Protect Our Patriarch-Chapter 46Book 6: : Secret History of the Heavenly Ruins! The Army Marshal Returns to Position

……

At the very moment Huari spoke, the Furious Dragon Double Maces seemed to sense something. With a sudden "howl," they broke free from Wang Anye's hand, transforming into two golden dragon bodies several meters long, charging towards Princess Huari like furious dragons emerging from the sea.

This charge was majestic, like thunder, yet it seemed to carry no hostility, instead exuding an indescribable excitement.

Wang Anye's fingers twitched slightly, but he didn't stop them. Instead, he watched the scene with great interest.

The two golden dragon bodies circled around Princess Huari continuously, the sound of metal clashing and dragon roars echoing, as if they were both puzzled and feeling an extreme closeness to Princess Huari.

With a thought, Princess Huari unleashed her immense soul power, enveloping the pair of golden dragon bodies.

Everyone's soul power and aura are unique, stemming from the essence of their true spirit.

Sensing this familiar soul power, the eyes of the two golden dragon bodies suddenly lit up.

It really is the master!

The twin dragons roared excitedly, rushing forward to coil around Princess Huari, rubbing against her as if expressing their longing.

Princess Huari reached out to touch them, and they immediately transformed back into a pair of celestial maces, falling into her hands.

In an instant, a feeling akin to a blood connection surged through her heart.

Huari felt an endless power coursing through her body, instinctively swinging the maces alternately!

"Boom! Boom!"

Two terrifying golden energies swept out, causing the surrounding space to tremble violently and crack. The deafening roar left everyone dizzy and their hearts pounding, giving off the aura of an unparalleled female warrior.

"My sister!" Wang Fugui was also shocked by such violence. "Your power is quite explosive. Is this the legendary dual-wielding mace saint?"

"I don't know either." Princess Huari blinked innocently. "I just feel very familiar with these Furious Dragon Double Maces, as if they recognize me. Could it be that these are the celestial artifacts left by Wu Panpan?"

Although everyone knew Huari was the reincarnation of Wu Panpan, she herself occasionally used her identity as a reincarnated True Immortal to boast, but it was mostly just talk. Her memories of her past life were too fragmented for her to truly feel her "True Immortal reincarnation" identity.

In a family full of prodigies, the advantages brought by being a True Immortal reincarnation were not evident. Without the advantage of talent, being a True Immortal reincarnation didn't seem all that special.

Until now, it all felt like a dream to her.

"……"

Wang Baosheng was also speechless.

Aunt, weren't you supposed to be "ordinary"?

If this is what you call ordinary, then isn't our entire family a bit too monstrous?

"Die'er, don't be too caught up in past lives." Wang Anye patted Huari's shoulder. "You've already been baptized by the river of reincarnation and reborn as a child of the Wang Clan. Whether or not you have memories of your past life, you're still my granddaughter, still a member of the Wang Clan. If there are any unfulfilled wishes from your past, Grandpa and the other elders will help you fulfill them."

"Yes, Die'er understands." Princess Huari nodded happily.

In any case, she felt very fortunate to be born into the Wang Clan, with loving parents, kind elders, a respected brother, and an adoring younger brother like Baosheng...

Wang Baosheng also felt that Great-Grandpa's words made a lot of sense.

He often felt as if he had been reborn, carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders, sometimes feeling lost.

Now it seemed he was truly lucky to be born into the Wang Clan~

The appearance of the Furious Dragon Double Maces was just a minor episode.

After Huari collected the Furious Dragon Double Maces, and after a few casual conversations, Wang Anye and Wang Fugui resumed their calm "blind box opening" activity, uncovering various relics from the Shenwu Heavenly Abyss, some worthless, some valuable.

As time passed, the temporarily subdued energy tides gradually surged again, signaling the end of this "treasure hunting" activity.

Just as they finished opening a batch of blind boxes and were about to return...

Suddenly.

A violent energy fluctuation erupted from the center of the Shenwu Heavenly Abyss.

Through the layers of energy halos, a faint golden light could be seen piercing through the surging energy tides, flying towards them like a shooting star.

The golden light emitted a strong aura, but its progress seemed difficult, frequently impacted by the energy tides around the core area, causing it to shake violently or tumble.

Yet, despite this, the golden light remained persistent, its direction unwavering.

"Reincarnation, you bastard! While suppressing me, you dare to throw things out." At this moment, the roar of the Great Demon Lord Chilong echoed through the tides, filled with immense anger. "I don't believe that you, growing weaker by the day, can suppress this Great Demon Lord forever."

"Suppressing you for one more day is one more day."

The voice of the Reincarnation Tree followed, old and hoarse, yet exceptionally calm and composed, as if nothing could shake him.

After a pause, his voice echoed in everyone's ears: "Di Xiu, catch it. This is Panpan's item. I don't have enough power now to protect it."

"Yes, Senior Reincarnation."

Di Xiu Immortal Monarch immediately stood up, waved the Wu Jin Wooden Staff, and a pale green light of immortal spirit surged out, transforming into a giant hand that reached into the tides to retrieve the golden light.

When the giant hand returned and dissipated, a floating Immortal Scripture appeared before everyone.

It was an Immortal Scripture with dragon motifs on its surface, exuding a powerful dragon aura, noble and majestic, accompanied by faint dragon roars.

Clearly, this was a dragon-attribute Immortal Scripture.

Earlier, the Reincarnation Tree had mentioned that this was Panpan's item.

In an instant, all eyes turned to Princess Huari.

Huari also seemed to sense something, her figure suddenly rising into the air, approaching the Immortal Scripture.

Sensing Huari's aura approaching, a genderless "little dragon person" spirit artifact emerged from the Immortal Scripture.

He looked young, wearing a set of exquisite small armor, and appeared dizzy, as if he had been tossed around in the energy tides.

But upon seeing Princess Huari, he instantly became spirited, eagerly flying towards her with the Immortal Scripture: "Sister Panpan, I finally reunited with you! I missed you so much!!"

Princess Huari caught him, a strong sense of familiarity rising in her heart.

She caressed the Immortal Scripture a few times, seeming to understand: "So it's you, the True Dragon Immortal Art! But in this life, I'm called Wang Jidie, titled Princess Huari, so you should call me Sister Huari."

"Okay, Sister Huari." The True Dragon Immortal Art happily rubbed against Huari. "Ever since you died in battle, the true spirit has been sleeping under Grandpa Reincarnation's protection. A while ago, Grandpa Reincarnation released you and pulled you back from the river of reincarnation~~ Grandpa Reincarnation said it wouldn't be long before we reunited."

Died in battle?

Uh, haha~~

Princess Huari quickly said, "Now's not the time to talk about this. The energy tides are getting more intense. Let's retreat to a safe area first."

Due to the delay caused by the True Dragon Immortal Art, they had missed the best time to retreat. The energy tides had become intense, and even with the combined efforts of three True Immortal Realm experts, it was quite challenging.

They dared not linger any longer and quickly began to retreat against the energy tides.

Fortunately, nothing else went wrong on the way back. Soon, they returned to the temporary palace.

Once back at the temporary palace.

Everyone gathered to hear what the Immortal Scripture knew.

For such Immortal Scriptures, the spirit artifact's intelligence is dependent on the Immortal Scripture itself. Unless someone deliberately erases its consciousness, it will persist as long as the Immortal Scripture exists.

Moreover, once an Immortal Scripture is inherited, its spirit artifact can perceive the outside world through its owner, often knowing many secrets.

The Shenwu Royal Dynasty had been gone for over ten thousand years, and much of today's history books were completed with the memories of spirit artifacts.

After all, ten thousand years is a vast expanse of time, and most traces left from that era have long been erased by time. Only those spirit artifacts that personally experienced history know the truth of those days.

Especially regarding the catastrophic war back then, almost all who knew about it had perished, leaving no one to tell what truly happened.

"I am the True Dragon Immortal Art, essentially an Immortal Scripture." The True Dragon Immortal Art introduced itself.

It turned out to be a body cultivation Immortal Scripture. By cultivating it, one could gain the power of a true dragon, becoming fierce and domineering in battle.

If cultivated to the True Immortal Realm, its combat power would be overwhelming, allowing one to enter a berserk state and transform into a thirteenth-order true dragon for battle.

Because of this, its previous owner, Wu Panpan, had extraordinary combat power. Although she was among the younger marshals of the various army groups, she was one of the strongest.

"Little dragon person, how did I die in my previous life?" Princess Huari couldn't help but ask.

"Woo~~ Sister Huari, in your previous life, you died in battle under the siege of the three major Demon Gods, but you didn't go down without a fight. Before dying, you went berserk and perished together with one of them! Grandpa Reincarnation praised you as a hero."

The True Dragon Immortal Art began to recount the battle of her previous life, sobbing.

In her past life, Wu Panpan was the marshal of the Third Army Group of the Shenwu Army.

As one of the main army groups, she was ordered to block the left-wing demon army at the Boundary Rift. At that time, the left-wing demon army was led by three Demon Gods.

Even though they were defending, and the Third Army Group was elite, the casualties were still extremely heavy.

Endless demon armies poured out from the massive Boundary Rift, like an endless ocean.

The Third Army Group blocked wave after wave of assaults, like tides crashing, with one legion after another being shattered and destroyed!

But no one retreated a step.

For example, the commander of the Ninth Legion, Yao Guifang, after her legion was nearly wiped out, led her remaining guards to fight to the end, ultimately perishing in an explosion.

The commander of the Fifth Legion, Sima Yanbo, in the final moments, dragged two demon kings to die with him.

Until the end, Wu Panpan transformed into a true dragon to battle the three Demon Gods, ultimately perishing together with one of them by going berserk.

As the True Dragon Immortal Art narrated, everyone seemed to see the scenes of that time, feeling the tragic and brutal nature of that catastrophic war.

And Wu Panpan's Third Army Group was just defending one position.

In fact, the demon forces assembled by the Great Demon Lord Chilong far exceeded the raiding forces of the Eclipse Moon Demon Lord.

After all, the latter was just a demon lord sent over for support, and although the demon army that came with him was elite, their numbers were not very large. In contrast, the Great Demon Lord Chilong was a true native demon ruler, with sixteen demon army groups and twenty Demon God combat forces under his command.

Such terrifying strength, under the leadership of the Great Demon Lord Chilong, launched a full-scale attack on the Shenwu World of the human race. Just imagining the scene was enough to send chills down one's spine!

At that time, the Holy Emperor of Shenwu had only six army groups left under his command, totaling ten True Immortal combat forces, plus the Holy Emperor and his life-bound sacred plant, the Reincarnation Tree.

Compared to the main battlefield of the Shenwu Heavenly Abyss, the battlefield where the Mystic Spirit Saintess led her forces to intercept the Eclipse Moon Demon Lord was far less in scale and brutality.

In this war, from any perspective, the Shenwu human race was at an absolute disadvantage. According to common logic, the human race was destined to be defeated, and the Shenwu World would be completely occupied by the demon race.

In fact, as the human side held on, one army group marshal after another fell, until only the Holy Emperor of Shenwu was left struggling to hold on.

But the Great Demon Lord Chilong never expected that, in the final moments, the Holy Emperor of Shenwu, taking advantage of the enemy's focus on the great battle, secretly completed the layout of the super trump card, the "World Destruction Pearl," destroying the support nodes of the boundary, and using the explosive power of the two-world space support points and the resulting terrifying spatial energy storm to annihilate the remaining enemies.

After this, the terrifying energy storm swept through both the Shenwu and demon worlds.

This was like flipping the table, sending both races back to the primitive era.

With the description of the True Dragon Immortal Art, everyone fell silent.

Although they knew that the apocalyptic war back then must have been extremely tragic, they didn't expect it to be so heroic.

"Don't be afraid, Die'er." Wang Anye hugged his pale-faced granddaughter, speaking firmly, "In this life, Grandpa will never let you fall into a situation of certain death again. Even if Grandpa has to pick up trash every day, I'll help you gather a stronger army to crush all invading enemies."

The first half of the sentence moved Princess Huari, but the second half left her a bit amused.

Gathering an army by picking up trash sounded unreliable, but her grandpa just might be able to pull it off...

"Grandpa, I'm not afraid. I already have the Canglong Army." Princess Huari had regained her composure, speaking with determination, "I will lead the Canglong Army to grow, and eventually surpass the Shenwu Third Army Group of the past."

"Aunt, later bring your military-themed grand film over, and I'll have someone help you manage it well to earn more military funds. Then we can find someone to make a film about this history too." Wang Baosheng also expressed his support with action, "I can even sacrifice some of my time to personally edit it... to add a sense of historical weight and artistry!"

"Having someone manage it is fine." Princess Huari quickly stopped him, "But you don't need to personally edit it."

Recently, she had chatted with her brother Wang Fugui and learned about Wang Baosheng secretly filming his own grand film. She was also shocked by the data of the film edited by her nephew himself.

How bad must the content be to flop so hard even with full-channel operation?

Her nephew really had no artistic talent at all, yet he loved to play.

"……" Wang Baosheng, feeling rejected.

……

Time flew by, and more than ten years passed.

Unknowingly, it was now the year 3549 of the Great Qian calendar. It had been twenty years since Wang Shouzhe first arrived at the Holy Domain when the portal opened.

Tianrui Holy Dynasty. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Immortal Clan Jiang.

On this day, the weather was clear and sunny.

Inside the main residence of the Jiang Clan, at the edge of a landing pad for flying boats, a group of core members of the Jiang Clan, led by Immortal Lord Haoran, were gathered, eagerly waiting.

They had been waiting here for nearly an hour, yet no one showed any impatience. Instead, they remained enthusiastic and full of anticipation.

Because today, Young Master Shouzhe was coming.

A few days ago, Young Master Shouzhe had sent a message saying he would visit the main residence of the Jiang Clan.

Upon receiving the message from Young Master Shouzhe, they were overjoyed and immediately made various preparations, waiting here early to greet Young Master Shouzhe as soon as he arrived.

It's no wonder they were so attentive.

Back then, the Jiang Clan faced consecutive disasters, almost reaching a dead end. But after aligning with Young Master Shouzhe, their situation reversed instantly.

Young Master Shouzhe merely entrusted some spirit rice business to the Jiang Clan, and with a few signals sent out, the attitudes of those families changed immediately.

Debt collectors stopped coming to the door, and two families specializing in banking even proactively asked if they needed more loans, their attitudes exceedingly friendly, as if they weren't the ones urgently demanding repayment before.

During the subsequent reorganization of family industries and debt repayment, the Jiang Clan faced no difficulties, smoothly repaying most of their debts and redeeming mortgaged mines and the like.

Even the Tianrui Sima Clan treated them more politely than before.

They naturally understood that this wasn't due to the Jiang Clan's own abilities but entirely because of Young Master Shouzhe's influence.

Without Young Master Shouzhe, the Jiang Clan would likely be facing a pack of "hungry wolves" rather than this harmonious "everyone is happy" scene.

Over the past twelve years, the Jiang Clan had endured hardships but eventually emerged from the most difficult days. With the spirit rice business entrusted by Young Master Shouzhe, they opened up the market and regained their footing among the immortal clans.

As an old immortal clan, once the Jiang Clan revived, their extensive network became a huge advantage, allowing them to expand the spirit rice business throughout the Tianrui Holy Dynasty and neighboring immortal dynasties in a short time.

Even though they were only earning agency fees, they still made a fortune due to the ever-growing volume of spirit rice.

Now, their only remaining concern was the matter of the Immortal Scripture inheritance.

Jiang Yunxuan had failed to break through his bloodline with the Manifestation Pill, suffering severe injuries, and had not improved over the years, barely hanging on with medication.

While a clan elder was eagerly waiting, he couldn't help but privately ask Jiang Clan Leader Jiang Jianmu, "Jianmu, I heard that ten years ago, Ancestor Haoran begged Young Master through Muxian, hoping to obtain a 'Heavenly Return Pill.' Is Young Master's visit this time related to that?"

Now that the clan was gradually becoming wealthier, the elders' treatment had improved, and the once thin and haggard elders now had rounder, more radiant faces, resembling Void True Lords.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jianmu's expression immediately became solemn, admonishing the elder, "Do not presume to guess Young Master's intentions. Young Master has been immensely kind to our Jiang Clan. Whether or not he can obtain the 'Heavenly Return Pill,' we should be grateful."

The Heavenly Return Pill and the Manifestation Pill were both eleventh-grade pills, but the former required more rare treasures, and its effects were miraculous, capable of bringing the dead back to life. For cultivators below the True Immortal Realm, no matter how severe the injury, one Heavenly Return Pill could usually cure it.

Even if an Immortal Monarch were injured, as long as the injury wasn't fatal, they could quickly recover with a Heavenly Return Pill.

Having a Heavenly Return Pill on hand could sometimes mean an extra life!

Therefore, the Heavenly Return Pill was considered a high-end strategic pill, strictly controlled, and difficult to obtain even with money.

At least, with the Jiang Clan's current status, obtaining a Heavenly Return Pill was quite challenging.

As they spoke, a member of the Jiang Clan keenly noticed a streak of light in the distant sky and exclaimed, "Look! Isn't that Young Master Shouzhe's flying carriage?"

Everyone looked closely and was immediately filled with joy.

Indeed, it was the flying carriage commonly used by Wang Shouzhe.

It was an exceptionally luxurious medium-sized flying carriage, the size of a small villa, made of top-quality materials, and designed with exquisite elegance, showcasing wealth without losing taste.

The flying carriage was equipped with sophisticated formations and engraved with intricate inscriptions, making it glow with spiritual light, attracting attention from afar.

This flying carriage was originally transferred from the Divine Treasure Hall by Yao Yumei. Wang Shouzhe found it comfortable and, disliking the hassle of transferring it back and forth, bought it directly from the Divine Treasure Hall, slightly modified it, and used it for travel.

Whenever he visited the Tianrui Holy Dynasty, he mostly used this flying carriage, so the Jiang Clan was quite familiar with it.

Sure enough, in no time, the flying carriage began to descend, spiraling down towards the Jiang Clan's landing pad.

The Jiang Clan members immediately rushed forward excitedly to greet it.

By the time the flying carriage landed, the Jiang Clan members were already waiting below it.

"Jiang Clan's Jiang Haoran, along with the Jiang Clan, welcomes Young Master Shouzhe." Leading the group, Immortal Lord Haoran stood at the forefront, leading everyone in saluting the flying carriage.

"Immortal Lord Haoran, please rise. I have always disliked formalities. In the future, there's no need for such a grand welcome."

Wang Shouzhe's voice came from within the flying carriage.

Immediately after, the door of the flying carriage was opened from the inside, but the first to emerge was not Wang Shouzhe, but another graceful figure.

She first opened the carriage door, took down the ladder leaning against the carriage, placed it at the front side of the carriage, then descended the flying carriage and respectfully stood at the bottom of the steps.

It was Jiang Muxian.

Years had passed, and Jiang Muxian's appearance had hardly changed, but her overall demeanor had undergone a significant transformation.

Perhaps due to her time with Wang Shouzhe, having seen many important figures, she had shed the forced calmness and cautiousness that once emanated from her bones, replaced by a sense of composure.

Today, she wore a light green long dress, simpler in style than before, yet it did not detract from her aura, instead adding a sense of grandeur.

Seeing this, both Immortal Lord Haoran and Jiang Clan Leader Jiang Jianmu were filled with relief.

It seemed that letting Muxian follow Young Master Shouzhe was indeed the right decision. With such demeanor, it appeared Muxian had truly grown over the years.

However, today's main focus was still Wang Shouzhe, so Immortal Lord Haoran and the others didn't linger on Jiang Muxian for long. They only gave her a quick glance, nodded slightly in greeting, and then turned their attention to Wang Shouzhe, who followed closely behind.

After a lively welcome.

Immortal Lord Haoran personally escorted Wang Shouzhe into the main residence, warmly entertaining him.

This time, the Jiang Clan didn't serve "aged immortal tea" to entertain Shouzhe but had somehow acquired genuine "Red Robe Immortal Tea."

This was a fiery and intense immortal tea, with the effects of strengthening the body and enhancing the soul when consumed.

Even Jiang Muxian, serving as Wang Shouzhe's maid, received a cup.

After the tea, Wang Shouzhe, who was nominally there to inspect the agency business, proactively said before Immortal Lord Haoran could inquire, "Immortal Lord, please take me to see Jiang Yunxuan."

Immortal Lord Haoran's face immediately lit up with joy, trembling with excitement, "Young Master Shouzhe, have you really obtained the Heavenly Return Pill?"

"Consider it a mission accomplished." Wang Shouzhe replied calmly, "Let's not speak further until the matter is settled."

Immortal Lord Haoran immediately suppressed his gratitude and quickly led Wang Shouzhe to a secluded courtyard deep within the main residence.

This was where Jiang Yunxuan was recuperating.

Upon entering the room, despite the maid's constant care and cleaning, the room still had a strong medicinal and decaying odor. The once spirited Jiang Yunxuan lay motionless on the sickbed, his face pale, appearing on the brink of life and death.

Jiang Muxian hurriedly opened the windows and waved her sleeve to change the air several times, then blushed and apologized to Wang Shouzhe, "Forgive me, Young Master, it was my oversight not to have cleaned the room beforehand."

Immortal Lord Haoran also quickly apologized, taking out top-grade incense used for meditation to dispel the odor.

"No matter. I'm not one of those pampered young masters who can't endure hardship." Wang Shouzhe smiled indifferently, not minding at all.

He examined Jiang Yunxuan's condition, used profound energy to probe him, and quickly understood, instructing the two anxious people behind him, "Muxian, Immortal Lord, please wait outside the room and use your divine sense to seal off this courtyard, ensuring no one disturbs me."

Immortal Lord Haoran promptly complied, immediately leading Jiang Muxian out of the room and using his vast divine sense to lock down the courtyard.

It was evident that Immortal Lord Haoran had immense trust in Wang Shouzhe, even to the point of following his every command.

Once alone, Wang Shouzhe released his divine sense to scan the surroundings, confirming that there was indeed no one else, before taking out a beautiful pill and feeding it to Jiang Yunxuan, then began using life source energy to heal him.

In fact, although Jiang Yunxuan's injuries were severe, this type of injury caused by bloodline rampage was something Wang Shouzhe had extensive experience treating from his early days with Wang Ningxi. He knew how to heal it, and his life source profound energy was the best treatment method.

Ten years ago, Wang Shouzhe could have healed Jiang Yunxuan.

But he didn't act immediately. Firstly, to highlight the preciousness of the "Heavenly Return Pill," agreeing immediately would have been inappropriate.

Secondly, he needed time to assess the Jiang Clan.

The Jiang Clan, an old immortal clan, proved to be exceptionally diligent and earnest in seizing the opportunity, meticulously expanding various sales channels, and in just over a decade, they fully integrated the spirit rice sales into the entire holy dynasty system.

Moreover, the Jiang Clan's integrity and reputation were impeccable. Wang Shouzhe intentionally left some hidden loopholes for them to exploit, but instead of taking advantage, they reported the loopholes and improved the cooperation process.

Furthermore, the Jiang Clan, from top to bottom, was deeply grateful for "Young Master Shouzhe's" timely assistance, proving to be a family that understood and appreciated kindness.Therefore, Wang Shouzhe felt it was perfectly reasonable to lend a hand to the Jiang Clan.

As for the "Heavenly Restoration Pill," Wang Shouzhe certainly didn't go through the trouble of acquiring it. He simply used a common healing pill as a formality, relying primarily on his life source profound energy for treatment.

Fortunately, Jiang Yunxuan had good luck. Although he suffered backlash from the Manifestation Pill, he was merely at the Divine Realm, making the treatment much easier than dealing with Cai Youdao.

In less than half an hour.

Wang Shouzhe stepped out of the small courtyard.

Immortal Lord Haoran looked at Wang Shouzhe with great anxiety, his heart unknowingly on edge: "Young Master, how is the situation?"

"Fortunately, I did not fail. Brother Yunxuan's injuries have largely healed. With some recuperation, he will be back to normal," Wang Shouzhe said calmly. "Moreover, he was lucky. Although he ultimately failed, he still absorbed part of the Manifestation Pill's effects. Once recovered, his bloodline awakening will have reached the qualification to inherit the Immortal Scripture."

"Ah!"

Immortal Lord Haoran was overjoyed, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.

He bowed deeply to Wang Shouzhe, his voice trembling: "Young Master, your grace to the Jiang Clan is beyond repayment. I only wish to spend the rest of my life by your side as an old servant, serving until my death."

Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but smile.

So, after giving away a maid, Immortal Lord Haoran was now ready to sell himself as an old servant? However, from this, it was clear that the Jiang Clan had good character and were not White-Eyed Wolves.

At least, his efforts to save them were not in vain.

...