By the time he returned to the martial arts school, it was almost seven in the evening.
The school's many disciples had also finished their daily greetings and consultations, and were heading home.
The school's teaching methods were different from most. The disciples practiced on their own, then gathered their questions, which Old Master Wang Xinlong would answer all at once.
That was because the disciples had long since passed the stage of building a foundation.
Most were already capable of holding their own out in the world, so their questions were mostly theoretical.
Or rather, the disciples came to consult him mainly to visit Old Master Wang Xinlong.
Some, of course, had simply made it a long-standing habit. As long as they weren't out of town, they liked to gather at the school.
Wang Yiyang wasn't part of their circle and didn't know much about them. But since he was Wang Xinlong's grandson, the disciples were all friendly toward him.
A few chatted with him politely, but they didn't have much in common to talk about, so they eventually parted ways.
In the end, Wang Yiyang found himself in a corner of the courtyard with Senior Brother Zhong Can, who was also gradually running out of things to say to people.
Their eyes met. Neither of them had anyone else nearby.
Unlike Wang Yiyang, Zhong Can had an overbearing, oppressive presence. No one liked feeling inferior from the outset, so it was only natural that he wasn't popular.
Apart from asking him for advice, no one wanted to spend time with him.
While Old Master Wang was seeing the last two disciples out, Zhong Can walked straight over to Wang Yiyang.
"What time are you heading back tomorrow?" He was debating whether to make his move today.
"Yeah, it's about time I went back. I only came home to get some peace and quiet because I was feeling stressed." Wang Yiyang smiled.
He had some confidence now. As the head of the Security Department, he had a few ways to protect himself.
According to the information in his mind, the chip implanted beneath his skin had a certain ability to induce neural signals.
The underlying principles were complicated, but the effect was straightforward: if the chip sensed that Wang Yiyang's life was in danger, it would immediately release a burst of Bio-Magnetic High-Energy Pulse.
The pulse wouldn't harm him, but it would have a powerful stunning effect on every living thing nearby.
"I'll see you off, then." Zhong Can fell silent for a moment, then said evenly.
"You don't have to. Just spend more time with Grandpa. He's getting on in years, and he's not as healthy as he used to be." Wang Yiyang smiled.
Looking at the senior brother who had been so mysterious before his rebirth and was suspected of killing everyone at the martial arts school, Wang Yiyang felt a strange thought rise in his mind.
"Brother Zhong Can, have you ever considered that martial arts might have an end? The only thing without limits is technology."
Zhong Can frowned slightly. "What are you trying to say?"
"I can tell something's weighing on you," Wang Yiyang said calmly. "If the path you're pursuing isn't understood by the people around you, then why not..."
"What are you two talking about?" Wang Xinlong came back through the door, cutting Wang Yiyang off at just the right moment.
"You're going back tomorrow. Come, have a drink with me!" Wang Xinlong grabbed his grandson by the shoulder and dragged him off to the front hall.
Left alone, Zhong Can watched Wang Yiyang leave in silence.
When the nanny began setting up a second table of food and drinks in the front hall, Zhong Can returned to his room, took his phone out of a drawer, and quickly sent a message.
'Come tomorrow.' — Black Silkworm.
'Okay.' — Dada.
Wang Yiyang was held back by his grandfather and made to drink quite a bit again before he was finally allowed to rest.
Though he had been drinking, he never got drunk. He stayed on guard the entire time in case of an attack.
But even late into the night, Zhong Can showed no sign of making a move.
It seemed that, just as before his rebirth, the other man had chosen not to act yet.
That came as a relief, and gave him more time to prepare.
Early the next morning, Jian sent Wang Yiyang a message on behalf of the whole team: everyone had arrived.
After breakfast, Wang Xinlong and Zhong Can accompanied him to the bus station. He boarded a coach bound for the city.
Wang Yiyang still didn't sense any intention from Zhong Can to attack him.
"Call me when you get back safely," Wang Xinlong reminded him from beside the bus door.
"I know, I know. You should go back and rest. It's only a two-hour ride, not far." Wang Yiyang took his seat and waved.
Wang Xinlong gave him a few more careful reminders, then reluctantly turned to leave with Zhong Can, pushing through the crowd to exit the station.
Watching his grandfather and Zhong Can leave, Wang Yiyang finally let out a breath. He had to admit, being around someone who could crush him to death with one claw at any moment was no pleasant experience.
He had a trump card now, but they had been far too close.
At least that was over. They were finally far apart.
As he relaxed, he also warily surveyed the bus.
Some passengers were smoking, some were on their phones, and others were eating pieces of cut fruit.
A few children were loudly begging for snacks from the vendors below the bus.
The driver was wiping his sweat with a white towel that had turned a different color.
A third of the seats were already taken.
Wang Yiyang was lucky enough to get a window seat in the middle section.
In the seats beside him, two young women who seemed to have just graduated and started working were playing a game like Tile-Matching on their phones.
A family of three sat behind him. The parents were feeding their son something like rice porridge, though Wang Yiyang had no idea what it was called.
In the row in front of him were a fat man and two skinny men. The fat man was on the phone, while the two skinny men sat together playing on their phones.
Wang Yiyang took out his phone and checked the time: 10:06.
An even-numbered time.
"Are you from Qiushang Park too?" one of the women playing a game asked, looking at the park access card hanging from the side of Wang Yiyang's phone.
"Uh... yeah. You are too?" Wang Yiyang looked at her in surprise.
The woman who had spoken looked young, barely into her twenties.
She wore a white blouse and a black business skirt, with sheer nude stockings over her legs for a suitably professional look. Her legs were crossed at the ankles and angled to one side, her posture a little stiff. She clearly hadn't been through her professional etiquette training for long.
On a scale of one to ten, she was about a seven.
Her features were delicate, with a high nose bridge and slender, willow-shaped eyebrows. Her skin was a little rough, though, as if she hadn't grown up somewhere rainy and humid.
A small white key tag was clearly hanging from her phone, too.
"I didn't expect to run into someone from the park on a random bus ride. Hello! Which company do you work for?" Su Ling put down her phone and looked at Wang Yiyang with easy confidence.
"I work at Xinda Network. It's a small company," Wang Yiyang replied with a smile.
"Xinda Network is one floor above us. What a coincidence! I work at Baiqiao Cosmetics. I'm Su Ling." She smiled and held out a hand. Wang Yiyang gave it a light shake.
She had been eager to stop playing on her phone with her friend. Now that she'd met someone from the same park, even the same building, she took the chance to set her phone aside and strike up a conversation. It was better than being dragged into another game.
She'd come along with her friend to visit their hometown, too.
She'd heard that the hot springs in Guixi Town were especially relaxing, so they'd gone there for a few days. She had even used one of the two vacation breaks she got each year.
But after only two days in the hot springs, her company had dragged her back, claiming they needed her.
Her supervisor had promised to compensate her, but being pulled out of her vacation like that still left her in a bad mood.
"I'm Wang Yiyang. What brought you two here?" He smiled back.
"We went to the hot springs to relax a little," Su Ling replied.
"The hot springs? There are several nice ones around here. Maple Leaf Hot Spring, White Crystal Hot Spring, Fengshan Hot Spring—they're all worth visiting."
Wang Yiyang casually named a few places and chatted with Su Ling about their pros and cons.
As they talked, they moved on from the hot springs in Guixi Town to the local specialties, and then to the martial arts school his grandfather ran.
When Su Ling and the other woman heard that his grandfather owned a martial arts school, they became very interested and started asking about the details and customs there.
These days, martial arts schools were unfamiliar to most people.
Anything Wang Yiyang mentioned made the two women marvel. The one who had been playing on her phone put it down and joined their conversation.
Before long, the three of them had hit it off.
The other woman was Yuan Shasha. She had a baby face and a petite frame. If not for her business clothes, she could easily have passed for a high school student.
Yuan Shasha lived in Guixi Town. She'd come back to renovate her family's old house. Since it was registered in her name, she had to return to take care of some paperwork.
Just as Wang Yiyang was chatting animatedly with the two women, a clear ringtone rang out from his pocket.
He quickly took out his phone and checked the message.
'Minister, a suspicious person is approaching you.' — Jian.
Wang Yiyang checked the bus's departure time. It was 10:20, four minutes from now.
"What's wrong? Is someone looking for you?" Su Ling asked curiously. Wang Yiyang had been looking at his phone for a little longer than usual.
"No." Wang Yiyang looked up as if nothing had happened, suppressing the faster beat of his heart.
Sure enough, Zhong Can's backers had already started watching him.
He thought it over and was about to reply.
Just then, another message came in from Jian.
'Should I take him out?' — Jian.
Take... take him out?!
Wang Yiyang's heart pounded.
His expression, which had been calm until now, finally changed.
When the system had implanted the identity in his mind, he had only felt surprised and caught off guard. He hadn't really understood what the identity meant.
Now, with one simple question from a subordinate, he finally understood the kind of power and authority at his disposal.
That was a human life, yet Jian spoke of it as if it were weightless.
'The suspicious target is within fifty meters. Do you want us to use official channels, or handle it quietly?' — Jian.
Wang Yiyang took a deep breath, leaned back against the seat, sat upright, and half-closed his eyes.
'I want him alive,' he replied briefly.
'Also, try not to cause a commotion. This is the Mien Federation, not our headquarters in the Maria Islands.'
'Understood.' — Jian
Before you continue