The Welcoming

The next morning at eight, after the night had passed, a train arrived at the Outpost 4 fortress garrison, grinding to a halt amidst the shrill blast of its whistle. Under the watchful eyes of the waiting crowd, a squad of soldiers stepped down first and formed two rows on either side. Following them was a handsome officer with vigilant eyes. He scanned the surroundings, then turned back and said respectfully, "Teacher." A combat boot stepped down from above, and a man wearing a peaked cap and a military greatcoat emerged from the carriage. He wore a half-face mask. Though he appeared to be only around forty-five or forty-six on the surface, the exposed side of his face was etched with deep wrinkles, and streaks of silver ran through his hair. His uniform was impeccably pressed, with collar and cuffs buttoned tight and brass buttons polished to a brilliant shine. His gaze was sharp as a blade. In appearance, he looked like a thoroughly old-school soldier. He was not particularly tall, standing just over 1.7 meters—shorter even than an ordinary sergeant. Without someone pointing it out, or if one looked past his spirited eyes, it was difficult to tell that he was a formidable fighter. Most people would have sooner believed he was an ordinary military officer. Stepping down behind him was a female officer built like an iron tower, standing at least 2.2 meters tall. Though large and imposing, she was not unsightly; her facial features were surprisingly harmonious. Despite the vast difference in their physiques, the crowd's attention was drawn almost unconsciously to the former. As he descended from the carriage and walked forward, the soldiers on both sides, including those on the station platform, snapped to attention and saluted respectfully. "Master Chen." A greeting sounded from the platform. Lai Wu, a third limit fighter stationed at Outpost 4, stepped out from the welcoming crowd and went up to meet him with a broad smile. This man had a poor reputation at the outpost because he never took the initiative to acknowledge anyone. Once, when Chen Chuan's squad had walked past him and greeted him, he had only glanced sidelong at them without offering a single word in reply. Yet someone seemingly so arrogant was utterly deferential toward Chen Bitong right now. Stepping forward, he offered a textbook salute and said, "Instructor Chen, now that you've arrived at Outpost 4, please do stay a couple of extra days and allow this student to play host." Chen Bitong replied, "You have your official duties to attend to. There is no need to waste time on an unimportant person like me." Standing in place, he raised his hand to return a salute to everyone present, then walked into the garrison escorted by the lead officer and the towering female officer. The soldiers then shouldered their rifles and followed behind in disciplined cadence. Although Yuan Qiuyuan had come out early, he was not authorized personnel and could not go onto the platform to welcome him. Watching the approaching figure, he felt a faint stir of excitement. Turning to Qin Qingque beside him, he said, "If only I could become Teacher Chen's student. Even if I couldn't, just getting some pointers from him would be amazing. What do you think, Enforcement Officer Qin?" Qin Qingque shook her head. Yuan Qiuyuan found her reaction a bit strange, but he didn't dwell on it. Looking ahead again, he murmured, "I wonder how many days Instructor Chen will stay..." Then he looked around. "Huh, where's the captain? He said yesterday he'd be here this morning..." Chen Chuan stood on an elevated walkway within the garrison, watching Chen Bitong approach from a distance. He could see that the gaze of most soldiers present radiated heartfelt reverence. It was no wonder the higher-ups couldn't directly convict this man. Setting aside the issue of evidence, he possessed a dazzling record of service and was an object of admiration and aspiration for countless people. Accusing someone like him of being connected to a breach in the Ring Curtain would deal an immense psychological shock to many, producing extremely severe repercussions. Even if it were ultimately proven that he was truly involved, the authorities could never prosecute him under such a charge; they would likely have to invent another excuse. As Chen Chuan was watching him, Chen Bitong suddenly turned his head and looked straight toward him. His gaze shot over like a pair of sharp arrows. Yet after only a single glance, that piercing look was reined back in, returning to what it had been before. Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow. He realized that although Chen Bitong had looked in his direction just now, none of the people nearby had shown any reaction, nor had anyone followed his gaze. It was as if none of them had even seen the man move. Even Chen Chuan himself had the impression that the glance had merely been a momentary illusion. Upon thinking back carefully, however, he realized the man really hadn't made any physical motion of turning to look. It must have been the combined effect of a field and spirit, producing the illusion of eye contact. It seemed to be an exceptionally sophisticated application of field and spiritual technique. Moreover, throughout the entire process, Chen Chuan had been unable to sense the man's field in the slightest. From this feat alone, he was far beyond anything the Iron Demon could match. As he pondered this, Chen Bitong and his party entered the fortress and vanished from sight. Chen Chuan did not linger either, returning to his dormitory quarters. Those from the garrison who had turned out to welcome Chen Bitong had all come voluntarily. The principal officers of the outpost had not shown their faces—evidently they knew something and had chosen to steer clear of suspicion. Still, they had not slighted him in treatment, having arranged some of the finest quarters for him and his entourage. After Chen Bitong entered the room, the young officer carried in a stack of documents and placed them on a side table. "Teacher, these are the reports that have accumulated over the past few days." Chen Bitong had been placed on mandatory leave and was not permitted access to outside news while traveling; only upon arriving at an outpost could he read through some already-outdated reports. He picked up a few and leafed through them. When his eyes fell on one of the sheets, his hand paused. "The Iron Demon has been dealt with?" "Yes," the handsome officer said. "He was taken down by an enforcement officer who just arrived in the Confluence." Chen Bitong said slowly, "I heard about the Iron Demon earlier. I originally thought that if he came near the outpost, I would deal with him in passing. Now it seems there is no need for my involvement." The handsome officer said, "Having you step in for someone like the Iron Demon would be giving him far too much credit, Teacher. If we had run into him, it would have been enough to let your student handle it. "Besides, seeing that he was killed by a newly arrived enforcement officer only shows that his skills were nothing special. Who knows how he built up such a huge reputation before? Most of it was probably exaggerated hype." Seeing Chen Bitong still reviewing the battle report, and knowing well that his teacher loved to instruct younger generations—especially those with great potential, whom he would always offer pointers to upon meeting—the young officer said, "Do you wish to meet this enforcement officer, Teacher? That would be simple enough. He might even be outside right now. If I go say the word, wouldn't he rush over to see you?" Chen Bitong replied, "I do want to see him, but not today. Tomorrow, perhaps. Although my movements are not restricted right now, I am still under surveillance by the higher-ups. Having just arrived, there is no need to rush into doing too much. Otherwise, many people will probably be holding overnight meetings again." The handsome man glanced at the tall female officer standing silently to the side and said indignantly, "This matter clearly had nothing to do with you, Teacher, yet they insist on pinning it on your head. Now even your movements are being restricted. They don't even consider how immense your past contributions have been. They truly have no regard for sentiment or loyalty." Chen Bitong seemed quite calm. "What the higher-ups take into account is never personal sentiment, but risk. In their eyes, I am a dangerous individual. Were I in their position, I would do the same." He added, "Let's not dwell on this. Xiao Yi, you just returned from abroad and must have seen a great deal out there. I would like to hear about things overseas." The handsome officer immediately snapped to attention and said, "If Teacher wishes to hear, this student will tell everything without reservation." Meanwhile, Chen Chuan had climbed down from above and returned to his dormitory. He locked the door, sat down, and took out a tube of the special medicine he carried with him, swallowing it. When the outpost distributed special medicine, there was always a warning urging them to avoid cultivating in the Confluence as much as possible—especially for those who had never taken special medicine before, as a moment of carelessness could lead to complications. Apart from those with high spiritual cultivation who could afford to disregard this, most fighters waited until they left the Confluence before taking their medicine, purely for safety's sake. Chen Chuan, however, could rely on his Second Self to divert the invasive influence, so he had little cause for concern. Furthermore, he didn't know how long he would have to stay here, and he had no intention of wasting so much time. The following day, when he stepped out of his quarters, he found that the outpost had become noticeably livelier. This was a military outpost where, ordinarily, aside from the sounds of soldiers drilling and marching, there was virtually no extraneous noise. Now, however, footsteps and chatter from passersby could be heard from time to time. Only when he had breakfast with Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque did he learn why this was happening: many of Chen Bitong's students and people he had taught had learned he would be returning to Center City via this outpost, so they had made a special trip to meet him. Among them were also scions of high officials who had come out of admiration for his renown. Chen Chuan reflected that matters were likely not that simple. The dossier Commissioner Liang gave him had noted that Chen Bitong possessed considerable backing. This might well be his faction making an overt demonstration of support. As he was thinking, an unfamiliar signal suddenly popped up on his boundary credential, attempting to connect with him. Shifting his thoughts, he accepted the call and asked, "May I ask who this is?" A strong voice came through: "Captain Chen, right? I'm Zhan Yi, Instructor Chen's student. If you were present yesterday, Captain Chen, you probably saw me. "Teacher heard about you killing the Iron Demon. He thinks very highly of you and would like to meet you. Do you have time? If it's convenient, there's a tea gathering at three this afternoon. You're welcome to attend." Chen Chuan felt a slight stir. He was already tasked with making contact with Chen Bitong, so now that an opportunity had presented itself, he naturally wouldn't let it slip by. "All right," he said. "I will be there on time." The other party seemed to take his answer as a matter of course. "Good. See you then." After ending the call, Chen Chuan contacted Qin Qingque and said, "Enforcement Officer Qin, please check with the communications department for me and find out who leaked my contact channel." "Understood, Captain. I'll find out."