Lofty as Mountains

The looks from all around grew increasingly strange, accompanied by hushed whispers.

Ning Shewo had spent his entire life in this circle and still cared about saving face. He hurriedly dragged Meng Chao into a corner.

Meng Chao felt rather embarrassed. "Sorry, Old Ning. Actually, I'm a very low-key and reserved person. I don't enjoy being in the limelight. How about you just pretend you don't know me?"

"No, no, Little Friend Meng, that wasn't what I meant. I'm just wondering, didn't your master tell you any of this?" Ning Shewo was utterly baffled.

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

Meng Chao paused. "His name is 'Fire-Passing Old Man.'"

"Fire-Passing Old Man?" The Ning grandfather and granddaughter exchanged a glance. "Never heard of such a senior in the circle. Who is he?"

"I don't know. He's a man who shows his head but never his tail, mysterious to the extreme."

Meng Chao recalled solemnly, "From our fragmentary exchanges, I felt that he was someone whose strength was overwhelmingly formidable, yet whose character was exceptionally noble, someone who had cast off low tastes and only wanted to contribute; someone of great wisdom and far-reaching vision, who could see through the future; and someone rich in personal charisma, who could conquer, influence, and save everyone without their even realizing it!"

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

"Be more confident. Drop the 'is that so.' It is."

Meng Chao said, "Oh, right. I also told Fire-Passing Old Man about Old Ning's injury. He only thought for three seconds before casually pointing out two materials for me. One was Hundred-Year Heart-Corroding Grass Root Juice, and the other was Blood-Colored Queen Bee Wings. I don't understand what that means. Old Ning, do you?"

Ning Shewo pondered for a moment, then suddenly sucked in a sharp breath. His snow-white beard and hair exploded outward like steel needles.

"Hundred-Year Heart-Corroding Grass and Blood-Colored Queen Bee—both are incomparably poisonous materials, and their properties are similar to the Purple Crown Viper King venom in my body. This is a prescription for fighting poison with poison!

"Fighting poison with poison—how had I never thought of that?

"It makes sense. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes. I've tried every treatment. Only fighting poison with poison remains!"

Ning Shewo looked dazed. At times he muttered to himself, at times he calculated on his fingers, and at times he laughed silently. His facial muscles twitched, making his expression utterly bizarre.

Ning Xueshi watched in fright. "Grandpa..."

"I'm fine, Xue Shi. Grandpa is fine. Grandpa's illness can be cured. Little Friend Meng wasn't lying. This 'Fire-Passing Old Man' truly is a divine man. He never even met me face-to-face, yet with three seconds of thought and a casual pointer, he solved the chronic ailment that had plagued me for so long. A divine man indeed!" Ning Shewo sighed in admiration.

At the same time, a message popped up in Meng Chao's field of vision:

Through your guidance, Elite Citizen Ning Shewo gained a brand-new insight into toxic pharmacology. Contribution Points +43

Elite Monsters really were great. He could never farm enough of them.

Meng Chao swallowed. "Old Ning, you must be extremely cautious with a prescription that fights poison with poison. Fire-Passing Old Man only casually mentioned these two materials. He didn't explain their mixing ratio, method, or the various auxiliary ingredients. You must think it through carefully."

"It's fine. Given that senior's realm, it is already quite generous of him to give this old man a few pointers. What right do such minor details have to trouble him? This old man has also studied pharmacology quite deeply. Naturally, I'll discuss the entire prescription carefully with a team of experts."

Ning Shewo sighed. "After Dragon City crossed over, extraordinary talents emerged one after another. There were always greater people beyond people, greater heavens beyond heavens! Little Friend Meng, no matter how much I can ultimately recover, these two medicines have helped me immensely. I truly don't know how to express my gratitude to Fire-Passing Old Man."

"That's no problem. Fire-Passing Old Man is indifferent to fame and profit. Even if you gave him not a single cent, he wouldn't be angry. Even if you gave him a duplex luxury home in Dragon City Number One, he wouldn't stand on ceremony—he treats money like dirt. He's that free and easy."

Meng Chao thought for a moment. "Oh, right. I also asked 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 for you now."

Before Ning Shewo could react, Meng Chao began manipulating two chopsticks in the air.

In truth, his movements were completely off the mark, and he utterly failed to understand the mysterious scientific principles behind each movement. He was merely copying a cat from a tiger, and doing so in a thoroughly awkward fashion.

Yet even the Harvesting Technique of the future, despite being severely distorted, still struck a master like Ning Shewo as lightning splitting the night sky, bringing him tremendous enlightenment.

"This is—"

Ning Shewo clutched his chest, his face turning pale as he staggered two large steps backward.

Through your guidance, Elite Citizen Ning Shewo gained a brand-new insight into the first solution of the "Reverse Lock Seven Solutions." Contribution Points +32

Through your guidance, Elite Citizen Ning Shewo gained a brand-new insight into the third solution of the "Reverse Lock Seven Solutions." Contribution Points +49

Through your guidance...

A huge wave of Contribution Points burst out of the Elite Monster.

"Grandpa!"

Seeing her grandfather look as though he were suffering a heart attack, Ning Xueshi hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

She could not see Meng Chao's subtle brilliance. All she saw was this utterly ordinary high school student casually waving around two greasy chopsticks, somehow reducing her grandfather to this state. She was nearly frantic with tears.

"I'm fine, Xue Shi. You don't understand. You don't understand how formidable this is..."

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

Meng Chao shook his head. "As I said, Fire-Passing Old Man said that whether martial arts, the Harvesting Technique, or Spirit Energy Technology, all were crystallizations of the wisdom of Dragon City's working people. They should be taken from the people and used for the people. Therefore, he would not begrudge any technique. He only hoped that Old Ning's hands and eyes would recover, that you would learn the brand-new Reverse Lock Seven Solutions, harvest more resources, and create a better future together with all Dragon City Citizens."

Ning Shewo seemed struck by lightning. His lips trembled for a long while before he sighed in admiration. "Senior's bearing is as lofty as mountains; senior's breadth of heart is as boundless as the sea. I'm convinced. This old man—no, Little Ning is completely convinced!"

Ning Xueshi's beautiful eyes swept back and forth between Meng Chao and her grandfather several times. She had no choice but to be convinced as well.

"Only an unparalleled senior master like Fire-Passing Old Man could cultivate a youth like Meng Chao... so unconventional!"

Miss Ning's feelings were complicated.

"Little Friend Meng, you and Xue Shi sit here for a while. This old man will go greet a few friends in the circle, then introduce you to them later."

As he spoke, Ning Shewo pulled his granddaughter aside and whispered, "Do you believe Grandpa now? Little Friend Meng is well worth befriending. At the very least, he's a hundred times more reliable than that Liao Feijun! I'll go socialize in a moment. Help me receive Little Friend Meng properly, and don't be rude. Understand?"

"Yes, Grandpa."

Ning Xueshi seemed to think of something. Her cheeks burned as she said shyly, "But he's still in high school, and he's three years younger than me!"

Ning Shewo: "Hm?"

Ning Xueshi: "Eh?"

Meng Chao poked his head over. "Huh?"

In another corner of the trade fair, Liao Feijun drained his blood-red wine in one gulp.

Licking his lips, he stared at Meng Chao and Ning Xueshi chatting and laughing. Only after quite some time did he withdraw his gaze.

"Eh, isn't that Meng Chao?"

At his side, Gu Ming, the technical director of Nine Xin Resource Recycling Company, blurted out, "How is that kid qualified to be here?"

Liao Feijun's gaze turned cold. "You know him?"

"I'd recognize him even if he turned to ashes, Jun Shao. I came looking for you today precisely because of this kid. He slapped our faces swollen. You must stand up for me!"

With a mournful face, Gu Ming embellished the conflict from the night before last, including the matter of the Crystallized Nerve Ball. At last, he pleaded pitifully, "I studied under Teacher Poison Hand Liao Santong for so long. Who in the circle doesn't know I'm Teacher Liao's disciple? That kid is relying on 'Ghost Hand Ning Shewo' to back him up, acting so arrogantly and showing no respect for Teacher Liao. Jun Shao, we can't swallow this!"

Liao Feijun curled his lips in distaste.

This Gu Ming had only studied the Harvesting Technique under his grandfather for two years. His skills were mediocre, and he caused trouble and embarrassed himself all day long. Liao Feijun could not be bothered with his affairs.

However, Liao Feijun's grandfather, "Poison Hand Liao Santong," and "Ghost Hand Ning Shewo" were fellow disciples. For decades, his grandfather's techniques had always been overshadowed by his senior brother's. They had even clashed over competing for monster materials, and their grievances had accumulated over many years.

This time, Ning Shewo's nerves had been damaged, and he was on the verge of fading from the harvesters' circle. It was the perfect chance for his grandfather to step on him.

His grandfather had long hinted that he should find an opportunity to provoke Ning Shewo, force him to lose his composure, and have a public contest with his grandfather. Then "Poison Hand" would crush "Ghost Hand," sweeping away decades of pent-up frustration.

This was indeed an opportunity...

Liao Feijun considered it, then said blandly, "Gu Ming, you were fooled. That old ghost Ning was poisoned by a snake. Ninety percent of his abilities have been crippled. Forget remaining in the Thunder Battle Team—he'll probably retire from the harvesters' circle very soon. What do you have to fear from such a dead tiger?"

"What?"

At Gu Ming's level, this was the first time he had heard such insider information. After staring blankly for a long moment, he could not help raging, "Damn it. If I'd known old ghost Ning had already become a dead tiger, Tiger Lord and I would never have let that kid off that day!"

Liao Feijun smiled. "Old ghost Ning has been searching the whole city for an heir to his mantle lately. Since this kid could distinguish between a Spirit Transformation Nerve Ball and a Crystallized Nerve Ball, he must have some talent. Old ghost Ning was delighted to find talent and therefore backed him up. It was originally a simple matter. You scared yourselves and made it complicated."

Gu Ming was both ashamed and angry. "No wonder. How did a poor kid living in public housing get connected to the White-Haired Ghost Hand?"

Liao Feijun burst out laughing. "No wonder even his school uniform is tattered. So he still lives in public housing. Old ghost Ning is truly getting more muddleheaded with age. After searching so long for an heir to his mantle, he found this sort of goods? Well, it makes sense. Everyone can see old ghost Ning is crippled now. What young person in the circle with connections and talent would be willing to become old ghost Ning's heir?"

Seeing the two people opposite him chatting so happily, and seeing Ning Xueshi listen intently to something Meng Chao said, Liao Feijun's eyes turned red.

The charm of the girl lowering her head made his eyes redden.

He had Gu Ming bring over two glasses of red wine. "Come. No matter what, my grandfather and old ghost Ning are fellow disciples. If this kid really becomes old ghost Ning's disciple, then he's my martial uncle. I'll go say hello to my 'little martial uncle.'"