"Don't mind these people. If they think they haven't been exposed, let them live in their illusions!" Gong Changfa said calmly after hearing this.
Yang Ming himself was very averse to being monitored, as it made him feel he had no privacy. However, since Gong Changfa had explained the situation, he couldn't make a move at this time.
Afterward, their convoy headed towards Gong Changfa's home and finally arrived at a small building.
Yang Ming and the others couldn't stop looking. They hadn't expected that this powerful esper, born into a wealthy family, would have become like this. He wasn't living in a luxurious house, nor did he have servants, but lived alone here.
There's a saying: "It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality."
Once a person has experienced a world of prosperity, it is very difficult for them to return to their former impoverished life. After all, a person who has seen the light is unwilling to return to darkness.
Gong Changfa was once a member of a prominent family, possessing countless powers. He had also commanded countless espers in battle. Although he had failed twice, his strength was evident. Even Shen Feng was not confident of winning against him. Such a person, not to mention living in a particularly luxurious place, shouldn't be living in an ordinary small building.
"You live here? Isn't it a bit too simple?" Yang Ming couldn't help but ask.
Gong Changfa smiled and said, "Besides one's own life, everything else is an external possession. You are still young and don't understand what I'm saying. When you reach my age, you'll understand. A person doesn't necessarily need to enjoy luxury to have lived a good life!"
It turned out that Gong Changfa no longer cared about honor or treatment. After all, it didn't matter whether he had them or not. His realm was no longer the same as before, and he wouldn't be overly excited about such matters.
However, Yang Ming now felt that something was amiss and said, "Your life seems to be not right. You live in an ordinary residence, and you are being monitored. You are prepared for this situation. Mr. Gong, you haven't lost your power, have you?"
When Yang Ming asked this question, Gong Changfa smiled and said, "You kids have good observation skills, but this matter has nothing to do with you. Your mission is complete, and the Yue family's young man has been delivered here. You should go back in a few days!"
Yang Ming said earnestly, "If you are not doing well in Yan Jing, Mr. Gong, you can come to our Yuzhou. Our City Lord will not be jealous of talented people!"
Yang Ming wouldn't miss any opportunity to poach talent, especially this strong individual. If he could bring him back, it would be a great achievement, and Gong Changfa would surely have great potential.
"You talk nonsense! If I leave, this place will truly fall into chaos. He Qiu'an is currently immersed in power struggles and cannot extricate himself. If I leave, he will be easily swayed by others!" Gong Changfa refused the matter sternly.
Upon hearing this, the people present felt they had heard something extraordinary.
"Can you explain this in detail?" Yang Ming quickly inquired.
Since he had never heard of such a thing, Yang Ming was very interested and wanted to know the specific process.
At this moment, Gong Changfa led the group to the upper floor of the small building, sat down, found some tea leaves that had been stored for who knows how long from a corner, and began to brew tea, talking as he did so. "This is related to your Yuzhou. If you hadn't captured the Three Gorges Dam, that menace wouldn't have come here!"
Yang Ming had no recollection of this matter and recalled it carefully. "I don't understand this. If we had discovered a menace, we would have killed it immediately, not let it go elsewhere!"
Gong Changfa then said, "Originally, He Qiu'an and I, who were at our wits' end, established ourselves in the Northeast. We knew each other before, but not well. After all, we were both people who moved in the Beijing circles, so it was impossible not to have some impression. In our desperation, facing the pressure of building the city, we naturally banded together for warmth. Later, after entering the pass, Yue Hengyi joined us. But then, Yue Cangshan, your father, reacted quickly and took the base to the sky. He Qiu'an and I had to manage the people under us. Originally, there would be no conflict between us brothers, but then someone came from Yuzhou, named Chen Yide. He taught He Qiu'an the art of political maneuvering!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Ming nodded and said, "I seem to have heard about this from Xie Mu'an! He originally came to Yan Jing to seek refuge with Mr. He, but because he ate dumplings without soy sauce, he was imprisoned for more than two years. At that time, he remembered that someone surnamed Chen came to Yan Jing and was heavily relied upon!"
Gong Changfa said, "It's because this old immortal was spouting nonsense that He Qiu'an truly listened and began to centralize power, cultivate his so-called core strength, and failed to show consideration for his subordinates. He even snatched food from the common people. As a result, unrest began to spread everywhere. I said a few words to him, and he sidelined me! He assigned me to education and had people monitoring me. So, the people you discovered earlier were actually sent to monitor me!"
Yue Cangshan couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Gong, why didn't you resist? How could you let the other party do such excessive things to you?"
Gong Changfa smiled and said, "You don't understand. I have always had the power to resist, but I need to consider the consequences. If I resist, it will inevitably bring endless disaster to the people below!"
Yue Cangshan's thoughts were very simple. Originally, the two of them started their venture together, but later, one of them suddenly had other intentions and sidelined the people around him. In this case, it could be considered a betrayal. If it were an ordinary person who encountered such a situation, they would definitely turn hostile on the spot.
Gong Changfa then said unhurriedly, "Don't come up with such bad ideas. If I really resist, who knows what kind of situation it will turn into? Right now, countless people are suffering. If I resist, in He Qiu'an's eyes, I would be trying to seize power, which would directly lead to war. Now, he only listens to Chen Yide, so he won't consider others' opinions at all!"
Yang Ming also said to Yue Cangshan beside him, "When you are learning to use your abilities here, you must be careful. It's best not to get involved in matters that don't concern you. Otherwise, if you fall into the vortex of power, you will surely die a terrible death!"
Yue Cangshan could only nod. Although he didn't understand what Gong Changfa was worried about, his most important task now was to become stronger. Only by truly learning to use his abilities could he truly protect his family in the future world!
"I understand. I won't interfere in this matter. Also, I will become stronger here!" Yue Cangshan quickly made his promise.
After hearing this answer, the others continued to discuss the matter.
"Mr. Gong, you are called the 'Liao Saint' by some. Now you are being suspected and sidelined, and you are monitored every day. In such a situation, how can you be happy? Are you going to spend your life like this?" Yang Ming couldn't help but ask.
Gong Changfa said, "Of course, I don't want to live like this. I am not yet forty years old, and I still have plenty of time to do various things. If I were to live a life of mediocrity, I wouldn't be able to accept myself! However, before changing my situation, I need to consider the people here. For them to survive, they need a good environment. Although He Qiu'an has been misled by others and has gone down the wrong path, I am always ready to bring him back!"
After spending so much time in the apocalypse, Gong Changfa's arrogance as a member of a prominent family had disappeared. Instead, he had witnessed too much suffering, so he naturally began to pity the people of this world. For their sake, he absolutely could not leave them to fend for themselves.
"So, you want to turn the tide at a critical moment!" Yang Ming said with a smile.
Gong Changfa nodded and said, "That's right, but I don't know if this goal can be achieved!"
Yang Ming chatted with Gong Changfa for a while and then prepared to leave. If it were in the past, he would have stayed here to eat something good. But now, food was scarce globally, and even if he came here, there wouldn't be anything delicious to eat. Therefore, it was better to leave quickly.
However, Gong Changfa suddenly asked, "I heard you found a meteorite. Is that true?"
When this question was raised, the air seemed to freeze instantly, as the answer to this question would have the most direct impact.
Gong Changfa was still staring intently at Yang Ming's expression, as if trying to analyze some intelligence from it.
However, when Yang Ming heard the question, he immediately became confused and asked instead, "When did this news get out? If we had found a meteorite, we would have acted long ago. Why would we waste time in Yuzhou?"
Yang Ming himself had no news of any meteorite, and at this time, he didn't understand the situation the other party was talking about at all. Thinking carefully, this must be someone spreading rumors.
When Gong Changfa saw his expression, he breathed a sigh of relief. The young man opposite him probably didn't have much cunning. His expression showed no pretense, which indicated that he knew nothing about the meteorite.
"It's just that in many places, it's rumored that your Yuzhou is training espers, so some people have speculated that you have found a meteorite. However, since you don't know, this must be a rumor!" Gong Changfa said quickly.
Yang Ming shrugged and said, "People in this world always like to make a fuss out of nothing, so it becomes very difficult to distinguish this information. In the future, you should also not easily believe the nonsense that others say!"
Afterward, Yang Ming and Yue Cangshan parted ways. This once bustling metropolis had been destroyed by an earthquake. There were no bustling streets or tall buildings here, only suffering people. Therefore, even if they stayed here, there was nothing worth seeing. It was better to leave as soon as possible. Only Yuzhou was considered a paradise on earth.
However, at this moment, Yue Cangshan said, "Brother Yang, please tell my uncle for me that I will definitely return after learning my skills, and I will appear when he needs me!"
Yang Ming nodded, indicating that he understood his meaning, and then left the city before it got too late. In the distance, some chemical plants were still operating, so there was a lot of black smoke in the sky, and the sky was gradually becoming brighter.