“Sister Ruoyan, why can’t you evaluate this person?” Moon Shadow asked with confusion.
“The potential of others is based on their abilities themselves. For example, in his case, is it full backlash of injuries or can it be developed to double the backlash? Is it always a definite backlash in the same location, or can it be developed to choose the targeted area for backlash? Can he ignore the opponent’s defense measures? And so on, things like that,” Gu Ruoyan explained, nodding thoughtfully.
Moon Shadow nodded, deep in thought.
Gu Ruoyan continued, “Just based on this, his potential as an ability user is very high. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to give him an ‘S’ rating. If his ability is fully developed, there won’t be many people willing to engage in combat with him.”
Moon Shadow asked, “So, what factors outside of his ability influence the evaluation?”
“There are two aspects,” Gu Ruoyan explained. “First, the medium of the backlash… For example, if someone uses a dog to attack him, would he backlash against the dog or the dog’s owner? If someone poisons him, would he backlash against the bacteria or the poisoner? Or, can his ability be directed towards any of these?”
Moon Shadow pondered for a moment, “Hmm…”
“Secondly, his own physical fitness or vitality,” Gu Ruoyan continued. “If he dies from a single punch, while the opponent is unaffected by the backlash of that punch, then his ability is useless. But if he survives a stab to the stomach and the opponent dies from the backlash, then…”
Moon Shadow understood, “But he’s just a weak scholar, and this aspect doesn’t benefit him much.”
Gu Ruoyan hesitated and said, “As far as I know, many abilities can have side effects that burden the user. In his case, it’s possible that his constitution may become weaker over time, but it’s also possible that it doesn’t. I’m not sure about the specifics…”
Moon Shadow said bitterly, “Well, that’s good, isn’t it? If he’s too strong, it would be inconvenient for me to seek revenge in the future. It would be best if he becomes weaker and eventually dies.”
Gu Ruoyan chuckled and shook her head, saying, “I need to provide feedback to the expert group and let everyone discuss it together. How is your onboarding training going?”
Moon Shadow saluted and replied, “I’m doing well. Everyone is treating me kindly. Thank you, Sister Ruoyan.”
Gu Ruoyan sighed and said, “In the future… you’ll have a hard time. We’re in a department where others wouldn’t even consider finding a spouse from…”
……….
In Zhang Qiren’s home, the fat woman had already been asked to leave. His father, Zhang Hanglong, a well-known entrepreneur in Nanjiang City, sat in his room, and the father and son were sitting opposite each other, sipping tea.
“You used such extreme methods,” Zhang Hanglong took a sip of tea and slowly said, “Did you not even consider hiding it from me? Were you confident that even if I knew, I wouldn’t do anything to you?”
Zhang Qiren sat upright, with a slightly swollen and reddened face from being slapped by the fat woman earlier. It looked somewhat comical but serious at the same time. He replied, “It’s because at that time, I couldn’t afford to think too much. Lin Wuyang was watching me, and it even involved more terrifying government departments. No matter how I thought about it, I felt that I was walking on a path of no return. I just wanted to save myself, no matter how extreme the methods were.”
Zhang Hanglong smiled and said, “When you planned to kill someone, why didn’t you think about all of this? You think that we were the cause of all this, but have you ever considered that you were the one who triggered everything? On the contrary, if I hadn’t managed to suppress it afterwards, you would have been in even more trouble.”
Zhang Qiren remained silent.
“Of course, you can also think that you were eager for power at that time, or you can say that this was simply our way of doing things, so you can’t blame yourself… There are always excuses to be found for oneself.” Zhang Hanglong sipped his tea and continued, “I don’t intend to criticize you for this. Indeed, this is how we operate.”
Zhang Qiren looked up at him.
“This recent move of yours has impressed me, truly,” Zhang Hanglong smiled, “Although it was still too hasty. Look, your aunt didn’t have any evidence to believe it was you, yet she came knocking at our door—some things don’t require evidence. But for me, your actions were written all over your face, every move and gesture.”
Zhang Qiren sighed, “My authority and strength are just that limited. It’s difficult to accomplish things without any fuss.”
Zhang Hanglong shook his head, “You have ideas… but you lack experience and polish. Perhaps you’ve been holding back too much? It has led to your sharpness being exposed, hurting others and yourself.”
Zhang Qiren was surprised in his heart. He thought his father came to reprimand him, especially since the real estate company’s tax investigation was not only a tragedy for Zhang Xiaoren but also a significant loss for the family.
But instead, his father’s words seemed like a lesson?
Zhang Hanglong didn’t say much more. Instead, he changed the subject, “Be cautious in your dealings with Black Room… Zhong Yi is not ordinary.”
Zhang Qiren’s heart skipped a beat.
“You think by hiring Black Room, using them against the Wang family, and secretly leaking information to the Wang family, you could create pressure from their retaliation and force them to align with you. It’s a good plan,” Zhang Hanglong smiled. “However, what if Zhong Yi himself wanted it this way? To strike at the Wang family and get close to you to obtain evidence of our family’s illegal activities?”
“Damn,” Zhang Qiren blurted out.
“Of course, I can’t be certain if it’s true. Zhong Yi is a bit peculiar in his origins. Just keep your guard up,” Zhang Hanglong advised.
Zhang Qiren couldn’t help but admire his father a little. It seemed like he had underestimated everyone before, being too radical.
Looking at his father’s face, which was already showing signs of aging with wrinkles and gray hair, his eyes remained as sharp as an eagle’s, unchanged over the years.
He always felt that his father was a very ruthless and cold-hearted person. Not to mention not being looked after for the past twenty-plus years because of his status as an illegitimate child, even for Zhang Xiaoren, his father didn’t seem to care much.
Zhang Qiren didn’t even know what his father had pursued throughout his life.
“As for the Wang family’s matter, if you want to continue working with Zhong Yi to deal with them, you may,” Zhang Hanglong finally finished his tea, slammed the cup on the desk, and fixed his sharp gaze on Zhang Qiren. “Have you ever thought about one thing…”
Zhang Qiren’s body jolted, “What is it?”
“If the spiritual energy revival only affects people, what about objects?” Zhang Hanglong’s question made Zhang Qiren tighten his grip on the teacup.
So that’s how it is.
Many disputes aren’t about surface-level industrial competition or personal grievances. Some people are pursuing something else.
The sudden ringing of a cellphone interrupted Zhang Qiren’s thoughts. He casually answered, “Who is it?”
“Is this Mr. Zhang? It’s Zhong Yi. Can we talk about the Wang family’s matter?”
Zhang Qiren glanced at his father and smiled slightly, “Sure.”
At this moment, a strange thought emerged in his mind: Compared to the days of writing books before, does he now live like a character in a book?
…
Meanwhile, a real character from a book was carrying a small basket, buying groceries in the market.
After visiting Wan Zijun and Panda at the hospital, Chu Ge was sent back by Qiu Wuji to continue writing. As an assistant, she could handle tasks like grocery shopping on her own.
“The quality of this meat isn’t that good, boss. Can you lower the price?”
“It’s already quite cheap, beauty.”
Including Chu Ge himself, no one had ever imagined that Qiu Wuji would bargain and haggle with people at the market, trying to knock off a few cents. She had never bargained when buying groceries before. She would accept the price quoted by the vendors. How could the esteemed sect master possibly do such a thing?
Moreover, she was even more financially comfortable now, so she didn’t know why she suddenly started bargaining for a few cents…
It was as if… slowly remembering the past life as a mortal, begging the peddler for an extra candy.
And so, she did it.
When uttering the bargaining words, Qiu Wuji’s face also flushed a bit, but she persevered, “Just remove the small change.”
The vendor looked at the beauty with some amusement. It was clear that she didn’t know how to bargain. How could someone who bargains for real just ask to remove the small change? That’s something that would only come up after a long round of bargaining.
Seeing Qiu Wuji’s blushing face, the vendor chuckled and shook his head, “Alright, alright. It’s rare to see such a beautiful young lady coming out to buy groceries these days. Your husband is lucky, you know.”
Qiu Wuji watched as the vendor weighed the items and didn’t bother to explain anything about having a husband or not. Instead, she felt a sense of achievement that she hadn’t felt in a long time.
I actually succeeded in bargaining!
In this way, am I becoming less like my character from the book?
In the rented room, Chu Ge was reviewing Qiu Wuji’s draft from yesterday. He pondered and made a few revisions, trying to refine the small details. He then published the first chapter of the related work: “[Extra] Qiu Wuji’s Autobiography,” Chapter 1.
The comment section instantly exploded.
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