“In other words—”
Zhang Xian pointed a finger at himself. “When your grandfather was in school, I was basically his father.”
“...”
Luo Yang didn't know how many times he had been rendered speechless today.
He had thought Zhang Xian called him here to discuss something important.
And it was just this?
Bragging about his social standing in the dorm to his old classmate’s grandson?
This silly Principal...
Seeing Luo Yang’s expression, which looked like he had just swallowed a fly, Zhang Xian burst into hearty laughter.
It took a good while before he finally settled his gaze back on Luo Yang.
“His father?” Luo Yang repeated with a strange tone.
“Hahaha, just a joke. That kid never actually admitted it.” Zhang Xian turned around, the remnants of a smile still on his face.
“However, he did owe me quite a bit in meal money. With the interest added up over the years, calling me ‘Grandpa’ now wouldn't be a loss for you.”
Luo Yang adjusted his glasses, deciding not to take the bait.
“Principal Zhang, you asked me to stay behind. I assume it wasn't just to reminisce about... well, student debt?”
“Young man, you have no sense of humor.” Zhang Xian walked back to his desk and sat down, gesturing toward the chair opposite him.
“Sit. Don't worry, this old man isn't here to collect on those debts.”
“Then you want me to do something?”
“In a way. Before your grandfather left Yuanxing City, he had one last drink with me. He mentioned you then.”
Luo Yang sat down as instructed, his spine unconsciously straightening. “What did he say about me?”
“He said that while you look mild-mannered, you’re stubborn to the core. Once you set your mind on something, eight horses couldn't pull you back. He also said...”
Zhang Xian paused, suppressing a grin. “You’re terrible at math. You take after him in that regard, not your father.”
“...Huh?”
“Don't be surprised, kid. He almost failed High-Level Energy Geometry once. I stayed up all night tutoring him.”
“And then that little punk went and got into a duel the day before the re-examination. He ended up covered in injuries and almost missed it. I had to carry him into the exam hall on my back. He was howling like a banshee from the pain, but he still didn't forget to memorize a few extra formulas at the last second.”
Luo Yang: “...”
This seemed a world away from the grandfather in his memories—the man who was always silent and stoic, with deep eyes that occasionally betrayed weariness and age.
The grandfather who had brought him to Yuanxing City when he was ten, only to leave a letter and this villa when he turned sixteen before vanishing without a trace. In someone else’s memories, he had apparently been a vibrant, even reckless, youth.
“Do you know where he went?” Luo Yang asked the question that had been lingering in his heart for a long time.
The smile on Zhang Xian’s face faded. He picked up his reading glasses and began slowly wiping the lenses.
“I don't. He left very suddenly, only leaving me with a message saying he had to settle some ‘old debts.’ He said his return was uncertain and asked me... if anything happened to you, to look after you if I could.”
“But that’s all I know. That old bastard Luo Xingbang—if he really wants to hide, there are few people in this world who could find him. Your parents’ side... no news either?”
Luo Yang instinctively said no, but a second later, his expression turned odd.
Zhang Xian was right; if that old man wanted to hide, hardly anyone in all of Shenzhou could find him.
But Luo Yang wasn't even sure if his grandfather had gone home.
Back to the Luo family in the capital.
Before his grandfather left, he had left a letter telling Luo Yang to live well in Yuanxing City and not to initiate contact with the Luo family.
He also told Luo Yang to avoid leaving the city unless necessary. The absolute bottom line was that he must never step foot outside of Jiangnan Province.
As for hiding his identity, the old man said he would take care of it.
Luo Yang didn't know the reasons why, but he knew his grandfather wouldn't harm him.
So, he hadn't contacted his parents in a very long time.
Thinking of this, Luo Yang couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental.
“It seems the grandfathers and grandsons of your Luo family are all handfuls.”
Zhang Xian sighed and put his glasses back on, abruptly changing the subject. “Alright, enough of the past. Let’s talk business. Regarding your re-examination task, the city and the military have made a joint request. It’s been upgraded.”
He pushed a new mission briefing toward Luo Yang.
“Serial number JX-031, Level 3 Special Rift. The risk assessment is fifty percent higher than a standard Level 3 Rift.”
“It contains more than just conventional mutant beasts; higher-level entities have moved in. It requires a more thorough clearing.”
“Military units will provide a perimeter lockdown and fire support, but clearing the core area requires an elite squad to go deep inside. You and Qiu Shubai will assist this squad.”
Luo Yang quickly scanned the information on the briefing, his brow not even twitching.
“That’s it?”
“What do you mean, ‘that’s it’?” Zhang Xian raised an eyebrow. “Kid, don't get cocky. A Level 3 Special Rift usually requires a squad led by at least a Clear Heart rank, with all members at the peak of Core Consolidation. You and Qiu Shubai—one is a student, and the other is... well... also a student.”
“In short, the nature of this mission has exceeded the scope of a conventional re-examination. Mayor Liang personally made the call, saying he wanted to ‘test your mettle.’”
“I understand.” Luo Yang closed the briefing, his tone flat. “Mission objectives, time limit, support?”
“Complete the preliminary clearing within seven days and bring back at least three core samples from different types of mutant beasts.”
“The military is sending a top-tier seven-man special operations squad. The captain is a first-stage Clear Heart rank with extensive experience. Your job is to coordinate with them and provide professional assistance.”
Zhang Xian leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping. “Kid, I have high hopes for you. Don't let your grandfather... or me, down.”
Luo Yang looked up, meeting Zhang Xian’s gaze for a moment, before suddenly grinning.
“Naturally.”
Zhang Xian seemed a bit helpless against this nonchalant reaction. He leaned back and waved a hand.
“Fine. The mission details will be sent to your terminals. Go and tell the Qiu girl to come in. I have a few things to say to her as well.”
Luo Yang stood up and walked to the door. As his hand gripped the handle, he paused and looked back. “Principal, my grandfather... back then at the academy, was he very strong?”
Zhang Xian blinked, then started laughing. There was nostalgia in that laugh, but also a hint of complexity.
“Strong doesn't even begin to cover it. He was the monster of our year, undefeated across the entire academy. However, he wasn't most famous for his strength.”
“Then for what?”
The old man winked. “It was when he was pursuing your grandmother. He climbed over the wall at midnight to buy her late-night snacks, only to get caught by the patrol. They hung him on the academy bulletin board for three days as a public example, and he was criticized in a campus-wide announcement.”
“I was the one who helped him write his self-reflection letter. He read it with such passion and soul that he nearly moved the Dean of Students to tears.”
The black lines on Luo Yang’s forehead were now too many to count.
“Go on now,” Zhang Xian said with a wave.
Luo Yang pulled open the door and saw Qiu Shubai standing quietly by the hallway window, her gray-white hair fluttering in the light breeze. He stepped aside. “The Principal wants you in.”
Qiu Shubai nodded and brushed past him into the office.
The door closed gently. Luo Yang leaned against the hallway wall, Zhang Xian’s words about his grandfather echoing in his mind.
A powerful prodigy, a clumsy suitor, a boy who owed meal money, who failed classes, and who got hurt... ordinary in his own way.
These fragments pieced together with the grandfather in his memory—deep as the sea—making that figure even more blurred.
“Whatever. That old geezer can go enjoy his own freedom...”
A few minutes later, the office door opened again.
Qiu Shubai walked out. Her face seemed even paler than before, her lips pressed into a thin line, and a layer of inescapable coldness had settled in her eyes.
“Done talking?” Luo Yang straightened up.
“Yes.” Qiu Shubai’s voice was colder than usual.
“About the mission?”
“I already know.”
“Then it’s...”
“It’s about me,” Qiu Shubai suddenly interrupted him, looking up. Her beautiful eyes seemed to shimmer with starlight.
“It concerns both this mission and... me.”
Rate on N.U.
