Chapter 126.1: Everything But Not That One Thing Part 1
Among the Twelve Supreme Benevolences, in terms of combat ability, Aether was widely recognized as the undisputed bottom-tier class, even weaker than Ember. Normally speaking, people like this should be universally disliked, and if placed in a hero party, they would likely be kicked out for failing to keep up, ending up in some remote countryside living a slow, quiet life.
Anyone who thought that way was usually already dead.
So what if you were strong? In a world full of old schemers, how many strong people would actually survive? Last night alone in Cliff City, dozens if not hundreds had died.
The jianghu[1] was not just about fighting and killing, nor was it only about social connections. Compared to Ember followers, who only gained basic human rights after clawing their way to the top, Aether followers were far more popular.
After all, it was fine if you didn’t buy alchemical goods, but you still needed to know where you accidentally left your house keys. Never underestimate an Aether information network. Just one look at the North Mount District would make anyone understand.
Whatever happened, Wen Wen didn’t have to work; Mr. Zhang could drink tea and focus on preserving his health; An Ran could just follow Ji Jue around and have fun. But if Tong Hua slacked off, then half the entire branch was basically done for.
If it weren’t for Tong Hua yesterday, Wen Wen would’ve already fallen straight into a trap. There was no way she could’ve pulled out in time. Those of the Aether Path had no combat power, but they didn’t need it in the first place. As long as a Chosen One was alive, they could never escape their dependence on Aether. What happened? Am I in trouble? Is someone plotting against me? Where are my enemies hiding? And does she even love me?
In theory, everything that happened had to have a cause, and everything that existed had to leave traces. Aether Eye was the one that read all of it.
At higher levels, manipulating fate and rewriting reality was not just empty talk either. Take the Tong family for example. For so many years, they’ve sat firmly in Cliff City, growing stronger by the day. In every major upheaval, they chose the winning side, made the right decisions, and quietly amassed wealth until half the city effectively belonged to them. They barely even had enemies, and if they did, those enemies had been eliminated long before they could become a real threat.
Just this ability to quietly accumulate wealth already far surpassed those who risked their lives fighting on the edge of a blade just to earn a bit of funeral money.
If you could just bend down and pick up money off the ground, who would still bother with killing and fighting? If Ji Jue had that ability, he would absolutely choose to be a hidden boss and stay low-key forever.
Under the tracking of Aether, escaping or hiding was completely useless. As long as there was a single strand of hair, a personal item, or even just a photograph, Chen Yubo could be found no matter where he ran in the world. He had a fortune exceeding four billion, with shares so valuable they could not even be properly estimated.
Such immense wealth was enough for every Aether Chosen One in Haizhou who heard about it to bring out their bowls, tarot cards, dice, pendulums, or astrolabes, just to take a peek and see whether that piece of Tang monk meat had appeared at their doorstep.
The fact that only eleven people had found him so far meant Mr. Lin’s interference and shielding measures were extremely effective.
Mr. Lin said, “Please rest assured. When this estate was built, the boss hired Mirror-type Chosen Ones to set up a fog ritual. Other than a vague sense of Young Master Yubo’s location, nothing else can be read through Aether. Unless the opponent can bring in a Celestial Being, this place is absolutely secure.”
In fact, in the end, his words were meaningless. If a Celestial Being were truly interested in such mundane wealth, then Chen Yubo should immediately crawl over and kowtow to offer it up with both hands. Hesitating even a single second would be disrespectful to his own life.
Besides, even if an Aether Chosen One actually discovered Chen Yubo’s location, they might not necessarily act. They could sell the information or simply lose interest after taking a look.
The opponent hadn’t even shown themselves yet. There was no need to be scared.
After Chen Yubo finished his scan, An Ran took the crystal ball to play with. Immediately, it became completely empty and clear.
In this day and age, Aether Chosen Ones knew their limits. Who would casually go spying on the White Deer hunters of the An family? Just possessing the An family blood was enough to interfere with most forms of Aether divination.
But when the crystal ball was placed in Ji Jue’s hands, three glaring red dots suddenly appeared. They were not trying to hide themselves in the slightest. There was no filtering, no concealment at all. It was just like malware sitting openly on a computer desktop, leaving Ji Jue frozen on the spot.
Three?
Thinking it through, one of them was probably Tong Hua. Even if preparations were made, Wen Wen definitely wouldn’t just ignore things completely. As for the second one, if Ji Jue’s guess was correct, it should be his teacher. He was an apprentice of the workshop, and all the signed paperwork about him was in the professor’s hands. With Professor Ye’s collection and accumulated knowledge, checking his condition would be a piece of cake.
These two made Ji Jue feel a lot more at ease. But who was the third one?! Ji Jue scratched his head, utterly puzzled.
Could it be that Young Master Lou, after suffering such a loss, still couldn’t dismiss his anger and was monitoring Ji Jue day and night, waiting for a chance to get revenge? That didn’t seem likely. Even if the Lou family was wealthy, they wouldn’t be that petty and unable to accept defeat.
So then who was it?
Ever since becoming a Chosen One, he hadn’t offended any living person. The ones he had offended were basically all already dead. So when exactly had he ended up attracting the attention of another Aether Chosen One?
As if sensing Ji Jue’s detection, one of the three red dots flickered briefly in acknowledgment, then disappeared. Only the remaining two stayed as steady as ever, even intensifying their signal.
With that, it was confirmed that the remaining two were both acquaintances.
Ji Jue wiped the sweat from his forehead, realizing another truth—some things were like cockroaches in a coffee machine, pop-ups on your computer, or a bowl of pork trotter rice that cost ten bucks and even came with two cold side dishes and a fried egg. Life was already manageable as it was, there was no need to go out of your way to make things worse for yourself.
Just pretend you don’t know.
He leaned back in his chair, looked out at the sea, idle and aimless, sighing repeatedly.
Inside the dining room, things gradually became lively.
“Hey, hey, how’s it going, you two?”
A young man with dyed blond hair and flashy streetwear swaggered in, plopped down next to Ji Jue, and slapped him familiarly on the shoulder. An Ran glanced over at the noise, saw Ji Jue’s subtle finger movement, and then looked away again.
Completely unaware that his throat had just been within a hair’s breadth of intimate contact with a blade, the young man, dripping in gold chains, chewed gum and said, “Just call me Blondie. I hang around the South Mount area. Everyone calls me Mr. Blondie. What about you, bro? Haven’t seen you before.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Blondie,” Ji Jue said with a smile, shaking his hand. “I’m from the North Mount District.”
“Oh?” Blondie was shocked. He pulled down his sunglasses and gave him a careful once-over. “Damn, your life’s rough then. Word is that the woman from the Security Bureau is vicious as hell. I heard last time someone tried running goods through her turf and got caught, they were beaten half to death. Still hasn’t recovered. What do you do for a living?”
“Home appliance repair,” Ji Jue replied. “I also flip some spare parts to make ends meet.”
“Ah, tough times.” Blondie sighed and lit a cigarette. “Everyone’s having a hard time these days. The big bosses in the city are fighting like dogs, and us small fry... we might end up dead on the street any day.”
He leaned in a little. “Wanna come over to South Mount? We’re all under Mr. Chen. We look out for each other, make money together. I can even split you a territory.”
“I can’t. There are too few of us. We can’t handle it.” Ji Jue looked helpless and pointed at An Ran sitting across from him. “It’s just the two of us. How are we supposed to help run a place for someone else?”
“Hey, don’t be so polite. After the meeting, how about we all go somewhere and sing karaoke?”
Blondie got more and more excited as he spoke, gesturing animatedly. Just as he was about to continue, a slightly aged man with streaks of white hair interrupted him impatiently. “Blondie, what’s all this nonsense for? Do you want us all to sit here and wait for you to finish chatting before we start the meeting?!”
Blondie froze for a moment, then turned back to look at the group of people around the large table, all of them grim-faced and heavy with worry. He glanced at Ji Jue, who was calmly watching the scenery, completely relaxed.
Only then did it seem to click that he had gotten the situation wrong. He quickly stood up and walked over awkwardly.
“Mr. Lin, you need to give the brothers a clear answer. What exactly is the boss’s condition? Everyone’s all over the place. Someone has to step up and take charge.”
Before the white-haired man could finish, a middle-aged man sitting beside Chen Yubo let out a cold laugh as he puffed on his cigarette.
“What? The boss isn’t even dead yet, and Mr. Fu already wants to step up as successor? I’ve got no problem with that. I fully support it. Since you’re so eager to die, let’s see if Lei Yaoxing thinks you’re worth anything.”
“Hey, don’t talk nonsense, Xu!” Fu Yuanqing’s[2] expression changed sharply. “I’m doing this for the brothers, for the society!”
1. Most of you readers here on Wuxiaworld are probably already familiar with this term already. But for those of you new to Wuxiaworld novels, Jianghu (江湖) is the martial arts and mythological underworld in Chinese wuxia and xianxia fiction. Literally translating to "rivers and lakes," it represents a romanticized, anarchic society of warriors, outcasts, and wanderers that exists beyond the reach or control of the imperial government. ☜
2. Fú or Foo (符) is a Chinese surname meaning “tally” in ancient Chinese, referring to the Zhou dynasty Fu (tally). Its use as a surname derives from the post name Fu Xi Ling (符璽令), which was borne by Gong Ya, grandson of Duke Qing of Lu who later migrated to Qin. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names on Britain and Ireland: “This was a post held by the man in charge of the tally given by a ruler to a general to deploy troops or to an envoy as his credentials.”
It is the 142nd-most common name, shared by 0.082% of the population or 1,090,000 people, with the province with the most being Hainan.
“远” suggests distance, breadth, or long perspective, implying someone who is calm, far-sighted, or not easily swayed by immediate circumstances. “青” adds a layer of freshness and austerity, often linked to youth, purity, or a cool, understated temperament.
To me, the name gives the impression of a man who is composed and observant, someone with a quiet depth rather than overt aggressiveness, possibly the type who plans ahead and keeps emotions tightly controlled. ☜
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