Chapter 494: This Young Man Is Not Simple (1)

Li Xiaofei walked over to stand in front of the young woman’s stall. The girl looked up with a bright smile.

"Are you here for medicine or a bone-setting?"

However, she froze when she met his eyes.

"Little Li?"

Her tone was filled with both surprise and joy as a familiar nickname bubbled up. Li Xiaofei smiled and opened his arms. The girl leaped up, and to the astonishment of those nearby, gave him a big hug.

"Ah, foul play! Charging with the ball!" Li Xiaofei teased.

The girl puffed out her chest and grinned mischievously. "Hehe, I’ve been waiting for a chance to bump into you!"

"You win, I surrender... I didn’t expect to run into you here," Li Xiaofei said with a helpless laugh. "Ren Dong, weren’t you attending university? If I remember right, you even got a scholarship!"

This young woman was none other than his former teammate, Ren Dong; the freckled, big-hearted girl who had been the medic of their high school battle team at Red Flag High School.

Back then, Ren Dong was known for her skills and dedication. When she graduated, she had received offers from several universities. She had eventually chosen a prestigious 985 university in Haijing City.

Li Xiaofei had known that Ren Dong was in Haijing City. He had planned to visit her once he had settled all his matters. He hadn’t expected to meet her so soon.

"I'm just working part-time to support my studies," Ren Dong said, scrunching up her nose as she grabbed a small stool and gestured for him to sit. "I come here after class to set up my stall. Herbalism needs to be applied in practice, and accumulating hands-on experience is crucial. This place is perfect for that."

Li Xiaofei sat down as he asked, "But why the slum? Aren’t there similar opportunities for internships within the city?"

Ren Dong’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled.

She started mixing medicine for a customer as she replied cheerfully, "The people here need me more. There are fewer doctors in the slum, and the fees aren’t affordable for many. So I thought I’d do something good. And, to be honest, it’s partly because of you."

"Because of me?" Li Xiaofei leaned forward, intrigued. "How so?"

Ren Dong handed the medicine pouch to the customer, looked up at Li Xiaofei, and grinned. "You made me curious about the slum. I enjoyed coming here to explore, and after a few visits, I noticed how hard life is for the people here. It’s difficult for them to see a doctor or get medicine. Minor illnesses are left untreated until they become serious, and serious illnesses often turn fatal. So, I talked it over with a few classmates and started a volunteer group. We come here in our spare time to provide consultations, prepare medicine, and sell it at cost. Covering expenses is enough for us."

Li Xiaofei couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of respect. A child who had grown up in a poor place like Liuhe Base City, molded by the teachings of their headmaster in ancient martial arts, would always carry a heart of pure compassion.

He had killed Jiepeng nationals to serve his country. Ren Dong was doing the same in her own way by treating the sick and saving lives. Both were dedicating their youth, passion, and energy to the nation and its people. Neither effort was greater or lesser than the other.

"I never would’ve thought that the reckless little girl who used to poison herself for experiments has grown into someone so self-aware. I’m proud of you," Li Xiaofei teased. But there was an undertone of sincerity in his voice.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Ren Dong wrinkled her small, delicate nose and replied, "No need for such praise. Hehe, I already said it’s because of your influence."

Li Xiaofei smirked and asked, "I’ve influenced you that much?"

"Of course!" Ren Dong replied without hesitation.

Li Xiaofei grinned and teased, "Hey, Ren Dong, tell me the truth. Are you secretly in love with me?"

Ren Dong responded nonchalantly, "Yeah, I’m totally in love with you."

Li Xiaofei was struck dumb as Ren Dong burst into mischievous laughter, her chest bouncing with the force of her amusement. She looked entirely pleased with her successful prank.

"Relax," she said with a playful smile. "I know you’ve got that city leader’s beautiful daughter as your girlfriend. There’s no way I can compete with her. Besides, we’re practically siblings! Even if I did like you, I wouldn’t have the nerve to make a move."

Her teasing tone made it clear she was enjoying herself immensely. As the two of them chatted, six or seven men in suits approached the stall. The men looked utterly exhausted, as though they had been trapped in a pitch-black prison for decades.

"Ren Dong, give me ten Blood Recovery Pills," said one of the men, a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard. He laughed heartily as he sat on a small wooden stool next to the stall. "And while you’re at it, give this old man a shoulder rub."

"Got it, Uncle Chen. Have a seat," Ren Dong replied cheerfully.

She gave Li Xiaofei a quick glance, silently telling him to wait while she worked. She opened her small medicine chest with practiced ease and carefully began preparing the requested pills.

The other weary-looking men in suits also took seats around the stall.

One of them, a middle-aged man named Zhang Xi, waved to a man down the street and shouted, "Liu, bring over a hundred crab claw skewers, two hundred wind dragon skin skewers, a hundred fish bubble and fish stick skewers, ten bottles of enzyme water, and six bowls of extra-rich sugar-flavored nutritional porridge!"

"Got it, coming right up," shouted Liu, the man grilling skewers in the distance.

It was clear from their interactions that everyone was familiar with one another. The men in suits seemed to be government officials who had risen from the slum through their hard work and academic achievements. Though they worked in city offices during the day, they still chose to live in the slum at night.

Li Xiaofei quietly observed the scene from the side, his expression calm but focused.

"Chen Long, why have you been working overtime every day lately? I haven’t seen you leave work on time even once." A disabled adventurer at a neighboring stall asked with a friendly smile.

"No choice," sighed Chen Long, the scruffy-bearded man sitting on the stool. "The city leader’s new policies need manpower in order to implement them, so our team was urgently reassigned to assist Director Huang. The workload has been huge; we haven’t had a proper rest for three days and nights."

As he spoke, he leaned back and closed his eyes, enjoying Ren Dong’s skillful massage.

Despite only having set up her stall in the slum for about six months, Ren Dong’s expertise in herbalism and bone-setting massage had earned her a stellar reputation, making her a favorite among the locals.

Nearby, Sister Ling, a seamstress working on an old-fashioned sewing machine, chimed in while stitching a garment. "I heard our new city leader doesn’t know what he’s doing, messing around with all these reforms. People are struggling to survive and have even gone to protest at city hall."

"That’s not quite right, Sister Ling," said Li Zhixue, a boyish civil servant who looked barely past twenty. He wasn’t offended by her comment and replied cheerfully. "City Leader Xue is working for the common people’s benefit. Didn’t your family’s income and business taxes get waived this year? Under the new policy, your three children will soon be able to attend school for free."

"Really?" Sister Ling froze in disbelief.

"Absolutely," Li Zhixue affirmed with a smile. "Once the reforms are fully implemented, a public school will be built here in the slum. The kids can also attend schools outside the district for compulsory education, all free of charge. If they excel in their studies or cultivation, they can even earn scholarships."

Chen Long added, "That’s right. If your kids do well, they’ll have opportunities they’ve never had before."

Sister Ling’s excitement was palpable. "If that’s true, I’ll set up a shrine at home and burn incense for City Leader Xue every day!"

Her deepest concern was her three children. All her hard work was devoted to keeping her kids alive. It was her greatest, and simplest, wish as a widow. But now, someone was telling her that her children might have the chance to go to school, to cultivate and better themselves? She instantly became a loyal supporter of Xue Xuanqi.

Li Xiaofei fell into deep thought as he listened in. Xue Xuanqi’s unexpected rise to power had caught him off guard, but it was undoubtedly a positive development. The previous city leader, Qin Weilong, was universally recognized as a corrupt and despicable figure. Li Xiaofei had originally planned to deal with the foreigners first and then take care of Qin Weilong himself. Unexpectedly, Grand Commander Song Huaiyuan had already executed him.

Now, Xue Xuanqi stood alone in Haijing City, facing numerous obstacles in implementing his reforms. Sometimes, having a higher rank didn’t necessarily mean you could crush all opposition. The major aristocratic families and influential factions entrenched in Haijing City had infiltrated every industry and sector. Their strategies of nonviolent resistance and refusal to cooperate could easily reduce Xue Xuanqi’s reforms to a farce.

However, Xue Xuanqi had proven himself to be highly capable. He had seized the opportunity presented by the destruction of the Jiepeng Consulate and leveraged the subsequent collapse of Jiepeng’s influence in Haijing City. Using this momentum, he announced the abolition of all privileges previously enjoyed by Jiepeng nationals.

This audacious and almost reckless decision immediately won the support of the city’s lower-class citizens. The sentiments of Great Xia’s working and middle classes were straightforward; they supported anyone who opposed Jiepeng.

Xue Xuanqi had firmly established his first foothold using this grassroots support. Next, Xue Xuanqi needed to rally more mid- and lower-level officials, gaining the support of these silent majority figures to further implement his reforms.

From the moment he took office, the new city leader had been clear about his strategy. He chose to unite with the common people and abandoned any attempts to win over the aristocratic families. His path was one of grassroots mobilization, reminiscent of the historic strategy of encircling cities from the countryside.

Li Xiaofei greatly admired this new city leader. Xue Xuanqi demonstrated decisiveness, boldness, and cunning. If his policies could be successfully implemented, Haijing City had the potential to undergo a profound rebirth.

This was exactly the kind of change Li Xiaofei had hoped for. He began to contemplate ways to support Xue Xuanqi and accelerate the reform process. Furthermore, he considered forging a long-term partnership between Jingwu Sect and the city leader. Together, they could stand against the aristocratic families’ entrenched power base.

Around him, the atmosphere remained lively and cheerful. Chen Long, a man with a knack for seizing opportunities, began promoting the benefits of the new policies to the vendors around him. He especially highlighted how the reforms would favor small businesses, explaining their advantages in great detail. Before long, more and more people had gathered to listen.

When they heard Chen Long and the others describe the promising future envisioned by the new policies, many in the crowd couldn’t help but feel a spark of hope. Their faces lit up with anticipation for the city leader’s reforms to be implemented as soon as possible.

"As long as the new policies are successfully implemented, all of us here will be able to eat clean meat and drink fresh water," someone said enthusiastically.

"Yeah, maybe even white rice once a day," another added with a chuckle.

"And as much nutritional porridge as we want," a vendor chimed in.

"That’s right! Our kids will be able to go to school too."

"We poor folks can finally live with dignity and stop worrying about being looked down upon by outsiders."

The other civil servants joined in, passionately spreading the word. It wasn’t just their job; it was what they truly believed.

"Hehe, say what you want, but these past few days, even though we’ve worked ourselves to the bone, it feels great not having to grovel to those aristocratic lapdogs just to get our work done."

"Exactly," another agreed.

Suddenly, Li Zhixue remembered something. "By the way, Chen, wasn’t the porridge workshop we handled today owned by the Du family? The manager there was incredibly arrogant and even threatened revenge. Should we be on guard these next few days?"

Chen Long nodded thoughtfully. "You’re right, Little Li. Everyone should stay alert for the next few days. Let’s try to travel in pairs to and from work. It’s safer that way."

Rumor had it that assassins had been targeting reform officials recently. It was wise to take precautions. Just as they were talking about it, a scream pierced the air from the far end of the market.

Chaos erupted in the night market as stalls were overturned. Goods were sent flying as curses and cries filled the air.

A squad of warriors in uniform police attire stormed down the street, shoving their way through the crowded market. In no time, they had surrounded Ren Dong’s stall.