Chapter 75: The Right Way to Make Friends

Chapter 75: The Right Way to Make Friends



At noon, the taxi was stuck in traffic on a bridge due to the heavy flow of vehicles. Out of boredom, the uncle driving the taxi rolled down his window and pointed to the other side of the bridge. "Look over there. That's the southern suburbs. Over a decade ago, a big company wanted to develop that area. They attracted a lot of investment, and the people of Nancheng District were overjoyed. But who would have thought that the area would be identified as a 'boundary shock frequent area'? The buildings were left half-constructed, and it was confirmed that they couldn't be sold, so they were just abandoned, leaving a whole bunch of unfinished buildings."

Xue Jing followed the driver's finger and could clearly see, at the end of his vision, a cluster of half-built buildings, most of them with their steel bars exposed.

"There aren't any living souls over there now, but there are plenty of dead ones. Many of the cases of deaths in Qingcheng have had their bodies found there because it's usually deserted, making it a convenient place to hide corpses."

Xue Jing, seated in the back of the taxi, didn't respond but instead narrowed his eyes in concentration.

With his Level 5 Aim ability, his eyesight was exceptionally sharp, far beyond that of ordinary people, as if he had a built-in telescope. Even from this great distance, he could make out many details of the abandoned construction site.

On the roof of one of the unfinished buildings, devoid of a ceiling, there seemed to be a strange dark shadow standing on a rusty steel bar—it looked like a cockroach. Xue Jing blinked and looked more intently, only to realize that the steel bar only had a large black plastic bag hanging from it, flapping loudly in the wind.

"Must've been an illusion..." He was a bit puzzled.

Perhaps it was a residual effect from the cockroach-like monster he had fought a couple of days ago, causing him to see cockroach-like shapes in his peripheral vision.

He shook his head, not paying it much mind.

Maybe it had indeed left a psychological shadow, as cockroaches were truly disgusting.

...

The Northern District was the residence of most high-ranking government officials, and it was commonly known as the 'Noble North.'

Of course, it was just a saying and not an absolute truth. The Northern District also housed many ordinary residents; there were only a handful of government officials, and if only they were allowed to live here, it would become a ghost town.

This was Xue Jing's first time in the Northern District, and as he sat in the taxi, he curiously observed his surroundings through the window, but he couldn't spot any differences between this place and the Eastern and Western Districts.

However, as the car turned into a long slope, made two turns, and entered Mu Feng Street, his opinion changed.

On the clean and tidy street, luxurious villas were dotted among the lush green trees, and the passersby were well-dressed and exuded an air of sophistication. Some people even wore butler and maid outfits, like something out of an idol drama...

The vehicles on the street weren't all expensive luxury cars, but the license plates were uniformly impressive, with sequences like one to five, five to one, five sixes, or five nines.

Even if one of these license plates were on a five-diamond Hong Guang, it would still be intimidating, showing the status of the car's owner.

After the driver entered this area, his previously relaxed demeanor vanished. He became extremely serious, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as he leaned forward, his attention focused on the road.

He drove as cautiously as if he were taking his driving test, careful not to bump or scrape anything.

Upon reaching their destination, Xue Jing scanned the code to pay the fare, thanked the driver, and got out of the car.

He turned to look at the house in front of him.

Wow, a big villa.

The massive gate, large enough for a car to pass through, already had two people waiting there.

"Is it Guang?" Xue Jing asked in confusion.

He looked at the chubby teenager scratching his head awkwardly and then at the man beside him, Pei Tiancheng.

"Is this the commission you gave to our dojo?" Xue Jing raised an eyebrow.

Pei Youguang smiled and walked forward. "Sort of."

"Never mind that for now. Mr. Xue, welcome to our home. Please come in!"

...

Xue Jing followed Pei Youguang and his brother into the villa. After passing through a large courtyard and several corridors, they entered a spacious and elegantly decorated living room.

He sat down on the sofa, and immediately several maids came in with tea trays.

One of them knelt beside Xue Jing, set down the tea set, and used warm water to brew him a cup of unknown variety of black tea.

"Sir, please have some tea," she said politely, extending her hand and secretly glancing at Xue Jing's side profile. A flush appeared on her face.

"Thank you," Xue Jing replied politely, picking up the expensive-looking cup and taking a delicate sip. He couldn't discern the type of tea, but it tasted pretty good, with a nice aftertaste.

He put down the cup and looked at Pei Tiancheng, who was sitting across from him, and smiled. "Mr. Pei, does your commission mean you want me to spar with you?"

Pei Youguang, sitting beside him, twitched his lips as if he wanted to laugh but dared not.

Pei Tiancheng, on the other hand, quickly and vehemently shook his head. "No, no, it's not me. Someone wants to meet you through me."

"I thought that since you're so formidable, you'd usually be very busy, so it might be difficult to arrange a direct meeting. That's why I took the liberty of placing this commission."

Pei Tiancheng explained awkwardly.

Previously, at the banquet in Rui Zhu Hotel, he had wanted to get to know Xue Jing and asked Pei Youguang to call him over. However, Pei Youguang had returned alone.

Xue Jing had already seen through it. It wasn't that Pei Youguang had forgotten to mention it, but rather that Xue Jing was a man of pride who wouldn't stoop to groveling.

The reason they were inviting him through a commission this time was out of concern that a direct invitation would remind him of that night, leading to another refusal.

Xue Jing paid no mind to Pei Tiancheng's complex thoughts and merely asked out of curiosity, "Oh? Someone wants to meet me? Who is it?"

Pei Tiancheng waved his hand, signaling for the maids beside him to leave.

He then lowered his voice and said, "I don't know... It's a man, and he seems to have a special background. My father shows him a great deal of respect, so I'm doing my best to fulfill his request."

"Yesterday, Youguang and I drank with this man, and we managed to find out some things. He said he's from an official organization, but I couldn't get him to specify which one."

Pei Tiancheng paused before continuing, "However, this man is strong."

"Although I haven't fought him, just from his appearance, demeanor, and some of his habits, you can tell that he's the type who's used to slaughter. He's direct in his speech and actions and doesn't like to beat around the bush."

Xue Jing nodded and asked, "Where is he?"

Pei Tiancheng hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Not far from here, in the northern district's backcountry... He said he'd take you to meet him once you arrived."

Seeing that he was being cautious, Xue Jing patted him on the shoulder and smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, you're the client now, so you're in charge."

Pei Tiancheng breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Then let's not delay. I'll take you there now."

...

In the backcountry of the northern district, on a grassy slope, a man lay basking in the sun with his legs crossed.

His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be in his early twenties. He sported a buzz cut, tanned skin, and a resolute face. He had a blade of grass between his teeth, which he was chewing on.

The man wore a black sleeveless vest on top and green military pants with black military boots. His exposed muscles were robust and hard as steel, shimmering with a metallic luster.

"Hmm?"

The man suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, reaching up to press something behind his ear.

"Hello? Captain?"

"..."

"Ah? You're saying I can't go too far? But isn't the point to try and invite him to join White Crow? To join, he'd have to go through this anyway, or else my past efforts would be for nothing?"

"..."

"A backer? How big of a backer could he have? Alright, fine, I'll hold back a little."

"But he might become our comrade in the future, and you know how dangerous the borderlands are. Comrades should know each other inside out... I'll try to test his limits, but I'll still have to lay on some heavy blows."

The sound of a car driving over the gravel road could be heard from a short distance away, and the man turned his head.

"Never mind that, they're here."

The man pressed the device behind his ear and stood up, stretching his limbs.

A black sedan slowly drove up the grassy slope and came to a stop.

Pei Tiancheng and Pei Youguang exited the car from the driver's and passenger's seats, respectively.

The rear door of the car opened as well, and a strikingly handsome young man stepped out.

"Oh? He looks quite impressive."

The man muttered to himself as he walked towards the youth with his arms wide open, as if about to embrace him. His arms were extraordinarily long, resembling a monkey's and reaching past his knees.

The man grinned and said, "Xue Jing, it's nice to meet you. You can call me 'Shan Zhu.'"

"Now, let's not waste any time and get straight to making friends."

"The best way to make friends—"

"Is to fight!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the grass beneath his feet exploded, and his figure vanished from where he had been standing.

Xue Jing watched as Shan Zhu appeared before him, throwing a punch, his expression unchanged.

Just as Pei Tiancheng had said, he was indeed direct.

"Very well."

"I don't dislike this direct form of communication."

This punch was incredibly powerful, emitting a whistling sound as it cut through the air. It seemed that even a steel plate would be punched straight through.

However, Xue Jing neither dodged nor evaded. He stood his ground and took the punch head-on with his chest.

"Puff—"

To Shan Zhu's surprise, when the fist made contact with Xue Jing's chest, it made a dull sound, as if it had struck a tire.

Xue Jing's entire body vibrated, his bones rumbling like rolling thunder. The powerful kinetic energy of the punch was absorbed and transformed by his bones...

With his breathing technique in motion, the force coursed through his flesh, transforming into a true dragon that roamed his body.

The dragon's roar echoed within him.

All the power concentrated into his right fist, and Xue Jing spun around, swinging a powerful counter-punch with lightning speed. Like a true dragon's tail sweeping through the clouds, he unleashed his killer move—Sealing Cloud Tail!

"Bang!!!"

The air tore, and the grass several meters in front of them was pressed down into a fan shape by the force of the punch.

To the stupefied gazes of Pei Tiancheng and Pei Youguang, a loud blast rang out, and Shan Zhu was sent flying over twenty meters, his body piercing the grassy slope like a javelin.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end