Three Years

Li ChunJun slipped into Hengguang Garden with practiced ease, avoiding the patrols from Mount Tai Security. Before long, he had reached Jin Family Courtyard.

However...

At that moment, Jin Family Courtyard was pitch-black, its gates firmly shut.

There wasn't a soul in the enormous villa.

He slowly circled the villa, listening carefully.

With his hearing as sharp as it was now, not even a mouse scurrying ten meters away could escape his ears.

And yet the entire Jin household was utterly silent.

Not a sound came from inside.

Clearly, nobody was home.

There wasn't even anyone guarding the house.

The villa, covering more than two thousand square meters, sat empty.

Half an hour later, Li ChunJun appeared outside Hengguang Garden.

The villa was empty.

But there were other members of the Jin family.

He didn't know where they were.

But he knew who to ask.

He turned and headed toward the Garrison Department.

Li ChunJun deliberately avoided crowded places and bustling streets.

But as he passed an intersection, a car driving ahead suddenly pulled over.

A graceful figure stepped out, her eyes immediately landing on Li ChunJun.

He glanced at her, turned around, and took another route.

But she quickly followed him.

Li ChunJun tugged down his cap and quickened his pace.

The figure started running too.

Perhaps a girl suddenly breaking into a run—especially a youthful, pretty one—was bound to draw people's attention.

Or perhaps for some other reason, Li ChunJun turned into a small, leafy park.

Only then did the girl catch up, panting.

She said softly, "ChunJun, it's you. I recognize you."

Li ChunJun looked at her.

His gaze was calm, without much of a flicker.

"Is something wrong?"

That tone...

Ling Zhi froze for a moment.

It took her a while to say, "I... I want to help you."

Li ChunJun looked at her.

"There's no need."

He said bluntly, "Don't get too close to me."

"I..."

"It's late. Go home."

Li ChunJun cut her off.

He glanced at the middle-aged man who had followed close behind her.

Then he added, "Don't make your family worry. Study hard and become someone who contributes to society..."

He stopped there. A second or two later, he continued, "Just live happily."

"What if I'm not happy?"

Ling Zhi gazed up at him with bright eyes.

Her eyes were beautiful, clear and luminous, seeming almost to speak and drawing others' attention.

So Li ChunJun didn't look into them.

He didn't even answer.

Instead, he turned and walked away.

"I know this might be the wrong time... I just wanted to tell you that I can wait for you..."

The girl called out loudly.

Before she could finish, Li ChunJun cut her off.

"Don't wait."

He answered as he strode away.

"It's only three years."

Only three years.

What kind of feelings could there be?

The girl stood beneath the trees, watching him without moving.

The evening breeze lifted her silky hair, setting it swaying.

One of them remained where she was; the other walked away, growing ever farther.

The middle-aged man following her let out a sigh at the sight.

"Wait."

He stepped forward.

At the same time, he said to the girl, "Ling Zhi, let me talk with this Li student for a moment."

"Third Uncle..."

"Maybe I can help him."

Even the man himself sounded unsure.

At once, uncontainable joy welled up in the girl's eyes.

"Go wait for me in the car."

With that, the man quickly caught up with Li ChunJun.

"Please wait."

He called out.

"You're her elder. You should know that at a time like this, the farther you stay from me, the better."

Li ChunJun didn't stop walking.

"I know that you might think what you're doing now is extremely dangerous, and that you're in a precarious position. But look at it from another angle... things may not be so bad that they can't be salvaged."

The middle-aged man said.

Li ChunJun glanced at him.

He had trained in martial arts too.

But he had only reached Outer Refinement Great Accomplishment.

He wasn't even qualified to serve as captain of the guards at a wealthy household.

"I know you intend to continue your revenge. But have you ever thought about what you'll do when it's over?"

The middle-aged man said, "Killing might solve your problems for a time, but in the end, you'll still have to return to the light of day."

He spoke quickly. "This world ultimately belongs to cultivators. Why can the Jin family run rampant and rule Guangzhou City with an iron fist? Because Jin Zhiya, who stands behind them, became a cultivator! Even the lowest-level cultivator stands far above any powerful official—they belong to a class no one dares offend! And the only ones who can keep cultivators in check are other cultivators!"

He caught up with Li ChunJun and looked at him. "If you had a powerful cultivator backing you, every problem you face would be resolved."

Li ChunJun's expression remained unchanged.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man realized that nothing could shake Li ChunJun's resolve or change his mind right now.

Nor could anyone's words influence his decisions.

He sighed inwardly, then quickly took out a business card and held it out. "If you come around, you can call me. I can introduce you to someone. I can't promise you anything, but... an eighteen-year-old Unity martial artist has a very good chance. At the very least, it's a path—a path that can bring you back to the right track."

Li ChunJun glanced at the card and took it for Ling Zhi's sake.

Then he quickly left the small park and vanished into the night.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man stopped.

Only after Li ChunJun had disappeared completely did he turn to Ling Zhi and say, "Let's go."

"Third Uncle..."

Ling Zhi looked at him.

The middle-aged man shook his head. "It's up to him to decide."

Then he added, "Given the situation, he's right: you shouldn't get too close to him. Whatever happens, wait until this is over before thinking about it."

"I know... I just..."

"You're still young. You don't understand."

The middle-aged man sighed. "Come on, let's go home. You came first in the whole school this time, and your grandmother made your favorite dishes for you."

In the night,

Li ChunJun's figure drew closer and closer to the residential compound belonging to the Garrison Department, as ghostly as a specter.

The enhancements brought by Life Level 10 rendered many precautions meant to deter ordinary people utterly meaningless to him.

Soon, he had slipped past all the patrols and sentry posts on the perimeter and reached an apartment on the second floor.

It wasn't yet eight in the evening, and the owner hadn't returned.

Li ChunJun didn't hurry. He waited quietly.

Whenever someone passed through the stairwell, he avoided them in advance. As a result, no one noticed anyone in the building for over an hour.

It wasn't until nearly nine that a car pulled up downstairs.

Faintly, voices could be heard from inside.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Director Huang."

"It's nothing. Keep him locked up as long as you want. There are plenty of ways to charge him with a crime. We'll follow the proper procedures, so no one will find a thing wrong with it."

"It may be nothing to you, but you've done us a huge favor..."

After a few exchanges, the car door opened.

Huang Shang, deputy director of the Garrison Department, a little tipsy, came upstairs accompanied...

Or rather, escorted, by several Garrison Department Elites.