Chapter 39: Veterans Camp

Compared to his somewhat stern demeanor at school, Liu Qingfeng seemed more relaxed at this moment.

He seemed to blend into the group almost instantly.

Joking around, he occasionally let slip a few swear words.

Casually pulling out a long wooden bench to sit on, he patted the spot next to him and said to Yu Sheng, "Just sit anywhere, don't mind these old timers."

Yu Sheng nodded silently and sat down next to Liu Qingfeng.

Everyone looked at Yu Sheng with interest, as if trying to discern something about him.

After all, Liu Qingfeng had been a teacher for several years, and it seemed this was the first time he brought a student here.

There definitely was a story here.

Suddenly, the figure of an old man flashed by in the distance.

Yu Sheng’s body stiffened for a moment, instinctively looking in that direction.

The old man noticed Yu Sheng's gaze and their eyes met across the distance.

Something familiar.

The bus...

Selling discs.

In an instant, images from three days ago flashed through Yu Sheng's mind.

"Ha ha ha!"

"Where did this young fellow come from!"

Laughing heartily, trying to ease the awkwardness, the old man with a goat beard quickly approached and hugged Yu Sheng's shoulders vigorously, "This young man looks handsome!"

"Strong and sturdy too!"

"He's definitely a future hero!"

"Is he anyone's kin here?"

While speaking, the old man was frantically making eye contact with Yu Sheng, as if his eyes were spinning like engines, yet Yu Sheng remained completely calm.

It was as if they were not on the same wavelength at all.

Liu Qingfeng stood up solemnly and bowed slightly to the old man, "Elder Zhong, this is my student."

As he spoke, Liu Qingfeng's gaze towards the old man was filled with respect.

It was almost as if he were a soldier looking at his utterly loyal general.

"Ha ha, Qingfeng."

"Your student?"

"He truly stands out, one in a million."

"He'll definitely be a fine recruit on the battlefield."

"Very good... very good indeed!"

Toward the end of his praise, the old man enunciated each word heavily, staring intently at Yu Sheng without stopping.

Even Liu Qingfeng was taken aback by the old man's attitude.

In this world, those who had received such commendation from the elder were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns!

Even some of the illustrious up-and-comers had earned nothing more than a scoff from him.

Could it be... Yu Sheng was even more exceptional than Liu Qingfeng had imagined?

For a moment, Liu Qingfeng found himself in a bout of self-doubt.

It couldn't be...

This man, who once commanded Demon-Suppressing Pass and was the finest general among three generations of human awakeners, wouldn't lie, right?

Certainly not!

Elder Zhong's words could not be questioned!

Yu Sheng was indeed a peerless prodigy!

Influenced by what Elder Zhong had said, the way everyone now looked at Yu Sheng changed.

With such high praise from Elder Zhong, whether Yu Sheng chose to serve in rear government positions or enlist on the frontline, his career path was sure to be smooth sailing.

They even envisioned him as a rising star on the horizon.

The old man coughed twice, eyeing Yu Sheng suspiciously, still unsure if the young man would reveal any embarrassing incidents from the other day.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, "No, this rare genius needs my personal mentorship!"

"Kid, come with me!"

With that, Elder Zhong stood up and pulled Yu Sheng toward a corner.

Envious glances followed them.

Personal instruction from Elder Zhong was a matter of envy no matter where it occurred.

After all... the name Zhong Yushu carried absolute weight among their people.

But...

Elder Zhong tugged, yet Yu Sheng remained motionless in his seat.

He tugged again, still no movement.

Elder Zhong grew impatient, rolled up his jacket sleeves, flexed his muscles, and tried again with more force.

...

Yu Sheng, looking perplexed at the somewhat sleazy-looking old man before him, asked hesitantly, "Do you... need something?"

"Yes!"

"Something very important!"

Elder Zhong said, puffing up, his eyes wide with urgency.

Yu Sheng appeared thoughtful, nodded slightly, and then... silently held up three fingers.

"Boy, are you crazy..."

"Fine!"

Elder Zhong had only gotten halfway through his sentence when he abruptly swallowed his words.

Yu Sheng, slightly embarrassed, scratched his head and silently stood up to follow Elder Zhong, heading off into the distance.

For a moment, everyone looked around bewildered.

Soon, praises began to echo.

"Truly, the young man admired by Elder Zhong is different."

"Exactly, even when facing our Elder Zhong, he is neither servile nor overbearing, a kind of composure that most young people nowadays lack."

"Qingfeng, you've found a good disciple."

The look in everyone's eyes turned envious as they gazed at Liu Qingfeng.

As a group of veterans who had battled their entire lives, who wouldn't want to find a worthy successor in their twilight years?

Unfortunately, they hadn't found theirs yet, while the relatively young Liu Qingfeng had already succeeded.

"What are you smiling about? Go cook!"

"Waiting for someone else to serve you?"

One of the veterans, growing increasingly irritable at Liu Qingfeng, suddenly shouted.

Liu Qingfeng was taken aback.

Was I laughing?

Not at all.

Could it be they see through me just by thinking I'm laughing?

Feeling somewhat depressed, Liu Qingfeng stood up and resignedly walked into a brick house.

The Liu Qingfeng who normally lectured students sternly in school suddenly lost all his authority in this secluded Veterans Camp.

...

"Kid, you're really pushing it!"

"Thirty yuan?"

"Are you trying to kill me?"

Elder Zhong, his face all wrinkled up, dragged Yu Sheng to a secluded corner and hissed at him.

"Is there a chance, I mean... three hundred?"

Yu Sheng looked at Elder Zhong, hesitated for less than a second, and then spoke.

"You...!"

Elder Zhong's voice suddenly rose, noticing that the others in the distance were watching. He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressed what he was about to say next, and lowered his voice again: "Are you out of your mind?"

"Do you know how much I actually made from selling those DVDs?" Elder Zhong asked.

Yu Sheng pondered for two seconds. "Those discs are sourced from a shop called Brown Audio-Visual in the east of Mobei. The content is children's cartoons, and the cost price per disc is one."

"You sold a total of 15 discs on the bus, priced between 50 to 60 each."

"So... you must have made about 800."

Yu Sheng calculated the figures seriously, while Elder Zhong's face grew darker, his fists clenching several times.

But in the end, he held back.

He couldn't hit him...

If he did, his own dealings in bootleg DVDs would be exposed, and that would be terribly embarrassing.

More importantly...

He was selling fakes!