"That's not what I meant!"
Blushing, Meng Xiaolang said, "I just thought. I just thought — Wow. Let me calm down. So to speak, if grandpa invites Li Yao, the dominator of three Sectors and the legend of the Federation might really come to our house for dinner, right?"
"It's not that it's possible. I've really been here before. Of course, it's here, not your father's magnificent mansion."
Meng Jiang said with a smile, "It's just that Li Yao has spent almost a hundred years in the hibernation cabin. According to his appearance, he is almost a hundred years younger than me. With my gray hair, I'm more than old enough to be his grandpa. When we get along, it's a bit … weird."
"Wow!"
Meng Xiaolang imagined Vulture Li Yao eating in his grandpa's unattractive barbershop. Chances were that he was squatting right where he was squatting right now. He gave up thinking and did not know what to say at all. "Wow!"
"What? Don't you despise our 'legend of the Federation' most? You claim to be ten times stronger than him every day," Meng Jiang said.
Meng Jiang deliberately said, "Why is it that your attitude has changed completely today?"
"It's because I thought that Li Yao was grandpa's' invincible enemy '. That's why I'm determined to avenge grandpa. Otherwise, who would despise the great hero of the Federation and the symbol of our hometown for no reason?"
Meng Xiaolang was grinning at first, but he suddenly thought of something and frowned. He said anxiously, "Damn it. If Li Yao and grandpa do not have any conflicts, and he does not need me to avenge grandpa, will grandpa still support me to go to the center of the cosmos?"
"You have to ask yourself the question in your heart. Why did you join the army to fight?"
Meng Jiang looked at Meng Xiaolang and said indifferently, "Is it because of money, status, thrills, or crowd mentality? You want to go because everyone else is going, so you want to go too? Or is it because of some kind of competitive mentality? You want to go because you were chosen when no one else was chosen?"
"Well —"
Meng Xiaolang had a hesitant look on his face as he fell into deep thought.
"In fact, you don't need to ask. Grandpa has been considering the question for a long time. In the past half month, the propaganda outside has been getting louder and louder. It seems that the Federation is likely to be mired in a new war. Even if you join the Burning Prairie Fleet or other common fleets instead of the mysterious new fleet, it is very possible that you will be involved in the turbulence of the war."
Meng Jiang muttered, "Although your father was too embarrassed to meet me, your mother sent me several spirit crane letters, asking me to have the chance to persuade you not to serve in a dangerous army. They know that you only listen to me.
"However, hehe, your parents, you, and the people on the street who are now boiling with passion and are now frustrated, you are all the new generation of the Federation, but I am an old man from the 'old Federation' in the Heaven's Origin Era. The new generation of the Federation and the old generation are different. Too different. You will never understand our mentality, and our understanding of 'war' is far from the same.
"The new generation of the Federation has been growing up in a safe, stable, and prosperous environment since childhood. You have never experienced what it means to be precarious, to be destroyed, or to be doomed. You have experienced a hundred years of peace. Even in the 'Uranian Ring War' thirty years ago and the 'Defense of the Federation' recently, the flames of war only swept across space and were limited to the Union Army and the Cultivators. It did not have much influence on the people living on the planet.
"Therefore, the 'new generation of the Federation' often view war with unrealistic romanticism and excessive panic. It is too … childish. You are like children who cannot control their feelings and do whatever they want.
"In short, you have never experienced the pain of war. You do not know what it feels like to be stabbed by a burning butcher's knife.
"What about the old Federation a hundred years ago?
"It must've been hard for you to imagine. At that time, we only had the home planet of the Heaven's Origin Sector, and wormholes that were connected to the Blood Demon Sector were everywhere. There was no difference between 'frontline' and 'rear' at all. It was especially so on the Grand Desolate Plateau, where overwhelming beast tides could appear at any moment and engage in melee battles with the ferocious enemies at any moment.
"In such a harsh environment, we are not in the mood to care about the gains and losses, the timing and cost of the expedition, the formidability of the enemy, and the terms of negotiation like the people of the New Federation today. Those things do not exist at all. Cultivators, soldiers, and civilians, there is only one thing for us to do. Our heads are tied to our belts. Fight!
"At that time, the death of a person was easier than the death of an ant. The destruction of a city was no different from the withering of a weed. Even our civilization, the Xing Yao Federation, which had been struggling in blood and fire for five hundred years, could perish at any moment.
"Faced with everything, we did not have the time or the energy to panic, hesitate, or weigh the pros and cons. We simply marched forward numbly and killed all the enemies that stood in our way. Sometimes, we would be killed by the enemy one day. It was not a big deal whether we lived or perished.
"What I'm trying to tell you is that I will not stop you from going to the battlefield just because of your safety. The people of the 'old Federation' have long been indifferent to the parting of life and death. Even the destruction of the Federation was something that we had thought about countless times over the past hundred years. Just like I said, it is not a big deal if you are alive or dead.
"But I still hope that you can think clearly and think for a few days calmly. Listen to the voice in the deepest part of your heart and find the answer that belongs to you. Why do you want to go to the battlefield? What kind of person do you want to be? What kind of life do you want to live?"
"Grandpa …"
Meng Xiaolang was at a loss. He did not expect that his grandfather would suddenly become so serious and say such things.
"To tell you the truth, when I was your age, I was confused too. Speaking of which, I was somewhat influenced by 'Vulture Li Yao'. When you have such a good friend in high school as Li Yao, it is hard for you not to be agitated and influenced by him."
Meng Jiang grinned and said, "Although I'm a bit embarrassed, I still have to tell you that I was very envious and even jealous of him. I was jealous of 'Vulture Li Yao'."
"Well …"
Meng Xiaolang took a breath and thought for a moment. Then he nodded and said, "Alright. If I were Li Yao's high school classmate, I'm afraid that I would've been jealous of him, too.
"Jealousy is one thing, but our relationship is still very good. Also, I know that my talents are limited and that it is impossible for me to compete with him in the path of training. So, I thought that I would distinguish myself in my career and be better than anyone else. I would be the best in the federation. That way, I would be able to hold my head high in front of him."
Meng Jiang sipped another mouthful of wine and let the hot taste swirl in his throat. He said in a low voice, "You probably know what happened later. Under my hard work day and night, my career grew bigger and bigger. 'Tide' expanded to the entire Federation and even across several Sectors. We even had franchises on the most remote resource planets. I was closer and closer to my goal, but I neglected my family, and I was further and further away from my wife and children.
"In those few years, my relationship with your grandmother and your father was very strained. In fact, it's hard to say that your father became what he is today because of my early influence. However, I was still stubborn and only thought about the oath I made to my best friend back then. I completely went into a dead end.
"It wasn't until your grandmother fell seriously ill and hung around the gates of hell for an entire year that I woke up from my dream and repented.
"What was the most important thing in my life? Was it only the promise that I made to my best friend in the past instead of the people around me? Was holding my head high in front of my best friend more important than the happiness of my family? Besides, Li Yao was not that kind of person at all. He did not care how big my career was or whether or not I was the 'best image designer of the Federation'. We would always be best friends! I — I was not competing with Li Yao at all; I was competing with myself. I was competing with my inner devil. I was competing with my vanity, my inferiority, and my jealousy. As a result, I almost lost my wife and my child because of the competition!
"From that day on, I had a great epiphany.
"How Li Yao lived his life had nothing to do with me at all. The first label of my life was' Meng Jiang ', not' Li Yao's best friend '. Li Yao had his fortuitous encounters, and so did I. My fortuitous encounters were that I met your grandmother, had your aunt, and had your father, the … son of a bitch. Of course, there was also your sister and you.
"Compared to the fortuitous encounters that the heavens bestowed upon Li Yao, I felt that the fortuitous encounters that the heavens bestowed upon me were more precious. I already had my own fortuitous encounters. Why should I compete with Li Yao?
"After realizing that, a brand-new chapter of my life began. Although my career did not reach the peak after that, I can proudly say that I lived every day honestly and happily. I did not disappoint the fortuitous encounters that the heavens bestowed upon me. I cherished my family and enjoyed my happy life right now. I lived the real me. I was' 100% Meng Jiang ', just like Li Yao lived' 100% Li Yao '.
"Do you understand now? You are grandpa's most beloved grandson. Grandpa supports all your decisions. I only hope that you are not blinded by the heat of the moment, or bewildered by the propaganda in the media, or for ridiculous reasons such as' to become a superhero ten times more powerful than Li Yao '. Instead, there is a voice deep inside your heart that is encouraging you to fly to the center of the cosmos every second. No matter what setbacks or even the threat of death you encounter, you will not give up.
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