Chapter 332

Blue sea and blue sky, the scorching sun was intense.

Under the stinging pain of the sun's exposure, Lu Feng squinted his eyes and subconsciously looked around; feeling as if he were dizzy, he held onto the railing and looked back, seeing the coastline in the far distance, and even the tiny, dotted buildings.

The ruins of Quancheng, and further away, that iconic wind power tower in Xinquan...

With one step, he had actually crossed such a long distance.

He was already at sea.

And after walking a few steps, Ji Jue had already pushed open a second door and beckoned to him; when Lu Feng subconsciously followed behind and took another step, he was already standing outside the door of the basement.

It was as if he had just walked out of the basement a moment ago.

Stepping up the stairs, the scenery outside the window was familiar, the living room was quiet, and one could only hear the faint sound of birds, with green trees casting halos of light.

This was Ji Jue's studio.

Yacheng.

By just pushing open two doors, he had arrived at the Prosperity from the Coastal Industry office, and using this as a transit point, he had appeared in Ji Jue's studio again.

He was already accustomed to the tricks of the Heaven-Chosen in the Middle Lands, and he hadn't even been without experience in the teleportation of the Star Core Association, but at this moment, witnessing the miracle Ji Jue had created with his own eyes, he couldn't help but gasp.

Bypassing the monopoly of the Star Core Association and secretly carving out such a path within Yacheng—the implications and possibilities behind this were enough to make his hair stand on end.

"Hey, playing this big?" He subconsciously lowered his voice: "What if word gets out..."

"If you don't say anything, no one will know, right?"

Ji Jue waved his hand indifferently, not caring at all—not to mention that there was no way Lu Feng would let such a critical matter slip, even if he were targeted by some Heart-Pivot Heaven-Chosen, looking at the lock on his forehead, they'd probably have to weigh their own fate before wanting to read anything...

Besides, we're not even there yet.

This doesn't even touch the main body or the tracks of the Heavenly Rail; the Doomsday Express hasn't even officially started yet. At best, it was just one operation of the Myriad Phenomenon Engine.

After the Undying Ember strengthened the connection between his body and soul, Ji Jue's load-bearing capacity for blessed creations had also doubled, and now he could handle the short-term operation of the Myriad Phenomenon Engine.

Thanks to the gifts of nature and the generosity of his 'friends', the Bai Lu Matrix and blessings he picked up from Kunwu were immediately stuffed into the Doomsday Express for recycling.

I admit, the Gao family's Bai Lu does have some skill, it's quite good, but I'm sorry, once it hits the Heavenly Rail, I can only say it needs more practice. Both belong to the Eternal Gate lineage; one is the Heavenly Rail, which has long been stitched together with the present world and turned into a Wedge of Supreme Good, while the other—well, the other one looks quite decent too...

The suppression between the same lineage completely crushed the Bai Lu in an instant; not a single splash of resistance popped up, and it obediently entered the material library, waiting for Ji Jue to decompose, process, and reuse it.

It is a rare material, after all; the probability of getting gold is too high.

Thanks to the ridiculously high compatibility of the Doomsday Express, it was almost plug-and-play. Relying on this windfall, Ji Jue took the manual and, half-guessing and half-mechanically descending, managed to fix the directional module that had been scrapped for over two hundred years. Although the completion rate was still under forty percent and he couldn't lock onto Rift Realms or other targets from a distance, at the very least, it could barely start.

Combined with the waypoints Ji Jue had set up, the consumption was also reduced to a range he could accept—after all, up to now, the Leviathan fuel that Lu Yingyue sent over regularly hadn't stopped, and although the quantity wasn't huge, it was more than enough to support his outrageous daily commuting method.

If the Heavenly Rail can't be connected, then I can just set up a local area network myself, right?

He directly moved the binding of the Doomsday Express to the workshop on the Prosperity, using it as a transit point to connect the waypoints of Quancheng and Yacheng, achieving free teleportation between the three points through the warping, gravity, and locking delivery of the Myriad Phenomenon Engine.

After getting used to such a convenient method, Ji Jue almost couldn't go back.

He was becoming increasingly itchy.

You say, such a good treasure from the Gao family—who invented it anyway? How about finding an opportunity to go and rob them again and scrape some materials back?

Unfortunately, the Middle City is too far, and the water is too deep; who knows how many bears, wolves, tigers, and leopards are lying in the mud. One wrong move and it's easy to play with fire and get burned.

Still have to wait a bit longer...

Quietly waiting for a good opportunity.

Thinking this way in his heart, Ji Jue took an unremarkable keychain out of his pocket and handed it to Lu Feng.

"What's this?" Lu Feng held it in his hand, examining it carefully.

"Consider it a train ticket."

Ji Jue told him: "Keep it safe and don't lose it; the same goes for the necklace on Lu Ma's neck. If something happens that you can't handle, run here and just push open that door I just showed you.

Use whatever you want on the ship, just be careful not to leave any witnesses."

Lu Feng smiled and didn't refuse this kindness; he clipped it directly onto his phone, put it in his pocket, and joked: "Your expression is so serious, could there really be a power armor in there?"

Ji Jue didn't speak, just smiled.

This made Lu Feng freeze for a moment, and then he couldn't laugh anymore: "Damn, wait, there isn't really one, is there?"

Ji Jue didn't speak, still smiling.

Now it was Lu Feng's turn to be unable to take it.

"Ji Jue, Brother Ji, I beg you, say something. It's been so many years since I retired, my hands are so itchy, let me touch it, please..." Lu Feng was scratching his ears and cheeks, his little hands, used to picking his toes, tugged at Ji Jue, unable to hold back.

And Ji Jue killed the topic with one sentence: "Did you buy your gift?"

"..."

After a long silence, Lu Feng's expression changed—shock, realization, panic, luck—as if he had seen two tentacles poking out of a cup, comforting himself that it might be a twin-tailed beautiful girl, and not necessarily what he thought...

"Uh, that, ahem, this... filial piety is actually the best gift, right? Coming home safe and sound, Mom doesn't care about those things!"

"Is that so?" Ji Jue smiled.

"I-is it?" Lu Feng wasn't too sure either.

Ji Jue asked again: "What about Lu Ling?"

"..."

In the dead silence, Ji Jue added a knife: "She reminded you before that you must buy a gift to bring back, right?"

"..."

Then, examining Lu Feng's sweating appearance, Ji Jue added another knife: "Seems like she reminded you several times, right?"

"..."

Amidst the dry swallowing sound, Lu Feng grabbed Ji Jue, his eyes filled with tears: "Number Two, help a brother out, I beg you."

Otherwise, he could already imagine his miserable situation at home in the coming months.

Ji Jue sighed helplessly and pointed to the massage chair in the box in the living room that had been delivered long ago.

"The car is at the door, move your own gift yourself."

"Got it!"

Lu Feng followed suit without hesitation.

Ji Jue shook his head, following behind.

His steps were light.

Going home.

"Mom, I'm home.!!"

After experiencing a brush with death, Lu Feng hadn't been able to settle down for more than a few minutes on the way; after returning home, his old habits resurfaced. After kicking his slippers to the side, he lay on the sofa, only to be poked and prodded by Lu Ling, who was cleaning with a broom, and chased to the bathroom like a cockroach.

"So annoying, making a mess as soon as you get back, you didn't even wash your feet, you stink!"

Just after chasing Lu Feng away, she turned around and saw Ji Jue, instantly changing her face; a smile appeared on her youthful, vibrant cheeks, filled with joy.

"Second Brother is back, sit down quickly and rest! You must be hot, I'll go get you some sugar water from the fridge."

"Second Brother, Second Brother, eat some fruit!" The youngest sister also ran over with a cut fruit platter, her eyes blinking, her hair tied in little braids.

"Good, good."

Ji Jue beamed, pulling the youngest sister into his arms and feeding her fruit.

"Little Ji is here, sit for a moment, the pot will be ready soon. Hey, why buy so many things? The house can't even fit them anymore." Lu Ma also came out of the kitchen, picked up the glasses Ji Jue had given her, put them on, and smiled from ear to ear.

Glancing at Lu Feng, who was squatting next to the big massage chair box with an eager look, waiting for praise, she seemed to just sweep past him: "Oh, the little dog is back too."

Pop!

It was as if something had shattered lightly.

Lu Feng felt a chill, and tears were about to gush out.

The difference was just too damn big!

Suddenly, he felt the cruel reality: So what if you're a big shot outside? So what if you're a king of soldiers in the Middle Lands? You still can't change the fact that you're the most useless thing in this house...

Life is over!

But it doesn't matter, at least the youngest is still with him.

Lu Feng squatted on a small stool, kindly stroking the youngest's head, meaning don't be afraid, brother is on your side.

As a result, the youngest looked back at him in confusion, and then, without hesitation, got up and sat next to Ji Jue, eagerly showing off: "Second Brother, Second Brother, I got a double hundred on my exam this time!"

"Wow, really?"

Ji Jue picked up the test paper to look at the handwriting and scores, nodding—all those exercise books and learning app memberships weren't bought in vain—and beamed: "Not bad, not bad, study hard, keep up the effort."

"Okay!" The youngest nodded excitedly.

"Alright then, in a while, Second Brother and Second Sister will take you and the third sister to buy toys!"

"Yay!!!"

Everyone cheered, and only in the corner, someone who had been forgotten by the whole family shattered lightly once again.

Silently...

"Happy Birthday!!!"

Amidst the cheers and shouts, Lu Ma wore a small paper crown and blew out the candles, her face flushed, her eyes squinting as she lowered her head to rub the corners of her eyes, full of embarrassment: "I haven't celebrated this thing in years, look at you all... sigh..."

It was her fiftieth birthday, but she didn't look old; the once graying hair roots had become dark and shiny. After struggling for so many years, she had finally made it through, and sitting at the table seeing so many children around her, her eyes immediately turned red and she shed tears.

She really couldn't help it.

So, she deliberately turned her head to look at the little dog next to her.

Hmm, she held it in.

There was still someone here who was so old, not married, not looking for a girlfriend, picking his feet at home every day, and being annoying... the house couldn't even fit things anymore, and he still wasted so much money buying a massage chair; money doesn't grow on trees, he's so old and doesn't know how to live at all.

Her mother's fist suddenly hardened.

Lu Feng subconsciously shrank his head.

"Mom, you've lost so much weight recently."

Lu Ling leaned against her mother, took several selfies, and looked at Lu Ma in the photos, beaming.

The obesity caused by excessive hormone use in the early years had faded a lot, her double chin had become smaller, her jawline was much clearer, and she hadn't had much back pain recently either.

"Take the medicine Dr. Xie prescribed on time." Ji Jue urged: "There's nothing wrong with taking care of yourself more; look, your body is much better now, right?"

A few days ago, he took Lu Ma and the little ones to the Xinxin Sanatorium for a check-up and consulted Xie Lan; regarding this, Xie Lan said it was a piece of cake.

However, the problems caused by the abuse of hormones in the early years had become deeply entrenched after so many years. Although Lu Ma had a strong physique, she was still an ordinary person after all and couldn't handle the reshaping of harsh medicine, so he recommended strengthening the foundation and taking it slow, gradually adjusting, and recovering to normal wouldn't be a problem.

Anyway, the medicine was already prescribed, Lu Feng just had to go pick it up every once in a while, and with Lu Ling supervising, there was no fear of Lu Ma finding it troublesome or worrying about wasting money.

"Alright, alright, eat, it's all steamed."

Lu Ma urged with a smile, lifting the steamer to start serving; Lu Ling had specifically bought a lot of fish, shrimp, and crab to make seafood porridge. The shrimp meat steamed in the porridge was firm, fresh, and sweet, and paired with the dipping sauce, one bite after another, it was impossible to stop.

With Lu Feng's big mouth, and the third and youngest children who were growing, no amount was ever enough.

Steaming one round after another, the seafood juices dripped through the holes in the steamer into the porridge, giving the otherwise plain porridge base a fragrant and sweet taste.

By the end, everyone got a bowl, and after sprinkling on cilantro and local white pepper, it was so fragrant that it was unbearable.

Ji Jue also ate until his stomach was round for the first time in a long while.

He sprawled on the sofa to digest, basking in the sunlight coming into the balcony.

After Lu Ling finished helping Lu Ma, she asked: "Summer vacation is coming up, do you have any plans?"

"Hmm..."

Lu Ling was stunned for a moment, as if she hadn't thought about it, and now being asked by Ji Jue, she subconsciously replied: "Helping out at home, the shop has been very busy lately."

"Can't Lu Ma just hire a few more people? The current profit isn't lacking that little bit of labor cost, right?" Ji Jue shook his head, seriously reminding her: "For your major, your resume is the most important thing; if you can intern as early as possible or get more work experience, it will be good for your future."

"Little Ji is right."

Lu Ma nodded decisively, "What can you do if you stay here besides bookkeeping? Help me change tires?"

"Then... I'll go to Quancheng?!"

Lu Ling's eyes lit up instantly: "Anyway, it's work wherever I go, why not go help you? How about it? Second Brother, don't worry, I can endure hardship!"

Ji Jue paused for a moment and coughed twice; Lu Feng, who was pretending to watch TV not far away, also suddenly became tense.

Lu Ling had been the most worry-free since she was a child, so there was certainly no need to worry about her using his name to run wild, but the problem was... the current business of Coastal Industry, while not exactly illegal or criminal, could only be described as really not seeing the light of day.

If she really got involved, she might give the girl's innocent little heart a shock unique to the Embers.

What if she discovered that her most respected Second Brother was secretly running an underground factory that was 'recruiting daily' and producing all sorts of things the Federation didn't allow, while her eldest brother, who had turned over a new leaf to do security, was carrying a gun and setting fires to collect debts in the wilderness every day—how could life go on!

He subconsciously looked at Lu Feng, and Lu Feng glared back.

You remember me now? Huh? Too late!

You started it, you solve it yourself!

"Uh, ahem, Quancheng is too desolate, it's not suitable; it's all rough men, the water and electricity are cut off every day, and you can't even take a bath for days."

After saying this, he waved his hand, and before the excited Lu Ling could speak, he preempted her: "I'll go ask Han... ahem, Tong Hua later; they have a company in the North Mountain area that's been idle as hell lately, the turnover is quite high, and the operations are quite complex, so you can just go and learn something.

And it's close to home, you can drive yourself to work every day, saving Lu Ma from worrying, right?"

"Alright then..."

Lu Ling nodded, feeling vaguely disappointed. After all, for a child like her, going out of the city to work in the wilderness was still too early.

But soon, she regained her spirits and began showing Ji Jue her grades at school.

Champion in multiple events at the school sports meet: sprinting, long-distance running, and swimming!

She brought back a whole pile of trophies.

In all fairness, Lu Ling's university life was much more exciting than Ji Jue's... Back then, he didn't care about school sports meets or clubs; one word: grind. Grind from classmates to seniors, grinding from beginning to end, grinding until people hated him—how could he have ever been this popular?

"Second Brother, you seem to be very famous already! Many senior sisters who used to have their eyes on their foreheads now smile at me in a way that's a bit creepy.

A few days ago, during the awards ceremony, a school leader who seemed very important specifically asked me when you could come back to give a speech, and I said I didn't know your schedule."

"Then just find a free time." Ji Jue nodded: "Let him set a time with my assistant to confirm the schedule; you have the number, right?"

"Find Miss Yi?"

"Just call her Isis, her surname isn't Yi."

As for giving a speech, the current Ji Jue didn't really care.

After all, the coast is actually short of people right now, so it's just right to bring over the donkeys and horses that just came out of the Tianmen...

In the past, he didn't really care about those guys, but a few days ago, when Ye Chun sent him a message, he learned that his photo had been hung on the wall of outstanding graduates in the hallway of the branch.

The position wasn't very prominent; after all, as one of the Federation's top five, Tianmen has countless geniuses and talents graduating every year, and so many alumni have flourished over the years. In terms of status, Ji Jue still had to step back a bit.

But it wasn't too far back either.

Just right, hung behind his mother, right next to her.

It looked quite nice.

Ji Jue smiled, holding the two sleepy little ones in his arms, and he himself felt a wave of drowsiness rising.

The third sister lay on his arm, as if she hadn't woken up from a nap, her eyes bleary: "Second Brother, Second Brother, let's... let's go play at the beach in a while."

"Okay, okay." Ji Jue nodded.

"Buy ice cream, want, want a little shark."

"But your teeth will hurt, you know."

"I'm not afraid of pain." The third sister thought for a moment, hesitating: "I can share it with you, even a little more is fine."

"Can I have a little more?"

"No." The third sister shook her head, "I have to share it with Mom too."

"Then let's buy ice cream, little shark."

Ji Jue stroked her hair, gently and carefully, watching her fall asleep again.

He also closed his eyes.

Under the afternoon sun, snoring soon began.

It seemed someone gently covered him with an air-conditioning blanket and left quietly.

In the short nap, he seemed to have a very, very long dream.

Just like all the dreams in these days, it was intermittent, sometimes dreaming and sometimes waking, but what he saw in the dream was only pitch black; in the darkness, faint and blurry sounds came.

It seemed far away, and it seemed distorted, just like falling into the deep sea.

Endless downward, downward, and downward.

Until he fell to the end of the sea and the dream.

He woke up.

The afternoon sun was still warm and gentle, illuminating his eyes, but the scene in the dream was still continuing, vivid in his mind.

Before waking up, he saw a faint glimmer of light in the deepest part of the darkness.

A point of scarlet, leaping silently in the seemingly eternal darkness.

Like a flame.

In the deep sea, the dead ash drifted, reigniting once again.