone five spiritual stones, even fifty might not bring significant improvement. Thus, a sense of helplessness in her cultivation gradually grew in her heart and became increasingly strong.
She knew that her life had entered its final fifth. Had she not taken the Evergreen Pill, even if she could live to a hundred, she would now be over eighty.
With less than a century remaining, which would pass in the blink of an eye, if she could not capture Lin Wan’er and obtain her master’s ring, she would have only death awaiting her.
But even if she captured Lin Wan’er, what then?
Capturing her did not guarantee obtaining the ring.
Even if she obtained the ring, she did not know whether it contained the Hundred Turns Thousand Returns Pill.
If there was no pill, only the recipe, it would be even more troublesome. Could she gather all the materials needed to refine the Hundred Turns Thousand Returns Pill?
Even if she found the materials, would her cultivation be sufficient to successfully refine it?
Each additional uncertainty greatly reduced the chances of success.
Moreover, behind the Poqing Society lurked a mysterious enemy, like a time bomb that could detonate at any moment.
Overall, Wu Fiona grew increasingly uncertain about whether she could live another five hundred years.
The thought of that mysterious enemy filled her with even greater irritation. She immediately summoned her most trusted subordinate, Wu Tony, and asked, “How is the investigation in Morocco progressing? Have you found any clues about that person or the dead warriors and cavalry guards?”
Wu Tony said ashamedly, “In response to the Lord, your subordinate has dispatched multiple teams to Morocco for investigation, but no clues have been found to date. Those people seem to have vanished from the face of the earth in Morocco. Whether at major ports, border crossings, or domestic transport routes, no trace has been discovered.”
Wu Fiona angrily crushed a depleted spiritual stone into powder and said coldly, “Outrageous! How can several thousand people vanish without leaving a single clue? Even if they were burned to ashes, at least bone residue would remain!”
Wu Tony sighed. “Lord, our enemy must be a powerful organisation with both formidable cultivators and strong modern combat capabilities. The close-in weapon system in Cyprus is the best proof. Their methods are extremely cautious, leaving almost no traces. Tracking them down will probably not be accomplished overnight.”
Wu Fiona gritted her teeth and asked, “Since completing the full personnel rotation at all bases, have any traces of the enemy been found?”
Wu Tony shook his head. “In response to the Lord, your subordinate has added numerous hidden sentries and surveillance at every base and has been closely monitoring the situation. No abnormalities or suspicious individuals have been detected approaching any base. Your subordinate believes the enemy is aware of the personnel rotation plan and will no longer risk attacking our bases.”
Wu Fiona sighed. “Their cessation of attacks on bases proves our personnel rotation plan was highly effective, but it has also cut off the enemy’s trail. I fear that if they stop here, we may never catch them again!”
Wu Tony knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and said, “Lord, your subordinate dares to speak words of great impropriety.”
Wu Fiona hummed. “Speak.”
Wu Tony said, “Lord, if the other side truly ceases operations, although our losses cannot be recovered and we cannot avenge these attacks, at least we will no longer be distracted by them. Your subordinate believes that the most important matter at present is to capture Lin Wan’er as soon as possible. All other matters can be set aside. What do you think?”
Wu Fiona was silent for a long time before nodding lightly. “You are right. Suffering a small loss now is not critical. Since the other side are also cultivators, they will be around for decades or a century. If I can resolve the Hundred Turns Thousand Returns Pill, there will be plenty of time to slowly hunt them down and kill them one by one!”
At this point, her expression turned ferocious and vicious as she growled, “I, Wu Fiona, have been proud all my life. I can suffer setbacks, but I will never suffer in silence. Anyone who offends me must pay a thousandfold, ten thousandfold price!”
Then she said coldly, “Pass my order. All members of the Wu family, all governors, and all cavalry guards are to devote full effort to searching for Lin Wan’er’s whereabouts. Whoever finds Lin Wan’er will be rewarded with a hundred years of lifespan and ten billion in assets. Whoever captures Lin Wan’er will receive an additional reward of a hundred years of lifespan for their entire family!”
