The Lian Duan Mountains to the west of the Kyung Clan were uninhabited. Just like the Zhou Clan's Xiuzhouzhou to the south, the harsh environment made it uninhabited.
The poisonous insects and miasma made everyone flinch at the sight of it.
In the past, the Yang Clan had wanted to expand westward, but they realized the price of doing so was too high. As such, it was better to stabilize their current power first.
The Lian Duan Mountains were densely forested and almost no different from a rainforest.
At first, Ren Xiaosu was worried that Midnight would encounter some obstacles as it crawled through the jungle. After all, it was so big and the forest was so dense.
However, he realized Midnight was very smart and was wading through the stream.
Midnight was different from "Old Xu." As a shadow clone, Old Xu did not have the ability to think at all. Therefore, Ren Xiaosu's ability to multitask had been trained to the extreme.
As for Midnight, it had its own thoughts, so he did not have to worry too much after giving it orders. It would have its own style and methods of doing things.
The fish in the Lian Duan Mountains were very dangerous, but that was only relative to normal people. In Ren Xiaosu's opinion, the piranhas in the Amazon before The Cataclysm were nothing compared to the snakehead fish of today.
Of course, he did not know if there had been any changes in the Lian Duan Mountains.
The Qinghe Group had satellites, so Lee Young-yoon, Qin Sheng, Zhang Qingxi, and the other Knight Corps members had seen the entire world. They had once described to Ren Xiaosu that the world was different from before The Cataclysm due to the changes in the Earth's crust.
Ren Xiaosu was thinking that it would not be a bad idea for him and Yang Xiaojin to travel around the world after the Barrier Alliance had settled down.
He looked quietly at Yang Xiaojin, who was next to him. It seemed like she had been a little quiet ever since they came out of the Warlock Nation.
When Ren Xiaosu and Luo Lan were chatting, Yang Xiaojin was sitting off to the side, deep in thought.
Just as Ren Xiaosu was peeking, Yang Xiaojin suddenly turned around and said, "You can look openly."
"Haha." Ren Xiaosu quickly changed the topic. "I saw a wild boar drinking water with its cubs by the stream just now, but they were all scared away by Midnight. Thinking back to when I first became a supernatural being and entered the Sacred Mountains, even the horseback deer were afraid of me."
Then, both of them fell silent again.
A strange atmosphere permeated between the two of them. Ren Xiaosu suddenly had a vague worry.
This change seemed to have started in Ghent City.
At that time, the 6th Field Division had already begun to retreat from the Gate of Keys. Before Big Bluff left, he asked him, "Young Marshal, did you find anything else in the Wizard Kingdom?"
Ren Xiaosu replied, "Yes, I've figured out my background."
At that time, Big Bluff was very surprised. "Young Marshal, aren't you from the Central Plains? Why did you come all the way here to figure out your background?"
Ren Xiaosu answered vaguely, "It has something to do with that Knight from the Central Plains."
Perhaps others might not be able to guess anything, but he and Yang Xiaojin had discussed the No. 001 Experimental several times. So Yang Xiaojin would definitely be able to connect the dots.
What was the most closely related keyword in the world to the founder of the Qinghe Group, Ren He? It was the No. 001 Experimental.
It was the new human whose lifespan was said to be dozens or even hundreds of times longer than that of a normal human.
It was also from that moment onward that Yang Xiaojin became a lot quieter.
Ren Xiaosu followed the map Zhou Qi had drawn for him and guided Midnight in the right direction.
Zhou Qi said he had explored the rivers for a long time after he awakened his powers. He had been to the entire southwestern river basin before.
At that time, Zhou Qi had just become a supernatural being and was experiencing the wonders of transcendence.
He had once found an underground hot river that had already formed a new water environment. It was a place where the Earth's crust was connected and compressed, and there was a huge amount of energy hidden underground.
This place should be Midnight's new home.
Ren Xiaosu did not let Midnight return to the Jing Mountains. That was because when he summoned Midnight, he already knew that there were troops under Zero's control stationed there. Even Dusk was under their control.
The summoning technique was one-way, so it could only be summoned and not sent back.
The Jing Mountains were located at the edge of the Kyung Clan's territory. If Ren Xiaosu wanted to bring Midnight directly to the Jing Mountains, they would have to pass through the Kyung Clan's territory on the way.
Moreover, once they reached the Jing Mountains, even if he destroyed the troops there, he would still have to face the controlled Dusk. That was because Ren Xiaosu had no way of directly destroying the nanomachines in Dusk's body.
The Great Northwest Summoning Technique could directly break the control. But if Midnight was still around, even if Ren Xiaosu shouted "Great Northwest Summoning Technique" a hundred times, it would still be Midnight who would emerge from behind the "Star Gate" instead of Dusk.
Therefore, Ren Xiaosu actually did not know how to solve the problem of Dusk. Perhaps he could try talking to Zero?
Or perhaps he could just open the seal and become the world's will?
But if he really became the world's will, would there still be any meaning to everything he had now?
Those friends who were like family to him, as well as Yang Xiaojin, could they really only look up at the sky if they missed him in the future?
To be honest, Ren Xiaosu was not too sure what he would become after he became the world's will. He did not want to know either.
As he pondered this, Ren Xiaosu could already see steam rising up ahead of him. He could even smell the faint smell of sulfur in the air.
Ling Chen seemed to be in a good mood. It let out a purring sound from its throat, like a happy cat.
After climbing over a small hill, Ren Xiaosu sat on Midnight's head and looked down. In front of him was a huge lake that was shaped like a crescent moon. Sparse steam kept flowing over the surface of the lake. This place really looked like a fairyland on earth.
"It's here." Ren Xiaosu jumped off Midnight's head. "This is a crescent-shaped lake. According to Zhou Qi, the bottom of this lake is extremely deep. It's as though it's connected to the earth's core. He didn't dare to go too deep into it."
He patted Midnight's large paw and said, "Go on, this is the place that suits you."
Midnight lowered its head and looked at Ren Xiaosu. It did not expect that it would have to separate again after just reuniting with its master.
It tilted its huge head and looked at Ren Xiaosu. The sky above the Broken Mountain Range was shrouded by dark clouds. Midnight's vertical pupils had become round, so it did not look as fierce as before. Instead, it looked a little cute.
It used its paw to point at the lake, then at Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin.
Ren Xiaosu smiled and said, "We can't stay here with you. We have other things to do."
Midnight could understand what Ren Xiaosu was saying, so it was a little disappointed.
However, Ren Xiaosu thought about it and said, "We'll stay with you for a while longer. We'll leave after you figure out what's in the lake."
After saying this, Midnight ran toward the crescent-shaped lake happily.
When Ling Chen reached the lakeside, she leaped up and dived into the lake.
The movement was like a cannonball falling into the lake. Even the steam was rolling like flowing clouds.
However, Midnight did not swim to the bottom of the lake. Ren Xiaosu realized that it had the urge to dive into the lake several times, but it restrained itself. The energy of the hot river at the bottom of the lake seemed to be attracting it.
The huge lizard patrolled by the lake. From time to time, it would look at Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin, as if it was afraid that they would run away.
Ren Xiaosu smiled and said to Midnight, "Go on, you can go to the bottom of the lake first. We won't leave."
It was only when Midnight heard this that it dived into the lake.
"The wonders of creation are amazing. Even a creature like Midnight can appear. It's hard to imagine what the world will be like in the future." Ren Xiaosu sat by the lake and sighed.
He started a campfire with practiced ease. Yang Xiaojin sat down next to him and ate the food Ren Xiaosu had roasted as if nothing had happened.
As she ate, she asked softly, "Don't you have anything you want to tell me? You should've found a lot of answers in the Warlock Nation. "
Ren Xiaosu thought to himself, 'What's bound to come will eventually come.' He sighed and said, "I've already recovered my memories. I'm the No. 001 Experimental."
Yang Xiaojin was not too surprised. She had probably guessed this would happen. "Continue."
"The founder of the Qinghe Group, Ren He, is my father." Ren Xiaosu said, "I contracted cancer before The Cataclysm. At that time, cancer was still an incurable disease, so my life was counting down every day. Later on, my father sent me to the Pyro Company's Research Lab 39 for treatment. After all the conventional treatments failed, Dr. P sought my father's and my father's approval and started using an even more radical genetic medicine.
"Just as Qing Zhen had guessed, the reason the Experimentals appeared was because the cancer cells in their bodies had reorganized and achieved a balance and harmony. However, they were defective products, while I successfully became a so-called Homo Evolutis."
"Why are you the only one who succeeded?" Yang Xiaojin wondered.
"Because I unlocked the genetic constraint before The Cataclysm." Ren Xiaosu explained calmly, "This is an inherited technique that my father researched. It unlocks the body's inner potential through eight challenges. That's why I was able to survive the side effects of the genetic medicine, but the Experimentals couldn't. However, I'm not the only successful case. Yan Liuyuan was also one. I believe his memories have also been awakened. "
"In other words, strictly speaking, we're not the same species anymore? Then how did Yan Liuyuan succeed? "Yang Xiaojin asked.
"That's because Dr. P transplanted my bone marrow into him to replace his own hematopoietic ability." Ren Xiaosu explained, "So I'm planning to find a qualified hospital to transplant my bone marrow to you as well. That way, your lifespan —"
Yang Xiaojin interrupted, "How old are you this year?"
Ren Xiaosu was taken aback. Actually, this was the question he had been avoiding all this while.
When faced with the 19-year-old Yang Xiaojin, Ren Xiaosu's age was like a thorn in his side. Although he still looked like a teenager, had been asleep most of the time, and was not mentally mature, his age was still a little scary.
Regardless of whether Yang Xiaojin would mind, Ren Xiaosu himself was a little nervous. What if she minded? What if Yang Xiaojin minded his age?
What was love? Ren He said, "Love is when you suddenly have a weakness and armor."
And Ren Xiaosu's current feelings were like a dragon guarding a treasure. It was fierce and naive, powerful and lonely, gentle and embarrassed, timid and free. It was very cute, but sometimes it was too nervous.
A teenager in love would worry about gains and losses. Even if he was the Young Marshal of the Northwest Army, he was no exception.
Whether it was his "previous life" or "current life," Yang Xiaojin was his first love. Ren Xiaosu had no experience in love, so he could not act so skillfully.
The girl wearing a cap sat quietly next to the campfire. Not far away, the dense steam on the lake was blown by the mountain breeze, just like the rolling clouds in the sky.
This girl was so unique that Ren Xiaosu never took other girls seriously or cared about them.
Yang Xiaojin repeated her question, "How old are you this year?"
Ren Xiaosu whispered, "Strictly speaking, 240 years old."
Yang Xiaojin was silent.
Ren Xiaosu suddenly asked, "Do you mind?"
At this time, Yang Xiaojin did not answer the question. Instead, she changed the topic, "Teach me how to open the Gate of Keys first."
Ren Xiaosu was stunned for a long time. It seemed that her not answering the question was already an attitude.
He thought about it and finally took out another black Eye of Truth from the palace and handed it to Yang Xiaojin. Then, he took out the big iron door he had just snatched. "You only need to drip blood on the Eye of Truth and twist the door ten times. You know how it works."
"Yes." Yang Xiaojin took out her dagger and made a cut on her finger. Then, she dripped blood on the Eye of Truth.
She took a deep breath and pressed the black stone against the big iron gate. A layer of transparent ripples spread out with the stone as the center.
Yang Xiaojin turned to look at Ren Xiaosu. "Come with me. I want to see where I want to go the most."
"Yes," Ren Xiaosu said with a nod.
At this moment, Ling Chen emerged from the lake. Ren Xiaosu instructed, "Ling Chen, guard this door well. Don't let any animals damage it."
With that, Ren Xiaosu followed Yang Xiaojin and stepped through the door.
Behind the Gate of Keys was a scene of birds chirping and flowers fragrant. Ren Xiaosu looked around silently but suddenly realized that he had never seen this place before. Instead, Yang Xiaojin stood in the courtyard in a daze.
Ren Xiaosu felt a little sad. It turned out that the place she wanted to go the most was different from his.
He gave a wry smile to himself. Perhaps this was also an answer to her question.
But it didn't matter. Everyone had the freedom to make their own choices, didn't they?
Ren Xiaosu did not know whether to laugh or cry at himself. Since when had he become so worried about personal gains and losses?
Ren Xiaosu asked, "Where are we?"
"This is Stronghold 88, my former home." Yang Xiaojin said, "The Yang Clan's manor."
Nearly half of this manor had been destroyed by the Li Consortium's nanosoldiers. But no one expected it to be rebuilt after more than a year.
Yang Xiaojin said with a smile, "I wonder who rebuilt it, but most of the buildings in the Yang Clan's manor were preserved. It looks familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. It's a little strange."
After that, Yang Xiaojin walked straight into the garden. She came to a swing and said to Ren Xiaosu, "When I was young, my parents would bring me here to play for a while after dinner. I'd sit on the swing, and my father would push my back while my mother would stand next to me with a smile."
Ren Xiaosu did not say anything. Yang Xiaojin continued, "They were quite different from the Yang Clan. My father did not particularly value the Yang Clan's authority, so he never fought for it. But my grandfather liked him the most and always wanted to hand over the Yang Clan to him. Sometimes, I wonder if he had not been born into the Yang Clan, he might not have gotten into such an accident. "
"Do you think your parents' deaths were a conspiracy?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
"I'm not sure." Yang Xiaojin said, "I've investigated it myself, but I couldn't find anything. But now that the entire Yang Clan is gone, even if it was a murder, the murderer is already dead."
Just as they were talking, two uniformed men quickly ran over from the manor, holding torchlights in their hands.
Yang Xiaojin said, "They don't have guns with them, so they're not soldiers or people from the Public Order Division."
The two men rushed over and shouted, "Who are you? Why are you trespassing into the museum in the middle of the night?!"
Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin looked at each other and were speechless. This place had actually been turned into a museum by the Kyung Clan?!
After learning the truth, Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin did not stay any longer and escaped from the Yang Clan's manor.
With their physical fitness, how could ordinary security guards catch up to them?
The two of them escaped to the streets and looked at each other with a smile. Two legendary supernatural beings were actually being chased by two security guards. It felt like they were reminiscing about the past.
"Let's go, I'll take you to eat something. I hope those small shops are still around," Yang Xiaojin said.
…
At 9 PM, on Stronghold 88's headquarters road, an old lady was wiping the tables in a small shop called Sister Lin's Han Bun Shop. She looked a little tired. As she wiped the tables, she was calculating how much she had earned today.
The shop was about to close for the day. However, the old lady had just wiped her hands with a towel and was about to close the shop when Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin walked in.
"It's time to rest." The old lady said with a smile, "Why don't y 'all go somewhere else to take a look … Xiaojin?"
"Granny Lin," Yang Xiaojin said crisply, "I want to eat Korean buns and Dandan noodles."
"Yes!" The old lady was a little surprised. "Wait a moment, I'll go make it for you right away. The noodles and fillings are ready-made, so you don't have to wait too long."
As she spoke, the old lady could not help but look at Ren Xiaosu. There was a scrutinizing look in her eyes that made Ren Xiaosu feel a little embarrassed.
There were obviously no more steamed buns left in the shop, so the old lady wrapped them up on the spot and put them in a steamer to steam. Meanwhile, Yang Xiaojin did not stand on ceremony with the old lady either.
At some point, Ren Xiaosu felt that this old lady was really like Yang Xiaojin's grandmother.
"Do you two know each other?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
"Yes, my parents often brought me here to eat when I was young." Yang Xiaojin said, "When my grandfather was still around, there was a rule that the Yang Clan only had porridge and pickled vegetables for dinner, and we couldn't eat too much of it. Grandfather said that people who can't manage their appetites are not qualified to be in charge of an organization. "
"It's that strict?" Ren Xiaosu was stunned. When he was still thinking of ways to find food, the other party had already started dieting.
Yang Xiaojin smiled and said, "It's indeed very strict. My uncles and aunts often complained to my grandfather about this, but my father didn't complain. Instead, he secretly brought my mother and me out to eat snacks. This is the place we come to the most. My father said that this shop was opened when he was still young. At that time, Sister Lin has now become Granny Lin. "
"Has this shop been open for decades? That's amazing," Ren Xiaosu said.
In the end, Granny Lin, who was wrapping buns inside, smiled and said, "What's so amazing about it?"
"Of course it's amazing." Ren Xiaosu said seriously, "Mr. Zhang told me that if a person can do one thing well in his lifetime, he's already considered an amazing person. Most people can't even do that in their lifetime."
Granny Lin smiled and said to Yang Xiaojin, "This young man is quite good with words. Is this how he coaxed you?"
Granny Lin's eyes were sharp and she could immediately see the relationship between Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin.
Yang Xiaojin didn't refute, but Ren Xiaosu noticed that she lowered her head slightly, as if she was thinking about something again.
"What are you thinking about?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
Yang Xiaojin suddenly said seriously, "You don't have to call her Granny Lin. She's younger than you."
Ren Xiaosu was speechless.
You've been thinking about this for a long time?!
Granny Lin, who was in the kitchen, laughed. "Xiaojin, what are you talking about? I'm already in my seventies or eighties. How can he be older than me? Could it be that he's already a hundred years old? "
Yang Xiaojin corrected her seriously, "That's not enough."
In the kitchen, Granny Lin smiled happily. "I was quite tired at first. But now that you're here, it's like all my worries have disappeared."
Ren Xiaosu was confused. What was going on? Did this cap-wearing girl really care about her age?
The steaming buns were quickly served on the table. As Yang Xiaojin ate, she asked Granny Lin, "How have you been recently?"
"It's pretty good." Granny Lin smiled and said, "Originally, during the war, the neighbors were quite worried. They all said that everyone was preparing to flee to the Northwest. After the Northwest was unified, some people said that they were going to flee to the Northwest. But after the Kyung Clan arrived, the security in the stronghold became better than before, and the taxes collected were also lowered. "
"That's good," Yang Xiaojin said with a nod.
Then Granny Lin said hesitantly, "But your Yang Clan … Xiaojin, you …"
Yang Xiaojin smiled. "Granny Lin, don't worry about me. My aunt is doing well too."
"That's good, that's good," Granny Lin said.
While Ren Xiaosu and the others were eating, Granny Lin nagged at the side. Her neighbor's coal briquettes were not placed properly all day long and were always covered in soot.
However, her neighbor was a very nice person. Sometimes, she would help her move her things and buy some beef patties from the street stall for her.
She was getting old, and her teeth could no longer bite through the beef patties.
Listening to her nagging, Ren Xiaosu felt as though he had been pulled back from the tense situation of the warlock war and back into the warmth of life.
After coming out of the bun shop, Ren Xiaosu asked curiously, "Where's Granny Lin's family?"
"Her son was killed in the war between the Yang Clan and the Li Consortium. Her daughter-in-law took her child and followed someone else," Yang Xiaojin said.
Ren Xiaosu turned around and looked into the bun shop. Granny Lin was struggling to arrange all the chairs neatly.
The harm that war did to people was not just the loss of life during the process.
It would leave a scar in people's hearts and bring decades of pain to the families of an entire generation.
"Where are we going now?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
"Let's go find a place to stay." Yang Xiaojin said, "I'll show you around Stronghold 88 tomorrow."
Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "Is there something on your mind?"
Yang Xiaojin said calmly, "Stay with me for a few days first."
Ren Xiaosu was stunned. His heart was filled with complicated emotions. Meanwhile, Yang Xiaojin turned around and walked in the other direction. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly under her cap.
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