Chapter 17

After standing at the classroom door, Hao Qi took a deep breath and firmly held the envelope containing the secret letter given to him by his mother.

Hao Qi had no relatives. The only two people he was close to were Xue Na, who already had a family and a husband from a prestigious family, ensuring her future was secure, and the other... Lin Xiong...

Hao Qi walked down the old street where Lin Xiong used to live, looking around alone. He was searching for the woman who had told him about Lin Xiong's death. No matter what, that woman had told him the truth and had done him a favor. Moreover, Lin Xiong seemed to have feelings for her, and now he could help this woman out of her困境.

One must repay kindness and avenge enmity; that's how it is.

However, despite searching the entire old street and even questioning some small-time thugs and their leaders, Hao Qi couldn't find the woman. The most critical issue was that Hao Qi didn't know the woman's name, so he could only roughly describe her appearance, but that made it extremely difficult to find her.

After spending hours without finding the woman, Hao Qi's expression grew increasingly grim, and the killing intent around him became more apparent. At that moment, several men dressed in Western-style suits and wearing sunglasses emerged from the crowd. They respectfully saluted Hao Qi, and one of them handed him an address. Without saying a word, they dispersed back into the crowd.

Hao Qi was not surprised or inquisitive. Although the civilization in this world had only progressed to the early 20th century, around the time of World War I, the government structure was quite normal, similar to the governments of the 21st-century Earth. He believed that the government had already investigated his entire life countless times, including why he fought the Xu family, why he killed an Inner Strength Realm member of the Xu family, Lin Xiong's death, and even the woman who told him about Lin Xiong's death. The government had likely investigated everything thoroughly. If they didn't want him to go crazy in the capital, the existence of this woman was necessary. If the Xu family had indeed killed her out of revenge, then one of them would have to disappear...

Following the address, Hao Qi arrived at a destination in a high-end residential area in the capital. The address led to one of the villas. After knocking on the door, Hao Qi learned that the security personnel, service staff, and maids in the villa were all hired by the government. The woman who lived in the villa was the one who had told him about Lin Xiong's death, and she... was pregnant.

Although this woman had indeed fallen into a difficult situation before, because of her past, she was very cautious about contraception. Her last partner was Lin Xiong. In fact, after meeting Lin Xiong, she only worked as a bartender in his establishment. Her last partner was Lin Xiong, and this child was Lin Xiong's.

After a brief conversation with the woman, Hao Qi left the villa. However, after leaving, he summoned nearby government personnel and thoroughly inquired about various situations, only then did he truly feel at ease.

Since his battle with the Xu family, especially after killing one of their Inner Strength Realm members, the Xu family had begun investigating his entire life. The government and the top families in the capital had also conducted investigations. When they discovered the woman's existence, especially after learning she was pregnant and that the child was likely Lin Xiong's, the government immediately sent people to bring her to this villa and provided her with protection, medical care, and other necessities. The sole purpose was to give Hao Qi, an orphan with no concerns, his only and final concern.

They succeeded, at least without any dramatic incidents. If the woman, Lin Xiong's only descendant, had died, the consequences might have been unpredictable, even to Hao Qi himself.

Now, this was good. The woman would be taken care of by the government for the rest of her life. The upper-class life she had always dreamed of awaited her. Even without education or skills, as long as Hao Qi was alive and his reputation continued to spread, she and her child, Lin Xiong's last descendant, would be part of the upper class in this country. Such a life... was not bad.

After resolving this last concern, Hao Qi faced his third sparring match. This was with an Inner Strength Realm expert from a major sect within the Blue Shadow Republic, the sect's Grand Elder, who was much older than Li Ming. However, he spoke to Hao Qi very politely. In a quiet room, the Inner Strength Realm expert, citing his old age and physical limitations, proposed that they simply exchange martial arts knowledge. The match ended in a draw.

With this, Hao Qi faced only one more test, an Inner Strength Realm expert among the independents. It was said that this person was the leader of a martial arts group permanently based in the Blue Shadow Republic, a well-known Inner Strength Realm expert. This match was arranged as part of a task from the Blue Shadow Republic's martial arts group. Strangely, this person had also gone to the town where Hao Qi was recovering but did not meet him. After hearing about Li Ming's defeat, he returned to the capital. When Hao Qi returned to the capital, this person did not show up, and it was unclear what his intentions were.

However, Hao Qi did not concern himself with this last person. He continued to plan according to his own schedule. First, he withdrew 100,000 Blue Shadow coins from the Blue Shadow Republic bank and carried them with him. Then, he purchased a large amount of herbs, tasting each one to confirm their effects on his body using his Inner Strength. He selected those that were beneficial, could effectively heal internal injuries, and enhance his physical condition, buying and consuming large quantities. Although this was not as effective as mixing the herbs into medicine, it was the only method he knew to improve his healing and physical strength.

In addition, he bought the most suitable equipment for his journey, including a set of clothes, a set of spare clothes, two pairs of travel shoes, a sturdy backpack, fire-starting tools, a compass, a map, and mosquito and insect repellent. These items were not expensive if bought from the market, but now that Hao Qi had money, he did not want any of the equipment to fail in the wilderness. Even as an Inner Strength Realm expert, he had no experience surviving alone in the wild and was not like Bear Grylls. If something went wrong, he might struggle to survive. Therefore, he asked government personnel to find the relevant manufacturers and paid a high price for custom-made versions, personally confirming the durability of each item until he was satisfied. This cost him over 2 million Blue Shadow coins.

However, Hao Qi did not care about the money. His goal was to travel the world, see everything, and experience everything. As long as he could achieve this dream, money was not a concern. The purpose of forming a martial arts group was to support this goal. In fact, the ten years of training and achieving Inner Strength were also to protect himself while traveling the world.

He had lived for over thirty years on Earth and ten years in this world. In his previous life and the past ten years of this life, he had been crushed by life, reality, and society. No, he had already been crushed. In his previous life, he had wanted to be a scientist, an athlete, and an adventurer, but ended up as a salaried worker, going to work, coming home, eating, sleeping, and spending his weekends at home, surfing the internet, playing games, and chatting...

Such a life, such a society, such a reality, such a life...

At one time, he had dreams...

Now, it was time to start his dream!

"Equipment should be ready in about half a month, then I'll form the martial arts group, say goodbye to some acquaintances, and start my true dream—traveling the world!"

Hao Qi walked back to the hotel, having been busy all day, finally settling the last piece of equipment, a multi-functional tool combining a knife, drill, fire starter, bottle opener, and simple pliers. To ensure its durability, Hao Qi chose a special alloy steel plate, the most advanced steel of the era, typically used for the main guns of the largest battleships. Ordinary people could not obtain even a small piece, and even the manufacturer could not. However, because Hao Qi needed it, the government specially allocated some of this steel to the manufacturer, who was terrified and repeatedly guaranteed to use the best workers and designers to meet Hao Qi's requirements, promising to deliver the tool within half a month.

On the way, Hao Qi carefully considered whether he had forgotten any important tools, but after much thought, he found nothing, so he put his mind at ease. Even if he had forgotten something, he was not planning to stay in the wilderness indefinitely. If he needed something, he could always manufacture it in the next country's bustling city. After all, the civilization in this world had progressed to the early 20th century, and it was not as primitive as one might think.

"Farewell, and the first stop of my journey... the largest port city of the Blue Shadow Republic, Boya Bay. I haven't had seafood in a long time. I'll go there and enjoy some seafood, then see the vast ocean, and from there, head north through the national railway to the Green Forest Union, a country with the highest forest coverage in the region, full of wildlife and various game... The future looks bright. This world is also suitable for dreams."

As a food lover from Earth, Hao Qi's first consideration for his journey was definitely food, followed by local customs, and various mysterious ruins and civilizations. Wasn't he truly a soul born in a food-loving country?

No matter what, thinking about the future, the things he could see, and of course, the things he could eat, the things he had never experienced, a fire burned in his heart. The future, the future... he wanted to live a colorful life in this world!

Hao Qi's emotions were surging as he carefully planned his future and imagined the magnificent world. Suddenly, a cold feeling pierced his heart. He stopped and became alert. The surroundings were peaceful, the same tranquil streets of the Blue Shadow Republic's capital. It was already around 6 PM, and the seasons, daily time, and day-night cycles in this world were similar to Earth's, with 24 hours and the four seasons. It was the time when dusk ended and night began. The street looked very peaceful, with a few pedestrians who seemed unremarkable.

(What's going on? This feeling... like a snake's cold gaze sliding over my skin, full of malice. Is this a premonition...?)

In recent days, through conversations with Li Ming and the sect's Inner Strength Realm expert, Hao Qi learned that as Inner Strength burst forth, physical strength improved, and the spirit condensed external energy into Inner Strength, the human spirit underwent a remarkable change, enhancing the sixth sense. This enhancement continued as one's strength increased. In fact, even some powerful quasi-Inner Strength Realm experts had this heightened intuition, known as "sensing the autumn wind before the cicada." This was one of the reasons Inner Strength Realm experts were difficult to kill. When they sensed danger, they would avoid pre-arranged death traps, thus escaping death. Unless the opponent was much stronger, it was very difficult to kill an Inner Strength Realm expert.

(Is someone setting a trap for me? Who? The government? The Li family? The Xu family? Or that sect's Inner Strength Realm expert, or... the last independent Inner Strength Realm expert?)

Hao Qi looked at the peaceful street ahead, paused for a moment, then smiled coldly and walked into the street...

(Indeed, I was overthinking. The peace, the tranquility, the quietness... these days, the Li family's retreat, the Xu family's retreat, the government's kindness, and the sect's Inner Strength Realm expert's humility have made me too relaxed. This is a real world, and the real world is cold and cruel. There is no such thing as a free lunch. To gain something, one must lose something. I want to travel the world, to see everything, to achieve my dream. My dream... indeed, I must...)

(I must use my fists, my martial arts, and my life to fight for and defend it!)

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(Indeed, I was overthinking. The peace, the tranquility, the quietness... these days, the Li family's retreat, the Xu family's retreat, the government's kindness, and the sect's Inner Strength Realm expert's humility have made me too relaxed. This is a real world, and the real world is cold and cruel. There is no such thing as a free lunch. To gain something, one must lose something. I want to travel the world, to see everything, to achieve my dream. My dream... indeed, I must...)

(I must use my fists, my martial arts, and my life to fight for and defend it!)