Chapter 1463 An Old Man from Deserted River
The sky was not yet completely dark when snowflakes the size of goose feathers began floating down from the sky. By the time darkness had settled in, the snow had intensified, so much so that the entire city was now covered in a thick white blanket.
This city was called Hidden Mountain Outpost.
In the past, when Lycel ruled the Star Region, he had established a forward outpost here, where a large regiment of pirates were stationed as reconnaissance troops.
Then, due to the influx of foreigners, the outpost slowly grew into a city with a population of five million, and the people had thrived until today.
!!
Hidden Mountain Outpost was located at the border of the Lywellian Star Region, and was one of the most important supply points for the region. Plenty of s.h.i.+ps from unknown places of origin would come here to resupply.
Pirates or merchants that dealt in contraband would all dock their s.h.i.+ps at Hidden Mountain Outpost, restocking their food, water and ammunition. Crews would enter the city and drink their fill during their offsh.o.r.e leave, while satisfying their more carnal needs in the red sector, alleviating the anxieties they acc.u.mulated during their long stints...o...b..ard.
The time was around 10 PM when Old Yu heard a knock on his door.
In Hidden Mountain Outpost, there was nothing good when someone knocked on the door late at night. Eighty to ninety percent of the time, it would be some drunk pirate causing trouble. The proper citizens of the city would definitely not head out of their homes after it was dark outside, not to mention when it was snowing so heavily.
Old Yu’s wives, nephews, and daughters all heard the knock, shocked expressions arising on their faces. His fat second wife hurriedly hugged her two daughters in her arms, her body trembling as she stared unsteadily outside the window.
Meanwhile, his nephews pulled out all the weapons from under the sofa and tables. There were old-fas.h.i.+oned kinetic energy weapons, as well as t.i.tanium alloy machetes. The back of the blade of one of them even had dried blood stained on it still.
Old Yu’s home was definitely not some benevolent abode!
However, good people definitely did not live long out here in Hidden Mountain Outpost, yet Old Yu’s family was able to live in this city, and was even doing quite nicely for themselves.
After all, here in the Lywellian Star Region, a group of people would often have to survive on the foundation of those they had killed. The rule of survival in the Outer Frontier had always been simple and violent since ancient times.
Old Yu frowned. He made his way to the entrance and peeked outside through the peephole.
The originally nervous expression on his face instantly relaxed, and he turned his head to say, “It’s fine. Those who ought to go to sleep can go on and do so.”
This sentence he uttered was a clever one. Just who were the people who ought to be asleep?
Of course he was referring to his wives and children. As for his nephews, they instead became more vigilant and each took separate positions around the place. Furthermore, they made sure to hide the weapons that they had just taken out from plain sight, while also ensuring that they were still within arm’s reach.
Only after his wives and children had gone upstairs did Old Yu open the door.
The snowfall outside was heavy, and the chill and snow blew into the living room, dropping the temperature of the originally warm living room by several degrees. One of Old Yu’s nephews hurried to an old-fas.h.i.+oned thermostat and turned the temperature up five degrees.
By the time Old Yu had shut the door, his living room had an additional two foreigners wearing cloaks in its midst. One was skinny, and the other was slightly on the thick side.
Old Yu glanced over to give a signal with his eyes, and two of his nephews made their way over to relieve the foreigners of their cloaks, dusting the snow off them before placing them near an air vent to dry out.
Old Yu observed the two foreigners. The skinny lad smiled brightly as his nephew took his cloak, even saying a word of thanks for the act. The thickset man had a look of annoyance. It was unclear if he hated the weather in Hidden Mountain Outpost, or the place itself.
In any case, these two foreigners were now surrounded by eight of his stout nephews, yet neither appeared to be in the least bit afraid. They casually strolled over to the sofa and sat down, looking around to survey Old Yu’s home.
By now, Old Yu was fully convinced that these two were the guests that he had been waiting for this entire time. If nothing went wrong, these two would decide the fate of his entire household.
“Have the two gentlemen had anything to eat?” Old Yu asked nervously, his voice unknowingly trembling.
The skinny lad waved his hand, “There’s no need for that. We’re not hungry.”
“Then may I know how I should address these two gentlemen?”
That skinny lad chuckled, “I heard that your surname is Yu?”
“That’s right.”
“Then we are your nephews from afar. I’m Yu Fan, and he’s Yu You.”
Old Yu was elated. Though these two had not even the slightest relation to the Yu family, given their status, forget the fact that they were impersonating his nephews; even if they were impersonating his own father, Old Yu would also willingly accept it!
The Starcloud Union had given Old Yu and his family a substantial payment for his cooperation. As long as this matter succeeded, Old Yu and his family would all be moving to the Starcloud Union!
That way, Old Yu’s family would become n.o.ble people living within the territory, and they would also be given a monthly allowance of 2400 Union dollars for every individual, a stipend that would be paid out until their deaths.
No one enjoyed living in such an accursed place as the Outer Frontier, and every citizen of the Outer Frontier yearned for a day when they could migrate into the prosperous Federations.
Unfortunately, the Federation territories did not care for people from the Outer Frontier. Perhaps they might poach some talented scientists, artists, or warriors, giving them an immigration pa.s.s, but for the average individual, they would never be able to cross the borders and join the three Federations in an official capacity.
Meanwhile, the condition that Starcloud Union had agreed to was not Old Yu alone migrating into their territory, but Old Yu and his entire family! Every single one of them would be given an immigration pa.s.s.
Here in Hidden Mountain Outpost, Old Yu was indubitably considered a most important figure.
Old Yu himself did not have any special skills, so he was just like all the dishonest merchants out there, someone who was proficient at calculation. But martial prowess was a factor that anyone living in the Outer Frontier had to have, and Old Yu’s martial prowess was practically zero.
However, Old Yu had nephews, and not only did he have many of them, but they were also vicious enough and capable enough when fighting. There were not many who dared to bully Old Yu and his family, as anyone that did would find themselves taking on that group of bear-like nephews and the strength they possessed.
Old Yu’s ancestors came from the most remote Star Region in the Outer Frontiers, Deserted River Star Region.
Even in the eyes of the citizens of the Outer Frontier, Deserted River Star Region was a lousy place, a place whose people were so poor that they could not even afford pants. Not even pirates could be bothered to hara.s.s the people there, because they knew that a wretched place like Deserted River Star Region had nothing apart from its people.
Citizens who lived in such abject poverty meant that they were willing to do anything to escape from it. There were often rumors that pirate organizations would find themselves robbed while out there!.
Human lives were the most worthless thing in the Deserted River Star Region.
The method they used to rob the pirates was extremely crude; they did so by piling on the numbers! They did not care how many would have to die in the process, and none of them would be afraid, either. After all, a reduction in population was never seen as a bad thing in that Star Region. With how spa.r.s.e the land was, and how abundant the people were, only when a portion of them died out would those that remained be able to have enough food to eat.
Thus, the people from Deserted River Star Region were willing to s.n.a.t.c.h at anything. If a thousand men were not enough, then they would send ten thousand. They relied on swarming their targets in order to overwhelm their enemies.
No matter how formidable the pirates were, there was no way each of them could take down ten thousand people. It was simply scientifically impossible, so entire organizations of pirates that disembarked, ready to run to the villages to s.n.a.t.c.h up money and women, would often never come back again.
Meanwhile, Old Yu and his family ran his business here in Hidden Mountain Outpost on behalf of the handful of rich people from the Deserted River Star Region. Every several years or so, Old Yu’s people would make a trip back to the Deserted River Star Region and recruit more manpower.
All they needed was just a simple statement: ‘You’ll get to eat well!’ The young men of Deserted River would flock to his call.
Old Yu would gather these young men who were willing to work and make them fight against one another, and whoever survived the ensuing slaughter would be brought to Hidden Mountain Outpost.
That was why Old Yu’s nephews were all the toughest and most brutal people from Deserted River. Each of them had countless kills on their hands, and there were even special-ability users among them.
Humans obtaining a special ability after their seventh brain region opened up were all a matter of probability.
Essentially, out of a million newborns, one would have special abilities.
Deserted River Star Region had nothing at all, but what they did have was people. That was why there were still some special-ability users born there, and those people would become Old Yu’s nephews when they came under his wing, helping him succeed out here.
Xia Fan looked around. Despite being in a foreign setting, Xia Fan did not feel a shred of fear.
Before he knocked on the door, Xia Fan had already understood Old Yu’s family situation through his Scent special ability, discerned that Old Yu was not pulling any tricks, and that there were no suspicious characters hidden anywhere in his home.
Old Yu thought it was because Xia Fan did not trust him and hurriedly a.s.sured him, “It’s fine. These are all my nephews, the real kind.”
Xia Fan slightly nodded. He knew that Old Yu had two kinds of nephews. One kind were those that truly belonged to his family, while the other referred to men that he had recruited from Deserted River. It was just that the latter kind all changed their surnames to his.
In the future, when Old Yu moves to the Starcloud territory, he would be bringing along his own nephews, as well as those in his family.
That was why there was a mutual benefit here. In order to leave the Outer Frontier, Old Yu and his real nephews would definitely not betray Xia Fan!
With the agreement reached, if Old Yu were to back out from the deal, there was no way the Starcloud Union would let him or his people remain alive.
Xia Fan chuckled, “Let’s not beat around the bush. Please relay whatever you need to tell us here right now.”
Old Yu was somewhat troubled, “Honestly, the two of you look very much like people from the Outer Frontier, but…”
“But what?”
“But you’ll be easily exposed the moment you speak.”
“I see, then let us hear it,” XIa Fan sat back and crossed his legs.
Old Yu said in a suppressed voice, “Just now, when my nephew took your cloak from you, you said a word of thanks to him. If you were truly someone from Deserted River, there would be no way that you’d express any thanks to someone else.”
Xia Fan scratched his head, “Are you saying that I’m not fierce enough?”
“Not enough. No, it’s more than not enough. Just hearing how you speak, and how you have this smile always fixed on your face. If you ask me, right now, you must do away with that smile of yours. Anyone that made it out of Deserted River would have gone through plenty of hards.h.i.+ps. There’s no way they could ever muster a smile on their faces.
“Instead, it is this one here that looks more like someone from Deserted River. There’s this air that he gives off that would put people off from thousands of miles away, so if he were to arch his eyes a bit more, adopting a look of contempt of everyone he meets, then he’d fit right in.”
This time, Traveling Buddha was acting as Xia Fan’s aide, and the idea of him arching his eyebrows a bit was a good suggestion, as it was how he adopted a sn.o.bbish glare at others.
As for Xia Fan, his predilection to smiling was something he was innately born with. Ever since he had come out from his mother’s womb, Xia Fan had not shed a single tear. Even when Blind Grandpa and all the scoundrels from under the Skydome died, Xia Fan had still maintained that smile of his, no matter how sad he was feeling inside. Nothing changed beyond his smile souring slightly.
Xia Fan thought about it and said, “Then what do you think about this.”
With that, Xia Fan displayed an expressionless and stern face.
It was not difficult for him to adopt the expression. Whenever Xia Fan was in thought, he would find himself gradually becoming more stern-faced, and he would lose the facial expression he once had.
An outsider could not tell what Xia Fan was thinking, either. This was because Xia Fan was simply too clever. He was more than capable of lateral thinking, so while he was clearly holding a conversation with someone, his brain was still able to keep a string of consciousness, thinking about other things.
Old Yu nodded, “That is interesting, but your temperament isn’t vicious enough. I can’t sense the ruthlessness found in every one from Deserted River.”
Ruthlessness?
Xia Fan was naturally quite ruthless. After all, he was a descendant of the Demon-Sealing Fiendish Blade.
But he was not engaged in a battle right now, and there was nothing that was forcing Xia Fan into desperation.
Xia Fan was born with his radiant smile, and he would treat anyone with the welcomeness of a spring breeze. His colleagues in the station all liked befriending Xia Fan, because they felt at ease when they were with with him.
Meanwhile, Traveling Buddha was someone who hardly had any friends aside from Xia Fan. He would treat others somewhat coldly, and lacked a gregarious personality.
Old Yu mulled over the matter for a bit, “Why don’t we do this. I’ll ask the two of you to humble yourself somewhat and follow me to the shop, so you can learn from my nephews.
“Yu Jiang, come over here.”
Old Yu called a nephew who went by the name of Yu Jiang over. This person was slightly brighter than the others. The other nephews of Old Yu were all too bitter and full of hatred.
Yu Jiang made his way over, and Old Yu said, “Show these two esteemed individuals what kind of tone and expression you usually have.”
Yu Jiang scratched his disheveled head and slightly hunched over, “Uncle, I think it doesn’t matter how these distinguished guests look or speak. It’s fine as long as they have the backbone to back it up.”
Xia Fan laughed, “Then what’s truly important?”
Yu Jiang gargled and spat, “What’s important is your actions. No matter how many words you yawp on, how much you looked the part, none of that matters more than what you do when it’s time to act. Ferocity isn’t something etched on your face, but something you embody.”
Yu Jiang was shadow-boxing the air as he said this. There were plenty of scars over his fists, all of them old injuries layered over each other. Though Yu Jiang was not exactly advanced in his years, he had seen more than his fair share of battles.
Xia Fan nodded, “Can you be a bit more specific?”
“Specific you say? Then that is killing people. Kill whomever you dislike at first glance, then talk later. If one isn’t enough, then kill two. If two don’t work, kill four.
“If you do that, who cares if you’re always smiling. Others will know that you’re vicious. Vicious and smiling!
“When I was young, there was this rabid dog in my village. This rabid dog didn’t bark, and his fur was all but shed. It would also sway as it walked about, as if it was drunk. In a glance, it would seem like it was nothing more than an old dog that was about to die.
“But whenever we saw that dog, we would just run away without saying another word.”
“Why is that?
“Because of fear! Though it didn’t bark and it could barely walk straight, it would really bite to kill!
“We didn’t fear any of the other dogs in our village, no matter how fiercely they barked. At most we’d just find a rock to throw at them. But that crazy dog, even twenty years later, I still get gooseb.u.mps all over my body just thinking about it.”
After hearing such an interesting tale, Xia Fan practically applauded. He had not expected for there to be such a clever individual among Old Yu’s nephews.
A dog that barked wasn’t scary. Only a crazed dog was the most frightening. That logic, while easy to understand, held an unchanging truth.
“You’re called Yu Jiang?”
“Yes.”
Xia Fan looked at him and said, “You’ll be joining us from tomorrow onwards.”