Above Destiny

Chapter 618 Urgent Order

Just like what Egonu just experienced.

For a student as talented and promising as Ji Jue—some things don't need to be explained too explicitly. You just need to get to the point, and he'll understand. You point him in the right direction, and he'll grasp the key points directly. You only need to hint at a few clues, and he'll be able to follow the trail straight to the core.

Such as now.

It was no secret that Ji Jue, as the representative of Hai Chao Military Industry, had taken office in Zhongtu.

As a teacher, how could Ye Xian not know?

At the same time, as a teacher... how could Ye Xian not know the nature of that bastard Ji Jue?

At this moment, when she asked, "Are you in the Central Plains?", Ji Jue, as her student, should have understood what she meant.

—Did you cause all this mess in Baibang?

"..."

Ji Jue remained silent, subconsciously turned up the air conditioner on the little cow, wiped his sweat, and nodded obediently.

The same straightforward answer:
"Yes."

Then, the other side fell silent.

For a long, long time, only one regretful sigh escaped my lips: "Why didn't I kill you sooner?"

You bastard, you really know how to cause trouble!
It really stirred up a lot of trouble.

Bai Bang is really unlucky. It's only been a few days. Is it even a month? His 'peaceful days' haven't lasted long before this bastard is about to blow them up.

Several times, Ye Xian wanted to say something, but hesitated and stopped.

In the end, those words were never spoken.

What's the point of saying it?
It's completely useless!

It's better to save yourself the trouble.

So Ye Xian's question became very simple, "...You haven't done anything to disgrace your family, have you?"

Ji Jue wiped his sweat, understanding the implication perfectly.

After all, everyone knows what craftsmen are like. When it comes to actually doing things, they'll find all sorts of ways to do things that would disgrace their ancestors, let alone their family's reputation.

Moreover, the sheer amount of hard work they've inherited is ridiculously high. From Tianlu to Jianyuan to Yexian, and then to Jijue, not a single one of them is easy to deal with.

Therefore, the criterion for judging whether something is disgraceful to one's family is not actually what was done, but rather... whether it was discovered!

Without hesitation, Ji Jue answered decisively:

"no!"

He left no clues or loose ends, so he would not implicate himself, nor would he implicate his master.

While it's hard to say about other things, he's extremely skilled at committing crimes and hiding his tracks!
Ji Jue could guarantee this with absolute certainty. After all, when traveling, he prided himself on the most important virtue of a student: never revealing your mistakes to the teacher—even the Heavenly Furnace would approve of the speed of the Divine Cut!

"That's good."

Ye Xian understood that this would save him the trouble of cleaning up after the students and also save him several lessons on spiritual attack and defense.

No, let's add this back later.

For no particular reason, I just had an itch to play.

Just as Ji Jue was wiping his sweat and anxiously waiting for the teacher's verdict, he heard an instruction from the other end: "Since you're in this situation, why don't you do something for the teacher as well, and save me some trouble."

"Ok!"

Ji Jue breathed a sigh of relief and perked up: "I'll go through fire and water for you, teacher!"

"You don't need to go through fire and water. When the master is in trouble, the disciple will obey. There's an order I don't have time to take. Since you're so bored, why don't you put your mind to something worthwhile and do what a craftsman should do?"

Before he could finish speaking, Ji Jue's phone vibrated.

The message from Ye Chun had already appeared on the screen.

As students, Ji Jue's workshop and Ye Xian's Tide Sound both use the same spiritual quality certification method and workflow. They are identical in every aspect, and any project or task can be converted and handed over without any loss.

What we've received now is an order and verification; the customer's location is in Tacheng.

In terms of specific requirements, Ye Xian's assessment is A-level, which is slightly difficult for Ji Jue, but not troublesome.

Price is not specified.

No money, working for free.

That is only natural.

Given the relationship between Ji Jue and Ye Xian, should a student be charged for helping a teacher with some work? That would be completely unnecessary.

The only troublesome part was the expedited processing, but Ji Jue's projects were all progressing steadily, so he wasn't afraid of urgent work and treated it like homework, something he could do easily.

"Okay, teacher, I'll take care of it!"

Ji Jue assured him firmly, "I don't care what the client's requirements are; I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly for you!"

"I hope so."

Ye Xian hung up the phone.

Ten minutes later, Ji Jue saw the customer who placed the order at the entrance of the workshop.

Instinctively, everything went black.

I just realized that I probably won't handle this well...

"Oh, Mr. Ji, you're finally back?"

The customer rubbed his hands together, his face full of wrinkles, and smiled like an old chrysanthemum: "When Mr. Ji comes back, the order will be there; when Mr. Ji comes back, the job will be done!"
"I'm really sorry to trouble you this time..."

"Get lost, I'm busy!"

Ji Jue instinctively tried to close the door, but one of his feet forced its way through the crack and got stuck. Then, the client's old face squeezed through the crack, grinning broadly and revealing two large gold teeth: "Don't be like that, Mr. Ji. As the saying goes, 'A single meeting of the golden wind and jade dew surpasses countless encounters in the mortal world.' Even if you don't remember the friendship we shared while exchanging alchemy, you should at least remember the happy times we spent together..."

"I'm sorry, I've never found alchemy enjoyable!"

Ji Jue raised his foot and kicked the dog away with all his might, but he couldn't budge it.

It seems to have taken root and cannot be shaken off or dispersed!

Just seeing that old face and that signature hat made Ji Jue feel more terrified than seeing 100,000 wolves!
Who could it be?
Who else could it be?!
The fantastical tale of Bao Dacai from the dream of wealth and glory!
No, it should be said that the core members of Nirvana, former registered masters of the association, are now among the world's top-ranking terrorists—

—Fan Qian!!!
The stickiness, like a leech, returned; he actually managed to squeeze in, clinging to him and impossible to shake off, enraging Ji Jue: "You old bastard, why aren't you dead yet?!" Fan Qian cackled grotesquely: "If I died, who would report you to the association?"

"Go ahead and report me! Let's see who believes you! How about I call the penalty team for you? Let's see who dies then!"

"Believe it or not, I'll go find Kengen and tell him where you are?"

Old Deng grinned: "It's said that the master craftsman was doing well recently, but suddenly a lot of black pots appeared on his head, so much so that he became very interested in a certain junior student."

Ji Jue felt so angry that his vision went black.

Don't get involved in my phoenix-like rebirth in the trenches!!!
In the end, they opened the door and let them in.

There was no other way. Even if Ji Jue didn't care about past relationships, this was still an order sent by his teacher. Could he really refuse it?

Now he finally understands what it means for a disciple to submit to his authority.

It's really sturdy!
Especially since there was more than one person who came.

Just as Old Deng was still arguing, an elderly woman with white hair, hands behind her back and a cigar in her mouth, strolled around his workshop as if she were shopping.

He calmly commented, "As a replica, it is indeed quite realistic."

"presumptuous!"

Ji Jue rolled his eyes: "This is real, why should I say it's fake?"

"Is it possible that what you're doing now is what your teacher left behind back then?" The old lady smoking a cigar pulled out a built-in ashtray, flicked the ash, and clicked her tongue in amazement: "I never thought that after just a few years, my former apprentice would have grown to this level."

"Oh, excuse me, you..." Ji Jue scrutinized her, unsure of who she was.

"You probably don't remember me, since things were pretty chaotic back then."

The older woman smiled slightly: "After all, it's a grand scene where the sword of change slays sages, so it's normal to miss some things."

And so, Ji Jue was numb once again.

Completely.

Now that things have come to this, how could he not know who the person following Fan Qian in was?

The once-famous figure from Nirvana, who made a fleeting appearance in the Mercury Rift before vanishing again, is now the most wanted terrorist in the entire world, the legendary assassin who recently sent the Emperor to the ICU—[White Owl]!
Ji Jue sighed, feeling helpless.

I really don't want to talk anymore.

Heaven have mercy! He was a proper craftsman. How could his workshop have inexplicably become the hideout of a major threat to the world?

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

He poured himself a glass of water and said coldly, "Don't expect to build a relationship. It's just a task for the teacher. Once you're done, get out of here."

"See, I told you so, didn't I?"

Fan Qian ate some dried fruit from who-knows-where and grinned, "This kid, no matter how tough he is, he can't help but reach for Nirvana."

He was born for this!

Bai Xiao smiled warmly and reassured, "Don't be nervous, it's just a routine weapon customization. Your teacher used to help me prepare them, but unfortunately, after she left all these years, the stock is almost used up."

I left in a hurry this time and didn't bring it, so I have to cram at the last minute. I'm troubling you, my esteemed student of Chao Sheng, for help."

That's why I'm nervous!

Ji Jue felt utterly hopeless, rolled his eyes, and thought, "Who knows what you guys are going to do with the weapons I made!"

What if Fan Yun were to die from a nuclear attack later, and the weapons found at the scene were marked with "made by Ji Jue"? Wouldn't I be unwittingly tricked into a Nirvana?
Hmm, thinking about it this way, even though it's a loss, it's still a good death, isn't it?
He stretched out his hand, fingers spread, toward Bai Xiao: "Give me the list of demands."

"There's no list, and it's not that complicated."

White Owl replied with a smile, "I want an Imperial B87 rifle, with a standard bolt action, an ash wood grip, no scope, and a standard bipod—"

They rattled off a series of requests, just like reciting a menu.

Ji Jue was dumbfounded.

Indeed, it's not complicated, even simpler than most customers'. Just by looking at the configuration, you can tell this lady is definitely an expert. Just imagine how smooth it will be to use!

The entire configuration was impeccable, and Ji Jue couldn't find any room for optimization.

But the key is...

"That's it?"

Ji Jue frowned. This is all you ask for? You come to me, can't you buy it?
If you can't buy it, fine, but you have a master right next to you!

Where's Fan Qian? Speak up!

You bastard, have you touched it to this extent?

Ji Jue glanced at Lao Deng, who was cracking sunflower seeds, and asked in an annoyed tone, "Such a simple job, can't you do it?"

Fan Qian shrugged, unconcerned. "Strange alchemy always has its shortcomings, especially in this area."

Bai Xiao smiled and exhaled a wisp of smoke as he slowly said, "Because my requirements are a bit high, Fan Qian simply cannot meet them."

What else could you ask for?

Ji Jue was amused. A classic bolt-action rifle from eighty years ago—you can have it inlaid with gold and jade or made it emit rainbow light.

"Precision".

Bai Xiao laughed: "I need absolute precision."

There are no absolutes.

Ji Jue remained indifferent, subconsciously resisting this purely layman's request: "There is no 'absolute' in alchemy, and no one has ever been able to clearly define how precise absolute precision is."

"That's why your teacher sent us to find you."

Bai Xiao looked at him, full of anticipation:

How precise can you be?

Ji Jue remained silent.

This is the only question I cannot answer.

he does not know.

(End of this chapter)