Chapter 199 : Chapter 199
Chapter 199. I Am Me
A half-moon hung high in the sky. Jiang Feng walked alone along the bustling street, his head lowered as he looked at the ground.
It was as though the liveliness around him had nothing to do with him.
As he walked, the noise beside his ears disappeared, replaced by the chirping of katydids in the grass.
Jiang Feng slowly raised his head. Before him was the largest cemetery in Central China.
The dim light and the biting evening wind made him tighten his suit jacket around himself.
Jiang Feng walked with perfect accuracy to his mother’s grave and reached out to stroke the hard, cold tombstone.
“Woman, your son did not bring flowers this time. I will just sit here and chat with you.”
His eyes drooped. He sat down in front of the tombstone and spoke about his recent experiences during the Military District Internship.
“In the past, I always felt that Father was completely right. What was wrong with using any means necessary for the things one wanted?”
“But during my Military District Internship, your son met someone. He is very upright and righteous, making me look like a rat in a gutter.”
“At first, I despised him for being foolishly just. He clearly knew he might die, yet he still insisted on stepping forward, wanting to become the light in other people’s eyes. But later, I realized I was wrong…”
“Do you know? When his light illuminated the gutter, and the rat bathed in that beam of light, only then did it realize how ridiculous it truly was…”
Jiang Feng’s muttering was especially clear in the quiet surroundings.
An unknown amount of time passed before Jiang Feng slowly stopped. He gazed at the half-moon gradually vanishing in the night sky.
It was as though something in his heart, like that half-moon, had become incomplete.
He stared blankly into space. For the first time, he wished so desperately that time could pass a little more slowly.
Because after tomorrow, he would no longer have freedom.
But heaven did not grant people what they wished. The edge of the sky gradually turned pale.
Jiang Feng sighed, slowly stood up, and looked back at his mother’s tombstone.
“Woman, or rather, Mother, whom I have never met, from now on, I am me. I am not the vessel for your ideals.”
“Please forgive me… for being unfilial in your eyes.”
Jiang Feng’s nose stung. Under the faint light, a crystalline gleam appeared in his eyes.
He left and did not look back again.
…
East China border, First Military District Hospital.
The sunset at dusk had become a rare and beautiful sight on the East China border.
The orange-yellow glow of the setting sun passed through the ward window and fell on Chu Xingchen’s face.
He slowly opened his eyes, and a little color had returned to his pale complexion.
“You’re awake! Old Chu, you finally woke up!”
Tang Long’s voice sounded beside his ear. Chu Xingchen moved his eyes, and Jiang Yichen and the other two appeared in his field of vision.
It took him a long while to recover before he asked, “Am I still alive?”
Tang Long could not help smiling. “With Brother Yichen here, you could not die even if you wanted to.”
He told him about how Jiang Yichen had given up on the exercise and used a miraculous pill that could repair meridians on Chu Xingchen.
A look of shock appeared in Chu Xingchen’s unfocused eyes.
He closed his eyes and inspected his own body internally. To his amazement, he discovered that the meridians throughout his body had become even tougher than before, and the speed at which his Blood Qi flowed had also risen by an entire level.
This…
A look of shame appeared on Chu Xingchen’s face. “Yichen, I held everyone back. I failed to let the group take first place, and I even made you use such a priceless divine treasure to save me. I really do not know how I should repay you.”
Jiang Yichen smiled. “It is fine. They are all things that cost nothing.”
After all, they were rewards from the system. He did not feel distressed spending them.
His main principle was to do whatever made him happy.
However, those words made Chu Xingchen’s face twitch. They cost nothing?
Other people could not buy them even if they had money!
Tang Long, who was beside the hospital bed, also rolled his eyes, both envious and jealous.
His own father was already quite good. He basically gave Tang Long whatever he wanted. But compared to Brother Yichen’s father, the gap was simply more than a little.
As expected, in this society, having an impressive father was the true kingly way.
“Old Chu, stop blaming yourself. This cannot be blamed on you either,” Tang Long comforted him. “It is all because Jiang Feng attracted those assassins. You should not have saved him.”
“Look. From the moment you were seriously injured and fell unconscious until now, he has not even come to see you. He just ran back home to hide.”
Chu Xingchen supported his still somewhat weak body and sat up.
Listening to Tang Long’s words, a trace of disappointment flickered in his eyes. He sighed and said, “It is not his fault. He once saved me in the Snakefolk Cave. I owed him a life.”
Seeing Chu Xingchen say that, Tang Long said helplessly, “You are just too kind. Whenever I hear that foul mouth of Jiang Feng’s, I get angry.”
“Actually, sometimes the way he speaks is rather cute. It is not that annoying.” Chu Xingchen revealed a faint smile.
Tang Long: “…It is more like he is rather funny.”
At the side, Jiang Yichen and Su Linyu exchanged a smile.
“Did Instructor Qin not say that Jiang Feng would not return to our group in the future? Training should be much easier from now on,” Su Linyu said.
Chu Xingchen frowned slightly and looked at Jiang Yichen. “Why? What mistake did Jiang Feng make?”
Jiang Yichen pondered for a moment, then shook his head. “I do not know either. Instructor Qin said we would find out today, but there has been no news at all. I suspect…”
“Man, you do not need to suspect anything!”
Before he could finish speaking, a voice full of unquestionable certainty came over.
The four of them looked toward the sound and saw Jiang Feng, dressed in a custom suit, walking in with elegant steps.
He stood before Jiang Yichen, his cold eyes carrying not the slightest emotion. “After today, I will no longer be in Group One, and I can no longer remain in Group One.”
Confusion appeared in Jiang Yichen’s eyes.
Tang Long and Su Linyu were also surprised by Jiang Feng’s appearance.
“Then which group are you transferring to?” Chu Xingchen asked from the hospital bed.
Jiang Feng’s gaze slowly shifted. The moment it landed on Chu Xingchen, the coldness in his eyes gradually softened.
He did not answer. Instead, he took a Spatial Bag from his pocket.
“Man, these are pills and spirit herbs for nurturing the meridians. Take them.”
Jiang Feng placed everything he had bought with all his savings into Chu Xingchen’s hands.
The latter was a little stunned and was just about to refuse.
“Man, I do not take back things I have given away. If you had not saved me, do you think I would pity you?” Jiang Feng raised his head, revealing a sharp, sculpted jaw. He looked very proud.
Chu Xingchen knew his way of speaking and did not get angry. Looking at the Spatial Bag in his hand, his earlier disappointment in Jiang Feng disappeared completely.
However, when those words fell into Tang Long’s ears, he almost wanted to make a move.
Good grief! Chu Xingchen saved you, and you sound like you are giving charity?
Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Yichen pressed a hand on his shoulder. “Do not speak. Something is wrong with him.”
Instructor Qin’s words, combined with Jiang Feng’s return today, made him feel that something had happened.
Su Linyu also revealed a curious expression.
“Then thank you.” Chu Xingchen revealed a faint smile. “By the way, why are you leaving the group?”
When Jiang Feng heard that, a trace of sorrow flickered in his eyes, but his face remained cold and aloof.
“I do not need to explain my decisions to you.”
His gaze landed on Jiang Yichen. “Man, you saved him. I can give you one promise. From now on, no one will compete with you.”
Jiang Yichen: “…”
Before returning, Jiang Feng had heard from Instructor Qin that Jiang Yichen had used a divine treasure capable of repairing meridians to help Chu Xingchen.
When he heard about this, he had truly felt happy inside.
He very much wanted to say thank you to Jiang Yichen, his opponent since childhood, but the pride he had carried since he was young made it impossible for him to open his mouth.
He could only use words like these to express his gratitude.
“Jiang Feng, I know the reason you were assassinated, but I need to know why you are leaving the group.”
Jiang Yichen asked him this. Having dealt with Jiang Feng for two lifetimes, he immediately sensed that something was wrong with Jiang Feng today.
“The reason?” Jiang Feng’s eyes dimmed. He took a deep breath and said, “I…”
Before he could speak, footsteps came from outside the ward.
With a click, the ward door opened. Three law enforcers in law-enforcement uniforms walked in.
Jiang Yichen and the others froze, but Jiang Feng revealed a smile.
The Director of the Law Enforcement Bureau raised his identification. “I am He Qiu, Director of the Law Enforcement Bureau.”
He stared at Jiang Feng and spoke solemnly. “Jiang Feng, you assisted Zhou Yu, the mastermind behind the Great Rift Valley SS-Rank Beast Tide, in plotting and triggering the beast tide. Although you stopped your criminal conduct midway, that cannot conceal your crime.”
“Now, please return to the bureau with me and accept investigation.”
The two law enforcers behind him placed silver handcuffs on Jiang Feng.
This scene made shock appear on the faces of Jiang Yichen and the other three!