Mo Han said, "You’d better not get involved in the Orchid Sect’s matters. Ji Buyao isn’t that easy to kill, but Hua Zhuyue is definitely in trouble this time."

Xu Chunliang asked, "You seem to know some inside information?"

Mo Han replied, "It’s not that complicated. The police have long been investigating Ji Buyao’s actions and have gathered a lot of evidence against him. They’re just waiting to close the net. Ji Buyao’s decision to disappear now speaks volumes."

Xu Chunliang sighed inwardly. It seems most people believe Ji Buyao couldn’t have been lost at sea. It’s highly likely he used this opportunity to pull a ’golden cicada shedding its shell’ tactic, even severing a finger to escape, showing how ruthless he is.

But by leaving, he’s dumped all the mess on Hua Zhuyue. After following him for so many years, seeing her end up like this is truly disheartening.

Knowing that Mo Han has extensive connections, Xu Chunliang patiently asked about Hua Zhuyue’s situation, "Is it really troublesome for Hua Zhuyue?"

Mo Han said, "Hua Zhuyue’s situation can be big or small. As far as I know, she has always been cautious and wary of Ji Buyao. Unfortunately, her skills are no match for Ji Buyao. This time, not only is Ji Buyao pushing her out to take the fall, but also those old guys from the Orchid Sect. The one who ties the bell must be the one who unties it. The Orchid Sect needs to step up to resolve her trouble."

Xu Chunliang whispered, "Who should I talk to?"

Mo Han replied, "As long as the Sect Leader of the Orchid Sect speaks, naturally, someone will take responsibility for everything, and Hua Zhuyue’s crisis will be easily resolved."

Xu Chunliang said, "With Ji Buyao’s fate uncertain, even if he’s alive and intentionally hiding, where would I find him?"

Mo Han said, "Currently, the Orchid Sect is in a leaderless state. In terms of seniority and power, it should be President Pan Tianhua of He Dong taking over Ji Buyao. However, according to tradition, Ji Buyao might pass the position to his successors. After all, the Orchid Sect has been in the Ji Family’s hands for five generations. Doesn’t he have a daughter?"

Xu Chunliang thought to himself, if Pan Tianhua becomes the Sect Leader of the Orchid Sect, Hua Zhuyue’s situation might not turn around at all. Comparatively, it might be better for Ji Jiajia to inherit the leadership position, but the girl is just a child; how could she handle such responsibilities?

Mo Han said, "Outsiders shouldn’t meddle in the Orchid Sect’s affairs. I advise you to stay out of it, lest you get burned."

Xu Chunliang laughed, "Thanks for the warning."

After ending the call, he looked at the paper box on the table. The package Li Xiumei handed over had not been opened yet.

Xu Chunliang glanced at the sending address, which was local to the Capital City, making him even more puzzled as to who sent this item to him. Could it be that Li Changmin sent dragon bones to exchange for an antidote? But then he thought such a valuable item wouldn’t be sent in such a hasty manner as a gift to him.

Xu Chunliang opened the box, revealing a cloth package. Inside, there was a sculpture of an iron hand resembling an orchid.

Xu Chunliang was startled inside. This item, called the Orchid Order, is made of black iron and is the token of the Sect Leader of the Orchid Sect. It holds the same significance to the Orchid Sect as a green bamboo staff to the Qiong Sect.

Xu Chunliang checked the paper box and found a note inside, which read—"Blooming flowers and a fulfilled moon, a beautiful time like a dream!"

Xu Chunliang looked at the date on the outer packaging. The package was sent yesterday morning, which was before he met Ji Buyao, meaning Ji Buyao had planned everything before disappearing last night.

Picking up the Orchid Order and turning it over, he saw three bright red characters engraved in the palm of the iron hand—Ji Jiajia, indicating Ji Buyao’s designated successor is his daughter.

But why did Ji Buyao send such an important token related to the Orchid Sect’s legacy to him?

The phrase "Blooming flowers and a fulfilled moon, a beautiful time like a dream" suggests that if Ji Jiajia is safe, then Hua Zhuyue will also be safe.

Could it be that this rascal anticipated trouble befalling Hua Zhuyue after his disappearance, and his daughter can only be healed with Xu Chunliang’s help? Was sending the Orchid Order to Xu Chunliang a move to have him heal Ji Jiajia and support her in inheriting the Orchid Sect, thereby saving Hua Zhuyue?

However, how can Ji Buyao guarantee Hua Zhuyue’s rescue? It seems he definitely has a backup plan and might always be lurking in the shadows, observing everything.

If this is true, Ji Buyao’s scheming is deeply intricate, but what Xu Chunliang still can’t figure out is, even with his confidence in his medical skills, how could Ji Buyao be so sure Xu Chunliang would be able to support Ji Jiajia as the future head of the Orchid Sect?

Secretary Zhou’s invitation for Xu Chunliang to visit the Ye Family was not his own idea; it was Ye Changyuan who specifically mentioned Xu Chunliang’s name, asking Secretary Zhou to invite him along.

Secretary Zhou initially thought Ye Changyuan wanted to express gratitude for the previous treatment of facial paralysis. On the way, he said to Xu Chunliang, "Director Ye is a very sentimental person. He specifically invited you tonight."

Xu Chunliang feigned some trepidation, "Secretary Zhou, I’m really a bit nervous."

Secretary Zhou laughed, "What’s there to be nervous about? No one in the Ye Family puts on airs."

Xu Chunliang chuckled inwardly, realizing Secretary Zhou was unaware of his connections to the Ye Family.

Secretary Zhou finally mentioned his son’s affair: "Chunliang, have you seen Deming recently?"

Xu Chunliang said, "We had dinner together just a couple of days ago. Why, didn’t you meet with him when you came to the Capital City this time?"

Secretary Zhou shook his head and said, "I’ve been busy with official duties these past two days, no time to meet him. He also doesn’t take the initiative to come find me. I really don’t understand you young people. Is it that when you grow up, you don’t like being with your parents?"

Xu Chunliang couldn’t help but laugh, "Maybe there’s a generation gap. Deming is okay; I feel he’s much more obedient than I am."

Secretary Zhou said, "I used to think he was obedient too, but now I find more and more that he has his own ideas, especially since the beginning of this year. He’s even starting to be a bit rebellious."

Xu Chunliang said, "Isn’t it said that rebellion in men is the start of maturity?"

Secretary Zhou said, "I’ve never heard of such a saying. Zhang Song, have you heard of it?"

The secretary Zhang Song, who was sitting in the passenger seat, had been listening to their conversation. Over the years, he developed the habit of not speaking unless the leader asked. But when the leader did ask, he would definitely respond in a timely manner: "Secretary Zhou, I think I’ve heard that before. Who wasn’t rebellious when they were young? Xiaoxu was quite rebellious."

Xu Chunliang laughed and said, "Don’t use me as an example!"

Secretary Zhou laughed, "Hearing you say that, I feel a bit reassured. By the way, I heard he recently met a girl from Hong Kong Island."

Xu Chunliang said, "You’re talking about my cousin, aren’t you?"

Secretary Zhou said, "Your cousin?"

Xu Chunliang took out his phone and found a photo of Zhen Chun to show him.

Secretary Zhou put on his reading glasses and looked very carefully, considering she might be his future daughter-in-law. After looking for a while, he said, "Your cousin is quite pretty. Did you introduce them?"

Xu Chunliang quickly denied, "What era do we live in now? Who still does that? Don’t you remember when Deming accompanied Grandma Zhou to Weishan Island? My cousin happened to be looking for me, and the two of them met. They hit it off immediately, but I didn’t expect their relationship to develop further."

Secretary Zhou said meaningfully, "Perhaps this is what they call ’destined encounters from a thousand miles away.’

Xu Chunliang worried Secretary Zhou might think he arranged this on purpose, so he deliberately said, "Actually, romance and marriage are two different things. They’re still young..."

Secretary Zhou said, "I don’t agree with that. A romance not aimed at marriage is just fooling around. I think the young girl is quite good. By the way, what do her parents do?"

Xu Chunliang gave a brief introduction and didn’t hide the fact that his aunt and uncle had divorced. With Secretary Zhou’s capability, he probably already had Zhen Chun’s background investigated thoroughly, so it wouldn’t have been good to deliberately conceal anything.

Secretary Zhou said, "A family of intellectuals. When we get back, why don’t you help arrange a meeting between our families?"

Xu Chunliang chuckled, "Secretary Zhou, aren’t you being a bit hasty? They haven’t reached the stage where they need to meet each other’s parents. I think it’s better to let them develop freely."

Secretary Zhou said, "Meeting isn’t a bad thing, right, Zhang Song?"

"Secretary Zhou is right." To Zhang Song, every decision of Secretary Zhou was the right one.

Getting an invitation to a Ye family banquet was more prestigious for Secretary Zhou than any hotel in the Capital City.

Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission issued a notice "On Improving the Planning and Construction of Railways." One of the regulations is that subways and light rail constructions must not be carried out illegally. This mainly targets the behavior where many places have successively launched subway and light rail constructions in the past period.

The main issue is that subway construction in many cities does not match the urban scale, leading to resource waste, so the state has begun to strictly review this. Many new project applications have been put on hold, and some previously approved projects have been re-examined.

The second phase of Dongzhou’s subway project had already been approved, and phase two of Line 3 and phase one of Line 6 have started construction. However, lines four and five, which are also part of the second phase, are still in the exploration phase. Given the current policy, there are also many rumors.

Secretary Zhou was also uneasy. Although Dongzhou is a major population city in Pinghai, it has had a net outflow of population in recent years. Dongzhou’s GDP ranks sixth in the province, but its subway construction has ranked among the top three in the province, which has naturally attracted a lot of criticism, much of which comes from neighboring cities.

The purpose of Secretary Zhou’s visit this time is to implement the second phase of the project as soon as possible. His biggest wish is to have the entire second phase of the subway project start construction during his tenure.

Subway construction is extremely important for the ancient city of Dongzhou. They must seize this opportunity to build a regional center city. Before coming to the Capital City, Secretary Zhou made a special trip to Nanjiang and obtained support from the provincial authorities.