Chapter 00196: The House Dog and the Stray
# The House Dog and the Stray
Chapter 196
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 196: The House Dog and the Stray
Last night, no one slept well.
Not just Lou Feng, but probably the entire outpost.
Well, except for Tao Gong, who was stationed at the center.
It was said that he slept soundly through the night and even ate an extra pancake and drank an extra bowl of porridge the next morning.
His appetite was wide open.
Though, the "side dish" was a bit terrifying.
Outside the office window, on the training ground, lay more than a dozen corpses covered with white cloth—all the results of the Security Bureau's overnight thunderous sweep.
At six o'clock yesterday afternoon, after Tong Shan returned to his room, the report he submitted at six-thirty had already reached the hands of Lü Yingyue, the head of the Yacheng Security Bureau.
Faced with Tong Shan's report, which proposed strict discipline and management in response to the sudden incident in the Recycling Management Department, as well as the suggestion to weed out the bad apples, Lü Yingyue read it and made a note: "Minor adjustments, scratching the surface."
By seven-thirty, the heads of the Security Bureaus from the three major cities and four smaller cities in Haizhou were already sitting in the same conference room.
By eight o'clock, the military's airship had landed above the outpost.
The outpost, which had been chaotic with people coming and going for days, instantly turned into an iron fortress.
Not a single fly could escape.
Then, three specialized task forces, accompanied by the Chosen Ones from the Heart Core, swept through the place from top to bottom.
With the help of the Heavenly Eye's surveillance, not a single person was missed.
The sound of gunfire echoed like popping beans for half the night.
They successfully uncovered a large number of Chosen Ones with unknown origins, including two wanted criminals who had disguised themselves and infiltrated the outsourced patrol team, three imperial spies, a group of poor devils who had impersonated others to try and gain some benefits from Quan City, and... nine followers of the Heretic Cult.
When they were discovered, one of them had already infiltrated the logistics department and was about to take charge of the canteen.
The plastic packaging in his room likely didn't contain something as mild as rat poison.
The next day, Ji Jue, yawning, looked at the substantial results delivered to him and a newly approved collective first-class honor, and couldn't help but exclaim in shock:
"Holy crap, there really is a Heretic Cult?"
"Of course," Tong Shan replied, puzzled.
"What did you think?"
"I thought..."
Ji Jue coughed awkwardly a few times.
"I thought you officials were just spouting nonsense, forcing good people into bad situations. But I didn't expect... you said it, and it happened. Turns out, among all these monsters and demons, the Security Bureau's bottom line is actually the highest?"
"Alright, stop overthinking it," Tong Shan waved his hand, not wanting to continue this topic for the sake of his blood pressure.
"Last night's operation did uncover a lot of clues, and this mission just got a lot more work. How are your preparations?"
"Everything I have is here," Ji Jue pointed to the small ox-cart behind him.
"I even borrowed a lot of materials from my teacher. If this fails, I might go bankrupt."
"Don't worry, even if something goes wrong, the team will prioritize your evacuation," Tong Shan extended his hand to Lou Feng, who was sitting with a gloomy face.
"We'll also need Mr. Lou's support moving forward."
"It's my duty," Lou Feng forced a smile, but when he saw Ji Jue's gaze, his face immediately fell again, not wanting to engage.
Ji Jue wasn't so tactless as to ask directly, "Didn't you say you weren't coming?" Since he was already here, there was no need to bring up topics that would only cause conflict.
"It's good that you're here," Ji Jue patted Lou Feng's shoulder, sighing.
"At least I have some company, right?"
Lou Feng snorted, shaking off the not-so-clean hand, and was the first to get into the car.
As aloof and cold as ever, he was seething with anger, ready to compete with someone again.
Ji Jue's smile grew even more amiable.
Arrogant people were easy to understand.
You didn't have to worry about them not taking things seriously.
Just a little provocation, and they would go all out.
A simple "Are you not up to it?" could make them work until sparks flew.
With an extra pair of hands, even gathering materials became easier.
And this was a quasi-artisan who had inherited the Good Work Matrix, with unique advantages in the pre-processing and preservation of various materials.
Not only could he keep things cold, fresh, and of high quality, but he even brought the Blessing Cage without Ji Jue having to ask!
It was definitely a high-end model.
With that capacity, it could hold at least five or more, right?
Looking at the alchemical creation hanging at Lou Feng's waist, shaped like a lantern, Ji Jue's eyes almost turned into threads of envy.
He couldn't help it.
It was expensive, really expensive, way too damn expensive.
The Blessing Cages currently sold by the association, even the lowest-grade ones that could barely hold one and had time limits, were more expensive than ordinary blessings, let alone this kind of custom high-end composite model.
He couldn't afford to buy it, and he didn't have the skills to make it, so he could only rely on freeloading.
Thinking back to the good old days when he and Qiu Ge were inseparable during their first mission, Ji Jue could only silently wipe away a few tears.
Some things, once missed, were gone forever.
Not even three months had passed, and Qiu Ge had already returned to his position as the Dragon King.
Ji Jue could no longer reach such heights.
He could only reminisce about the good old days.
And so, after preparations, applications, approvals, and clearances, two cars drove out of the outpost one after the other, heading towards the distant Quan City.
In the depths of the pale mist, everything became distant and hazy.
Under the gaze of the Heavenly Eye, they gradually disappeared from sight.
Last night, in Master Kong's resting room.
After returning from his laborious day, Lou Feng reported everything that had happened and what he had discovered, including Ji Jue's invitation.
"Not going?" Master Kong, who had been examining blueprints, looked up expressionlessly.
"Why not?"
Lou Feng was slightly stunned.
He was confused.
He didn't understand why his teacher was so serious about what he thought was a natural refusal.
"I just feel... it's unnecessary?"
Master Kong didn't speak.
After silently reviewing the blueprint in her hands and marking the key construction points and suggestions, she put down her pen and finally looked at her restless student.
A soft sigh.
"Finally, I understand why I always felt you were lacking something," she said with realization.
"You've lived too comfortably."
"Huh?" Lou Feng was dumbfounded.
"I don't want to say things like you don't know the difference between the five grains or that you're unfamiliar with hardship. In a prestigious family like the Lou family, studying those things might even invite ridicule," Master Kong said slowly.
"These past few days, you've at least experienced a bit of the suffering and hardship you should have. I just want to ask you one question—if you were anyone in the Recycling Management Department, what would you choose to do in such a situation?"
Lou Feng fell silent.
For some reason, he found it hard to answer.
If he put himself in their shoes, he would definitely think it unnecessary to get involved in this mess.
But imagining the situation of others, he hesitated.
He couldn't answer.
And it was this hesitation that made Kong Qingyan unable to hide her disappointment.
The hard work of these past few days had only been superficial for Lou Feng, not reaching his heart at all.
From the sudden incident in the afternoon, it seemed he still had some spirit and decisiveness in his bones.
But after so many days, he still hadn't even gotten to know his colleagues...
Faced with this question, some would nod without hesitation, while others would refuse.
There was no standard answer.
Whatever Lou Feng answered wouldn't be wrong.
The only mistake was not answering at all.
Because he didn't know.
Kong Qingyan could understand Lou Feng's reasons for refusing.
Being able to stay in the workshop, fully focused on honing his skills and research, wasn't that better than risking his life for a small reward?
After all, he was the young master of the Lou family.
He had the conditions, the financial means, and the qualifications.
He could follow the steps, accumulate experience, and become a decent artisan.
Not bad.
No mistakes, no danger.
And in an absolutely ideal state, his future would be stable but increasingly mediocre.
Admittedly, this was an opportunity and treatment that others could only dream of.
But at the same time, it was also a cage that Lou Feng was destined not to break free from.
As a teacher, she could only watch and sigh silently.
After a long silence, Lou Feng finally mustered the courage to ask, "Teacher, I just don't understand. What did I do wrong?"
"You didn't do anything wrong," Kong Qingyan slowly shook her head.
"Often, when we talk about right and wrong, it's meaningless because people's vision is limited, and the future is hard to predict. At most, it's just different choices."
If she had encountered such a dreamlike opportunity during her apprenticeship, she wouldn't have hesitated.
She would have even taken out a loan to join the team without batting an eye.
With the new generation of the Tong family leading, the Security Bureau forming a team, numerous strong experts from the Tianyuan faction as backup, and even a Heavenly Being overseeing things...
Let others take the risks, and you get to share the profits.
Guaranteed income, stable gold.
No one would stab you in the back for money, no one would gang up to exclude you and make you take the risks, and there would be no internal strife over uneven distribution of spoils...
If this had happened to any other apprentice, they would have suspected you of trying to scam them with such a beautiful offer.
"What do you think of me as a teacher?" Kong Qingyan suddenly asked, not waiting for an answer before waving her hand and asking again, "What do you think of Ye Xian?"
Lou Feng was speechless, not knowing how to respond.
"It's fine, I know you don't understand, and I can't say I know her deeply either," Kong Qingyan rubbed the bridge of her nose, smiling self-deprecatingly under the light.
"That person became an apprentice at seventeen, obtained her artisan license at nineteen, and at twenty, she betrayed her master. Everyone thought she was overestimating herself, but no one expected her to achieve the title of master by twenty-four. What was I doing at that time? I was still taking care of my teacher's children."
Her eyes lowered, silently感慨.
"At that time, I remember the child crying for porridge cooked over a wood fire, and I had to go light the stove. I forgot everything else, only remembering the smoke everywhere. I held half a piece of newspaper, looking at her photo and the news, not knowing if my tears were from the smoke or something else. For the first time, I felt what it meant to be consumed by jealousy and hatred—"
"At that time, I wanted to know, why her?" Kong Qingyan looked up.
"What do you think made her?"
"... Talent?" Lou Feng ventured uncertainly.
"Hard work?"
Kong Qingyan laughed, so sarcastically.
Everyone has talent, everyone can work hard.
There are countless talented people, but does that mean those who become masters have less talent? Do they work less hard?
Just because you have talent, do you think other artisans would hand over their life savings, secret techniques, and absolutely confidential theories and data like handing out candy?
There's only one answer.
Fight for it, seize it, use every means possible to gather and plunder.
If you don't have investment, find investment, beg for help or promise lies.
If you don't have support, seek support or use threats and bribes.
If you don't have secret techniques, then find those who hold them but are powerless...
It was an unrelenting storm of blood and violence!
For seventy years before and up to now.
There has never been such an exaggerated example.
Every step she took on her long journey was paved with the bodies of her opponents—either stepping over cold corpses or sacrificing a lifetime of reputation and achievements.
Without exception.
Why did she dare to look down on everyone during association meetings?
Because of her lofty theories? Abundant achievements? Or her high status?
None of that.
There's only one reason: because everyone present combined hadn't killed as many artisans as she had...
Now Ye Xian likes to reason, not because she's old, but because those who didn't reason with her are all dead.
"She has already walked her own path, steadily moving forward. The rest are insignificant, not worth worrying about. Even if there are countless other secret techniques before her, she wouldn't bother to look."
Kong Qingyan said slowly, "Because once you find your own path, you're already at the gate of becoming a grandmaster."
All those who lost to her no longer dared to argue, either bowing their heads or gritting their teeth and enduring.
Some even took pride in it.
Lou Feng was stunned for a long time before finally exclaiming, "That's just..."
"Too crazy, right?" Kong Qingyan laughed.
"She walked out of a path where survival was one in ten million. Mediocrity never caught her eye, and her students are the same. They seem humble and amiable, but in reality, they're cast from the same mold as her, even more lawless than her."
She turned back to look at her student.
"Facing such an opponent, would you dare to compete?"
Lou Feng was silent, not answering.
There was no need to answer.
They both knew the answer.
It had happened once before, more than once.
A life-and-death struggle, a pampered young master versus a mad dog who tied his life to his belt and ran wild—how could they be the same?
"I..."
Lou Feng instinctively opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
"I..."
Kong Qingyan looked at him.
This time, he didn't avoid his teacher's gaze.
His face flushed, and he clenched his knees tightly, wanting to speak.
But in the end, he saw his teacher's smile.
So pleased.
"Whether it's jealousy or indignation, it doesn't matter. The essence of the embers is the unwillingness to be inferior. Only when you can calmly accept reality will you truly be dead as an artisan."
She nodded in satisfaction, then the smile disappeared, leaving no warmth.
"From now on, apart from theoretical courses, your material supply will be completely cut off. I'll speak to the Lou family. If you still want to improve, go and seize it yourself!"
She smiled one last time, ignoring her student's shock and confusion, and told him, "If you're not satisfied with the stability of a house dog, then go try the life of a stray. Let me, as your teacher, see what kind of future you can seize."
Lou Feng spent the entire night sleepless.
Even now, sitting in the car, he couldn't tell how much of his decision to come was out of desperation and how much was still wanting to compete with that dog Ji Jue.
At this moment, amidst the growing unease and confusion, he instinctively looked at Ji Jue beside him, seeking answers.
But the seat next to him was already empty.
In the familiar energetic DJ music, he realized that while he had been lost in thought and dozing off, Ji Jue had already blended into the team, becoming one with them.
In the lively and noisy atmosphere, Ji Xue casually patted his shoulder, completely at ease.
"We're so familiar now, I'll call you Little Ji from now on!"
Ji Jue laughed, not the least bit displeased, but instead looked at her curiously.
"Won't that get confusing?"
Ji Xue was momentarily stunned, then elbowed him amidst everyone's laughter.
Sitting next to Tong Shan in the front, Ji Liu laughed especially loudly.
"Hahahaha, you can call her Little Ji. I'm her brother, so you can call me Big Ji!"
The laughter grew even louder, and even Tong Shan couldn't help but chuckle.
Only Lou Feng was left dumbfounded.
The ideal was cruel, but reality seemed even more cruel, and a bit vulgar...
Can you guys stop being so dirty!
Lou Feng silently sighed to the heavens, missing the workshop and his teacher more than ever.
Life away from home was so frustrating.
Sorry for the delay.
It's been too hot these past few days, and the elevator in my building broke.
I've been climbing up and down the stairs every day, and my old illness has flared up.
My hip bone is in excruciating pain, and my condition is really bad.
I'll bravely take a day off tomorrow to rest.
I really didn't fight a monkey, but Big Head has already shattered my Monkey King dream with three slaps.
(End of Chapter)