74: Chapter 74 Xia Yunchi's Reward

"Father-in-... ah, no, wait, Mayor Xia, why are you here?"

Lu Cheng, on the hospital bed, sat up straight almost reflexively, his phone nearly slipping from his hand.

At the doorway, Xia Yunchi stopped and, seeing Lu Cheng suddenly sitting up so straight, a gentle smile appeared on his rugged, tough face.

"You are still recovering, just lie down properly."

He raised his hand, his tone very steady, "If Xiao Xi knew that I came here to disturb your recovery, she would definitely give me a hard time."

In Lu Cheng's mind, the image of Xia Xi, looking anxious and fierce, daring to talk back to her father, immediately surfaced. His mouth twitched, and he gave an awkward smile.

"That... is actually quite possible."

After saying this, he quickly composed himself.

"I don't know, Mayor Xia, what is the purpose of your visit this time...?"

When asking this, Lu Cheng glanced outside the door.

Besides Xia Yunchi, there was another person standing outside.

That person was wearing a black suit, standing straight with his aura completely restrained, standing there motionless like a temple guardian. Lu Cheng only took one look before pulling his gaze back.

Anyone who could come with Xia Yunchi was definitely not an ordinary person.

The hospital room door was gently closed.

Xia Yunchi looked at Lu Cheng, walked to the chair by the bed, pulled it out, and sat down.

His movements were casual, but that aura of someone in a high position made the air in the room fall silent.

He looked at Lu Cheng and said:

"I actually wanted to meet you a long time ago. Last time, it could be said that you saved Xiao Xi... But... I really couldn't find the time."

"Today, I just happened to be nearby when I received news from the hospital, so I rushed over."

Speaking of this, he paused, his gaze landing on Lu Cheng's face.

"On one hand, I wanted to see the hero of this emergency."

"On the other hand..."

"I wanted to see what that bastard, who my daughter dreams about day and night, looks like."

"..."

The room was silent for a second.

Lu Cheng's back instantly stiffened.

He didn't know if it was his imagination, but after Xia Yunchi said that, even though there wasn't the slightest fluctuation of Source Power on his body, nor was any aura released, that sense of oppression suddenly rose up.

Lu Cheng swallowed hard and could only offer a sheepish smile.

If he remembered correctly, the person before him... was a War General rank.

And not just an ordinary War General.

If someone of this rank really looked at him seriously, he doubted he would be able to speak clearly.

Yet at this moment, his mouth was faster than his brain.

Lu Cheng gave a dry laugh and blurted out:

"Then... what do you think? How do I look?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself.

Damn it. Still joking at a time like this?

Xia Yunchi looked at him, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This kid could actually respond to that kind of talk in front of him; he certainly had guts.

He leaned back against the chair, looked Lu Cheng up and down, and suddenly smiled.

"Not bad."

"Very not bad."

"You have strength, you have courage, and most importantly..."

He said, his tone deepening slightly.

"In your heart, you have 'people'."

Lu Cheng was stunned.

Xia Yunchi continued:

"I have already read the full report on the events in the Abandoned City. The fact that you could turn back under those circumstances makes you better than many so-called geniuses."

Lu Cheng felt a bit uncomfortable hearing this and raised his hand to rub his nose.

"Mayor Xia, you're praising me so much, I don't know how to respond."

"Whether you can handle it or not, you have to," Xia Yunchi said calmly. "What belongs to you, belongs to you."

As he spoke, his gaze deepened a little.

"Regarding the things that happened to you in the Abandoned City, all relevant personnel have signed confidentiality agreements."

"Everyone has their own opportunities and their own secrets. The Human Federation will not interfere with the opportunities that belong to you."

"You can rest assured about this, but you must remember to protect yourself."

"The Human Federation won't, but humans will."

As these words fell, the air in the room seemed to sink.

Lu Cheng frowned slightly.

The Federation has rules, bottom lines, and procedures. But people do not.

Xia Yunchi glanced at him and didn't continue on this topic.

"Additionally, I have opened a personal account for you with the military."

"It contains 10,000 Military Merits, which is the most basic reward for your performance this time."

"The rest will be distributed uniformly after everything is wrapped up."

Lu Cheng's eyelids twitched.

10,000 Military Merits?

When this amount came out, his mind cleared up quite a bit.

Military Merits are worth much more than cash... The price on the black market is around 1:3000.

Many resources, martial arts, potions, and equipment cannot necessarily be bought with money on the market, but they can be directly exchanged with Military Merits.

Lu Cheng couldn't help but ask:

"The basic reward... is just 10,000?"

Xia Yunchi glanced at him.

"Think it's too little?"

"No, no." Lu Cheng immediately waved his hand. "I was just purely a bit shocked."

The corners of Xia Yunchi's mouth moved, as if he wanted to smile.

"You saved military personnel, secured important items, and repelled the Priest... This amount is very normal."

"If it weren't for your current low cultivation realm, making it inconvenient to give you many things directly, the reward would only be more."

Xia Yunchi continued:

"The military is the military."

"On my personal side, I also need to express my appreciation for you saving Xiao Xi, as well as your efforts this time."

As he spoke, he took a long, black box from the side and placed it on the bedside cabinet.

The surface of the box was very simple, with only a silver seal.

Lu Cheng took a look, and his heart suddenly felt tight.

This thing... one look and you could tell it wasn't cheap.

Xia Yunchi raised his hand to undo the seal and opened the box.

Inside were two martial arts chips placed neatly.

One gold, one cyan.

Just looking at the material, one could tell the grade was not low.

"This is an A-grade martial art, Drifting Dragon Rending Shadow."

"It is an advanced martial art that can only be learned after both Three Styles of Crushing Fist and Wandering Step have reached the realm of perfection."

"Strictly speaking, this is no longer just a fist technique or footwork, but an explosive killing move that fuses both."

Lu Cheng's breathing stopped for a moment.

A-grade martial art!

This thing has a market price in the millions...

Xia Yunchi pointed to the other cyan chip.

"This is a B-grade martial art, Gale Step."

"It can be considered an superior martial art to Wandering Step."

Lu Cheng stared at the two martial arts, only one word in his mind: greedy...

When he was teaching at the Bailian Martial Arts Hall, he used Three Styles of Crushing Fist and Wandering Step as his signature.

But he didn't expect that Xia Yunchi had even noticed this.

This showed that before the other party came, he had really seriously looked at his information.

But... even if he gave it to him, he couldn't use it.

A-grade martial art... he would be drained after one use right now; he'd have to wait until at least the Source Gathering Realm to use it.

But! It was a good thing after all, and he could learn this Gale Step now.

Lu Cheng took a breath and said seriously:

"Thank you, Mayor Xia. I won't stand on ceremony with you regarding these things."

Xia Yunchi smiled slightly. My daughter is about to be snatched away by you; if you die young, what will my daughter do?

"As for other life-saving things..."

He paused, with a hint of faint helplessness in his eyes.

"None of them compare to the potion that Xia Xi gave you."

The room fell briefly silent.

The monitor beeped.

A breeze blew outside the window, causing the curtains to sway gently.

Xia Yunchi closed the box, placed it by the bed, and then looked at Lu Cheng.

"Alright, that's all I have to say."

"Do you have anything you want to ask?"

Lu Cheng looked up at Xia Yunchi and asked directly:

"What is the current situation with the Northern and Southern Ruins?"

"And what is the thing they brought back?"

As these two questions came out, Xia Yunchi looked at him and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Hmm... let me think. It's a key... a key to open the Northern and Southern Ruins."

"It's also what the Black Seed is looking for..."

Then, he slowly shook his head.

"The rest is all in the confidentiality agreement."

"Do you want to know?"

Lu Cheng stared at him for a while, and finally suppressed that bit of curiosity.

"Forget it. When the time comes that I need to know, I will naturally know."

"You kid... you have a pretty open mindset."

As they were chatting, a light knock suddenly came from outside the door.

"Mayor Xia, two minutes left."

The voice outside the door was very low, clearly reminding him of his schedule.

Xia Yunchi stood up, straightened his sleeves, and then looked at Lu Cheng.

This time, the expression on his face was much more serious than when he first entered.

"I don't object to Xia Xi dating."

"I won't control young people's affairs too strictly."

Lu Cheng's heart skipped a beat, and just as he was about to speak, Xia Yunchi continued.

"However, the two of you, before you graduate from university, don't bring me any surprises."

Xia Yunchi looked at him, his tone still calm.

"If you don't like my daughter, please don't hurt her."

"From childhood to now, she has a straightforward temper and a straightforward heart; once she sets her mind on something, she will charge straight forward."

"As a father, I don't want her to suffer that kind of hurt..."

After speaking, he turned and walked toward the door.

The door was opened, and the man in black outside immediately stepped aside.

Xia Yunchi didn't stop again and left the hospital room directly.

The sound of footsteps faded away.

The hospital room became quiet again.

Lu Cheng leaned back against the headboard, staring at the ceiling, and let out a long sigh.

Xia Yunchi's arrival left Lu Cheng feeling an indescribable irritation...

Forget it.

Lu Cheng closed his eyes and lay back on the pillow.

Whatever problems there are, let's talk about them after being discharged.

Right now, he really didn't have any strength left at all.