The Shock of Old Acquaintances, Part 2

"What... what is this? I'm not seeing things, am I? I didn't hear things wrong, did I?"

"Look at the boy in the picture, isn't that... isn't that Cao Fengqi, the little tyrant from Liangmin County?"

"It's him, it's definitely him!! How... how is this possible?"

Inside the screening room, a group of people watched the images on the big screen and listened to the host's words. After a silence of more than ten seconds, they exploded like cannonballs that had been lit.

They stared wide-eyed, incredulous.

In the picture.

Three generals from the Tianbei Base City personally stepped forward to present him with the lieutenant general's star medal.

A gleaming medal rests on his shoulder, representing the pinnacle of power in the Great Xia Dynasty.

Below the stage, a thousand people stood in silence, and countless high-ranking generals and powerful figures stood in neat rows, their eyes all focused on the high platform.

The eighteen-year-old boy, wearing a standard cape, stood tall and straight like a pine tree, and stepped steadily onto the awarding platform.

The boy had a youthful face but a dignified air, showing no sign of impetuosity, and wore a smile.

Even among a group of veteran generals, he still shone brightly, his demeanor in no way inferior.

"Lieutenant General! Lieutenant General! Cao Fengqi from Liangmin County has actually become a Lieutenant General of the Great Xia today!!"

"A lieutenant general! That's practically at the very top of the power pyramid in the Great Xia Dynasty. He's only been in Tianbei Base City for a short time, and he's already become a lieutenant general! It's unbelievable!"

"A meteoric rise to power is nothing more than this."

A series of sounds of shock and disbelief began to emanate from the room.

At this point, no one dared to be quiet, and no one was able to remain calm and composed.

Who would have thought that their small Liangmin County would produce a lieutenant general?

Even more outrageous is that he was an 18-year-old lieutenant general.

"Hey, look! That middle-aged couple is Cao Fengqi's parents, Cao Jiancheng and Liu Xiuxiu. And next to them is Liu Chunying. Old Liu, look! That's your daughter, and your grandson and granddaughter."

"It really is Chunying! Look at Chunying, her face is glowing, she looks so much younger and prettier. Now Chunying is even able to take pictures with three generals from our Tianbei Base City, this..."

There were many of the Liu Family's neighbors in the screening room. They stared wide-eyed at the familiar figure on the screen. The girl they had watched grow up was now appearing in their sight in this way.

At that moment, Liu Fengshan, Liu Qiang, and Wei Chunchun's heads were buzzing, and their eyes were unfocused as they stared at the screen.

A series of harsh voices rang out.

They didn't care about anything else; all they cared about was their daughter, whom they knew so well, on the screen.

That daughter who can now stand alongside the three highest-ranking figures in the entire Tianbei Base City.

And then there's Cao the Cao Family, who is Tianbei Base City... no, in the entire Great Xia Dynasty, and the youngest lieutenant general at that.

In recent days, they had come to terms with it.

Let's pretend that the Cao family, Cao Family in-laws, never existed, and let's pretend that 'ungrateful' daughter never existed.

But now...

Their breathing became rapid.

Right now, they are still mining every day just to survive, their future uncertain, and the journey to the Fifth Land of Shelter is fraught with danger and unknown.

And what about the Cao Family? What about their daughter?

They have already reached the pinnacle of Tianbei and even the Great Xia.

A lieutenant general, a relative of such a high-ranking figure, is undoubtedly a member of the imperial family.

It's no exaggeration to say that even the servants in a lieutenant general's household act superior to everyone else.

And they are related by marriage to a lieutenant general.

With the power of a lieutenant general, helping them become superhumans would be a simple matter of a word, wouldn't it?

The Liu Family also holds a place in the entire Tianbei Base City.

However, all of this is predicated on their relationship with the Cao Family remaining unchanged, but...

"Let's go, let's go!"

Liu Fengshan, breathing rapidly, spoke to his wife and son.

Liu Qiang took a deep breath, and the family walked quickly outside.

"Hmm? The Liu Family has left."

"Heh, the Liu Family really got the short end of the stick. If they hadn't fallen out with the Cao Family, why would Liu Family be crammed into this slum with us? They'd be living in a palace in the heavens by now."

Some people watched them and shook their heads.

"This is their own fault. The eldest son of the Cao Family helped the Liu Family a lot back then, but what happened? After the eldest son of the Cao Family died, they didn't help them at all."

Some people showed disdain on their faces.

"I reckon the Liu Family will go looking for their daughter. Even if the Cao Family were to leak a little bit of resources, it would be enough for the Liu Family to live comfortably for the rest of their lives."

"I think the one who regrets it the most is Wu Qianqian, right? If that girl had treated Cao Fengqi better back then, she would be a lieutenant general's wife now."

"Why mention that jinx? It's bad luck! If Lieutenant General Cao were still with Wu Qianqian, he wouldn't be in this mess today!"

Some people have started talking about the Wu Family and Wu Qianqian again.

They soon moved on to other things about the legendary lieutenant general on the television screen ahead.

Today, the name of the legendary 18-year-old Lieutenant General Cao Fengqi has been thoroughly heard by everyone in Tianbei Base City.

And some stories about this legendary lieutenant general began to circulate.

"You said you're related to Lieutenant General Cao Family's family through marriage?"

Upon receiving the message from his subordinates, the middle-aged superhuman in charge of the District 78 rushed over, staring at the Liu Family members before him with surprise and suspicion.

Who doesn't know Lieutenant General Cao these days?

Especially for those with superhuman abilities, their access to information is far greater than that of ordinary people.

They were fully aware of what happened inside the exchange venue.

After the events of the past two days, many things about Lieutenant General Cao have been thoroughly revealed.

For example, his deeds in the Talent Home, his hunting of the Ruin Demon, his relationship with the three generals, and his unparalleled talent Artifact Refiner.

In terms of power and status, Lieutenant General Cao is currently recognized as the fourth most powerful figure in Tianbei Base City.

He, a mere head of District 78, naturally dared not neglect a group of people who claimed to be related to Lieutenant General Cao by marriage.

Even though he felt there was something slightly strange about it.

"Yes, yes, District Chief Zhang."

Seeing the attitude of the important figure before them, Liu Fengshan and his companions were overjoyed and quickly nodded in agreement.

"Oh, everyone, please wait a moment. I'll go report to my superiors right away."

District Chief Zhang nodded and gestured to his subordinate, "Xiao Feng, please entertain these guests."

"He's the leader."

A young man nearby immediately responded, "Please have a seat here, everyone. I'll get you some drinks."

"You're welcome, you're welcome."

Liu Fengshan and the others quickly waved their hands.

District Chief Zhang glanced at them as they entered the room and immediately reported the matter to his superiors.

When it comes to matters concerning a lieutenant general, there are no small matters; everything is an emergency.

Especially the matter concerning Lieutenant General Cao.

The matter was quickly reported up the chain of command. Within ten minutes, District Chief Zhang looked at the information relayed from above, his eyes flickering slightly.