"Let's talk about the main issue now," Chen s.h.i.+ cleared his throat and said.

"I believe neither of you intend to live like this forever, right? If it weren't for the fact that someone is clearing up your messes for you, I'm afraid you wouldn't be so carefree like now."

Hearing these words, the empress gave a smirk.

After staying in this world for so long, she truly believed that Earthlings couldn't do anything to her at all.

There were indeed extremely powerful weapons in this world, but she wasn't an unmovable wooden dummy.

Most importantly, if she really wanted to kill someone, who could run away from her?

Furthermore, she wasn't from this world.

Looking at Qi Zixiao's facial expression, Chen s.h.i.+ knew what she was thinking. However, he did not mind at all. He continued, "You have underestimated the nation. Conventional methods might not work against you, but there are also many unconventional methods. We won't hesitate to use them if necessary. If R Nation finds out about you, they might not use force against you, but they might use methods that are extremely hard for you to guard against. For example, poison gas, chemical weapons, sonic weapons, etc. Individual strength can't reign supreme in this world. There are many kinds of unconventional and unguardable new weapons. They might not work against a fully-equipped army, but they are definitely effective against a small number of targets. Put it simply, anything you eat might contain something that threatens your life. Take this slice of cake as an example. A trap might be planted in it, but you won't know its existence even after it has struck you."

The empress emotionlessly stuffed the slice of cake into her mouth.

Ren Baqian thought carefully about Chen s.h.i.+'s words. A portion of what he said was right. He and the empress should not underestimate the nation. The power that a nation could utilize was far beyond their imagination.

As for the other things that Chen s.h.i.+ said, they were easier said than done.

However, it would only take a moment of slight carelessness for him and the empress to be in deep trouble.

There were many cases of people leading a free and unfettered life in other countries after fleeing from the nation. However, these people were able to do so because the nation did not really care about them.

If the nation really placed huge importance on someone, Chen s.h.i.+'s words might come true.

One could become a thief for a thousand days but couldn't guard against a thief for a thousand days. It was impossible for him and the empress to be on guard every single second. He and the empress could escape to a desolate and uninhabited place, but even so they needed to be careful of bombs dropping down from the sky.

Of course, the empress wasn't someone to be trifled with. If she wanted to kill someone, unless that person wasn't on Earth, he or she would not be able to escape.

Therefore, both sides had fear of each other.

Most importantly, Ren Baqian had no intention of fleeing forever. If he had an opportunity to lead a stable life, he wouldn't have chosen to go on the run.

Actually, he and the nation clicked well with each other.

"Moreover, I believe there is a reason why both of you went on the run. From your records, we can see that you did not do anything that challenges the law or disrupts the public order. We have done some investigation on the Jin family as well, and we know their style of handling matters. There's definitely a reason why they appeared in your house. We also gained a deeper understanding of your character," Chen s.h.i.+ explained to Ren Baqian.

They had indeed gained some understanding of Ren Baqian's and the empress's characters. The victims in the cases in R Nation were mainly skinheads, extremists, and criminals.

If no one provoked the two of them, they would not make trouble out of nothing.

However, if someone provoked them, there was nothing that they wouldn't dare to do. And like what was said earlier, both of them were fearless.

Had Chen s.h.i.+ not found them in Milan first, he wouldn't still have this opinion of them in a few days' time.

Upon hearing Chen s.h.i.+'s words, Ren Baqian knew that he was giving him an out, and he would definitely accept it. Immediately, he put a look of grievance on his face. His face-changing ability had been trained to the point of perfection. "Tell me, did I offend anyone by staying at home? I was just sitting at home minding my own business and suddenly such a misfortune befell on me. Not only did Jin Jun want to s.n.a.t.c.h my share of the laboratory, but he also threatened me with my family members' lives. I was forced into this situation. What is that famous line again? 'When a man is in wrath, he will let blood spill as far as five footsteps.'"

["When a man is in wrath, he will let blood spill as far as five footsteps" is a line from "The Story of Tang Ju", which is recorded in Zhanguo Ce (戰國策, Strategy of the Warring States), a fictionalized work of history first circulated during the Latter Han Dynasty of China [25~220 CE].]

"And then you annihilated the Jin family," Chen s.h.i.+ laughed bitterly and said. This man was truly in wrath.

"It's not like you don't know their style of handling issues. They have already threatened me with my family members' lives. If reporting the case to the police was useful, they wouldn't have been so active all this time. They have power and wealth, and I'm just a citizen. After thinking about it, I decided to sacrifice myself for the sake of everyone."

Ren Baqian put on a dejected look of grievance on his face.

I'm being forced into this situation!

Chen s.h.i.+ was stunned by Ren Baqian's words.

This lad really knows how to give excuses!

But this also meant it was easier to negotiate with him.

"No matter what, murder is a huge crime. However, the nation is very interested in some of your things. The nation is willing to give you a chance."

The empress raised her eyebrows and squinted her eyes. "Give me a chance?"

[The "me" here is "朕" in Chinese. It's a term used by an emperor or an empress to address himself or herself.]

The table beneath her hands immediately turned into smithereens. Everything on the table fell all over the floor.

When Ren Baqian heard the empress say something, he knew something was up, and he immediately withdrew his legs. Hence, he was left unscathed.

On the contrary, Chen s.h.i.+'s crotch was completely drenched in coffee. Fortunately, the coffee wasn't hot anymore. Otherwise, the outcome would have been unimaginable.

At the same time, he was breaking out in cold sweat.

The main reason why he was breaking out in cold sweat was Qi Zixiao's aura rendered him immobile and caused his heart to beat so wildly that it seemed as if it was going to explode.

He never thought that someone's aura could be so terrifying.

"Boss! The quality of this table is too inferior!" Ren Baqian turned around and yelled.

Chen s.h.i.+, "..."

After a while, the three of them were s.h.i.+fted to another table.

"If I'm not wrong, you said that we can collaborate, right?" Ren Baqian plainly asked. The look of grievance on his face had disappeared. Now, his facial expression was like the empress's, cold and plain.

"You can put it that way too," Chen s.h.i.+ changed his tone and replied bluntly. He couldn't believe that Ren Baqian's facial expression could change so easily.

"Tell me more about it in detail," Ren Baqian continued.

"The nation is interested in the things in your hands and the laboratory you set up with Chen Yan. I believe you have many things that are very valuable. I am also very curious about her. Are there really cultivators in this world? Can their knowledge be taught to human beings? The nation is interested in many things. I believe you're willing to part with the things in your hands and that doing so won't have any significant impact on you."

Chen s.h.i.+'s eyes were sparkling.

Ren Baqian drummed his fingers on the table lightly. "Then what can we get in return?"

"Everything that you did will be written off instantly. Whatever happened back home will be suppressed, and your arrest warrants will be revoked. However, we also have a condition for you. Both of you can't be so rash anymore and have to abide by the law. You can tell me your requests and I will report them to my higher-ups," Chen s.h.i.+ continued.

After a while, Chen s.h.i.+ added, "By the way, why did she address herself as 'me' just now? I am very curious about her ident.i.ty."

Chen s.h.i.+ had been thinking about why Qi Zixiao used the term "me" to address herself. Various conjectures arose in his head. From her tone and the message she was conveyed, he truly felt that he did not hear her wrongly.

He reckoned that there was an immense secret, making him feel slightly excited.

The empress turned around to look at Ren Baqian. Then, she s.h.i.+fted her gaze to an oil painting on the wall.

Ren Baqian turned silent for a moment. Then, he lowered his voice and said, "Since you already something is amiss, I shall be honest with you. Actually, she is Wu Zetian. She gave up the throne to cultivate immortality. Now, she is back from her cultivation, but the world has already changed. However, she still has a million-man army. The nation should lend us 100 million yuan first to thaw the million-man army..."

[Wu Zetian, also known as Empress Consort Wu, Wu Hou, Wu Mei Niang, Mei-Niang, and Wu Zhao, 624-705 CE, r. 690-704 CE, was the only female emperor in the history of China.]

Chen s.h.i.+ looked as though he had just eaten a mouthful of sh*t. "..."

Ren Baqian pondered over the words he had just said.

A million-man army... what should I say next? I can't possibly say I want to start a rebellion, right? Wait, no! I definitely can't say these words!

"Then, we can make a terracotta army from the Tang Dynasty!"

A frustrated look appeared on Chen s.h.i.+'s face. "Can you be serious?"