Free Web NovelChapter 929: Chapter 302: The Research Institute’s Tough Stance
Late night.
Zhao Qian’en is treating, and people are going for skewers together.
No one else is coming.
Besides Su Yue, Bai Xiaolong, Meng Yang, Yang Le, there’s also the Bai Hui Sect.
Eating with others would definitely be awkward and not enjoyable.
But with Su Yue and them, they bullied Zhao Qian’en enough in the Wetland, even tied him up, so being with them, Zhao Qian’en doesn’t have much burden.
As for the Bai Hui Sect, they’re even more of a bad friend.
Zhao Qian’en led them to a rather quiet barbecue place, run by two ordinary elderly folks.
The elderly couple has been running the barbecue stall for over a decade, the business neither thriving nor struggling, not affluent but well-off.
They don’t worry about the wars in the Divine Land, nor do they care about martial artists, and they have no idea who Zhao Qian’en is, nor do they know who Su Yue is.
Zhao Qian’en specifically went to the suburbs for some peace and quiet.
There’s no helping it, famous people often have the troubles of being in the spotlight, every move is under public scrutiny, at times like wearing an invisible shackle.
Trying to find a little bit of your own space is too hard!
The owner is not overly enthusiastic, but not cold either.
He doesn’t know that among these six guests, two are Ninth-Grade Martial Artists, and the other four are outstanding young talents.
He calmly greeted everyone to sit, then dropped the menus for them to fill out themselves.
The elderly couple’s business today is average, and there aren’t many people in the shop.
Yang Lezhi glanced at the menu, then shook his head and wrote, "Grill whatever, just bring it out."
Very bold.
"You’re all adults now, you can drink! Today, let’s not talk about martial arts, let’s just drink.
"I’ve been feeling down, don’t want to complain or grumble, just want some people to drink with me!
"Drink without worries; having one once in a while won’t affect your foundation, especially since the weakest among you is a Fourth-Grade.
"Oh right, Su Yue, you’re injured, so you shouldn’t drink."
Zhao Qian’en brought over quite a bit of beer.
They were bottles of chilled beer, perhaps a bit cheap, but no one cared about the taste of the beer.
Bang, bang, bang!
Zhao Qian’en is Ninth Grade; he could easily open the bottles but chose to use an opener without exerting any Qi Blood.
Ninth Grade carries its own burdens.
No matter how sad or heartbroken, he plans to release it all tonight.
Tomorrow morning, Zhao Qian’en will shoulder the responsibilities and duties of being a Ninth-Grade martial artist.
By then, he will have no right to be decadent.
Tonight, he is fully a mortal.
"Come on, cheers!"
Bai Hui Sect didn’t waste words.
He grabbed a bottle, chug-chug-chugged it down in one go as a gesture of honor.
Su Yue couldn’t drink.
He looked at Bai Hui Sect in surprise, thinking Bai Hui Sect seemed to be enjoying the drink.
Yet he wanted to drink even more than Zhao Qian’en did.
"Cheers!"
The group drank straight from the bottle with fervor and excitement.
Su Yue felt envious.
Su Yue wanted to drink too.
But his wounds hadn’t healed, and he really didn’t dare to touch alcohol; even though he broke through to Fourth Grade, it was useless, not to mention risking the wound’s recovery, Zhao Qian’en simply wouldn’t allow him to drink.
"Boss, bring two heads of garlic.
"Tonight I’ll take garlic as wine and stink it out with Brother Zhao!"
Meat without garlic, the aroma lacks half.
Su Yue wouldn’t be sloppy either.
I’m not drinking, but I’ll eat more.
Before they knew it, it was already late at night.
The few of them sat in a secluded area, dressed quite normally; although a few more customers had arrived, no one could perceive their identities.
Zhao Qian’en drank while revealing Bai Hui Sect’s past embarrassments.
Bai Hui Sect also loved to brag, and Bai Xiaolong and the others listened intently with excitement.
Su Yue munching on garlic ended up having to help open beer bottles.
No choice; this group drank so fast.
...
"General Lin Dongqi sacrificed himself; will our Eastern Combat Zone be in great danger in the future?"
"Don’t worry, the Military Department will send other Ninth-Grades to suppress you, rest assured."
"Right, Vice Admiral Zhao Qian’en has just broken through, and he might take over the Zhao Qi Corps, so you can be at ease."
"Ah, back then I served in the Zhao Qi Corps too, caught a glimpse of Grand General Lin Dongqi from afar once, never thought... so angry."
"Who isn’t? Vice Admiral Zhao Qian’en just recently made a breakthrough, albeit very strong, but he can by no means surpass Grand General Lin Dongqi."
"Exactly, if even Grand General Lin Dongqi got killed on the battlefield, who can stand against the other races?"
...
Not far away, a table of diners were martial artists discussing the matter of Lin Dongqi.
Su Yue, having not drunk, was clearly listening.
As for whether Zhao Qian’en could hear, Su Yue wasn’t sure, but he guessed Zhao Qian’en probably could; after all, he’s Ninth Grade, and despite having had some drinks, his strength and perception remained.
Yet, he pretended not to hear!
Indeed.
Zhao Qian’en had only just reached Ninth Grade, in terms of both experience and strength, he was far lacking compared to Lin Dongqi.
This table of diners is just a microcosm.
Many more martial artists would certainly question Zhao Qian’en’s strength and leadership abilities.
A loved one just died in battle, and now he’d be questioned by many martial artists, just thinking about it gave Su Yue a headache.
The key is Cang Ji lurks outside the Wetland, ready to attack any moment.
Internal and external conflicts, deep-seated enmities.
Zhao Qian’en’s situation truly makes one worry.
The road ahead is going to be very hard.
"Hey, they’re replaying today’s news on the TV."
The owner had a TV hanging on the wall, covered with grease from years of smoke and fire.
Earlier, the TV was playing random ads, and Su Yue didn’t pay attention.
Now, replaying today’s news late at night.
It’s covering a major Divine Land press conference!
It’s a special on the new antidote for Frostvine Armor’s poison.
