Chapter 221 - 219: Hero Xu Cheng

After the meeting, Deng Ming, carrying Chen Beiwang on his shoulder, casually invited Yang Shen to sit and talk.

Apparently, Chen Beiwang’s mysterious appearance on the Dongying Remnant Island meant he had already told Deng Ming a great deal about Yang Shen.

Inside a room on the Sea Cape.

As a top master, Deng Ming’s room was naturally a higher grade, like a hotel suite—an extremely rare resource on a sea vessel.

The captain’s cabin probably wasn’t even this big.

It was much better than Yang Shen’s!

A few suitcases were tossed aside along with Chen Beiwang. With his back to Yang Shen, Deng Ming fiddled with something at a bar-like counter for a moment before placing a bottle of colorless liquid with tempting ice cubes floating in it in front of Yang Shen.

"Have some ice water. It’s refreshing."

Yang Shen twitched his nose and ran a fingertip over the rim of the glass.

It burst into raging flames.

’So, tell me, is it the ice that’s flammable, or the water?’

Deng Ming laughed heartily. "That Fist Intent of yours is really convenient! Can’t fool you."

The man poured a glass for himself as well and downed nearly half of it in one gulp. He was close to two meters tall with incredibly broad shoulders. His beard was like steel nails, and his wild muscles and chest hair were unforgettable.

If Tian Zihan’s body was "like a door panel," then this man was, at the very least, "a solid steel vault door."

"What was that little girl’s name again? I heard it many years ago, but I can’t quite recall."

Yang Shen said, "Xu Bamboo."

Deng Ming seemed to have a moment of realization. "Oh, right... Xu Bamboo, that’s the name. The Xu Family men have Earth Attribute names, and the women have Wood Attribute names. I think I heard Xu Nan mention it."

"And Xu Nan is?"

"Xu Bamboo’s paternal aunt... Sorry, I’m getting ahead of myself and haven’t even introduced myself. I was a classmate of Xu Bamboo’s father. We graduated from Jiangti back in the day. Xu Mo, Chen Beiwang, Xu Nan... I know them all very well."

Yang Shen asked, confused, "Wait... you were classmates with Xu Cheng and Chen Beiwang? Does that make you thirty-nine?"

’This rugged old dude... and here I thought you were ninety-three and just aged well!’

Deng Ming laughed cheerfully. "Actually, I’m forty-one. Xu Cheng and I were in the same year, but Chen Beiwang was two years below us; he was in the same year as Xu Mo."

A nostalgic look appeared in Deng Ming’s eyes. He took another sip of the Combustible Ice Water, lost in some memory.

"I heard some rumors over a decade ago. It was a huge blow to the Xu Family, and they were in a slump for a while. Out of guilt, I ran away to this Dongying Remnant Island... in the blink of an eye, it’s been almost twenty years..."

"Guilt?"

"Yeah... Xu Cheng died saving us... We were too weak and dragged him down."

Deng Ming’s voice as he said this was incredibly low, like gravel grinding against dirt, or a dull knife scraping against bone.

It must have been... an unforgettable, deeply etched memory.

Deng Ming took another large gulp. "I’ve been here in East Japan for many years and rarely go back, so I’m out of touch with a lot of things back home. If Chen Beiwang hadn’t shown up, I’d have almost forgotten those old rumors."

"To think Xu Cheng actually has a descendant... Right, is her mother still around? I heard that woman was... uh... completely crazy."

’That’s a very rude question...’

’But I like it.’

"Ms. Ye passed away a few months ago."

Deng Ming slapped his thigh. "That’s great! Saves a lot of trouble. I’ll have a good talk with Xu Mo this time. How could he let Xu Cheng’s bloodline remain out in the world! It must be Xu Nan and her little schemes! He’s not taking his duties as Patriarch seriously at all!"

But Yang Shen said directly, "Sorry, Elder Deng, but Xu Bamboo has no intention of returning to the Xu Family. She’s part of the Yang Family now."

Deng Ming froze, looking Yang Shen up and down with an expression that said, "You work fast, kid."

Then he waved a large hand. "That’s different. Even if you’re married, we’re still the girl’s family. We won’t interfere."

Yang Shen said, "Even if we weren’t married, she still wouldn’t want to. I’ve asked her."

Deng Ming drained the Combustible Ice Water and let out a long sigh.

Yang Shen had a feeling that sigh was probably flammable too...

"Forget it, forget it. I’ll ask about the situation first. The Xu Family has few members to begin with, and they suffered one disaster after another back then. Even the old matriarch passed away. It was a chaotic time, so it’s normal that some things weren’t handled well."

"Back then, I wanted to kill that woman myself. Unfortunately, the Xu Family’s old matriarch had fallen ill from grief, so no one dared to stir up any more trouble that might frighten her... But thank you for being willing to talk to me."

But Yang Shen said, "I have a question for you too, Elder. I heard that before the Xu Family’s old matriarch passed away, she said that if Xu Bamboo got into Jiangti, she would be allowed to return to the Xu Family. Is that true?"

Deng Ming immediately shook his head. "No such thing... Why would there be such a strange will? Besides, is it hard to get into Jiangti? For a child of the Xu Family, isn’t that a given?"

Yang Shen sighed inwardly.

’Ye Qingyao, you really were a fucking idiot...’

Finally, Deng Ming said, "In any case, you’re the Xu Family’s son-in-law. If you have any questions about Martial Arts during this time, feel free to ask me. I’m no expert on Martial Arts theory, but I have some experience."

Although Yang Shen hadn’t taken a single sip of the "ice water," Deng Ming felt that he quite liked the kid.

Forthright and spoke without beating around the bush.

Chen Beiwang still hadn’t woken up... It seemed there was nothing more to be said. Yang Shen didn’t stay any longer and got up to leave.

Even though he knew Xu Mo was leading this team, he hadn’t expected there to be so many connections and acquaintances.

Deng Ming, Chen Beiwang... including Xu Mo himself, they were probably all people who had revolved around Xu Cheng back in the day.

It was hard to imagine what realm a heroic figure like that would have reached if he were still alive today, and what kind of influence he would wield.

Someone who had ranked as high as ninth on the Qilin List was merely his follower back then, needing his protection...

’But how could such an incredible person get screwed over by Ye Qingyao...’

’Well, considering Chen Beiwang’s lifestyle and Deng Ming’s rugged appearance, Xu Cheng’s personality back then was probably also rather... straightforward.’

’Powerful and charismatic, but unable to control his lower body. History is full of such examples.’

With Ye Qingyao’s death, Xu Bamboo seemed to be re-entering the sights of many of the "old-timers." After being given the cold shoulder by the Xu Family for so many years, she was finally, gradually, becoming visible again.

Of course, this was also because Xu Bamboo, like Yang Shen, was shining brighter and brighter.

If she were just ordinary, not so many "old-timers" would have emerged. The feelings these people had for Xu Cheng might be genuine.

But Xu Bamboo didn’t need it.

At the end of the day...

Xu Bamboo was part of the Yang Family. No matter what attitude the Xu Family took, they couldn’t change this reality. It wouldn’t even be a problem if they directly cut off Xu Bamboo’s trust fund.

I’ll take care of my own Zhuzi. No need to trouble anyone else.

This was the confidence that came with the rise of the Yang Family.

Meanwhile, in a room on the other side of the Sea Cape.

Luo Sheng placed his suitcase on the bed and carefully took inventory.

"Fifty-one... fifty-two... fifty-three... I only brought fifty-three packs. Do you think I can make it until the return trip?"

Zheng Tao looked at Luo Sheng’s jam-packed suitcase and said helplessly, "You’ve counted them eight hundred times already. Last time we came out to the Vast Sea, didn’t you only bring forty-something packs, and it was enough?"

Luo Sheng shook his head. "Last time, we went to an island on a shipping route with normal commercial towns where we could restock. This time, it’s a temporary island in the Vast Sea Center. It’s different."

Zheng Tao lay on the bed, leaning against the wall, and said calmly, "Don’t worry. Since Yanhua has already established a Temporary Base, there are bound to be other smokers. You can buy or trade for some. It’ll be enough."

Zheng Tao always had the unique philosophical calm and laziness of a middle-aged man, exuding a certain "go with the flow, and work overtime if fate wills it" vibe, which was quite rare for someone in his position as a criminal police officer.

He said calmly, "Last time we came to the Vast Sea, we could never catch a tail of the Rebel Species. But when I was back writing the report, I always felt that some clues were connected to the later ’Noon Realm’ incident, but the trail always went cold."

"You think we’ll run into people from the Rebel Species this time?"

Luo Sheng shook his head and said, "Impossible. With the three great powers—Yanhua, Europe, and Magna—stationed on that deserted island, the Rebel Species wouldn’t dare to show their faces."

Zheng Tao glanced at Luo Sheng’s back. "What if there’s a mole? After all, infiltration is what the Rebel Species does best... Even within the government, there are bound to be people dissatisfied with the status quo. We’ve caught plenty of them."

Luo Sheng was silent for a moment. "Then I don’t know. We were called in just to cooperate. We’re just bricks, waiting to see where we’ll be moved."

Zheng Tao chuckled. "Maybe they want us to investigate the mole on the deserted island..."

"Who knows..."