Zuo Teng's Sorrow

The ocean-going cargo ship, over 300 meters long, was undoubtedly a behemoth, its size similar to that of the Kun that was heading to the Mechanical City.

One is heavy machinery and industry, the other is flesh and blood.

Standing on the deck of the ocean-going cargo ship, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

On the extremely flat top deck of the ship, many people were looking out at the distant coastline where signs of human life were gradually appearing.

Among the many aging committee members, some were excited, some were solemn, some were wary, and some were even basking in the sunlight, deep in thought, pushing forward the Mental Strengthening Chapter.

Ren Yisheng then turned his head to look at the three people who walked out of the cabin door.

Without Changkong Luo, Zhong Rang, Li Qi, and others struggled to manage the overall situation, and Ren Yisheng, their deputy, took over the team's authority.

The authority granted during the return voyage does not involve hunting ferocious beasts, but only guarding against possible encounters with foreign warships, ships, and aircraft, and also involves situations such as the beasts hiding and surviving.

These matters were numerous yet important, involving logistical support, which made Ren Yisheng, who had the ability to soothe the ferocious beasts, extremely important. Ultimately, he became the tacitly approved leader on the return voyage.

In addition to daily life-related topics, Ren Yisheng also arranges for everyone to recount the Mental Strengthening Chapter, bringing the content from past video calls into reality.

When the ship is rocking and encountering strong winds and waves, the deck is barely enough to hold a person. This is obviously not a good time for spiritual practice, but appropriate discussions can benefit everyone.

This also fostered a harmonious team atmosphere, where minor conflicts did not affect their normal interactions.

"You've woken up just in time; we'll be entering the port in a quarter of an hour," Ren Yisheng said.

"It took a little longer than I expected," Zhang Xuezhou replied with a smile. "I accompanied Committee Member Zhou on a trip earlier, which made things a bit faster!"

"I heard that we encountered Badun on that trip, and the ship had to speed up to its maximum," Ren Yisheng said with a smile.

"I had some unpleasant experiences before," Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

"Our journey has been smooth sailing!"

Ren Yisheng pointed around.

The ocean-going freighter's journey from Huli Port back to the Scarlet Alliance State was extremely smooth, maintaining a very steady speed and not traveling at destructive top speeds.

Time was neither fast nor slow at this moment; everything was just right.

This ship speed did not attract much attention, even though the ocean-going freighter was carrying six ferocious beasts.

"Calm seas are the best!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded; a journey without any surprises is obviously a good journey.

Compared to Zhou Xin's navigating, this ocean-going cargo ship sailed safely and without incident.

Apart from Changkong Luo returning to Qin Meng, there were no casualties, and they also obtained considerable spoils of war. Even Zhang Xuezhou had some unexpected special gains.

He wandered around carrying the small sealed box containing the snake pit medicine and the 'tiger yellow' that Hu Hao had spat out. Besides greeting Ren Yisheng, Zhang Xuezhou also made sure to show his face to the many committee members.

After a warm greeting, the atmosphere on the deck immediately became cheerful, and even Song Xianzong, who had a sour face, managed a forced smile.

"Capable and able to make others put aside their pride, Xuezhou is the soul of this kind of team!"

Ren Yisheng murmured something.

He knew very well why Song Xianzong would still smile obsequiously even in his dire straits; it wasn't just because he needed the longevity medicine from Zhang Xuezhou and others, but also because he hoped Zhang Xuezhou would lend him a hand when he was in a state of confusion.

While the longevity drug might require a long wait to make progress, Zhang Xuezhou's method of saving Cai Guoli and restoring him to normalcy is a necessity, especially for someone like Song Xianzong who has experienced the chaos of old age and has an extremely strong need for it, fearing that he might fall into chaos again and never wake up.

As long as Zhang Xuezhou remains a pillar, the people of the Mu Nian Mansion will not be completely alienated, even if Changkong Luo away.

Xuezhou had a happy experience today...

Ren Anran, on the other hand, communicated with Ren Yisheng, trying to find common ground between Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Yisheng.

Ren Anran had guided Zhang Xuezhou in advancing Chapters 5 and 6 of the Mental Strengthening Chapter, and now she was tracing the footsteps Zhang Xuezhou had taken, also trying to find commonalities to reach a higher level.

Zhang Manqian then approached Zuo Teng, who was sitting on the deck with a solemn expression.

"What's wrong? Do you feel like the world you know has collapsed?"

Zuo Teng's expression was strangely solemn.

Few young people practice the Mental Strengthening Chapter, and even fewer are willing to repeat this monotonous, seated practice. Even Zhang Manqian adjusted her approach for a period of time.

After Zuo Teng and Ren Yisheng began their discussions, his initial optimism gradually turned into solemnity, a state that has persisted for nearly ten days.

If it weren't for the certainty that Zuo Teng didn't have any mental illness, Zhang Manqian would have seriously suspected that Zuo Teng had facial paralysis.

She asked a question, Zuo Teng turned his head away blankly.

"If only you had shared it a little earlier!"

Zuo Teng's face was serious, but his heart was bleeding.

He listened to Ren Yisheng and these elderly committee members exchange ideas for nearly ten days, with Zhang Manqian and others also participating.

Compared to his bewildered expression, Zhang Manqian and the others were completely familiar with the process, clearly having been exposed to similar cultivation methods long ago.

Zuo Teng wasn't jealous that Zhang Manqian and the others had started cultivating earlier, but after realizing the effects of the Mental Strengthening Chapter, he felt that if he had been exposed to it earlier, he might not have ended up in his current predicament.

He might be able to fight against Zuo Luo more effectively, or perhaps he could break free from Zuo Luo's control, or perhaps he could preserve his hazy memories.

Everything seemed to have played a cruel joke on him, and this attempt at redress seemed to have come a little too late.

Zuo Teng was indeed somewhat unwilling.

"You're such a cheapskate, it's incredibly difficult to get even a small thing from you, and you still expect to get this kind of free sharing?" Zhang Manqian complained. "If you hadn't happened to be here, and had your grandfather vouch for you, I doubt you'd have gotten any for a while."

"Was I ever stingy?" Zuo Teng asked solemnly.

"Anyway, you're not very generous," Zhang Manqian thought for a moment and then said, "And you also have some flaws in your moral character!"

"I do have flaws in my character, and I ask for your forgiveness if I have offended you in the past!"

Zuo Teng bowed respectfully, which made Zhang Manqian jump backward. She then looked at Zuo Teng Zuo Teng suspicion, feeling that he had suffered a severe shock.

Zuo Teng was unusually polite. Zhang Manqian pondered for a few seconds and then approached Zhang Xuezhou, who was known as the social butterfly among the group of elderly committee members.

"Teng, how are you feeling?"

After greeting all the committee members, Zhang Xuezhou went around to the next member Zuo Teng, before finally addressing him.

He was as amiable as ever.

But when Zhang Xuezhou looked at Zuo Teng, he felt that Zuo Teng was a little too solemn.

"I'm in so much pain, I feel like crying, but as long as I keep pushing this Mental Strengthening, I feel a little better." Zuo Teng asked with a solemn face, "Are you feeling bad?"

"I'm not upset. I'm happy every day. I hope you're happy too," Zhang Xuezhou said, shaking his head repeatedly.

"I can't be happy," Zuo Teng shook his head and said, "I'm very sad!"

"Why are you still feeling sad?" Zhang Xuezhou asked, puzzled. "You've had so many sad things in the past, there's nothing left to be sad about!"

Zuo Teng is a second-generation scion of Western Capital City, but his mother died early in his life. Zuo Jin has serious health problems and is also very likely dead. All his closest relatives have died.

Of course, Zuo Lianguang is of the grandfather generation, is still alive, and he had just finished greeting him not long ago.

If Zuo Lianguang hadn't died, Zhang Xuezhou felt that Zuo Teng wouldn't have needed to be so sad.

He offered Zuo Teng a few words of comfort, Zuo Teng seemed to be consoled. He could no longer maintain his solemn expression and couldn't help but wipe away the tears in his eyes.

"Such sorrow, could it be that Zuo Luo died in Western Capital City?"

Seeing that Zuo Teng was genuinely upset, Zhang Xuezhou thought back and forth, and realized that the only person who could be associated with Zuo Teng at the moment was Zuo Luo.