Chapter 122: An Invitation from the King of Soldiers

Huo Feng sat alone at the dining table. Today, for a rare moment, she was quiet—not merely silent, but carrying an aura of profound stillness. Her mind remained fixated on the words Xiao Tianci had spoken earlier.

Hearing footsteps, Huo Feng turned to see Xiao Tianci leading little Gege into the room. The moment Xiao Tianci entered, he noticed the change in Huo Feng; one glance at her face revealed how different she was from her usual self.

*Oh, how rare. To think there would come a moment when Huo Feng is actually quiet. It seems my words had quite an impact on her. Still, what I said this afternoon was a bit extreme; it only addressed one side of the coin. Why was I so emotional at the time? Otherwise, I should have offered a more balanced perspective—it is so easy to mislead people.*

"Sister Huo Feng, what is wrong? Are you unhappy?" The Grand Steward spent most of his time by Xiao Tianci’s side, carving out time to tutor little Gege. Naturally, the daily care of the child fell to Huo Feng. Despite her fiery personality, she and little Gege shared a special bond, and her attentiveness gave Xiao Tianci great peace of mind.

Huo Feng felt a heavy weight in her heart, a sensation beyond words, as if she were falling off a cliff, plummeting endlessly, unable to touch or grab onto anything in the void. It felt as though her body had been shackled with thousands of pounds of iron. She had never experienced such a feeling before, and the more she dwelled on it, the more unbearable it became.

Hearing little Gege’s voice, a flicker of joy warmed Huo Feng’s heart. What a clever child. She took the girl's hand and asked, "How did little Gege know that Sister was unhappy?"

Little Gege was sharp; while everyone treated her like a child, she was already a little adult in her own right. "Sister Huo Feng is definitely unhappy. I know it." She lowered her head and whispered, "If Sister Huo Feng is unhappy, then I am not happy either."

Xiao Tianci watched from the side, thinking to himself, *Could the impact really be this severe? I never expected my words to affect her so deeply. I thought she would just ponder them for a moment and then forget. But looking at her now, it seems those thoughts have truly taken root. Sigh, this is trouble.*

Huo Feng felt a glow of warmth. Having grown up with only her brother as kin, she had never experienced such concern from others, nor had she dared to hope for it. "Don't worry, little Gege. Sister Huo Feng is fine. Come, sit down and eat."

Little Gege climbed into her chair, but her expression mirrored Huo Feng’s—she was unhappy. Her sorrow was unmasked; she was unhappy simply because Huo Feng was.

"Clap... clap..." Xiao Tianci clapped his hands softly. "Before we eat, let me tell you a joke." He smiled at little Gege. "If I can make Sister Huo Feng happy, will little Gege be happy too?"

Little Gege’s face immediately brightened, and she nodded eagerly. Huo Feng forced a smile. "Sister Huo Feng isn't unhappy! Come now, let's eat."

Little Gege shook her head stubbornly. "No, Sister Huo Feng is unhappy. If you are unhappy, I am not happy."

Xiao Tianci began, "Alright, listen to this: A Scotsman went to London to visit an old friend but forgot the address. He sent a telegram to his father: 'Do you know Thomas's address? Inform me!' That very day, he received an express reply containing only two words: 'I know.'"

Huo Feng had expected a hilarious joke, but this was not the type that made one burst into uproarious laughter; it was the kind that brought a thoughtful, knowing smile.

After finishing, Xiao Tianci looked at Huo Feng. "Having heard this, what do you think?"

What did she think? Huo Feng felt as if she had grasped something—a faint sensation, but she couldn't quite articulate it. It made her heart stir, but how to put it into words? *Well, his father should have given him the address instead of answering 'I know,' but...* She pondered further, still unable to summarize that vague feeling, and finally shook her head.

Xiao Tianci looked into her eyes. "It is actually quite simple. This little story tells us that when we finally find the most 'correct' answer, we often discover it is the most useless. Besides," he added, gesturing with his hands, "who is to say what is truly correct in this world? Even the most correct answer depends on the person. So, don't think about it so much."

Huo Feng suddenly felt as if she had caught hold of something; at the very least, her heart didn't feel quite so empty. Little Gege, watching Huo Feng’s expression, saw the slight movement at the corner of her mouth followed by her pensive look.

She gestured to Xiao Tianci, "Brother, Sister Huo Feng didn't laugh," her little mouth pouting, arms crossed, signaling that the joke wasn't funny.

Xiao Tianci shrugged. "Alright, I'll continue."

As Huo Feng kept her head lowered and the others exchanged silent glances, Xiao Tianci cleared his throat. "Let me tell you another one. Two traveling angels stopped to stay the night at the home of a wealthy family. The family was unkind and refused to let them sleep in the guest room, forcing them to stay in a cold corner of the basement. While making their beds, the older angel noticed a hole in the wall and repaired it. The younger angel asked why. The older one replied, 'Things are not always what they seem.'"

"The next night, they stayed at the home of a very poor farmer. The couple was incredibly hospitable, sharing their meager food and giving up their own bed for the angels. The next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife weeping; their only source of livelihood—a cow—had died. The younger angel was furious and demanded to know why the older one hadn't intervened, especially after he had helped the wealthy family."

"'Things are not always what they seem,' the older angel replied. 'When we stayed in the basement, I saw through the hole that the wall was filled with gold. Because the owner was consumed by greed and unwilling to share, I sealed the hole. Last night, the Angel of Death came for the farmer's wife, so I let the cow take her place instead. Therefore, things are not always what they seem.'"

Little Gege couldn't help but interject, "Brother, that joke wasn't funny either. Neither Sister Huo Feng nor I laughed."

In truth, Huo Feng felt much better. She didn't fully understand why she had been so distressed, but after the first joke, her heart had lightened—like a flame being lit in a dark night.

Seeing Huo Feng’s demeanor, Xiao Tianci smiled softly. "Your Sister Huo Feng will laugh in a moment. You little one, put your heart at ease. Now, it's time to eat; I'm starving. Grand Steward..."

Just as the Grand Steward answered, Jin Gang suddenly flashed to Xiao Tianci’s side and roared, "Come out!"

The move was like a siren. The Grand Steward pulled his gun, shielding Xiao Tianci along with Jin Gang. Huo Feng, already standing, leapt into the air, a powerful aura surging from her.

Xiao Tianci felt a jolt, but he couldn't help but smile; little Gege had rolled onto the table, her custom-made weapon already in hand. He knew her gun was different from the old ones—the Grand Steward had poured immense effort into upgrading it for her.

*Damn, it seems I need to become stronger quickly, at least to have the ability to protect myself. Even little Gege is like this now—this must be the Grand Steward's doing. I need to have a word with him; she is my sister, how could he teach her to protect herself? Well, if I am to increase my strength, it is best to keep it hidden—that will be my final trump card.*

As countless thoughts raced through his mind, Huo Feng was in the air. Her "Fire Phoenix Dance" was renowned for its footwork. She pushed it to the limit, her descent slowing as if she were being lowered by a wire.

In such a small room, the usually cautious Huo Feng had missed the intruder, but alerted by Jin Gang, she channeled her full power and instantly spotted the target.

With a sharp cry, "Come out!" Huo Feng’s body spun like a whirlwind. Her leg techniques covered the doorway, striking a half-meter-tall vase.

"Bang... crash..." As the vase shattered, a dark shadow flew out alongside the fragments.

"Trying to run?" Huo Feng was no longer who she once was. With Jin Gang’s guidance, she had broken through her power bottleneck and was now even stronger than the Blue Dragon had been. Her feet moved like the wind, kicking the fragments toward the shadow like bullets, sealing off every escape route.

"Oh..." The shadow was clearly surprised, but his reaction was swift; he pressed himself against the floor like a sheet of paper, narrowly dodging the attack.

Huo Feng pressed her pursuit, attacking with all her might. Everyone could now see that the intruder was a young man, about 1.7 meters tall, draped in a wide black trench coat. He dodged Huo Feng’s strikes with room to spare, though it was clearly not an easy feat. This was the first time Huo Feng had engaged in such a fierce fight with an outsider since her power increase.

After a few sharp shouts, the temperature in the room rose by over ten degrees. The air conditioning kicked in, but it couldn't dispel the heat radiating from Huo Feng.

As her power climbed, the young man was forced to stop dodging and start fighting back. The two were evenly matched, perhaps even more so on his side; his movements exceeded the limits of normal human imagination.

Jin Gang whispered, "Boss, this man is using bone-shrinking techniques. Based on his style, he should be the ninth-ranked soldier on the Soldier King rankings—the adopted son of the Soldier King."

"Oh..." Xiao Tianci had wondered who might be trying to kill him. It couldn't be Ivanov or Rogers; he believed their power was enough to deal with him easily—after all, they controlled nations. But they were rational, highly rational people, which was exactly why Xiao Tianci dared to act like a thug with them.

He had heard the name "Soldier King" countless times, first from Jin Gang, and then through the Blue Dragon whenever mercenaries were discussed.

*It seems everything in the mercenary world ties back to that old man. Did he send this person? What does he want with me?*

Huo Feng’s Fire Phoenix Dance was in full swing, and Tang Bing, having abandoned all distractions, moved as if he had no bones. Whenever Huo Feng’s fiery kicks seemed unavoidable, he would contort his body like a noodle to evade and strike back.

At first, he caught Huo Feng off guard, but she soon adjusted, adopting a strategy of seventy percent attack and thirty percent defense. Unlike the destructive battles between Jin Gang and the Blue Dragon, this was a contest of close-quarters technique.

After watching for a while, seeing they were evenly matched, Xiao Tianci spoke up: "Stop."

Huo Feng was in the middle of a thrilling fight, but Xiao Tianci’s command made her hesitate. Tang Bing did not take the opportunity to attack; instead, he slithered out of her reach like an eel. *How is this possible? When did Huo Feng become so powerful? Even her brother wasn't this strong! Strange. Didn't the Blue Dragon say his sister was far weaker than him? And what is her ranking? If she had this kind of strength, she should have been in the top thirteen long ago.*

Not daring to delay the main business, Tang Bing cupped his hands. "I am Tang Bing. On the orders of the Soldier King, I have come to extend an invitation to Boss Xiao."

Xiao Tianci pondered: *Inviting me? Why would the Soldier King suddenly want to invite me? Could it have something to do with the Blue Dragon Mercenary Group?*