Chapter Eighty-four: The Rebirth of the Dragon Guard

  When day broke, I had already arrived at Nan Gong Qian Lan's home. Nan Gong Qian Lan hadn't gotten out of bed yet, the one who opened the door was Nan Gong Qian Lan's grandfather, Nan Gong Quan.

  Running into Nangong Quan again, I felt a mix of emotions. It was as if there were many things I wanted to say, but for the moment, I didn't know where to start.

  Nangong Quan smiled and said: "It's been three years since we last met, young man. Your spirit has improved a lot. I suppose you've mastered the Wudang Heart Method and are ready to compete with an old man like me."

  I smiled slightly: "You're overpraising me. I've just entered the Heart Method Great Completion realm, and it's not like I've truly mastered this heart method. Let alone dare to fight you, even if I really fought you, I would undoubtedly lose."

  Nangong Yun laughed: "You're too humble. The Wudang Heart Method is the ultimate in Chinese martial arts, and as long as you've entered the door, you're not comparable to ordinary people. Even at a small accomplishment level, you can exchange moves with ordinary high-level martial artists, and at a great accomplishment level, perhaps only a few senior high-level martial artists would be your match. You've already reached the great accomplishment level, although you still lack fire timing, but you're truly a high-level master now."

  I smiled slightly: "You're flattering me. When did you arrive? Is Nangong Qianlan at home?"

  Nangong Quan smiled and said: "So you're here to find my family's Qianlan, I thought you were here to play chess with my old man!"

  I hastily said: "Wait until I have time, I'll definitely accompany you to play a few rounds. But now I really came to find Nan Gong Qian Lan. She knows how to contact the military, I want to go back and replace my master, I need to ask Nan Gong Qian Lan about the way to contact the military."

  Nangong Quan was slightly stunned, then said: "Qianlan's grandfather went to the military... I didn't know that. We have to go and get him back, otherwise, at his age, he can't withstand too much trouble."

  I smiled: "So you'd better tell me where Nan Gong Qian Lan is now, I really have something to find her for."

  Nangong Quan nodded and shouted loudly: "Qianlan, your fiancé is here."

  I hastily gestured for him to stop shouting, but it was too late. Nangong Qianlan's voice had already carried over: "Has Jin Cang arrived? I'll be right down."

  I smiled wryly as I looked at Nangong Quan, for a moment unsure of what to do.

  Nan Gong Quan said: "You're 24 too, it's time to find a girlfriend. My family's Qian Lan is very good, and she only has you in her heart, don't take it for granted!"

  I let out a soft sigh: "Old man, you don't know, I originally had a girlfriend, and even an fiancée... by the way, my girlfriend isn't just one person, I already have two girlfriends... think about it, if your Qianlan is with me, won't she be wronged?"

  Nan Gong Quan was taken aback, and then flew into a rage: "You scoundrel, Jin Cang! How can you do this?" His beard even floated up in the air. I was so frightened that I hastily retreated a step back, but he continued to say: "How could you only have two girlfriends and one fiancée? Qian Lan told me that you already had four... no, five girlfriends, and two fiancées! You rascal, not even an old man like me is spared from your deception! I'll tell Qian Lan later that you only have two girlfriends, not five, and only one fiancée..."

  Nan Gong Quan's words completely defeated me, I stared at him with my mouth agape, having no idea what to say next. Luckily, Nan Gong Qian Lan had come downstairs by then, she rushed to my front in a flurry, directly throwing herself into my arms and loudly saying: "Jin Cang, you've finally returned, I was worried to death about you..."

  I suddenly felt that what I originally wanted to say couldn't be said, standing quietly in place, still being held by Nan Gong Qian Lan.

  Nan Gong Quan continued to speak: "Look, my family's Qian Lan doesn't care about how many girlfriends or fiancées you have. She originally thought you had five girlfriends and two fiancées, so she was a bit depressed. Now that she knows you have two girlfriends and one fiancée, she must be very happy. Because... because this way, Qian Lan is still in fourth place, not too far behind."

  I was petrified, watching Nangong Quan still babbling away, I have no idea what's going on in his head. Originally, I thought if I said this, Nangong Quan would be the first to advise Nangong Qianlan to leave me, but unexpectedly, it turned out like this. It seems that our misunderstanding won't be resolved anytime soon.

  Nangong Qianlan hugged me tightly for a full two minutes, then suddenly let go of me and stared at my face for a while. I also heard her say: "More handsome, worthy of being my fiancé, the more I look, the better..."

  I felt a headache coming on and couldn't help but say: "It's impossible between us, stop deceiving yourself. We'd better..."

  Nangong Qianlan suddenly covered my mouth with her hand and said loudly, "I've told you, it's fine if you have several women, I won't interfere. But if you don't want me, I'll make you regret it... I... I'll go tell that Chen Jing person, tell her... tell her you bullied me and aren't taking responsibility."

  I was startled: "How did you know Chen Jing?"

  Nangong Qianlan glared at me and muttered, "As soon as Chen Jing is mentioned, you become tense, excited... isn't she just a beautiful woman? Is she worth your reaction?"

  I frowned and said: "You're from the military, I had forgotten. But Chen Jing is not my girlfriend yet, it's useless even if you tell her. My girlfriend... you probably don't know..."

  I didn't finish speaking, because Nangong Qianlan interrupted and said: "Do I not know? Isn't it just a Li Huanhuan, an Dongfang Yu, a Zhou Hui, and... and one called what was it again? Ah yes, Bai Feng, I remembered."

  I couldn't help but smile wryly, just as I was about to explain, when suddenly it occurred to me that maybe being misunderstood wasn't so bad after all, and immediately dispelled the idea of explaining.

  But my thoughts were seen through by Nangong Qianlan: "Are you going to explain? No need, I specially went to see your girlfriends some time ago and played with them for several days. Let me tell you, they all like me and have acknowledged me as their younger sister. Although my age may not be younger than theirs, who told me to know you after they did? So I endured it. By the way, there's a girl named Du Yifei, she graduated from university and came to work in Beijing, now she's working in one of our Nangong family's subsidiary companies. She should also be your girlfriend, I forgot to mention her just now."

  Nangong Quan, who was still standing beside him, suddenly said: "Qianlan, didn't you tell me that there were a few more people? Called... what was it... Ah yes, one was called Sima Qin, and another was Zhong Lingling, they were all his university classmates."

  Nangong Qianlan nodded, saying somewhat resentfully: "I forgot. That Zhong Lingling is now a big star, and things with Jin Cang may not work out. Although she publicly said she was Jin Cang's girlfriend, I think Jin Cang won't like her. As for Sima Qin, a newly graduated student, as soon as she left school, I pulled her into our family's company to work, and now she's still under Du Yifei... She wouldn't dare compete with me for Jin Cang."

  Nangong Quan nodded and suddenly said: "Isn't there still a Zhang Shuang? Have you taken any measures?"

  Nangong Qianlan's face suddenly turned sour, and she said: "Zhang Shuang, she is the heir of the Zhang family, what can I do with her? Jin Cang saved her life, so she is devoted to Jin Cang and must marry him. I can only endure it and give up the position of Eldest Fifth... no, Eldest Sixth to her. Grandfather, you don't know that two years ago when I went to find her, I saw with my own eyes that she was practicing martial arts with four big men, but those four big men couldn't even take one move from her... Zhang Shuang is very powerful, and I'm not even a match for her."

  Nan Gong Quan furrowed his brow and said, "What? You're not her match? How is that possible? Didn't I teach you all my ultimate skills over the past few years? How could you lose to Zhang's little girl?"

  Nangong Qianlan pouted and said, "Grandfather, you can say that, it's all because you didn't want to teach me martial arts before, so I only started practicing at the age of 20. Of course, I'm not a match for Zhang Shuang who has been practicing since childhood."

  I couldn't help but interrupt: "Zhang Shuang has never practiced martial arts, she... seems to be just a student from Yihua University whom I once saved, so stop talking nonsense."

  "Nangong Qianlan snorted: 'Am I talking nonsense? I'm not talking nonsense! Let me tell you, I know all this from your fiancée Dongfang Yu and your girlfriends Li Huanhuan, Zhou Hui, and also Bai Feng. They told me, and I believe they won't deceive me. You're Zhang Shuang's boyfriend!"

  I feel like I'm going to collapse, so I simply don't explain and ask Nan Gong Qian Lan: "How can I get in touch with the military?"

  Nangong Qianlan was taken aback, then said: "You want to go find Chen Jing, I won't tell you where she is... wait a minute, you're looking for the military, are you trying to get your master - my grandfather back?"

  I nodded slightly: "Master has been with the military for almost a year now, he's old and can't keep up with the military's workload. I plan to replace Master now, do what Master should be doing, from now on it'll be me."

  Nangong Qianlan immediately said: "Okay, I was just thinking of going to the military too, it's just right that we go together."

  I'm in a difficult position: "What are you doing going to the military? Aren't you afraid that the people from the military will bother you? Don't forget, you're..."

  Nangong Qianlan interrupted me: "I've explained it all before, the military has already let my matter go. But you, you offended Wang Yingzu, this time going to replace your grandfather, I'm afraid Wang Yingzu won't easily let you off!"

  I smiled wryly and said, "Never mind, as long as it's not too excessive. Considering we're both descendants of the Huaxia nation, I won't stoop to his level."

  Nangong Quan suddenly said: "It's not that you're not on the same level as him, but he won't let you off easily!"

  I frowned and said, "If Wang Yingzu dares to disregard the overall situation and lay a hand on me, I'll make him know my ferocity. You can rest assured of this, I will be more careful."

  Nan Gong Quan said with a deep sigh, "Our greatest enemy now is the Wan Long Hui and its allies. They have joined forces with some foreign powers and organizations to repeatedly sabotage our country's key strategic targets. This time, my Nan Gong family has also sent five members, led by Qian Lan, to assist General Fang. Jin Cang, the people from the Nan Gong family will teach you, you must ensure that they return safely."

  Nangong Qianlan also looked at me, changing from her previous vinegar jar-like appearance to a very serious one, saying: "The five people in our family are all high-level experts, and even I am not the same as before. Jin Cang, you are our leader, we will follow your orders."

  I feel the weight of responsibility has suddenly become much heavier, and I couldn't help but say: "What's the point of this? What virtue or ability do I have to dare give orders to your clansmen? This matter should be carefully considered...".

  "Nan Gong Quan said in a serious tone: 'Jin Cang, don't decline anymore. To be honest with you, the people we sent out this time are all elites of our clan. I asked you to guarantee their safety, actually... it's actually that we want you to live and die together. Three years ago, our clan leader stopped you from practicing the martial arts passed down in my Nan Gong family, which was a debt our Nan Gong family owed you. Now that the country is in danger, as descendants of the Huaxia nation, everyone has the responsibility to kill enemies and achieve merits. People of my Nan Gong family have never been cowards who only seek self-preservation. This time we sent out the elites of our clan, it's to prove to you that we are not those kinds of people. At the same time, I also ask you to please take good care of our clansmen, after all they are the hope and future of my Nan Gong family. Jin Cang, please promise me, lead them together to set out and make contributions to the country!'"

  I listened silently to Nangong Quan's words, then let out a sigh: "Grandfather Nangong, you are Grandfather of Nangong Qianlan and also a good friend of my master. I will still call you grandfather. I know that this is also for protecting me and Nangong Qianlan, but do you know? Once on the battlefield, life and death become unknown numbers. So, you want me to protect your clansmen, I really can't guarantee it. However, rest assured, I will do my best to achieve this."

  Nangong Quan smiled slightly: "Good, I've been waiting for you to say that. What you said is right, the five people I sent out, except for Qianlan, the other four are going to protect you and Qianlan. At the same time, you two are also their protectors. I hope you can work together well, wipe out those Japanese pirates and bandits, and bring peace back to our country."

  "We will, don't worry!" I nodded solemnly.

  "Nangong Qianlan said loudly: 'Grandfather, I will definitely work hard and die after doing my best, and I will not disappoint your expectations.'"

  "Nonsense! I'm telling you to go... none of you can die, all of you must come back safe and sound... Grandpa is still waiting to attend your wedding and hold my great-grandchild..."

  Nangong Qianlan suddenly burst into tears and hugged her grandfather Nangong Quan, crying loudly: "Grandfather, we will definitely come back!"

  I smiled slightly on the side, being moved doesn't necessarily mean you have to cry, smiling might be better. Nangong Quan saw my smile and his eyes suddenly had a hint of relief, then he pushed away Nangong Qianlan who was still hugging him and said loudly: "It's getting late, you all set off now."

  Nangong Qianlan was taken aback and immediately turned her head to look at the balcony on the second floor of her house.

  There were two people standing on the balcony, one was Nangong Qianlan's father Nangong Jun, and the other was Nangong Qianlan's mother Kong Lin'er.

  Nangong Jun and Kong Lin'er both had reluctant faces, but they endured it without saying a word, instead waving their hands at me and Nangong Qianlan, as if bidding farewell.

  Nangong Qianlan cried even louder, and I let out a soft sigh, saying: "Let's go, the longer we stay here, the more your parents will worry."

  Nangong Qianlan looked at me for a moment, but still didn't say anything. She cried and left with me. Behind us, four people, one woman and three men, also quietly followed our footsteps, walking forward without hesitation...

  Seeing Chen Jing again after three years, I was indeed a little absent-minded, but I didn't rush to hug Chen Jing excitedly, and instead smiled very gently: "Long time no see!"

  Chen Jing looked into my eyes with a flash of surprise, and then said: "Long time no see, I heard you went to learn kung fu, are you very powerful now?"

  I smiled slightly and said with some disappointment in my heart, "It's not that impressive, but if I were to encounter those scoundrels who harm our country, I have the confidence to send them back home immediately."

  Chen Jing didn't say a word, but another voice came over: "Well said, Jin Cang!"

  As I turned around, I immediately smiled and said: "Old Chen, how have you been lately? It's been a long time since we last met, and your body is still as robust as ever."

  Chen Lao burst out laughing: "It's been a long time since we last met, it's already been three years! Jin Cang, are these the fellow disciples you've brought back? Great, our Dragon Guard Regiment is just about to be rebuilt, so you can all join the Dragon Guard Regiment directly."

  I was taken aback and immediately exclaimed with great joy: "Have you found Sun Heng? How is he?"

  Old Chen's eyes flashed with a hint of pain, saying: "We didn't find Sun Heng, he... doesn't know where he went. This time rebuilding the Hu Long Squad is also to let everyone remember Sun Heng, he disappeared for the country's benefit, so we plan to still let him be the captain of the new Hu Long Squad..."

  I nodded slightly, feeling a bit heartbroken: "It's better this way, if one day Sun Heng is found, he can directly take the position of Long Lian."

  Chen Lao quietly wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes, and when he lifted his head again, he had already regained his composure: "Jin Cang, you were originally the deputy commander of the Hu Long Squad. This time, with the re-establishment of the Hu Long Squad, you will still serve as the deputy commander."

  I shook my head: "I just want to be an ordinary soldier, let me go to the battlefield."

  Chen Lao hesitated for a moment, then said: "That won't do. I've already discussed your mission with your master Kong Shou. You'll still be the deputy commander of the Dragon Guard Regiment and also serve as its instructor and combat advisor. The five soldiers you brought back will be under your direct command, serving as your bodyguards."

  I immediately asked Old Chen: "Where is my master? When did you discuss this with my master?"

  Chen Lao chuckled: "Since your master came to our place a year ago, I've known about your recent situation. Jin Cang, I won't deceive you, you can rest assured and command the Hu Long Regiment. I'll assign a chief of staff for you, and I believe you shouldn't refuse this matter."

  My heart skipped a beat and I couldn't help but take a glance at Chen Jing beside me.

  Chen Lao smiled strangely and said, "Is this not a case of 'heart has a spiritual connection'? The chief of staff of the Dragon Guard is Chen Jing. From now on, you must work together to strive for national honor."

  I looked at Chen Jing again, and before I could speak, Chen Jing had already said: "I will do my best, please rest assured, leader."

  "I also said: 'Please rest assured, leader.'"

  Mr. Chen laughed again and walked away with great satisfaction.

  "Commander, our Dragon Protection Company currently has 155 people, which is a reinforced company formation. Adding the five soldiers you brought with you, as well as you and me, we have a total of 157 people. Divided into three platoons, each with one platoon leader, one deputy platoon leader, and 48 soldiers. Please give your orders now, Commander, what should we do?"

  I forced a smile and whispered to Chen Jing: "Don't you think we're being too serious? Can't everyone just relax?"

  Chen Jing relaxed slightly and said: "First of all, let's get to know the officers and men of the Hu Long Lian, and the instructor should also introduce himself, so that everyone can get familiar with each other."

  I glanced around at the soldiers gathered in groups of three or five and nodded: "It's settled then."

  Chen Jing immediately began to tidy up the troops, letting all the officers and men of the Hu Long Lian gather together, waiting for me to say a few words, and then everyone would get to know each other.

  I feel it's quite troublesome, but I also know it's necessary, so I didn't say anything opposing.