PTM 91

Chapter 91: The Long Snow Finally Stopped

On the third day of the complete lockdown of the Zhongyang District, Wen Nan was still under house arrest in a side hall of the palace. That afternoon, Wen Fu secretly sent a copy of her father’s account ledger.

As Chu Shengcheng’s treasurer, Wen Nan had secretly done countless dirty jobs for him over the years. The accounts showed that Chu Shengcheng controlled the black market, laundered money, used royal privileges to amass wealth, and exploited the lower and middle classes.

The maid who brought the account sheet said that it was Wen Fu’s gift to Chu Luo to thank her for saving her beloved Mu Ke in a time of crisis.

When I learned about this, I was somewhat surprised, yet not entirely. It just goes to show that the cycle of cause and effect in this world, seemingly illogical, is actually all traceable.

Over the next few days, the transfer and liquidation of all power proceeded in an orderly manner.

After the military lifted the communication blockade, Wuxi Li, in her capacity as the judicial representative of the provisional coalition government, immediately read out the heinous crimes of the core members of the old regime to the entire Penglai.

On the day of the celebration, Ye Shuer intercepted the live broadcast signal from the entire channel and revealed to the world, without reservation, the old king and the pope’s insane “immortality plan” and disgusting body transplant scandal.

Today, no one on the internet cared about those “medium-risk” people still stranded in the Zhongyang District. All ordinary people, whether elites in Shangcheng District or commoners in Xiacheng District, were horrified by the cruel truth of the “immortality plan” and were arguing fiercely about it.

“The King of Penglai, Chu Huan, and the leader of the Jing Shi Church, David Benedict, presided over and carried out inhumane body transplant surgery. With the aim of prolonging their own lives, they illegally harvested organs from the bodies of the people of Penglai, depriving others of their lives. The facts are clear and the evidence is conclusive. Currently, the two have been taken into custody in accordance with the law and are awaiting final trial.”

“Former Prime Minister Wuxi Kunpeng was deeply involved in the technical research and development and resource allocation of body transplant surgery; he is suspected of participating in the murder of former Bishop Yi Yingzhen; and he stolen contenthas long used his power to protect his son’s organization of illegal human hunting activities, resulting in the deaths and injuries of many people in Penglai. Wuxi Kunpeng has been taken into custody by the military and will be transferred to a special military court for trial immediately.”

“Crown Prince Chu Shengcheng has been using his royal status to amass wealth, manipulating the underground black market, and ruthlessly exploiting the lower and middle classes through usury. The amount involved is enormous and the investigation is still ongoing. Chu Shengcheng is currently in an uncertain coma and will be prosecuted according to law once he awakens.”

Her voice was calm, her pace even, and she spoke without a trace of personal emotion. She resembled a seasoned and professional evening news anchor.

After reading the last line, she closed the document and stepped aside. Then, Chu Luo, dressed in a light blue formal suit, slowly walked in front of the camera and announced to the entire Penglai and the world “from this day forward, the old regime has completely ended, and the new regime has been officially established.”

After she finished speaking, she reached out and gently tucked the flag bearing the emblem of the Chu royal family into a brown wooden box. Her movements were gentle, as if she were folding a tattered old garment.

From then on, this flag, which had flown for three hundred years, would be forever hidden in the long river of history, never to see the light of day again.

I was the third one to go on stage.

The night before I went on stage, Zong Yanlei specially invited Melanie to tailor an outfit that suited the solemn occasion.

I wore a black, military-style formal suit. A silver brooch inlaid with aquamarine gleamed on my chest. The silver and aquamarine colors were the very symbols of the people of Penglai. I wore an eyepatch set with River Pine stones, marking my identity as a Wo citizen from Wo Province.

This top PR director, who had once approved my styling backstage at GTC, managed to suppress her panic and complete the task admirably, despite having no idea what was going on.

I didn’t prepare any official speech. I simply took Chu Luo’s place, sat on the podium, and looked directly into the camera to begin my speech.

“Everyone, my name is Jiang Man. I believe many of you know me because of GTC. I was the first Wo to step onto the GTC stage, and also Read on the first Wo to lift the championship trophy. Countless people regard me as an idol and compare me to a national hero. But in fact, I have another name – Messiah.”

The camera gave me no response; all around was silent. But I could imagine that countless people held their breath at that moment.

“Messiah is an instrument I created. An instrument to unite the people and fight against the old regime.”

I paused for a moment.

“Now, the old regime is dead. ‘It’ has completed its mission and should also exit the stage of history along with the fall of the Chu Dynasty.”

“But Free Will will not cease to exist.”

“It will no longer be a religion, no longer an underground organization. From today onwards, Free Will will participate in the formation and election of the new government in Penglai as a legitimate political party. Our demands remain the same, rights, equality, and justice.”

“This road will be very long, with many rounds of voting, arguments, legislation, and negotiations. I implore you to once again place your trust in me. Believe in my determination to lead the people to a better future; believe in the unwavering commitment of Free Will; believe that the future of this nation is worth our utmost efforts and sacrifices.”

“Everything will be alright. This is not just empty talk; it is the promise of Free Will to every Wo person, and it is my promise to you as well.”

After saying the last word, I stood up, took a step back, and bowed solemnly to the camera.

There was no applause, no cheers in the studio. I looked up, past the cold machines, and saw Zong Yanlei standing in a corner of the room. His hands were in his suit pockets as he watched me in silence.

Our eyes met, and he smiled, a very gentle smile. It [visit our site]instantly reminded me of something he had said to me during the GTC competition.

‘Well done, partner.’

This sudden, bloodless coup d’état instantly ignited Penglai. After all, no one could have imagined that the end of a dynasty that had lasted for three hundred years would not be a war, but rather a few clean and efficient broadcast announcements.

A group of fanatical royal supporters took to the streets in an attempt to cause a riot, but were quickly and easily suppressed by the troops that Zhong Xiaoshan had deployed in advance.

The news flooded the world, and different countries reacted differently.

During those five years in the metaverse, Daiyu outwardly appeared to be an ally of Penglai, but secretly supported Jin Ke and launched a proxy war. Although the actual course of events had changed, we could not afford to let our guard down.

In order to deter external forces, Zhong Xiaoshan’s army controlled the border and major transportation hubs of Penglai, and launched a large-scale three-day live-fire military exercise on the border line with Daiyu.

Whether Daiyu believed that was just a routine drill or not was irrelevant. What truly mattered was preventing them from taking any rash actions.

Over the next month, the cabinet members of the provisional coalition government were gradually confirmed, eventually forming a core decision-making body of twelve people – six of whom were from the Wo people and six from the Penglai people.

The Royal Police Department, which was originally under the jurisdiction of Wuxi Kunpeng, was disbanded on the spot, and the relevant personnel were identified and dealt with by the military.

The Jing Shi Church was stripped of its status as the state religion, and its centuries-old title of “Holy Church” was abolished. From then on, it was merely an ordinary religious organization, no longer enjoying any political privileges. It’s worth mentioning that a year later, I learned by chance that Wei Lian had become Pope.

Furthermore, the GTC tournament had been suspended indefinitely. This event was too deeply entangled with the interests of the old regime; from sponsors to organizers, the shadow of aristocratic capitalism ​visit our site​permeated everything. Its resumption would have to wait until the new government cleared up these messy accounts.

Finally, there was Zong Yanlei.

Although the “immortality plan” was spearheaded by Zong Shen’an while he was still alive and was largely subject to the oppressive power of the monarchy, the reasons given to the angry populace were too weak. The Sun God Group would undoubtedly have to pay a much higher price to quell public suspicion.

All the nobles were stripped of their titles and required to surrender their lands and half of their family wealth, and Zong Yanlei was no exception. But he was more resolute than anyone else in doing so.

On the day the provisional coalition government was established, he voluntarily signed a relinquishment agreement, transferring all of his core assets, including 80% of the Sun God Group, to the government’s transition fund free of charge. Real estate, financial investments, mining shares, technology patents, and so on. This represented almost all the accumulated wealth by his family over generations.

He only kept the Sun God Racing Team for himself.

“Even if GTC is no longer available, there are other competitions in the metaverse.” His voice was as calm as if what he was about to discard was nothing more than a broken umbrella that no one wanted. “I won’t starve.”

I was standing right next to him when he signed, and I saw that his signature was smooth, without the slightest hesitation. He broke the golden spoon he had held since childhood without even flinching.

Not only that, he also voluntarily relinquished control of “Balaka”.

The mysterious key was divided into three parts, each sealed within a specially crafted titanium alloy ring. All three rings must be activated simultaneously to unlock the core permissions of Balaka. Using any one ring alone was simply using a meaningless piece of scrap metal.

He gave one of the sapphire rings to Chu Luo; another obsidian ring to Zhong Xiaoshan; and the last ruby ​​​​ring to me.

I held the ring in my palm, the cool touch of the metal seeped through [stolen content]the lines of my hand. It wasn’t heavy, but it wasn’t particularly light either.

Zong Yanlei was right to hand it over.

After this celebration, everyone in Penglai must have witnessed the terrifying nature of Balaka. It could not only manipulate the metaverse, but could even be used to achieve an unethical “immortality” in another dimension of time.

Such a world-altering power, if belonging to only one person or one family, would easily invite endless disasters. Simply put, “A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.”

With that, everything settled down. But in this seemingly peaceful transition period, a small accident occurred.

Yu Xuan was appointed by the provisional coalition government and set off for the south to serve as the new governor of Wo Province. Before leaving, he went to see Chu Shengcheng and said his final goodbyes to their child, Chu Lin.

Chu Shengcheng was unconscious, Dai Yue had returned to her motherland, and now Yu Xuan was also leaving. How could a three-year-old child, who knew nothing of the adults’ grudges, possibly accept this? Chu Lin grabbed Yu Xuan’s sleeve tightly. He cried so hard he could barely breathe.

“Waaaaah…no…waaaah hug me…” He couldn’t say many complicated sentences yet, so he could only repeat these two words while crying. He desperately reached out his little hands to Yu Xuan for a hug.

Yu Xuan’s fingers twitching at his sides, as if he wanted to go over and hug him. But in the end, he clenched his teeth and forced himself to hold back.

His eyes were red as he looked at the crying child. This was the first time in all the years I had known him that I had seen such intense, almost tearing, reluctance and pain on the face of this man who always hid his emotions.

“Take good care of him for me.” Yu Xuan said to me in a hoarse voice. He gritted his teeth and ruthlessly pulled back his sleeve before walking away without looking back.

Upon returning to Wo Province, he was supposed to hand over Jin Ke to Zhong Xiaoshan.

But perhaps Jin Ke had received some advance warning, he fled beforehand.

Reports indicated that he had fled abroad, and although an international arrest warrant had been issued, it was unknown when he would be apprehended.

Three months later, Chu Luo officially announced Chu Huan’s death; six months later, she announced the death of David Benedict.

In fact, both men had died within a week of the coup. Chu Luo hid the news of their deaths simply to prevent further trouble during the transition period. After the new regime successfully transitioned, there was no longer any need to conceal it.

After a long day of meetings, I rubbed my aching temples and left the temporary government council chamber in the Zhongyang District. Braving the wind and snow, I drove towards my residence in Shangcheng District.

Seasons come and go, and another winter had arrived. Last night, the first snow of the year fell, and this morning, the entire Baiyujing was covered in a blanket of white, a pristine and clean sight to behold.

I parked the car in the garage of a two-story villa. As soon as I opened the entrance door, a small figure came running towards me, wobbling and limping.

“Slow down! Oh Xiao Mitang, slow down!” Aunt Chun chased after him anxiously, afraid that he would fall.

I quickly crouched down, opened my arms, and caught him. I lifted him up in my arms despite the chill of the outdoor air.

“Mom~” Zong Yinzhuo wrapped his arms around my neck, and pressed his soft lips against my cold face. “Welcome home!”

Every time I heard him call me by this shocking new title, I [unauthorized copy]couldn’t help but sigh with frustration.

After Zong Yanlei donated most of his family property, his assets shrank significantly and were no longer what they used to be. He moved houses and only kept three servants, including Aunt Chun, whom he was used to. He even kept only two luxury cars in the garage for transportation.

We just moved into this new place three days ago. At first, I was worried that Zong Yinzhuo, who was used to living in a large estate, would feel cramped and wouldn’t like it. Fortunately, he had adapted quite well.

“Baby, let’s make a deal, can you stop calling me ‘Mom’?” I carried Zong Yinzhuo to the living room, sat down on the soft sofa, and tried to reason with him.

He blinked his big, bright red eyes and asked me pitifully with a face that looked exactly like Zong Yanlei’s, “Why? You don’t want to be Xiao Mitang’s mom?”

“…”

This was a long story. It all started on the day Zong Yanlei took me home after I had lived in a tent for a month.

At that time, from Zong Yinzhuo’s perspective, we had only not seen each other for a little over a month, but for me, it felt like we hadn’t seen each other for a full five years.

So, on the day we reunited, I hugged him tightly the moment we met. My mind overflowed with joyful longing. I didn’t even notice that he had changed how he addressed me. By the time I finally came to my senses and tried to correct him, less than ten minutes later, the little guy was calling me “Mom” so naturally.

“Why did you make him call me ‘Mom’?” I asked Zong Yanlei.

He was leaning against the doorframe at the time. He raised an eyebrow and asked in a cool, amused voice, “What, do you want to be his ‘uncle’ for the rest of your life?”

I was speechless and could only obediently shut up.

“No.” Seeing that Zong Yinzhuo looked like he was about to cry, I quickly raised my hands in surrender. “Call me whatever you want! Call me anything you like!”

One second he was teary-eyed, the next second he heard my promise and his face lit up with a smile. He hugged my neck again and sweetly called out “Mom” twice more.

This little liar changed faces faster than flipping through a book; he truly inherited my essence.

After handing the child over to Aunt Chun, I took one last look at his limping leg, loosened the tie that was making my neck uncomfortable, and turned to walk towards the bedroom on the second floor.

I only regretted not being able to tear Jin Ke to pieces in real life.

Zong Yinzhuo’s leg injury was serious. Given his young age, he would need to undergo several surgeries before his bones were fully developed. Only after adulthood could he completely recover without leaving any disability.

Whenever I thought that he would have to walk like this for more than ten years, I couldn’t sleep. I had to get up and listen to the screams that I secretly recorded in the main hall over and over again until my mind could gradually calm down.

As soon as I opened the bedroom door, before I could even see what was inside, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist, pulled me over, and pushed me against the heavy wooden door.

“You’re back so early today?”

Zong Yanlei’s silver hair was still dripping with water, and only a white bath towel was loosely wrapped around his muscular waist. He had just come out of the bathroom, and his body exuded a moist heat and the fresh scent of shower gel.

“The meeting got into an argument, so we’ll have to continue tomorrow.” [stolen content]I took the opportunity to raise my hand, hook my arm around his neck, tilt my head back and naturally offer my lips to him.

He lowered his head and kissed me for a while, sticky and eager. Then, with a little effort, he lifted me up by running his hands up my thighs.

“Can you go a little later tomorrow?” he asked in a low, husky voice and gently nibbled at the side of my neck.

I held his wet head in my arms, wrapped my legs around his waist, and in the midst of my intense desire, I took a moment to think about tomorrow’s schedule.

“It’s okay, I’ll just sleep a little less,” I replied.

Upon hearing this, he lifted his head from my neck, and chuckled softly. The laughter traveled through our pressed bodies. It sent a tingling, itchy sensation through my heart.

I cupped his face in my hands, leaned in, and kissed his eyelids, his eyelashes, and the corners of his eyes.

“You like my eyes that much?” He obediently closed one eye, carried me into the bathroom, and placed me on the cool marble sink.

“Mmm……”

I stuck out the tip of my tongue and gently licked my lower lip. For a fleeting moment, I felt a morbid desire. A desire to stick my tongue inside and lick that captivating, jewel-like eyeball, even to roll it up and devour it completely, so that it would forever belong only to me.

I love him so much, I love him so much… I love him so much…

He was my morality, my conscience, and all my passionate love in this world.

He was the scenery on the other side of the narrow gate, the unattainable dream of my youth, and the Agares to whom I willingly submit.

That night, we rolled around in the bathroom, on the carpet, and in bed. I ended up getting less than four hours of sleep.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep, Zong Yanlei hugged me tightly from behind. He rubbed the tip of his high nose against my earlobe, his warm breath brushing against my neck, and whispered something in my ear. He mentioned the word “surprise.” But I was so exhausted that I couldn’t even lift a finger, and I had no strength to understand what he was saying.

During that brief sleep, I had a dream.

In my dream, the view outside the window was frosty white, and our tutor was giving a lecture.

Zong Yanlei placed his chin on his hand. He looked at the swirling snow outside the window, lost in thought. I sat down beside him. He looked at the snow, and I looked at him.

“…Llenáronse de moho Mis sueños infantiles, Y taladró a la luna Mi dolor salomónico. El fondo un campo de nieve… What do these lines of Lorca’s poetry mean? Jiang Man, can you translate them?”

The old literature professor originally wanted to ask Zong Yanlei, but found that he was daydreaming. Because of his position, he couldn’t do anything about it, so he could only ask me instead.

I looked away, thought for a moment, and then softly opened my lips: “My childhood dreams were filled with mold; my Solomonic pain drilled the moon.” I glanced at Zong Yanlei out of the corner of my eye, “The world… will forever be covered in snow.”

He noticed me secretly watching him, looked at me, and suddenly, a small smile appeared on his lips.

Yes. My childhood was full of dark mold; the pain I experienced was enough to drill through the desolate moon; my world seemed stolen contentto be forever shrouded in an endless snowstorm.

But the moment his eyes met mine, my heart transformed into the first pomegranate to bloom on a branch in spring, unripe yet passionate.

…

I woke up groggily to find the outside world already bright. Zong Yanlei wasn’t beside me, and I could faintly hear Zong Yinzhuo’s excited, joyful, and unrestrained cheers coming from downstairs.

I rubbed my aching back, threw on a coat, and got up. Just as I reached the top of the stairs to the second floor, I saw the front door to the first-floor foyer was wide open, letting in a blast of cold air.

Wei Bao huffed and puffed as he carried various cardboard boxes, local specialties, into the house. Aunt Kou and Xiang Rou followed behind, chatting and laughing as they entered. Wei Jiarui, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, seemed to have grown even stronger. He and Zong Yinzhuo, were excitedly rolling around on the living room carpet.

I stood at the bottom of the stairs, my mind completely blank. I was caught off guard by their sudden arrival.

Including those five years in the metaverse, it had been almost six years since I last saw them. I… I couldn’t recognize them anymore.

Zong Yanlei noticed that I had gotten up. His eyes were full of smiles when he looked up at me.

“Surprise.” He didn’t say anything, but just mouthed the word to me while holding onto the door frame.

After a brief period of bewilderment, almost like the feeling of being close to home, immense joy, like the thawing river water in spring, warmed my heart little by little.

I took a deep breath and ran quickly down the stairs: “Aunt Kou! Are you visit our sitetired from your journey?”

“Oh dear, did we make too much noise down there and wake you up?” Aunt Kou looked at me with a smile, but her eyes were a little red.

“Xiao Man-ge!” Xiang Rou called out loudly.

“No, I was about to get up.” I took the heavy box from Wei Bao’s hand. “Why did you arrive at this hour? Did you set off in the middle of the night?”

Wei Bao rolled his eyes and shoved a bag of local specialties into my arms: “As soon as I mentioned I was coming to see you, Rui Rui got so excited that he was doing somersaults in bed in the middle of the night, keeping everyone awake. I thought I’d just step on the gas and drive off in the middle of the night, so I wouldn’t be stuck at home staring at the ceiling!”

Holding the bag of local specialties, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud: “Come on in, it’s warm inside.”

Everyone went inside, leaving Zong Yanlei and me at the back. As he closed the door, I reflexively glanced outside.

Outside, the snow on the rooftops and tree branches was still thick. But the long snowfall had finally stopped.

End

***

Author’s Note

It’s finished.

The bonus chapters will begin updating in a week.

The poem by Lorca at the end is my own translation. I didn’t translate it exactly as it was from the original poem; I made some changes to make it more faithful, expressive, and elegant. In the original poem, the phrase “El fondo un campo de nieve” appears repeatedly throughout, which literally means “the background is a snowfield.” All the intense imagery takes place against this vast expanse of pure white.