Qing Chen: "Then what is first-class?"
Kyung Joon: "Using capital to create more capital is first-rate; that's called making money from money."
Qing Chen: "Are there any above first-rate?"
Kyung Joon: "Yes."
"What?"
"war."
The implication is that war is the most lucrative business because it overturns the old social structure, and its most fundamental goal is the transfer of power.
Power, however, is something that money can't buy in this world.
Qing Chen muttered, "You're a lobbyist sent by Shadow, aren't you? You just want me to go back to the Qing family and take over some power, and then give up my current small ticket seller business."
Qing Zhun smiled without saying a word.
Qingchen said, "But if there were no third-rate sellers, no one would sell steamed buns or be ticket sellers, then the second-rate and first-rate sellers would also cease to exist. They are the indispensable foundation of this world."
Kyung-jun said with great distress, "The steam train runs just fine without you. It doesn't need you at all!"
"It seems so..." Qing Chen said thoughtfully, "I have a feeling that you cheated when you dealt the cards, but I have no proof."
Kyung Joon raised an eyebrow: "Do I need to cheat to beat you? You can say I'm not good enough, but you can't question my sportsmanship."
Yangyang: "Exactly!"
Qingchen turned to look at Yangyang speechlessly. Girl, which side are you on?
At this moment, Kyung-jun stood up and walked to the window, gazing out in a daze.
They had reached the southern part of the Federation, and wherever the steam train passed, there were rivers and lakes everywhere.
There were no traces of human life around those lakes. The water was so clear that you could see the fish swimming at the bottom. The lake was emerald green yet crystal clear, like a deep pool.
Like imperial green jade inlaid on the earth.
Kyung-jun said, "Let's stop playing cards for now and enjoy the scenery. It's so beautiful."
Qing Chen glanced at his cards and immediately flew into a rage: "You didn't cheat when you dealt the cards, but when I had two Kings, four Twos, and four Aces at the same time, you said you wanted to go sightseeing?! How many times has this happened along the way? When you have bad cards, you just discard them to go see the scenery! What kind of card etiquette is this?!"
Qingzhun chuckled and said, "Playing cards is nothing compared to this beautiful scenery."
Qingchen said, "They all deliberately lose money to their bosses so they can have a future. You won't get promoted if you do that!"
In the distance of the plain, there is a large lake shrouded in mist. Qing Zhun introduced, "That is Forbidden Land No. 012, which is also the most special Forbidden Land in the Federation. It was once one of the largest inland lakes in the Federation. Strange and powerful fish hide at the bottom of the lake. It is difficult for humans to set foot there, and they don't even know what rules it has."
"How did this thing form?" Qing Chen asked curiously.
“Some say that a demigod died of old age while boating on the lake, while others say that a giant six-whiskered catfish died in it, but neither of these claims has been verified,” Qingzhun said. “There used to be a settlement of wilderness people near that lake who made a living by fishing on the lake. The fish there bite very quickly and have excellent meat. People can stay on the shore without having to enter the forbidden area.”
Qing Chen asked curiously, "And now? Are the wilderness people still around?"
“The Chen family killed them all,” Qingzhun said. “Now there’s a fish production base by the lake. The entire Federation’s high-end fish and caviar are supplied from here, exclusively to the Upper Three Districts. Why don’t we get off here and try the legendary most delicious perch?”
Qing Chen said, "Subordinates should have the awareness of subordinates and not plan their schedules arbitrarily!"
This time, as soon as he finished speaking, he received a slap on the back of the head.
The speed was so fast that Qing Chen couldn't react at all.
Qing Zhun said with a half-smile, "You're really getting into this, aren't you? Do you really think I don't know what you're thinking? You guessed my shadow identity but you just won't tell me, you just want to boss me around for a couple more days. There's a force field awakener right next to you, do you think she can't sense my force field? Do you really think I don't know the characteristics of a force field awakener?"
"What are you talking about? I don't know anything..." Qing Chen received another slap on the back of the head.
He was helpless. Even though he had reached B-rank, he was still powerless against this S-rank opponent.
A demigod is like a high mountain; from a distance, it seems nothing special, just like all the high mountains in the world.
Only when you reach the foot of the mountain and look up at the towering, boundless peaks will you realize that it is a mountain that no living being can ever cross in their lifetime.
Qing Chen was equally defiant, saying directly, "Do you remember you once praised Shadow as a good person? Oh right, when you were in Intelligence Division One, you went to great lengths to pretend, even though you weren't there for any of the operations, you still thought you were acting really well... Come on, let's hurt each other!"
Shadow's expression changed.
*Slap!* Qingchen received another slap on the back of the head.
Yangyang quickly peeled a tangerine and handed it to Yingzi: "Ahem, don't get angry with him, or he'll go crazy..."
Shadow said with a smile, "Yangyang is quite perceptive. If it weren't for her, you would have taken at least two more hits. From the moment you made me carry two hiking backpacks, I wanted to see just how much you could do, and it turns out you really were!"
Qingchen mimicked the shadow's tone and said, "I was sent by Mr. Shadow to protect you..."
The shadow raised its eyebrows.
Yangyang quickly poured Yingzi another glass of water: "Calm down, calm down..."
Xiao Mengqian was almost in tears.
At this moment, Shadow didn't say anything more to Qingchen: "I have something to do. You two stay by my side and don't let anyone get close."
After saying that, he sat down to the side and closed his eyes.
Qing Chen was stunned for a moment. The scene he had seen before reappeared, and the shadow's breathing disappeared.
No, to be precise, the frequency of the shadow's breathing was stretched to an infinitely long time span, to the point that others thought his heartbeat had disappeared.
Qingchen understood.
Shadow wasn't driven to despair by his own actions, but rather he sensed something was wrong with his body and knew he couldn't hide it any longer.
Qingchen looked at Yangyang: "Has his force field changed?"
“Extremely faint,” Yangyang said worriedly.
Qingchen sighed.
He finally understood why Shadow had come out to play; the other party didn't have time.
Ten minutes later, Shadow opened her eyes and smiled at everyone as if nothing had happened: "Were you worried about me?"
“I’m worried,” Qingchen said earnestly. “I have no relatives left in the outer world, and you are one of the few relatives I have in the inner world. It would be a lie to say I’m not worried.”
When the boy first met the shadow, he was full of wariness, after all, the shadow came and went without a trace, and did things without leaving a trace or revealing his purpose.
They even use extraordinary individuals to grow tea.
Being around someone like that requires being on high alert, and it's not even enough to keep you on your toes.
But later Qingchen discovered that the shadow would not harm him.
Qing Chen asked, "Is it because your illness is starting to flare up more frequently, so you can't stay at Qing's anymore? Besides, you don't have much time left. Old Master Li contacted me before he passed away, and you contacted me before you passed away too. What, am I a hospice?"
The shadow remained silent.
Qing Chen sighed, "How much longer do you have?"
The shadow said, "You don't need to know how much longer I have. I don't like people counting down the days for me, as if I should be lying in the intensive care unit with tubes all over my body. Don't worry, for someone who controls time, even in the moment before death, they will be no different from a normal person. I will die at my most glorious moment, and that's enough."
Qing Chen sighed and asked, "I still don't understand. Since you are already a demigod, why is your lifespan so short, even though you have no injuries?"
Shadow laughed and said, "Actually, I'm not injured. I told you before that I often cough in front of strangers so that they would think I'm injured."
"Then what happened when your heart stopped beating?" Qingchen asked, puzzled.
The shadow glanced at him: "I once overspent my time for someone."
Qing Chen was taken aback: "Overdraft? How long have you been overdrafting?"
The shadow said calmly, "A century."
Chapter 599, Forbidden Land No. 10
Shadow: "What you should be most worried about now is that people from Kamishiro, Kashima, the Chen family, and the Qing family all want to kill you, and they also want to kill me. And I am falling into backlash more and more frequently. The road ahead is fraught with danger, and it probably won't be easy."
"Wait a minute!" Qing Chen sensed something was wrong: "My whereabouts are so well hidden, why are they chasing after you and me?"
Shadow laughed: "I'm the one who leaked the secret!"
Qing Chen: "...I knew it wouldn't be anything good."
The shadow smiled and said, "Don't worry, you'll get something in return for accompanying me on this journey."
Qing Chen asked in confusion, "I can understand if someone from the Shindai, Kashima, or the Qing clan wants to kill me. But I have no grudge against the Chen clan, so why would anyone want to kill me? My senior uncle, Chen Jiazhang, is a member of the Chen clan."
“This involves the old grudges between the Knights and the Chen family,” Shadow said. “There is a woman in the Chen family who hates your master, Li Shutong, because of love. Moreover, guess why Chen Yu’s father, Chen Chuanzhi, a demigod, died young? Chen Chuanzhi was only 70 years old, but he looked no more than 40. Ordinary demigods can live to be 140 or 150 without any problem.”
Qing Chen frowned: "Because my master injured him? Why would my master injure him?"
According to legend, Li Shutong had nothing better to do, so after becoming a demigod, he challenged everyone to a fight, and the first person he chose was Chen Chuanzhi.
But now it seems that this is not the case.
Shadow laughed and said, "You should also know that your senior uncle Chen Jiazhang had his future forcibly cut off during a life-or-death challenge, and he is still stuck at the A level, suffering from inner demons. The person who cut off his inheritance was Chen Chuanzhi, who was also at the A level back then."
The knight sought revenge from morning till night.
Back then, the Twelve Knights fought to the death with Kamishiro, to the point that the Kamishiro Foundation had to swallow their pride and bear the grudge. As the leader of the Knights, Li Shutong naturally wanted to avenge his senior brother, such a vengeful organization.
Shadow: "So, as soon as Li Shutong was promoted to demigod, he went to find Chen Chuanzhi, beat him severely, and only spared Chen Chuanzhi's life because someone pleaded for him."
"Why would Chen Chuanzhi ruin my master's future? Knights are not power-hungry people, they wouldn't fight him for anything," Qing Chen asked.
“Maybe he’s afraid Chen Jiazhang will become a demigod before him? Or maybe he’s afraid Chen Jiazhang’s prestige will lead to the disintegration of the Chen family,” Shadow said. “In a large, secluded mansion, it’s not that you can just say you won’t compete and others won’t be wary of you. Now, Chen Yu is already a demigod, and you’re only a B-level, far behind him.”
"Why do I hear a hint of schadenfreude in your voice?" Qingchen said, displeased.
The shadow chuckled and said, "When Chen Yu comes to kill you, won't you just suddenly die?"
"It can't be that bad, can it? A demigod would kill me?" Qing Chen was stunned.
Shadow: "The Chen family are all petty."
There were more than just Qing Chen and the others in the carriage.
In contrast to the cheerful atmosphere of Qing Chen and his friends playing cards, Ma Jingjing, Yi Wenbo, and others were quite sullen.
They silently observed Qing Chen and the others.
At first, I was worried that Qingchen and his group would rob and kill people on the way, but then I realized I couldn't understand these people...
Xiaoyu said, "They are all young people, women and children, and they are not carrying any weapons. Why don't we take the gold coins back? Each of us has D-level strength, and Ma Jingjing was lucky enough to become a C-level gene warrior. Surely we can beat them."