Above Destiny

Chapter 557 Thoughts and Reflections

The large lounge was unusually lively.

The rather simple decor and facilities, compared to the guests' status, did not dampen everyone's spirits; laughter filled the air, and conversation flowed freely.

"The weather is nice." Lou Guan held Ji Jue's 'good tea', politely glancing around, wisely refraining from speaking.

"Yeah yeah."

Tong Ting nodded, smacking his lips repeatedly, and the dried fruit shells on the table piled up into a small mountain.

"You know what, you really have to admit, these dried fruits are really something else." Old Lin, who had come to join in the fun at Huangji, was beaming with excitement and couldn't stop eating them either. "Give me some more."

Lou Guan also joined in, saying, "Give me some, give me some."

"Come on, everyone gets one, everyone gets one!" Tong Ting generously opened his pockets, giving everyone a handful: "It's not a free trip, no one comes for nothing."

Yu Shu, who was in charge of the reception, hesitated to speak, not daring to say anything.

Silently serving tea and water.

There's no other reason than that even though everyone is all smiles at this moment, their eyes are gleaming with malice, and when they grin, they are filled with unbearable hunger.

Bloodthirsty spectators have already arrived!

——Fight, fight!
In just a few minutes, before she could even sit down properly, Tong Ting had already been elected as the referee by everyone...

Captain Ether has come to visit!
I can guarantee with my bare hands that the refereeing was absolutely fair and excellent!

Whether or not a referee is actually the case is secondary, since both sides and their respective commanders are here, and it's impossible for them to fight to the death and then deny everything.

The key point is that there needs to be some explanation. People come to see the excitement, and if there's no explanation, wouldn't they miss out on half the fun?
Amidst the ticking of the clock, everyone chatted and munched on sunflower seeds, occasionally glancing out the window at the gradually brightening sky.

Why hasn't it started yet?!
In another private lounge, it was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Master Kong stared expressionlessly at the student before him. Lou Feng stood with his hands clasped, sweating profusely, not daring to utter a sound.

"Tell me." Kong Qingyan twirled the jade ring on her index finger, a wisp of green light flowing around her fingertip. Subconsciously, the warmth between master and disciple vanished from her eyes, replaced by a scrutinizing indifference: "What are you thinking?"

"Ah...me?" Lou Feng was stunned. "Thinking about what?"

"For a project with an uncertain future, he risked his independence as a craftsman and his future in the association, using himself as a stake to participate in a united faction that was destined to never settle down."

"Winning brings a small profit, losing means being at someone else's mercy..."

Kong Qingyan asked expressionlessly, "What are you thinking, Lou Feng?"

"I……"

Lou Feng hesitated, his throat tightening. Feeling cold sweat pouring down his face from being stared at by his teacher.

"If you want to be a family craftsman and don't intend to achieve anything within the Taiyi Ring, then so be it. The infighting and struggles within the association are not important to you, and I, as your teacher, don't care either. I wish you a long and prosperous future."

But if you truly have any ambition to go far on the path of embers, you must tell me, as your teacher, what exactly you are doing—”

Kong Qingyan's eyes flashed with even more cold light: "Lou Feng, are you really thinking straight?"

I didn't, it wasn't me. My aunt bypassed me and made all the decisions directly!

At this point, it's time to shift the blame.

If they were being rational, they should have taken this opportunity to ask the teacher to stop the duel, and at the same time, severed ties with Ji Jue, instead of getting entangled even more...

But really not, is it really not true?
Lou Feng remained silent, then suddenly wondered, "Did I really not make a choice?"

He had countless opportunities to stop Lou Yanyue from acting recklessly. He knew perfectly well how unreliable his aunt was and how reckless she was in her actions, but he didn't.

even……

Even when she heard her aunt say "fair and square, let's settle this once and for all," she felt excited and her heart surged with emotion!

“It was my decision, teacher.”

Lou Feng lowered his head: "Just consider it a moment of impulsiveness. I... I will take responsibility for the consequences."

"You're responsible? What can you be responsible for? Do you expect me, as your teacher, to distance myself from you and clear my name?" Kong Qingyan shook her head: "Simply ridiculous, utterly foolish."

Lou Feng subconsciously wanted to speak, but heard her sigh with emotion.

"Indeed, it looks like embers."

Lou Feng was stunned, bewildered, and unable to understand.

"Whether it was rational or not is another matter, and whether it was foolish or wise can be judged afterward. As a craftsman, I am disappointed that you did it knowingly, without understanding the consequences. You did not distinguish between profit and loss."

Faced with the current gap, you still have the courage to say you want to compete with your rivals. As your teacher, I must grant your permission; otherwise, where does your ambition to improve and rise to the top lie?

Kong Qingyan gave a mocking smile, "It's just a competition. You're still young, you can afford to win and you can afford to lose. I just hope you fall harder and win more gloriously. Whether you succeed or fail, it's all a lesson."

Lou Feng remained silent, staring blankly at the teacher. When he noticed the teacher's complicated gaze, he tried to speak but couldn't utter a word. He felt his heart pounding wildly, unable to control it, and his face flushed red.

"Teacher, I..."

"There's no need to guarantee anything or make any promises; craftsmen aren't known by their words."

Kong Qingyan slowly stood up and patted him on the shoulder one last time: "Prepare well, bring your best... But you should know what the consequences will be if you lose, right?" And so, in the dead silence, Lou Feng began to sweat again.

Ji Jue's office was equally silent.

After pouring out Ji Jue's trashy tea, Ye Xian unscrewed his thermos, took a slow sip, and finally looked up at the student standing next to him.

"What are your thoughts?" she suddenly asked.

"Ah this..."

Ji Jue subconsciously tensed up, and after thinking for a moment, he replied, "After all, it's a challenge that's come knocking, so it's not easy to refuse. It's just a matter of making a small profit or a big profit. Besides, we can't possibly lose, can we?"

After he finished speaking, he laughed at himself.

But Ye Xian did not laugh.

Look at him.

Ji Jue's laughter faded, replaced by shock. "...It can't be that bad, can it?!"

This time, Ye Xian finally laughed, a laugh devoid of warmth and filled with mockery: "So, you still don't understand your opponent? You don't know your opponent's trump cards, you don't understand what your opponent is hiding, and you don't know your opponent's killer move?"

Ji Jue remained silent: "..."

Ye Xian added: "And your opponent is thinking about you day and night, using any means necessary to find out about you, analyze every clue about you, and even knowing the gap in strength, he still took the initiative to propose a duel?"
And you, you're about to face a 'craftsman' who perhaps understands you better than you understand yourself?

"..." Ji Jue remained silent.

“You should understand how terrifying this situation is for the craftsmen of the Ember Path, right, Ji Jue?” Ye Xian narrowed his eyes, looked at his astonished student, and then sighed calmly: “However, it’s not bad either.”

"what?"

Ji Jue was dazed.

"Isn't this just common sense?"

Ye Xian didn't care at all: "Only the losers ever worry about the winners. How can the winners be afraid every day?"
Does that old codger Tianlu even care who might be jealous of him? Do the Plow Makers and Carrion Eaters care when the masters below might launch a challenge? Does Jianyuan really care day and night about such a trivial ailment as yours?

Being in a high position already makes one the target of constant envy from those below who aspire to climb up. Are they really going to have to look down on everyone? Should the research even be conducted? Isn't this already troublesome enough?
In the craft of artisans, the only role they ever play is to target others. If someone becomes the target of another's attacks, it just means they're not all that great and are unlikely to amount to anything.

"So, teacher, what do you mean?" Ji Jue tentatively leaned forward.

"It's your own business, you can make your own decisions. Fight if you want to. I'm your teacher, not your babysitter. Why should I care so much? As for the Joint Workshop... ha, you're more ambitious than me. Well, it's better to let you experience the infighting within the association than to let you cause trouble outside."

Playing games with idiots every day won't improve your skills.

So be it. "

Ye Xian screwed the lid on the thermos, slowly stood up, and walked away with his hands behind his back. But before he opened the door, he turned back for one last look.

The smile remained, but the chill was bone-deep.

"However, you should know what the consequences will be if you lose, right?"

Gudong.

Ji Jue swallowed.

Ten minutes later, when Ji Jue and Lou Feng met again, their smiles had completely vanished, and all warmth was gone. Amid the cheers and exclamations of the bloodthirsty audience, their eyes met, sparks flying.

In that instant, they all understood... that what they were betting was not only their independence as craftsmen, the future direction of the workshop, and even their position and status in the association, but also their own two legs!

As the saying goes, it's either victory or death; there's no turning back!

Ye Xian and Kong Qingyan, however, were already exchanging pleasantries as if no one else was around.

"Master Kong, it's rare for you to have the leisure to come and watch children fight. Has he realized that his promotion is hopeless and is planning to enjoy his retirement with his grandchildren?"

"Not at all. I don't have the same good fortune as Master Ye. I have no children and no students running around, leaving me to clean up their messes. Compared to that, it seems much less stressful and more leisurely."

"It's normal; the mediocre are busy and the capable are troubled."

Ye Xian sighed calmly: "Whether a student succeeds or not depends entirely on himself. It's no use for teachers to keep nagging and lecturing. Even a lot of minor troubles are better than being incompetent."

"Ha, I never knew that Master Ye would talk to me about the bond between master and disciple." Master Kong was truly impressed: "I have learned a lot."

"Whether there is affection or not is secondary. If you can't teach, then there's no point in talking about master and disciple, let alone anything else." Ye Xian waved his hand modestly: "The respect for teachers and the way shown by Master Kong is what is truly worth learning. Perhaps I can ask you to teach me how to use a wood-fired stove another day."

"To present to our teachers? Of course, that's our duty." Master Kong laughed heartily, "I just don't know if you have anywhere to deliver it."

"..."

Before they knew it, a deathly silence fell over the room, and no one spoke.

Amidst the seemingly casual conversation, only Ji Jue and Lou Feng retreated again and again, drenched in sweat, watching the two teachers casually stab each other in the heart with deadly intent, and they were already terrified.

How about we reschedule for another day...?

I no longer have the courage to say those words!

(End of this chapter)