Chapter 28

(PS: A new episode, a new week, I'm really hoping for recommendations, favorites, and clicks. I hope to make it to the member lightning strike chart or the weekly recommendation chart this week. If it can be done...)

At these words, everyone's conversation came to an abrupt halt. Since Hao Qi spoke without any attempt to hide his voice, it was a normal, unreserved tone, not only the few young men and women nearby heard him, but the other two groups also heard his words, and the entire carriage fell silent.

At least ten seconds later, someone from another group of young men and women laughed out loud. Then, a tall and robust young man stood up and said, "Brother, are you sure you're not joking? Or are you just trying to pass the time? The Azure Giant Yamon Hadit has long been proven to be a hoax. Mobemobi is a famous historical city that was destroyed in war and slaughter, not by a legendary monster. As for the sea visitor that appears every hundred years in this rumor, it's just a gimmick used by merchants to make money. Hahaha."

Hao Qi, however, said indifferently, "Hmm, I know it might be a hoax, a case of hearsay, or that I might find nothing, but I don't care."

The robust young man seemed to know Xu Haoming, but there seemed to be some grudges between them. They exchanged a glance, both very calm. The robust young man then walked over and, standing beside the group, crossed his arms and said, "So, brother, you're planning to do something foolish and unrepentant? Ha, indeed, only the wisest and the most foolish can be steadfast, but isn't your foolishness misplaced?"

This robust young man was already being quite presumptuous. After all, this was a dinner gathering for Hao Qi and his newly acquainted friends, and he had come uninvited. His actions, demeanor, and words were somewhat disrespectful. The young men and women who had just met Hao Qi had red faces, but for some reason, none of them spoke up. Instead, the young man who had earlier complained about the hardships of noble families whispered, "Brother Hao Qi, don't say anything more. Mobemobi is indeed a legend, and it has been proven to be a hoax..."

"Oh?"

Hao Qi, however, remained calm. He took another sip of wine and then stood up, smiling. "Thank you all for your hospitality. I've had my drink and my meal. Meeting you today is a matter of fate. If we meet again, I will remember this kindness. Farewell." With that, Hao Qi bowed and was about to leave the gathering.

But the robust young man seemed to be纠缠着 (entangled) or perhaps trying to save face for Xu Haoming and the others. He blocked Hao Qi's path and said, "Brother, why don't you listen to some advice? Don't be so naive. The so-called fantasy city is just a fantasy. One must walk the path of life with both feet on the ground. You can enter the VIP section, so your family must be a well-known clan. Why do you say you're an orphan? Isn't the glory and achievements of your ancestors worth pursuing? Go back to your family and stop being so immature."

Hearing this, Hao Qi stopped in his tracks, looked at the robust young man with a half-smile, and then looked at Xu Haoming's red face and clenched hands. He smiled and said, "Oh? Immature? You use that term? What do you think immaturity is? Or how am I immature?"

"Huh? You don't have that term where you're from?" The robust young man wore an expression as if he had encountered a country bumpkin and laughed, "It's a popular term in big cities in recent years. It refers to the unique mental state of middle school second-year students, who think they are extraordinary or have extraordinary abilities, believing they are the most unique in the world and that everything is wrong with the world. In reality, it refers to people who are delusional. You don't know? Hahaha."

Hao Qi smiled and shook his head. He took a step closer to the robust young man and said, "Everyone is unique, and everyone is the protagonist of their own world. I knew this decades ago, no, I should say I knew this in my previous life. People who call others immature are just trying to better adapt to society, social relationships, or this cold and cruel world. They have abandoned their own uniqueness. In simpler terms, they have been worn down by society and no longer have their own dreams. Such people hate those who still have dreams and their own uniqueness, wishing to destroy them. If they can't destroy them physically, they will do so mentally, through slander, defamation, or even spreading rumors. As long as they can destroy others' uniqueness and dreams, turning them into ordinary people like themselves, they feel satisfied. So, I always think that 'immature' is a positive term, not a negative one. Those who mock others as immature already have 'worldly' written all over their faces. That's all there is to it."

"Regarding the question of whether I am foolish, whether Mobemobi exists, whether my actions are foolish, or whether I will be deceived by this hoax in the future, my answer to you is..."

"The wind blows my ass, what's it to you?"

Everyone stared at Hao Qi in shock. Those who could enter the VIP section were all wealthy or noble. Regardless of their moral standards, they prided themselves on being the most noble and civilized, and they rarely used foul language. Hao Qi's straightforward and forceful words stunned them.

Hao Qi still smiled and said, "Regardless of whether you meddle in others' affairs, I'll ask you one thing: Does Mobemobi not exist, and does the Azure Giant not exist because you personally investigated it? Or did you go to the site to examine it? Or is it a consensus that the Azure Giant does not exist and Mobemobi has long been destroyed? You advise me based on hearsay? I just want to ask, who do you think you are?"

At these words, the robust young man's face turned red and then pale, about to react, but in the blink of an eye, Hao Qi's palm was already on his forehead. The distance between them was at least five steps, but in less than the time it takes to blink, Hao Qi's palm was on his forehead. In an instant, the robust young man stepped back three steps with incredible speed, leaving slight indentations on the metal floor with each step, indicating a level of strength close to the Internal Power realm.

But after three steps, Hao Qi's palm was still on his forehead, as if it had been there from the beginning, with no change in position, distance, or movement. The robust young man dared not move, his forehead drenched in cold sweat, realizing he had provoked a powerful figure... an Internal Power realm expert!

"Senior, senior, spare my life! I am a descendant of the Wuchang clan! My father..."

Hao Qi shook his head, lightly tapped the robust young man's forehead, and he immediately turned pale, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Hao Qi turned and walked to the window, saying, "What does another's freedom have to do with you? This is a small lesson for being disrespectful to my new friends."

At this, everyone in the VIP section came to their senses, and almost everyone stood up, most of them looking at Hao Qi with admiration. An Internal Power realm expert, and from his appearance and age, a young genius. If such a genius were to give them a few pointers, it would be a lifetime of benefit.

Xu Haoming immediately said with bright eyes, "Brother Hao Qi, please don't be angry. We are blind. Please come back and have a few more drinks, as a way to apologize."

Hao Qi, however, laughed and clearly refused, "Different paths, drinking more won't be as enjoyable. But what I said earlier was sincere. My destination is the Sea Kingdom. I want to find a ship that can cross the Blue Sea, to find the Azure Giant, and to explore Mobemobi. These are my true intentions."

At this, Xu Haoming's sister, who had been silent, whispered, "But, but... the Azure Giant and Mobemobi are indeed false..."

"Shut up!" Xu Haoming's expression changed drastically, and he shouted at his sister. He then bowed to Hao Qi, about to say something.

Hao Qi, however, gently waved his hand and laughed, "There is no question of truth or falsehood, just a difference in our beliefs. I am the type who competes with the heavens for freedom, a wanderer in the world. You are the type who conforms to your worldview, social norms, and interpersonal relationships as descendants of noble families. This is the difference in our paths. So, even if you think it's false, it doesn't stop me from striving to find it. Even if it turns out to be false, the journey's scenery is enough to compensate for the falsehood. This is the difference in our paths. I won't be angry over our differences, and the punishment was just for his disrespect to you. Haha, I've said too much."

Hao Qi suddenly thought of Su Shiyi's face. He and she probably had this difference in beliefs. She was even more in line with the worldview of noble families than the young men and women present. They had no chance of being together. This was truly the difference in paths...

"So..."

Hao Qi walked to the window, turned, and bowed, laughing loudly, "Meeting you was a matter of fate. Now that the connection has ended, I bid you farewell, everyone..."

"Until we meet again!"

After bowing, Hao Qi turned and opened the window, leaping out of the rapidly moving train into the vast wilderness, disappearing from sight.