Night's Nomenclature
Chapter 304: Sir and Master

Not long after the old man gave his instructions,

the Li Clan’s most powerful Secretariat suddenly changed its previously silent attitude and responded to the complaints of the student leaders one by one: Li Clan students, as the future foundation of the family, should resolutely obey the arrangements of the academy, while learning cultural knowledge, they should also not forget the all-around development of morality, intelligence, physical fitness, and aesthetics...

The response was a bunch of pompous words, and the leaders stared wide-eyed for a long time. In the hundreds of words of the response, there were actually only two words: obey.

This is very strange. Silence would have been enough, why make a statement?

This is to worry that everyone will cause trouble again, so it is emphasized again!

What is the background of that instructor, that he can even get the Secretariat to issue a special response to endorse him?!

Now, if anyone wants to make trouble again, it is to disobey the Secretariat’s response, which is a very serious matter in the Li Clan.

For example, if a woman without official position or title makes trouble again, her husband will be punished as well.

On the broken bridge by Dragon Lake, Qing Chen curiously asked, “How many orthodox cultivation methods exist?”

The old man calmly said, “There are as many cultivation methods in this world as there are fish in the river, but orthodox methods that can prolong life do not exceed five. Now, there is another one in your hands.”

“So few?” Qing Chen was astonished.

“So, I have one more thing to discuss with you,” the old man said, “Not only will this batch of people from the Li Clan academy come to learn, but also some young people from the Li Clan who have passed the test will come to learn.”

Qing Chen raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t mention this before, and I haven’t personally tested them, so how do I know if they are qualified or not?”

The old man said, “Rest assured, the young people the Li Clan can place in important positions will not be spoiled brats. Also, if you are worried that they will not accept you, or that they will pose a threat to you later, I can have them take you as their master, formally serving tea and kowtowing.”

Now Qing Chen was truly surprised.

Mr. Instructor is only respected, but serving tea and kneeling to become a master represents true core status.

The Li Clan emphasizes the order of seniority. A master is a master, and cannot be defied.

If they meet on the battlefield in the future, those from the Li Clan who have taken him as their master must also retreat three steps.

This is the foundation of the Li Clan’s own order. If the order is disrupted, the Li Clan will also be disrupted.

Moreover, the young people selected by the old man to learn orthodox cultivation methods will likely have an important position in the entire Li Clan in the future.

Qing Chen calmly asked, “Do you know what impact this will have?”

The old man smiled, “The young people I have selected are those who fought and killed on the battlefield. Seeing that the Federation civil war is imminent, Shendai and Koshima have already stationed troops in the north. If some young people from the Li Clan can take a path of cultivation without sequelae, their chances of survival on the battlefield will also be greater. Although modern warfare no longer depends on individual martial arts, individual martial arts cannot change anything, but stronger physical fitness will also increase self-healing ability. Trying is always better than doing nothing.”

So, the old man’s most fundamental purpose is simply to hope that the future pillars of the Li Clan will not all die on the battlefield.

“I thought you hoped they would all live a long life,” Qing Chen said.

“That’s the natural law,” the old man laughed, “So, do you agree?”

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, “The cultivation methods were given by you, and they will formally take me as their master. What do I have to disagree with?”

The most fundamental reason is that the cultivation methods were indeed gifts from them.

In fact, the old man had already guessed that the Outer World would have similar languages. The other party could easily find a time traveler to translate slowly, and they didn’t necessarily need to find him.

Qing Chen suddenly realized that the old man was also investing.

Just like the investment of Hu Xiaoniu’s father, they had already realized that the connection between the Inner World and the Outer World might bring about new changes to both worlds.

So these truly intelligent people want to choose the most outstanding person from among the time travelers to support, seeking an uncertain future.

True investment does not necessarily see returns in every transaction, and unintentional actions can sometimes unexpectedly bear fruit.

However, this wave is a real super-generation boost for Qing Chen!

The third generation will call him master and Li Shutong seventh uncle. In the future, he can have his own separate relationship with Li Shutong...

Wait, this super generation jump from the old man doesn’t have any other purpose, does it?

“By the way, Old Master, what do you usually do when you go out through the secret passage?” Qing Chen blinked curiously.

The old man was stunned, “You discovered the secret passage so quickly?!”

“I also found seven car keys, a wall of firearms... and flashy clothes,” Qing Chen said, “By the way, there are also seven mobile phones. Do you usually use seven identities? I’m very curious about what identities you use...”

At this time, the old man flicked his wrist and lifted the fishing rod. He took off the Dragon Fish and handed it to Qing Chen: “Take it and get lost.”

“Okay,” Qing Chen felt a little unsatisfied.

…

…

Back at Autumn Leaf Manor, Qing Chen went to the yard and cut off a thick branch from a camphor tree, using the wood to carve a sign for himself.

The sign only had two words: “No visitors.”

In the evening, Li Ke came after school to cook and do chores.

He also carefully wiped the recliner Qing Chen lay on every day.

At this time, because lactic acid had begun to accumulate in Li Ke’s body after excessive exercise, he walked a little uncomfortably, feeling as if his two legs no longer belonged to him.

However, even so, Li Ke still insisted on finishing all the chores.

During this time, servants from several other rooms came to deliver fruits.

They said they were delivering fruits, but those servants were secretly watching Li Ke’s busy figure, as if they wanted to find out something.

This is how a large mansion is, full of people with ulterior motives.

After those people left,

“Tired?” Qing Chen lay on the chair, waiting for the 14-year-old boy in the kitchen to cook.

“Replying to sir, I’m a little tired, but I can still persevere,” Li Ke said, “I know, just get through this week.”

“Hmm,” Qing Chen responded vaguely, “Do you have any questions you want to ask me?”

“Sir,” Li Ke thought for a moment and asked, “This is something I thought about during the day. The class system in this world is natural. With civilization, there will be a class system. Since this is the case, why should we put down the class system and be humble to the lower class? This will cause them to lose their awe. Human nature is easily changeable. It is better to let people awe you than to let people recognize your character.”

“Why are you thinking about this?” Qing Chen patiently asked.

“Because what you taught me is different from what I’ve seen. Most people in this world act as I said, and it is indeed effective,” Li Ke said, “Moreover, today I tried to be polite to the servants, and they became even more terrified, thinking they had done something wrong, as if they had suffered some torment. It didn’t seem to help them.”

Qing Chen smiled, “Asking you to respect the personality of others is to make you improve your own personality. Just like when you meet a beggar on the street, can giving him a dollar really help him? It can’t. But that dollar is not to help him, it’s to help yourself. Think back, after giving him the money, was your inner order more peaceful?”

Li Ke was stunned, “It seems to be like that.”

He had never heard anyone else discuss beggars like this.

“Then, after you stopped ordering the servants around, how did you feel?” Qing Chen asked.

“At first, I felt awkward, but later I felt a little different, and this feeling was quite good. I felt more self-cultivation,” Li Ke said.

Qing Chen smiled, “Don’t always think about such big issues in your heart, that’s enough.”

He already understood that in the 14 years of his student’s life, he had faced a world where people were divided into three, six, and nine grades after class solidification.

Therefore, the concept still needs to be slowly reversed.

At this time, Li Ke asked, “Sir, what if this beggar is fully able-bodied and only wants to cheat money? You gave him money, and he might say behind your back that you are a fool. What would you do if you encountered this?”

Qing Chen said without hesitation, “Beat the hell out of him.”

“Okay, I need to think about it again. If you’re fine, sir, I’ll go back,” Li Ke said.

“Okay, go ahead.”

Li Ke left Autumn Leaf Manor early after eating. He needed to go home and adjust his schedule.

Qing Chen handed him the sign that said “No visitors”: “Go and hang it on the door for me. No visitors after 7 p.m. every day, no one will be seen.”

Li Ke was stunned and immediately said, “Okay, I will also inform others.”

After Li Ke left, at 7:30, someone came to visit again.

But no matter how they knocked, Qing Chen just lay on the chair and calmly replied, “Please leave, no visitors today.”

No matter who they claimed to be, Qing Chen refused to see them.

The servants outside left resentfully.

On the morning of the third day of the time travel, Li Ke gathered everyone at the Dripping Spring, but only half came. The other half was probably still in bed, and even the leaders were reluctant to wake them up.

However, this time Li Ke didn’t go door to door to call them. He only caught Qing Yi in Qing Shan Bie Yuan Courtyard and let the others be.

Many students felt puzzled. According to Li Ke’s personality, why would he give up so easily?

On this day, Qing Chen hung up the “No visitors” sign on time.

However, from this day on, even if someone knocked on the door outside, he no longer responded.

On the morning of the fourth day of the time travel, only nine students came to the Dripping Spring for assembly, including Li Tongyun, Qing Yi, and Li Ke.

Li Ke still didn’t force them, but silently led them to run five kilometers and then went to school.

Qing Yi didn’t want to go either, but he was really afraid of death, so he had to go.

He knew that others could not go, but if he didn’t go, he would still be choked...

Only then did he realize that he was being targeted...

The other leaders thought, how come the thunder is loud but the rain is small? On the first day, Li Ke almost wanted to use a loudspeaker to shout everyone to death, but now, even if they don’t come to the assembly, he doesn’t care?

This made many people puzzled.

Could it be that Li Ke’s father, who is in charge of the main family, also thought it was inappropriate, so he warned Li Ke? But this doesn’t make sense either, after all, the Secretariat has issued a special response.

For the leaders, it’s best if everyone can get along peacefully.

Those students who didn’t have to do morning exercises were very happy, and even persuaded other students who were still doing morning exercises not to go.

Some students privately discussed excluding and isolating Li Ke.

On the evening of the fourth day, after 7 p.m., no more guests came to Autumn Leaf Manor, which had the “No visitors” sign hanging outside.

Everyone knew that Autumn Leaf Manor had a rule: no visitors after 7 p.m.

Just like the rule that no one was allowed to disturb the old man when he mourned his mentor.

Even if the sky collapsed outside, that door would not open.

The old man on the broken bridge by the lake also heard about this, and kept telling Qing Chen that he was smart. In this way, Qing Chen wouldn’t have to worry about anything when he went in and out of Ban Shan Mountain Estate.

However, this also created an image of Qing Chen for the outside world: Mr. Instructor is naturally aloof and gives no Face^[-] to anyone.

He is not close to human feelings at all.

After 7 p.m. and before 9 a.m., it’s all Qing Chen’s free time.

This is true freedom.

By the fourth day of the time travel, Qing Chen had already eaten a full 7 Dragon Fish.

When Li Ke cooked for him, he could hear crackling sounds from his instructor.

At first, Li Ke thought it was the sound of water meeting oil in the pan, but later he didn’t think so.

After a while, he realized that it was the sound of the bones in the instructor’s body.

At first, there was crackling, then thunderous sounds.

In Qing Chen’s body, it seemed as if a new skeleton was breaking out of its cocoon, completing a true transformation.

In the past, it was only a legend in Ban Shan Mountain Estate that eating nine Dragon Fish would transform one’s body, but everyone only regarded it as a legend.

Until Li Ke witnessed it with his own eyes and ears!

He silently thought, the instructor only ate 7 and had such strange phenomena. If he ate 9, what would it be like?

What if he ate 18?

…

…

In the Federation’s First Army, a lieutenant walked through the neat military camp and came to the residence of his superior.

He reported himself and looked at his superior, “Commander, I want to go home to visit my relatives. Please issue me a visa.”

The commander was a little curious, “Li Shu, the exercise is about to begin. Why are you asking for leave to visit relatives now?”

Li Shu looked around.

The commander waved his hand and asked the operations staff to leave.

Li Shu said, “Fourth Uncle, it’s not that I want to go back, it’s that the family summoned me to Ban Shan Mountain Estate.”

This is an army completely controlled by the Li Clan. Almost half of the soldiers are close associates of the Li Clan, either related by blood or secretly sworn allegiance to the Li Clan.

Therefore, Li Shu’s commander is his fourth uncle, which is not unusual.

This is also one of the reasons why the Conglomerate can control the Federation.

The commander was a little curious, “The family summoned you back temporarily? Why didn’t I receive such a notice?”

“It was a direct notice from the Secretariat,” Li Shu thought for a moment and said, “As for what I will do when I go back, I can only tell you after signing a confidentiality agreement with the Secretariat.”

The commander thought for a moment, “Then go pack your things. I’ll have the staff issue you a home leave visa, and then send you back by airship. As for what this trip back is for, I won’t ask any more questions. Just pretend you didn’t tell me this... Don’t tell anyone else either.”

Li Shu nodded, “Understood.”

At this moment, similar scenes were playing out in various parts of the Federation’s army. Some outstanding young people from the Li Clan, even those with the rank of at least colonel, were asking for home leave, and were sent to City 18 by the Federation’s army by airship.

This move caught many people’s nerves.

Many people speculated after their departure that the Old Master of the Li Clan might really be dying, and these young people were going home to attend the funeral and compete for the out-of-control power of the Li Clan.

Just on the night these soldiers left, the armies controlled by the Shendai and Koshima families in the north moved again, advancing fifty kilometers southward.

For modern military strategy, moving a garrison fifty kilometers is not surprising.

However, this operation itself reveals a very dangerous signal.

On the fifth day of the time travel, two more people suddenly appeared in the group of eight who were doing morning exercises, Li Yino and Nangeng Chen.

When asked, Li Yino only said that he wanted to exercise, and didn’t explain anything else.

On the sixth day of the time travel, unfamiliar yet familiar faces appeared in the morning exercise group!

Li Yino looked at Li Shu curiously, “Shouldn’t you be in the army preparing for the exercise? Why are you suddenly back?”

Li Shu smiled without speaking. He had already signed a confidentiality agreement with the Secretariat, and he remained silent about everything that was about to happen.

Li Yino smiled, “It’s okay, I understand. I signed one too.”

Not only Li Shu, but also three other young people from the Li Clan serving in the army also returned to Ban Shan Mountain Estate.

Among them were familiar faces who lived in Ban Shan Mountain Estate, and unfamiliar faces, who were collateral branches of the Li Clan who lived in other cities.

The morning exercise group went from 10 to 14 people, and it was foreseeable that the number of people would continue to increase in the future.

At this time, some leaders had already figured out something was wrong!

There are no real secrets in a big mansion. On the day Li Shu and the others returned, many people knew the news. Although they didn’t know what they were doing, the sudden addition to the morning exercise group was unusual.

Some of the leaders who had previously condoned their children’s absences had begun to secretly instruct their children to return to the morning exercise group discreetly tomorrow, and not to fall behind.

They realized that something good must happen after the morning exercises, and if they didn’t keep up, they might be marginalized in the future!

However, it was too late for them to make amends at this time.

From the day Li Yino joined the morning exercises, Qing Chen began to require Li Ke to change the assembly location every day.

Therefore, on the morning of the seventh day of the time travel, those children who wanted to rejoin the morning exercise group came to the Dripping Spring Square, but they didn’t see anyone...

They stood blankly in the thin morning mist, somewhat at a loss...

…

…