Chapter 62: The Gift

Shang Luo sat back down in silence. He didn't dare to hold the long spear anymore, yet he couldn't bear to let such an important object out of his hands. Left with no other choice, he simply sat there supporting the Spear of the Sun God.

"Why do you keep holding a spear? Did you rent it?" Lu Liang's voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.

"Ah... more or less. I came to ask how I should handle it."

"That spear? My dad didn't say. You'll have to wait until he gets back to ask him. Besides, I had to practice my martial arts earlier, so please forgive me for the poor hospitality. What would you like to drink? Soda or juice?"

"Juice is fine."

Lu Liang walked into the inner room, opened the refrigerator and searched around for a moment, then took out a can of juice and tossed it to Shang Luo.

She opened another bottle for herself, stood in the doorway, tilted her head back, and chugged it down in one go.

"Ah, I'm brought back to life. Nothing beats an iced cola after a workout... Oh, Dad, you're back?"

She pointed at Shang Luo. "Our guest is here. I've treated him well."

Shang Luo looked toward the door again as Lu槐阳 (Lu Huaiyang) silently walked in from outside.

Neither of these two made a sound when they walked, which always left Shang Luo with a lingering sense of insecurity.

"Hmm?" Lu Huaiyang paused as he entered, noticing Shang Luo grasping such a massive long pole. "Why did you bring the spear here? Are you looking to spar with Lu Liang?"

"No, no, no. I just wanted to ask how to deal with this thing."

"What do you mean, how to deal with it? It's your trophy, so of course it belongs to you. It seems to be a fine magical artifact imbued with pure spiritual energy. Of course, you can surrender it to the state if you wish; I wouldn't mind."

"Never mind then." Shang Luo set the spear aside. Although he had no idea what use the spear currently had, using it as a clothesline pole didn't seem like a bad idea.

"However, we do need to borrow it for a moment. That stone statue has already been transported to the Imperial Prison, and we've set up the formation in advance. Inside the Imperial Prison, even if he were a terrestrial immortal, he would still be suppressed. Once I break open that stone statue, I'll extract the opportunity within and give it to you."

"What about that Mayan?"

"What Mayan?"

Lu Liang was still finishing her cola. "Didn't you say you were going to interrogate that... Mayan, Dad?"

"You misheard. I went to arrange the Mayan's cell placement in the Imperial Prison. After all, the matter of them betraying the Brocade Guard cannot simply be overlooked; we want to see how on earth they made contact. Interrogating prisoners is a separate matter. Well..."

He glanced at Shang Luo.

"Since you are meeting the Dao Ancestor tomorrow anyway, and you may need to help out in the future, there's no harm in telling you—Shang Luo, do you know what the Southern Town Brocade Guard does?"

"Guarding the Imperial Prison?"

"That is indeed part of our duties. But we are clearly more than mere jailers. Aside from managing the Imperial Prison, we have another special mission: capturing supernatural criminals, primarily Qi practitioners. We also get the occasional arrivals from Rome, whom we apprehend and lock up in the Imperial Prison as well. I went over this morning because we received another crime warning letter for a long-standing unsolved case."

"Ah, that one." Lu Liang knew who he was talking about.

"Which one? Is he famous? Is he in the newspapers?"

"We don't allow news of this to be printed—this criminal calls himself Jack the Ripper. He always commits murders using the most brutal methods, disemboweling his victims. The Romans have a habit of reclining while dining and overeating, and they continue to eat this way after arriving in Yujing. This criminal specifically targets such diners, and every crime scene is shocking and covered in gore. Yet his modus operandi is extremely bizarre; he can even appear in various places around the world within a single day. Once, he successively committed crimes in Cairo, Pontianak, and Guangzhou all in one day. That kind of speed is only possible by taking a Lanfang rocket plane. But as you know, those rocket planes can only dock at four airports."

"Is it possible this is a gang operation? You must have investigated that, right? How was it ruled out in the end?"

"We used certain Daoist techniques and cross-referenced them with the Roman side. Both sides confirmed without a doubt that it is the exact same person. I just don't know what grudge he holds against the Romans, but he keeps killing them in all sorts of twisted ways."

"Is he in Yujing now?"

"He might have been this morning, but who knows where he is now? For all we know, he's in Pontianak. Never mind him, we'll catch him eventually. Your business is far more important."

He looked at Lu Liang. "You... strictly speaking, you shouldn't be listening to this, but since everyone already knows, I won't keep it from you either."

With that, he spoke solemnly to Shang Luo: "Before noon tomorrow, the Dao Ancestor will grant you an audience. There is no set time; he could summon you at any moment before noon, and I will escort you to the door. Inside those doors, apart from you, there is only the Emperor himself, who visits whenever he has free time. Therefore, starting from right now, do not leave my line of sight for even a single step. You will stay at my house tonight. Tomorrow morning, a car will come to pick you up, and I will accompany you all the way to the entrance."

"Understood." Shang Luo nodded.

"Additionally, this concerns your studies."

Lu Huaiyang opened the briefcase he was carrying, pulled out a stack of papers, and handed them to Shang Luo:

"Fill out these forms after we finish eating. I'm not very familiar with student matters, so if there's anything you don't know how to fill out, have Lu Liang teach you. There are only three months left until your studies conclude entirely, so there is only one thing of utmost importance for you now: the National High School Formula Racing Championship."

"Cough, cough... cough, cough, cough!" Shang Luo choked on a mouthful of juice.

"You didn't know?"

"No... cough, cough... I was just thinking that this kind of absurd thing was bound to happen to me eventually. Commander Lu, don't you think this competition is a bit ridiculous? Making a bunch of teenagers in their teens build a Formula race car and then finding some poor sap to drive it... Is this really not going to end in disaster?"

What Shang Luo found most preposterous was that this wasn't even just a driving competition; it was a car-building competition. The deciding factors of victory weren't merely the driver's skill and courage, but the technical prowess of a professional team. While one might still find a prodigy capable of handling a race car, expecting a group of teenagers to form a "professional team" to manufacture the vehicle meant ensuring that everyone on the team was a genius—plus finding someone crazy enough to drive it in the end.

"Their training institute even has chariot races, and those actually involve firing cannons at each other. But you must understand, everyone has been a professional undergoing over ten years of training since the age of 6. Though their bodies are still children, their minds are already adults. When it comes to issues like safety, responsibility, and performance, you should possess the dedication of professionals. The future of the Great Ming Dynasty's two capitals and thirteen provinces rests on your shoulders. In the future, you'll have to build things even more formidable than race cars. Courage and enterprise are precisely what need to be cultivated at a time like this. Therefore, you must win this competition."

"But why do I need to cultivate these things? Can I actually just choose not to participate?"

"Hmm... normally that would indeed be the case; participation is completely voluntary. But the Dao Ancestor has made other arrangements." He stared fixedly at Shang Luo. "Although I am quite surprised myself, if you can win the championship, the Dao Ancestor will grant you a prize... one that will satisfy you and be impossible to refuse. It is an additional reward given exclusively to you, and to no one else. As for what exactly will be bestowed, you will find out tomorrow when you see the Dao Ancestor. Work hard and win that prize."

"Has there ever been a precedent for this?"

"It's precisely because there has never been one that it's so extraordinary. Many people proudly claim to be disciples of the Dao Ancestor's disciples, yet they never get to see the Dao Ancestor even once in their lives, not even those celestial beings. Yet not only will you meet the Dao Ancestor directly, but the Dao Ancestor is also bestowing a gift upon you. We've never heard of the Dao Ancestor sending gifts to the Son of Heaven; every generation of Emperors has simply passed away normally. You are the sole exception, and I advise you to be extremely careful. You seem to be the very last person to learn of this news, which is precisely why I instructed you never to leave my sight. Lu Liang."

"I'm here." Lu Liang nodded.

"You be careful tonight too; keep at least one eye open while you sleep. I've already sent your mother to your grandmother's house to take refuge. We must ensure his safety until the audience with the Dao Ancestor. This may well be the second grand Dao opportunity since the Dao Ancestor established these grounds, and we must all prepare ourselves."