Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 300: A distant journey and some blood debts

When Uncle Li Dong handed over the Taboo ACE-005 to Qing Chen, he had already explained its functions in great detail.

How to contain it, how to change appearances, how to mentally call upon Da Fu to transform into a big cat.

However, Uncle Li Dong did not tell Qing Chen that the Taboo ACE-005 also had a facial defense function.

Qing Chen recalled that when his master acquired the Taboo, his opponent was already A-Class, and soon after ascended to a Demigod.

So it wasn’t that Uncle Li Dong intentionally withheld the information, but rather, Uncle Li Dong was too powerful by then to have had the chance to discover this aspect of ACE-005.

After all, who could possibly hit a Demigod in the face…

“Wait, Master mentioned that ACE-005 is an A-Class Taboo, but he could never work out its advanced form,” Qing Chen pondered, “Could this also be related to Master being too strong? To the extent that it led to a situation where the light hides the darkness?”

Yi said in the car, “Let’s not dwell on that for now. Good news, the bonus from tonight’s boxing match is higher than any you’ve ever received before, a full 21 million, and I’ve already handled it for you.”

“How did you handle it?” Qing Chen’s eyes lit up; he felt the wounds on his body hurt less.

Before this, he had specifically checked the Federation’s laws and regulations, then looked up information about the Federal Tax Administration Committee.

One thing Yi didn’t lie about was that deceiving the Federal Tax Administration Committee was practically impossible, and indeed, their underground boxing was specifically under strict surveillance.

Thus, Qing Chen was especially surprised when Yi said she had handled it.

“Don’t worry about how I handled it,” Yi said. “Focus on healing for now. There’s no need to meet with Li Changqing for the time being.”

Qing Chen suddenly shook his head and analyzed calmly, “No, judging by her tone earlier, Li Changqing is likely to intervene in the attack on Heng Society. I hardly know anything about this matter, so to obtain sufficient information, I must get it from Li Changqing—that’s the only way not to miss out on this event.”

Yi seemed somewhat surprised. She had proactively dismissed various miscellaneous matters for Qing Chen, hoping he would heal properly, only for Qing Chen to be unwilling.

She hesitated before asking, “Your injuries are quite serious; shouldn’t you be resting properly?”

In the car, Qing Chen strained to shift his body slightly. “It’s nothing serious, aside from two ribs, it’s all superficial wounds. I can still control others in battle using a puppeteer. But missing this opportunity might truly result in Liu Dezhu growing old alone in Prison No. 10.”

“Growing old is possible, but not alone,” Yi said. “I just discovered something yesterday. The Security Committee has just prosecuted a group of young people who, instead of hiring a lawyer to defend them before the prosecution, attempted to bribe a detective from the Security Committee, wanting to collectively go to Prison No. 10. My initial judgment is that they are also Time Travelers, and they know Liu Dezhu. If Liu Dezhu fails to clear his name, these young ones could join him for over a decade.”

Qing Chen was shocked. Could this be the group of spoiled young masters from class 4-2?!

He had heard before that these spoiled young masters planned to go to prison to find Liu Dezhu, but could they have actually followed through?!

However, Liu Dezhu was about to be released soon!

Qing Chen imagined the despairing expressions on the young masters’ faces upon entering prison; he was even somewhat looking forward to it…

Countless instances had already proved that in this unprecedented mass time-crossing event, if you lacked personal strength and sought shortcuts, you would inevitably face doom.

Qing Chen, feeling the pain within his body, stimulated his endorphins using the Breathing Technique, all the while calmly observing the view outside the window.

He thought, after seeing tonight’s boxing match, Master was probably preparing for a long journey.

Suddenly, Qing Chen said, “This time when I go to gather information, don’t stir up any trouble for me.”

Yi hurriedly answered, “Don’t worry, I won’t!”

…

…

Countdown to return: 121:00:00.

11 o’clock at night.

In the City No. 18, in District 1, there aren’t many tall buildings. Apart from several high-end high-rises, the area mostly comprises courtyards with lower structures within them.

In fact, the reason other districts have so many skyscrapers is solely due to high population density, which has never been an issue here.

Outside the hillside manor.

The 127th battalion of the Federal First Group Army was performing a guard change, the soldiers’ footsteps as thunderous as drums, both orderly and somber.

Just a few months ago, the security at the hillside manor wasn’t so stringent until the Master of Li Family suddenly fell ill, and Li’s Big Room immediately mobilized troops to protect the area.

This precaution was to prevent anyone with ill intentions from taking advantage of the situation.

It was because of this unusual activity by the 127th battalion that the external world noticed the indications of an impending power transition within the Li Family.

Compared to a top-level corporate power transition, even the battle of shadows was eclipsed, and now the media were bombarded with news related to the Li Family.

The hillside manor was very quiet, filled with countless visible and hidden security measures, its defenses as tight as if it were about to enter a battle.

At this moment, the Master of Li Family was quietly recuperating in the “Embrace Simplicity Tower” within the estate. His room was filled with medical equipment that monitored his vital signs from a distance.

Unlike in the Outer World, there were no tubes or wires attached to his body; the devices only needed to be within five meters of him to automatically monitor his condition.

The next moment, the old man slowly opened his eyes in the darkness of the night. He looked towards a dark corner near the window and whispered, “Are you here?”

“Yes,” Uncle Li Dong emerged from the darkness, “Did I disturb your sleep?”

“No,” the old man smiled weakly, “It’s just that I’m old and my sleep is light. But I find it a bit strange, the mansion is so tightly guarded, and yet you dare to come here alone? Aren’t you afraid your elder brother will catch you and send you back to prison?”

“There’s a gap of a few minutes in the defenses, isn’t that the one you left for me?” Uncle Li Dong smiled, sat down beside the old man, and gently placed two fingers on the old man’s wrist to check his pulse before discreetly pulling them away.

Using the moonlight shining through the window, the old man scrutinized his son, “Eight years have passed, and you haven’t changed a bit. Your master used to provoke me with ‘forever young,’ claiming he would live longer than me. Those were the words left by your founders, yet it turns out you really do stay forever young…”

Uncle Li Dong chuckled, “My master probably never expected to die before you.”

“He was trapped by emotions; I am devoid of them,” the old man laughed, “A heartless old man tends to live longer.”

“You haven’t really been heartless,” Uncle Li Dong shook his head, “If you had, I would have been killed by the electromagnetic cannon of the Scepter No. eight years ago.”

What Uncle Li Dong referred to was not the space-based kinetic weapon but the main firepower of the airborne fortress.

The old man thought for a moment and slyly said, “I couldn’t just watch you get killed, could I? Even though you belong to the Knights, the whole world knows you’re my son. It would be too shameful to watch the Qing’s Family kill you.”

“Makes sense,” Uncle Li Dong nodded.

“You’re here to say goodbye, aren’t you?” the old man sighed and asked, “It’s been some time since Prison No. 18 was destroyed. I’ve been waiting for you to come over, but you’ve been off god knows where, completely out of sight.”

Uncle Li Dong gave a wry smile. It seemed that in the eyes of parents, if their children are not around, they must be up to no good, even if the child is a demigod revered throughout the Federation.

There were historical reasons too. When Uncle Li Dong was young, he followed his master uncle around, swindling and fighting, causing quite a lot of trouble.

Initially, when the Fourth District was turned upside down, no one knew he was Li’s Seventh Son. When everyone finally found out, they were all dumbfounded.

“Yes, I’m here to say goodbye. I probably won’t return to City No. 18 for a while; I need to head north first to settle some scores,” Uncle Li Dong said calmly.

As he looked up at the old man, he noticed the latter’s gaze turning towards the window, full of a late-life longing for the morning sun, “Your master always wanted to convince me to climb the precipitous mountains with him. But at that time, your uncles weren’t competent, and nobody wanted the position. Your grandfather said he would erase my name from the family records if I dared to leave the Li Family.”

Uncle Li Dong was well aware of this story. He softly said, “Being a Knight isn’t much happier than you are, only a tiny bit.”

“Don’t think I don’t know what ‘tiny bit’ you’re talking about,” the old man sighed, “I’m about to die, and you’re still provoking me, just like your master.”

Uncle Li Dong laughed, “I see you’re still robust, nothing will happen to you.”

Suddenly, the old man, looking out the window, said, “I often dream that I never took over the immense power of the Li Family but instead accompanied your master, following your grandmaster to explore the mountains and venture through all the Taboo Lands, to see those miraculous worlds. Once, your master told me he had seen a multicolored phoenix in the Taboo Land No. 002. I didn’t believe him at first, but then he sent me a multicolored feather…”

The old man continued reflectively, “Life is too short; it makes one feel regretful.”

“There’s nothing to regret,” said Uncle Li Dong, taking the old man’s hand, “In your life, you’ve been with so many women, tasted so many exotic delicacies, received the admiration of thousands, and with a wave of your hand, you’ve changed the Federation. What more could you want?”

The old man pondered and then said, “That’s true.”

“I should go,” Uncle Li Dong said, “I came to see you, now I must attend to my own matters.”

As he spoke, Uncle Li Dong released the old man’s hand.

However, the old man suddenly grasped Uncle Li Dong’s hand again, looking earnestly at him, “Leave me a grandson or granddaughter before you go. If you agree, I can arrange it tonight.”

Uncle Li Dong couldn’t help but laugh: “You already have so many grandsons and granddaughters; one line from my seventh family won’t make a difference.”

“It’s different,” the old man shook his head, “You might die on this journey. It’s important to leave a lineage.”

Uncle Li Dong paused, then chuckled under the moonlight, “I have no desires for lineage; the legacy is already in good hands.”

“Oh?” the old man became interested, “A successor for the Knights? A boy or a girl?”

“A boy,” said Uncle Li Dong.

“Oh…” the old man looked slightly disappointed, “Probably as troublesome as you. Why didn’t you take a girl?”

Uncle Li Dong was speechless, “Do you really favor girls over boys? Chang Qing has been spoiled by you.”

“Never mind, a boy is good too,” the old man then asked, “And how is the boy?”

“Very good,” Uncle Li Dong stated earnestly, “He’s really excellent, destined to be the next leader of the Knights. Perhaps he’ll bring a new revolution to our lineage.”

…

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