Night's Nomenclature
Chapter 301: The New Master of Autumn Leaf Manor

“The Time Travelers controlled by the Koshima Consortium shouldn’t be that powerful, but that’s compared to me,” Li Dongze asked Yi, “Young Boss has only completed one Trials of Life and Death so far. It won’t be easy to snatch me from the Outer World from their hands, right?”

“He’s already completed the second one,” Yi said.

Li Dongze’s status and his relationship with Li Shutong allowed Yi to not have to keep it secret.

“So fast?” Li Dongze was surprised. “He only just climbed Qingshan Cliff not long ago.”

“Did you forget? Time Travelers have double the time,” Yi said.

“That’s too fast. Which one did he complete this time?” Li Dongze was genuinely curious.

“Ultimate Trust,” Yi replied.

“That one looks simple, but it’s actually very dangerous. When Boss challenged this one, he almost didn’t come back up from the water, right? How did Young Boss do?” Li Dongze asked.

“He’s fine. The night he completed Ultimate Trust, he killed over ninety assassins in one go,” Yi replied.

“Yes, by himself.”

Li Dongze was stunned.

He picked up the amber whiskey on the bar and finished it in one gulp.

Yi had just told him that Young Boss was quite ruthless towards his enemies. Li Dongze thought at the time that Young Boss was so weak now, how ruthless could he be?

And he knew that Qing Chen had fought so many matches in the Octagonal Cage and had only killed one person.

But only now did he realize what ruthless really meant.

“Wait!” Li Dongze suddenly caught a key point. “Young Boss can complete the Trials of Life and Death in the Outer World?! Is there a Forbidden Sea in the Outer World?!”

“Let’s not discuss this matter for now,” Yi said.

“Okay,” Li Dongze calmed himself down.

He knew Knight too well, so he knew exactly what Knight needed!

Yi said, “However, he was injured when he went to save you in the Outer World. According to his usual personality, he definitely wouldn’t interfere.”

Yi started selling Qing Chen’s favor.

“Did Young Boss say how to repay this favor?” Li Dongze typed on his phone.

“He didn’t say,” Yi replied.

Li Dongze thought for a moment and typed again: “Does Young Boss need anything, or should I go to the Forbidden Zone myself and find him something?”

“No.”

“Then how about I give him my Forbidden Artifact?” Li Dongze typed, “Although it can only check the weather forecast.”

“No need,” Yi replied. “He said that since you call him Young Boss, it’s his duty to help you.”

Li Dongze raised his eyebrows, it seemed that was indeed the case.

However, for those veterans who had followed Li Shutong for many years, knowing that Qing Chen was the future heir was one thing.

Accepting it from the bottom of their hearts was another.

Therefore, when Li Dongze discovered that Qing Chen had unknowingly saved him once, he subconsciously wanted to repay this favor.

Ultimately, he hadn’t really treated Qing Chen as Boss.

And Qing Chen needed to complete this process himself, Li Shutong couldn’t help him.

Li Dongze thought for a moment: “Then let’s not talk about owing favors for now.”

Yi: “However, he knows you took a batch of Gene Medicine from Su Xingzhi, so he wants a dose of FDE-005 Serum Gene Medicine from you. This is to help you eliminate future troubles, so you have to pay for it yourself.”

“Eliminate future troubles? How?” Li Dongze didn’t understand.

“Gene Soldiers cannot be Substituted, you know,” Yi said.

“Of course,” Li Dongze nodded.

“Therefore, Gene Soldiers cannot cross over others either,” Yi said.

Li Dongze immediately understood what Qing Chen was going to do. The other party was going to turn the Li Dongze in the Outer World into Gene Soldiers, so the genes of the two Li Dongzes would no longer be matched.

Others would no longer be able to use that Li Dongze in the Outer World to cause trouble.

Changing names and having plastic surgery, these two have been tried and are unable to prevent Substitution events from occurring.

Many Federation citizens, after learning about the mechanism of Substitution, wanted to go to the Federation Registry Office to change their names to longer ones, so they wouldn’t easily be duplicated with the Outer World.

Someone even specifically posted an analysis post, saying that names with less than five characters could be duplicated, after all, five-character names exist in Shendai.

So, if you want to change it, changing it to six characters is the safest.

For a time, long queues formed in front of the Federation Registry Offices across the country. Before everyone could change their names, news broke again that a man surnamed Ju, after changing his name to ‘Actually a Genius’, was still Substituted.

Last week, there was news in the Federation that a wealthy man had plastic surgery, and the day after the surgery, he was Substituted.

Only then did everyone realize that the only way to prevent Substitution was to change the genes, the most fundamental thing.

Many people began to suspect that identical genes were the only condition for Substitution, and everything else was just an appearance.

Of course, for Li Dongze, it would be better if Young Boss could help kill him directly, after all, he could save a Gene Medicine.

The thinking of the Inner World and the Outer World is reflected here in the most fundamental difference.

Even Li Dongze, who had followed Li Shutong for many years, had little reverence for life.

Because they had seen too many things, and they had grown up in this environment.

“Young Boss’s thinking is quite open-minded,” Li Dongze thought. “Okay, I will prepare it before he returns next time. Anyone can pick it up.”

“Just give it to Hu Xiaoniu,” Yi said.

Li Dongze remembered Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen, who had just reported to him a few days ago: “Young Boss’s judgment of people is quite good. I tested the two of them, one upright and one eccentric, they complement each other in a way, like Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao by Boss’s side. It’s a pity that Young Boss doesn’t have someone like me by his side yet, just Lin Xiaoxiao and Ye Wan aren’t enough, not to mention Su Xingzhi.”

Yi remained silent for a while: “It’s understandable that Su Xingzhi is annoyed with you.”

“I heard that Young Boss went to Su Xingzhi’s place before?” Li Dongze asked. “Because of this trivial matter, he actually used an encrypted channel to show off to me for two days.”

“Then?” Yi was puzzled. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Help me ask Young Boss when he’s coming to Eternal Society for a visit?” Li Dongze said.

Yi: “……Is humanity’s desire for comparison that strong?”

Li Dongze didn’t answer. He took out his vintage pocket watch and glanced at it: “The snow is going to stop.”

Yi: “Can your method of changing the subject improve a little?”

……

……

Return Countdown 160:00:00.

Li Changqing went out early in the morning without knowing where, leaving only a message for Qing Chen, saying that she was going out to handle matters.

In the huge Flying Cloud Courtyard, only he was left alone.

For some reason, even though Qing Chen had finished his Gene Medicine, the servants hadn’t come back to work.

Li Changqing had helped him ask for leave from Headmaster Li Liheng last night, for a week’s rest.

Qing Chen thought for a moment, since he had nothing to do, he washed up a bit, picked up a small folding stool and walked towards Dragon Lake.

What he had to do now was to avoid being seen by too many people, and he didn’t need to stay in Flying Cloud Courtyard all the time.

When he arrived at Dragon Lake, the old man was already sitting on the Broken Bridge.

“Why are you here so early today?” Qing Chen curiously asked. “Did you know I had asked for leave and guessed I would come here early in the morning?”

“As if I’m specifically waiting for you here,” the old man said slowly. “I like fishing.”

“What’s the point of fishing?” Qing Chen didn’t understand. “If you want to eat fish, just scoop them up.”

The old man looked at the vast lake and thought for a moment, saying, “I used to like fishing because my wife always nagged. At that time, I would hide by Dragon Lake, so I could think about things quietly by myself. You’re still young, so you don’t understand. Men need some space of their own.”

“Ah?” Qing Chen was stunned.

But he heard the old man continue, “Years ago, one of my younger sons always coveted the fish in Dragon Lake, but every time he came to steal fish, I would catch him in the act. The outside world says that I treat the Dragon Fish as treasures, but that’s not true. There are only 18 Dragon Fish in total, if he eats them all, they’re gone, and the fish outside are too fierce, and I don’t want to raise them. So I’m mainly worried that all the Dragon Fish in this lake will be ruined, and I won’t have an excuse to fish anymore.”

Qing Chen thought, what nonsense is this, why is the thinking of the big shots in the Conglomerate so strange?

“Then why are you willing to let me eat them?” Qing Chen also felt curious. It seemed that everyone in the Li Clan knew that the Dragon Fish were precious, but the other party was willing to let him eat three of them, and today was the fourth.

The old man slowly said, “My wife passed away a few years ago, and no one nags me anymore, so I don’t need to find an excuse to avoid her anymore. I originally came to Dragon Lake to avoid her, but for some reason, after she passed away, every time I come to Dragon Lake, I think about her instead, it’s strange. My eldest son has been urging me to learn from other old men to prolong my life these years. I always say forget it, she’s still waiting for me down there, don’t let her wait too long.”

Qing Chen was stunned for a long while. The old man said these words without any sentimentality, just very casually, as if he was talking about what to eat tonight.

It seemed that death and eating were the same, it was time to eat when it was time to eat, nothing strange.

“Aren’t you afraid of death?” Qing Chen was puzzled. “I think I’m quite brave, but I’m still afraid of death.”

Qing Chen was a very honest person, so he admitted that when he stood on the 70-meter-high bungee jumping tower, facing away from Lake Weiyang, he had been afraid.

But just like what he had said to Wang Jiale, your body is ready, it’s up to you to choose.

The old man looked at him and said, “I’m not afraid of death, I’ve seen too many things in my life, and I’m more afraid of other things.”

“What are you afraid of?” Qing Chen asked.

The old man looked at the lake and thought for a moment, saying, “I’m afraid of seeing honest people forced to lie, I’m afraid of seeing upright people forced to bow, I’m afraid of seeing idealists see their ideals shattered, I’m afraid of hearing the last truthful words of a liar, I’m afraid of seeing those who are cautious suddenly act righteously, I’m afraid of seeing those who have been betrayed by their ideals finally dying for their ideals. I’m afraid of seeing a coward’s last courage, and a traitor’s charge.”

“I don’t understand,” Qing Chen shook his head.

“Kid,” the old man smiled, “When you reach my age, you might understand. These are the most heartbreaking things in the world, compared to them, death is not a big deal.”

“Maybe I’ll understand one day,” Qing Chen said.

Qing Chen was smart, but he wasn’t smart enough to understand human affairs, he had to see it for himself.

Many years later, one evening, Qing Chen recalled this morning and understood that the old man had told him almost all the joys and sorrows of life on this day.

“By the way,” the old man said, “Move out of Flying Cloud Courtyard. The Li Clan has prepared a separate courtyard for you, Martial Arts Hall Instructor, not far from Flying Cloud Courtyard, called Autumn Leaf Manor. It’s a bit small, but it should be enough for you to live in.”

“Is the treatment for Martial Arts Hall Instructors that good?” Qing Chen asked.

“Of course,” the old man said, “The Li Clan has never treated Martial Arts Hall Instructors badly. Order of seniority is the foundation of this family.”

Order of seniority……

Qing Chen suddenly recalled a sentence the other party had just said: My eldest son always urges me to prolong my life.

Now, it is rumored that the second-generation head of the Li Clan’s eldest branch has sent troops to Ban Shan Mountain Estate to set up defenses, ready to complete the power handover at any time.

Logically, the head of the eldest branch should be the one who most hopes that the old man will die, but judging from the old man’s words, the inside story seems completely different from the outside rumors.

This is probably a big gift prepared for someone.

But Qing Chen didn’t care, he didn’t intend to get involved in these matters, it was still the same sentence, Daybreak was still young, it was most important to stay steady and not be reckless.

“The courtyard has been cleaned, you move there today,” the old man said.

Qing Chen felt something was wrong. Why was the other party so eager? Was it because he particularly hoped that he would move out of Flying Cloud Courtyard?

Wait, the old man wouldn’t have misunderstood something.

“Cough, cough, I’ll move there later, I don’t have much to bring,” Qing Chen said.

“Should I arrange servants for you?” the old man asked.

“No, it’s not convenient,” Qing Chen said directly.

“By the way, have you figured out the Cultivation method I gave you?” the old man said casually.

“No, it’s too profound, I’ve racked my brains and still can’t figure it out,” Qing Chen said, “But I heard that eating fish is good for the brain, if I can eat a Dragon Fish today, I should be able to figure it out.”

The old man rolled his eyes, then pulled his fishing rod.

A large Dragon Fish was hooked out from the originally calm lake surface.

When Qing Chen held the Dragon Fish in his hand, the old man waved his hand and said, “Take the Dragon Fish and get lost, our fate is over for today.”

Qing Chen happily put away the folding stool under his arm and turned to leave the Broken Bridge.

But after walking a few dozen steps, he looked back, the old man was still sitting alone on the Broken Bridge, without casting his line again, just sitting quietly like that.

He looked a little lonely.

……

……

Qing Chen didn’t break his word, he did leave Dragon Lake and moved to Autumn Leaf Manor under the guidance of the servants.

Compared with other residences, this courtyard was unbelievably small. Others were magnificent palaces, while his was a small, simple quadrangle courtyard.

Rows of willow trees lined the outside of the courtyard, with only a small path leading to it, extremely quiet.

Inside the courtyard, there was an integrated stone table in the center of the courtyard, with a recliner next to it.

Qing Chen used his fingers to caress the recliner, it had indeed been cleaned, without a trace of dust.

However, this recliner was worn particularly smooth, as if it had been used by someone before.

Qing Chen was puzzled. Who was the previous owner of Autumn Leaf Manor? The two words ‘Autumn Leaf’ seemed to be related to the Autumn Leaf Blade, could it have been his master’s former residence?

But Li Shutong’s status in the Li Clan should be very high, how could he live in such a small courtyard?

Qing Chen looked around and didn’t find anything that could prove the owner’s identity. He simply lay down on the recliner, swaying and thinking about nothing.

From morning to noon, from noon to evening.

For some reason, Qing Chen particularly liked the peacefulness of this moment, he didn’t need to Face^[-] interpersonal relationships, nor did he need to consider any messy things.

However, at dusk, footsteps came from outside Autumn Leaf Manor.

Qing Chen kept his eyes closed.

Knock, knock, knock, someone knocked on the courtyard door: “Sir, are you there? Can I come in?”

“The door isn’t closed, come in,” Qing Chen could tell it was Li Ke just by listening to the footsteps.

After the young Li Ke entered, he politely said, “I heard that you asked for leave from the Headmaster because of your illness, so I went to Flying Cloud Courtyard to visit. As a result, you and Miss Changqing weren’t there, and a secret agent told me that you had moved to Autumn Leaf Manor.”

“Mmm,” Qing Chen swayed on the recliner. “I’m fine, just leave after you’ve seen me.”

“Sir, you haven’t had dinner yet, I’ll cook for you,” Li Ke said, and went into the east kitchen.

It turned out that this boy, who was only three years younger than Qing Chen, earnestly took vegetables out of the refrigerator, then began to pick vegetables and wash rice.

He didn’t look like a son of a wealthy family at all.

Moreover, Li Ke, as a direct descendant of the eldest branch, had a very high status in the entire Li Clan.

But it was this kind of gifted young man who came to cook for Qing Chen?

Qing Chen found that Li Ke was very familiar with this place, he suddenly asked, “Actually, you cleaned Autumn Leaf Manor too, right? The vegetables and meat, etc., were also prepared by you.”

Li Ke thought for a moment and said, “Sorry, sir, I just lied. Actually, I knew you were going to move here this morning, but it was too rushed this time, it wasn’t just me cleaning it, there were also my servants. But don’t worry, sir, I’ll clean it myself from now on, and your dirty clothes can be put in the clothes basket in the west wing, and I’ll wash them for you. As for meals, I’ll cook them for you, don’t worry, my cooking skills are good, at least it’s not unpalatable.”

Qing Chen suddenly asked, “Do you know who I am?”

“No,” Li Ke shook his head.

“Then why are you doing these things?” Qing Chen curiously asked.

“Grandpa said, if you want to learn real skills, look for you,” Li Ke said earnestly, “But don’t worry, sir, he didn’t say anything else, I believe my sincerity can move you. I’m not lying this time, grandpa said, whether I can learn or not depends on fate.”

Qing Chen understood, it turned out that Li Ke was the old man’s favorite grandson, so he directly pointed out a path for this boy!

No wonder after he became a Martial Arts Hall Instructor, this boy Li Ke had become attached to him.

It turned out there was a mentor guiding him.

It seemed that the old man hoped that Li Ke would become a Knight?

But Li Ke seemed to be a very upright person, how could he become a Knight?

Qing Chen thought for a moment and looked at Li Ke: “But if you only do these chores, why do you think I would teach you real skills? There are many people who can do chores, servants can do it too. Tell me, what else can you do?”

Li Ke thought seriously for a moment: “I can help you beat up Qing Yi, don’t worry, sir, he won’t notice anything.”

Qing Chen sighed, he didn’t expect this boy to grasp the essence of Knight so quickly……

……