Looking Up to a High Mountain

The gazes around them grew increasingly strange, accompanied by hushed whispers.

Ning Shewo, having spent his entire life in this circle, still valued his reputation. He hurriedly pulled Meng Chao into a corner.

Meng Chao felt quite embarrassed, "I'm sorry, Old Ning. Actually, I'm a very low-key and reserved person, and I don't like being in the limelight. Otherwise, you can just pretend you don't know me."

"No, no, no, Little Friend Meng, that's not what I meant at all. I'm just curious, didn't your master tell you about these things?" Ning Shewo was completely puzzled.

"This matter is my greatest secret, and I shouldn't have said it even if I was beaten to death. But I'm honest and can't learn to lie—actually, I don't have a master. I only met a very mysterious senior on the Deep Web, who often gave me a few pointers. I don't know if I'm qualified to call him 'master'."

Meng Chao paused, "He's called 'Fire-Passing Old Man'."

"Fire-Passing Old Man?" The Ning family grandfather and granddaughter exchanged glances, "I haven't heard of such a senior in the circle. Who is he?"

"I don't know, he's a person who appears and disappears unpredictably, extremely mysterious."

Meng Chao recalled earnestly, "From the few words I've heard, I think he's a person with extremely strong strength, but also with very noble character, detached from low-level interests, and wholeheartedly dedicated to making contributions; a person with great wisdom, foresight, and the ability to see through the future; and also a person with rich personal charm, who can conquer, influence, and save everyone without realizing it!"

The Ning family grandfather and granddaughter: "...Is that so?"

"Be confident, remove the 'is that so', it is."

Meng Chao said, "By the way, I also told the Fire-Passing Old Man about Old Ning's injury. He only thought for three seconds and casually pointed out two ingredients for me, one is 'Hundred-Year Heart-Corroding Grass Root Juice', and the other is 'Blood-Colored Queen Bee Wings'. I don't understand what they mean. Old Ning, do you understand?"

Ning Shewo pondered for a moment, then suddenly gasped, his snow-white beard and hair bristling like steel needles.

"Hundred-Year Heart-Corroding Grass, Blood-Colored Queen Bee, both of these are extremely poisonous materials, and their properties are similar to the Purple Crown Viper King poison I've been afflicted with. This is a method of fighting poison with poison!

"Fighting poison with poison, how come I never thought of that?

"It makes sense, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. All the treatments have been tried, only fighting poison with poison is left!"

Ning Shewo looked dazed, sometimes muttering to himself, sometimes calculating with his fingers, sometimes laughing silently, his facial muscles twitching, his expression extremely strange.

Ning Xueshi looked scared, "Grandpa..."

"It's okay, Xueshi, Grandpa's okay, Grandpa's illness can be cured. Little Friend Meng didn't lie, this 'Fire-Passing Old Man' is truly a divine being, he hasn't even met me, and in three seconds, with a casual pointer, he solved the chronic illness that has plagued me for so long, a divine being!" Ning Shewo exclaimed in admiration.

At the same time, information popped up in Meng Chao's vision:

[Through your guidance, Elite Citizen Ning Shewo has gained a new understanding of poisonous pharmacology, Contribution Points +43]

Elite Monsters are great, can't get enough of them.

Meng Chao swallowed, "Old Ning, you must be cautious with the method of fighting poison with poison. The Fire-Passing Old Man casually mentioned these two ingredients, but he didn't say the blending ratio, method, and various auxiliary materials. You must consider them carefully."

"It doesn't matter, with this senior's realm, it's already very good that he's willing to give me a few pointers. What qualifications do those trivial details have to bother him? I myself have quite a bit of research on pharmacology, and I will naturally discuss the entire prescription in detail with the expert team."

Ning Shewo sighed, "After Dragon City's transmigration, strange and capable people have emerged one after another, truly there are people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens! Little Friend Meng, no matter how much I can be cured in the end, these two medicines have helped me a lot. I really don't know how to express my gratitude to the Fire-Passing Old Man."

"That's okay, the Fire-Passing Old Man is a person who is indifferent to fame and wealth. Even if you don't give him a penny, he won't be angry. Even if you send him a duplex mansion in Dragon City Number One, he won't be polite—that's how he sees money as dirt, very unrestrained."

Meng Chao thought for a while, "By the way, I also asked the Fire-Passing Old Man about the remaining solutions of the Reverse Lock Seven Solutions. He doesn't mind making them public, I'll demonstrate them to you now."

Before Ning Shewo could react, Meng Chao used two chopsticks to operate in the air.

In fact, his movements were not in place at all, and he didn't understand the mysterious scientific principles behind each movement. He was purely imitating, and he was imitating in a ridiculous way.

However, even if the future Harvester Technique was severely distorted, in the eyes of a grandmaster like Ning Shewo, it was still like lightning splitting the night sky, bringing great enlightenment.

"This is—"

Ning Shewo clutched his chest, his face pale, and retreated two large steps.

[Through your guidance, Elite Citizen Ning Shewo has gained a new understanding of the first solution of "Reverse Lock Seven Solutions", Contribution Points +32]

[Through your guidance, Elite Citizen Ning Shewo has gained a new understanding of the third solution of "Reverse Lock Seven Solutions", Contribution Points +49]

[Through your guidance...]

Meng Chao obtained a large wave of Contribution Points from the Elite Monster.

"Grandpa!"

Seeing her grandfather looking like he was having a heart attack, Ning Xueshi hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

She couldn't see the subtlety of Meng Chao's actions, only that this ordinary-looking high school student casually waved two greasy chopsticks and turned her grandfather into this state, almost making her cry.

"I'm fine, Xueshi, you don't understand, you don't understand the power here..."

Ning Shewo's lips were pale, but his eyes were exceptionally bright. He solemnly said, "Little friend Meng, did the Fire-Passing Old Man really ask you to teach the upgraded 'Reverse Lock Seven Solutions' to this old man? What does he want this old man to do?"

Meng Chao shook his head: "It's still the same saying, the Fire-Passing Old Man said that whether it's martial arts, Harvester Techniques, or Spirit Energy technology, they are all the crystallization of the wisdom of all the working people of Dragon City. They should be taken from the people and used for the people. Therefore, he will not be stingy with any cultivation methods, only hoping that Old Ning's hands and eyes will recover, and that he will learn the new 'Reverse Lock Seven Solutions', so that he can harvest more resources and create a better future together with all the citizens of Dragon City."

Ning Shewo was struck by lightning, his lips trembling for a long time before he sighed in admiration: "The demeanor of the senior is as majestic as a mountain, and the breadth of the senior's mind is as boundless as the sea. I am convinced, this old man, no, Little Ningzi is completely convinced!"

Ning Xueshi's beautiful eyes swept back and forth between Meng Chao and her grandfather several times, and she had to admit it.

"Only an unparalleled senior expert like the Fire-Passing Old Man can cultivate a... unique teenager like Meng Chao!"

Miss Ning was in a complicated mood.

"Little friend Meng, you and Xueshi sit here for a moment, I'll go greet a few friends in the circle, and I'll introduce you later."

Saying that, Ning Shewo pulled his granddaughter to the side and whispered, "Now you believe what Grandpa said, Little friend Meng is worth befriending, at least a hundred times more reliable than that Liao Feijun! I'll be busy socializing later, you help me take good care of Little friend Meng, don't be rude, understand?"

"Yes, Grandpa."

Ning Xueshi, not knowing what she was thinking, her cheeks flushed and she said shyly, "But, he's still in high school, three years younger than me!"

Ning Shewo: "Hmm?"

Ning Xueshi: "Eh?"

Meng Chao leaned over: "Huh?"

In another corner of the trade fair, Liao Feijun drained his glass of blood-colored red wine.

Licking the corner of his mouth, he stared at Meng Chao and Ning Xueshi chatting and laughing, and only retracted his gaze after a long while.

"Eh, isn't that Meng Chao?"

Beside him, Gu Ming, the technical director of Nine Xin Resource Recycling Company, exclaimed, "How is this kid qualified to be here?"

Liao Feijun's eyes turned cold: "You know him?"

"Even if he turns to ashes, I'd recognize him. Young Master, I'm here today to talk about this kid. He really slapped us in the face. You must stand up for me!"

Gu Ming, wearing a mournful face, recounted the conflict from the night before, including the Crystallized Nerve Ball incident, adding fuel to the fire. He ended pitifully, "I've been studying under Teacher 'Poison Hand Liao Santong' for so long. Who in the circle doesn't know I'm Teacher Liao's disciple? This kid, relying on 'Ghost Hand Ning Shewo' for support, is so arrogant, not even putting Teacher Liao in his eyes. Young Master, we can't swallow this!"

Liao Feijun curled his lip in disgust.

This Gu Ming had only followed his grandfather to learn harvesting techniques for two years. His skills were mediocre, and he was always causing trouble and embarrassment. Liao Feijun was too lazy to bother with his affairs.

However, Liao Feijun's grandfather, "Poison Hand Liao Santong," and "Ghost Hand Ning Shewo" were fellow apprentices. For decades, his skills had been overshadowed by his senior brother, and they had even had conflicts over the seizure of monster materials. The two had a long-standing grudge.

Now that Ning Shewo's nerves were damaged and he was about to fade out of the Harvester circle, it was a great opportunity for his grandfather to take advantage of the situation.

His grandfather had hinted to him long ago to find an opportunity to provoke Ning Shewo, forcing him to lose his composure and have a public contest with his grandfather. Then, "Poison Hand" would defeat "Ghost Hand," sweeping away decades of frustration.

This is an opportunity…

Liao Feijun pondered, then said lightly, "Gu Ming, you've been fooled. Old Ghost Ning has been poisoned by snake venom, and ninety percent of his power is gone. Don't even mention staying in the Thunder Battle Team; I'm afraid he'll soon retire from the Harvester circle. What's there to be afraid of from a dead tiger like that?"

"What?"

With Gu Ming's level, it was the first time he had heard this inside information. He was stunned for a long time, then couldn't help but angrily say, "Damn it, if I had known Old Ghost Ning had already become a dead tiger, Tiger Lord and I shouldn't have let this kid off that day!"

Liao Feijun smiled, "Old Ghost Ning has been searching for a successor all over the city recently. Since this kid can distinguish the difference between 'Spirit Transformation Nerve Ball' and 'Crystallized Nerve Ball,' he must have some talent. Old Ghost Ning was delighted to find a talent, so he supported this kid—it was originally a simple matter, but you scared yourselves and made it complicated."

Gu Ming was both ashamed and angry, "I was wondering, how could a poor kid living in public housing get in touch with 'White-Haired Ghost Hand'!"

Liao Feijun chuckled, "No wonder his school uniform is so tattered. So he still lives in public housing. Old Ghost Ning is really getting worse and worse. He searched for a successor for so long and found such a guy? No wonder. Now everyone can see that Old Ghost Ning is a waste. Which young man in the circle with some connections and talent would want to be Ning Shewo's successor?"

Seeing the two people opposite him chatting happily, and not knowing what Meng Chao said, causing Ning Xueshi to listen attentively.

The girl's charm when she lowered her head made Liao Feijun's eyes turn red.

He had Gu Ming bring two glasses of red wine, "Come on, no matter what, my grandfather and Old Ghost Ning are fellow apprentices. If this kid really becomes Old Ghost Ning's disciple, he'll be my junior uncle. I'll go say hello to my 'little junior uncle' now."