" Master Li, it's been a long time."
The Crazy Old Man picked his nose and flicked the booger out.
"Spit it out already, don't keep me from drinking."
Yan Tianyang didn't care at all about the Crazy Old Man's attitude.
"I heard you've taken on an apprentice?"
Upon hearing Crazy Old Man, the old madman's eyes narrowed.
"What? Are you trying to make a move on my apprentice?"
Yan Tianyang smiled. "What do you think about training your apprentice to be my successor?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qizhen immediately looked at the screen, her heart filled with turmoil.
"I advise you to give up on that idea," the Crazy Old Man said.
How so?
"That kid... doesn't have that kind of ambition. He just wants to stick to his own little corner of the world. He can't possibly have the whole world in his heart."
Yan Tianyang raised his hands, interlaced his fingers, rested his elbows on the table, and stared intently at the Crazy Old Man on the screen.
"Isn't this just like you?"
The Crazy Old Man paused in his drinking motion, remained silent for two seconds, then tilted his head back and gulped down two mouthfuls.
That kid is nothing like me!
Yan Tianyang: "I heard he refused to call you Master, and I also heard that you refused to call me Master back then. Isn't that similar?"
The Crazy Old Man's gaze suddenly fell on Ye Qizhen, "You snitched?"
Ye Qizhen was so frightened that she backed away repeatedly.
"Please don't make things difficult for Ye Qizhen. I ordered him to say it. He's under the name of the Divine Wind Guard, so he has to obey the commander-in-chief's orders, doesn't he?" Yan Tianyang said.
The Crazy Old Man, too lazy to care about Ye Qizhen, continued on the previous topic, saying, "Didn't you think highly of Ye Qizhen? Why don't you let him inherit your position? I think he's very suitable."
When the conversation turned to her, Ye Qizhen couldn't help but shiver.
"He..." Yan Tianyang narrowed his sharp eyes, hesitated for two seconds, and then said, "He's more suited to be a general than a marshal."
"Tch! Some people said you were more suited to be a general than a marshal, but you still became one, didn't you?"
The Crazy Old Man's words shocked Ye Qizhen once again. She never expected that the commander of the Divine Wind Guard, who had achieved great military exploits and was renowned far and wide, had also been told that he was not suitable for that position.
"Yes, no one can predict the future, but the apprentices you've taken on will certainly not be able to be kept by a small Fortress No. 31. They won't always be self-centered, just like you were back then, only thinking about your own little family and relatives, but in the end, you led your whole family into battle, ultimately leading to—"
"Enough!" the Crazy Old Man shouted sharply, his face turning red and purple.
Ye Qizhen was so frightened that she didn't dare to say another word.
Yan Tianyang on the other side of the screen didn't say anything more.
For a moment, the management office fell into a deathly silence.
After a long while, the Crazy Old Man tilted his head back, took two puffs of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) from the bottle, and turned to look at Ye Qizhen.
"You haven't left yet?"
Ye Qizhen cupped her hands in greeting to the Crazy Old Man, then turned and left. After leaving the management office, she breathed a long sigh of relief.
That was terrifying!
He had never seen anyone dare to yell at Yan Shuai like that before, and the key point was that Yan Shuai didn't utter a single sound from beginning to end.
The news he heard today was more explosive than the last; it seemed he needed to find a place to have a good meal and digest it properly.
The next day.
Six o'clock in the morning.
Jiang Fan, Yang Xiaoqiang, and the others were fully prepared and waiting at the fortress gate.
Soon, an armored vehicle was seen driving up.
"They're here, the employer has arrived," Yang Xiaoqiang said.
To Jiang Fan's surprise, Lan Shengxue was among those who got out of the armored vehicle.
Yang Xiaoqiang explained to Jiang Fan, "See that little girl? She's our employer this time."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Fan's face showed a hint of surprise.
Lan Shengxue walked in front, accompanied by three burly men who looked like bodyguards.
"Are you from Xiaoqiang Studio?" Lan Shengxue asked.
Yang Xiaoqiang: "I am the boss and captain of Xiaoqiang Studio. I am Late-Stage First-Rank Martial Artist. The others are my teammates: Zhou Xiaoyan, Middle-Stage First-Rank Martial Artist; Wang Jiangang and Miao Xi, both Early-Stage First Rank martial artists; and our archer, Tang Fan, who is currently Late-Stage Martial Apprentice."
" Late-Stage Martial Apprentice? Not Martial Artist?" Lan Shengxue frowned.
The bodyguard next to him chimed in, "Aren't you one of the top studios in Ancheng? I remember all your members are Martial Artist, how come you have a Late-Stage Martial Apprentice?"
"The information you saw should be from a month ago. Our studio was indeed staffed entirely by Martial Artist before. But one member killed himself in the Inner Wilderness Zone, and Tang Fan we just recruited," Yang Xiaoqiang replied.
"Why didn't you hire someone more capable? You ended up with this..."
Lan Shengxue raised her hand, signaling the bodyguards to step back, and then said, " Xu Dai is not saying this to look down on your members. It's just that we're going to the Inner Wilderness Zone, which is extremely dangerous. If you're not strong enough, a slight mistake could cost you your life."
Jiang Fan stepped forward and lowered his voice, saying, "Don't worry, since I've decided to go, I naturally have ways to protect myself. After all, I value my life very much."
Hearing this, Lan Shengxue raised her eyebrows slightly. "Since that's the case, then I won't stop you. However, let me make this clear from the start: this mission into the Inner Wilderness Zone is to find a special medicinal herb for my grandfather. This mission is a do-or-die situation. So if you feel you're not up to the task, I hope you'll withdraw. As I said before, I'm not saying this to look down on you, but this matter must be ensured to succeed."
"Don't worry about that," Yang Xiaoqiang replied. "Don't underestimate this kid just because he's only a Late-Stage Martial Apprentice. His archery skills are phenomenal. Let me put it this way: when we recruited him, he was only Middle-Stage Martial Apprentice. You know, our studio has very high standards for hiring. Knowing his skill level was so low, we still hired him, which shows just how good his archery is!"
Lan Shengxue and the others were slightly shocked. He was only at the Middle-Stage Martial Apprentice, yet he was recruited by one of the top studios in Ancheng. Anyone with a normal brain could guess that this Tang Fan might actually have some skills.
"Alright, let's not delay any longer. Let's set off quickly and try to be back before dark."
Nighttime in the wilderness is very dangerous. Monsters like to hunt and move around at night, so if it's not absolutely necessary, try to get back before dark.
Jiang Fan sat in the back of the armored vehicle, watching Fortress No. 31 into the distance, his feelings a complex mix of emotions.
Like most people in Ancheng, he had never left the fortress.
In the eyes of these ordinary people, their entire lives are confined within those high walls.
Thinking of this, Jiang Fan couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips, his eyes gleaming with anticipation and excitement.