In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

It's obvious that this was Wen Shengkui's little trick. Who else among the people present could do this besides him?

"Young people have no idea how to be frugal!"

But he still had to give a few more words of advice, closing his eyes and saying slowly, "You should know that you won't go broke from eating or dressing, but you will go broke from not planning ahead."

"Ah, yes, yes, Grandpa is right."

Xu Shi remained silent, but what else could he say? He could only choose to comply.

Gu Yi watched from the sidelines, thoroughly amused, and immediately felt that this must be the most interesting grandfather and grandson duo in the world.

It's unlikely you'll see those heartwarming, loving scenes of grandparents and grandchildren having a long, intimate conversation with each other. One of them is full of mischief, and the other is incredibly arrogant; it's hilarious when they're together.

Hey, why does this suddenly feel kind of sweet?

What are you talking about? Taking all sorts of things will only hurt me. If I'm going to take anything, it should be myself and Xu Shi, right?

In any case, I hope the old man stays healthy and lives to be a hundred years old. She wants to see a few more years of such joyful times.

While she was still there watching the drama unfold, Xu Shi and Wen Shengkui moved on to the next topic of conversation.

"How is Cheng Gujian?"

"Young man, don't be in a hurry. It's only been one night. Take some time to recover."

Grandpa Wen waved his hand, "His ability was too violent. He recklessly used it on himself. It's a miracle he didn't die."

Indeed, compared to Grandpa Wen's abilities, the Destruction ability, though simple in effect, is one of the strongest.

Xu Shi had witnessed it before; even the Sea God, who was also an SS-rank, would wither instantly after taking a shot from him.

When he chose to self-destruct and inject his power into his own body, one can imagine the immense burden it placed on his body, which is why he ended up in that fragmented, grotesque state.

"Are you really planning to take him back to Night Sin City so he can take care of you in your old age?"

Xu Shi shrugged and said, "Wouldn't Brother Ning Wei be heartbroken to death if he heard that?"

"You little brat, you don't appreciate kindness, do you?"

Wen Shengkui snorted angrily, "You even dare to talk back to your grandfather, what else wouldn't you dare to do?"

The worst part is that this little idiot doesn't know what's good for him. Was that meant for me? It was meant for you!

He was naturally very familiar with the affairs of "Heavenly Principles" and knew that if war were to break out with the other side one day, SS-class and S-class "Upgraded Ones" would be the most indispensable fighting force. It was always better to recruit as many as possible.

As for how to persuade Cheng Gujian to accept all of this, he would have to come forward and talk to him personally—firstly, the situation between Xu Shi and him is complicated, and a face-to-face confrontation would inevitably cause trouble.

Secondly... Cheng Gujian can't beat him, so if words are useless, there's a simpler and more direct way to communicate.

“I don’t know how much longer this old bone can hold on. If something really happens, you’ll need to have another SS by your side.”

He said earnestly, "This person is quite good. Putting aside the issue of your positions, I think his humanity is quite good."

This is a rare evaluation to get from the old man, and even Xu Shi himself probably doesn't have this honor—to be honest, if you ask ten or eleven people what kind of person Boss Xu is, they will all answer you with two words: terrible.

How can you be a villain if you're not wicked?

In any case, Wen Shengkui really admired Cheng Gujian—he now had a thorough understanding of the other party's background and was even more aware of how rare the other party's loyalty was, in addition to his abilities.

"Pah, pah, pah! We shouldn't say unlucky things."

Xu Shi, however, had a different focus and quickly stopped her grandfather's speech, which sounded like he was making his final arrangements. "You were just saying you were going to have surgery. What, do you not believe me or your granddaughter-in-law?"

"Preparation is always necessary."

Old Master Wen smiled. "Are you the only one who sees 'natural justice' as an enemy? Don't forget, I hate them to the core too."

They ruined their only biological daughter, and now they don't even know if it's true or not. The old man may not say it outwardly, but he will never forget it in his heart.

"Whether it's revenge or overthrowing the regime, don't risk your life for them."

Xu Shi still had a nonchalant look on his face, but his tone had become much more dejected. "No matter what their purpose is, they have to pay the price for doing these things."

To be honest, his memories of his mother are limited to photos and other people's stories, but that doesn't stop him from missing her.

Could this be the bond between blood relatives? Not to mention his mother, even his father, with whom he had little communication during his lifetime, if anyone dared to say anything bad about him, Mr. Xu wouldn't mind showing them what cruelty is.

but.

"Speaking of which, have you met my little apprentice, old man?"

"That little girl named Pan Ling?"

Wen Shengkui thought for a moment and nodded slightly, "I glanced at it last night, but I didn't pay much attention. But if you teach it, it shouldn't be too bad?"

It's clear that in his mind, the possibility of Xu Shi nurturing students into talents is far lower than that of misleading them.

It's not that he can't teach real skills, but with his personality... if he were to actually train a mini-Xu Shi, it would definitely cause a lot of headaches.

"Of course it won't be bad."

Xu Shi selectively ignored his doubts, "Should I have her spend more time with you these next few days?"

"What, you want me to train your apprentice?"

The old man rolled his eyes at him, "Teach your own apprentices yourself, don't just dump them on others and become a hands-off manager."

Yes, he might be worried, but he wouldn't interfere. How old is he to still need his elders to worry about him? If his juniors were really like this, they'd better go back to Night City and sell sweet potato-flavored nutritional drinks.

"If you don't want to, there's nothing I can do."

Xu Shi expressed regret, "But do you know why we accepted her?"

"Ok?"

"Her special ability... is mind reading."

Xu Shi said slowly and deliberately.

"...Are you serious?"

Wen Shengkui nearly jumped out of his wheelchair. "Your mother has that kind of mind-reading ability?"

"It's fake. Her ability is to make the nutrient solution taste like sweet potato."

Xu Shi said with a grin.

To be honest, he took Pan Ling as his apprentice after considering many factors, since her identity was quite complicated.

As the daughter of the Silver Pine Island Lord, she was quite valuable to him when he first arrived on this land. Taking her as his apprentice was, to put it nicely, to further enhance his relationship with his good older brother Pan Cheng, but if you look at it from a darker perspective, it was a form of indirect threat.

Today is Crazy Thursday, and your daughter is now in my hands. Quickly add me on WeChat (V50)!

Besides, I also found Pan Ling to be a very interesting girl. She was gloomy but also resilient, and quite clever inside. Such an awkward personality is rare.

Now, of course, he no longer has those thoughts. The relationship between master and disciple is cultivated little by little.

As for the other party's abilities... of course, that's a factor, but compared to other factors, it seems more like an add-on.

This might be considered a continuation of the regrets of single-parent families. He misses his mother, but in the end, he has never lived with her. When he sees someone with similar abilities, Mr. Xu's reaction is probably not as strong as that of Xia Ke'an, his mother's former best friend.

But Wen Shengkui was different.

As it turns out, the ability to read minds is indeed rare. At least over the years, the old man has not found another person with this ability.

It wasn't until Xu Shi told him about Pan Ling that he realized that even if his grandson hadn't told him, he wouldn't have known. No matter how powerful someone is, they can't be like those characters in fantasy novels who can tell someone's ability level with just a glance; that would be a bit unfair.

But this did not diminish his excitement—unlike Xu Shi, he was Wen Rujin's father!

Having raised her for so many years, the pain of a parent outliving their child is the most painful thing in his heart. To this day, his daughter's room in the manor is exactly the same as when she was a child, just to remember her by seeing the things around her, isn't that right?

It would be a lie to say she wasn't excited to learn that there was someone else with the same ability as her.

"Since that's the case... then you can bring her to meet me."

However, he remained composed on the surface, with an "Oh, I see" expression. "After all, I am an elder, so it is only right for me to give some advice to the younger generation."

"No way, I'm afraid they won't like you, you strange old man."

Boss Xu started his usual self-destructive behavior.

"What's strange about me?"

Grandpa Wen frowned. "Did you speak ill of me to her?"

"Bring her to see me as soon as possible!"

"Alright, alright."

Xu Shi chuckled to himself. "I told you to see me earlier, but you wouldn't. Now you're here again?"

Don't be so arrogant, old man. Don't you know that arrogance can ruin your life?

"When are you going back? If it's going to be a long trip, I can take her with me first, so she can get used to the environment of Night Sin City?"

Wen Shengkui ignored this and continued muttering, "Don't tell me you're not planning to take her back..."

"Don't be so ridiculous, old man!"

Xu Shi clearly hadn't expected Pan Ling to be so attractive to him. Good heavens, is that really him?

I'm not really asking you to kidnap my apprentice!

He began to wonder if he had been too talkative; to be honest, this was even more shocking than he had anticipated.

This is debatable, but it's true that Wen Shengkui won't stay long.

The City of Night Sin cannot be left unattended for long. To be honest, my grandfather, as a guardian deity, absolutely cannot be left for too long, otherwise things might fall into chaos.

Actually, thinking about it this way is a bit ridiculous. It's obvious that "Heavenly Principle" has limited the number of SS, or extremely high combat power, in each region. There can only be one or two in each region. This may be a way to prevent situations like mine from happening.

Anyway, the two places he visited were both in similar situations, and he didn't know if other places were the same.

Unfortunately, the clues ended there. We were originally planning to keep the saintess alive for interrogation, but now she's in a vegetative state, so it's impossible to get any information from her.

After all, judging from the previous situation, Miss Saintess obviously knows more than He Yuxia, so keeping her around is a good breakthrough point.

"You don't need to rush this kind of thing. It's only been a short time. Learn to stay calm."

Grandpa Wen could tell what he was thinking, and unusually calmly comforted him with a few words, "To be honest, you've already had a very fruitful voyage this time."

"Especially that guy named Lu... he should be helpful for your plan to clear the 'Rust Fog'?"

Xu Shi remained noncommittal, but if he had to say, his biggest gain from this trip was definitely Lu Baiyan.

Unfortunately, Dead Eyes is still unconscious; some things really can't be rushed.

Ahhhhh, I'm going crazy! It's red bean paste! It's red bean paste!