Birthday Invitation

"Thunder King, please quell your thunderous rage."

"Calm down? Hmph!"

Xing Daozhuang's anger was hard to quell, and it poured out as a powerful Fist Intent. The rushing thunder filled the entire square, and the fist force was as strong as a mountain. The momentum was extraordinary, like a great army on the front line. One punch after another had the power of ten thousand jun.

Even with his Nascent Spirit Transformation cultivation, Nether Lord dared not directly confront such an attack. His figure was elusive, like an autumn wind sweeping across the sky, his movements ethereal. In his swift movements, his jade staff was wielded like rain, constantly deflecting the opponent's punches.

"A speed contest? Thunder Races Across the Eight Desolations!"

Xing Daozhuang's skill level increased again, and his domineering martial aura was like a raging wave, making it difficult for people to breathe. His speed, strength, and lightning all underwent a transformation and enhancement, reaching a new level. Although his punches were heavy, there was no sign of stagnation. His punches were continuous, powerful, and forceful, striking out like a tidal wave. Electric snakes danced wildly, slowing down his opponent's speed.

"The Darkness of Moon Eclipse!"

The jade staff spun in a circle, protecting Nether Lord's entire body, while a burst of energy shot out, like ten thousand blades being unleashed simultaneously, resisting the power of lightning.

Fist and staff clashed, producing a series of crisp, resounding sounds and bursts of brilliant lightning. Although the force of the fist was blocked, Xing Daozhuang's lightning power continued to surge, flowing into his body through the weapon. Nether Lord grunted and used the force to fly backward, trying to escape the area covered by the fist's power.

But Xing Daozhuang spread his five fingers, and electric snakes intertwined into a net, like a cage trapping his opponent. Then he suddenly accelerated and added another palm strike to the opponent's groin, which immediately caused Nether Lord to retreat with blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"So, can Thunder King calm down now?"

Nether Lord wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a smile playing on his lips, as if he didn't care about the injury.

"Hmph, I allowed you to use the Mist of Calamity for experiments, but I didn't allow you to harm people on my territory. What you've done is a challenge to my bottom line," Xing Daozhuang retorted.

"No, we simply wish to remind you not to forget our agreement."

"Using a method that could very well expose my identity? Are you here to warn me or to threaten me?"

"Undeniably, our approach was a bit crude, but that's because we took this situation too seriously. Meanwhile, Thunder King seems indifferent and unprepared for this matter recently. Therefore, we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you not to forget your own position."

Xing Daozhuang's eyes narrowed, filled with murderous intent. "I don't need you to remind me of this! If my identity is exposed, don't think you can get away unscathed. I also have a lot of information about your organization. In that case, we'll all fight to the death."

Nether Lord said calmly, "Ha, Thunder King, please rest assured. Since we only wanted to give a small reminder, we naturally wouldn't dare to go too far. The corresponding cleanup measures have been arranged, and we will definitely not let anyone suspect you."

"Are you trying to show off that your organization has high-ranking members planted within the Mohist Knight Guard?"

"No, we simply want to prove that even if you don't intend to fulfill your promise, we are capable of completing the plan independently. The only difference lies in the amount of effort we put in. Of course, from our perspective, we naturally hope to cooperate with you. After all, we share similar positions and there is room for cooperation. There is no need for mutual hostility. With Thunder King's wisdom, I'm sure you can make the right judgment."

Xing Daozhuang was silent for a moment, then turned around and said, "Get lost. If you don't clean up the mess properly, don't expect me to cooperate."

Upon hearing this, Nether Lord smiled, his figure gradually disappearing, leaving behind the words: "I await your good news."

Chapter 457 Birthday Invitation

After the incident during the trial of the Saintess Candidate was reported, it quickly attracted the attention of higher authorities. The disciplinary inspection department, together with the Mohist Knight Guard, formed a special task force to conduct an emergency investigation, and the case was solved three days later.

A search of a naval admiral's room yielded substantial evidence of contact with outsiders, and numerous unexplained deposits were discovered into his bank account, the earliest dating back two years. This almost sealed the case and ruled out the possibility that the admiral was a scapegoat, or at least extremely unlikely, but the possibility of accomplices could not be ruled out.

Unfortunately, all the important letters were burned, and it is unclear who the external contact was. During the interrogation, the subordinate general bit the poison hidden in his teeth and committed suicide. At this point, all the clues were cut off. Although there are still many clues left, they require a lot of analysis and investigation and cannot be broken in a short time.

"Without a doubt, this is a scapegoat." When Yu Shuying was invited by Si Ming to be his advisor, she made her judgment with a resolute tone, "The fact that unknown funds were injected two years ago further proves that the mastermind behind this is ambitious, cautious, and has taken precautions early on."

"Could it be that Heaven-Defying Society again?"

Si Ming mentioned it casually, not because he had any evidence or a man's sixth sense, but simply because he had heard the name a lot lately, and this was the only mysterious organization he knew of. Others, such as the Crimson Eye Society, had been uprooted by the Mohist Knight Guard and become relics of the past.

"That's possible. Judging from their research on Metal Cells, this organization seems to enjoy creating strange and unusual things. Developing a monster with the ability to devour others is consistent with their usual style. However, considering they seem to be carrying out some kind of project in Linked Mountains City recently, they should be more discreet and secretive in their actions, and shouldn't create any more complications that attract attention, unless there's some connection between the two things."

Without sufficient intelligence, Yu Shuying couldn't deduce the truth. Although her Azure Flood Dragon Society had been developing smoothly recently, with its influence spreading throughout Linked Mountains City, it was ultimately just a group of civilian organizations operating on the fringes of the law. They were good at gathering information from the underworld, but they were powerless when it came to major cases involving the military and politics. People at that level wouldn't leak information to people in the underworld.

Si Ming was powerless to do anything about it. Although he possessed extraordinary martial arts skills, his social status was merely that of an ordinary college student and a writer with some fame in the literary world. He had no way of getting involved in such a case. Moreover, this incident involved the military and a Spirit Transformation expert. Even if his master intervened, he probably wouldn't be able to make much progress.

To thoroughly investigate this case, he wants to do everything according to his own ideas, interrogating whomever he wants, unless he becomes the Grandmaster of the Mohist School and has the power to speak with authority.

Since he was powerless to intervene and thinking about it would only cause him more trouble, Si Ming turned his attention back to his studies and lived a peaceful life for a while. He attended classes and studied, participated in street performances every three days, took care of the Martial Dao League, wrote novels in his spare time, and helped others with Murong Qing. His days were exceptionally fulfilling.

On the street performances, the masked duo of Si Ming and Yuezheng Qiong became increasingly famous. Both Yuezheng Qiong's magnetic voice and Si Ming's versatility in switching instruments from time to time were recognized by the public and experts. They appeared in newspapers and on television news several times. The entertainment companies that rejected them could fill a notebook, including some nationally renowned companies. As the audience grew, it was said that some people even started selling scalped tickets.

The Mutual Aid Society's activities proceeded at a lukewarm pace, as their work fell within the realm of routine tasks, such as finding lost pets, mediating conflicts within the organization, and resolving disputes between couples. Even if these actions helped others, they wouldn't cause a sensation. After all, Si Ming and Murong Qing weren't that Jiang Moumou, the elementary school student who always wore black-rimmed glasses, chatted amiably with reporters and government officials, did the same work as a certain Mao Mou, and, although retired, still operated behind the scenes when incidents occurred, caused murder wherever he went.

In the Martial Dao League, the Second Martial Arts Club continued its winning streak, completing the round of 16 to 8 and the quarterfinals to enter the semifinals. Although the opponents in the qualifying rounds were all weak, the series of 3-0 victories were too eye-catching and looked quite impressive. Everyone couldn't help but take a second look at them. Even some betting companies adjusted the odds for the Second Martial Arts Club to win the championship. At this point, someone finally couldn't sit still.

"What can I do for you, Chairman Chu?"

Si Ming came to the president's office of the Martial Arts Club again. He noticed that there were hardly any students on the way there, obviously they had been deliberately sent away.

Chu Gengyin gave a bright smile, poured Si Ming a cup of tea, and politely handed it to him, saying, "This cup of tea is to apologize for what happened last time."

Si Ming looked at the steaming cup of tea but didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he said, "Actually, I know why you wanted to talk to me, President. I didn't want to come because the outcome was already decided, and there was no point in discussing it further. But after thinking about it, I realized that I don't have any grudges against you, President. Even as ordinary classmates, it's better to talk things out. We're all students, not adults. Isn't it ridiculous to play tricks and make the campus like a martial arts world? Why bother?"

Chu Gengyin wasn't embarrassed at all by the other party's refusal to accept his tea. He spoke sincerely, "I know you resent me, junior brother, after all, it was I who insisted on issuing those regulations. But I ask myself honestly, I didn't do it out of selfishness, but for the benefit of the club and for everyone's benefit. In fact, the rule prohibiting first-year students from participating in competitions wasn't my invention. Many schools' Martial Arts Club have similar rules, including some prestigious schools. I simply borrowed their experience."

Si Ming shook his head and said, "President, you misunderstand. Actually, I have no complaints about the regulations you issued. In fact, I have no interest in the Martial Dao League. The establishment of the Second Martial Arts Club was just a misunderstanding. The person you need to persuade is Senior Sister Ke. As long as she agrees, I have no objection even if the Second Martial Arts Club is abolished."

If he could persuade Ke Chajing, Chu Gengyin would have done so long ago. He had been teammates with Ke Chajing for two years and knew her temperament well. Once she made up her mind, nothing could change it. To put it nicely, she was a woman of her word; to put it bluntly, she was stubborn and wouldn't turn back even after hitting a wall. He didn't know where she, a modern woman, got such a strong sense of chivalry.

"I need your help with this, junior brother. You know Junior Sister Ke's temper. If I say these things to her, it will only strengthen her resolve to fight the Martial Arts Club. Two teams from the same school fighting amongst themselves will only make us a laughingstock. I promise you here that if you are willing to come back, I will apologize to you in public, admit my mistakes, and withdraw the rules. Whatever conditions you propose, even if it means giving up my position as president, I will agree to them. It's all for the honor of the school!"

Chu Gengyin was quite straightforward, adopting an attitude of unconditional surrender and putting on a very humble front. Regardless of whether he was speaking sincerely or just making empty boasts, at least he showed his attitude. If Si Ming really harbored resentment, he would probably be much more willing to back down now.

Even though Si Ming wasn't buying it, he couldn't help but sigh, this guy was definitely not a typical villain from online novels.

In online novels and many other fictional works, the villains are often the kind of characters who make one mistake after another, resolutely refuse to apologize, and fight the protagonist to the bitter end. What might have been a mere verbal altercation or a fight over a woman could have been resolved peacefully with a little compromise, but instead, they become aggressive and cut off all escape routes, ultimately losing their lives over a trivial matter. Then, the villain's elders will retaliate without hesitation, resulting in a cycle of beating the younger generation and then the older ones, and beating the older ones and then the ultimate villains appearing.

Only such an unreasonable character can make the protagonist's actions seem righteous and awe-inspiring, occupying the moral high ground; in short, everything is forced upon them.

If the villain were Chu Gengyin, he would be the kind of person who offends the protagonist, and upon learning of the protagonist's strength, immediately comes to apologize, offering his face and saying, "Go ahead and hit me, don't hold back." If all villains were like him, the protagonist would really have no chance to kill monsters and level up.