Hua Xiaotian?

When this name was spoken, the armed soldiers immediately froze! To the military, the name Hua Xiaotian was legendary. It wasn’t just that officers above the rank of Major would recognize him; even the greenest recruits fresh out of boot camp revered the name with fervent adoration.

The story of how he single-handedly wiped out hundreds of fully-armed drug traffickers on the national border had long become an unprecedented legend in the army. For anyone who had ever donned a uniform and carried a rifle to claim they didn’t recognize this name, one shrouded in mystique, would be to invite utter contempt.

So, when Hua Xiaotian introduced himself, the soldiers were all struck dumb. Even the air seemed to congeal. In their stupor, their stances faltered, their rifles held askew.

"Ge-Ge-General Hua! Is it really you?" a second lieutenant asked, his voice trembling slightly.

He didn’t seem to find Hua Xiaotian’s appearance here particularly strange. After all, Hua Xiaotian’s elusiveness was legendary, like a Divine Dragon that shows its head but never its tail.

"Yes, I am Hua Xiaotian," he replied with an amiable smile. "We just returned from abroad and didn’t come through official channels. If you doubt my identity, you can report it to your superiors!" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"General Hua! I apologize, but as you know, my duty as a soldier prevents me from acting rashly. I’ll report this to my superiors right away!"

After the second lieutenant spoke, he quickly ran off as Hua Xiaotian chuckled and nodded.

A moment later, an infrared camera lit up, swiveling toward Hua Xiaotian and Qin Fan. Seeing this, Hua Xiaotian looked up and waved at the camera with a confident smile.

Three minutes later, the second lieutenant ran back out. He ran up to Hua Xiaotian, stood at attention, and saluted crisply. "Greetings, Commander!"

"Greetings, Commander!"

Following their officer’s lead, the other soldiers hurriedly lowered their weapons and saluted excitedly.

Hua Xiaotian! Holy shit, this is the legendary Hua Xiaotian! Setting aside his official identity for a moment, the fact that he had single-handedly annihilated a force of several hundred armed men was enough to earn him the highest degree of worship and admiration from these hot-blooded soldiers!

"Greetings, comrades!" Hua Xiaotian replied with a casual laugh, putting on no airs. "Since my identity has been verified, let’s not waste any more time. We’re in a hurry. Can you let us pass now?"

"Commander, please!" the second lieutenant said with a flustered voice, belatedly moving aside while under their burning gazes.

SWISH!

The soldiers who had surrounded the two men also quickly dispersed, clearing a path.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Farewell until we meet again!" Hua Xiaotian said, glancing around at the soldiers. He patted the second lieutenant’s shoulder, then started walking away.

The soldiers stared, watching the silhouettes of Hua Xiaotian and Qin Fan fade into the distance, still lost in a prolonged trance. The shock of seeing that face and hearing that name still reverberated in their minds.

"General Hua, looks like I’m riding your coattails, ha!" Qin Fan joked as he slowed his pace from a sprint to a walk.

"Master Qin, you flatter me! What do you mean, ride my coattails? If you wanted to leave, how could a few mere soldiers stop you? Forget stopping you; I doubt they could even catch your shadow!" Hua Xiaotian replied with a wry smile.

How much time had passed in total? Just like that, they were back in Huaxia from Japan? To be honest, this all felt like a dream to Hua Xiaotian. He simply couldn’t believe that a monster who defies the heavens at every turn could exist in this world.

"Haha! Alright, enough of that! Since we’re back in Huaxia, let’s part ways here. Farewell, and may we meet again if fate allows!"

With a carefree laugh, Qin Fan’s figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

「In the Forbidden City, at the foot of the Son of Heaven.」

Inside the decision-making room, several top leaders had been up all night, waiting for news from the front lines.

Suddenly, a telephone rang. The man in charge quickly picked up the red phone. After a few brief grunts, he ended the call.

"Boss, what’s the situation?" one of the other leaders asked, his eyes wide, showing no signs of sleepiness.

The leader gave a profound, knowing chuckle. "Let me give you a summary. During this unexpected disaster in Japan, the right-wing extremist Yamamoto Ichiro, his family, and the entire Yamamoto Group were massacred. The Jingguo Society was burned to the ground. More than 5,000 Japanese military police died, not counting civilians. The Divine Ninja Tanaka Nobuo, who once infiltrated Huaxia as a spy, was burned to death by a Sky Lantern. The total number of other ninja casualties is unknown. A battle took place on Mount Fuji, where the Orochi—the bane that ravaged Huaxia over seventy years ago—was killed upon its revival. Mount Fuji also collapsed. Furthermore, a squadron of Japanese fighter jets exploded in the skies above the mountain. And one last thing: Master Hua has returned. He is now within Huaxia’s borders!"

"What!"

The moment the leader finished speaking, all the top leaders’ eyes widened in astonishment. But their faces were filled with undisguised glee and schadenfreude.

"How satisfying! How very satisfying! Haha!" one of them couldn’t help but roar with laughter.

The Jingguo Society had always been a source of pain and hatred for the people of Huaxia. How could they not laugh now that it had been burned to the ground? They could only hope for more such incidents to happen in Japan, where their enemy suffered while they rejoiced.

However, the leader’s laughter abruptly ceased. His smile froze, and he looked stunned. "Wait, that’s not right! Boss, you said Master Hua is on Huaxia territory now? Does that mean he wasn’t the one who did all this?"

At his words, everyone else’s smile vanished, and they all turned to look at the man in charge.

The leader shook his head with a smile. "It was the work of both Master Hua and Qin Fan. As for how they returned from Japan to Huaxia in such a short time, I have no idea. But one thing is certain: how can ordinary people like us comprehend the Divine Skills of the Martial Arts world?"

"Boss, I’ve heard about Master Hua’s Martial Arts Realm. Logically, his level of Martial Arts Cultivation is nowhere near powerful enough for such incredible Divine Skills! Could it be... could it be... could it have been that Qin Fan?" As he spoke the last words, the leader’s body trembled slightly, his face a mask of utter disbelief, as if he’d just heard a fairy tale.

"We will not discuss the matter of Qin Fan here. No matter how much we talk, it will only be speculation," the leader said, his smile gone, his expression grave. He spoke with gravitas, "From this moment on, Qin Fan’s personal file and every piece of information related to him will be classified as Red SSSS. I will arrange to meet him in person soon."

As his words fell, the decision-making room descended into absolute silence. Instinctively, everyone nodded in silent agreement.

After the battle in Japan, perhaps even Qin Fan himself didn’t realize that deep within the Forbidden City, he had become a figure of extreme sensitivity.