Chapter 642: Dragon Slayer

Chapter 642: Chapter 8: Dragon Slayer

‘Jeez, so this is what Su Zhou meant when he said he’d treat us once we got to the Divine Wood World!’

Shao Qiming, at the side, couldn’t help but rub his temples. He had been wondering how Su Zhou could possibly treat them without any money from this world. It turned out his plan from the start had been to freeload off a wealthy acquaintance. Since the meal was on his account, he probably figured it was close enough to him being the host. That was Su Zhou’s logic, alright.

‘That’s Su Zhou for you!’

Of course, this wasn’t what he was most focused on, but rather the “Divine Wood World” itself.

‘Interesting. This world is very interesting.’

With this thought, Shao Qiming, sitting in his chair, thoughtfully activated his proxy terminal and began to record information. ‘This is a “True Qi route,” a technological path completely different from Earth’s, with True Qi as the main power source.’

‘The foundation of this path is that all citizens are Martial Artists. The most fundamental power source for the entire society is the populace itself. A person’s Cultivation determines their standard of daily life—take the True Qi Walking Machine from earlier, for example. The more advanced models are faster, consume more Spiritual Qi, and are more popular. By the same token, I’ve also noticed that there are no such things as electrical wires in this world’s residential buildings. This proves that even if a True Qi Furnace can generate electricity, they don’t have creations like large-scale power generators. The vast majority of people must convert their own Spiritual Qi into electricity for daily use.’

‘Of course, that’s just a limited observation. Judging solely from this large flying fortress I’m on, it’s clear the Divine Wood World’s technology can make large-scale use of Spirit Veins. They’ve probably built Spiritual Energy Storage Stations in key Spirit Vein regions…’

In any case, a completely different technological path was an enormous treasure. Shao Qiming knew very well that if he could bring the relevant technical information back to Earth, never mind the Citizen Points he could earn, the technological advantage it would give Zhengguo alone would be a monumental leap.

‘And what’s more, Azhou brought all of this about. It’s because he exists that this world has become what it is today.’

With this thought, Shao Qiming looked at Su Zhou and Zhou Buyi, who were still chatting, and a smile touched his lips. ‘Perhaps this is what he really wanted to show off to me—this entire world where the people live in peace and contentment, a world of absolute Taiping.’

‘He wants to prove to me that he can accomplish something like this—whether in an Otherworld or on Earth.’

Meanwhile, Su Zhou and Zhou Buyi were wrapping up their conversation.

“I understand the general situation now.”

Su Zhou nodded seriously, his expression thoughtful. “Martial Master Weilie was indeed very old. Not long after the victory over the Demon Dynasty, he lost his will to live and passed away when his time came. It was the same for the Grand Master. After developing the second-generation True Qi Furnace, he passed away in contentment.”

“As for Fang Hui Martial Monk, he stayed behind on the New Continent. His fate has been unknown for decades, and he’s presumed to have achieved nirvana. And Ms. Liuu Xizhao… she was severely injured while fighting separatists in Central Asia and died over a decade later.”

Zhou Buyi and Liuu Xizhao had married over a century ago and had a son and two daughters. By now, their family tree had branched out considerably. But after more than a hundred years, even the ties with his direct bloodline had grown distant. Of the children into whom Zhou Buyi had once poured his heart and soul, some focused on politics and never pursued the Martial Dao, while others went to the battlefield to set an example, only to fall in foreign lands. It wasn’t until Zhou Buyi himself stepped down as Alliance Chairman and became the director of the Demon Suppression Bureau that his descendants could finally live normal lives.

“Sometimes, I truly feel that Longevity is a form of suffering. The deeper your ties to the Mortal World, the more intense the pain. That’s why, even now, I continue to promote the Martial Dao for all, so the gap between Martial Artists and ordinary people doesn’t grow too wide. The price is that crime among Martial Artists is on the rise, and even the Demon Suppression Bureau is starting to feel short-staffed.”

When it came to the loss of those close to him, Zhou Buyi’s emotions were far more intense than Su Zhou’s. After all, Su Zhou had only spent a short time with them. The memories were vivid, but not enough time had passed for deep-seated affection to form. Zhou Buyi, however, had fought alongside those people for decades, even a century.

After a moment of reflection, Zhou Buyi looked at Su Zhou and frowned slightly. “You don’t seem particularly sad. Is it that you don’t remember them well?”

But he quickly relented. “Then again, that makes sense. Over a hundred years have passed. We only had to remember one person—you. But there’s no way you could remember all of us. It would be unfair of me to expect you to remember them as vividly as I do.”

“No, I remember everyone.”

In response, Su Zhou lowered his eyes. He even let out a soft laugh. “It’s not that. Am I supposed to put on a sad expression? Yes, I am saddened by their deaths. But I would much rather be happy about the peaceful world they created.”

“I feel that sometimes, for the predecessors who fulfilled their dreams, presumptuously grieving their deaths instead of celebrating that their dreams came true and rejoicing in the realization of their ideals is, in itself, a form of disrespect.”

“…Mmm. My master also said that with the Hundred Schools Alliance established, he could die without regrets. He strictly forbade us from playing dirges at his funeral; he wanted a triumphal march… His last words, I remember them clearly. All of their last words, I remember them…”