A Unique Understanding of the Shadow Struggle

"By the way, you haven't eaten yet, have you?" Qing Chen asked. "I have a carefully prepared meal here, still kept warm. Please eat it while it's hot."

The old man looked at the temperature-controlled lunchbox in Qing Chen's hand and hesitated for a moment. "Did you bring this especially for me?"

Qing Chen replied matter-of-factly, "Yes, it's quite chilly on this broken bridge. How can you fish here without eating something to replenish your energy?"

"You're quite thoughtful," the old man said calmly as he took the lunchbox, only to find beef piled inside, and even twice-cooked pork in one of the small compartments.

The old man smiled happily and said, "The doctor removed twice-cooked pork from my menu a long, long time ago. It's so kind of me to be able to eat it here again."

Qing Chen smiled to himself, thinking that Li Ke had prepared a rather sumptuous meal, and the presentation was also quite good.

However, Li Ke didn't know that he only went to Zhixin Courtyard to teach one class every morning and went back to Feiyun Courtyard for lunch, so he didn't need this meal at all.

However, Qing Chen didn't waste it and simply brought it over to the old man.

"Aren't you afraid there might be poison inside?" Qing Chen asked doubtfully.

"If it were poisonous, you would be dead by now," the old man said frankly.

Upon hearing this, Qing Chen subconsciously looked towards the woods by the lake, but saw nothing.

Could it be that the old man has an Awakened bodyguard with the ability to detect poison?

"Do you know how many Dragon Fish there are in this Dragon Lake?" the old man asked while eating twice-cooked pork.

"I don't know. There must be at least several hundred lakes in such a large area," Qing Chen estimated.

The old man sat steadily on the broken bridge and shook his head. "When the knight brought them, there were only 18 in total, and there are still 18 after all these years. After these Dragon Fish left the Forbidden Zone No. 10, they stopped breeding and stopped growing. One Dragon Fish was secretly eaten a few years ago, and you ate another one yesterday, so now there are only 16 left."

"Wait a minute," Qing Chen was stunned, "So, I can only eat 16 more?"

The old man said irritably, "Is this what you should be focusing on? The knight ancestor once said that eating nine Dragon Fish is the limit, and eating more won't do you any good."

"Oh," Qing Chen nodded, "Please continue."

The old man continued, "There are many rare and exotic beasts in the Forbidden Zone. At first, we wondered why those powerful beasts never left the Forbidden Zone, even though they could hunt outside. Later, after raising Dragon Fish, I thought that the instinct for reproduction is ingrained in all animals. They probably know that if they step out of the Forbidden Zone, they will no longer be able to reproduce."

Of course, this is just a random guess.

Qing Chen thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Have you ever considered that it's possible the knight specifically chose 18 female fish when he gave them to you, deliberately making your Dragon Fish unable to reproduce?"

This time, it was the old man's turn to be stunned. Qing Chen's deduction actually had no evidence or basis.

But for some reason, he felt that this was something a knight would do!

The old man thought about how he had eagerly awaited the day when the Dragon Fish would lay its eggs years ago, and then he realized that he might have been the subject of a joke. For a moment, he felt like swearing.

Qing Chen comforted him, "It's possible I'm wrong. What if they're not all females? Maybe they're all males."

The old man sighed, "If you're going to die of anger here, you'll definitely be buried with me."

"Then pretend I didn't say anything," Qing Chen said calmly.

"Speaking of which, aren't you going to ask who I am?" the old man said slowly.

"You just told me what you wanted to say, didn't you?" Qing Chen sat on a small stool to the side. "Besides, who you are isn't important to me. As long as your name is prestigious and your brand is strong, that's enough."

The boy looked the old man up and down; the old man's hands were covered in calluses, like dried tree bark.

He doesn't seem like a person in a position of power at all; he's more like an old farmer toiling in the fields from dawn till dusk.

"You don't seem to have much of the curiosity of a young person," the old man added with a smirk, "But you're very good at using someone else's power to intimidate others."

"Look at what you're saying," Qing Chen explained, "As an instructor at Zhixin Courtyard, I'm only thinking about the next generation of the Li family. Look at how they've raised their children; they can't stand the slightest hardship. It's only because they're in the Li family that they're like this. If they weren't Tuanzi, they would be dying miserably on the streets sooner or later."

The old man sighed, "Large families are like large companies; they always have various flaws, and problems can arise if you're not careful. Go ahead and teach them; I've already given the instructions. The fishbone is hanging there; no one will bother you. But I'm curious about one thing: why are you willing to go to the trouble of teaching them?"

Qing Chen declared righteously, "Of course, it's for the enduring prosperity of the Li family!"

The old man. "..."

In fact, Qing Chen had already figured it out; this matter was ultimately about the Shadow Struggle.

It is now widely believed that the Kyung family issued a second round of tasks to the Shadow Candidate in order to help the future shadows of the Kyung family find their political allies in advance.

The key is to gradually learn how to form alliances and manage relationships between conglomerates.

And Qing Chen? He was also involved in the Shadow Struggle, but the difference was...

Of the remaining seven Shadow Candidate, four are vying for one Li Yinuo, while he alone has 31 young members from three generations of the Li family.

While others have equal partnerships, he can whip 31 students into submission.

He can not only draw tickets from the Li family members, but also from the Shadow Candidate, Qing Yi.

You can tell which is better at a glance.

Li Shutong said that there is always a second way to Shadow Struggle: just kill all the other candidates.

Qing Chen is now pursuing both paths, trying to do both well.

When the Shadow Struggle really break out in City No. 18, Qing Chen will lead 31 students from the Li Clan Academy to fight.

He really didn't believe that anyone in City No. 18 would dare to use firearms against so many members of the Li family.

No matter who you hit, you'll end up with a head full of bumps.

Of course, this is on the premise that he can manage these students well first. If he can't win people's respect, he won't be able to lead these students out.

Qing Chen asked, "You said yesterday that you had more secrets to tell me. I come here every day, so it's not unreasonable for you to tell me one every day, is it?"

The old man sighed, "You want to eat fish, and you also want to get my secrets out of me. Why do you always want to have your cake and eat it too?"

"Then can you go back on your word?" Qing Chen said, "What secrets are you planning to share today?"

The old man thought for a moment and said, "This is a secret known only to the Li family. In addition to the two known rules, a new rule was added to Forbidden Zone No. 37 17 years ago."

Qing Chen asked curiously, "What is it?"

"You don't know the first two rules, do you? Let me tell you the first two rules first. The first rule is that you can't take off your clothes, not even a single piece. The second rule is that you can't smack your lips when you eat," the old man said calmly. "Since you don't know these two rules, then the last one is new. Consider it a secret for tomorrow."

Qing Chen said irritably, "Who tells only half a secret?"

"I don't care," the old man said, focusing on fishing.

It's like listening to a story in a teahouse. Just when you're getting into the exciting part, the storyteller slams his gavel and shouts, "To be continued!"

Moreover, Qing Chen knew the first two rules because when they returned to City No. 18 from Forbidden Zone No. 002, their master, Li Shutong, told him all the rules he knew, including these two.

In other words, Qing Chen wanted to hear a secret, but ended up hearing nothing.

But he can't say that he actually knows the first two points. What if the other party asks him how he knows them? How will he explain it?

However, I wonder who came up with the rules that prohibit taking off clothes and smacking your lips; they're probably going to cause a lot of trouble.

"By the way, does the Li family have any ancestral cultivation paths? I mean, besides the like those of the Tiger Sect?" Qing Chen asked curiously. "The Li family is so large and powerful, with a history of nearly a thousand years, they must have some secret techniques, right?"

The Tiger Sect is the one Li Yinuo cultivates, but Qing Chen can't turn all the Li family members into warriors, can he?

The old man glanced at Qing Chen: "Why are you asking this?"

"As an instructor at the Martial Lecture Hall, how can I just teach some fighting techniques? If you only have the physique of an ordinary person, no matter how well you learn fighting, it's useless," Qing Chen said. "If you encounter a warrior who has been injected with gene serum, you'll still die."

"The Li family definitely has such things, but you underestimate the cultivation path. Even with the Li family's vast wealth, they don't have much in stock," the old man said slowly. "The path of inheritance is the greatest secret of every cultivator. Many people would rather take it to their grave than let a conglomerate obtain it. Take the knight, for example. Even now, the outside world doesn't know what else the knight needs to do besides the Green Mountain Cliff and the sea of clouds. Moreover, it is said that the knight has a unique inherited breathing technique. Without that, even if you know what the knight needs to do, it's useless."

Qing Chen asked curiously, "The Li family are descendants of knights, yet they don't know the secrets of knighthood?"

"You underestimate their devotion to the inheritance. Even if it's their own son, if he's not qualified to be a knight, he can't know the secrets of knighthood," the old man said casually. "Of course, there are some cultivators who don't have that kind of backbone, so the Li family has some cultivation methods, but the problem is that these spineless people... their cultivation methods aren't very good either. They might cultivate for more than ten years and still only reach the D-Class."

Qing Chen was even more puzzled. "Isn't there a better path to cultivation? I don't believe it."

The old man glanced at him. "There's a cultivation method that supposedly allows one to reach B-Class, but no one can pass it down anymore. If you want it, I'll have someone get it for you to try."

Qing Chen suddenly realized that for people in the Inner World, being able to cultivate to the B-Class was already quite impressive.

No wonder so many people want to become knights.

"Alright," Qing Chen nodded and said, "But why is no one able to inherit it?"

The old man glanced at him and said, "I'm not a cultivator, how would I know?"

More than an hour had passed since then, Qing Chen had been waiting for the old man to catch the Dragon Fish.

It's unclear whether it was the Dragon Fish's fault or the old man's fault, but no fish took the bait.

Qing Chen muttered, "Are you even going to catch any fish today? Is your technique lacking?"

The old man's eyes widened. "I've been a fishing enthusiast for decades, and this is the first time someone has questioned my fishing skills."

"Alright, no doubts," Qing Chen circled around the old man, pulled a fishing line from his fishing tackle bag, and tied a hook to it.

Qing Chen reached for some bait, but the old man suddenly became alert. "What are you doing?"

As he spoke, the old man put the metal box containing the fish bait into his pocket.

"Why are you being so stingy? You're a big shot, is it really necessary?" Qing Chen said, displeased.

"No, do you know that there's an art to baiting a fishing spot? I can't just throw in any bait after I've prepared the baiting area," the old man said.

"Alright," Qing Chen squatted down by the broken bridge and casually tossed the hook into the water.

With a whoosh, Qing Chen felt the fishing line in his hand tighten.

The old man was dumbfounded.

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "Although I've never fished before, I guess a fish has taken the bait."

As he spoke, he exerted a little force and scooped a Dragon Fish that was even bigger than yesterday out of the water.

The old man looked at the Dragon Fish thrashing about in Qing Chen's hand. "You cheated, didn't you? Come here and let me see the fishhook in your hand. Did you cheat?"

Qing Chen chuckled and ran off with the Dragon Fish in his arms, saying, "Don't be so angry, I was just lucky."

As he spoke, the boy ran off, leaving the old man bewildered in the cold wind on the broken bridge.

This time, Qing Chen didn't encounter any spies accusing him of stealing fish on his way back.

It seems that many people have gotten used to this strange new sight.

Only a few insiders silently counted in their minds that after this one was eaten, there would only be 15 Dragon Fish left in Longhu Lake.

I wonder how many more strips this boy will eat?

There have long been rumors that eating Dragon Fish can strengthen muscles and bones. What would happen if we ate the remaining 15?

On his way back, someone suddenly blocked his path and handed him a black box.

The man was middle-aged and walked silently. After handing him the Black Box, he turned and left.

They didn't exchange a single word.

Return countdown: 89:00:00.

7 o'clock in the morning.

The fourth day since I traveled here.

After learning about what was happening at the school, many parents went to the Privy Council to inquire about the new teacher and find out who he was.

However, no one got any information from them, only a uniform reply: if they didn't want to attend Li Clan Academy, they could go to a public school in the Upper Third District, where the teaching quality was also very good.

Many parents panicked because others might not know, but they were very clear about one thing: only those who graduated from the Li Clan Academy could hold important positions in the family.

This means that if a child leaves school, their future is ruined.

The Privy Council's response also indirectly elevated the new instructor's status, meaning all parents must diligently abide by the rules.

After all, someone who can eat Dragon Fish and is so protected by the Li family's Privy Council must be a favorite of that old man.

Some even maliciously speculated that this might be the old man's illegitimate child, or the illegitimate child of some important figure.

The Banshan Manor is very large; if students were to walk to school, it would probably take them more than half an hour.

It's early winter now, and the river is about to freeze over. If you walk around the manor for half an hour, you'll freeze into an icicle.

The classes at Zhixin Courtyard start at 8 a. m., and the parents thought that the instructors probably wouldn't arrive too early, so they would have their servants take their children there as soon as possible to save them the trouble of traveling.

So, at 7 a. m., there were already floating vehicles carrying students landing at the gate.

However, the students did not get off the carriage. The servants, seeing that it was still early, let their young master and young lady sleep a little longer in the carriage with the heater on.

However, before he could even fall asleep for a short while, the servant in the driver's seat slowly turned his head and met Qing Chen's eyes outside the window.

Qing Chen smiled and waited early at the entrance of Zhixin Courtyard, holding a ginkgo branch in his hand.

He knew some parents would try to take advantage of the situation, so he left home very early today.

When the students on the bus saw Qing Chen, their faces turned pale with fright.

They hurriedly and obediently got off the bus and stood as punishment at the entrance of Zhixin Courtyard.

Before long, as if by telepathy, half of the students arrived early in their hovercars and were then made to stand as punishment by Qing Chen.

The servants were also taken away and made to stand in a separate row.

No one dared to say anything.

Meanwhile, Qing Yi and Li Tongyun, who had come with Qing Chen, waited idly to the side.

Qing Yi was actually in a worse situation; he was dragged out of bed by Qing Chen at 6:30 in the morning and was exhausted.

But at this moment, seeing that the others were not only being punished by standing, but would also be whipped by Qing Chen later, he suddenly felt a sense of superiority for some reason...

This sense of superiority is strange. He clearly hates Qing Chen, but now his sense of superiority comes from Qing Chen.

Thinking about this, Qing Yi felt a little awkward.

After a while, the headmaster, Li Liheng, hurried over with a book tucked under his arm. He looked at the students and servants standing in two rows at the door without saying a word.

He hadn't expected that Qing Chen would actually manage to subdue the group of students!

Li Liheng greeted Qing Chen, and Qing Chen nodded in return.

At one point, the headmaster felt that the boy in front of him was becoming more and more like him... at least more like him than he was.

Once everyone had arrived, Qing Chen had the students turn around one by one, and then gave each of them five lashes, causing the students to scream and howl in pain.

Today, no one says things like "Do you know who I am?" anymore. Everyone has received some temporary training from their parents at home, and now they only care about one thing: not dropping out of school, and not being expelled.

"I hope everyone learns a lesson," Qing Chen said with a smile. "You're here to learn and endure hardship. Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Alright, let's go to the Martial Lecture Hall and get ready for class."

The students, their faces long and gloomy, silently entered the Martial Lecture Hall. They were shocked to discover something amiss: where there had been only one string of Dragon Fish bones yesterday, there were now two...

Such a precious creature Dragon Fish, and this instructor eats one every day?

The fish bones were a lighter color today, probably because I steamed them instead of braised them...

Inside the Martial Lecture Hall, Qing Chen stood calmly in front of the ginkgo tree. "Many of you are probably wondering, in this technologically advanced era, is it really useful for ordinary people to learn martial arts? Li Ke, what are your thoughts?"

Li Ke thought for a moment, "I am determined to join the Federation Group Army after graduation, so I hope that I can not only learn combat skills, but also embark on the path of cultivation in the future."

Qing Chen looked at Qing Yi: "And you?"

Qing Yi said lazily, "A brain is enough to command thousands of warriors, why bother learning combat?"

Qing Chen said earnestly, "Your thinking will soon change."

Qing Yi had another bad feeling.

This 5,200-word chapter is a return of the favor to ZARD, and the debt owed to him has been paid.

Starting tomorrow, I'll continue paying off my debt to the Penguin Boss, only to realize I still owe Penguin Boss three chapters...

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