“Who is this old man?”
Chu Yunsheng found Fang Baixiao in the crowd, twisted open a bottle of mineral water, and asked while drinking the water. No matter how powerful this old man was, he didn’t have any memory of this man after the dark age, it could only mean that his old man might have already died. And those who could not survive from the first wave of the insect’s attack would not pose any threat to him.
Fang Baixiao was about to look for Chu Yunsheng. Seeing him take the initiative to come out again, he asked in confusion, “you don’t know master Yi Jing?”
Chu Yunsheng shook his head, he hasn’t even met with Zhu Xirui yet. He just always remembered that such a person existed in the age of light.
Seeing Chu Yunsheng wasn’t lying, Fang Baixiao was even more surprised. He could not help but think to himself, ‘since you don’t know who master Yi Jing is, why did you panic earlier? And why did you run away?’
Of course, this was something that he could only think to himself, and could not say it out. Chu Yunsheng was now his old man’s trump card, which could be used to suppress Zhu Xirui. Even if this trump card had less weight than master Yi Jing, it was still an “important person” that has been discussed the most frequently in the military recently.
Fang Baixiao understood the importance of Chu Yunsheng’s role, so after the initial surprise, he stopped himself from thinking about something else that was not related to his family’s plan. Instead, he whispered, “Master Yi Jing is highly respected, and has a high reputation both in our country and abroad. He usually lives a very simple life. Only a few people are lucky enough to meet him. Our previous plan needs to be revised slightly. We should not offend Master Yi Jing directly. It would be great if we can get master Yi Jing’s approval.”
Chu Yunsheng frowned and said, “I don’t have time for this nonsense, just tell me directly what ability he has.”
Hearing Chu Yunsheng’s irritated tone, Fang Baixiao’s heart suddenly dropped. To him, Chu Yunsheng was still an impulsive young man. Due to the fact that he had just won a few battles lately, his morale was extremely high at the moment, but if he offended Master Yi Jing in any way, the consequences would be unimaginable.
So Fang Baixiao hurriedly pulled Chu YunSheng aside and carefully explained in a low voice, “Mr. Chu, you need to stop acting recklessly. Master Yi Jing is not someone, who has a special ability like you, but someone, who has great wisdom. The commander-in-chief and The Secretary of Party Committee have great respect for him. You can’t offend him, otherwise, the consequence will be unimaginable.”
Chu Yunsheng said coldly, “Commander Fang, I think you got something wrong here. We are only cooperating with each other. I am not your subordinate. I can make my own decisions, and I won’t change my plan just because of an old man, who doesn’t even have the power to survive to the end. Besides, if he is really wise and respectable, I will also respect such a man. But he should consider the impact of this decision on residents’ lives, instead of helping Zhu XiRui make the wrong decision that will end up killing tens of thousands of people!”
Fang Baixiao could not help but be stunned, “Mr. Chu, how can you be so sure that Nanjing city will definitely fall?”
Chu Yunsheng did not answer him directly, he just looked at him, and asked, “Commander Fang, you still don’t believe my words, do you?”
Fang Baixiao did not deny it. He simply nodded, without any sign of hesitation. This frank image of him left a very good impression in Chu Yunsheng’s mind.
“I see. You are willing to cooperate with Song Zihuai and me, not because you agree that Nanjing will fall. On the contrary, you may think that it is much safer to stay in Nanjing than Shanghai. But if you go to Shanghai, you can get more military power, which is something that you cannot get in Nanjing, or maybe it is something that you cannot get for the time being. Am I right?” Chu Yunsheng thought for a second and said.
Fang Baixiao still did not deny it, “if what you said was proven correct in the future, then what we do today, and for whatever the purposes, the result would be beneficial for the majority.”
Chu Yunsheng smiled and said, “you are much more competent than I imagined, but I haven’t finished yet. In fact, I think Zhu Xirui also knew about this. However, for the bigger picture, he has to stop you or me at all costs. Because of this, I quite admire him, though his plan is currently our biggest obstacle. Given the fact that staying in Nanjing does not have many obvious benefits for him personally.”
When practicing the cultivation method, Chu Yunsheng had been thinking about the situation of the military area command. Compared to the Zhu family he knew in his memory, he believed that there were more reasons why they did not want to cooperate with Song Zihuai, and Yu Jian probably did not know about it or probably they did not want to tell him about it.
If it was only about the personal grudge, Song Zihuai indeed would not be able to persuade Zhu Xirui to join him. But if Zhu Xirui wanted to go to Shanghai, he could consider other people, and there was a better candidate than Song Zihuai, such as the person who was currently in control of Shanghai. However, the fact was that he insisted on defending Nanjing, which meant that it was definitely not for personal reasons.
Fang Baixiao also understood the hidden meaning of Chu Yunsheng’s words. Since Chu Yunsheng clearly expressed his admiration for his opponent, it meant that he would not do anything out of line, so he smiled apologetically and said, “I think I was thinking too much. Now let’s go meet the commander-in-chief.”
Realizing that Fang Baixiao might still be worried, Chu Yunsheng said as he walked with him, “don’t worry, Commander Fang. Although I admire Zhu Xirui, it does not mean that I will compromise. Even if he changed his mind, because of the conflict of interests, he would still not be able to become my ally, but your factions are different. Besides, because he intends to bring that old man here tonight is to intimidate and suppress me, I have to do something about it, don’t I? Otherwise, how will we be able to convince other people after we let them defame us?”
Hearing what Chu Yunsheng said, Fang Baixiao felt some admiration for him. He had stated that Master Yi Jing was not an individual who gained reputation and respect from others with brute force and violence, which was exactly what Chu Yunsheng was known for. If Chu Yunsheng intention was to beat the old master to a pulp, that would not only be a spit to Zhu Xirui’s face, but also be a spit to the commander-in-chief’s and the whole military sector’s face, which would be exactly what Zhu Xirui want.
Although being uncertain of how Chu Yunsheng would “deal” with Master Yi Jing, Fang Baixiao was curious about how this young man would act in this situation.
Walking before Chu Yunsheng, he led him to bypass the crowd and arrived before Master Yi Jing and the commander-in-chief.
“Commander, this is Chu Yunsheng, the man, who was mentioned in the report.”
Fang Baixiao made a military salute, then politely interrupted their conversation and made a brief introduction.
“Huh? You are Chu Yunsheng? He is so young. If I did not see him in person, I definitely wouldn’t believe it.” The commander-in-chief Chen was a skinny man, who had a slightly darker complexion, but unexpectedly, he was someone, who had a big voice. Standing up from the sofa, he turned to other people in surprise and said loudly.
Probably because of his loud voice, almost everyone in the hall all heard what he said. Instantly, all the high-ranking military officers, and government officials, all looked at Chu Yunsheng, who was dressed in black at the same time. For a period, the whole hall was so quiet that even the sound of a needle dropping on the ground can be heard clearly.
In Shanghai, this man alone killed all the special agents that were sent from the capital, in Dan Yang city, this man killed the terrifying fiery figure, in Nanjing University, this man defeated the white-dressed swordsman, who took an important military weapon, in front of the library, this man threatened nearly five hundred soldiers with a ghost-like creature… Some of the senior officials and officers present already knew all of it, and some only knew a part of this information. But in conclusion, it could be said that in everyone’s mind, Chu Yunsheng was an extremely dangerous person!
Now all of sudden, this person appeared in front of them, there was no way that he would not attract everyone’s attention. But no one could connect this ordinary young man with a brutal, extraordinary, and strange man in the report.
Zhu Lingdie, who was standing next to Zhu Xirui also looked at Chu Yunsheng in surprise. After all, not everyone knew Chu Yunsheng’s actual age, and not everyone had Chu Yunsheng’s photos.
“Yes, I am indeed.” Chu Yunsheng stood in front of Commander Chen, and simply said, “but my appearance probably won’t prove anything. If possible, I would like to speak to the Commander alone. Then, perhaps, you will believe me even more.”
Chu Yunsheng did not react like how all the people in the hall thought he would react. He did not show any sign of excitement after seeing the commander-in-chief, such an important person. He did not even show any signs that he was honored that the commander-in-chief knew his name. Instead, he said in a manner as if he was on the same level as the commander-in-chief, or maybe higher. He didn’t even look at Master Yi Jing or greet him as if Chu Yunsheng deemed that he was not worthy of his attention.
Such a scene would inevitably lead to awkward silence, and if Commander-in-chief thought that Chu Yunsheng did not show enough respect, there would definitely be no further discussions.
But Commander Chen seemed to be an eccentric person. Hearing what Chu Yunsheng said, he simply laughed, “you are a truly strange man! However, young comrade Chu, Master Yi Jing is also our distinguished guest today. We can talk about anything later. Let me introduce you to him first, this is Master Yi Jing! Master, this is the person you were talking about.”
Only until this moment, did they just realize that Master Yi Jing has already stood up, and he was walking quickly toward Chu Yunsheng, ignoring Commander Chen, who was talking to him, with a seemingly excited expression. Moreover, while walking, he was also mumbling uncontrollably, “yes, it is him, it is him! I can feel my master’s scent from him!”
Seeing the old man was “running” toward him, Chu Yunsheng frowned and quickly moved two steps backward and then said, “what do you mean your master!?”
Master Yi Jing was an eighty years old man, with a full head of grey hair. His body looked thin and weak, but Chu Yunsheng could feel the power contained under his skin and bones, so he was on high alert. Once he noticed something unusual, he would attack first.
But unexpectedly, this old man stood before him with tears all over his face and said with a shaking voice, “young man, could you please tell me where I can find my master? I will be most grateful!”
Chu Yunsheng looked at the old man in confusion, and then Fang Baixiao, who was in shock, and then looked at Zhu Xirui, whose face had completely darkened. Probably, he also did not expect that this old man would do something like this.
Commander Chen was also a bit surprised, and other senior officials and officers all looked at Chu Yunsheng in disbelief, as if they had seen an alien. Actually, it was the first time for many people present to hear master Yi Jing mentioning his master.
“Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Chu Yunsheng really didn’t know what was wrong with this old man, so he just replied honestly.
The old man was so excited that his face had a clear abnormal red color, “I’m sorry, I am too excited. I know you are confused, but the swordsman in the white dress, who met you at Nanjing University, was my master. In the old days, if it weren’t for my master, I would’ve been dead on the street like a stray dog already, and I wouldn’t have had any chances to learn anything from him. It was a shame that I was not talented enough, and my master really couldn’t endure my incompetence … I just wish that I could see my master one more time. I don’t know if young man could help me?”
Chu Yunsheng finally realized who he was talking about, but he was quite surprised, “he was your master? He didn’t tell me that he had any students or disciples. I thought he was always fooling around alone…”
This time, all the senior officials and officers all gasped in shock. It turns out that the white-dressed swordsman mentioned in the report was master Yi Jing’s master. Then how old was he? Was he an immortal? Furthermore, it was no wonder that the young man named Chu Yunsheng would be so arrogant that he completely had ignored master Yi Jing from the beginning. In his mind, even master Yi Jing’s master was just some guy who did nothing but always fooling around.
Zhu Xirui almost passed out when he heard this. The reason why he had spent so much effort to invite master Yi Jing was to prevent the current messy situation from affecting the judgment of the military area command, but he did not expect that the reason why master Yi Jing, who rarely accept any invitations, accepted his invitation, was for the white-dressed swordsman.
He had a strong ominous feeling that his plan would definitely not end up well tonight.
After Chu Yunsheng finished, master Yi Jing said embarrassedly, “since I was young, my aptitude was very disappointing, but my master was extremely talented, so he wouldn’t accept me as his disciple, and I also wouldn’t dare to ruin my master’s reputation! It is just that I have served my master for many years and learned a lot of things from him, I really admire him from the bottom of my heart!”
The more the old man said the more respectful he was. It made all the people around him dumbfounded. Up until now, there has never been one person who dared to say that master Yi Jing’s attitude was bad. Or at least, they have never heard anyone say it.
This would be a joke. If Master Yi Jing’s attitude was bad, then there would be no talented people in the world. Who the hell is that white-dressed swordsman? Why would he say that master Yi Jing was not talented? This was what those senior officials and officers were thinking.
Even Chu Yunsheng was also a little bit “sympathetic” for the old man. That immortal monster probably only taught this old man some symbols, words and incomplete theories from the book. It was funny that he himself couldn’t even figure them out, but this old man thought that that white-dressed swordsman was trying to teach him something, but he failed to understand it.
Ignoring the shocked expression on everyone’s face, master Yi Jing earnestly begged, “young man, is my master still in Nanjing? If he doesn’t want to see me, it is fine. I’ll just go to the place where he lives, and pay my respects. I’ll definitely not disturb him. I promise. Please, can you tell me?”
Chu Yunsheng finally could not bear it. He said straightaway, “firstly, he is gone, and I do not know where he went, so don’t ask me where he is. Secondly, he doesn’t look like a master or teacher. Besides, he looks much… I mean, if you two stand together… Do you really think that is a good idea? Thirdly, if you feel that you still owe him anything, you can repay me instead. Your so-called master himself said that he owed my ancestor too much. If you do something for me, you will help your master to pay off his debt. And if you, me and him see each other again, we will not owe each other anything.”
The eyes of Fang Baixiao and Zhu Xirui suddenly opened wide in shock at the same time. They all knew what Chu Yunsheng wanted master Yi Jing to do. They just did not expect that things would develop to this point.
“No, no, no, I can’t do that!”
Master Yi Jing quickly shook his hands, telling Chu Yunsheng that that would be inappropriate. It made Zhu Xirui secretly sigh with relief, but before he was able to become relieved completely, he heard master Yi Jing say, “I’ll never be able to forget master’s kindness. My master did mention that he owed a close friend of his a lot. Each time he mentioned that he was either drunk, or choked with tears, or even hurted himself in agony. If you are really the descendant of that close friend, I will help you.”
Hearing this, Chu Yunsheng nodded, “all right then, commander, I think we can talk now right? You can take master Yi Jing with you as well.”
Commander Chen also didn’t know when Chu Yunsheng had completely controlled the situation in the hall. While he was still pondering and has yet to nod his head to agree, Zhu XiRui quickly said, “master, I know you are eager to see your master, but according to the intelligence we gathered, it shows Chu YunSheng only had a fight with your master, he doesn’t have any close relationships with your master. What he just said doesn’t have any evidence, so we can’t confirm it. Please be careful, and don’t fall for it!”
What he said was true, no one knew what the swordsman in the white dress had said to him in the library, and no one knew if Chu Yunsheng was lying or not. Many officials and officers, especially those who wanted to defend Nanjing, all nodded to signal that what Xirui said was true.
But master Yi Jing shook his head and said, “it can’t be wrong, his scent is very similar to my master’s.”
So it was just because of scent, then it would be much easier to handle. Zhu Xirui was secretly relieved and immediately said, “even if their scents are similar, it doesn’t mean that they are close. Otherwise, why would they fight each other? They might be each other’s enemies. Master, I know you are concerned about your master, I think in the absence of any sufficient evidence, what Chu Yunsheng said, can not be trusted.”
Zhu Xirui once again mentioned a valid point. And it caused even more officers and officials to nod their heads. They all thought that because of emotions, it had impaired master Yi Jing’s judgment.
