Hurt my loved ones? I'm not guarding this country's borders anymore!

Previous summary: — "The Shen family is not extinct!"

"Clatter".

The sound of the tactical tablet falling to the ground was particularly jarring in the quiet room.

Both the Azure Dragon and the Black Tortoise froze.

What did they see?

Commander Long lost his composure.

The lord of the North, who could remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, and who could laugh and joke even when betrayed by his brothers and wanted by the entire world, now stood frozen in place like a statue whose soul had been taken away.

His hands were trembling slightly.

The color drained completely from his face.

His eyes were fixed on the flat panel on the ground, his pupils not filled with shock or anger, but with a bottomless confusion and... fear.

That was an expression that neither the Azure Dragon nor the Black Tortoise had ever seen on his face.

"Dragon... Dragon General..." Qinglong stammered, wanting to help him up, but not daring to.

"The Shen family line is not yet over..."

Shen Jinglong's lips moved slightly, as if he were talking in his sleep.

These four words have a ten-thousand-fold impact than King Anle's massive army or the "Holy Lord's" conspiracies and schemes.

Seven years ago, he witnessed the Shen family manor turn into a sea of ​​fire and heard the mournful cries of his parents and relatives who died tragically.

For seven years, he has been all alone, bearing the deep-seated hatred of his entire family.

Now, someone suddenly tells him that someone from the Shen family is still alive?

What a vicious joke!

Who is it? Is trying to break down his defenses in this way?

"Black Tortoise!"

Shen Jinglong snapped back to his senses, grabbed Xuanwu's shoulder with such force that he almost crushed his bones.

"Investigate! Investigate! This signal source! This sender! I need to know who he is! Is he a human or a ghost!"

Xuanwu was startled by his shout and quickly adjusted his tactical glasses.

"Commander Long, calm down! The other side's encryption methods are extremely sophisticated; I can't track them. But... there's one more sentence in the letter."

Xuanwu swiped open the tablet, and another line of small text appeared on the screen.

"At midnight tonight, at Fuyuan Pawnshop in the south of the city, I will ask about Danggui three times."

A time, a place, and a mysterious code word.

"A pawnshop?" Qinglong leaned closer for a look, his face full of suspicion. "Why all the secrecy? Could this be some new trick by that old dog, Prince Anle?"

"Very likely," Xuanwu calmly analyzed. "This could be a trap, using your feelings for the family to lure you in."

Shen Jinglong slowly loosened his grip.

He stared intently at the phrase "Three Questions about Angelica sinensis," his eyes growing increasingly bloodshot.

This code word...

Deep within his mind, a fragment of memory that had been sealed away for many years was suddenly pried open.

When he was very young, his father took him to an antique shop and pointed to a painting, teaching him: "Jinglong, remember this. Our Shen family's things, after wandering for a long time, will always return home. The way home requires a token. Ask the returnee three times, and you will know where it came from."

This was a secret known only to him and his father.

"Prepare the car."

Shen Jinglong's voice was terribly hoarse.

"Commander Long! This is too dangerous!" Zhuque entered at some point and urgently tried to dissuade him.

Even if it's a trap, I'll go.

Shen Jinglong turned around, his eyes regaining that familiar coldness and determination.

"If this is true, he is a member of my Shen family, and I must go and bring him home."

"If this is fake..."

He paused for a moment, a cruel smile curving his lips.

"Then I'd like to see who has the audacity to joke about the souls of the Shen family."

Midnight (11 PM - 1 AM).

In the darkness, Fuyuan Pawnshop in the south of the city resembled a coffin ready to devour the living.

Shen Jinglong entered alone, pushing open the door.

The pawnshop was filled with a musty, stale smell, and the counter was covered with a thick layer of dust.

An old man with gray hair, wearing a gray long gown, was dozing off.

Hearing the noise, he lazily raised his eyelids.

"To pawn?"

Angelica sinensis.

Shen Jinglong placed an inconspicuous black thumb ring on the counter.

These are his belongings that he never parted with.

A glint of light flashed in the old man's cloudy eyes.

He sat up straight, adjusted his reading glasses, and picked up the thumb ring.

Where should this item be returned?

"Where it came from."

"Where did you come from?"

"The journey home."

Three questions and three answers.

Exactly.

The old man put down the ring, stood up shakily, and walked around the counter.

He walked up to Shen Jinglong, and two streams of hot tears suddenly welled up in his cloudy old eyes.

With a "thump".

He knelt down straight down, his forehead hitting the ground hard.

"Uncle Zhong, a loyal guard of the Shen family, greets the young master!"

That cry of "Young Master" seemed to travel through seven years of blood and fire, striking Shen Jinglong's heart hard.

Shen Jinglong's body jolted violently. He tried to help, but his outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

"My father... he had a backup plan?"

"It was more than just a backup plan!" Uncle Zhong raised his head, tears streaming down his face. "Our old master was a man of great talent and vision; he foresaw this calamity for the Shen family! We were all pawns he laid out, lying in wait for seven years, just to await your return!"

"So it turns out... it's all about 'who your father is'?"

Outside the pawnshop, inside an inconspicuous truck, Qinglong overheard everything through a miniature bugging device and couldn't help but mutter, "No wonder Commander Long is so formidable; it turns out his father paved the way for him!"

"Shut up!" Suzaku glared at him fiercely.

Inside the pawnshop.

Shen Jinglong helped Uncle Zhong up, his heart filled with turmoil, leaving him speechless for a moment.

He always thought he was fighting alone.

Unexpectedly, in a place he could not see, his father's loyal spirit was still protecting him.

"What exactly happened seven years ago?" Shen Jinglong asked in a deep voice.

"For... a map." Uncle Zhong's voice was extremely low. "An ancient map concerning the fate of the Dragon Kingdom. The old master spent half his life searching for it, but it also brought about his death."

"Both the King of Anle and that 'Holy Lord' were ordered by that important figure in the capital to come and seize the map."

Shen Jinglong's fist clenched instantly.

"I will walk the path my father did not finish, and I will kill the enemies he did not kill."

He silently recited it in his heart.

"This blood feud, my Shen family, will exact it back with interest!"

"Young Master, I have been lying low for seven years and have prepared a small gift for you."

Uncle Zhong took out a seemingly ordinary encrypted USB drive from his pocket and handed it over.

"King Anle thought his plan was foolproof, but little did he know that the manager of the largest money exchange in his household was one of our people."

"This is the complete chain of evidence of his collusion with overseas forces and money laundering. If you hand it over, it will be enough to cripple him and leave him in a terrible mess."

Shen Jinglong took the USB drive; its cold metal casing seemed to carry a hint of vengeful warmth.

This is the "grand ceremony" that Xuanwu mentioned.

A weapon that can deliver a fatal blow to the enemy from the inside.

Uncle Zhong looked at Shen Jinglong, his expression becoming extremely solemn. He prepared to say a few more words before disappearing.

But just then, the words he was about to say turned into a violent cough, and a mouthful of black blood gushed out.

A dark red stain quickly spread across his chest.

"Uncle Zhong!" Shen Jinglong's expression changed, and he immediately helped him up.

"It's nothing...it's an old problem." Uncle Zhong waved his hand, but his breath instantly weakened. He leaned against the wall and said hurriedly:

"Young Master, you must be careful. This is only the smallest of Anle King's properties; his true foundation is far deeper than you imagine."

"Furthermore... I must remind you that your father... back then, it seems he was investigating a matter that could overturn the entire Dragon Kingdom! King Anle and the Holy Lord were merely the executors of that matter..."

His voice grew weaker and weaker, and his eyes began to glaze over.

"The enemy you are about to face... may be... far beyond your imagination!"