Chapter 00190: Embarking on a New Journey
# Embarking on a New Journey
Chapter 190
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 190: Embarking on a New Journey
The late autumn afternoon in Haizhou was still bathed in dazzling sunlight, the temperature scorching.
Outside Quancheng, white mist danced, and a group of weary figures slowly emerged, wearing gas masks and special protective suits stained with blood.
The leader at the front stood tall and straight, holding a rolled-up flag, clearing all obstacles along the way.
Behind him, almost everyone was injured, as if they had just survived a fierce battle.
Some were even lying on stretchers.
At the back, a burly giant dragged a truck bed filled with messy, enormous carcasses, a few dismantled altars, and several unrecognizable bodies.
"It's already this late," someone behind the leader muttered, looking up at the nearly dusk sky and removing their mask.
Long hair cascaded down like water.
"Inside, it was all chaos, and time was a mess," Ji Xue sighed.
"I thought we'd make it back for lunch. I'm starving."
"Eh, dinner's not bad either," her twin brother Ji Liu yawned from behind.
"That huge thing just exploded, splattering all over me. I’m so sticky, I just want to take a shower. What about you, Captain? Want to join?"
"You guys go ahead," Tong Shan, the leader holding the flag, removed his mask and said calmly.
"Everyone, take this time to rest. Once we replenish our supplies and gear, we’ll finish exploring the remaining areas."
"Back into the underground caves?" Ji Liu exclaimed in shock.
"Bro, we’ve been here for half a month, and you’ve already gone down four times. Don’t you need a break?"
As soon as he asked, he regretted it.
Just as he expected, Tong Shan replied calmly, "I do rest."
While the team members could relax between cave expeditions, Captain Tong Shan only got an average of less than five hours of sleep a day and a few minutes of leisure during work breaks.
In the workplace, such a person would be called a workaholic.
But everyone who had worked with Tong Shan found it hard to criticize him.
He always took care of his team, prioritized the group’s honor, fought bravely, and even considered their menstrual cycles and emotional fluctuations.
He would even brew ginger tea for them and take time to listen to them vent about their ex-boyfriends.
Really, no one could say a bad word about him.
If they did, they’d probably get beaten up by their colleagues.
He was like a mother hen!
"Stop talking nonsense," Ji Xue kicked her brother in the butt, sending him stumbling.
Then she turned to Tong Shan with a sweet smile.
"Captain Tong, are you free tonight? My friend sent me a set of kitchenware. How about I make some soup?"
"Sis, I want some soup too!" the injured man on the stretcher joked weakly.
"I need nutrients. Can I have some first?"
His answer was a middle finger.
"Go to hell!"
The whole team burst into laughter.
But soon, the atmosphere turned serious.
At the entrance of the outpost, someone had been waiting for a long time.
"Director?" Tong Shan stopped in his tracks.
"What are you doing here?"
"The work arrangements are mostly done. I was worried about your situation, so I came to see if you needed any help. But others might say I’m slacking off," Lv Yingyue smiled under her parasol.
She didn’t look old, her appearance that of a middle-aged woman with a warm smile, though a few strands of gray hair peeked out from under her hairpin.
Seeing everyone return safely, her smile grew even brighter.
"How was the harvest?"
"Hard to say," Tong Shan sighed, pointing to the truck bed the giant was pulling.
"We got a few big ones that might be useful. We followed some leads and took out a few hideouts, but only caught four or five brainwashed idiots from the Evil Cult. Useless. It was a wasted trip."
"Coming back safely is what matters," Lv Yingyue patted his shoulder, then turned to Ji Xue, who was looking expectant, and patted her shoulder too in encouragement.
The cheerful girl whistled and ran off.
She didn’t care about formalities or the occasion.
"The Evil Cult’s infiltration of Quancheng isn’t new. With the manpower we’ve pulled from all over Haizhou, we’ll break through the blockade and clean them out. For now, just focus on gathering information. Don’t push yourself too hard," Lv Yingyue paused, then advised, "And don’t let personal emotions interfere with your work."
"I know, Director. Don’t worry," Tong Shan nodded calmly.
"I just want to finish exploring the current area as soon as possible. There’s not much left. We should be able to wrap it up next time."
"That’s the bad news I have for you," Lv Yingyue shook her head slightly.
"The Taiyi Ring has come up with a new plan, but there’s a big gap. All the craftsmen’s time and resources are fully occupied. It’ll take a while to repair the equipment and replenish the supplies. You’re not planning to go into the caves empty-handed, are you? Or are you going to pay out of pocket to expedite things? Those craftsmen will charge you an arm and a leg."
Tong Shan was momentarily stunned.
But soon, a rare smile appeared on his face, as if he was pleased.
"No problem. I happen to know a good craftsman," he said, pulling out his phone and checking the messages that had piled up over the past few days.
"I heard there’s been quite a commotion…" he sighed.
"I hope nothing’s gone wrong."
But something had gone wrong.
For the past few days, the workers assigned to the recycling department had felt something was off.
To be more precise, it was like they’d seen a ghost!
When they heard that a young master from a big workshop had been sent to this miserable place for starting a fight, everyone’s hearts sank.
Working day and night sorting garbage was hard enough, but having a lazy boss lording over them was unbearable!
But they had to endure it, just like how apprentices with no power, no connections, and no one to rely on had to endure the hardships of manual labor.
Money was hard to earn, and the work was tough.
If the job were even slightly better, it wouldn’t fall to them, the tools mass-produced by the upper echelons.
Real achievements and contributions were hard to come by, and they couldn’t just give up because the environment was harsh.
They had all prepared for a young master lounging in a chair, giving them pressure.
But instead, they got someone even more insane than themselves!
From the moment he entered, he started laughing maniacally and didn’t stop.
When he saw the laborers, he didn’t boss them around.
After asking about the work priorities, he threw himself into the workshop like his life depended on it.
Day and night, night and day.
He didn’t even change his protective suit.
The supervisor was almost in tears—if you want to die, please do it somewhere else.
If you die here, I won’t even have ashes left!
After breaking six sets of tools, he finally yawned and went to sleep.
But a few hours later, he was back in the workshop, devouring all the scrapped equipment at a speed and efficiency that left everyone else in the dust.
In just four or five days, he alone had almost processed two batches of hundreds of recycled items.
And he wasn’t satisfied with that—he took on everyone else’s work too.
The laborers were moved to tears, almost ready to erect a shrine in his honor.
With such a heavenly savior, a living legend, taking on all the pressure, the workers in the recycling department actually had a few good days.
At least they had more time to try and cleanse the contamination of their spiritual essence from the evil aura.
Contrary to the rumors of him being a lunatic, a madman, or a monster, all the laborers had only four words to describe Ji Jue:
—A second father!
As for the follower who came with him, he seemed to be from some workshop?
No one was sure.
Judging by his appearance, he was probably just there to help.
"We are the stars of the village~ without any feelings~ you said we should consult a fortune teller~"
It was the perfect time to work in the afternoon.
Ji Jue, who had taken over an entire processing workshop, hung in mid-air, not even wearing a mask, directly exposed to the high-concentration spiritual pollution.
He skillfully dismantled a metal pillar over two meters tall.
The seemingly solid pillar was expertly taken apart, with pieces falling like rain into the furnace for purification.
The core components, containing spiritual circuits and various high-quality marks, were destroyed by disintegration spells, turning into fine metal dust that fell like snow onto Lou Feng’s numb face.
It was like dirt being shoveled onto a coffin.
"But the snow~ falls into my eyes~"
"Stop singing!" Lou Feng wailed, shaking his head, trying to get rid of the dust and the mental pollution.
He almost begged, "Master Ji, please, stop singing!!!"
If Ji Jue had even a little bit of taste, Lou Feng wouldn’t be so exhausted.
If Ji Jue had even a little bit of singing skill, Lou Feng wouldn’t miss his therapist so much!
There was no skill, just pure emotion!
He didn’t know who Lu Feng was, but the songs Ji Jue had copied from him were all kinds of cheesy DJ beats and mountain songs…
Now, whenever Ji Jue started singing, Lou Feng could almost sing along in his sleep.
It had only been a few days!
If this kept up, he felt like he’d go home with dyed yellow hair.
When he handed the car keys to the butler, he might even say, "Be careful, don’t scratch my new ghost bike."
The thought of such a bleak future made him want to smash his head against the wall.
Life was meaningless.
"Probe, probe!" Ji Jue, hanging in mid-air, waved his hand without looking down.
"Old Lou, don’t just stand there. Give me the number eight probe!"
"Okay."
Almost out of muscle memory, Lou Feng handed over the tool before he even realized it.
When he came to, he was already pouring hot water into Ji Jue’s thermos.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
It was over.
He was almost completely turned into a sidekick!
How was he supposed to live like this?!
A few days ago, as a survivor of the "Apprentice Massacre," Lou Feng hadn’t even had time to go home and rest to soothe his wounded soul.
Instead, he was kicked to this godforsaken place by his teacher!
"Why?!" Lou Feng had been shocked at the time.
"Aren’t we at odds with Chaosheng Workshop? Why bother with him?"
"I’ve never gotten along with that Ye woman, but did I raise any objections when she spoke at the meeting?" Kong Qingyan didn’t even lift her eyelids as she countered.
"If you seek challenges, you challenge the strong. If you hang out with trash, you’ll become trash. The same goes for finding teammates. Your talent is top-notch. Given time, you might even earn the title of master. But if you keep hanging out with idiots, I can’t expect you to take care of me in my old age. If I don’t have to bury you, it’ll be a miracle. Consider this a chance to broaden your horizons. See how others live."
She said, "Even if you can’t shake off the influence of the Lou family label, you can’t live your whole life just for the Lou family. When you stop caring about the光环 others have placed on you, then I, as your teacher, can start to look forward to your future."
"The strong?" Lou Feng had been shocked and angry.
"What kind of strong is Ji Jue?"
"You lost," Master Kong cut him off bluntly.
"Twice."
Maybe more than twice.
But Lou Feng…
Kong Qingyan looked at her student and asked the question that had kept Lou Feng awake at night:
"... Do you want to keep losing?"
And so, Lou Feng, dejected, reluctant, and gritting his teeth, packed his bags and followed Ji Jue.
Embarking on a new journey down the path of the laborer.
---
Recommendation: A book by an old friend, "Once Enlightened, Ascend to Immortality."
Hai Niao is also an old author.
Interested friends can take a look.
I’m sure you won’t be disappointed~
(End of Chapter)