447: Chapter 447 possesses the potential to break the rules.

The continuous curtain of rain outside the pavilion was like an invisible barrier, isolating the two people inside the pavilion from the real world.

Fang Cheng just stood there in silence, his posture as upright as a pine tree.

The aura around his body, however, was calm to the extreme, as if it had merged into one with this pavilion, this mountain, and this rain, so profound that people could not see through it.

Shi Chengyi did not urge him, only watching him quietly, his gaze carrying an elder's patience and anticipation.

He was waiting for an answer, an answer sufficient to affect the future of the Xia Country and martial arts.

In the end, Fang Cheng slowly shook his head and said apologetically:

"Thank you for your kindness, Elder Shi, but I am used to being free and easy, and I cannot stand the rigid rules and restrictions within the team."

"Right now, I just want to live a stable life, spend more time with my family, and be an ordinary office worker."

Hearing this, Shi Chengyi seemed to have expected it long ago and did not show disappointment, instead smiling gently.

That smile carried a bit of understanding, as well as a bit of sentimentality from someone who had been through it all.

"A stable life... Yes, who wouldn't want it?"

He sighed softly, his gaze looking far away toward the quiet cemetery outside the pavilion.

"Back then, your father must have hoped for the same, hoping that his son could live in peace and safety, and that living an ordinary person's life would be enough."

This seemingly ordinary sigh was like an invisible needle, gently piercing into the calmness that Fang Cheng had always maintained.

He did not speak, but his originally relaxed brows involuntarily furrowed slightly.

Shi Chengyi took in all his subtle changes in expression, and continued in a soothing tone:

"However, a truly stable life has never come out of thin air, whether for an individual or for a country, it is always the case."

"Some things, if you do not resolve them and instead hide and drag them out, will forever lie across there, becoming a lingering shadow and an irreparable scar in the lives of you and your family."

He turned around, looking gently at Fang Cheng, his eyes filled with sincerity.

"Child, do you really think that carrying such a past will allow you to get the stability you want? Don't you... want to seek true justice for your father?"

Fang Cheng's body stiffened imperceptibly, and the fingers of his hands hanging by his sides tightened slightly.

Then he raised his eyes, meeting Shi Chengyi's gaze, his voice low and calm:

"Elder Shi... What do you mean by that?"

Shi Chengyi's expression became solemn, knowing that certain truths must be broken open by someone like him.

"According to police archive records, your father, Fang Shijie, was the murderer in a serial murder case seventeen years ago. During the process of resisting arrest, he committed suicide by burning himself out of fear of crime, right?"

Fang Cheng pressed his lips slightly and did not answer, but his gaze sank.

"Have you ever thought about it?"

Shi Chengyi's voice was not loud, but every word weighed a thousand pounds:

"A man who was usually gentle, kind, and responsible—why would his temperament drastically change overnight, turning him into a heinous murderer? Behind this, is there not even a trace of suspicion?"

He stopped beating around the bush, instead looking directly into Fang Cheng's eyes and saying in a deep voice:

"I can tell you clearly that there are many doubts recorded in that dossier. Your father's case may not have been an ordinary criminal case from the very beginning."

Hearing this, clear ripples finally stirred deep within Fang Cheng's calm eyes.

Shi Chengyi paused deliberately to give him enough time to digest, and then continued:

"Back then, I was still the head of the Action Department of the Special Investigation Team, and I was in charge of investigating another case, the 'Guangwumen Shooting Incident'."

"You should have heard of this case; it can be said to be a heaven-shaking major case capable of shaking the foundation of the state. At that time, I was ordered in times of danger, personally led the team, and mobilized the elite of the entire department."

"During the investigation process, we discovered that an invisible dark hand possessing supernatural power was interfering with the investigation, wiping out all clues and witnesses."

"Through analyzing the bizarre energy remaining in the bodies of several key witnesses who died mysteriously, we found a clue and began investigating all forces and events related to extraordinary individuals in society, finally locking onto a mysterious organization named 'Utopia'."

Hearing this, Fang Cheng's pupils shrank slightly, listening with Focus.

Shi Chengyi continued:

"However, before we could find conclusive evidence and prepare to launch an arrest operation against the organization, the former military government fell."

"With the change of regime, the case was also forcibly transferred from my hands to the Intelligence Department at that time."

"And within a mere half-month, they publicly announced the capture of the so-called 'murderer', offering a perfect gesture of allegiance to the new government, allowing this case to be successfully closed like this."

Shi Chengyi's gaze became incomparably profound, as if recalling those precarious and tense years.

"Originally, this dust-laden old case had nothing to do with you."

"However, before coming to see me, Wei Zheng reviewed your father's dossier and discovered a deliberately ignored detail within it."

He emphasized his tone, his gaze becoming somewhat sharper:

"Back then, investigators from the Special Investigation Team had briefly investigated your father!"

Seeing the look of confusion on Fang Cheng's face, Shi Chengyi then patiently explained:

"If a case involves certain 'special individuals' unknown to the ordinary populace, its handling authority will immediately be transferred from the routine police System to our Special Investigation Team."

"At the very beginning, the police were investigating the raging 'Xiguan serial murder case' of that year. They suspected that your father might be that infamous extraordinary assassin, the 'Midnight Crimson Demon', and thus reported the relevant clues to us."

"After our dispatched team members targeted your father, they discovered that he was suspected of having private dealings with a fugitive on the run from the 'Guangwumen Shooting Incident'."

"At that time, according to regulations, any clues related to 'Guangwu Gate' had to be reported immediately to the Intelligence Department, to be personally supervised by the most elite intelligence affairs officers."

"But before the people from the Intelligence Department could launch an in-depth investigation, your father, for unknown reasons, suddenly carried firearms, openly hijacked a police car, fled to a farmhouse in Xishan, and was subsequently surrounded and captured by the police."

"As for the final result, you already know it."

Shi Chengyi sighed softly, looking at the misty rain-shrouded cemetery:

"That clue pointing to the 'Guangwumen Shooting Incident' was completely cut off with your father's self-immolation during the pursuit, and the intelligence personnel responsible for supervision were also forced to withdraw due to losing the investigation target."

"In the end, the whole matter was hastily concluded with the police report stating that 'the murderer of the serial murder case has been brought to justice'."

Hoo——

A mountain breeze mixed with moisture blew across the stone pavilion, stirring up a few fallen leaves that spun around the feet of the two people.

The rain outside the pavilion seemed to have grown a bit heavier, and the raindrops beating against the glazed tiles on top of the pavilion made a crisp and dense sound.

Fang Cheng's hands hanging by his sides involuntarily clenched into fists.

The tranquil aura around his body that had merged with heaven and earth was also broken at this moment, revealing a heart-palpitating sharpness.

Shi Chengyi looked at him and continued:

"Your father's dossier is still in the police archive room. But is what that dossier records actually the fact, or the 'truth' that others wanted you to see?"

"Who on earth did he contact back then? Why did he choose to burn himself to death? And was he related to that mysterious extraordinary organization?"

"Or behind this, was a powerful force manipulating everything? These are all covered-up mysteries."

"To investigate and clarify all this, one must touch upon that 'Guangwumen Shooting Incident' which has long been listed as a taboo."

"However, child, you must understand."

Shi Chengyi's face showed a trace of deep powerlessness:

"This case is not just a historical event in textbooks that led to the downfall of the military government; it is even more a political storm that swept through the entire upper echelons of the country, with intricate forces intertwined behind the scenes."

"Back then, as the person in charge, due to changes in the political situation, I ultimately failed to bring the true mastermind behind the scenes to justice."

"Now seventeen years have passed, it is no longer a case, but a political symbol, the cornerstone of certain people's power. Whoever dares to bring it up again is shaking the foundation of the state, and is an enemy to the entire new order."

Shi Chengyi sighed, reached out and patted the cold railing of the stone pavilion, with a bit of melancholy:

"This old man of mine has already retired, my words carry little weight, and in this matter, what I say has not the slightest bit of weight at all."

"To tell the truth, if you were just an ordinary person, I would also advise you to stably be an office worker, consider this matter completely turned over, and best forget it cleanly."

"Because let alone investigating and clarifying the truth, you don't even have the qualification to touch the relevant dossiers."

"Once you forcefully meddle, it is very likely to bring unpredictable disasters to you and your family."

"However..."

Speaking of this, he suddenly turned his head and looked steadily at Fang Cheng.

In his slightly dim eyes, a blazing light ignited anew, as if he were looking at a peerless precious saber capable of hacking open all shackles.

"Fang Cheng, you are different!"

"Your talent, your power—as long as you are given enough support and resources, it is sufficient to grow into an existence that breaks the rules like Chief Li!"

"This kind of power is an absolute strength that no political means can suppress and any conspiracy must face squarely!"

"Therefore, if you want to find out the truth of your father's death, want to clear him of the grievance imposed upon him for seventeen years, and give him true justice..."

He took a step forward, looking ardently at Fang Cheng, and said word by word:

"Join the Special Investigation Team, utilize this System to grow and become strong step by step, walking to a height sufficient to override power and shake taboos."

"This is definitely your best choice!"

As his voice fell, the pavilion fell into silence once again.

Fang Cheng still did not answer, only slowly raising his head to look at the cemetery outside the pavilion shrouded by the rain curtain.

His gaze penetrated the rain curtain, as if seeing the fire from seventeen years ago, and seeing his father's blurred face.

The outline of the distant mountains became blurred in the increasingly thick rain curtain, leaving only a dark green silhouette.

The wind was sharper, the rain denser, the mountain colors hazy, and all sounds were still.

Only that touched heart was beating heavily and powerfully within his chest.

...

The conversation in the pavilion ultimately ended in silence.

Fang Cheng did not give a definitive reply.

Shi Chengyi did not say anything more either.

He knew that words had reached this point, and time needed to be left for this young man to consider.

At this moment, the rain in the mountains unconsciously grew a bit heavier.

The two walked back along the secluded path, returning once again to the grave area.

Wei Zheng and that driver were each holding a black umbrella, accompanying Grandfather Li Zhenhua and Li Biyun to talk.

Perhaps fearing that the two elders would catch a cold from standing too long in the rain, Wei Zheng's words carried just the right amount of enthusiasm.

Driver Xiao Zhang, on the other hand, occasionally chimed in from the side, wearing an honest and polite smile on his face.

Seeing Shi Chengyi and Fang Cheng walking one after the other, the four people's conversation came to an abrupt halt, and their gazes instantly cast over in unison.

Li Biyun's eyes were filled with a mother's worry, while Grandfather Li Zhenhua's gaze was sharper, carrying scrutiny and exploration.

As for Wei Zheng's eyes, they undisguisedly revealed a trace of anticipation.

Fang Cheng's expression was calm, slightly nodding toward his mother and grandfather to indicate that he was fine.

Shi Chengyi's footsteps stopped in front of the tombstone, he glanced at Fang Cheng, and immediately gave a look to driver Xiao Zhang standing nearby.

Xiao Zhang immediately understood, and from the briefcase he carried with him, took out a bunch of white chrysanthemums that had been prepared long ago and carefully wrapped in oiled paper.

Under the gaze of Fang Cheng's family, Shi Chengyi took the bouquet, removed the packaging, personally walked down the stone pavilion, and came before Fang Shijie's tomb.

Driver Xiao Zhang quickly followed, holding open an umbrella for him.

Shi Chengyi bent down, solemnly placing that bunch of pristine white chrysanthemums before the tombstone, and carefully straightened the ribbon dampened by the rain.

Having finished all this, he straightened up and glanced at the photo on the tombstone.

Then he turned around, facing Fang Cheng and his family, nodded slightly, his tone calm and sincere:

"Farewell."

Having said that, he stayed no longer, leading Wei Zheng and driver Xiao Zhang down the mountain directly along the slippery steps.

The rain pattered, and the steady figures of the three quickly disappeared around the corner of the mountain path.

Leaving behind only Fang Cheng's family and that bunch of white chrysanthemums quietly lying before the tombstone, exceptionally striking in the cyan-gray toned cemetery.

...

Outside Xishan Cemetery.

The doors of a black sedan closed silently, started smoothly, and merged into the traffic in the rain.

Inside the car, Xiao Zhang drove wholeheartedly, the windshield wipers regularly scraping across the windshield.

Wei Zheng sat in the passenger seat, finally unable to restrain himself, turned his head to look at Shi Chengyi resting his eyes in the back row, and asked in a low voice:

"Teacher, how did the talk go? Did he... agree?"

Shi Chengyi slowly opened his eyes, his gaze warm and calm, and shook his head indifferently:

"Not yet."

"Ah?"

Wei Zheng's brows revealed a trace of obvious disappointment:

"Even with you personally stepping forward to invite him, you couldn't move him?"

Hearing this, the corners of Shi Chengyi's mouth hooked into a faint smile, with not the slightest bit of defeat in the smile, but instead carrying a bit of appreciation.

"Xiao Wei, you must remember, a true steed of a thousand li cannot be fitted with ordinary reins; you must point out a road worth heading toward for it, allowing it to gallop of its own free will."

He turned his gaze toward the window, looking at the road signs washed brand-new by the rain, his voice steady and far-reaching:

"Being impatient cannot accomplish major tasks; what we are recruiting is not soldiers who take orders and act, but a leader who might lead our Martial Artist lineage to create a new century in the future."

"Especially for a young man like Fang Cheng, his cultivation has already entered the Inner Scenery, and his Heart-Nature is even more calm and resilient, far surpassing his peers. The more you urge him, the more he will resist."

"What we should do is put the bait—no, put a road he cannot refuse in front of him, and then give him enough time to think and weigh."

Shi Chengyi withdrew his gaze, looking at Wei Zheng who was still somewhat puzzled, his eyes revealing a sense of composure:

"This child is affectionate and righteous, cold on the outside and warm on the inside, seemingly indifferent to the world, but actually naturally proud-boned."

"The words I threw out today are enough to stir up monstrous waves in his heart, and he will definitely make a choice that fits his own needs."

As he spoke, he nodded slightly in approval, as if evaluating a rare treasure of the world:

"Such fine jade and talent, if accidentally going astray, would be our true loss. No matter how much price is paid, we must make him willingly become a member of us."

As if having made up his mind, Shi Chengyi spoke no more, leaned back against the seat again, and slightly closed his eyes.

Inside the car, quietness returned once again, with only Wei Zheng low-voicedly reminiscing about the teacher's words.

Outside the window, the continuous green mountains retreated backwards in the rain curtain, their outlines appearing hazy and tranquil.