Chapter 251: Leaving the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect
Xia Fei initially planned to leave on that day, but Shadowless and Craneshadow seemed interested in his proposal to reform the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect; hence, they convinced him to stay for the rest of the day. The three discussed the details throughout the night. They only let him go early the next morning.
The truth was, Xia Fei’s ideas were not even that brilliant. He was simply suggesting the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect to be more considerate with their disciples. Huge organizations like the Adjudicator Union and small factions like the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect both consisted of humans, so if they could solve the conflict between humans, they would have no trouble resolving the bigger problems.
Apart from eating, sleeping, and fulfilling their other physical needs, humans had psychological needs, too. Frankly speaking, it was a matter of surviving and living. The a.s.sa.s.sin Sect was only helping its disciples to survive, but that alone was not enough. It needed to provide them with interesting lives to really convince them into staying. Their lives did not have to be luxurious, but they must have realistic goals to pursue.
It was like buying lottery tickets. Many people knew how slim the chances of winning were, yet people still indulged in the process. If a fringe disciple never had the chance to practice martial arts or try out the things they were interested in, who would want to stay in the sect?
Therefore, the disciples needed clear targets by telling them they too could learn martial arts like everyone else if they worked hard enough. It would resolve the problem where the apprentices were too unmotivated.
The suggestions that Xia Fei gave came down to two things: give more freedom to the apprentices of the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect and have a better vision toward the outside world. They should not be too full of themselves just because they were known for their a.s.sa.s.sination skills. They should not forget that they were a first-tier warriors’ guild apart from being a hitman organization.
That being said, it was not easy to transform from a sect of a.s.sa.s.sins to an organization of warriors, but it was far from Xia Fei’s concern.
The day was bright. It had been snowing for the whole night. The residences were drowned in whiteness.
Xia Fei went outside and stretched his muscles while standing in the snow. He turned around and said to Shadowless and Craneshadow, “Master, sect master, I will have to excuse myself. I’ll visit you again in the future.”
Shadowless nodded. “Since you have accepted me as your master, according to the rules of the sect, I shall give you something in return as your master. Come with me.”
Xia Fei followed with a smile when he heard he was receiving a gift. Meanwhile, Craneshadow was lost in his thoughts. “Since when did the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect have such a rule?”
Craneshadow shook his head. He said goodbye to Shadowless and returned to his residence. He had learned a lot from the prolonged discussion over the night. He now had some ideas on how to reform the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect. He could not wait to organize his thoughts and come up with a thorough plan.
Xia Fei followed Shadowless to another place. It was a lot more s.p.a.cious than the residence Shadowless was staying at. The yard was empty, with several imperious-looking statues standing on four sides.
Shadowless asked Xia Fei to wait in the yard. He went into one of the rooms.
Xia Fei looked around out of boredom. It was strange that such a s.p.a.cious residence only had a tiny entrance. People who were relatively tall had to bend forward to go through it. Those over three hundred catty would most likely be stuck trying to squeeze through the narrow frame.
The six statues in the yard were quite special, too. They were almost three meters tall and were carved with some kind of white stone. They each had a menacing look as if they were guarding something. Their expressions had a hint of evilness, making those looking at them feel uncomfortable.
Xia Fei noticed Phantom’s strange expression and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
A spirit would never fall sick. Xia Fei was obviously teasing him. Phantom stood beside Xia Fei and said with an uncertain look, “This place is the forbidden ground of the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect. It is where the evil arts which the disciples aren’t allowed to learn are kept. The reason why my spirit didn’t dissipate after I died was because I took a sneak peek at one of the manuals here in the past.”
Xia Fei was startled. No wonder Phantom was behaving so strangely. He was having mixed feelings after returning here. He could not help but think about how he had let his sect down in the past.
If this place was where the forbidden evil arts were kept as Phantom mentioned, why would Shadowless bring him here? Was he thinking of giving him the manual for an evil art?
Xia Fei was extremely curious. He began to wonder what the gift from Shadowless would be.
A moment later, Shadowless returned, closing the door as he left the room. He did not lock it as if he was not afraid that someone would steal the things inside it.
“This is for you.” Shadowless handed Xia Fei a square-shaped book, wrapped inside a piece of black cloth.
Xia Fei had an urge to open it up, but Shadowless waved his hand and said, “It’s not too late to see what it is after you’re out of here. Remember: If you can learn what’s inside, then go ahead, but if you can’t, you should burn it right away. Don’t force yourself.”
Xia Fei was so intrigued by Shadowless’s mysterious behavior that his heart was itching badly.
Xia Fei bade farewell to Shadowless after receiving the gift. He went to the helipad at the bottom of the mountain. The disciples of the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect had cleaned Vampire. Everyone was utterly impressed by Xia Fei’s performance during the fight between him and Fangyuan that they volunteered to clean his s.h.i.+p for him. They no longer looked at him with hostility.
Manatee was reluctant to part with Xia Fei. The easygoing young man enjoyed hanging around with Xia Fei. They had become quite close to each other in just a few days.
Xia Fei knew that the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect would soon be reformed with the implementation of new rules. Manatee still had the chance to learn the martial arts he was interested in, so Xia Fei gave Manatee some hints toward this end and asked him to wait patiently instead of giving up like the others.
…
The Nameless planet where the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect was located was close to the edge of a tiny black hole. To avoid unnecessary casualties, most vessels would avoid going too close to it. Since blackholes would disrupt the functionalities of surveillance systems, too, not many people knew the location of the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect’s headquarters.
Apart from Vampire, a Caldari’s Kestral-cla.s.s a.s.sault frigate departed from the planet, too. Craneshadow had appointed a disciple to guide Xia Fei since he was unfamiliar with the routes.
Xia Fei soon memorized the routes under the guidance of the disciple. The two s.h.i.+ps were connected with each other. The disciple took the other s.h.i.+p and returned to the Nameless Planet after finis.h.i.+ng his job, while Xia Fei drove his Vampire in the direction of Earth
The connection to the interplanetary Internet was restored after a warp jump. Xia Fei immediately checked his email. He had been gone for almost a month. There were not many emails from the company. It only sent a summary of the progress of every job for Xia Fei to review every few days.
A few private emails were from Old Porter, Qin Mang, and the others. None of them asked what Xia Fei had been up to as if they had all reached an agreement beforehand. They were only relating information that he should be aware of.
Even Avril only sent two emails to him. One was telling him that she had gone back to school and her life was boring and busy. It did mention that she was missing Xia Fei lately. Another was notifying Xia Fei that it was her grandfather’s birthday soon. They were planning to hold a grand feast at the Sunset Villa to celebrate it, so Avril was asking Xia Fei if he could attend it.
“It seems that they’re already used to you disappearing for no reason. No one even bothered asking where you were.” Phantom smiled.
Xia Fei had gotten used to receiving a bunch of emails asking for his whereabouts or containing gossip from Avril, so he was struggling to adapt to the sudden change.
“It’s not a bad thing either. If you really can’t go back one day, they won’t miss you too much,” Phantom said.
Xia Fei nodded. He video-called Avril.
Even though Avril tried her best to behave normally, Xia Fei could still see the concern from her expression. Avril was very sensible. She believed that Xia Fei would never leave without saying goodbye; hence, he would be back eventually. Therefore, she only sent two emails while he was gone for more than a month, and one was to notify Xia Fei about Ernst’s birthday.
However, it did not mean Avril was not concerned about Xia Fei. It was quite the opposite. Avril had spent several nights just writing the emails. Every word and punctuation was carefully picked, for she was worried that Xia Fei might notice her insecurity.
Avril might have come from a wealthy family that many people were envious of, but she was no different from an ordinary woman when it came to being in a relations.h.i.+p. She was actually more serious about her relations.h.i.+p than most people. Before meeting Xia Fei, she was living alone in a huge mansion, a luxurious but dull life.
Avril still felt alone after meeting Xia Fei, but she now had something to look forward to—someone to miss, so she was treating the relations.h.i.+p preciously. She did not keep bothering Xia Fei like most women would. She was satisfied as long as Xia Fei was willing to talk to her regularly.
Unfortunately, Xia Fei was struggling to do even that, since he was constantly in trouble and would either go missing or be locked up in prison.
Xia Fei knew what Avril was thinking; hence, he immediately contacted her as soon as he left Nameless. They chatted like old friends and completely lost track of time. Xia Fei did not deny his love for Avril. She was the kind of woman who was worthy for a man to spend the rest of his life with.
Xia Fei kept bringing up jokes and strange folktales to entertain Avril. She also used this opportunity to invite Xia Fei officially to the birthday party in a few months’ time.
Avril’s grandfather, Ernst, had long retired and gone into seclusion, but for some reason, the old man decided to come out of seclusion and return to the Sunset Villa. He even insisted on holding a grand party to celebrate his birthday. Many authorities of the Pan-Human Alliance would attend it. It also included an insignificant person like Xia Fei.
Xia Fei did not really care about the Jian family’s matters, but the man was Avril’s grandfather nevertheless. Xia Fei already had the thought of making Avril his wife, so it was only a matter of time for him to get the Jian family’s permission.
Things were a little unpleasant between Xia Fei and the Jian family during his last visit to the capital ring. Xia Fei had personally sent Avril’s uncle to Yama without giving the old patriarch of the Jian family any face. Ernst did not say anything back then, since Xia Fei’s doings were actually in their favor. The Jian family did not suffer any losses by trading Barty’s life to protect their reputation.
Unfortunately, marrying someone from the Jian family was different from reaching a deal. Ernst had already asked Butler Pang to leave Xia Fei a message, saying that he admired Xia Fei, yet Xia Fei knew that it was only the kind between business partners.
Avril was not good at hiding her emotions, so she subconsciously showed worry on her face after she mentioned that her grandfather had invited Xia Fei to his birthday party. She was frowning a little, while her eyes were avoiding Xia Fei’s.
Xia Fei was good at observing people. He immediately noticed Avril’s unusual reaction.
However, Xia Fei believed that everyone needed their own s.p.a.ce. It was inappropriate for him to ask if she was not willing to say something. Even if Xia Fei did end up marrying Avril, he would still give her some personal s.p.a.ce, let alone when they were not married yet. It was a form of respect and an expected behavior between lovers.
Xia Fei ended the call with Avril after more than ten hours. Apart from the topic about Ernst’s birthday party, Avril seemed perfectly normal; hence, it further convinced Xia Fei that Avril was hiding something from him.
Xia Fei shook his head and gave Andre, Qin Mang, Wu Long, Charlie, and Porter a call each. He merely talked business with them apart from the straightforward Wu Long, who kept asking what Xia Fei had been up to.
The production of the energy s.h.i.+eld boosters was going smoothly. With the genius mechanic Porter around, it was unlikely for them to have any trouble with the production. He would solve any minor problems that arose on his own, too. Xia Fei was glad to have such a skillful and reliable person by his side. He did not have to worry about anything if he had to go somewhere else for a few months or even a few years. Andre and Porter were experts in finances and technology respectively, while Charlie was good at management. Xia Fei had somehow gathered the human resources he needed. He had recruited a bunch of experts in their respective fields, and most importantly, they were all trustworthy.
Quantum Holdings had begun to take shape. The recruitment, finances, and production line were on the right track, too. The business was soon going to blossom. They had been working hard for so long. They had been waiting for the company to produce compet.i.tive products, to dominate the market of the Pan-Human Alliance.
Meanwhile, Charlie had arranged a few important compet.i.tion events for Xia Fei. After some consideration, Xia Fei decided to turn down the event organized by the military so that he could focus on the Golden Finger Cup. After all, while the military’s tournament might gather a lot of attention, it did not restrict the spending of its partic.i.p.ants. Xia Fei’s current financial status was still incomparable to the nouveau riche who was trying to get some attention through the tournament.
Besides, Xia Fei had only acquired the nether bell recently. He was busy with the experiment to push the other product, the super-radar system, to the market as well. He needed quite some time for it; thus, it was unnecessary for him to divert his attention to a tournament that he did not have a high chance of winning.
Charlie had already paid the registration fee. The money was nonrefundable if the partic.i.p.ant decided not to take part in the tournament. If Xia Fei did not want to take part in it, Boateng would take his spot.
Xia Fei did not mind it at all. Boateng was quite skillful, too. He might stand a chance if luck was on his side. He agreed to let Boateng take part in the military’s tournament. It did not matter if the tree had dates or not; one could easily find out by hitting it with a stick.
Qin Mang seemed to have fallen in love with Earth. He moved from the prairie in Pampas to Hawaii with elegant views. Everything was well-arranged with Andre’s help, who used the company’s name to buy an island in Hawaii specifically for Qin Mang. He also hired many medical personnel and chefs to serve him.
Earth had many delicious tea and interesting snacks. It also had tobacco that could not be found in any other places. The old man was enjoying himself since Andre strictly followed Xia Fei’s instructions to bring different stuff for the old man to enjoy every day.
“Right, you should head to the library when you’re back. I’ll need your help to retrieve some stuff,” Qin Mang said while smoking a cigarette. He was in better shape after resting for so many days. In fact, he was getting plumper every day and was on the way to fully reclaiming his initial appearance.
“What stuff?” Xia Fei asked. He just happened to be thinking of paying Moon Song and Chen Dong a visit to remind them about the Heart of Spirit and ask them to stay on alert. They must seek treatment should they notice anything unusual.
“Call me when you are at the library. I will tell you where to find it. Also, remember to bring Old Black something to eat. The Five Spiced Peanuts were his favorite,” Qin Mang said.
The black cat that used to keep him company had pa.s.sed away. It was buried in the backyard of the library. Qin Mang was very close to his old friend; hence, he asked Xia Fei to take care of the grave.
Xia Fei nodded. He promised Qin Mang that he would do as he was told.
Xia Fei suddenly recalled something. The bas.e.m.e.nt under the library was a lot bigger than the other rooms. Since Qin Mang was not around, he might be able to take a look around.
Xia Fei had spent an entire day just to catch up with everyone. He went back to his room after closing the screen. He was thinking of doing experiments on the nether bell.
Whether the super-radar system could be made was extremely important to the company. If the super-radar system was sold to the public, Xia Fei would have two trump cards. He was not afraid that other companies would invent a similar product since he had two fists. His left fist might be useless, but his right fist could easily kill a person, too.
The huge companies in the Pan-Human Alliance were of immeasurable scale and possessed resources that they had acc.u.mulated over ten thousand years. Xia Fei’s energy s.h.i.+eld booster might involve sophisticated technology, but it did not mean that the other companies would struggle to come up with a similar product.
They must finalize the super-radar system even if they could not ma.s.s-produce it for now. It was the backup product for the company. This was called planning ahead.
Xia Fei followed his old routine and practiced his martial arts. It was Xia Fei’s way of guaranteeing his survival. He could not afford to let his guard down at all times. He read the book on robot coding once before proceeding to conduct experiments on the pair of strange bells.
Xia Fei placed the two bells on the table and turned the light to the brightest. With a magnifying gla.s.s equipped, he looked like a repairer of watches from the side.
The pair of nether bells was rather tiny. Certain parts were even thinner than a strand of hair. Not only did he need an electronic magnifying gla.s.s, he also needed special tools for them.
Xia Fei took out a set of tiny tools from his spatial ring and separated the silver bells.
One bell split into two after a crisp sound, and Xia Fei was dumbfounded when he saw the structure inside it.