Naming Technique of the Night

On the fourth night, as the 'No Visitors' sign hung outside the Autumn Leaf Courtyard, past seven o'clock, no more guests came.

Everyone knew the rule of the Autumn Leaf Courtyard, that no visitors would be received after 7 p.m.

Just as when the old man mourned his mentor before, nobody was allowed to disturb him.

Even if the sky fell outside, that door would not open.

The old man on the broken bridge by the lake also heard about this and kept telling Qing Chen that he was smart, which meant Qing Chen did not have to worry about anything when he came and went from the mountainside estate.

However, this also gave outsiders an impression of Qing Chen, that this teaching master was naturally arrogant and did not give face to anyone.

Not a bit amiable.

After 7 p.m. at night and before 9 a.m. in the morning, both were Qing Chen's own time.

This was true freedom.

By the fourth day since crossing over, Qing Chen had already consumed a total of seven Dragon Fish.

When Li Ke cooked meals, he could hear crackling sounds coming from their teacher's body.

At first, Li Ke thought it was the sound of water hitting hot oil in the pan, but later, he felt it was different.

It took a good while before he realized that the sounds were coming from the bones of the teacher.

At first, there was a chaotic crackling, then there were continuous roars like thunder.

It seemed as if a new skeleton was breaking out of a cocoon inside Qing Chen's body, completing a true metamorphosis.

Previously in the mountainside estate, it was only a legend that consuming nine Dragon Fish would lead to rebirth, but everyone thought it was just a myth.

Until Li Ke witnessed it with his own eyes and ears!

He silently thought, with only seven fish eaten, there were such extraordinary signs, what would it be like after nine? Or what if it were eighteen?

...

...

In the Federal First Group Army, an officer walked through the neat barracks and arrived at his superior's residence.

After reporting his arrival, he looked at his superior, "Commander, I would like to return home to visit my relatives, please issue me a visa."

The commander was curious, "Li Su, we're about to have a drill, and you're asking for leave at this time?"

Li Su glanced around.

The commander waved his hand to dismiss all the staff officers.
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Li Su then said, "Fourth uncle, it's not that I want to go back, it's that the clan has summoned me to the mountainside estate."

This was a force completely controlled by the Li Family, with almost half of its members being loyal to the Li Family, either through blood relations or sworn secret allegiance.

Therefore, it was not surprising that Li Su's commander was his fourth uncle.

It was also one of the reasons why consortiums could exert control over the Federation.

The commander was a bit curious, "The family has summoned you back abruptly at this time? Why haven't I received such notice?"

"The instruction came directly from the Secretariat," Li Su thought and said, "As for the specifics of what needs to be done, I can only be informed after signing a confidentiality agreement there."

The commander thought for a moment, "Then you go pack your things. I'll have the staff prepare a family visit visa for you right away, and then an airship will take you back. As for what this trip is really about, I won't ask any further in the future. You act as if you've never told me this... and don't tell anyone else."

Li Su nodded, "Understood."

At this moment, similar scenes were unfolding throughout the Federal Group's military, where several outstanding young members of the Li Family, including those who were at least the rank of major, were all taking leave to visit relatives and were being transported to City No. 18 by the Federal Group's airships.

This move tugged on the nerves of many.

After their departure, many speculated that the patriarch of the Li Family might really be in a dire state and these young people were returning home to attend to funeral affairs and vie for the uncontrollable authority of the Li Family.

On the very night that these soldiers left, the forces controlled by the Northern Jindai and the Deer Island family once again marched, advancing fifty kilometers to the south.

For modern military strategy, advancing fifty kilometers was not particularly alarming.

However, the action itself conveyed a very dangerous signal.

On the fifth day since crossing, the small group originally made up of eight people running drills suddenly saw two more, Li Yinuo and Nan Gengchen.

When asked, Li Yinuo simply said she wanted to exercise her body and explained no further.

On the sixth day since crossing, a familiar yet unfamiliar face appeared in the running group!

Li Yinuo looked at Li Su curiously, "Shouldn't you be in the troop preparing for exercises right now, why have you suddenly come back?"

Li Su smiled without speaking. He had already signed a confidentiality agreement at the Secretariat, so he kept silent about what was going to happen.

Li Yinuo laughed, "It's okay, I understand; I signed too."

It wasn't just Li Su; three other young members of the Li Family holding positions in the military also returned to the mountainside estate together.

Some were familiar faces, who already lived in the mountainside estate, while others were strangers, members from other branches of the Li Family who lived in other cities.

The running group had grown from 10 to 14 members, and it was foreseeable that the number would continue to increase.

By this time, some parents had begun to realize something was amiss!

In the large family estates, there were no real secrets; the day Li Su and the others returned, many became aware of the news, and while unaware of the purpose of their return, their sudden joining of the running group was quite abnormal.

The parents who previously allowed their children to skip now secretly advised them to discreetly rejoin the running group the next day, making sure not to fall behind.

They realized that following the running, there would be a beneficial outcome, and if they didn't keep up, they might be marginalized in the future!

But by then, it was already too late to take corrective action.

Ever since Li Yinuo joined the running, Qing Chen began asking Li Ke to change the meeting location every day.

So on the seventh morning since crossing, those kids who wanted to blend back into the running group arrived at Dripping Spring Plaza, only to find not a single person there...

Confused, they stood in the thin fog of winter, somewhat at a loss.

...

...

A five-thousand-word chapter, ten thousand words updated today, one more chapter for Brother Yan whose debt I have now repaid, and from tomorrow, I'll start repaying other benefactors.

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