Chapter 259: Sweet Breath of Freedom

Fine, got it. What's so hard about protecting a student?

The woman lazily stretched, seeing no difficulty in the task at all; she felt NieZhenghao was underutilizing her.

She, a Wu Hou Realm strongman, having to protect a student—surely that's a pure waste of resources?

"By the way, you just returned to the country and don't know much about this youth. I've sent a file on Lu Jing to your phone; be sure to check it."

From the earpiece, the man's voice sounded again, "Don't be too careless; there are many who want to kill him now."

"Really? He's just a student; is it that serious?"

The woman clearly doubted, opened her phone, and tapped the newly received file to browse.

She read while chatting intermittently with the voice in the earpiece.

"How's your overseas training going? I heard Eagle Sauce over there has started integrating technology with the Martial Way."

The woman smiled, a hint of superiority in her tone, "They're a bit stronger than here; over at Eagle Sauce it's freer, and martial artists have more paths to choose. Their Martial University has a mech division, allowing them to use machines for great power."

"Mech division? Really?"

The man clicked his tongue in amazement, "Didn't they say the Cave's demon beasts only eat a martial artist's fists? What use would a mech have inside the Cave?"

"What you can imagine, they've already overcome. Their mechs burn the pilot's Blood Qi; the stronger the Blood Qi, the stronger the mech's power, and a Grandmaster can achieve aerial flight."

The woman raised an eyebrow, smiling as she added, "And this thing wasn't originally designed to fight demon beasts; it's mainly for targeting martial artists from other nations. Think about it—if they hide in iron shells to fight you, it's like they have an extra life. Martial artists are so precious now..."

"Tch, it's just a case of protecting one's own turf. They don't think about how to eliminate demon beasts, but they have a whole system for dealing with their own people."

The woman didn't rebut; her attention was now fully captured by the file on her phone.

"Dragon Imperial New Star, Martial Top Scholar, Horizontal Push Zaoji Tower—what the heck..."

The woman covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes filled with shock.

If those terms were taken out of context, she wouldn't react this way, but now they're all focused on a single person.

"Now you see why you're protecting him, right? He's the future of Huaguo—a golden bridge across the sea, a jade pillar that upholds the heavens! Countless eyes are on him; no one wants him to grow."

From the earpiece, the man's voice sounded a bit smug, "So, compared to the geniuses you met abroad, who's stronger, who's weaker?"

He was somewhat put off by the woman's comment that the moon abroad looks rounder.

The woman thought for a moment and replied, "I can only say each has its merits. Lu Jing is indeed strong, but there are plenty of geniuses of that caliber abroad. In terms of quality, they don't overwhelm him, but their sheer number of geniuses is overwhelming. By contrast, our local geniuses are like flowers in a greenhouse..."

"Enough, enough, stop talking," the man quickly cut her off, "Secure your target quickly. If the mission fails, NieZhenghao won't let you become a teacher at the Shogunate Martial University."

"Got it, I'll protect him," the woman agreed, then shifted, "But if the enemy's strength is too great, I won't throw my life away to save him. You understand, right?"

"Don't worry, the target is relatively safe for now; there shouldn't be high‑level enemies as long as he stays out of the Cave and doesn't leave the city—no major issues..."

A few hundred meters away, a young man with a long sword hanging from his waist reached out, stopped a taxi, and hopped in.

Lu Jing told the taxi driver to take him anywhere for a meal, then was the first to ask, "Driver, I heard a few demon beasts came up from the sea?"

"Demon beasts from the sea?!"

The driver jumped at the words, glanced back at Lu Jing, and shook his head, "Kid, you can't blurt that out. I've got good intel and never heard of it; it must be false!"

"Oh, then maybe I was mistaken; I just heard it from a friend who was talking nonsense."

Lu Jing smiled and explained.

"That's right, youngsters have a drink and say everything; just listen for fun, no need to take it seriously."

Lu Jing nodded, saying nothing more.

It seems the military has sealed off the news well, likely to avoid unrest.

He sat quietly in the back seat, watching the passing scenery, looking just like an ordinary student on a trip.

Lu Jing pulled out his phone and checked the mission details.

Buzz—

Suddenly, a text arrived, sent by the School Mission department.

"Current mission is S-level; teammates have been auto‑filled, and the remaining two teammates' info will be sent to your phone..."

"Someone else took this mission?"

Lu Jing frowned slightly; he dislikes carrying baggage on missions.

He opened the teammate info; a man and a woman appeared on the screen.

They looked under forty, dressed in military uniform, likely from the army, there for military points.

This reminded Lu Jing of the last mission, because of the two hulking men who died and were injured in his freshman year.

"Never mind, just do your part. Finish a few more S-level missions, and the four‑year Martial University credits can be completed early..."

Lu Jing thought to himself.

After a short while, the taxi eased to the side and stopped.

Lu Jing opened the door, stepped out, casually pulled out a hundred‑unit banknote and tossed it onto the seat, "Driver, no need to give change."

"Zhonghai Yingbin Grand Hotel—this driver must think highly of me, believing I can afford it."

Seeing the luxurious hotel before him, Lu Jing was very satisfied and strode inside.

The interior décor was equally lavish, appearing newly built, exuding wealth and elegance everywhere; even the perfume sprayed in the lobby cost over a hundred thousand per bottle.

Lu Jing first checked in, then walked to the restaurant and ordered a table full of dishes.

While eating, he opened the phone's navigation.

"The destination is a few kilometers from here, fairly convenient; after the meal, we'll go take a look."

Zhonghai Province, a barbecue stall near Yin Tan.

A woman and two men were guzzling wine and devouring meat, occasionally cursing.

Surprisingly, the woman was the biggest, nearly two meters tall, muscles bulging, looking ferocious.

"Wu Yi, you a woman drink so fiercely, I'm impressed!"

The woman smiled, grabbed a beer, gave it a slight push, and the cap flew off, "You guys are too weak; don't hold me back later."

The short-haired male student to the side waved his hand and said, "We've cooperated so many times—how could we drag you down? Mainly, this task was originally supposed to be handled by the three of us, but ended up letting a student take the spot."