At No.1 Villa, on the second-floor balcony, Qin Fan's brow was tightly furrowed. A large map lay spread out on the spacious wooden table before him, his right hand holding a pen, ceaselessly sweeping across its surface. No matter how he drew, however, the area remained enclosed within the borders of Chuanshu, right in the middle of the bustling city.
Putting down his pen, Qin Fan bit his lip. Three days have passed, and they still haven't returned to dicine Valley?
He had thought the three from dicine Valley would have returned by now, but he was disappointed. His concentrated search revealed they were still lingering in the busy urban center of Chuanshu, temporarily dashing his hopes of imprinting his Divine Sense deep into the heart of dicine Valley.
Forget it, there's no rush. They'll have to go back one day. He shook his head and muttered to himself again. As the first light of dawn spilled onto the balcony, Qin Fan reached out and rolled up the map.
SCREECH!
Just as he finished rolling it up, the faint sound of screeching brakes reached his ears. Qin Fan looked up to see an Audi A6 parked just outside the villa. The next mont, Ye Congjun and two n in military uniforms stepped out of the car.
"Mr. Ye, what can I do for you?" Qin Fan called out from the balcony, setting the map aside.
"Young Friend Qin! Mind if we co in for a chat?" Ye Congjun asked, looking up at Qin Fan with a smile in the morning sun.
"Co on in!" Qin Fan said, taking out a miniature remote control and pressing a button.
As the automatic gate slowly swung open, Ye Congjun walked in with a light laugh. Following behind him, Ye Jiguang and Han Rongguang subconsciously straightened their military uniforms.
In the living room, before Qin Fan could even ask, Ye Congjun preemptively started the introductions with a smile. "Young Friend Qin, let introduce you. This is my son, Ye Jiguang; he serves in the Northwest Military Region. This other gentleman is Chief Han Rongguang. He's originally from our Jiangzhou Military Region and now serves as a senior commander in the Northwest Military Region!"
Military personnel? What's this all about? Are they here to recruit again?
Thinking this, Qin Fan smiled and shook his head, getting straight to the point to make his stance clear. "Mr. Ye, people from the Guardian Institute ca by last night, but I quickly sent them on their way. If the military is here for the sa reason, then I'm sorry, but don't waste your breath."
"People from the Guardian Institute were here?" Ye Jiguang's eyes widened as he exclaid involuntarily.
At their level, they were all too familiar with the Guardian Institute. It was arguably the most indestructible shield network in the Divine Land, and countless martial artists dread of joining. Unfortunately, after all these years, the Guardian Institute still only had thirty or forty mbers, a testant to its incredibly high standards.
And yet, representatives from that very Guardian Institute had co to recruit Qin Fan last night? This information montarily stunned Ye Jiguang, who had almost forgotten that he was in the presence of a young Grandmaster.
"It's only normal for the Guardian Institute to try and recruit him, haha! After all, faced with an unprecedented young Grandmaster, the higher-ups were bound to get restless. I wonder, did Master Hua Xiaotian co by last night?" Ye Congjun said with a knowing laugh, not at all surprised.
"No," Qin Fan shook his head, then added indifferently, "State your purpose. With this kind of entrance, I doubt you're just here for a casual visit. Speak frankly and don't beat around the bush."
"Han, why don't you explain," Ye Congjun said, turning to Han Rongguang with a sly smile.
Han Rongguang gritted his teeth. Looking at Qin Fan, he suddenly felt he had no ground to stand on. Could he really convince soone who even the Guardian Institute failed to win over to serve as an instructor for the upcoming Elite Soldier Competition? It seems impossible.
But having co this far, he had no other choice.
"Master Qin, the annual Elite Soldier Competition between the military regions is about to begin. I've co to ask if you would serve as the instructor for our combat team. I was wondering if you could grant this rather unreasonable request?" Han Rongguang said, looking Qin Fan directly in the eye.
To think that he, a dignified military region chief, felt such an overwhelming pressure from Qin Fan!
"? An instructor?" Qin Fan's lips curled in amusent. He then looked at Ye Congjun and said, "Old Ye, you've known for a while. Do you really think I have the ti or interest to take on that kind of burden? Forget it. You should all just go. I'm not interested."
Hearing this, Ye Congjun gave a wry smile, his expression confirming he had expected this outco. He spread his hands toward Han Rongguang and Ye Jiguang. "See? I told you."
"Master Qin, what would it take for you to agree to this unreasonable request?" Han Rongguang asked, unwilling to give up despite anticipating the refusal.
"You already know it's an unreasonable request, yet you still want to agree? Aren't you just trying to put in a difficult spot?" Qin Fan replied with a smiling shake of his head.
"Master Qin, I dropped everything and flew to Jiangzhou overnight. I assure you, I've co with the utmost sincerity! Please help . I, old Han, will be forever in your debt!" Han Rongguang said, his voice trembling and his expression a pained mixture of bitterness and desperation as he looked at Qin Fan with pleading eyes.
Sensing the bitterness in Han Rongguang's gaze, Qin Fan pursed his lips and fell silent for a mont.
Then, as Han Rongguang and Ye Jiguang looked on with tense anticipation, he finally spoke. "Give a reason. A satisfactory one."
At those words, Ye Congjun's old eyebrows shot up. Is he actually considering it? He had to admit, that was unexpected.
"A reason? Master Qin, if you want a reason, it's that I don't want the Northwest Military Region to bear the sha of last place anymore! For six years running, the Northwest Military Region has been a joke at the annual Elite Soldier Martial Arts Competition. It's gotten so bad that the General Staff now skips over the Northwest entirely when selecting mbers for the Nation's Blade. Master Qin, you might not understand how crushing that kind of humiliation is. I can't even hold my head high when I face generals from other regions! My soldiers can't stand tall when they face the punks from other units! If you're weak, you get beaten. And when you get beaten, you can't fight back, because you're simply not strong enough! Master Qin, please grant this unreasonable request. I don't dare hope for first place. I just don't want to be last."
Han Rongguang's voice was filled with suppressed frustration, resentnt, and indignation. He went from self-deprecation to a desperate lant, his eyes locked on Qin Fan's as he spoke each word. He looked utterly pitiful. But then again, who wouldn't after enduring such humiliation for years on end?
After Han Rongguang finished, Qin Fan beca quiet, offering no imdiate response. His expression, however, grew solemn.
Humiliation? In this world, perhaps no one understood that word more deeply than he did. Han Rongguang's words had unintentionally stirred up all the humiliating mories from his past life. If you're weak, you get beaten. After being beaten, you can't retaliate, because you have no way to fight back. Those few sentences perfectly described the tragic past he had endured.
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