"But aren't you all part of the same organization? Why can't you just sit down and talk it out?"

Qian Yuya asked softly. "It was obvious she hadn't been chewed up by society yet—White Night and the Imperial Academy gave her a false impression, making her think that people from the same organization didn't fight each other."

"Everyone received different echoing information from 'Future Echoes,' and everyone also had different personal motives."

Le Yu said, "Even if we're all moving in the same general direction, the roads we choose to walk aren't the same."

"And the funny thing is, every member able to resonate with 'Future Echoes' is, without exception, a sly, deeply-entangled, stubborn… overlord."

By this point, Le Yu also felt pretty aggrieved. "If he could have died for some pampered, carefree heir with food, clothes and women all laid out for him, why would he bother working his ass off out here?"

But even the one who came closest to meeting that standard, Zhengwei, was a villainous young master, steeped in crimes and tangled up in aristocratic grudges. Le Yu had nearly broken his back washing Zhengwei clean, turning Xuanzhu County into his own base—only to have Le Yin whisk him off to a new map.

"Le Yu had such a tough life!"

Qian Yuya pondered a moment, then said, "So, you mean my brother, Yin Yinyin, Zhengwei, and you, Mr. Qin, all suddenly resonated with 'Future Echoes' one day, received information about the future, and for a shared goal you each moved in the shadows, helping one another from time to time, staying in contact, and you all even knew the day you'd die…"

"Wait, there's a contradiction," Qian Yuya asked, "If my brother knew he'd die that night, then why didn't he leave Yanjing with me and board the train? Why stay behind in Star Engraving County?"

"Do you really have a question about that?" Le Yu countered, "You share the same blood as Qian Yuliu; can't you guess how he would've thought?"

Qian Yuya paused, then muttered, "Yeah…"

"If my brother, who was head of the Statistical Department at the time, got on that train, either he'd be captured and killed by Lv Zhong's people at the border of Chenfeng District, or he'd get into conflict with other passengers and get stabbed…"

"...Even I could've been the one who killed him."

"He probably thought Yin Yinyin would protect him, not expecting Yin Yinyin to be sending him off to the grave…"

"Watching Qian Yuya fill in the details of the story herself, Le Yu secretly let out a sigh of relief—his story wouldn't hold up to scrutiny, but he couldn't help it, Qian Yuya just knew too much."

"After all, there were just too many odd connections between Le Yin, Zhengwei, Yin Yinyin, and Qian Yuliu—no normal line of thought could explain it."

"Honestly, Le Yu's story was about as convincing as 'Die for Substitute,' maybe even more believable—he couldn't explain where 'Die for Substitute' had come from, but 'Future Echoes' could neatly be chalked up to the future's doing, flawless."

"Don't ask—it's just the future."

"How do you all stay in contact?" Qian Yuya asked, "You and Zhengwei are in Dongyang, Yin Yinyin and my brother are in Star Engraving County, thousands of miles apart… do you use some kind of telegraph device?"

Le Yu blinked, suddenly remembered something, and pulled out a rectangular box of black obsidian glass from his coat—it clearly wasn't a product of this era.

"What's that?"

"A phone," Le Yu said, "It's a communication tool from the future. This is a device made with extremely rare and precious materials by 'Future Echoes'—the only thing our organization can get from the future."

"Its purpose is to prove your identity and to connect with other members. It can also be used for entertainment, but let's leave that aside."

"I know about this, it's mentioned in 'Future Echoes.'" Qian Yuya asked, "Does every member get one?"

"Yeah, every member who's alive gets one."

Le Yu thought for a moment, then added, "Of course, losing them happens too—not everyone likes to chat."

"If Le Yin kicks it in the future too, and Qian Yuya still hasn't found her own path, Le Yu would just have to keep pretending to be other members and remotely control Qian Yuya."

"Take care of your little sister for a hundred years, and worry ninety-nine of them."

"Even though what you just explained is totally absurd," Qian Yuya was silent for a good while before she said, "But since I can't poke any holes in your story with the info I have, I'm willing to believe what you're saying."

"Thank you," Le Yu said, "So, do you still wish to follow Qian Yuliu's path—to inherit his ideals?"

"I do," Qian Yuya said, "Then would you, Mr. Qin, be willing to let me become your family?"

"Apparently she still wasn't cured; more rescue measures were necessary."

"Of course, no problem, Qian Yuliu's sister is my sister, too."

Le Yu spoke lightly, "Even though I can't let you join the organization, I can let you undergo the joining ceremony—after that, let's dedicate our lives to this magnificent cause together!"

"Okay." A faint blush crept onto Qian Yuya's face—Le Yu's approval was enough to boil her cold blood!

"Very well then, Qian Yuya," Le Yu asked, "Do you know the meaning of life? Do you want to truly… live?"

Qian Yuya blinked, replying, "I do."

Le Yu cleared his throat and said in a loud voice, "The most precious thing anyone has is life—it only comes once. Your life should be lived so that, when you look back, you don't regret wasted years, and you don't feel shame over doing nothing; in this way, at the very end, you can say: 'I gave all my life and all my energy to the most magnificent cause in the world—fighting for the liberation of humankind.'"

"That's the real meaning of life!"

"That's what it means to truly live!"

Le Yu reached out and took Qian Yuya's hand, "Comrade Qian Yuya, on behalf of the organization, I welcome your support! I hope this bit of advice inspires you to strive and move forward in the days to come!"

Qian Yuya thought for quite a while before saying, "…I won't let you down, Brother Le Yin."

"...Please, just call me Mr. Qin or Teacher Hongle, okay?" Le Yu pleaded.

"...Brother Hongle."

"Well, that'll do."

"Even though I can't let you formally join the organization, there are still other perks," Le Yu said, "Do you know about the Four Shining Guards?"

Le Yu was about to explain, but Qian Yuya nodded, "I know."

"The Four Shining Guards are… oh, you know already." Le Yu blinked. "Then do you also know they've got a tool that can massively improve your perception and speed up mastery of Combat Technique?"

"I know."

"Actually, I'm a Runner among the Four Guards myself—I can let you join the Four Shining Guards. In the future, under my command, you don't really need to do any chores, just train hard after you get the tool."

"Are you one of the Four Guards, Brother Hongle?" Qian Yuya said after a moment's thought, "Actually, I could join White Night in Yanjing. That way, you'd control both Four Guards' and White Night's intel—wouldn't that make things easier for you?"

Le Yu had been about to refuse, but then he thought, "If Qian Yuya had too much free time, wouldn't she just bug me all day—Brother Hongle this, Brother Hongle that?" So he nodded, "All right, then you gather intel on White Night, but be careful. My current assignment doesn't have much to do with them."

Qian Yuya nodded, then suddenly asked, "So, is there any connection between our organization and White Night or the Four Guards?"

"Of course not," Le Yu said, "We're not some old group—the organization was founded in the future. White Night and the Four Guards are just platforms we're making use of."

Qian Yuya then asked, "So what's the name of our organization? And what's your code name, Brother Hongle?"

Name? Code name?

Le Yu froze for a second, then lowered his head to look at the phone in his hand, his thoughts drifting far away.

"Honestly, the organization didn't have a name at first, but apparently the first person to resonate with 'Future Echoes,' the moment he saw the future, discovered the date of his own death."

"And then he died."

"To honor his sacrifice, we successors took his name for our organization, assigned codes in the order we resonated, and his name became our shared alias."

"The organization's called 'Le Yu.' My code name is Number Four."