Chapter 998: If You're Unhappy, If You Have Complaints, Come Find Me in New City, Anytime, Anywhere |
.....
Mockery, indeed it was mockery. Lu Ding's single sentence nearly shattered their defenses.
This husband and wife pair could still be stubborn, could still make excuses.
But with Lu Bing and Lu Xiu's entrance, everything appeared so utterly pale and feeble.
At this moment, Lu Ding still didn't know that his so-called cheap father had another wife on the side, enjoying the blessings of multiple partners.
Lu Bing couldn't tolerate such words.
She demanded, her voice sharp: "Then what about you? What realm are you at? What strength do you possess to be so arrogant!?"
Beside her, Lu Teng called out, trying to stop her: "Bing'er."
Lu Ding replied: "Me? I'm almost twenty years old, at God Ascension, Ninth Restriction."
Lu Ding found it amusing: "Enough, I don't want to waste words with you either. We've fought, we've talked. I won. Don't bother me anymore."
Lu Ding turned his gaze to Lu Bing: "As for you, stop yapping. Enjoy what you have now. Talk some sense into these two parents of yours who say one thing but mean another and refuse to admit their mistakes. Don't talk about taking me back anymore."
"Otherwise, with the attitude you've shown today, I won't even mention not going to Ji Continent. But the day I do go to Ji Continent, if I don't beat you nine times in three days, consider yourself lucky that you hid well."
"If you're unhappy, if you have complaints, come find me in New City, anytime, anywhere. But I'll warn you in advance—people will die."
Lu Ding turned around and waved his hand: "I'm leaving."
There was still much to do in New City. He needed to return and take charge.
He didn't bid farewell to Elder Shui and the others because he wasn't leaving. This place would always be his home.
The Lu Family members didn't stop Lu Ding either.
But the words Lu Ding spoke before leaving left an indelible impression on the hearts of the four: Lu Bing, Lu Xiu, Lu Teng, and Luo Qingshi.
Lu Teng's expression was grim.
He didn't know if what Lu Ding said was true or false, but judging by Lu Ding's methods—taking down Lu Feng with a single strike—this was no ordinary God Ascension cultivator's combat power.
Even a Spirit Refinement cultivator might not be his match.
Or perhaps God Ascension?
That was hard to say.
After all, Lu Ding had only used one move.
But without a doubt.
That terrifying technique that wasn't a spell—though the Lu Family had them too, and many at that—was, in terms of quality, mostly inferior to what Lu Ding had used.
As for more profound techniques, Lu Teng himself hadn't even learned them yet.
His daughter, Lu Bing, was even less capable of facing such an opponent.
And on top of that, Lu Ding was also an investigator of 749 Bureau.
Although in the Second Circle, Lu Teng hadn't had much contact with 749 investigators, during his mortal cultivation in the Third Circle, he had secretly observed their daily routines.
They were truly forged in blood and fire, in battle, in life-and-death struggles. Each and every one of them had crawled out from among demons and monsters.
Not to mention the even more chaotic environment of the Second Circle.
Someone who lacked neither talent nor means, who grew up amidst blood and fire—the epithet "Corpse-Shattering Tai Sui" said enough.
Nicknames were never wrong. Only given names could be mistaken.
The ferocity of Lu Ding was evident for all to see.
Without caring that the Great Han people were still present, Lu Teng directly gave orders to Lu Jiuchuan: "Bring me his file. I want to see it!"
He would never let this go so easily.
Of course, that idiom might not be entirely accurate.
But the more terrifying and formidable Lu Ding appeared, the less Lu Teng would give up on bringing this child home.
This matter, however, required careful long-term planning.
He knew he had wronged Lu Ding. He was just being stubborn, clinging to parental pride—an nauseating sense of superiority that refused to admit fault even when wrong.
So he wouldn't do anything to Great Han either.
On the contrary, now that Lu Ding was gone, Lu Teng spoke to the Great Han side: "My apologies, everyone from Great Han, for making a spectacle of ourselves. Great Han's difficulties—the Lu Family will resolve them. Consider it my family's apology gift. I'm sorry, but Lu Teng has important matters to attend to. I'll take my leave now."
With that, the water curtain light mirror vanished.
Lu Jiuchuan and the other experts all cupped their fists and bowed: "Respectfully seeing the master off."
At this moment.
Sitting in his wheelchair, Elder Shui's expression had clearly shifted. He felt happy, joyful that Lu Ding wasn't leaving, but also felt humiliated.
He turned his wheelchair himself.
And said coldly: "Treat the Lu Family envoys well. Do not neglect them. Everyone else—meeting!"
This was the first time in many years that the old man had called a meeting himself.
Usually, he was the one attending, and even then, he wouldn't always go when invited.
Today, he was the initiator.
Soon.
In a certain meeting room in Great Han.
Elder Shui sat in the secondary seat. On the main seat, three screens represented the three pinnacle factions of Great Han: the military, the government, and the dove faction.
Only their outlines were visible, their faces unclear.
If Elder Shui weren't in a semi-retired state, he wouldn't have shown up in person, nor would he have sat in the secondary seat.
The atmosphere in the meeting room was heavy. Elder Shui slammed his fist on the table!
BANG!!!!
"Lu Ding is one of us! Lu Ding's identity is that of a citizen of Great Han! Lu Ding's identity is that of an investigator of Great Han's 749 Bureau!!!!"
"But what happened today—from beginning to end—we never gave him any help whatsoever!!!!"
"Instead, despite his resistance, Great Han's difficulties still had to be resolved by the Lu Family!!!!"
"This is a disgrace!!!!"
At this moment, Elder Shui's Mandarin was far better than Jia Yi's, without a trace of accent.
He continued: "This is not just persecution against Lu Ding alone! This is a microcosm of all of Great Han being bullied by feudal forces!!!!!"
His sharp gaze swept across everyone present: "Why did we fight our way up from the Third Circle!?"
Behind him, one of the big shots of the dove faction spoke: "Because we wanted better room for development, a broader world, and a more promising future."
Elder Shui's voice rose sharply: "But the peace we have now has made us forget our original intent! It's made us forget the truth that in this world, if you don't advance, you fall back! It's dulled our fighting spirit! Before our blood has completely cooled!!!"
"Fight!!!!"
"We must fight!!!!"
"Difficulties must be broken through with blood! Great Han strives to strengthen itself—why should we rely on outsiders for help!!!!?"
"Today it's Lu Ding. Tomorrow, who will it be?"
"The only answer is to fight!!!!"
The room fell silent. They too felt humiliated.
But fighting was easy to say.
How exactly were they supposed to fight?
The military big shot asked, a respectful title preceding his words: "Elder Shui, we have no objections to fighting. Combat is a soldier's mission."
"But how do we fight? What is the purpose of fighting? What is the goal?"
"In the past, we fought for territory, for land, to keep foreign enemies from invading."
"Now the land is secure. Our overall resources are even in surplus. Foreign enemies haven't come to invade—they're just joining hands to resist Great Han. We have no objective. There's no result that fighting alone can achieve."
Elder Shui didn't speak. He simply tore open his shirt.
Revealing a swirling black pattern on his chest, right over his heart.
It was profoundly mysterious and extraordinary.
"Do you still remember my last mission before I stepped down?"
"It was my last field mission. Back then, Great Han had also reached a bottleneck in its development. It was the same situation—these countries were joining hands to resist Great Han. The front-line battles were fierce. I led the Expeditionary Force from another direction to explore the dark zone, seeking an alternative path."
"During one exploration, out of a hundred thousand Expeditionary Force soldiers, only I managed to escape in disgrace."
"After that incident, I stepped down."
"No one knows what happened inside there. New City was also obtained after that incident—it was Great Han's compromise, a second-best path to development."