It took a long while before Hou Zonghua slowly stood up, his face pale, and his hunched figure walked off into the distance. At this moment, it was as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

He simply could not fathom how great the fury of the Celestial Palace would be at this moment. Moreover, this rage was something he absolutely could not withstand. Officially, the Celestial Palace had no ties to the Great Xia Kingdom, but only a fool would believe that. Otherwise, why were the Palace Master and the Four Heavenly Kings, as well as the Nine Great War Gods, all from the Great Xia Kingdom?

“Officer Hou? What on earth is going on here? What should we do?” Xing Feng asked Hou Zonghua.

Hou Zonghua finally snapped out of his daze, looked at him bitterly, and said, “Don’t ask. Issue a gag order for what happened today. No one who was here today is allowed to leak a single word of it! Have them all sign confidentiality agreements! As for what we should do? Leave. Everyone should leave and go back home. Close the doors, and for the next few days, don’t concern yourself with anything. Do nothing.”

Xing Feng continued, “Officer Hou, but Old Wang told me to bring some people to guard the foot of the mountain. Should I leave or stay?”

Hou Zonghua hesitated for a moment, then said, “Leave a few people behind. You stay. No matter what happens, don’t get involved. Follow Officer Wang’s orders.”

“Yes!” Xing Feng nodded, then took a few people and a vehicle down the mountain to the perimeter, while the rest of the Sky Survey Division was taken away by Hou Zonghua. The sky was about to fall over in Qianjiang, and he needed to prepare for what was to come.

At this moment, he even felt the impulse to kill Zhou Jie’s entire family. The Zhou family might be powerful, but why did they have to provoke the Celestial Palace?! They were asking for death! But it was too late now; the fury of the Celestial Palace had already been unleashed, and nothing could be done.

Meanwhile, Xiao Tiance, who had left the villa, headed towards where Gao Weiwei was. Along the way, he couldn’t help but recall her image in his mind, filling his heart with a complex mix of emotions.

She was a girl who loved to laugh. Six years ago, she had just graduated from university, full of hope for the world and life. She was so cheerful, gentle, kind, and beautiful. Despite knowing she was being hunted, she still helped him without hesitation. Even when he hurt her in a state of confusion, she didn’t utter a single word of complaint. When he left, she gave him all the money she had.

But Xiao Tiance never expected that after that incident, Gao Weiwei would get pregnant and even give birth to the child, who was now Xiaoxiao. As Tianyi’s news echoed in his mind, Xiao Tiance couldn’t find words to describe the complexity and guilt he felt. That strong-willed girl, who knew how she had survived these years? How had she managed to raise Xiaoxiao on her own?

“I’m sorry. But please, let me have a chance to take care of you and Xiaoxiao from now on. I, Xiao Tiance, will treat you well for the rest of my life. I’m sorry, Weiwei. I’m sorry.” Xiao Tiance’s eyes reddened as he silently apologized to Gao Weiwei in his heart.

Over ten minutes later, Xiao Tiance arrived in front of a villa in the eastern part of the city and saw Tianqi, who had been guarding the place. Tianqi was worried that something might happen to Gao Weiwei again, so he stayed to watch over her. When he saw Xiao Tiance arriving, he was surprised.

“Palace Master? You’re awake? How are your injuries?” Tianqi asked anxiously.

Xiao Tiance looked at the villa where Gao Weiwei was and said, “I’m fine. Has Zhou Jie arrived?”

Tianqi shook his head. “Not yet, but according to the reports from the brothers below, he should be here soon. Palace Master, the madam is coming out.” Just as Tianqi was speaking, he suddenly noticed something and pointed towards the front door of the villa.

Xiao Tiance focused his gaze and indeed saw Gao Weiwei walking out with another woman. The Gao Weiwei of today was very different from the one in his memory. She was dressed in a pair of old jeans, exuding an air of extreme exhaustion, but her beauty was still undeniable. Seeing this, Xiao Tiance felt a pang of sorrow and motioned for Tianqi to step back with him.

At the villa’s entrance, Shen Yuxuan was desperately tugging at Gao Weiwei’s arm, pleading, “Weiwei, just wait one more day, just one day. My dad will be back tomorrow. I’ve already told him about your situation, and he’ll definitely help. Weiwei, don’t do anything rash. If you go with that scumbag Zhou Jie, your life will be ruined. Please, Weiwei, I’m begging you, just wait one more day.”

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Shen Yuxuan’s eyes were filled with a complicated mix of emotions as she looked at her incredibly strong-willed friend. Despite being in Qianjiang for so long, Weiwei would rather work as a waitress than ask for help. It wasn’t until her daughter was taken that she finally sought her out.

Gao Weiwei’s eyes were swollen and red, her expression filled with overwhelming sadness. Tears streamed down her face as she said, “Yuxuan, you saw the video Zhou Jie sent. He made Xiaoxiao eat slop. Xiaoxiao is so young, it’s me who’s failing her as a mother. Yuxuan, please tell Uncle I’m sorry. I can’t just watch Xiaoxiao suffer like that. Besides, Zhou Jie gave me an ultimatum. If I don’t go, he’ll really hurt Xiaoxiao. Maybe this is just my fate. Please, stop trying to persuade me.”

Shen Yuxuan shook her head. “Weiwei, are you still not going to tell me who Xiaoxiao’s father is? It’s come to this, and he still hasn’t shown up?”

Gao Weiwei stiffened, her expression growing even more pained. She let out a long sigh and said, “Him? I don’t even know where he is, and he doesn’t know I gave birth to his daughter. He was severely injured and unconscious back then. When he woke up, he couldn’t remember anything. He’s been through so much, so I never told him.”

Shen Yuxuan’s mouth fell open in disbelief as she looked at her fiercely independent friend. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say, and could only hold onto her hand, refusing to let her leave. Just as Shen Yuxuan was about to pull Gao Weiwei back inside, three black Mercedes-Benz cars suddenly pulled up in front of them.

The next moment, a group of men in black suits stepped out of the cars. Leading them was a man in a white suit with a bandage on his head. His expression was cold, his gaze venomous, and his clothing and accessories were all very expensive, but it was clear he wasn’t a good person. Yes, this man was Zhou Jie!

Zhou Jie stood by the car after getting out, not moving, but sneered at Gao Weiwei, saying, “Heh, Gao Weiwei, if you knew this day would come, why didn’t you just go along with it from the start? If you had followed this young master, you would have lived in luxury, and that little bastard could have gone to the best school. Wouldn’t that have been better? Why did it have to come to this?”

As soon as Gao Weiwei saw Zhou Jie, her eyes filled with a deep, murderous intent. She clenched her fists tightly, trembling with anger.

"What are you looking at? Get over here! Or I'll kill your daughter!" Zhou Jie shouted angrily at Gao Weiwei, displeased by the way she was looking at him. He had received news that the little girl had been rescued over an hour ago, so he was growing desperate. Fearing that time was running out, he issued an ultimatum to Gao Weiwei, and sure enough, she complied.

Gao Weiwei bit down hard on her teeth, so much so that blood began to trickle from the corner of her mouth. But in the end, she broke free from Shen Yuxuan's grip and walked towards Zhou Jie.

"Weiwei!" Shen Yuxuan cried out, unable to bear the sight. Gao Weiwei's body trembled, and a tear fell to the ground, but she didn't turn back.

"Ha! Shen Yuxuan, don't think that just because you're Shen Qingtian's daughter you can meddle in my business! If you push me, I'll take you down too! You'd better wise up!" Zhou Jie snarled at Shen Yuxuan, squinting at her. He only got into the car after seeing Gao Weiwei climb into the back seat. He slammed the door, hit the gas, and the car sped off, turning sharply as it headed away.

"Weiwei..." Shen Yuxuan watched as Gao Weiwei was taken away by Zhou Jie. She didn't need to think to know that her friend's life was over—her future would be nothing but darkness, devoid of any light.

Meanwhile, inside Zhou Jie's car, he smirked coldly at Gao Weiwei as he drove. "Don't forget what you promised me."

Gao Weiwei, sitting in the back seat, stared at Zhou Jie in the front. Her eyes were red with rage. She wanted nothing more than to kill him. Her hatred for Zhou Jie had seeped into her very bones, but with her daughter still in his hands, she didn't even dare to curse him.

She was utterly hopeless, completely despairing. She closed her eyes and lowered her head, but then Shen Yuxuan's words echoed in her mind: "Where is Xiaoxiao's father? Why hasn't he come, even with something this serious happening?"

"Xiao Tiance, are you still alive? Maybe you'll never know that you have a daughter in this world. If you're still alive, will you and Xiaoxiao ever have a chance to meet? Xiao Tiance, where are you? Can you come to save Xiaoxiao and me? Can you?" Gao Weiwei thought silently to herself, though deep down she knew it was impossible. Xiao Tiance had no idea she had been pregnant and given birth to Xiaoxiao, so how could he possibly show up?

But just as Gao Weiwei was drowning in hopelessness, she suddenly heard Zhou Jie shout from the front, "Damn it! Is this idiot looking for death, standing in the middle of the road? Not running away? Fine, if you want to die, I'll help you out!" Zhou Jie was in a foul mood tonight, on the verge of losing his mind. When he saw someone standing fearlessly in the middle of the road, staring at his car, his anger flared. He slammed the gas pedal and sped towards the person.

Zhou Jie's shout made Gao Weiwei instinctively open her eyes and look ahead at the figure. But just one glance made her mind explode.

Before she could react, Zhou Jie's car was already hurtling towards the man. Then, in the next moment, something shocking and unbelievable happened.

The man standing firmly in front of the car raised his right hand and then slammed it down hard. With a thunderous crash, the car that Zhou Jie and Gao Weiwei were in came to an abrupt halt, and the back half of the vehicle was lifted high into the air.

As the car tilted upward, Gao Weiwei was thrown forward, but she could see the man's face and eyes even more clearly. He—he was Xiao! Tian! Ce!

As Gao Weiwei looked at Xiao Tiance with her tear-filled eyes, Xiao Tiance, with equally reddened eyes, looked back at her. The two of them stared at each other through the car window, their gazes locked across the distance.