Then let them offer their loyalty!

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, a gentle smile appeared on the white-robed man's face. He looked at Qiu Tu and exclaimed in admiration, "You guessed my identity with just one sentence."

"I can say that he truly lives up to his reputation as Detective Qiu."

"Detective Qiu"... What a strange yet familiar name. It instantly pulled Qiu Tu back to the time when he was walking on thin ice in the New Territories.

At that time, Secretary Bai, or rather, Bai Yi, was Yan Chen's confidant and enjoyed Yan Chen's deep trust.

But because he had once saved her life, he had always been very supportive of her, informing her in advance of anything or providing her with conveniences.

And it was with his help that I was able to get through the early development period.

Thinking of this... Qiu Tu couldn't help but pause for a moment. Why did it suddenly feel so familiar?

Why is my current situation so similar to what it was back then?

It feels like I'm walking a tightrope right now. Secretary Bai still has the trust of the important person, and it seems like she's starting to treat me differently.

The only difference is that the original Yan Chen is now his underling, replaced by the eighth-order peak evil god named "Tianqi"!

At that moment, just as Qiu Tu was thinking this, Jin Ni couldn't help but look at the white-robed man and then at Qiu Tu.

Then, out of curiosity, she asked, "White Robe, do you know Qiu Tu?"

Hearing Jin Ni's words, the man in white smiled and said, "I met him a few times during my travels."

Upon hearing this, Jin Ni's face showed a hint of realization. Perhaps because Bai Yi was often traveling, he hadn't paid any attention.

However, Qiu Tu keenly sensed something was amiss.

He couldn't help but look up at the man in white. The man, who bore almost no resemblance to Secretary Bai but shared a strikingly similar air about him, smiled and winked at Qiu Tu.

Qiu Tu remained outwardly calm, but his heart was in turmoil.

'Old Bai... is he covering up our identities?!'

For a moment, Qiu Tu was a little confused about Bai Yi's stance.

Or rather, ever since Qiu Tu met Lao Bai, he has never understood his stance.

If facing Zhao Ji felt like gazing up at the Himalayas, then facing Lao Bai felt like facing a veil of mystery.

He seemed to have never truly understood Old White. He didn't know where he came from, where he had been, what his identity was, or what his strength was.

Qiu Tu had thought he'd finally seen Lao Bai's true colors after seeing him today. But... in the blink of an eye, it seemed like he'd been pulled back to reality.

'This guy's poisonous!'

Silently sighing to himself, Qiu Tu followed the others into the fortress, observing Lao Bai in silence.

It has to be said that Lao Bai holds a very high position in the "Misty Society".

This can be seen from the fact that he was just one of the 12 high-level executives, while Jin Ni was the vice president, yet the two treated each other as equals and addressed each other with respect.

This seems to suggest that the identity of the person in white is not as simple as it appears on the surface.

What happened next proved Qiu Tu's guess to be true.

Upon entering the fortress, there were two seats at the head of the table. The man in white and the man with the golden lion sat on either side and began to exchange information.

Qiu Tu and Zhi Yan sat at the lower end, waiting silently.

While waiting, Zhiyan glanced at Baiyi and Jinni, then looked at Qiu Tu and used her mental power to transmit her voice, "Chairman Qiu, do you know Lord Baiyi?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu glanced at Zhi Yan with a strange expression, then pondered for a moment before replying with his mental power, "We have met a few times."

At this point, Qiu Tu keenly sensed something strange. He asked curiously, "Are Heavenly King Zhiyan and Lord White Robe also quite familiar with each other?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Zhi Yan's expression remained unchanged, but in her heart she replied, "Not familiar with him."

"But... he also helped us humans to become independent back then."

"Although we humans may be able to stand on our own without him, we must admit that with his help, we encountered fewer obstacles. So we are still indebted to him."

Qiu Tu was startled by Zhi Yan's words. He hadn't expected that Lao Bai could be involved in such a major event as human independence.

He glanced at Lao Bai without making a sound. Lao Bai happened to be looking at him too.

The two looked at each other, and Lao Bai smiled gently before turning back to continue talking to Jin Ni.

Qiu Tu: .....

For some reason, Qiu Tu had a strange feeling that he was being seen through by Zhao Ji and then being subjected to a crushing defeat...

'Is it because Old White left such a deep impression on me? Or... is he also a "reincarnation of a god"?'

Although he had many questions and curiosities in his mind, Qiu Tu did not dare to make any rash moves without knowing Lao Bai's stance, as Lao Bai was right in front of him.

So he sat there upright and listened quietly to their conversation.

Jin Ni: "Have you contacted the chairman? How is he doing?"

Upon hearing Jin Ni's words, the man in white smiled gently. Although his eyes were not large, they were still normal in appearance, but they would involuntarily narrow when he smiled.

Such an expression would appear forced or even creepy on Yan Chen. But on him, it possesses a gentle, infectious quality that inspires trust.

He chuckled and said, "Of course. As soon as I was teleported to the 'Edge Area,' I immediately located the guild leader and contacted him."

"Thanks to our advance arrangements in the four major regions, it is not difficult for us to communicate with him across regions."

"However, he was unlucky and was randomly assigned to the edge of the 'Southeast Region,' so it will take him a few more days to get here."

"So he also said that since that's the case, there's no rush to meet up. He can take this opportunity to investigate the situation in several regions along the way."

Hearing Bai Yi's words, Jin Ni nodded slightly. Then he glanced at Qiu Tu and said, "So... what does the guild leader think about Qiu Tu's matter?"

Bai Yi glanced at Qiu Tu, then said slowly, "I only learned about Speaker Qiu's matter after I contacted the Chairman. So, I haven't had a chance to report to the Chairman yet."

"However, I don't think there's any rush. We can decide after the chairman arrives."

"And during this time, we can do some preparatory work in advance."

Despite being stronger and holding a higher position in the "Hidden Mist Society," Jin Ni highly values ​​Bai Yi's opinions.

He thought for a moment, then asked, "What preparations?"

The man in white glanced at Qiu Tu and said calmly, "Didn't Speaker Qiu say he was prepared to offer the 'Northwest Region' to us? But... the 'Northwest Region' isn't even unified yet."

"It will take Speaker Qiu some time to consolidate his power in the Northwest region."

"Why not let him use these few days to consolidate forces and unify the 'Northwest Region'? That way, when the chairman gathers, a decision can be made directly."

Before Jin Ni could react to Bai Yi's words, a glint of light flashed in Qiu Tu's eyes. He quickly lowered his head to conceal his emotions.

Is Old Bai... helping me?

Before Qiu Tu could figure it out, Jin Ni also keenly sensed something amiss with the plan.

He glanced at the man in white, then said meaningfully, "Wouldn't it be too dangerous to send Qiu Tu to consolidate the 'Northwest Region'?"

Instead of directly expressing his concerns, he gave a reason.

"After all, the 'Trial of the Gods' is now filled with descending gods everywhere. Proportionally, around 20 gods should have descended in the 'Northwest Region,' with about 7 in each country."

"If Qiu Tu tries to integrate them, he'll likely run into big problems once he encounters them."

The "danger" Jin Ni mentioned was clearly not the reason he would later explain. Rather, it was simply a concern that Qiu Tu might be plotting something or trying to escape.

The man in white could understand the meaning behind Jin Ni's words. He smiled and said gently, "I don't think there's anything to worry about."

"By the time you arrived, I had already instructed my subordinates to gather the number of 'Trialists' who had descended. Including myself, a total of 19 'Trialists' should have descended in the 'Northwest Region.'"

"After the arrival, everyone wanted to avoid attracting too much attention in the early stages, so they all went into hiding, preparing to observe the situation of the trial before making a targeted move."

"In that case, while they will keep a close eye on Speaker Qiu's consolidation of the 'Northwest Region,' they most likely won't intervene to stop it."

"After all, Speaker Qiu's strength is considerably weaker compared to most of the 'Trial Participants.' He won't pose much of a threat to them."

Having explained the stated reasons, the man in white paused for a moment, then said calmly, "As for whether unexpected events might occur, that is indeed possible..."

"Therefore, I suggest that we have Ms. Zhiyan add a few more sixth-tier guards to protect her."

At this point, he glanced at Jin Ni and said meaningfully, "After all... you and Speaker Qiu have both made a 'World Oath,' so we really need to ensure his safety."

All the words spoken by the man in white are empty promises; the most important thing is the last sentence: "They have all made a vow to the world."

After recalling the content and effects of their vows, Jin Ni felt that there was indeed no need to worry too much.

So he nodded slightly and said, "I think it's okay."

After speaking, he looked at Qiu Tu and Zhi Yan and asked, "What do you two think?"

What objection could Qiu Tu have? He couldn't be more eager to develop first. So he nodded calmly, "I have no objection."

In comparison, we should be much more vigilant about weeping inflammation.

She didn't answer immediately, but glanced at the man in white before tentatively saying, "My strength isn't that great. Could it be that the man in white and the man with the golden lion protect Speaker Qiu instead?"

Hearing her words, the man in white said gently, "I need to do liaison work and can't leave for the time being."

“But... if President Jin Ni is willing, that would be even better.”

At this point, he looked at Jin Ni, his gaze seemingly asking if the other was willing.

How could someone as arrogant as Jin Ni be willing to be Qiu Tu's bodyguard or monitor him?

So he waved his hand and said to Zhiyan in an annoyed tone, "I have a lot of things to do and can't leave. Zhiyan, your strength is not a problem. I'll have to trouble you this time."

Zhiyan didn't actually want to refuse; she just suspected that Baiyi was deliberately creating an opportunity for Qiu Tu, so she was testing him.

Now that she realized she had overthought things, she agreed. Then she glanced at Qiu Tu and said, "Then, Speaker Qiu, we will be working together from now on."

Hearing Zhiyan's words, Qiu Tu smiled and nodded, "Thank you for your trouble, Heavenly King Zhiyan."

After the four finished their conversation, the man in white summoned four elite members of the "Hidden Mist Society," all of whom were powerful evil gods who had broken through to the sixth rank in the "edge area" using their "roots of the nose" in the past few days.

Their strength is negligible compared to the current participants in the "Trial of the Gods." However, to ordinary catastrophic beings, they are practically godlike figures.

Therefore, it couldn't be more convenient to use them for communication, information transmission, or surveillance.

Having completed all preparations, Qiu Tu and Zhi Yan led the four sixth-tier evil gods away from the fortress and headed to the "Northwest Region" to consolidate their power.

On their way here, the three of them flew without any transportation. Now that they have received some supplies in the "disaster zone," they can drive.

Therefore, a sixth-order Great Evil God drove the car in front, Qiu Tu and Zhi Yan sat in the back, and the other three Great Evil Gods were in another accompanying car.

Now that he's no longer under Lao Bai's watchful eye, Qiu Tu can act even more recklessly.

He glanced at the sixth-tier evil god "Wind Spirit" driving the car in front, then used his mental power to transmit a message to Zhiyan, "Heavenly King, do you know the identity of the White-Robed Lord?"

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Zhi Yan smiled and glanced at Qiu Tu, then transmitted her voice, "You don't have to call me Heavenly King."

“We are all leaders of the shelter. We should treat each other as equals.”

"My real name is Zhiyan. You can call me Aunt Yan or Sister Yan."

Upon hearing Zhiyan's words, Qiu Tu blinked and then transmitted his voice, "It's fine if you don't call me Heavenly King."

"But... Aunt Yan, Sister Yan, I really can't bring myself to call you that."

He deliberately looked Zhiyan up and down before saying, "After all, you look so young. If it weren't so abrupt and impolite, I would have called you 'little sister'."

Although Qiu Tu's words contained an element of flattery, it must be said that Zhi Yan was indeed very beautiful.

Perhaps because she was a high-level Cataclysm user, even though she was old enough to be Qiu Tu's aunt, her skin was still incredibly smooth and delicate, like that of a young girl. Her slender eyebrows looked as if they had been drawn with the most exquisite brush, with the ends slightly upturned, giving her a mature and charming air.

What is most striking are her eyes, like two pools of autumn water, shimmering with a gentle light as they move, possessing both the depth of experience and a captivating charm.

No wonder Qiu Tu had a friend in his past life who liked to push his aunts. If all the aunts around him did that, he'd be willing to do it too...

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Zhiyan's eyes curved slightly, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, her rosy lips resembling ripe cherries, delicate and tempting.

She smiled faintly and said, "There are no outsiders here, so you don't need to flatter me."

Qiu Tu said with a slightly exaggerated tone, "The sun and moon can bear witness. I'm telling the truth. Do you really want me to swear an oath using the 'Origin of the World' before you'll believe me?"

It has to be said, Qiu Tu's sweet talk is just too much. So even though Zhiyan knew Qiu Tu was trying to coax her, she still couldn't stop smiling!

The 44th of 108 ways to enhance relationships in "The Emotional Handbook": Appropriate praise and compliments are always the best way to enhance the relationship between two people.

This is a tactic that Qiu Tu had used before.

However, what he didn't reveal at the time was that there are actually techniques to praising someone, and it varies from person to person.

Generally speaking, for older women, or women with more life experience, the simplest and least risky thing to do is to compliment their youth.

No woman likes the feeling of aging. Therefore, praising someone for being "young" is definitely the most popular compliment among mature women. It has an almost 99% success rate.

Qiu Tu's friend in his previous life won the favor of many wealthy older women and aunties precisely because of this, thus avoiding many detours.