Chapter Twenty-Nine: Dragon and Tiger Mountain

In the frigid mountains of Antarctica, a secret base belonging to the militarist forces of R Country, capable of mass-producing King-level ninja, was discovered by Huaxia. As a permanent member of the Security Council, Huaxia swiftly reported it to the United Nations. The UN responded with lightning speed, decisively eradicating this malignant tumor that could threaten the peace of humanity in times to come.

Within the base, they even found numerous werewolves from the European world; after undergoing mutation, these werewolves had grown even stronger, their destructive power greatly enhanced! The operatives dispatched by the United Nations to execute this mission were all seasoned experts, yet even they were left in shock. The facility spanned five underground levels, covering an area equivalent to thirty football fields. Eight thousand King-level ninja and two thousand various laborers from demon clans were found inside. Fortunately, the abilities of these cloned beings were limited to following simple orders and they had yet to form true combat power—otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. But that is another story.

It took Hua Feng only a short while to reach the rendezvous point. After reuniting with Yun Meng, the five of them set off together back to camp.

Throughout the journey, Yun Meng noticed Hua Feng was uncharacteristically silent, lost in his own thoughts.

“Hua Feng, are you all right?” she asked gently.

“I’m fine, don’t worry, Xiao Meng. By the way, once we’re back, there are some things I want to discuss with you—about your origins.” Hua Feng recalled his conversation with his master.

“My origins? All right, as long as you’re okay,” she replied softly.

Life pressed on, no matter how the world changed.

Feilong Camp, Lushan Base.

“Captain Hua Feng, in recognition of your outstanding contribution to world peace during this mission, in which you not only accomplished a B-rank task but saw it unexpectedly escalate to S-rank and completed it with excellence, the higher authorities have decided to promote you to the rank of Major and award you the First Class Feilong Medal.” The voice of the camp commander rang out across the parade ground, echoing in the ears of the more than five hundred members of Feilong Camp.

Hua Feng marched forward in step, receiving the honors as the commander himself affixed the insignia of his new rank and pinned a red medal bearing the emblem of the Flying Dragon upon his chest.

“Captain Wang Yue, you are hereby promoted to Major and awarded the First Class Feilong Medal.”

“Lieutenant Shuang Ning, you are hereby promoted to Captain and awarded the First Class Feilong Medal.”

“Second Lieutenant Yun Meng, you are hereby promoted to Lieutenant and awarded the First Class Feilong Medal.”

Each of Hua Feng’s companions stepped forward in turn to receive their honors, their hearts stirred with complex emotions. As for Bai Feng, who had reunited with them after a long absence, she parted ways with Hua Feng after the mission’s completion, returning to her own unit.

After the ceremony, the commander called Hua Feng alone to his office. Seated across a simple desk, Chen Sheng spoke slowly:

“Hua Feng, your strength has advanced by leaps and bounds—soon you’ll catch up to me, an old man at Emperor-level, mid-tier, forty-sixth rank. I’m happy for you. The organization fully supports your succession as the inheritor of the Flame Emperor’s legacy.

“In recent years, the world order has been changing rapidly. In the past, Huaxia’s secret cultivation sects have gradually begun to engage with the government. In these turbulent times, I can’t say how things will develop. But remember this—great power brings great responsibility. The true hero serves the nation and its people.” Though only forty-five, streaks of gray already threaded Chen Sheng’s hair, and the burdens of endless toil had left the Colonel of Feilong Camp looking weary.

Hua Feng listened intently to these words of guidance and nodded in agreement.

“Commander, rest assured. As a soldier, this is nothing more than my duty.”

Chen Sheng regarded Hua Feng, noting the maturity brought by his recent experiences. “Don’t be hasty in all things, especially in cultivation. You must walk each step solidly. Given the current state of affairs and your unique status, the higher-ups have decided to have you and Yun Meng leave Feilong Camp and serve the nation openly as cultivators. Officially, your records will list you as discharged, but in our internal system, you are still active, only set apart from ordinary soldiers. The Daoist Association is holding a gathering at Dragon-Tiger Mountain, and I hope you two can join the Yi Qi Dao Alliance. Do you have confidence in this?”

“I have no problem and will obey the organization’s arrangements. But as for Yun Meng…”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already sent the deputy commander to inform Yun Meng. There’s no time to lose—you’ll depart tomorrow! Henceforth, we’ll contact you through internal channels of the Dao Alliance to avoid unnecessary trouble. Other than missions assigned by the organization, you’ll have considerable freedom in your actions; the organization will not interfere. However, you may never have the chance to return to the army.”

“Yes, Commander.” Hua Feng accepted the order, though his mind still reeled a bit from the abrupt departure from military life, feeling a pang of reluctance.

“Very well. Tell no one about this—absolute secrecy is paramount, or it could endanger your safety. If there’s nothing else, go make your preparations. You leave tomorrow!” Chen Sheng finished tersely. Watching Hua Feng’s departing figure, he sighed in relief—the moment to deploy his painstakingly nurtured soldiers had finally arrived. “Don’t let me down, boy,” he murmured to himself.

Back in the dormitory, Hua Feng used the internal communications system to find Yun Meng, and together they sought out a quiet spot to sit on a bench beneath the trees.

“Xiao Meng, we leave tomorrow—you’ve heard, haven’t you?”

“Yes, to the Celestial Master’s Estate on Dragon-Tiger Mountain, to join the Yi Qi Dao Alliance. It sounds daunting, but as long as you’re with me, Hua Feng, I’m not afraid.” Leaning against his side, Yun Meng’s heart was at peace.

Hua Feng gently stroked her hair. “Don’t worry, the road will appear as we move forward. We just need to keep going. What matters most is that we’re together—there’s nothing we can’t overcome. I just can’t help feeling reluctant to leave the army after all these years. But there’s no choice—orders are absolute.”

“Mmm, as long as we’re together, there’s nothing to fear. Everything will be all right.”

As the sun set, their shadows stretched long upon the ground. An autumn wind rustled; leaves drifted slowly down. The ginkgo leaves covering the earth made a beautiful scene.