“This is my cousin, Xu Chun, whose nickname is Yanzhi.”
Xiao Lu Jie introduced her to Fang Xin.
Fang Xin looked at Yanzhi. Yanzhi had fair skin, a slight baby face, and resembled an actress named Cai Xiubin from the central country of the universe several centuries ago. She also possessed a unique aura that inexplicably made people feel a desire to protect her.
Yanzhi gave Fang Xin a sweet smile, her two small canine teeth adding a touch of playfulness.
Seemingly not good with words, Yanzhi took the half-drunk water from Fang Xin’s hand, then took the towel from his hand. Her gaze towards Fang Xin was somewhat timid, yet beneath that shyness was an adoring look, like that of a fan.
“Xiao Xin, my sister is your fan! She’s usually a homebody, but as soon as she heard you were here, she came running over!” Xiao Lu Jie teased.
As soon as she said this, a rosy blush visibly spread across Yanzhi’s cheeks, even her small ears turned pink.
For a moment, she didn’t know where to put her hands.
Yanzhi didn’t dare to look directly at Fang Xin. After a long silence, she just blushed and, in a very soft, timid voice, said, “No, I was just passing by, but… but Fang Xin is indeed very impressive!”
Fang Xin thanked her gracefully. Hua Qing shouted for the game to resume, and the match started again.
With Tai Shi Yan guarding the goal in his wheelchair, the opposing team didn’t dare to use their full strength, though they were itching with frustration. Everyone glared at Fang Xin, as this terrible idea was his. This wasn’t just treating Tai Shi Yan as if he wasn’t disabled; it was treating him as if he wasn’t even human.
The game ended in a landslide victory. Fang Xin and a few others lifted Tai Shi Yan, wheelchair and all, into the air in a jubilant celebration.
After the game.
On a distant stage, a skit was being performed by several popular comedians. Fang Xin enjoyed watching these skits and crosstalk performances, and he would even research skits and crosstalk from centuries ago.
While researching online, he heard that a skit called 'The Photo Studio' from centuries ago had amazed an entire era. Fang Xin found and watched it online, but after watching it, he was in a state of confusion, wondering if people from centuries ago had such low standards for humor.
Now, with the changing times, comedians also require talent. As a type of actor, they naturally need to accumulate fans to achieve self-breakthrough. Moreover, this profession requires genuine skill and effort, otherwise, it’s impossible to gain fan value. For instance, something like making dumplings, which was popular centuries ago, would certainly not garner enough fan value, at least not in this era.
Hua Qing wiped her sweat and put her arm around Fang Xin’s shoulder. “Xiao Xin, let’s go. I’ve booked a private room over there. Let’s go have some fun and drink a bit more while there are still a lot of people around.”
As she spoke, she looked at Xiao Lu and Yanzhi. “Xiao Lu, bring Xiao Yan and your sister along?”
Xiao Lu had just nodded when Yanzhi unexpectedly waved her hand and said in a very small voice, “I won’t go!”
Hua Qing seemed to know that Yanzhi was a homebody and didn’t press her further.
“It’s crowded and quite chaotic right now. Who wants to stay with her and keep her company?”
Fang Xin’s gaze instinctively turned to Tai Shi Yan again.
Tai Shi Yan was amused and made the classic Ip Man pointing gesture from centuries ago. “You rascal!”
“I’ll go!” Jiang Xiaocha said.
Fang Xin knew Jiang Xiaocha didn’t like crowds, so he let her have her way.
He followed Hua Qing to the private room suspended in the sky. From the outside, the room didn’t look very large, but the interior space was enormous, with a karaoke room, a billiard room, an arcade, and a series of other entertainment facilities.
Moreover, here, whether it was drinks or food, as long as you ordered it, it would be delivered, which was very convenient.
Hua Qing introduced Fang Xin to everyone in their group. Among these dozen or so people, three or four were descendants of old players from the game’s launch, and while the others didn’t have such incredible backgrounds, they were all well-off.
Most of these people had already taken up positions in various government agencies.
The highest-ranking among them was a young man in a leather jacket.
The young man’s name was Zhao Shanhe. He exuded a carefree, reckless aura and had the nickname Shanji. This nickname was given to him by Bai Mao Zai, and no one knew why Bai Mao Zai had given Zhao Shanhe such a nickname; Bai Mao Zai’s thought process was simply different from normal people’s.
Zhao Shanhe’s grandfather was also a launch player, playing an indispensable role in The Chaos of the Gods back then. After stability was achieved, the rising stars of the Zhao family were capable of taking on important responsibilities, steadily inheriting Old Master Zhao’s baton, wielding significant power, and holding sway over a region.
Currently, Zhao Shanhe was a major in the Eastern Army, and it was rumored he would be promoted again after the New Year.
In addition, there was a very tall, somewhat greasy, and even somewhat old-looking young man named Feng Qiyu, who belonged to the Red Lotus District Garrison. He held the rank of major in the Garrison.
Although they were both majors, Feng Qiyu’s major was slightly less prestigious than Zhao Shanhe’s.
Hua Qing was the team leader of the Third Division of the Sky Shield Bureau.
These three were all descendants of launch players, so their promotions were much faster than ordinary people’s.
Zhao Shanhe raised his beer and gestured to Fang Xin. “Little brother, you’ve been making quite a name for yourself lately! Number one on the Dragon-Tiger Rankings! A cliff-edge lead over second place! You really taught those bastards from the church a good lesson!”
Speaking of this, everyone else praised Fang Xin highly. Hua Qing raised her beer. “As long as we’re fighting those bastards from the church, then we’re good brothers!”
Everyone took a big gulp of their drinks, some even chugging it down.
Hua Qing put her arm around Fang Xin’s shoulder. “Xiao Xin, these people are all good brothers you can trust with your back. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, as long as one of them is nearby, just give a shout, and they will definitely help you without hesitation!”
Everyone nodded in turn, showing friendly smiles.
Zhao Shanhe put down his glass and smiled at Fang Xin. “Did Old Master Ye summon you here?”
“Yes!”
Zhao Shanhe nodded, looking at Fang Xin with a hint of an elder looking at a junior. “Not bad. To be called to Old Master Ye’s home at this time, your future is bright and boundless. However, there’s one thing you need to pay attention to. I’m a few years older than you, and as an elder brother, I should give you a heads-up. Although you’ve caught Old Master Ye’s eye now, and he will certainly look out for you and promote you in the future.
What I want to say is, don’t let Old Master Ye’s kind demeanor and gentle treatment of juniors fool you. The Old Master, after all, has crawled out of piles of dead bodies. If you truly cross his bottom line, his methods are iron-fisted, his actions swift as lightning, and he won’t give you any chance to catch your breath.
So, it’s best not to touch certain taboos. Firstly, Old Master Ye prefers peace and quiet. You must never cause any major disturbances that might anger the Old Master. Secondly, the Old Master particularly dislikes the strong bullying the weak. Remember not to do anything that exploits your influence to bully others. And there’s one more thing you absolutely must remember!”
At this point, Zhao Shanhe paused slightly.
It seemed he was waiting for Fang Xin to ask what it was.
Fang Xin, like a good straight man in a comedy duo, asked, “Shanji, what’s the other thing?”
Only then did Zhao Shanhe continue, “The other thing, my grandfather told me, is that Old Master Ye had a childhood sweetheart many years ago, but unfortunately, she died in the war. So, the Old Master never married and has no children. Many young people, in order to advance, adopt godfathers; for someone like Old Master Ye, there are countless people who want to recognize him as a godfather or god-grandfather. But Old Master Ye strongly dislikes this kind of behavior.
Someone once ruined their future because of this. You, kid, must never, in your eagerness to advance, get a hot head and call Old Master Ye ‘Grandpa’ or anything like that.”
Fang Xin nodded, sincerely saying, “Understood, thank you, Shanji. I definitely won’t call Old Master Ye ‘Grandpa’.”
Zhao Shanhe patted Fang Xin’s shoulder with satisfaction. “A teachable young man! Just be normal, call him Old Ye, and as long as your military merits are sufficient, everything you deserve will come to you.”
Wang Lao Ji, that Lao Wangba, was eating, pecking his head up and down. Hearing this, he slapped his thigh. “Oh no! Then this kid is screwed! He didn’t call Old Master Ye ‘Old Ye’; it seems he called him something quite intimate.”
Everyone else was startled. “It’s too late! What did he call him? Let’s see if there’s any room for a remedy!”
“This kid called Old Master Ye ‘Grandpa (maternal)’!”
Feng Qiyu couldn’t help but laugh at this. “Called him ‘Grandpa (maternal)’? Hey! You’re quite original, kid, you even found a less crowded path! Not Grandpa, but Grandpa (maternal). Old Wang, what was Old Master Ye’s reaction when he heard that? Didn’t he get angry?”
Wang Lao Ji poured sauce over the sheep’s head and ate it, pecking his head up and down. But the sheep’s head was just out of the pot and still too hot. Wang Lao Ji’s mouth moved rapidly, making him look like a rapper to anyone who didn’t know better.
After hearing Feng Qiyu’s words, Wang Lao Ji said.
“Old Master Ye didn’t get angry.”
“Didn’t get angry? Really? Did Old Master Ye change his temper?”
Wang Lao Ji ate the sheep’s head. “How could Old Master Ye change his temper?”
“Then this kid eagerly called Old Master Ye ‘Grandpa (maternal)’. How could Old Master Ye not be angry?”
“Because this kid is Old Master Ye’s blood-related grandson!”
As soon as these words left his mouth, the room fell silent.
Everyone stared at Fang Xin.
After a while, Hua Qing was the first to speak. “Holy cow! My brother used to say you had no background and always protected you. I didn’t realize you were the one with the biggest background of all!”
Zhao Shanhe chuckled. He had just been lecturing Fang Xin, giving him advice and warnings, and Fang Xin had been acting like a wide-eyed newbie, blinking his big innocent eyes and soaking it all in.
Turns out, this kid had a powerful backer all along.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
Fang Xin said eagerly, “How could I? I really wanted to know! This is the first time I’ve met the Old Master today, and also the first time I’ve known about this identity.”
Zhao Shanhe raised his glass, indicating that Fang Xin absolutely had to drink.
After drinking, Zhao Shanhe looked at the others, finally turning his gaze to Feng Qiyu and Hua Qing for their opinion.
Hua Qing wiped her mouth and let out a burp. “Why wouldn’t we bring him in?”
Feng Qiyu also nodded. “He should definitely be brought in!”
“If you’re really unsure, ask Zhao Qinghu!” Feng Qiyu added.
Fang Xin looked at these people, feeling like they were all riddle-tellers, speaking in a way he couldn’t understand.
Zhao Shanhe took out his phone and sent a message. After a short while, he received a reply and smiled at Fang Xin.
“Xiao Xin, we’re adding you to a group!”
Fang Xin was utterly confused, wondering what kind of group this was.
Hua Qing explained openly, “We have an internal group among us. The people in the group are scattered across the twelve districts of Dragon Country, each holding different positions. We usually share information, and if you encounter any trouble while performing a cross-district mission, just say something in the group, and those working in that region will provide the greatest help they can! Of course, if others come to your area and need help, you also have to provide the assistance you should.”
Fang Xin nodded upon hearing this, immediately realizing that he had joined their circle.
After Zhao Shanhe added Fang Xin’s contact information, he immediately added Fang Xin to a large group of over 1,600 people.
Fang Xin quickly scanned it and found that Bai Mao Zai was also in this group, and was even an administrator. Hua Cheng was also in it.
The group owner was someone named Zhao Qinghu.
Everyone in this group had a background.
As soon as he entered, the group announcement popped up.
“This group prohibits sending explicit images. If you must send them, please send them privately to the group owner and administrators.”
A few seconds after Fang Xin joined the group, the group owner named Zhao Qinghu added Fang Xin’s contact information.
“Hello, brother, my name is Zhao Qinghu, and I’m a handsome guy.”
“I’ll add you to another group!”
Before Fang Xin could speak, he found himself added to another group.
This group only had over forty people.
The group owner was still Zhao Qinghu.
Fang Xin looked at the group members.
He noticed that Bai Mao Zai was still in it, but Hua Cheng wasn’t, and neither was Zhao Shanhe, who was right beside him.
He couldn’t help but sigh, thinking, 'As expected of the Jie Liu Zi from the Ninth Division.'
Zhao Qinghu sent another message, “Brother, let me know if you need anything in the future! I have something else to do; we’ll talk more when we meet in person later!”
Fang Xin politely replied with a message.
He glanced at the smaller group and realized it seemed to consist entirely of the direct descendants of various powerful figures.
The other large group also contained many illegitimate descendants.
This small group seemed to have been filtered, consisting solely of direct descendants, each one a Crown Prince.
After browsing for a bit, Fang Xin then asked Zhao Shanhe and the others, “Who is Zhao Qinghu?”
“Little brother, you don’t even know who Zhao Qinghu is? The youngest major general of this century! Let me put it this way, he is the only one in the younger generation who can fight Mr. Zhuge to a standstill.”
Fang Xin was stunned. “Didn’t they say that Zhuge is the most likely person in the last thirty years to become a god?”
Zhao Shanhe laughed. “If it’s a one-on-one fight, Zhao Qinghu certainly can’t beat Mr. Zhuge, and it’s absolutely no exaggeration that Mr. Zhuge is the most likely person to become a god in the last thirty years.
But Zhao Qinghu’s greatest strength is his summoning talent. He can summon incredibly terrifying beings! By having one of these terrifying summoned beings possess him, he can fight Mr. Zhuge to a standstill, which is equivalent to him being able to fight Mr. Zhuge to a standstill.”
Zhao Shanhe’s ‘equivalent to’ made Fang Xin chuckle.
It was like saying he could fight Bai Mao Zai to a draw if he used cheats. However, this talent was too reliant on external power; ultimately, it depended on how strong the summoned terrifying being was, and its upper limit was also restricted. Bai Mao Zai, on the other hand, achieved godhood purely through his own strength, so there was still a difference between the two.
As they were chatting.
Someone rushed in from outside.
After looking left and right, he hurriedly ran towards Fang Xin, breathing heavily and speaking urgently.