Liu Heguang let out a long sigh of relief, resuming his approachable demeanor, and turned to look at Lu Mingfei.
Lu Mingfei added, "My Senior Brother Fingel once had a sworn brother named Liu, so..."
Liu Heguang's eyes brightened, his gaze sweeping over Lu Mingfei. "I know him. It was many years ago. We met once at a Dragon King's ruin abroad. What is your relationship with Fingel, Mingfei?"
Lu Mingfei breathed a sigh of relief. "Senior Brother Fingel is my direct senior, we share the same mentor."
"Mentor?"
Liu Heguang nodded. "No wonder I haven't heard any news about him in the Execution Department all these years. So he hasn't graduated yet?"
"He's been delayed for four years..." Lu Mingfei explained.
"Ah, let's talk in the car." Liu Heguang had no idea Fingel had been held back. Based on their acquaintance at the ruin, he had been absolutely certain that Fingel could lead the Execution Department, but...
Life is unpredictable; one should not have too many expectations for things yet to be accomplished.
Lu Mingfei stood behind, glancing at the interior layout of the car. Before he could clearly see the items inside, rows of text appeared before his eyes.
【"Outsider to the Family, human hearts rise and fall."】
【"Upper-middle fortune: Take the initiative to express curiosity about the Family's work. If you do not arrive at the Family before sunset, you will receive a B-rank mission reward from the Execution Department. Auspicious."】
【"Lower-middle fortune: Proceed directly into the Family. You will receive a C-rank mission reward from the Execution Department, but will be publicly humiliated and ambushed. Ominous."】
Lu Mingfei's eyes narrowed slightly. It was the first time he had seen a hint other than the fortune itself. Could it be that after he read some books on interpreting fortunes, the interpretation hints started appearing?
It seemed that these strange fortune hints might also evolve as his knowledge grew.
The guests were himself, Zero, and the President. From the President's and Liu Heguang's conversation just now, it was mostly a conflict between leadership, which wouldn't affect him.
So the 'outsider to the Family' referred to himself. The lower-middle fortune hinted at danger within the Family. Was someone unhappy that he was personally received by Liu Heguang? After all, even the President hadn't expected Liu Heguang to personally receive him.
As someone who could speak directly with the President, Liu Heguang's status must be extremely noble, coming to receive a Lu clan descendant who had not appeared within the Family for a long time...
Someone was jealous, and so they pulled a few strings.
Not arriving at the Family before sunset yet still receiving a reward indicated that not everyone in the Family wanted to see him make a fool of himself. This little scheme was resolved in less than half a day.
With a clear idea, Lu Mingfei's nervousness eased a bit.
At least from the fortune, Liu Heguang was on his side. Having an extra trusted person in an unfamiliar environment was indeed reassuring.
Moreover, the 'sugar-coated bullet' mentioned by the Board of Directors might also come from Liu Heguang?
"Mingfei?" Liu Heguang called out from the car door.
"Sorry, I was distracted." Lu Mingfei withdrew his gaze, the text gradually fading, and walked towards Liu Heguang.
Liu Heguang, however, followed Lu Mingfei's original line of sight. A half-open document bag lay quietly on the seat.
He smiled and shook his head. "It's alright. We can talk about any questions you have as we go."
Liu Heguang suddenly closed the car door and led Lu Mingfei to the roadside.
Liu Tongchen drove Zero, silently following behind the two. There were special listening devices in the car; his brother was probably going to say something he shouldn't again.
"The relationship between the Family and Kassel College seems very bad." Lu Mingfei's face was expressionless, he just whispered a complaint.
"An old debt that can't be settled, decades of recurring wars, and the rules of the alliance have been cast aside. Whether it's the Secret Party or the Family, apart from a consensus on dragon-slaying, they have long become strangers." Liu Heguang sighed,
"It's not with the College, but with the Secret Party. Don't worry, you won't encounter the old folks of the Secret Party before you join the Execution Department."
"You sound just like my Senior Brothers in the Execution Department." Lu Mingfei said, "What is the Liu-Li contention? Your tone makes it sound like a very important matter."
Liu Heguang looked at Lu Mingfei in surprise. "Angers didn't even tell you about this? Fingel knows about it too. I mentioned it to him before and even asked him to come and help me."
"It's the Family's method of electing a Family spokesperson, just like the President of Kassel College. Once confirmed, he will be the Family's spokesperson in the world for the next fifty years, the public representative."
"Is the Li Family referring to Li Tang?"
"Precisely." Liu Heguang nodded. "If you go to Beijing, it will probably be someone from the Li clan who receives you."
"I also wanted to ask about the difference between the Guangwu Liu Clan and the Family Liu Clan." Lu Mingfei realized he seemed to have too many questions, but Liu Heguang across from him didn't seem to mind.
"There's no difference. Both are of the Liu Clan. It's just that this Guangwu lineage once broke White Emperor City and slew the King of Bronze and Fire. Today, I heard Angers intends to re-explore that ancient bronze city, so I specifically brought it up." Liu Heguang said, "The Family's way of expressing goodwill to people is only through rewards. Those old fogeys can't bring themselves to say hello."
"Kui Men Plan? How is it there now?" Lu Mingfei took the opportunity to steer the conversation in that direction.
Liu Heguang looked at Lu Mingfei with a smile, clearly seeing his curiosity about the current situation in the Three Gorges. Conveniently, for the training, their landing spot was not far from the Three Gorges.
"You'll understand once you see it." Liu Heguang stopped, and Liu Tongchen's car also stopped at the same time, not a moment off.
......
At 1:04 PM, Moniyahe drifted on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
When Kassel College left, it did not take this excellent tugboat, but as a form of compensation, it was temporarily left in the Family's hands for maintenance.
The weather here had been very strange for the past half month. Small rain fell continuously, and standing on the deck, one could even feel a level three wind speed. The Family's large flag unfurled grandly in the wind every day.
Although there was no sense of turbulence on Moniyahe, and everything was as usual, the sailors staying on this ship were always uneasy.
Fortunately, they had the Liu Clan of the Family as a strong backing, so even if an accident occurred, their affairs would be properly handled. Moreover, the Liu Clan of the Family's medical skills were superb; it was no exaggeration to say they could bring the dead back to life and mend broken bones.
The black Mercedes slowly drove into the area of Qutang Gorge.
The young man in the car handed over a certificate, and in less than half a minute, they were allowed to pass, with green lights all the way.
In the back seat, Lu Mingfei looked out the car window. Silver lines like needles descended from the sky, appearing densely in his sight. Before entering the Qutang Gorge area, the sky had been clear.
In just a blink of an eye, the entire sky turned overcast.
Although it was afternoon and the sky should have been bright, the sun was nowhere to be seen here, only layers of dark clouds. The river water surged, and a faint haze enveloped everyone's hearts.
"Small rain, strong wind, strange weather." Liu Tongchen said softly.