Chapter 266 - 258: Heavenly Fire

Chapter 266: Chapter 258: Heavenly Fire

"Sir, wait a moment!"

Fu Juemin was just about to turn his horse around when the young man called out loudly again.

"What is it you want to say now?"

The white horse pawed the ground, kicking up mud that splattered across the young man’s trousers and the hem of his clothes.

The young man paid it no mind. Instead, he took two steps forward, looking up at him. "Sir, would you be willing to join our Ming Society?"

The moment he finished speaking, a stir went through the Ming Society members behind him.

Sitting atop his horse, Fu Juemin couldn’t help but laugh.

"Are you serious?"

He looked down at the young man, whose gaze was sincere. "Of course, I am."

The smile on Fu Juemin’s face slowly faded. "Do you think you can succeed?"

The young man looked straight into Fu Juemin’s eyes and answered, "In this world, there are some things one does not because one is certain of success."

Fu Juemin asked again, "Do you think your Ming Society can save the nation?"

The young man smiled and said softly, "Whether we can save it or not, we won’t know until we try."

For the first time, Fu Juemin truly looked at the young man before him.

After a moment, he spoke calmly, "I approve of those two statements."

With that, Fu Juemin yanked sharply on the reins. The white horse neighed, then bolted back the way they had come.

"I’ll be waiting for your answer when we meet again, Sir!"

The young man chased after him for a short distance, shouting, until he could no longer see the man or his horse. Only then did he lower his gaze and slowly walk back.

"Who the hell was that? He was far too arrogant and rude!"

Seeing Fu Juemin leave, one of the Ming Society revolutionaries who had been tasked with the rendezvous couldn’t help but speak up.

The young man, Lin Zhaonan, glanced at the speaker and said flatly, "If you knew how I got through that last stretch of the journey, you wouldn’t be saying that."

"Huh?"

The man blinked and looked toward his companions from the escort team, Tang Jing and the others. He saw that upon hearing Lin Zhaonan’s words, they all fell silent, their expressions complicated.

He was utterly confused but obediently shut his mouth.

But then someone else couldn’t help but ask, "Zhaonan, even if this man has some real skill, I saw how he looks down on everyone. He’s cold and unfeeling. His character must be flawed... Why would you invite him to join the society?"

Lin Zhaonan didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at Tang Jing and the others and asked, "What’s his name?"

"Fu Lingjun."

Tang Jing seemed somewhat dejected. She replied softly, "He’s the nephew of Ding Moshan from the Qinglian Gang."

"So he’s a gangland Young Master. No wonder..."

Someone curled their lip in a disdainful sneer.

Lin Zhaonan, however, acted as if he hadn’t heard. A strange light gleamed in his eyes as he praised softly, "Fu Lingjun. A fine name."

After his praise, he looked up, scanned the people around him, and spoke word by word in a flat yet incredibly certain tone, "A single spark can start a prairie fire, to say nothing of a heavenly flame like Fu Lingjun!"

"Mr. Mingyi said that the road ahead is long and our task is arduous. Only by uniting all the forces that can be united do we have even a sliver of hope for success.

Have you forgotten why Mr. Mingyi risked coming to Shenghai this time?"

"Regardless of Fu Lingjun’s motives—whether he acted willingly or was forced—he got me out of the city today and saved this suitcase for us. That is an indisputable fact!

He has done me, Lin Zhaonan, a great favor, and he has done our Ming Society a great favor!

It’s one thing not to thank him, but to stand here judging him behind his back... Who is it that’s truly lacking in character?"

Lin Zhaonan’s words were powerful and resonant, causing a few of them to flush red, their eyes filled with shame.

After a moment, someone stepped forward to smooth things over. "Zhaonan is right to scold us. We were indeed out of line.

But... he doesn’t seem like the kind of person who can be persuaded to devote himself to our great cause."

"We won’t know until we try."

Lin Zhaonan repeated what he’d said to Fu Juemin earlier, smiling faintly. "The outcome was better than I’d imagined, at least. I thought he would reject me outright."

Lin Zhaonan turned his head toward the direction where the white horse had disappeared and said softly, "Besides, he’s still very young.

There are still so many things he hasn’t seen, so many things he hasn’t experienced...

He can still be changed.

And we still have plenty of time to try and win his approval, don’t we?"

Everyone fell silent.

After a long while, Lin Zhaonan chuckled and called out, "Alright, let’s get going. We need to deliver this register and rendezvous with Mr. Mingyi as soon as possible.

The road ahead won’t be easy either, I suspect."

The group assented and departed swiftly.

「...」

Riding on horseback, Fu Juemin watched the desolate scenery on both sides of the road, his mind still on what had just happened.

He wasn’t optimistic about the Ming Society’s future, but the young man named Lin Zhaonan had left a rather deep impression on him.

A person with such clear goals and a determined will, no matter what field they entered—martial arts, business, revolution—as long as they didn’t die, they would most likely achieve great things in the future.

’The previous dynasty’s problems were deeply entrenched. Three years into the Da Xin era, not only have no problems been solved, but the already terrible situation has gotten even worse.’

’And this is just the beginning. The great powers of the Western World haven’t even officially entered the fray...’

’If I had the power, would I do something for this nation?’

For the first time, Fu Juemin asked himself this question.

But for now, there was no answer to it.

Before he knew it, he was back in the city, still taking the path through Tongji Gate.

He passed through Tongji Gate and slowed his pace, letting the horse meander slowly along the street.

The various factions that had previously gathered on Vermilion Bird Street because of Li Mingyi and the Demon Elephant were now completely gone. After a spring rain, the streets were once again bustling with pedestrians.

The shops on both sides were also gradually reopening. Some had suffered collateral damage in the previous battle, their door panels askew.

Some had been split in half by Sword Qi, revealing dark interiors where slanted light illuminated overturned tables, chairs, and debris. Other shops were missing their doors entirely, with only the threshold left on the ground...

The owners of these shops wanted to cry but had no tears. Though they were filled with resentment, they had no one to complain to and could only resign themselves to their bad luck and clean up.

Fu Juemin watched all this as he rode past, his eyes glinting slightly, but he said nothing.

Finally, he came to the front of one shop, where he pulled the reins and brought his horse to a halt.

A large puddle of water had collected in front of the shop. A few splinters of wood, a shred of unidentifiable cloth, and half a sheet of oiled paper floated on the surface. The words "Da Guangming Hair Salon" were printed on the paper, but the ink had run, rendering part of the name unreadable.

A young man wearing only a thin shirt was standing inside the shop, picking up the broken items one by one and moving them outside.

Seeing Fu Juemin, the young man started, then gave him a shy smile and a nod of greeting.

Fu Juemin’s brow furrowed slightly.

’Knowing Aunt Ding’s usual way of doing things, she would have certainly taken care of the aftermath of this battle.’

’Even if Aunt Ding had forgotten, there’s no way the Da Guangming Hair Salon, of all places, would be left in this state.’

’I personally handed the key to Kitty.’

Just as he was thinking this, a slight commotion suddenly broke out on the street ahead.

Fu Juemin looked up and saw a figure barreling through the crowd, drawing a stream of complaints and curses from the pedestrians.

But the person paid them no mind. Judging by their direction, they seemed to be heading for Tongji Gate.

Fu Juemin gave his horse a light kick to the belly, urging it forward before coming to a sudden stop right in the person’s path.

Unable to dodge in time, the person tumbled sideways to the ground, but then immediately shot back to their feet without a moment’s pause!

"You!"

He seemed exasperated, turning as if to lunge at Fu Juemin. But when he got a clear look at Fu Juemin’s face, he froze, and a look of delighted surprise washed over him as he blurted out, "Hero Fu!"

"You know me?"

A glint appeared in Fu Juemin’s eyes.

The man replied quickly, "This humble one’s surname is Li, given name San, and my nickname is Cloud-Drilling Sparrow. I was at Dingqing Tower and witnessed Hero Fu’s magnificent display of power!"

Fu Juemin glanced at the man’s left arm and did indeed see a strip of white cloth, though it was now stained mottled and black with filth.

"Where are you headed?"

Fu Juemin stopped sizing the man up and asked his question.

"I was looking for you!"

The man forcefully wiped his face, smearing what was either dirty blood or muddy water. His dry, chapped lips trembled as he said frantically, "Our group was accompanying Mr. Wen back to the residence. We had just reached New Bridge Street when we were ambushed by a large group of people who appeared out of nowhere...

So many guns, even cannons! And... and undying Westerners... We suffered heavy casualties!"

"When did this happen?"

"From the time I left until now... it must have been about a quarter of an hour..."

BANG!—

On Vermilion Bird Avenue, a horse’s neigh suddenly cut through the air.

A man and his horse became a white blur, shooting out like a sharp arrow, streaking through the heart of the street...