"You—"

He seemed unable to believe his eyes, but in the next moment, his expression immediately changed. Without waiting for Yu Wenye to speak, he suddenly reached out from the door and grabbed Yu Wenye!

Then, with force, he pulled Yu Wenye into the room.

At the moment he was dragged into the room, Yu Wenye reached back, grabbing Shang Ruyi’s wrist, pulling her into the room as well.

The three of them were somewhat unsettled, especially Shang Ruyi, whose heartbeat almost skipped a beat.

She took a couple of heavy breaths before lifting her head. She saw Lei Guo wearing a shocked expression, and after pulling them both into the room, he immediately reached out to close the door, then walked to the window, cautiously pushed it open slightly, and looked outside.

Outside, it was still as quiet as before, not a person in sight, not even the sound of wind.

On the other side, Yu Wenye, pulled to the center of the room, showed a calm face with not the slightest ripple, as if he was on his own territory and meeting his own subordinates. He even dusted off his sleeves comfortably, then looked around.

Shang Ruyi followed his gaze, briefly examining the surroundings — the room was indeed as they had expected, simply furnished, without a separation between inner and outer rooms, only a bed against the wall and a low table in front of it, a few mats, and on the other side, a cabinet against the wall with several cups placed on it.

And a sword.

Lei Guo had evidently finished his official duties for the day and returned here to lower his guard, wearing only a quilted jacket. There wasn’t even a brazier in the room, but from the crack in the door just now, his forehead was covered in fine sweat. If this person wasn’t naturally hot-blooded and unafraid of cold, then he must have a fire burning within, causing him great anxiety.

And from the heavy atmosphere in the room, it seemed more likely to be the latter.

At this moment, he leaned against the window, looking outside for a long time, confirming nothing unusual, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping slightly. Yet when he turned his face to the side again and saw Yu Wenye standing in the center of the room, his expression became complicated.

Moreover, his entire body was somewhat tense.

He said, "Second Son, why have you come?"

Yu Wenye glanced at him and said, "The news from Chang An should have reached here by now."

"Chang An?"

The still unfamiliar name stunned Lei Guo, but in the next moment, he understood and, looking at Yu Wenye again, his gaze became more solemn. "Yes, Daxing has now been renamed to Chang An; and Daye has been renamed to Dasheng."

"..."

"So you are—"

"The Dasheng Dynasty, King Qin, Yu Wenye."

"King Qin, King Qin..."

Lei Guo repeated this title, as if savoring some taste or musing over it. After a good while, he finally smiled lightly and said, "Yes, we all understand, the Duke—oh no, now should be called Emperor Dasheng, would eventually accomplish great things."

"..."

"As it turns out now, indeed."

"..."

"I also, I once, also considered myself fortunate to encounter a wise leader."

Having said this, he slowly turned around, yet did not walk towards Yu Wenye; instead, he turned and walked towards the cabinet, seemingly intending to pour some tea for the guest.

Watching his back, Yu Wenye’s face darkened as he said, "Since you have met a wise leader, why would you defect to the enemy?"

Upon hearing the low voice ask this question, although the volume was not high, in the narrow and empty room, it felt like a thunderclap, deafening, making Shang Ruyi’s breathing involuntarily tighten as she closely watched Lei Guo.

When Lei Guo heard this, his shoulders twitched immediately.

Even though he hadn’t turned around, just looking at his back one could feel he was tense all over, and when he spoke, his voice was so hoarse it was barely audible: "Since you know I’ve surrendered to the enemy, yet you still came, then don’t blame me—"

At this point, he suddenly turned around.

With a booming sound, the sword was unsheathed, the sharp, lightning-like cold light flashed across their eyes.

Shang Ruyi widened her eyes, only to see Lei Guo’s hand holding the longsword he had placed on the cabinet. It turned out that just now, he wasn’t walking over to pour tea, but to take the sword in preparation to attack!

Lei Guo’s eyes were bloodshot, hidden behind the sword’s cold glint, as if stained with blood.

He spoke each word clearly, "Don’t blame me, kill the enemy!"

"...!"

Shang Ruyi also grew tense, but she did not retreat. Instead, she instinctively took a step forward. However, just as she took that step, a tall figure quickly dashed in front of her and shielded her.