Chapter 327: But What About You

Chapter 327: Chapter 327: But What About You

The damned wedding that Anxin was set on having would take place in two days' time aboard the Yanagiya cruise ship in Ishikari Bay, Otaru City, Hokkaido. This precise intel came from Macedonia's meticulous surveillance. Knowing this, Yang Chen decided not to rush into causing trouble and calmly arrived early in Sapporo, Hokkaido, to meet with Jian who had just finished a seminar at the Royal Society in England. Despite not speaking, she was the ultimate judge. Upon receiving Yang Chen's email asking for help, she was worried, but Yang Chen assured her temporarily that everything was fine. Suppressing her impatience, she waited for several days until the academic seminar ended before coming to Sakuramoto.

Yang Chen had just left Sapporo Airport wearing a brown coat and a red scarf. Jian, with her amber-tinted slightly curled long hair, always stood out in a crowd, not just due to her young age but also her unique family background and detached intelligence. These qualities gave her the charm of a mature Western woman. Her flawless appearance made most men feel extravagant merely with a glance, so typically there were no rampant admirers to provoke her.

Seeing Yang Chen unexpectedly walk out of the airport with another woman from Sakuramoto, Jian visibly furrowed her brows slightly, showing some resignation toward Yang Chen's romantic inclinations.

"Is this another new lover of yours?" Jian glanced at Banra and then looked away.

Yang Chen chuckled, "Do I look like someone who's that casual?"

"Not really, but you are," Jian said bluntly.

Yang Chen touched his nose. "Let's get in the car first."

"Fine," Jian nodded respectfully and watched as Yang Chen got into her car.

After Jian drove out of the airport, Yang Chen said, "That's the new head of the Yagami Association, named Banra."

Jian seemed completely caught off guard. "The head of the Yagami Association? Wasn't it Tokugawa Kozue?"

Then she immediately thought of something else. Jian gasped, "Yang Chen, you didn't kill that old man Tokugawa, did you?"

Yang Chen shrugged. "He's dead, but it wasn't me who killed him. I'll explain the details later. First, take me somewhere to check my physical condition. I feel quite uncomfortable all over."

Jian nodded, still somewhat skeptical. "How did you get poisoned? I find it hard to believe anyone could successfully poison you."

"It's complicated," Yang Chen sighed.

"I've already had one of my students clear out a biological research institute before I arrived. We can go there immediately for a comprehensive examination," Jian replied without pressing further.

In less than half an hour, Jian, now in a white coat, ascended the rooftop with a report in hand.

Turning around, Yang Chen was surprised to see Jian's expression unusually grave, her deep blue eyes smoldering with suppressed anger, as if she could devour him alive.

"From your expression, it seems the situation is more serious than I imagined?" Yang Chen asked with a sheepish smile. At this moment, he was the patient, and Jian was his doctor—how could he not feel apprehensive?

Jian spread out a stack of documents and skimmed through them, her voice cold and trembling slightly, clearly agitated. "Tell me the truth. What exactly happened to you? Why did you end up drinking that kind of thing?"

Yang Chen knew he couldn't hide it from her, especially since it concerned his own life. So, he began slowly recounting how he encountered "Shi Qi" during his travels, and was subsequently drawn into a plot orchestrated by Tokugawa Kozue, the Blue Storm, and Takamagahara, two yokai. He explained how, due to emotional instability and carelessness, he inadvertently drank tea laced with fake "Shi Qi," containing drugs. However, he avoided mentioning the breakthrough he had achieved with the "Way of the Ancients," which had pushed him to the brink of death and then rebirth. Yang Chen also omitted how he had single-handedly eliminated the group and how Banra had killed an unprepared Tokugawa before taking over the Yagami Association, swearing loyalty to him.

Before Jian could hear the entire story, her beautiful eyes were already slightly moist, her eyes reddened as she stared at Yang Chen, biting her lip and speaking with a cold voice, "Is Shi Qi really that important to you? Important enough that you can't even see through such a shallow conspiracy, important enough that you refuse to believe she's really dead?!"

Yang Chen couldn't meet Jian's eyes directly. Indeed, there had always been a shadow in his heart, accompanied by a glimmer of hope that Shi Qi hadn't died. Obviously, the Nine-Tailed White Fox had used his psychology against him.

"Do you know how many people will suffer enemy fire without your protection if you fall? How many regions will turn into hell on earth again without a spiritual leader? How many people will be driven mad by the God Stones because of your death?!" Jian's voice trembled with anger, and suddenly she slapped Yang Chen across the face!

"Smack!"

Yang Chen didn't dodge but silently endured the slap.

Tears streamed down Jian's cheeks. "You only think about yourself. Have you ever thought about how devastated the people who care about you, who love you, will be because of your death?! Your Shi Qi is dead! She died long ago! Must you make everyone who loves you suffer endlessly because of her death?! No one can exist forever. You're a god; you can live forever, but we can't! We just hope that while we're alive, we can see you by our side. Whether in love, hate, sadness, or sorrow, don't avoid us! Because whether we're in danger or life and death, we're willing to trust you! But what about you!?"

"You retreat to the flames of summer alone, leaving us behind! Do you think this is protecting us?! You're hurting us, Yang Chen! You're too selfish..."

Yang Chen stood motionless, staring at Jian, who was now sobbing uncontrollably. His mind was in turmoil.

Was he too selfish? Retreating alone to the flames of summer, claiming to be tired of the life of slaughter. But deep down, was he not also afraid of seeing those around him die because of him—friends, subordinates, all those he cherished?

"Of course, there are also those women I love and who love me," Yang Chen thought of the woman with the same gaze and aura as Shi Qi. She must hate him now, just as Jian had said—how selfish he was.

"Yang Chen," Jian wiped away her tears and steadied her emotions. "Do you know, you really, really might die."