Once, I wanted to be a good person

For a moment, when he walked into the meeting room, Fang Ze finally saw what he looked like.

It was a very handsome old man, and although the years had left many Traces on his face, those Traces did not mar his handsomeness but rather added to his elegant and steady demeanor.

He wore a splendid outfit with a pattern of cloud dragons embroidered on it, his hair combed meticulously. One could tell he was a person who took his work very seriously.

It was just that Fang Ze had never seen the attire of He Weidao the Old Farmer; otherwise, he definitely would not have been able to associate the two men with each other.

While Fang Ze was looking at He Weidao, He Weidao's striking eyes also watched him without sorrow or joy.

The mere locking of gazes made Fang Ze feel as if a tremendous pressure, heavy as a mountain, weighed on him, almost leaving him breathless.

However, perhaps because of a persistent tenacity within him, the stronger the opponent's aura, the more it ignited a sense of defiance within Fang Ze. He braced his spine, his gaze still firm as he locked eyes with He Weidao...

As the two men looked at each other, the other people in the meeting room, after whispering among themselves, also noticed this scene.

They gradually stopped speaking and looked from He Weidao to Fang Ze, eyes filled with a playful expression.

Just as the meeting room grew quieter and the atmosphere heavier, the elderly man presiding over the inquiry coughed softly, "Ahem. Where were we just now?"

With that, he lowered his head to flip through the documents.

Interrupted by his action, the tense atmosphere in the meeting room slightly eased. He Weidao and Fang Ze involuntarily averted their gazes.

Seeing the standoff between the two men end, one of the influential observers at the very back of the room stood up of their own accord and sat down by a wall-side chair. The others quietly stood up in turn and shifted back one seat, leaving the seat at the head of the room for He Weidao.

This scene unfolded before Fang Ze's eyes, and he couldn't help but recall what Bai Zhi had told him about He Weidao the night before.

He Weidao was the Chairperson of Xida State and the leader of the Commoner Faction, holding the highest authority in Xida State. According to the federal and state regulations, in times of non-warfare, all states are autonomous; thus, he could be seen as an emperor within his domain.

With seven states in the eastern region, he effectively held one-seventh of the power in the region. Coupled with the influence of the Golden Sparrow Flower incident, one could imagine his standing within the state.

Therefore, even though many individuals in the room had jurisdiction over various departments in the region, they still had to defer to him. Only the elder from the Noble Court could perhaps match his status...

As Fang Ze thought this, He Weidao had already slowly taken his seat at the head of the table and quietly observed the inquiry.

The elder clearly did not get along with He Weidao; having been amiable to others, he hadn't even greeted He Weidao upon his arrival.

He looked down at the documents for a while, then raised his head and said kindly to Fang Ze, "Fang Ze, don't be nervous. Let's continue with the inquiry."

Seeing the old man's comforting gesture, Fang Ze withdrew his glance from He Weidao and silently nodded.

The elder looked at Fang Ze, then kindly asked, "You said just now that you are a descendant of the Si Family. Is this true?"

Upon hearing the elder ask the question again, the people in the meeting room once more involuntarily focused their gaze on Fang Ze, curious about his response.

After all, many had doubted whether Fang Ze was claiming to be a member of the Si Family just to escape suspicion as a nouveau noble.

But now, with the Si Family's adversary He Weidao present, if Fang Ze continued to lie, he could well provoke a terrifying enemy.

Therefore, this time Fang Ze's answer had to be even more convincing than before.

And hearing the elder's inquiry, He Weidao's expressionless eyes were also fixed on Fang Ze.

Fang Ze disregarded He Weidao and everyone else's gaze. He didn't even use words to affirm but stood up, then spread out both hands! The Dark Domain began to unfold!

The boundless darkness spread wildly around, engulfing the entire meeting room.

Those present for the inquiry and observation in the meeting room were not ordinary individuals. So even when Fang Ze suddenly made his move, they managed to illuminate themselves with various colored translucent protective layers in 0.1 seconds, or with a mere flicker, they invoked the Power of Laws to form a dark control zone around themselves!

The darkness spreading across the room collided with those colorful protective layers, making a "hissing" sound!

And that was not the end. In the darkness, the tables, chairs, and decorative pieces in the meeting room became animated. One by one, Dark Soldiers, tall like Shadow Warriors, clad in pitch-black armor and wielding dark spears, sprang from the ground and stood beside everyone as if to protect them, yet also as if to keep them under surveillance!

In just a moment, the entire meeting room had completely transformed.

Amidst this, the only person who remained still was He Weidao.

It was uncertain whether he was so confident in his own skills that he knew Fang Ze couldn't hurt him, or if he had some other purpose. When Fang Ze's darkness spread, he remained still, allowing himself to be enveloped by the darkness. After being surrounded, he even lifted his hand and examined it carefully, his eyes filled with contemplation...