CHAPTER 205: CHAPTER 205: THOSE WHO DISTURB OUR LANDS ARE NOT NECESSARILY DOOMED

An Yan grew eager as soon as she learned Li Tianyao had finished constructing the laboratory.

Previously, when she saw the excavator in Li Tianyao’s yard, she had thought he was digging a fishpond or something; it turned out to be a laboratory built for her. She estimated the time. Could it have been built so quickly? Was it approximately the same size as the exclusive laboratory Luocheng University had provided for her? She just didn’t know what kind of equipment Li Tianyao had ordered.

"I’ll accompany you."

Li Tianyao stood up, and An Duxuan rose as well. "I’ll go have a look too. Li Tianyao, you’re quite something, actually building a laboratory for my sister?"

"But let me tell you, even if you’ve built a laboratory for my sister, I won’t agree to you two living together without a wedding ceremony!"

Li Tianyao glanced at him coldly. "We have the certificate. The only reason I agreed to your demands was that I didn’t want the little girl to suffer!"

An Duxuan glanced back. "So now you want her to suffer? The wedding isn’t even held yet, and you’re living together! What will people say if they see this?"

"Our Yanyan grew up in the mountains, where life is simple and honest! But now she’s in the city, and you’re letting people point fingers and gossip about her!"

Li Tianyao asked coolly, "Who dares to point and talk?"

"Of course, nobody dares to your face, but what about behind your back?" An Duxuan prompted him to imagine further. "Won’t they say that moving into your house before the wedding is no different from the ancient practice of ’unmediated cohabitation’?"

"Or they might say..." An Duxuan rattled off whatever came to mind, but his central point was that his sister would suffer if she moved in. He hadn’t expected that one of his remarks would actually hit a nerve with Li Tianyao.

In this day and age, women were relatively more respected. But in ancient times, how many women were drowned or thrown into pig cages for those four words: "unmediated cohabitation"!

Previously, he had felt nothing about such matters, but after meeting the little girl, he could no longer bear to hear such talk. If the little girl faced criticism because of him, even from a single person, he would be unhappy.

"Once she has finished my treatment, I’ll have her go back!"

An Yan, who had been silent the entire time, felt her heart tremble uncontrollably as she heard Li Tianyao concede yet again.

Someone who had lived for over a thousand years and witnessed countless joys and sorrows should have long since developed a heart of stone, shouldn’t they? Yet, with her, he seemed especially prone to compromise! He even became insecure, fearing he might lose her. At first, he was domineering, wanting to possess her exclusively, but today, he had asked her where he ranked in her heart. If this wasn’t love, what else could be called love?

An Yan gently hooked his fingers and gave him a sweet smile, then turned to An Duxuan. "Second Brother, I’m the one who wants to stay!"

An Yan wasn’t the type to beat around the bush; she spoke her mind. "I promised him I’d accompany him until..."

An Yan didn’t dare say ’before his episode occurred.’ If she mentioned Li Tianyao’s illness, it couldn’t be hidden. The matter was too significant, so she had to rephrase, "I promised to accompany him until... three days before our wedding! If Second Brother is worried about losing face, I can just climb the wall to get here."

She was no longer willing to let Li Tianyao bear everything alone. She wanted to be good to him in her own way, so that when he had an episode, she could at least tell herself that she had tried to reciprocate his feelings. If this affection could lessen his pain during an episode, even just a little, it would be worth it.

"You’re a young lady, stop talking such nonsense, will you!" An Duxuan was furious.

An Yan said, "Second Brother, we’ve already received our marriage certificate. The law recognizes us."

An Duxuan heard her determination and felt a pang of jealousy. Fine. They were a legally married couple; he was the outsider!

The elevator descended over thirty meters underground. When the elevator doors opened, they revealed a large reception area, predominantly black and white. The walls were made of huge panes of transparent glass. Standing in this room, one could take in everything outside at a glance: a vast underground space.

There was minimal decoration. Besides various instruments, computers, and robotic arms, there were only gray floors and various zone demarcation lines painted in yellow.

A dozen or so researchers in blue work attire moved among them, adjusting the instruments.

"From now on, these people are at your disposal."

Lin Ling, who was inspecting a machine, saw them and immediately jogged up the stairs, bowing as he called out, "Ninth Master, Miss An Yan!"

"From now on, Lin Ling will be your assistant. Of course, if you feel he’s not up to par, you can find another assistant to manage things for you."

An Yan looked at Li Tianyao in surprise and asked, "Can I really pick anyone I want?"

"Mhm."

Li Tianyao’s lips formed a straight line. He was, in fact, somewhat reluctant. But the little girl had just defended him to An Duxuan, making him feel he could indulge her a bit more. Anything she wanted, he would give her.

An Yan smiled and said, "No need, Lin Ling will do!"

In the operating room, Lin Ling hadn’t flared up even when Ya Zhuo doubted him; this showed Lin Ling had excellent self-control. Besides, he was someone Li Tianyao had personally trained; she trusted Li Tianyao’s judgment in people.

Lin Ling also breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was the Ninth Master’s personal physician, the Ninth Master’s condition rarely gave him any scope to truly apply his skills. Most of the time, he was just someone who handled the clean-up for the Ninth Master. Even when the Ninth Master had an episode, he could only watch helplessly! But now, things were different. The Ninth Master had built such a large laboratory and had even allowed Miss An Yan to draw his blood. This clearly showed he was starting to address his own problem seriously. Did this also mean the Ninth Master might finally be able to escape the kind of torment ordinary people could hardly endure?

A sudden warmth spread through Lin Ling’s heart, and his gaze towards An Yan filled with newfound anticipation. He asked, "Miss, shall I take you to your exclusive experimental area?"

"Sure."

An Yan took a couple of steps, then turned to Li Tianyao and An Duxuan, who were about to follow. "You two stay here," she said. "Laboratories have their rules."

An Duxuan was about to say he was her brother when he saw Li Tianyao take long strides over to the large black leather sofa and sit down. Since Li Tianyao had sat down, he had no choice but to follow suit. He then asked, "What are you planning to do about the R Country situation?"

"Foreign aggressors who dare to invade our soil will be punished, no matter how far they are!" Li Tianyao replied without hesitation.

An Duxuan looked exasperated. "I know they must be punished, but how? They’re hidden so deeply. If not for the small yellow flower insignia on their shoulders, who would have guessed they were agents planted by R Country?"

"I’ve already reported it to the higher-ups, and the relevant screening work has begun. Also, I plan to make a personal trip to R Country!"

He wasn’t feeling too well. Since the color of his eyes had started to fade, his memory also seemed to be deteriorating. Based on past experience, once this situation arose, an episode could occur at any moment. He had to destroy all of Gu Shifang’s forces before his next episode. Even if Gu Shifang hid his forces in R Country, they wouldn’t escape.