After leaving the equipment department, Thuram returned to his office to video-call Qin Mang. On the projected screen, Qin Mang looked at ease with the black cat in his arms.
“Old Qin, where did you find that kid?” Thuram asked as he loosened his tie. There was not anyone else in the room, so he was not worried about having someone see him dressed sloppily.
“I didn’t really find him; Xia Fei was the one who came to me,” Qin Mang replied, laughing. “How did the thing I asked you to do go?”
Thuram raised the corner of his mouth, “Obviously, the warships weren’t a problem, but I didn’t manage to learn where he learned his techniques from. It’s as if he hadn’t gone all out when he was fighting me.”
Qin Mang let out a hearty laugh, picked up a teacup from the table, and took a sip. “A venerable diamond-rank Adjudicator, master of combat, yet you’ve failed to figure out the skills behind a young man. If he didn’t go all out, you should’ve forced him to do so.”
Qin Mang’s jesting made Thuram feel uncomfortable, yet he did not refute it. “You think I didn’t want to? I was actually being quite serious against him, but he’d rather take a few hits than show his cards. I was afraid that I’d hurt him, so I went easy on him.
“But really, why do you think Xia Fei had other cards hidden in his sleeve other than improvements to his speed and body?”
Qin Mang set down the teacup, stroking the chubby Old Black. “I felt that his temperament was completely different when he came back. If I’m right, it’s probably because he made a huge leap in his self-cultivation. I refuse to believe that he could be so confident in himself if it’s just an improvement in his speed ability. I think that he likely made a shocking improvement in some other aspect. Did he ever panic going up against a master in combat like you?”
“No.” Thuram shook his head and spoke in a deep voice. “Not only did he show no panic, he also looked really composed while exchanging blows. He was always trying to figure out how to break my techniques, but who knows why he never retaliated?”
Qin Mang lowered his head and thought for a few moments. “Exactly. He must have something even stronger in his hands, or else he wouldn’t have a performance like that. Confidence is built upon the foundation of his self-cultivation. Confidence without any foundation is just arrogance, and Xia Fei is definitely not someone like that.”
Thuram scratched his beard with one hand, questioning, “His ability to twist his body around however he wants is already shocking. If he really has something else under his sleeve, that young man’s background might not be as simple as he appears.”
“That’s exactly what I don’t understand,” Qin Mang casually said. “I’ve looked through his upbringing, and there’s nothing noteworthy. His abilities seemed to have appeared out of thin air, and he just managed to master them like it was nothing.”
Thuram thought for a few moments. “His aura was always quite weak; you wouldn’t be able to detect it if you didn’t pay attention. Could he be associated with the Assassins?”
Qin Mang laughed. “I’ve noticed that long ago. His footwork and techniques do strongly resemble the Assassins, even the way he attacks strongly resemble that. One move and you’re dead, but would you believe that a kid from Earth had ties to the mysterious Assassin?”
Thuram shook his head. “No way. The Assassin Clan is rumored to start their training from young and will spend their entire lives in obscurity. No matter how you look at it, Xia Fei couldn’t be a successor to the Assassins. There’s no way anyone from the Assassin would be so high-profile.”
Qin Mang sighed. “Forget it. Let’s just leave it at that. Some things can’t be hidden forever, and Xia Fei will surely show his cards when the time comes.”
“And when will that be?”
“When he’s really angry or on the brink of death,” Qin Mang said slyly.
…
The process for getting a patent of the energy shield booster was incredibly complicated. When Xia Fei was finally heading to Venal-24, he had already spent thirty-six hours in the capital planet, leaving him with just over a day’s time.
On the high-speed passenger spacecraft, Xia Fei stood by the window, staring at the blue planet in the distance. With Avril now in such close proximity, Xia Fei was feeling calmer.
“It’s not hard to tell from a simple search using the interplanetary internet that Avril is a possible member of Starlink Corporation’s Jian Family. That’s Starlink Corporation, ranked fourteen in the top five hundred businesses in the Alliance that’s likely to make it to the top ten in a few years. The whole universe looks up to their existence,” said Phantom.
“So what?” Xia Fei scowled.
Phantom laughed, looking out of the window like Xia Fei. “You’re just some broke kid from Earth, whereas Avril may well be the successor of Starlink Corporation. Do you really think that there’s nothing wrong with that?”
“Are you saying that there’s a gap or a difference in social standing?” Xia Fei asked with a smile.
“Exactly. Qin Mang’s parting words also meant exactly just that.”
Xia Fei remained silent for a few moments and said cheerfully, “You’ve read the ancient books from Earth for a while now; haven’t you heard of such a saying?”
“What saying?”
“‘The lack of want is the key to virtuosity.’”
“The lack of want is the key to virtuosity?”
“Yes, it doesn’t matter if Avril is rich or poor, I’m not asking anything of her. It means that I’ve never tried and will never try to benefit from her, so why should I feel inferior?
“In other words, say that I want Avril, but that will only be because I like her as a person, and not who she represents.”
Phantom let out a hearty laugh, his eyes sparkling with joy. “It’s great that you think that way. I’m just reminding you because you’ll be deflated in her household and enter a state of unrest. It seems that all that worry is for nothing.
“I still don’t quite understand the phrase, ‘The lack of want is the key to virtuosity’, but I’ve learned another phrase from your ancestors: ‘Fling enough dirt and some will stick’. Even if you have an innocent view on it, others might not. You still have to be careful of bad rumors,” expressed Phantom.
That was just how the world worked; once someone like Xia Fei was associated with someone from the peak like Avril, a majority of people would most certainly think that he was only friends with her because of money. Nobody would care what Xia Fei’s motivations were, they would not believe them even if they knew. In the end, the whole world would despise Xia Fei.
The high-speed passenger spacecraft landed on the port at this moment. Xia Fei followed the throng of people disembarking and asked plainly, “You’ve known me for some time now; do you think I’m someone who would care about that?”
Phantom was left speechless. Xia Fei was right; if he cared about what others thought, he would never have become a librarian who was looked down on by his peers, nor would he acquaint himself with Qin Mang.
Xia Fei got where he was now because of his hard work and his unique insights to everything. He never chose the path usually traveled by, instead picking the seldom traversed, difficult path through the woods time and again.
Phantom suddenly saw the rebel inside Xia Fei. After all, he had nothing to be afraid of since he started off as a poor bicycle delivery boy.
“Worse comes to worst, I’ll just go back to being a delivery boy, so what?” That was what kept Xia Fei going; someone unafraid of failure was naturally unafraid of anything. This was something that many who lived comfortable lives did not possess.
The more comfortable their lives were, the more afraid they were of failure and suffering. Xia Fei, on the other hand, did not care a single bit about any of these. Xia Fei was still smoking the cheapest cigarettes and eating the five dollar bowls of fried paste noodles despite already being worth billions. The worst thing that could happen to him was to return to his previous life and continue living by Hongtashan cigarettes and eating fried paste noodles.
Venal-24 was the technology hub of the Alliance. There were huge projected screens on the streets for advertisements, with shops selling high-tech products left and right. Apparently, there were over eight percent of technology companies and their headquarters on this planet, a place where all the tech elites gathered, so any normal Andy on the streets may just be an incredible programmer.
Xia Fei then boarded a hovercar and headed toward Sunset Villa.
The hovercar passed the bustling city on its way to the incredibly scenic countryside, and soon a mountain and a lake was within sight.
Half Moon Mountain was not tall and Half Moon Lake was not large, yet both were right next to each other, their beauties complementing the other.
There was a set of automatic escalators at the bottom of the mountain that led to the top. There was a huge green building halfway up the mountain and at the peak, where one could probably enjoy viewing the lake at the foot of the mountain from it. There was an even larger, rectangular building at the foot of the mountain, though there was not anything special about it. If Avril actually lived here, it would probably be in the building halfway up the mountain or the one on the peak.
An alloy fence surrounded Half Moon Mountain and Half Moon Lake, so the taxi could only follow the perimeter. However, tourists could be seen from time to time standing outside of the fence, taking photos of the beautiful Half Moon Lake with their cameras in their hands.
The Jian Family had never tried to stop these people, allowing them to sightsee and take photos of the scenery from outside the fence. Evidently, this family got along fine with the public.
The taxi stopped right at the front door. After paying, Xia Fei walked toward the heavily guarded gate.
There were two, burly men in suits outside, quietly watching over the tightly shut alloy gate.
The two men were shocked to see Xia Fei walking toward them, and they quickly intercepted him.
“Sir, this is private property. Do you have any business here?” a crew-cut man asked politely.
Xia Fei stopped in his tracks and replied with a smile, “I’m here for Avril.”
The other man with blond hair furrowed his eyebrows. “You’re here for our young mistress? May I ask if you have an appointment?”
Xia Fei shook his head, thinking, ‘Who would’ve thought that Avril was actually the lady of the Jian family? No wonder she’s always avoided my questions every time I would bring it up.’
“Nope. Could you two please let her know that Xia Fei is here?” Xia Fei requested cheerfully. He had fully expected Avril’s background, so he managed to remain calm.
“Sorry,” the crew-cut bodyguard said, “visitors are handled by Butler Pang; we’re just the security. If you want to meet the young mistress, please book an appointment with Butler Pang. There’s not much we can do.”