Forge a path to success.

Chapter 296 Don't Talk About State Affairs
It was late at night, the exhibition had long since ended, and the streets were deserted and quiet.

Ji Qiufeng walked alone on the street, a folding fan in one hand and a bottle of fine wine in the other. The wine was a privately brewed treasure of a poisonous otter, which he had personally obtained in exchange for several couplets written by the little animal. He walked slowly, as if waiting for something.

Ji Qiufeng suddenly stopped, trying hard to suppress his laughter. Behind a street lamp was a thief-like figure, but this person was quite burly, and the street lamp pole looked like a bamboo pole, offering no cover whatsoever.

He called out cheerfully, "Senior Brother Huan Ge, how have you been!"

Senior Brother Huan Ge—a burly, masked man carrying a huge bundle on his back—immediately jumped out, spread his palms, and shouted, "My nemesis, Ji Qiufeng! Old friends reunited after 20 years, now is the time for a duel. Come, let's settle this!"

Ji Qiufeng greeted Huan Ge warmly, patting his thick arm: "Brothers, it's been so long since we've met, we should naturally have a drinking contest. Tonight, we won't leave until we're both drunk!"

"Hey, are you even listening to me? I want to have a martial arts match! A real, no-holds-barred one!"

“It’s not too late to compete after we finish drinking.” Ji Qiufeng pulled him forward, “It’s just in time for Cui Ke to get off work, let’s go to his house and ambush him.”

"Hey! I don't want to drink this. Just three cups, that's the most I can have!"

Trek sat at his dining table, looking distressed. "You two good-for-nothings have it easy here, while I have a proper job... Coming home after work and seeing your two old faces makes me want to go back to the office..."

"You're the one with the oldest face, Dad," Lico said bluntly. "Don't laugh at this simple meal. I didn't have time to prepare anything, so I just made some noodles."

"Let's get some more to go with the drinks."

"Okay, okay, remember not to drink too much." Lico put down a plate of peanuts. "I'm taking Mom out for a drive. Uncle Huan, Uncle Ji, you two keep chatting~"

The young girl quickly finished tidying up and led Mrs. Trek downstairs. A dish of peanuts and three bowls of noodles with gravy appeared on the table. Ji Qiufeng said with envy, "It's so good that my daughter can cook."

"Who told you to be less sloppy than me? If your father is good-for-nothing, the kids will naturally learn on their own." Trek said dismissively. "Besides, aren't your daughter's apprentices all outstanding?"

“That apprentice can’t be described as ‘excellent’ anymore, he’s practically ‘terrifying’…” Huan Ge took off his mask and ate noodles.

Ji Qiufeng bowed and said, "I must thank Senior Brother Huan for gifting him this precious spear."

"They are all my junior disciples, and such a talented one at that. Chenjun Palace is now one of the most prominent, but there are only three of us, including you, me, and my senior sister. I can't just give these weapons to the younger generation..." Huan Ge said with a pained expression, "How can I, alas, how can I just leave them in a treasure chest to look at every day~~~!"

Trek popped a peanut into his mouth: "You really feel bad about it?"

Huan Ge slammed his fist on the table: "I really like that gun! And I really, really want that prosthetic arm too!"

"How embarrassing, even a child is more mature than you."

“Jas Trek, do you think that’s a good thing?” Huan Ge asked dramatically. “No matter what path you take, it’s important to stay true to yourself. Chu Hengkong’s nature is even more outwardly apparent than mine; he’s an arrogant and unruly person, yet he usually stands there with a heavy heart. He seems mature and steady, but he’s lost his childlike innocence. No matter how capable a child is, he can’t take flight!”

“Heng Kong is too bound by the past, as I have mentioned to him before. He is currently searching for old friends, and I think his fate will bring about a result.”

Ji Qiufeng got up and poured wine for the two of them. Huan Ge said he wouldn't drink but let the wine glass be filled to the brim, while Cui Ke smiled and only took half a glass. He swirled the small half glass of wine and said leisurely, "I think he has too many high-level items on him. Even if he upgrades to level 4, he may not have much of an increase in combat power. Instead, he is just trying to 'digest' the results to live a more comfortable life."

Besides, even without upgrading, his current combat strength is more than enough. In martial arts, he's proficient in all four branches, just like you, and his innate constitution contains an ancient, fragmented mental cultivation method that has been lost for who knows how long. Add to that his scattered, unorthodox components… without even drawing his sword, he could probably hold his own against a level 5 particle, right? How terrifying!

He took a sip of his wine and suddenly said, "Wasn't he the one who cut through the wilderness?"

Huan Ge also looked at Ji Qiufeng, who said frankly, "That's why I sent him to Jingsha to avoid disaster."

“He’s the reincarnation of Lord Yinglong, and such a prodigy who can tear apart the Heavenly Prison. Naturally, your Huilong City can’t be protected.” Huan Ge nodded. “This move is prudent! But… Jing Sha is not the same as before.”

Ji Qiufeng said solemnly, "I have heard about the bill, but is the public sentiment in Jingzhou really so volatile?"

Trek shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this.

“You old codger, you’ve been stuck in the city for twenty years, you’re too used to wartime tactics… In your Longquan Township’s parlance, Jing Sha is ‘peaceful for too long’! People’s eyes have never been on the battlefield, and citizens who are used to living in their own little worlds, what ‘popular support’ do they have?”

Huan Ge sighed: "Fools who have been numbed by comfort."

Ji Qiufeng nodded: "The local leaders all expected this. I went to Mansa Star Castle a few days ago and met with the commander-in-chief with a letter."

Upon hearing this, Trek began to laugh: "'Gao Mu' said something? Let me guess... 'The final outcome of this matter must be decided by law and the system. As the captain of the Divine Guard, I have no right to interfere with the will of the people.'"

Ji Qiufeng also laughed: "Let's make our tone even more forceful."

"That rigid fellow is bound by his own 'law'," Huan Ge said angrily. "That's how the Path of Floating Light is; people are bound by their own machines and rules, and the higher they go, the more rigid they become. Sigh!"

"Is it really appropriate to say this in front of my Holy Grail?" Trek squinted. "If you want to be free from constraints, you'll have to be like me, with a frustrating and unsuccessful career."

Huan Ge's face turned blue: "Hey! I didn't! Hey!"

"Since things have come to this, Senior Brother Huan, you should punish yourself with three cups of wine."

"I'll punish myself with thirty cups of wine!"

"Are you trying to drink me to death?!"

After Huan Ge finished his ten cups of wine as punishment, the bottle was already half empty. Ji Qiufeng put down his empty bowl of noodles and suddenly became serious.

"I'm now at level 6. I came to Jing Sha thinking that even if I couldn't persuade the captain, I could at least be a support for you. But things have changed too quickly, and I have to head back to the city tomorrow."

Trek said, "Oh, what's the reason?" "The experiment at Dustless Land has made progress. One of their newest geniuses has brought back intelligence about Blood Plains," Ji Qiufeng said. "In addition, now that the Wilderness has been breached and Heavenly Prison is no longer inaccessible, opening a safe passage has become feasible."

"This is a blessing for the world!" Huan Ge put down his wine cup and said excitedly, "Ji Qiufeng, you must not forget the priorities. Even if the villains in Jing Sha cause chaos and turn the world upside down, it's just a mess in one city or one state. But the battle in Tianyu concerns the lives of all people. Haven't you seen how, on the day the evil god died, billions of demons were buried with him, and how many lives were saved?"

Cui Ke also became serious for once: "Huan Ge is right this time... You, Youyou, and Jiewen were originally there to open up the sea and build the city in order to counterattack Tianyu. This is the heaviest burden on your shoulders, and you cannot abandon it."

Moreover, the technology of the Dustless Land is still far behind that of the Empire. Even if we seize the initiative, it's only a matter of time before the Empire of Truth replicates it through information flow. If you don't act soon, I'm afraid that by the time the main force assembles in two or three years, the Blood Plains will already be Empire territory..."

Huan Ge shrank back: "Can you please not say such terrible things?! We've already prepared ourselves mentally for the war against the Desire Demon, but if the real machines take over the Heavenly Prison, that would be truly deadly!"

"You should always think of the worst-case scenario," Trek said dismissively.

"Why can't you think of something positive? Blood Plains might have already been almost completely destroyed by my White Wolf nephew..."

"Relying on Hunxingzhe alone isn't enough," Trek shook his head. "By then, there will be a result regarding Jing Sha, and we can go into Heavenly Prison with the kids too!"

Huan Ge was shocked: "Why are you saying I'm like a student who has repeated a grade?!"

"It's alright, it's alright. Uncle Trek, I'm just a point 5 at my age," Trek comforted him.

"Uncle Trek? I'm clearly older than you!"

Ji Qiufeng watched his old friends bicker with a smile, and after they calmed down, he said, "Actually, in my opinion, there is no need to suppress one's strength... Being able to enter the Heavenly Prison for a battle is certainly worthy of the cultivation of one's teachers, but after advancing to level 6, things are very different from before, and one can provide more assistance. I think if I were still a mortal cultivator, neither Huaisu, Hengkong, nor Lord Yinglong would have been able to survive to this day."

Huan Ge and Cui Ke both fell silent, and for a moment only sighs could be heard.

They had known each other for a long time and shared a deep friendship, all because they were part of the same plan... the grand plan of counterattacking Blood Plains that Ji Qiufeng had once shouldered. Otherwise, how could Huan Ge have so easily produced a relic like the Kanglong Spear? This weapon, of extremely high quality yet deliberately compressed to a medium mass point, was a battle weapon forged by Longquan Township specifically to challenge Blood Plains.

First, the divine kingdom fell, then the heretics besieged the city, and now even Jing Sha's rear base seems to be on the verge of collapse. Even if they reunite today, they can no longer be as carefree and joyful as they were twenty years ago.

They are no longer children; they are adults, elders, and leaders who need to step forward in critical moments. Now, their primary duty is to protect the "youngsters" who charge into battle and lead from the front. The divine weapons forged for war, often left unused, are better entrusted to young people who have earned their service.

“How could I not know this principle?” Huan Ge sighed. “But I’ve been bogged down in official duties these past years, and without realizing it, I’ve lost the fighting spirit I once had. Coupled with the chaotic situation, I’m now unable to make a ‘choice’… And Cui Ke has been unable to advance because of the past, sitting in the third line of command for twenty years. If he were the captain, how could Jing Sha…!”

"I'm already very satisfied that I wasn't expelled. It's so nice to be a captain who just slacks off." Trek was still cheerful. "Besides, 'Gaomu' is a good person. Jing Sha can handle anything. Ji Qiufeng, you can go back without worry."

Ji Qiufeng nodded and smiled, "I feel bad coming empty-handed like this. Heng Kong Huaisu and the others will be staying for a while, so feel free to go to them if you need anything."

"Well, you old rascal, you're using your daughter's apprentice as a favor!"

"What a despicable father!"

"It's alright, it's alright. If anything really happens, they'll always be the first to rush in."

The night was deep, but the clinking of glasses continued unabated. The older men didn't drink quickly; they always had plenty to say before they finished their drinks.

·
At the same time, somewhere in the city-state.

Fenya—no, Yinglong—suddenly awoke to find herself deep within lush vegetation. Here, light and shadow intertwined, blurring the distinction between day and night. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, creating a crisp, clear sound.

"Youming, would you consider yourself an ancient dragon or a divine tree now?"

“The Sakura Dragon Netherworld is long dead; it is now nothing more than an unnamed bud,” the Sakura Dragon replied.

The voice of the plants and trees rang out again: "It's fortunate that you cultivated the path of reincarnation, otherwise even if the cherry blossom tree sacrificed itself to save you, you wouldn't have had a chance."

"Perhaps we should be more grateful that the Funeral God still remembers our past friendship," Sakura Dragon said with a wry smile. It pondered for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Why is there still a demonic aura? Haven't your injuries healed yet?!"

“It has long since become one with me! If Karl Sord were still here, he might have been able to cure me… It’s a pity he had a moment of weakness and stopped helping me afterward.”

Sakura Dragon said worriedly, "If the colorless elements are integrated into your order, demons will always be able to easily enter and leave the city-state, which will eventually be a hidden danger."

"How can this not be a blessing in disguise?" the voice of the plants remained leisurely. "There are plenty of hidden dangers; one more won't make a difference. Let's see what the demons are up to first."

·
Late at night, at the dock.

The lighthouse searchlight swept across the empty sea, and two inconspicuous black dots flashed among the churning foam.

There were two people walking on the sea, one tall and one short. They walked on the waves as easily as if they were walking on flat ground. When they stepped onto the dock, the shorter man impatiently tapped his heels, while the taller man patted his clothes.

“It is an honor to travel with you,” he said. “Thanks to you, I was able to come so easily.”

"That's none of my business," the short man said impatiently. "Ever since the colorless one came, no city-state has been able to defend itself against demons."

"The place where great monarchs once roamed is truly a place that stirs the heart..."

The ambitious demon looked up, his gaze passing through the branches and leaves, drifting towards another land above the clouds.

“It looks like it can stand very high!” he said cheerfully.

(End of this chapter)