Chapter 493: Meeting an Old Friend in a Foreign Land

"We strongly condemn the attack on the Jiepeng Consulate, the murder of the Jiepeng envoy, and the killing of Jiepeng warriors. We have reported the events in Haijing City to Star Council headquarters, and we trust that professional personnel will soon bring the perpetrators to justice."

This announcement was vague at best. Rather than targeting the so-called perpetrators, it seemed more like a procedural statement to appease various factions on the surface.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed city leader of Haijing City, Xue Xuanqi, unveiled his initial governance reforms.

The proposed policies covered a broad range of areas, including tax reform, personal income tax collection, business development strategies, insurance industry overhaul, increased support for essential livelihood enterprises, adjustments to the annual city government investment focus, vigorous development of military-industrial enterprises, support for emerging small financial groups, stricter regulation and guidance for martial arts factions, a crackdown on organized crime, increased investment in education, and policy changes in the Wanmao District.

The initial reform plan caused an uproar. It was essentially a complete overhaul of the policies from the Qin Weilong era. It was a thorough repudiation of the previous administration’s approach.

Unsurprisingly, this struck a nerve with many vested interests. For the aristocratic families, major financial sources, and powerful martial arts factions, these policies not only threatened to cut off their revenue streams but also sought to take food from their mouths.

The city grew increasingly turbulent beneath the surface. The calmer things appeared on the surface, the more intense the undercurrents of conflict beneath. Under the watchful eyes of all parties, a week passed after the announcement of Xue Xuanqi’s new policies. However, the implementation progress and efficiency were far from ideal.

Many within the bureaucratic system opposed the reforms, outwardly complying while inwardly resisting. The number of officials who genuinely supported Xue Xuanqi, the so-called Xue faction, was too small. Only a few, such as Huang Fulai and Zhu Kunyu, could provide meaningful assistance.

The Xue faction officials worked tirelessly, often pulling overtime and staying busy from dawn to dusk. However, their valiant efforts had minimal impact in a sprawling city of thirty million people.

But even more alarmingly, a silent storm was brewing. Over the course of several days, Xue faction officials became targets of assassination attempts. Dozens were killed in a short span, and even key figures like Huang Fulai and Zhu Kunyu only narrowly escaped death on several occasions.

On the fifth day after the new policies were announced, the city saw large-scale, organized demonstrations. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets, storming the city government, hurling Molotov cocktails, and holding massive banners denouncing Xue Xuanqi’s reforms.

Various media outlets, websites, and livestreamers joined the fray, criticizing Xue Xuanqi’s sweeping rejection of the previous administration’s policies with intense fervor.

The storm was approaching. Even the air seemed thick with tension and conflict. Yet none of this deterred Xue Xuanqi’s resolve for reform.

On the fourteenth day of his tenure and exactly a week after the initial reforms, Xue Xuanqi made three additional announcements that threw Haijing City into an uproar. First, the immediate abolition of all privileges enjoyed by Jiepeng nationals in Haijing City. Second, the permanent closure of the Jiepeng Consulate in Haijing City. Third, the expulsion of Jiepeng Empire troops stationed in Haijing City.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The announcement of these policies sent shockwaves through the city’s media and public discourse. For over a decade, Jiepeng nationals had acted with impunity in Haijing City, exploiting local resources, monopolizing essential industries, and perpetrating countless atrocities. They treated the people of Great Xia as subhuman while committing heinous crimes, all while bleeding the city dry.

The mere mention of the Jiepeng Empire evoked anger and resentment in any ordinary citizen of Great Xia, who had long suffered under their oppression. Under Qin Weilong’s administration, the people’s cries for justice had always been ignored. The government continually appeased the Jiepeng Empire under the guise of the greater good, using moral coercion to pacify the populace while the underprivileged bore the brunt of the suffering.

But now, the government was finally taking a firm stance against the Jiepeng Empire. Cheers erupted across the city. Xue Xuanqi’s reputation among the citizens soared, and for the first time, his influence began to rise dramatically.

The public also remained deeply curious about and admired the mysterious perpetrator who had destroyed the Jiepeng Consulate and slain the Jiepeng Saint, Tsukiha Tensō. To the people of Haijing, this individual was a hero.

Sadly, this hero had yet to reveal themselves. Even the Haijing division of the Star Council’s official announcements failed to provide any detailed information about them. This hero seemed as elusive as a divine dragon, seen only in their actions but never in their true form.

***

The warmth of human life was the balm for the mortal soul. Dressed in simple casual clothes, Li Xiaofei held a dozen skewers of grilled star beast meat in his hand as he strolled past the bustling stalls of the night market. A faint smile appeared on his face.

He had finally managed to organize the manuals into a preliminary cultivation system. But the past few days of relentless hard work had taken their toll. While his body could endure the strain, the mental exhaustion had accumulated. He couldn’t even begin to count how many brain cells he had burned before finally emerging from his secluded chamber.

He had been utterly drained. So, without telling anyone, he quietly made his way to the slum's night market to wander and decompress. He took in the cheap street food, the laughter of children, the shouts of vendors, the colorful neon lights, and the uneven cobblestones of the streets. This night market, seen by many wealthy individuals as filthy and undesirable, was, to Li Xiaofei, the most vibrant and heartwarming place.

Watching his fellow Great Xia citizens, struggling yet alive with purpose, gave him a deep sense of fulfillment. It made him feel that the days he had sacrificed cultivating as he’d poured his heart and soul into his work were all worth it.

The people running the stalls came from all walks of life. There were office workers, who, after a day spent in high-end buildings, donned grease-stained aprons at night to sell grilled skewers. There were university students from impoverished families performing street acts to make ends meet.

There were injured adventurers selling their collections: mostly beast bones, beast hides, or hand-drawn wilderness survival maps. They worked hard to attract customers, claiming they could also repair damaged weapons.

A young widow, tirelessly raising three children, sat behind her small booth mending and tailoring clothes for others. She had even put up a sign offering pick-up and delivery services for dry cleaning. An elderly couple, their hair white as snow, sat on small stools by the roadside, selling handmade clay figurines at incredibly low prices.

Each person was engaged in their own way of making a living. They toiled to support their families, struggling to survive in an era fraught with danger and uncertainty. This was the life of the most ordinary people at the very bottom. It was hard, yet it was vivid and full of life.

As Li Xiaofei walked through the crowded night market, he felt an inexplicable sense of harmony with the people and the environment around him.

Suddenly, his face lit up with surprise. In a small stall ahead of him, a figure he knew all too well was busy working away.

What is she doing here?

This young woman, someone he considered an old friend, should have been cultivating and studying at her university campus at this very moment. Yet here she was, selling herbal medicines and pills in the slum night market.

Could it be that she’s living in this slum now?

Meeting an old friend in an unexpected place stirred a wave of emotion in him. Li Xiaofei quickened his pace, walking toward her with the intention of saying hello.