Celestial Silver Spoon - Chapter 24

“Oh, I’m fine. Sorry, let’s go take a break.” Ye Chen said, his emotions calming down slightly.

“Senior brother, I’m Xike, and they are all your junior brothers…”

“Senior brother Xichen, I’m Xiliang. I’ve long heard of your heroic deeds, and seeing you today, you truly are remarkable… Oh, senior brother, you should rest, let’s go, let’s go…”

Just as the chubby Xiliang was about to shoot his mouth off, the handsome boy Xike nudged him to make him behave.

Then, the others introduced themselves one by one, and they all headed towards the meeting room. The crooked-faced security guard and others were perplexed, and Xie Wan staggered back to her car in a daze. The world is never short of unexpected events, and yet all of this seemed somehow destined.

“Hey, where did all these junior brothers come from, appearing all of a sudden?” Yixuan asked cautiously while supporting Ye Chen.

“I was a disciple at Jiushan Yun Temple before, then… then somehow I ended up at Shengze.” Ye Chen didn’t seem eager to explain how he arrived at Shengze.

“Somehow ended up at Shengze? It seems your life experiences are somewhat similar to mine,” Yixuan remarked, glancing back at the large group of Ye Chen’s junior brothers behind them.

“Perhaps.” Ye Chen replied absentmindedly, clearly disturbed by the news of his master’s murder.

In Ye Chen’s mind, the days from three years ago on Gangjiu Mountain unfolded vividly before his eyes.

Learning martial arts, fetching water with bamboo tubes, bathing in a lake surrounded by camphor trees, playful scenes with his master… The world of memories always has a few inexplicable scenes that bring tears to one’s eyes.

If one wishes, perhaps it’s a kite from childhood hovering in the mind; if one thinks, perhaps it’s just that kind and smiling face in the twilight; if one misses, then the scene of separation becomes so vividly replayed.

As long as one person is alive, the world can never be completely erased.

“Young master, the situation is becoming unfavorable for us. We need to expedite the acquisition of Shengze,” one person said to Jin Long, who was seated at the general manager’s desk in Jin’s Enterprises.

“Why?” Jin Long asked, leaning forward with a pen in his left hand.

“Currently, the decline in the Euro is slowing down, and there’s a sign of economic recovery in the Eurozone. If our predictions are correct, Liu Zixu holds a large amount of Euros and might be inclined to sell soon to cover Shengze’s current liquidity shortfall.”

Listening intently, Jin Long leaned back in his chair, contemplating. It was a while before he spoke, pressing his right index finger to his nose, “Assistant Yao, sell one-third of our Shengze stocks at half the buying price. I want to see if Liu Zixu will inject significant liquidity into Shengze to halt the stock’s decline, unless they decide to buy at a high price.”

“But young master, if Liu Zixu sells the Euros she holds, acquiring Shengze will become exceedingly difficult.”

“Don’t worry, I have my ways.”

Sitting in his chair, Jin Long exuded a cold, piercing aura, intertwined with an undeniable confidence.

Jin’s Enterprises, a conglomerate of logistics, investment, and services, currently ranks as the number one and most financially powerful company in Hailing City.

“Xixia, the girl supporting our senior brother Xichen is really beautiful… Ah! It’s nothing, nothing… just twisted my ankle,” Xiliang started rambling again. Xike swiftly kicked Xiliang’s leg to stop him, causing Xiliang to yelp. Ye Chen and Yixuan turned back, and Xiliang cleverly covered up for himself.

“Ah!…”

“Are you okay? Don’t stand if you can sit.” Once in the meeting room, Ye Chen was about to sit when his abdomen throbbed with pain, and Yixuan supported him.

“Senior brother, what about this injury?” Xike asked with concern.

“It’s nothing, nothing,” Ye Chen waved it off.

“Please, have a seat,” Yixuan said to Xike and the others.

Xiliang was the first to sit down, carefully observing the Shengze College meeting room. The rows of seats rose from low to high, with levels arranged in a semi-circular space. It was the largest room he had ever seen in his life, and he couldn’t help but remark, “Is this place blown up to be this big?”

“When did our master pass away?” Ye Chen asked Xike while standing.

“It was on the night of the twenty-eighth day of the fifth lunar month last year,” Xike replied.

“Did our master leave any last words before he passed?” Ye Chen inquired further.

“No, by the time we entered his room, he had already passed,” Xike answered.

“Was there no evidence or clues found?”

“At the time, our master was holding a small black butterfly in his hand. It was made of gold.”

“Is that all there was?”

“That’s all there was.”

At this point, Ye Chen and Xike exchanged a look, and Xiliang suddenly interjected, “According to the police, our master died from a poison called ‘Yun Die,’ which is said to originate from Marcia.”

“Yes,” Xike agreed.

“That’s right, Senior Uncle Zichen mentioned the same. He said that in Marcia, there’s a gang called the ‘Dragon Butterfly Gang,’ which controls numerous global terrorist forces. The gang’s leadership is hereditary. Over ten years ago, the gang’s chief passed away, leaving a daughter who was under five years old at the time. Within the Dragon Butterfly Gang, there were two opposing factions: one against the chief’s daughter inheriting the position, and the other supporting her succession. This disagreement led to a battle within the gang. The opposing faction eventually defeated the supporters, but didn’t stop there; they aimed to eradicate the entire lineage. As a result, the chief’s daughter was taken to Xiahua Country for refuge. Since then, the daughter hasn’t been seen again, and Senior Uncle Zichen suspects our master’s death is connected to this matter,” Xike explained.

“The Dragon Butterfly Gang?” Ye Chen repeated, puzzled.

“What are you all talking about? I can’t understand a thing. Zina and the others are getting out of class soon; we should head back, or they’ll start to worry,” Yixuan said, clearly not following the conversation.

“Alright, come with me to the dormitory,” Ye Chen responded to Yixuan and then addressed Xike and the others.

As they exited the meeting room, the bell signaling the end of classes at Shengze College rang. The once-quiet campus suddenly burst to life, proving that silence can stifle, and conversation is a release.

The Shengze meeting room is located next to the main teaching building, close to the playground and the dormitory. It has a rectangular exterior and a semi-circular interior design, capable of accommodating 50,000 people. This means it can easily hold all the teachers and students of Shengze, demonstrating its enormous size.

“Isn’t that Yixuan and Ye Chen?” Cai Erman and Mingzi were walking side by side when Cai Erman suddenly spotted a group emerging from the meeting room. They both jogged over.

“Hey, what brings you here? And who are they…?” Cai Erman asked as he approached Yixuan and Ye Chen.

“They are my junior brothers,” Ye Chen replied, glancing at Cai Erman and Mingzi.

“Junior brothers?” Mingzi asked, puzzled.

“Oh, right! I’ve heard you were a disciple of Jiushan Yun Temple before. Greetings, junior brothers!” Mingzi said, unabashedly adopting the term Ye Chen used.

Cai Erman smiled politely at Xike and the others, although he felt uncomfortable after hearing Mingzi’s words. Xike and his group returned Cai Erman and Mingzi’s smiles.

“White petals fall before the eyes, the wind apologizes, treading the earthly realm, pondering the heavens, with no affinity with bodhi;

Mists teasing amidst lightning, a wisp of long wind, seasons rotating, rain wetting delicate fingertips…”

“Ye Chen, your phone is ringing,” Yixuan interrupted his thoughts.

“Oh.”

“Hello?”

“Ye Chen, why don’t you all come to the Zixu Restaurant inside the college? There are some matters to discuss with you.”

“Oh, sure.”

“Who was that?” Yixuan asked.

“Madam President.”

“The Zixu Restaurant, we’ll have a feast now,” Mingzi exclaimed excitedly.

“Mingzi, give Zina and Xiang Tengfei a call and ask them to join us,” Ye Chen instructed. Mingzi took out his phone and called Zina and Xiang Tengfei. With this group of about ten people gathered outside the meeting room, they were quite conspicuous and easy to find.

“Why is there such a crowd today?” Zina said as she approached from the crowd, about five meters away. Yixuan, seeing Zina coming, quickly released her hand from Ye Chen’s arm. Xike noticed this, furrowing his brows slightly and feeling a bit confused. When he turned his attention to Zina, he even lowered his head slightly.

As Zina came closer, she didn’t offer her hand to support Ye Chen. Although she certainly wanted to from within, an inner barrier compelled her to act against her true intentions.

Cai Erman seemed to realize something and stepped forward to support Ye Chen instead.

“Is it really you guys? Ye Chen, do you know them?” Zina asked excitedly when she spotted Xike.

“Yes, I do. They are my junior brothers. Why? Do you know them too?” Ye Chen replied.

“Know them? Of course I do! Just wait and see!” Zina said, glaring at Xike.

With a huff, Zina turned and joined Mingzi and Yixuan in a line, while Cai Erman and Ye Chen led at the front, and Xike and the others followed behind Yixuan, Zina, and Mingzi.

At that moment, a small boy carrying a large stack of documents ran up from behind, shouting, “Wait for me!”

“Editor-in-chief, you don’t have to carry all those things around all the time to prove you’re a walking encyclopedia, you know?” Zina teased Xiang Tengfei, who had caught up with them.

“It’s you guys?” Xiang Tengfei exclaimed upon seeing Xike and the others.

“They’re Ye Chen’s junior brothers, did you know that? Why are you acting like that!” Zina chided playfully.

“I’m not talking to you anymore!” Xiang Tengfei retorted, playfully making faces at Zina, then moved toward Ye Chen.

“Ah!… Hmph!”

“Alright, stop acting like children.”

“Sister!…”

Zina stomped her foot in frustration but was quickly comforted by Yixuan. Meanwhile, Ye Chen, Cai Erman, and the others couldn’t help but shake their heads at Zina’s exaggerated reaction.

“Brother, your article is too long; you’ll need to make some changes,” Xiang Tengfei said, addressing the group.

In response, Mingzi stepped up, glaring at Xiang Tengfei. “Are you serious? Just add an extra page!”

“Every issue of Shengze Mysteries is exactly 221 pages,” Xiang Tengfei explained.

“How boring! As they say, the rules set by our ancestors can be changed!” Mingzi said, scratching his head.

“Well, you can take that argument to Madam,” Xiang Tengfei retorted as he quickly moved to the front to avoid further teasing.

“Brother, the foreword needs to be kept under a thousand words because there’s going to be a picture added above it-a picture for Shengze’s 30th Anniversary Celebration-so we need to cut down a bit.” Xiang Tengfei clarified.

“Got it,” Ye Chen replied, realizing he had been dwelling on the sorrow of their master’s passing.

“Where are we heading now?” Zina asked.

“To the Zixu Restaurant,” Cai Erman answered over his shoulder.

The Zixu Restaurant is located on the west side of the south gate. It’s not very large but is extravagantly decorated both inside and out. Normally, students aren’t allowed to eat there, regardless of whether they can afford it.

As Ye Chen and the group arrived at the entrance of the Zixu Restaurant, a server in a black-and-white uniform was already waiting for them.