Night's Nomenclature
Chapter 312: Too Late

“I’m curious, how did you two get on such bad terms?” Qing Chen was puzzled. “Logically speaking, you are both Master’s disciples, shouldn’t you be more united?”

“United with him?” Li Dongze sneered. “I’ve known him for over ten years, and he’s stood me up 51 times in those ten years. United with him?”

Qing Chen thought to himself, so it’s a historical issue.

“Jiang Xiaotang was also raised by Master, and Su Xingzhi seems to be an orphan raised by Master as well. Why doesn’t Jiang Xiaotang know Su Xingzhi?” Qing Chen was curious.

“Su Xingzhi isn’t Boss’s adopted child,” Li Dongze glanced at Qing Chen. “His identity is a bit special. When he was young, Boss entrusted him to others. Besides the few of us who were adopted by Boss early on, no one else knows of his existence.”

Qing Chen was curious. Could Su Xingzhi have a unique background?

Li Dongze curiously asked, “Little Boss, shouldn’t you be at Ban Shan Mountain Estate? Why are you here? Can you freely enter and leave the Li Clan manor now?”

“Hmm,” Qing Chen didn’t answer the question but asked instead, “How are Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen performing?”

“I’ve entrusted them with a portion of the debt collection business,” Li Dongze said. “I wanted to see their capabilities. So far, they’re doing well. Zhang Tianzhen is thick-skinned and ruthless, suitable for our line of work. However, Hu Xiaoniu is upright and fair in distributing benefits to her subordinates, making her more popular. Little Boss, you’ve chosen a good pair of partners for the Eternal Society. You have a good eye for people.”

“Why this particular business?” Qing Chen was puzzled.

“Because it’s the most challenging,” Li Dongze said. “If it were simply gang fights, all you need is courage. But debt collection is different. Those you collect from may not be villains, but ordinary people forced into a difficult situation because of high-interest loans.”

After Li Dongze’s explanation, Qing Chen understood the difficulty of the business.

It’s easy to fight evil with evil, but fighting evil with goodness is a test of character and methods.

Li Dongze said, “Little Boss, don’t worry about them. If they can’t pass this test, they can’t survive in this industry. Put your conscience aside first, and understand the harsh realities of the world.”

“How did you handle this type of business when you first started?” Qing Chen was curious about Li Dongze’s character.

Li Dongze thought for a moment and said, “The most difficult debt I ever collected was from an old man who borrowed money to save his wife’s life. He managed to gather enough for the medical expenses, but his wife didn’t make it.”

“Did you recover the money?” Qing Chen asked.

“I did,” Li Dongze said. “I sold their son to the Qing Family as a servant. The Qing Family paid the money. Little Boss, you might expect me to tell you about a clever method, getting the money without harming them. But there’s no such thing as a win-win situation. Eternal Society’s interest rates are already the lowest among the Federation’s gangs, only slightly higher than the five major banks. I can’t turn the gang into a charity. I’m not making excuses; life is like this. If you think it’s wrong, then work with the Boss to change the world from the root. Until that day comes, I don’t want to be a good person.”

Qing Chen pondered.

He put on the zard mask again and left the Never-Ending Club.

Li Dongze looked at the young man’s back, lost in thought.

He glanced at his phone and sent a voice message: “Did you see the photos I sent? You didn’t take a picture together, right?”

…

…

Countdown: 162:00:00.

At 6:00 AM, Li Ke, along with his students and the Li Clan elites who had just returned to Ban Shan Mountain Estate, started their morning run.

Eight students, twelve Li Clan elite soldiers, plus Li Yino and Nangeng Chen—a total of twenty-two people.

Each of them had learned from the Secretariat about the impending events, but they didn’t know when it would happen.

As they ran through the Ban Shan Mountain Estate, passing certain courtyards, their footsteps would startle the people inside, attracting many onlookers.

Li Shu and others were different from Li Ke. They weren’t sheltered students, but true rising stars of the family, having weathered storms outside.

When people saw them, they couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

The outside world was saying that Li Shu and others had left the army to return to Ban Shan Mountain Estate for a funeral.

Many in the Li Clan knew that the Old Master’s health was failing, but Li Shu and others didn’t look like they were attending a funeral. It seemed like they were returning because of that Instructor!

This made people wonder, what exactly could that Instructor teach?

It wasn’t hard to guess. An Instructor from a Martial Arts Hall, backed by the Secretariat—besides orthodox Cultivation methods, what else could it be? Nothing else could cause such a stir in the Conglomerate.

Cultivation strength was secondary for many Conglomerate members; the extra lifespan brought by orthodox Cultivation methods was what many craved—a lifespan increase without side effects!

In fact, the booklet recording the Zhunti Method also stated: The Zhunti Method is a superior secret method that connects the five sections. Every person who receives the Zhunti Method initiation will gain twenty-one years of life. The specific increase varies depending on the individual’s aptitude and Cultivation strength.

In other words, when Hu Xiaoniu, Zhang Tianzhen, and Li Tongyun completed their first Small Heavenly Cycle and received the initiation, their lifespans increased directly by 21 years. The exact amount varied, but 21 years was the minimum, depending on their individual aptitude and Cultivation strength.

This kind of orthodox Cultivation method could drive people crazy.

But the problem was, orthodox Cultivation methods were incredibly rare. Where did that young Instructor find it?

Then, someone remembered that when the Instructor named Qing Chen first arrived, someone had investigated him, saying that he was a Gene Soldier by Li Changqing’s side.

Would someone who possessed orthodox Cultivation methods inject themselves with Gene Medicine?!

But the Secretariat wouldn’t make a mistake.

Thus, Qing Chen’s origin and identity became even more mysterious.

After their run, Li Ke went straight to Bieyuan Courtyard.

Two chubby boys had been waiting there. Upon seeing Li Ke, they asked, “Last night, while we were kneeling outside, you were inside Autumn Leaf Manor, right?”

Li Ke glanced at them: “Yes.”

One of the chubby boys asked, “Why didn’t you persuade the Instructor to open the door? Do you know we knelt for over two hours?!”

Li Ke didn’t retort. He calmly said, “It’s time for class.”

“Traitor! Li Clan members don’t support their brothers and sisters but instead help an outsider, Instructor!” the chubby boy said coldly.

Li Ke looked at them calmly: “Go ask your parents if they dare say that to the Secretariat.”

Yesterday, Li Ke had suffered great humiliation at school.

Today, his classmates still gave him the cold shoulder, but somehow, Li Ke didn’t feel upset at all.

At that moment, more than ten people walked into the schoolyard—Li Shu and other officers returning from the army.

Li Shu glanced at the chubby boy and said with a smile, “Remember, anyone who dares to bully the eight people who ran with us, I’ll hang them from a tree and beat them. Tell your parents that I, Li Shu, said so.”

The chubby boy shivered. Li Shu had a notorious reputation in City 18 years ago and was lawless in school.

The Secretariat had specifically issued an order prohibiting him from attending school again.

Li Shu’s parents were ruthless and sent him to the Federation’s army, making him work his way up from the bottom.

Other Li Clan members would study at military academies for several years before becoming officers, quickly rising to become senior officers.

Li Shu had spent years working his way up from a private to an officer in the army, becoming more restrained, before re-entering the family’s selection. He was even assigned under his uncle.

In the Conglomerate, assigning a member to someone’s direct supervision was a clear signal: the family was preparing to promote him quickly.

After years of experience, Li Shu was no longer the reckless CaTuanzi he once was.

But such a notorious figure was the most intimidating to the chubby boy.

Li Shu patted Li Ke on the shoulder with a smile. “We’ll be fellow disciples from now on. You’re the senior brother. If you need anything, just tell us. We’re best at fighting.”

Li Ke was stunned. How did he become the senior brother? He was one of the youngest.

However, Li Shu and others didn’t say anything more. After warning the students, they left.

The mathematics Instructor Zhou Xingwen, hiding in the school, had a headache: “Damn Li Shu is back too. It seems he’s going to become Qing Chen’s disciple?!”

…

…

In the morning, Qing Chen slowly walked towards Dragon Lake. The Old Master was already waiting there.

The Old Master heard his footsteps and sighed without turning his head, “You really aren’t planning to leave a single Dragon Fish in this lake.”

The Old Master’s sorrowful tone was as if saying, “You Knights really don’t do anything useful.”

Qing Chen smiled, “I’m taking them for the next generation of the Li Clan, I’m not being selfish!”

The Old Master curiously asked, “I heard that after you ate nine Dragon Fish, your bones rumbled like thunder, your hair fell out and then grew back, like a god descending to earth. Is that true?”

Qing Chen was stunned, “Did Li Ke say that?”

“Yes,” The Old Master indirectly admitted. Li Ke was the Li Clan member he had specifically arranged to inherit the Knight path, because only Li Ke had seen his hair fall out and grow back. “But don’t worry. When I asked him, he hesitated for a long time before answering. He told me this was the last time, that he couldn’t betray your trust… He’s betraying the clan.”

Qing Chen curiously asked, “Why are you so persistent in wanting the Li Clan to produce a Knight?”

“It’s not just me, it’s been like this for generations,” the Old Master sighed, “Our ancestor was a Knight, Li Yingyun, the father of the Li Clan founder. With such a figure in the family, the Li Clan’s blood carries romantic genes.”

“Romantic?” Qing Chen was puzzled.

“Romantic doesn’t mean love,” the Old Master said. “Romance means knowing something is impossible yet doing it, believing in the inherent beauty and goodness of the world. Compared to that, love is insignificant.”

Qing Chen pouted, “You’re just talking nonsense.”

The Old Master glared at Qing Chen, sitting on a small stool beside him: “You’re so disrespectful! How do you talk to your elders?!”

“Continue,” Qing Chen smiled.

The Old Master said, “In the Li Clan Conglomerate, producing a Knight every generation was almost a tradition. The relationship between the Li Clan and the Knight leader has always been excellent. However, it became increasingly difficult to become a Knight later on, and the Li Clan had several generations without one. I also had the chance to become a Knight, but my father died young, having only three children before he passed away. Later, the youngest became an Instructor at the academy, the second became a painter, and as the eldest son, I had to give up the position to avoid losing power.”

Qing Chen thought to himself, so that’s how it is.

The Old Master continued to sigh, “Hearing about your reaction after eating the Dragon Fish has made me yearn for the outside world again. If I also became a Knight, I might be able to see many places in my lifetime. My biggest regret is that I haven’t been able to see the real Dragon Lake. Your master’s master told me it’s sparkling, like a sapphire embedded in the earth; I haven’t been able to visit Forbidden Zone 002 and take a nap under the roots of that giant tree; I haven’t been able to listen to the golden light and shadows tell stories in Forbidden Zone 001. It’s strange, isn’t it? At the end of my life, what I think about aren’t the things I’ve enjoyed but the things I’ve never had.”

“You’re the head of the Li Clan, you can go see them now if you want,” Qing Chen said.

The Old Master shook his head, “No, it’s too late.”

For some reason, Qing Chen suddenly felt a sense of sadness. He knew what the Old Master meant by “too late.”

The Old Master smiled, “I’ll share a secret with you for free. There are three rules for Forbidden Zone 10: first, you can’t argue back, you must accept insults; second, you must kill once a day; third, on the first night you enter, you must tell the Forbidden Zone a secret that only you know.”

The Old Master said, “The last rule originated from the death of a Cultivator from the Hu Family Intelligence Agency. They spent their lives searching for others’ secrets and didn’t even let themselves go at death. Sometimes we say the rules of the Forbidden Zone are the curse that Metahumans brought to the world. One day, those endless Forbidden Zones will swallow the world and bring the curse to everyone.”

“The Dragon Fish were caught by a Knight in Forbidden Zone 10, right?” Qing Chen asked, “You’re not telling me this out of kindness. You clearly want me to help Li Ke catch the last Dragon Fish.”

“Is it only to help Li Ke?” The Old Master smiled, “You’ll have many disciples in the future, won’t each of them need nine?”

Qing Chen sighed, “You really want me to strip Forbidden Zone 10 bare.”

At this moment, Qing Chen suddenly remembered his conversation with Li Dongze yesterday, and he asked, “Old Master, do you think humans are inherently good or inherently evil?”

The Old Master calmly said, “Inherently evil, but inclined towards good.”

Qing Chen curiously asked, “Then do you think there are more good people or bad people in the world?”

The Old Master looked at him and chuckled, “There’s no such thing as good or bad people. Everyone has evil thoughts, some hide them deeper, some shallower. When the heartless copper bell was first hung on Baopu Building, it rang incessantly. I was completely dumbfounded.”

“Ah?” Qing Chen was puzzled, “Really that exaggerated?”

“Of course, who doesn’t have evil in their hearts? The servants and doctors who serve me, who doesn’t gossip about me behind my back? If I took it to heart, this Ban Shan Mountain Estate would have become a hell long ago, with corpses buried under the garden.”

“Why doesn’t the heartless copper bell in Baopu Building ring anymore?” Qing Chen was curious.

“Because I told it to quiet down. It only rings when B-level or above Cultivators approach, judging good from evil,” the Old Master said, “Therefore, the servants who work there won’t trigger it. In the past twenty years, the heartless copper bell has only rung seven times. Don’t think too much. Who is without evil? Without evil, they are not human. It’s enough to lean toward good.”

Qing Chen felt that there was wisdom in the Old Master’s words.

…

…

At this moment, in an apartment in City 18’s District 5.

Two men in black were silently walking on the carpet. Their combat boots made no sound.

The two were searching the room, and a naked, bleeding middle-aged man was kneeling beside them.

One of the men in black looked at the middle-aged man, “I don’t understand. Your father and his colleagues were responsible for building the community next to Ban Shan Mountain Estate. The project was supposed to be completed in eight months, but it was delayed for a year and a half. Half a year was spent on the foundation… Is the foundation that important? Does it take that long?”

The middle-aged man trembled, his eyes tightly shut, without saying a word.

Another man in black picked up a photo frame, calmly saying, “You have two daughters. After your divorce, they should be living with their mother, right? After the community was built, your father and several of his colleagues disappeared and changed their identities. Do you think the Li Clan is kind and has spared your lives? You are just ants being used, there is no need to keep secrets for your master.”

The man in black smiled, “Don’t be so nervous. I just want to know what’s hidden in that community. Look how much time and effort we’ve spent finding you. We can’t go empty-handed.”

The middle-aged man still didn’t speak.

“Alright,” the man in black squatted in front of the middle-aged man, speaking in a relaxed tone, “If you don’t say it, we’ll ask your two daughters. If they don’t know either, we’ll sell their hearts to City 10, their kidneys to City 17, their corneas to City 1…”

The middle-aged man couldn’t bear to see his daughters suffer, he whispered, “There’s a secret passage! Don’t hurt my family. Under Building 2, Room 101, there’s a tunnel leading to Ban Shan Mountain Estate!”

The two men in black exchanged smiles. One of them raised his hand and pulled the trigger. A Subsonic Ammunition pierced the middle-aged man’s forehead, creating a bloody hole.

One of them said, “We need to act quickly. The deaths of those workers can’t be covered up for long. The Li Clan will soon know that someone knows about the secret passage to Ban Shan Mountain Estate.”

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