I started by watching videos, and I chose 10,000 combat power.

As the boy was led to the door, hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway outside.

A man appeared at the door. He was in his early fifties, wearing a dark gray jacket, with a square face and frameless glasses perched on his nose.

His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and the skin around his mouth was dry from lack of water, clearly indicating that he had run all the way here.

He stood at the door and first saw two young men in plain clothes leading the boy out. Then he noticed the bald man and the curly-haired woman following behind, both of them looking rather unwell.

Finally, his gaze swept over everyone in the political education office and landed on Luo Fei.

He paused for a moment, his mouth slightly open but he didn't speak immediately. He blinked behind his glasses, as if to confirm that he hadn't seen wrong.

"What's going on?"

He spoke first, his voice low but carrying the deep, authoritative tone characteristic of someone accustomed to leadership positions, "Which unit are you from?"

Old Wu walked up to the principal and took out his ID from his pocket.

He held the document up in front of the principal, pausing for a moment long enough for the principal to see every word clearly.

"Ministry of State Security. On official business. Are you the principal?"

Old Wu's voice was calm, without a hint of accusation, but his tone was more intimidating than a direct interrogation.

The principal's Adam's apple bobbed, and he looked away from the certificate.

He didn't ask "why the National Security Bureau came to the school" because he recognized the young man standing in the middle of the office.

He had seen that face in the news and on live streams.

He walked quickly to Luo Fei and stretched out his hands.

"General Luo! What brings you here? You didn't even let me know beforehand so I could have made arrangements to welcome you."

His voice was half a tone higher than before, not intentionally, but due to nervousness—the muscles in his throat contracted involuntarily, and his vocal cords tightened, making the sound naturally higher-pitched.

Luo Fei shook hands with him, then let go after two seconds.

"I'm here with my aunt to take care of some things. My cousin studies at this school."

The principal's expression changed.

He turned his head and saw a little girl with a ponytail and her school uniform sleeves rolled up to her elbows, leaning against the corner of the wall.

Luo Yumei put her arm around Zhao Lin's shoulder; Zhao Lin's eyes were still a little red.

Old Wu came over and briefly recounted what had happened.

When Old Wu spoke, he didn't embellish or offer any subjective evaluation, but every word was like a nail driven into the principal's ear.

The principal's face went from red to white, then from white to green.

He turned his head and looked at the director of the political education department, who was slumped in his chair. The look in his eyes wasn't anger, but rather the feeling of "I treated you like a brother, but you treated me like a fool"—the emotion of being betrayed by someone you trusted.

He didn't reprimand the director or question why he acted that way; he just glanced at him and then turned away.

"General Luo, I will definitely handle this matter seriously. Those who should be dismissed will be dismissed, and those who should be disciplined will be disciplined. There will be no leniency. I will also thoroughly overhaul the school's security and management system to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again."

The principal's voice was low, his tone filled with apology and determination.

Luo Fei looked at him and simply nodded.

The bald man and the curly-haired woman remained standing at the door, not leaving.

When they heard the principal address him as "General Luo," their expressions changed simultaneously.

The bald man's mouth slowly opened, the corners of his mouth drooping downwards; the curly-haired woman's lips also trembled slightly.

They finally remembered.

Who is that ordinary-looking young man who has been standing there since he entered the room?

He is the man who once soared through the skies on television, the man who emerged unharmed from a mushroom bomb explosion, and the youngest general in the history of the Chinese nation.

The bald man pulled his hand out of his pocket, not to make a phone call, but to lean against the wall—his legs were already weak.

He glanced at Luo Fei, then looked in the direction his son had been taken away. His lips trembled several times before he finally managed to squeeze out a few words: "General Luo, we really don't know..."

The curly-haired woman's mouth was open, and her tears finally fell. The tears, filled with fear and regret, welled up from the bottom of her heart, washing away the powder on her face and leaving two white streaks.

Luo Fei didn't speak, nor did he need to.

His cousin was nearly stabbed, and the assailant's parents verbally abused her for a long time in the office. The assailant himself proudly declared that "minors are not afraid of the police."

Now they know his identity and understand that the word "minor" is no shield for him. That's enough.

Luo Yumei went up to Teacher Zhao and asked for leave for Zhao Lin, wanting to take her home to rest.

Teacher Zhao nodded quickly, took out a leave slip from the folder, and handed it over along with a pen.

Luo Yumei took the pen, signed the paper, and then returned the leave slip to Teacher Zhao.

Zhao Lin took Luo Yumei's hand and said, "Mom, it's the weekend tomorrow, I want to go back to Liuxi Village with my brother."

Luo Yumei hesitated for a moment.

The company has been incredibly busy lately. Products sell out as soon as they're put on the shelves, and even with the factory operating on three shifts, it can't keep up with the growth in orders.

She thought for a moment, nodded, straightened Zhao Lin's school uniform collar, and said, "Okay, go ahead. Rest well in the village, don't wander off, and listen to your brother."

Luo Fei also chimed in, "No problem, I'll take Auntie back to her company first, then I'll take Linlin home."

The three people walked out of the office.

Zhao Lin walked between Luo Fei and Luo Yumei, holding their hands in each of hers.

The car was parked in the parking lot behind the teaching building.

The car drove out of the school gate, turned onto the main road, and merged into the traffic of the county town.

Luo Yumei leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed, it was unclear whether she was asleep or lost in thought.

Zhao Lin leaned over from the back row and whispered to Luo Fei, "Brother, don't tell Uncle and Aunt about what happened at school. They'll worry if they find out."

Luo Fei glanced at her in the rearview mirror and said one word: "Okay."

When they arrived at the company building, Luo Yumei got out of the car, bent down and said to Zhao Lin, "Call Mom when we get there," and then said to Luo Fei, "Drive slowly."

Luo Fei nodded, and after Luo Yumei entered the building, he started the car and drove towards Liuxi Village.

The setting sun slanted down from the western mountains, turning the entire highway orange-red.

The trees on both sides of the road leaned backward one by one, their shadows sweeping across the windshield piece by piece.

Zhao Lin leaned gently against the car window, her gaze following the familiar scenery outside.

Her lips slowly curved upwards, and her tense body gradually relaxed.

When they arrived at her doorstep, before the car had even come to a complete stop, Zhao Lin pushed open the door and got out.

In the courtyard, the roses are in full bloom.

Li Xiulan was collecting clothes in the yard when she saw Zhao Lin jump out of the car, and the clothes in her hands almost fell to the ground.

"Linlin? You're back?"

Li Xiulan's eyes lit up immediately, and her voice rose eight octaves, "Have you eaten? Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? Your aunt will cook for you."

Luo Weidong poked his head out of the house, saw Zhao Lin, and smiled.

He turned around, went into the kitchen, took out an apple, wiped it on his clothes, and handed it to Zhao Lin.

Chu Yue hadn't left yet; she was practicing the third set of body-refining techniques in a corner of the courtyard.

She saw Zhao Lin, stopped and greeted her. Zhao Lin sweetly called out "Sister Chu Yue". Chu Yue smiled and continued practicing with her head down.

Zhao Lin walked around the yard to look at the flowers.

She squatted down in front of the rose bushes, smelled them, and then looked at the few newly sprouted Spirit Gathering Grasses next to them.

The seedlings of the Spirit Gathering Grass have grown taller, and the cotyledons have fully unfolded. They are tender green and shaped somewhat like four-leaf clovers, with a layer of extremely fine hairs on the surface of the leaves.

Zhao Lin didn't recognize what it was and thought it was a weed. She reached out to pull it up, pinching the stem of a Spirit Gathering Grass with her fingers and lifting it up a little.

"Don't pull it out! This was planted by your brother; it's a special variety that can purify the air."

Luo Weidong's voice came over, fast and urgent.

He walked over quickly, squatted down, and carefully pressed the Spirit Gathering Grass that Zhao Lin had loosened back into the soil. He then gathered the surrounding soil with his hands and compacted it.

Zhao Lin was startled by Luo Weidong's reaction, withdrew her hand, and stuck out her tongue.

Li Xiulan walked over, jokingly scolded her, "Why are you so cheeky with your hands?", and then led her into the house.

Dinner was prepared by Li Xiulan: braised pork, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, tomato and egg soup, and a plate of cucumber salad.

Zhao Lin ate two bowls of rice and drank a bowl of soup, her stomach bulging like a small ball.

Seeing Zhao Lin eating so heartily, Li Xiulan couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

By the time we finished eating, it was already dark.

The lights in the courtyard came on, casting a warm yellow glow on the ground and casting the shadows of the roses onto the cobblestone path.

Chu Yue has already returned to her post.

Luo Fei led Zhao Lin to the courtyard and had her stand still.

Zhao Lin has almost mastered the second set of movements, and her physical fitness and strength are several times better than those of her peers.

In today's conflict at school, she was able to break the other person's arm with a knife by turning her hand back, thanks to her superhuman strength and reaction speed.

Luo Fei stood opposite her and said, "The third set of movements is much more difficult than the first two. Chu Yue has been practicing for several days and hasn't even mastered half of it. Don't worry, just practice when you have time on the weekend. Learn as much as you can."

Zhao Lin nodded, her expression becoming serious.

Li Xiulan moved a chair and sat under the eaves to watch. Luo Weidong stood beside her. Neither of them spoke; they just watched. Zhao Lin had grown taller and stronger since she first returned.

Luo Fei began teaching her the first movement of the third set.

Zhao Lin is more flexible than Chu Yue. She is younger and her muscles and bones are not yet fully developed, so she is much more agile than an adult when she practices.

The key to the first movement is not strength, but the coordination of breath and movement.

Zhao Lin tried several times, but her breathing was always out of rhythm. She was inhaling when she should be exhaling, and holding her breath when she should be inhaling.

Luo Fei told her to stop, broke down the movements, and taught her step by step.

"First, raise your hands, don't worry about breathing, raise them to the top of your head, stop, okay. Now slowly lower them, inhale as you lower them, stop when they reach your chest, hold your breath for three seconds, one, two, three, okay, exhale."

Zhao Lin followed his rhythm, once, twice, three times, and by the fifth time, her breathing and movements finally matched.

Luo Fei nodded and said "Not bad," and Zhao Lin's lips curled up slightly.

After finishing her practice, Li Xiulan had already prepared the water for her medicinal bath.

Zhao Lin soaked in the water for almost an hour. When she came out, her face was flushed and her hair was wet and stuck to her face.

She was wearing the pajamas Li Xiulan had prepared for her, the pant legs were a bit long and rolled up twice, and she was wearing a pair of slippers that were a size too big. She walked into the guest room, climbed into bed, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and closed her eyes.

In less than five minutes, her breathing became even, and her eyelashes fluttered occasionally, as if she were dreaming.

Luo Fei returned to his room, and his phone screen suddenly lit up.