Xiao Long clearly had no memory of Mu Ying, but subconsciously, Xiao Long knew this woman would not harm him, so he extended his hands towards Mu Ying.
Mu Ying took Xiao Long, and Xiao Long’s pair of dark, round eyes gazed around, seemingly curious about the many people present.
Du Xinshi then said to her cousin, "I think you should get married too. You're not young anymore. Although you hide in the mountains, you can't possibly avoid marriage forever. Seeing how much you like children, your mindset will change once you have your own."
Du Xinshi knew about her cousin's past experiences and couldn't imagine how a weak woman could have survived after going through all that. The experience of being kidnapped would surely leave an indelible psychological scar on Mu Ying’s heart. However, could a woman live in darkness her entire life?
Mu Ying, while playing with the nephew in her arms, said to her cousin, "Cousin, I came to help you this time. How can you repay kindness with enmity?"
"This... how have I repaid kindness with enmity?" Du Xinshi couldn't understand her cousin's thoughts at all. She was merely persuading her to get married, but it turned into repaying kindness with enmity in her cousin's words. Were the thoughts of today's young people this erratic?
Mu Ying then began to explain, "Of course, it's repaying kindness with enmity! Think about it, I finally emerged from my trauma and led a group of sisters to survive in the mountains. Yet, you want me to get married. How many good men are there in this world? After getting married, what will the other sisters think? Will they also have to get married? And then, continue to become appendages of men? To be treated as they please?"
Mu Ying spoke righteously, believing there were no good men in the world. She and her group of women lived carefree lives hidden in the depths of the mountains. It was finding a man that would bring disaster.
Du Xinshi was helpless and asked, "Can you hide in the mountains for a lifetime? You can't, can you?"
"Why not? When the chaos ends, I'll lead the women out of the mountains. Otherwise, in this current world, women are merely dependents, and every move requires watching the man's face. It's better to live in the mountains. Although farming in the mountains is a bit difficult, at least we are living as people!" Mu Ying said calmly.
Mu Ying had seen through this world clearly. In times of chaos, women suffered the most. No matter where, brothels and whorehouses were common. When the world was peaceful years ago, this phenomenon didn't disappear, but people did it in secret. Unlike now, where it was done openly, making people neither human nor ghost.
Therefore, Mu Ying and her people preferred to live in the mountains, to remain unmarried for life, rather than descend the mountain to marry a good man.
"But now, when will there be peace? I heard from Shen Feng that the mini ice age is coming. Then, water and drought will be merciless, and algae will be rapidly reproducing in the sea. Who knows what harm it will bring? It might not stabilize for ten or twenty years. If you hide in the mountains, can you truly endure the loneliness?" Du Xinshi continued to persuade her cousin. Although she didn't say it explicitly, she hoped her cousin would stay in Yuzhou, as there would be no such problems there.
"Cousin, everyone has their own aspirations. I'll stay in the Dabie Mountains. If you encounter trouble in the future and need my help, feel free to find me," Mu Ying replied, deflecting the question instead of answering.
Du Xinshi was helpless. In times of chaos, everyone's choices were the result of careful consideration, and she couldn't interfere with her cousin. After all, she was an ability user, and her safety could be guaranteed if she hid in the mountains. It was just that, from a sensory perspective, life in the mountains was always too hard.
At this moment, Shen Feng's family walked into the hall. The castle's hall was naturally not comparable to the main hall in front, but it could accommodate over a hundred people. At this time, many people in the hall turned their gaze to Shen Feng. This was the first time Shen Feng had made a formal appearance since his return.
"Long time no see, everyone. I, Shen Feng, am back!" Shen Feng said with a smile.
This single sentence caused an uproar among the crowd, and the hall erupted in thunderous applause. Even Li Xiangkang and Wang Aoye applauded courteously. The applause welcoming Shen Feng showed his status in Yuzhou.
Next, Shen Feng said, "Many things have happened while I was away from Yuzhou, especially the schemes and tricks of those with ulterior motives against Yuzhou have never stopped. However, fortunately, with the efforts and help of all of you, Yuzhou is safe and sound. For this, I want to thank you!"
After speaking, Shen Feng cupped his fists towards the crowd in the hall, and everyone quickly returned the courtesy.
Then, Shen Feng's gaze turned to Wang Aoye and Li Xiangkang on the side, as well as Mu Ying. He smiled and said, "Let us welcome Mr. Wang Aoye, who helped us from the Qinghong Gang, Yangzhou City Lord Li Xiangkang, and Miss Mu Ying. These three have helped me a lot. How can they stand in the audience? Please come on stage so everyone can see their true faces."
As Shen Feng finished speaking, Li Xiangkang and Wang Aoye were stunned. They had clearly not heard about the plan for them to speak on stage. While they hesitated, applause broke out. Mu Ying walked onto the stage first, followed by Li Xiangkang and Wang Aoye.
Chang Jianyi and Chu Zhaoyan strategically retreated, leaving the center of the stage to the four of them. Shen Feng stood in the very center, surrounded by the other three ability users.
When they arrived on stage, Wang Aoye and Li Xiangkang hadn't reacted yet. From below, the sound of "click" and "click" of camera shutters could be heard. Clearly, they were being photographed. In the pictures, Shen Feng stood with the leaders of the other three factions, appearing to be close allies.
Wang Aoye immediately realized what was happening and gritted his teeth, looking at Shen Feng, and whispered, "Damn it, playing tricks on me, huh!"
Wang Aoye hadn't understood why he had to speak on stage earlier. But after being photographed, Wang Aoye immediately realized he had been used by Shen Feng. If people from other factions saw the four of them standing together for a photo, what would they think? Of course, they would think these four were a united front. In this way, the headquarters would focus more attention on others.
Therefore, this matter of speaking on stage, which seemed very simple and without any apparent issues, had a significant impact. The most direct impact was to alleviate the pressure on Yuzhou.
Li Xiangkang also came to his senses. He was in his forties and couldn't match the cunning of young people. While Wang Aoye was cursing in a low voice, Li Xiangkang also understood the matter and glared at Shen Feng, saying, "You're not being righteous, kid. We helped you so much, and not only do you not repay us, but you also scheme against us!"
Compared to the agitated states of Wang Aoye and Li Xiangkang, Mu Ying showed no particular reaction. She actually didn't care about the pressure from the headquarters. After all, she had been on the run before, and a little more pressure now wouldn't matter. She would still hide in the mountains and continue to live in seclusion. What impact could this have?
"Don't be angry, everyone. The thank-you gifts will arrive soon!" Shen Feng quickly said.
Thinking about giving sufficient compensation earlier, Shen Feng felt a pang of pain. Although the evolution base factory in the laboratory could produce continuously, the synthesis of evolution bases also required energy. The evolution bases given away could be exchanged for hundreds of tons of grain. It was understandable to feel a heartache.
Therefore, Shen Feng chose to use this banquet to deliberately take photos. After the banquet ended, he would find a way to circulate them. In this way, he could inform people from other factions that Yuzhou also had allies. And Li Xiangkang and Wang Aoye would not be able to explain the details themselves, so basically, no one would believe them.
Wang Aoye stood on the stage, smiling and waving to the crowd below. But then he gritted his teeth and asked Shen Feng, "Remember when you were stranded overseas, I helped you several times, but you were ungrateful and even stole several hundred pounds of sago from me. Now you're scheming against me. If I had known you were so insidious, I wouldn't have come to help!"
"Old Wang, don't be so agitated. As you said, most of your businesses are overseas. Then what are you worried about? At worst, you can just go to the Philippines and be the supreme ruler. The natives there have little combat power, and you can directly rule them!" Shen Feng quickly comforted him.
At this moment, three beautiful maids walked onto the stage, holding trays. There were red cloths on the trays. As for what was under the red cloths, only Shen Feng knew.
Shen Feng said loudly, "Everyone, it is impolite not to reciprocate. Now that these three distinguished guests are visiting Yuzhou and have helped me so much, I cannot be stingy. Therefore, I have prepared ability potions as thank-you gifts for these three honored guests! Please look!"
After speaking, Shen Feng waved his hand and summoned a gust of wind, directly blowing off the red cloths on the trays. The wind was well-controlled, quickly uncovering the cloths without lifting the maids' skirts. It was obvious that Shen Feng had a good grasp of his abilities. On each tray were five bottles containing green potions. The appearance of this color immediately caused a stir in the banquet. Clearly, no one expected Shen Feng to prepare such expensive thank-you gifts. He was truly too generous.
Wang Aoye and Li Xiangkang also did not expect Shen Feng to be so generous, giving out so many ability potions. Although they were all extracted from the heads of enemies, a group of defeated subordinates, their abilities were likely not particularly strong. However, ability potions were always something countless people dreamed of. If nothing else, drinking an ability potion could make one live longer than ordinary people. This alone was enough to drive people crazy.
"I won't refuse this. Take these potions back, and we can immediately cultivate a group of confidants!" Li Xiangkang said joyfully. He had thought there would be no ability potions for him, but now it seemed Shen Feng was quite righteous.
Shen Feng quickly said, "Below these bottles, there are also the effects and types of these abilities. You can refer to this information when cultivating your subordinates."
"You're not heartless after all. I'll accept them. Don't forget about the trade matters we discussed last year; it's time to implement them!" Wang Aoye said, taking the ability potions from Shen Feng.
Having received the compensation of ability potions, Wang Aoye was clearly appeased. If he had been tricked for nothing, Wang Aoye would not have let it go. But at this moment, with ability potions delivered to his doorstep, it would be inappropriate not to accept them.
Thus, having received the benefits, Wang Aoye put aside the matter of being tricked. One who eats others' food has soft hands, and one who takes others' things has short hands.
"The evolution bases I promised you earlier will be given to you when you leave Yuzhou. You don't need to worry about them. Of course, if you need my help with anything in the future, feel free to ask. We are all civilian organizations and need to help each other!" Shen Feng continued.
The three nodded and agreed. Uniting was indeed the right move. No one could predict what special dangers they might encounter in the future. Once support was needed, they would inevitably have to rely on Shen Feng.
After publicly demonstrating the good relationship between Shen Feng and the other three, Shen Feng continued, "Everyone in Yuzhou should have heard that many who betrayed me have been arrested. This is their own doing. After the interrogation is complete, they will be punished according to the law. You don't need to be nervous. Additionally, during this confrontation with the enemy, many people performed excellently. I will reward them subsequently, including but not limited to ability potions and evolution bases!"
The crowd cheered upon hearing this news. Lu Kaiwen was the most excited. The other civil official groups, including Tu Xuhuai and Zhou Xiaoxiao, were also speculating whether their names would be among those rewarded.
This demonstrated the correctness of choosing sides. As long as one stood in the right direction, there would be countless benefits in the future. As for the consequences of choosing the wrong side, living examples were still locked up in prison. And those who were fence-sitters had no disadvantages, but also no advantages.