Chapter Twenty-Four: Civil and Martial

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[Sages: to establish virtue, to establish merit, and to establish words—one must achieve all three to be considered a sage!

Historically, sages can be traced back to Cang Jie, Confucius, and Laozi; more recently, to Wang Yangming, and Zeng Guofan, who is considered a "half-sage."

However, only a very few know that all true sages are masters of both the pen and the sword!

The most famous and widely revered figure in this regard is Guan Yu, "Lord Guan," who is worshipped for both his literary and martial prowess.]

Broadcast concluded. Now, to the matter at hand:

Li Fengyin was able to see the Mengpo previously due to his acquired double-pupils. Right now, although his vision was not perfectly clear, he could still distinguish the form of the Hidden Asura.

Grabbing the imp's wrist, Li Fengyin did not hold back. With a sudden, forceful yank, the imp lost his grip and let go, forcing him to retreat back into the shadows.

Realizing the employer’s ambush had failed, the Hidden Asura prepared to withdraw.

While still cloaked in invisibility, a deep blue blade on his right arm suddenly slashed through the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured everyone’s vision.

The Shadow Asura, Zhixin, also abandoned his two decoys and retreated behind the Hidden Asura, Lengxin, seizing the chance to escape.

Li Fengyin snatched up a chair and hurled it, only for it to be shredded by a blade within the dust. Lengxin, expressionless, cast a sharp look at Li Fengyin before stepping backward, eventually exiting the Pure White Ballroom through a side door.

The police arrived shortly after. The immediate issue was that only Li Fengyin, Shen Liangxin, and her two bodyguards remained at the scene.

Even though they did not admit to possessing firearms, the casings and bullet fragments on the floor were clear evidence of a gunfight. Fortunately, the security cameras had recorded everything that had just transpired.

As the heiress of the Shen family in the capital, it was only natural for her bodyguards to be armed. Li Fengyin realized this immediately and stopped worrying.

"Officer Gu Aichen?"

The man who approached Li Fengyin was a police officer with a goatee, and he was someone Li Fengyin knew quite well.

"Not bad at all, you even managed to hook the young lady of the capital's Shen family."

Gu Aichen was currently transporting the six of them to the station, along with a dozen witnesses. Of course, the most important evidence was the video footage from the cameras.

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A man in a police uniform spoke with a serious expression: "This incident seems unusual. Should we submit it to the Secret Department?"

"Let me think. Let's listen to the testimonies first."

Gu Aichen prioritized the accounts of Shen Liangxin and her two bodyguards. Just as it was about to be Li Fengyin's turn, the serious young officer asked, "Officer Gu, what do you make of him? He doesn't seem like an ordinary person. The entities in the video seemed to be targeting him specifically."

"I watched Li Fengyin grow up."

Gu Aichen lit a cigarette, exhaled a cloud of smoke, looked out the window at the night sky, and said, "I trust him. I can testify for him if necessary. However, according to the Shen family, this is their private business, and everything was handled legally, so there is no need to involve the Secret Department."

"Understood."

The serious young officer couldn't find any flaws in that logic and nodded.

Gu Aichen led the officer out of the interrogation room and gave him a light punch on his chest: "Little Chen, keep learning, so you can rise in rank and fortune later."

"But you’re still just a captain," the officer said, looking at Captain Gu with a serious expression. "I think doing a job well is more important."

"Cough, cough!"

Gu Aichen choked on his smoke and replied, "No problem, actually, that mindset of yours is necessary too."

By the time Li Fengyin and the others were gathered again, it was the next morning. Separate interrogations were standard procedure at the station to uncover the truth through conflicting testimonies.

"However, the Shen family has decided to compensate for the damages to the Pure White Ballroom."

These were the words Gu Aichen left behind as they were about to depart. Watching Li Fengyin’s retreating figure, he couldn't help but sigh: "He's not the little kid he used to be anymore!"

Shen Liangxin was in a decent mood. She was curious about how Li Fengyin had spotted the Hidden Asura, but Li Fengyin only said, "I'll tell you later. Just be patient for now."

Deciding not to press, she followed him to a morning market, where steam rose from various stalls and an overwhelming array of food was on display.

As for Su Yuxian and Pang Wei, they had been unable to stay awake and had gone home to rest.

"Tea soup with fried dough twists, fried dough sticks with soy milk, oil cakes with savory tofu pudding, hmm, spicy soup with..."

Li Fengyin rattled off seven or eight combinations like he was counting his own family treasures. Shen Liangxin let out a massive yawn. "You choose. I'm fine with anything."

"Alright."

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In the end, they chose tea soup and fried dough twists. Li Fengyin’s reasoning was that this wasn't a Southern dish, and she likely hadn't tried it before.

He tore off a piece of the twist, soaked it in the almond-flavored tea soup, scooped it up with a spoon, and ate it—a truly delightful experience.

These were the memories of Li Fengyin, a Northerner, from his childhood.

Five minutes later, they had finished their breakfast. Shen Liangxin yawned again, clearly exhausted.

"Are we heading back to Huaqing University?"

Li Fengyin couldn't help but ask. Shen Liangxin nodded. "I'll have Feng Sui drive us back. It's a long way; it would take over an hour on foot."

Feng Sui was Shen Liangxin’s male bodyguard.

Li Fengyin felt a bit dejected because he couldn't drive—perhaps due to a psychological trauma from childhood. At the moment, both of them were listless. He had planned to learn to drive using Shen Liangxin’s Ferrari, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, and Shen Liangxin felt a bit helpless as well.

"What a lovely morning."

Inside the Emperor Building, Zheng Chao fiddled with a metallic, winged spherical tracker while listening to a middle-aged man’s report. He concluded:

Before dealing with someone, it is better to understand their situation clearly.

The incident with the Asuras the previous night was also brought up by the middle-aged man. When Zheng Chao heard the names Shen Liangxin and Li Fengyin, his movements paused slightly. He then said, "They are about to be drawn into the vortex."

The scene shifted to the old district of Shangbei City, known as Jiuquan Mountain. A stone-paved path wound up the hillside, flanked by lush trees and dappled sunlight. A woman dressed in blood-red leather walked step by step up the road.

Finally, she arrived at a flat clearing. Opposite her stood an old wooden gate flanked by two stone lions. Above it hung a plaque with three characters:

[Kitchen God Temple]

"Master!"

The woman, known as Blood Flame, her hair the color of blood, stood outside the temple and spoke softly: "I have gained enough strength to acquire that mark!"

The master she addressed was a figure known as the Immortal Old Man of the Mountains, whose real name was Zhang, courtesy name Sanfeng.