The man standing before him was the father of Major The Qing.
The tall officer leaned back slightly, squinting as he looked him over. He felt there truly was a resemblance in their features, even though he had in fact only seen Han Qingyu once from a distance at the All-Army Conference that year.
*If you spruced him up and put him in an Azure uniform...*
As a mountain peasant, Han Youshan had toiled for years in hard labor, and he was in fairly good shape.
*Yes, they really do look alike.*
The officer kept comparing them in his mind.
His repeated scrutiny and need to confirm were mostly because—*uh, because that son of yours is simply too exaggerated,* the tall officer thought, wryly amused.
In truth, from the perspective of people like them, what made Han Qingyu formidable was not just his combat prowess, but his personality. Looking back at everything that had happened in the past, one could even say his personality was somewhat complex, terrifying, and inscrutable.
None of that seemed to match the honest, simple mountain peasant standing before him.
Right then, "Chief, comrade."
Han Youshan called out again, cautious and tentative.
"...Ah!" The officer looked up and took another glance at Han Youshan. He suddenly realized under what kind of circumstances this honest peasant had rushed over here just now.
When the forgetful old man in his house suddenly slapped to death a powerful traveling preacher, he, an ordinary villager, had actually possessed the responsibility and courage to come handle the aftermath.
And this old man was someone with an old tie but no kin, whom they had taken in without having any idea of his true identity—caring for him for four whole years.
*Did they really not know?* The officer couldn't help suspecting.
*If they truly didn't know, then they really are simple and kind-hearted.*
*Also, their family's circumstances must be pretty decent... That point does match the dependent benefits provided by Azure.*
*And if they actually knew... then they're terrifyingly good actors, and far too shrewd. Yeah, a bit frightening.*
*Wait. Thinking about it like that, aren't they just as complex as Major Qing?*
After running through this flurry of subjective wild thoughts, the officer basically felt he had pinned down the personality aspect as well, ultimately convincing himself of his startling revelation.
"Chief, comrade?" Han Youshan was about to get depressed.
The surrounding villagers, still feeling awkward and restrained, also began chuckling in low murmurs.
*What's wrong with this tall officer? He zones out after every single sentence... Oh, probably because of the General.*
In their hearts, Han Youshan and the villagers attributed the strange behavior of the Azure officer and soldiers entirely to Master Longchi's former identity.
"Hey, sorry about that, I was lost in thought," the tall officer said with a smile, no longer zoning out. "Look, Brother Han, please stop calling me Chief... My surname is Zhao."
"...Alright, Comrade... Comrade Zhao."
"That works."
Comrade Zhao it is, then. Zhao Heshan breathed a sigh of relief. His rank wasn't low—he was a lieutenant colonel, so under normal circumstances being called "Chief" was perfectly fine. *But do you really think Major Qing is just a major?*
*Uh, from the looks of it right now, he seems, probably, indeed set to stay just a major forever.*
Yet even so, Zhao Heshan couldn't get used to having Major Qing's father calling him "Chief" with every breath. "Your son is the youngest Star of Azure in history—the eighth in our century-long history, and so far the only Star of Azure to be decorated while outside the establishment."
"Oh, and he even killed a Star of Azure."
"You might not know how many people in Azure treat him as a legend and an idol to fantasize about. If it were him standing before us right now, who knows how thrilled these youngsters behind me would be! Me? I'd probably be somewhat okay."
"And what's more—I'm afraid I'll scare you if I say it—your son ranks among the top ten combat powers in all of humanity! No, he might be in the top five now! Under his command are two supers, over a dozen top-tiers, and tens of thousands of formidable source energy fighters."
"Of course, he has also suffered a lot of grievances and endured immense hardships over the years, and some of those hardships were..."
*Some of those hardships were caused by Azure! Three years on the run, nearly losing his life!* Thinking up to this point, Lieutenant Colonel Zhao was even firmer in his earlier resolve—he couldn't talk about that. If he did, the Han family might fly into a protective, heartbroken rage and beat him straight out of the door.
"Pat-pat-pat-pat-pat..." A string of hurried footsteps approached as Zhang Jiexia squeezed through the crowd.
Waiting at home for a few minutes and seeing Han Youshan hadn't returned, she had panicked and run all the way here... Taking in the scene before her, she was momentarily stunned.
Han Youshan quickly gave her a brief recap of everything they had just discussed.
"A... a General?! From Azure..."
*So is he really powerful?* Zhang Jiexia wondered, staring blankly at Master Longchi standing nearby, looking not the least bit different from usual... She had often coaxed and tricked this old man with Wahaha.
Whenever he fussed about wanting wine, she would hand him a bottle of Wahaha with a peeled-off label, and he would sit by the doorway sipping it happily through a straw for half a day.
Sometimes after finishing it, he would even sway on his feet and say, "I think I'm a little drunk."
"Yes, we'll talk about that when we get home." Han Youshan tugged on his wife's wrist, turning her around, and said, "This Comrade... Comrade Zhao told us not to worry. Azure will handle this matter... And he said he'll help us ask around for news of Qingzi!"
"R-really?!" Zhang Jiexia instantly tossed the matter of the General to the back of her mind, turning back and saying excitedly, "Thank you, thank you, Chief..."
"No need..." Zhao Heshan was just about to say she didn't need to call him Chief either.
"Look, it's mealtime now. If Chief Zhao and the comrades don't mind, why not come have a meal at our place before leaving?" Zhang Jiexia offered warmly and earnestly.
"..." Eat a meal at Major Qing's house? Zhao Heshan looked taken aback, hesitating for a moment.
"Let's go, Boss," a young soldier behind him leaned in and whispered into his ear. "That way, from now on, we'll have the kind of connection where we've dined at Major Qing's home."
"Yeah, yeah," the other soldiers behind him also muttered in hushed voices.
Evidently, having a meal at Major Qing's home was indeed very appealing and exciting. Looking at Major Qing's parents, they seemed very easy to get along with, too.
"...In that case, excuse the intrusion." Zhao Heshan agreed, nodding and smiling at the Han couple.
…………
At the scene, it was not until the group left together with Master Longchi for the Han house that the villagers gradually dispersed.
Perhaps because they had already undergone the baptism of news about the Great Spikes, once they recovered from the shock, they did not appear particularly terrified by someone dying in the village.
"It's fine. We have an Azure General right here."
"Yeah, even if the General doesn't remember things, would Azure ever leave him ignored? So there's no need to worry at all."
"Now we just have to see when someone goes up to the sky and slashes that Daie God to death, then we can truly rest easy."
"Yeah. Come to think of it, an Azure General of a monk has actually been living in our village, and more than ten years ago he was already staying in the temple nearby! Oh boy, this... *hiss!*"
"Heh heh, didn't I tell you all before that our village's fengshui is extraordinary, with dragons sealed in the mountains?!" An elder of the village brought up the old saying once more, declaring with high spirits, "Fenglong'ao, Dragon-Sealing Hollow—isn't that how it got its name?"
A phrase they had heard countless times in the past without feeling much about it suddenly felt spot-on. Right then, the villagers exclaimed in agreement one after another, saying yes, yes, absolutely.
Even though, when they looked up now, the mountain terrain around Fenglong'ao that once resembled dragons had actually already blown up on a rainy night several years ago.
Chapter 659