After five bigwigs in Beijing's elite circle fell into their trap, I fled.

Chapter 233 The Last Feast
In the warm hotel room, Rong Jingchen's voice was indifferent, with little variation:
"Nineteen years ago, as the next successor, I was brought to China to secretly follow up on a special mission. It was special because the person who gave me the mission was the new master."

"By then, had you already met your new master?"

"No. But the previous leader saw him. It is said that the new leader wore a blue mask, but the half of his face that was exposed was extremely handsome. He wanted to kill someone, but he was also very wary of that person, so he offered an exorbitant price for the people of Jitian to conduct the first round of testing. Who knew that Jitian would suffer heavy losses in that test, and then did not cooperate with that new leader again."

Li Yubai gave a light "hmm": "What you're talking about can be found in many secret files, and I happened to see them not long ago. If you can't offer anything new, you're unlikely to gain anything from me today."

Rong Jingchen's eyes flickered: "Since the last trip to Floating Cloud Island, I have been trying to recall these past few days, and I have remembered two small things."

Li Yubai remained silent.

Rong Jingchen said, "On July 2nd of that year, at noon I was catching crickets in the corner of the wall. The sun was very strong. But when I looked up, I saw a strange phantom of the moon. It was hanging in the dark clouds, distorted and unreal. It only existed for a second, so much so that I am not sure now whether it was a hallucination."

Li Yubai's aloof expression seemed shrouded in a wisp of cold mist, making him appear somewhat cold and unreal.

"And then?" He quietly scrutinized Rong Jingchen, his gaze carrying a hint of examination.

Rong Jingchen met his gaze: "Then I fell seriously ill. I was so ill that I was delirious and almost had my brain damaged, so I can't guarantee that what I described was real; it might just be something I imagined during my illness."

"The second little thing you mentioned?"

“I remember I didn’t like roses before.” Rong Jingchen’s eyes were subtle. “But after that illness, I suddenly became obsessed with roses. And starting when I was around ten years old, many things about Xiaoshu inexplicably appeared in my mind, including her liking for roses—especially black roses.”

Li Yubai got up, opened the hotel window, stared intently outside, and remained silent for a long time.

Rong Jingchen lost his patience: "I really don't know anything else. But since you are my former master, you must know some superstitious things. So, can you give me an answer?"

Instead of answering, Li Yubai asked, "Have you always liked birds of paradise?"

“That’s the totem of the heavens, and I’ve loved it since I was a child.”

Do you also enjoy collecting limited-edition fine wines, especially the 1842 vintage?

“I do have a wine collecting obsession.” Rong Jingchen looked at him warily, “but I have never told anyone about my special fondness for the 1842 vintage.”

Li Yubai chuckled softly, his expression quite complicated.

"Don't just laugh, I'm asking you, can you give me an answer?"

“I can give it to you,” Li Yubai sighed meaningfully, “but not now, but after the Devil’s Triangle, if you are still alive.”

"What if you die?" Rong Jingchen frowned.

Li Yubai was silent for a few seconds, then said in a slightly dazed tone, "If I die, come to this room. I will hide the answer here beforehand."

Rong Jingchen frowned deeply: "Playing hard to get!"

Li Yubai ignored him, but after he left, he gently ran his hand across the thorny rose bonsai. A drop of blood slid off his finger, the droplet tinged with gold, and evaporated into the air, quickly disappearing without a trace.

The next day, the group continued their journey, heading towards their next tourist destination...

A few days later, at a seaside hotel only fifty kilometers from the Devil's Triangle.

That night, Jiang Shu clearly felt that the strange atmosphere among the men in the house had reached its peak.

Because those men, who were usually on edge, were completely relaxed and even personally prepared a family feast at the hotel. Rong Jingchen took out his most expensive bottle of wine, opened it, and filled everyone's glasses: "Tonight, let's drink until we're drunk!"

Jiang Shu exclaimed, "Is there some good news?"

"No joyous occasion." Feng Li picked up a glass of red wine and chuckled casually. "A toast to the living, and a farewell to the dead."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Jiang Shu paused for a moment. "Can I drink it?"

"You're allowed to have one drink tonight." Li Yubai picked out the smallest one for her.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and lively atmosphere, Jiang Shu gradually became a little dizzy. She tugged at Li Yubai's sleeve and belatedly remembered something.

"Li Yubai," she said reservedly and somewhat shyly, "I know everything."

Li Yubai gave a soft "hmm": "What?"

“So you’re the former master of that strange clan.” As soon as Jiang Shu said this, everyone fell silent.

Those in the know silently observed Jiang Shu's expression, while those unaware, like Yan Yu, held their breath and quickly assessed the situation.

Only Ning Yunzhan lowered his eyes and looked at the wine in his cup.

Li Yubai absentmindedly took a sip of wine: "Where did you hear that? Don't listen to people's nonsense."

“You can’t hide it from me.” Jiang Shu pointed to the ring on his ring finger. “And this, it’s not just a family heirloom, it’s also the ring of your sweetheart, isn’t it?”

Li Yubai was slightly agitated, but did not answer.

“It is said that the former master lived for many years, so there was no Li Lingyan at all. The man my mother saw who was holding me was actually you.” Jiang Shu opened her eyes wide and asked Li Yubai for confirmation.

Li Yubai subconsciously touched the ring on his ring finger: "So what?"

"I have a bold and somewhat embarrassing guess," Jiang Shu said, blushing slightly.

Li Yubai dared not meet Jiang Shu's gaze at this moment, but his heart was filled with an indescribable mix of joy and bewilderment.

The girl sighed softly: "Those strange vampires were so kind to me, and considering you raised me—so, I'm actually your daughter with your girlfriend, and you're my real father?"

At that moment, Ning Yunzhan's and Feng Li's cups were both knocked over!

Li Yubai knew that Jiang Shu wouldn't say anything nice, but he didn't expect her to be this outrageous!
His mind went blank for a moment, and he looked embarrassed: "You're drunk, don't talk nonsense."

"Otherwise what? I look like your girlfriend, so you picked me up and used me as a substitute?"

“You are not anyone’s substitute.” Li Yubai suddenly stood up. “You’re drunk. I’ll take you back to your room.”

After saying that, he picked her up and carried her into the suite without saying another word.

Just as he turned the corner, he paused slightly, turned around to look at the two overturned cups on the table, and then his gaze lingered on Feng Li for a moment.

"What are you looking at?" Feng Li glared at him. "It was supposed to be my turn tonight, but since you're upset about becoming a father, I'll let you off the hook."