A World Worth Protecting

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As Wang Baole was still twitching in fear from his various puppet sales and worried about whether he’d be called up by the Colony Disciplinary Order for a cup of tea, his substitute teaching career came to an end. The new Dharmic Armament teacher had arrived.

Wang Baole was surprised and pleased when he picked up the file and read about the new Dharmic Armament teacher.

<em>A familiar face in a foreign land indeed. </em>Wang Baole sighed. He deliberated for a while before arranging for someone to receive the new teacher at the school gates. He instructed the person to bring the new teacher to him when he arrived.

The new Dharmic Armament teacher arrived in the span of time Wang Baole took to finish a few bags of chips… When he heard the knocks on his office door, Wang Baole stood up and walked towards the map hanging in his room. His back faced the door, and he spoke coolly.

“Enter.”

The new Dharmic Armament teacher had an unpleasant look on his face as he knocked on the door. He heard a voice in the room, hesitated, then pushed the door open. When he saw Wang Baole’s back, his face darkened. He was feeling all sorts of uncomfortable. Discomfort surged and rose like waves in his stomach. He had no choice, though. He bit the bullet and cupped his fists, saluting Wang Baole.

“Dean Wang… please accept the greetings of Lin Tianhao!”

The new Dharmic Armament teacher was Lin Tianhao!

The frustrations Lin Tianhao held inside him had reached a tipping point. If he had known that Wang Baole was here, he wouldn’t have chosen to come to this place. But it had been too late when he had finally found out. The orders had been issued, and his appointment had been something his father had paid dearly for. Resigned to his fate, Lin Tianhao had no choice but to turn up.

As frustrations boiled inside Lin Tianhao, Wang Baole remained with his back towards the former and spoke.

“Tianhao, come over.”

Lin Tianhao felt uncomfortable hearing how Wang Baole was addressing him, but there was nothing he could do about it. He sighed inwardly and, with a frown on his face, walked towards Wang Baole. He stood beside the latter.

Wang Baole glanced at him and said nothing. He continued staring at the map.

Silence descended, and half an hour passed. Regardless of how unhappy Lin Tianhao was feeling, he still sensed something was amiss. He saw where he was standing in relation to Wang Baole and remembered his father’s teachings. He realized he was standing in the wrong spot.

If it had been someone else who was the vice dean, Lin Tianhao wouldn’t have made the same mistake. His feelings towards Wang Baole were simply too complex. There were exasperation and a sense of powerlessness as well as an unwillingness to admit defeat. He was torn, but, after a long moment, he sighed inwardly and took one step back.

As soon as he did that, Wang Baole’s face widened into a bright smile. He turned and laughed, then spoke with great enthusiasm.

“Tianhao, welcome to the Dao Mountain Mist Academy!”

Wang Baole led Lin Tianhao to sit down with him on the couch. His smile stayed on his face, and his eyes were bright with encouragement. He watched as Lin Tianhao took his seat, then smiled and spoke.

“Our Dao Mountain Mist Academy carries a heavy responsibility. Our mission is to groom the next generation for Mars and for the Federation. Dharmic Armament education is especially important, but I can put my worries to bed now that you are here. Your responsibilities are great, I’ll need you to work very hard.”

“… Dean Wang, I’ll do my best.” Lin Tianhao was still unaccustomed to the superior-subordinate relationship he now had with Wang Baole, as well as the way they were speaking to one another. He couldn’t bring himself to cheer up, and his inner frustrations grew.

“Do your best? Tianhao, you’re no longer a student of the Ethereal Dao College. You’re a teacher now. You are the candle whose light will illuminate the world of your students. It’s not enough for you to try your best. You must give your all. You must pass on all that you know and understand about Dharmic Armaments to these children!” At the end of his speech, Wang Baole had a serious and fierce expression on his face. He threw a glance towards Lin Tianhao, whose bum remained firmly seated on the couch.

Lin Tianhao took a deep breath. He straightened his back, nodded, and was about to speak when Wang Baole suddenly patted him on the shoulder and said casually.

“Tianhao, we’ve known each other for years. We might have had some tensions in the past, but you know me, I’ve always been a jolly, even-tempered person. I never hold grudges. So don’t worry, I really don’t hold grudges, I don’t hold grudges at all.” Every time Wang Baole mentioned the word “grudges”, he patted Lin Tianhao on the shoulder once. He mentioned it three times, and patted Lin Tianhao three times.

This was something he had learned from the giant tree. He used it on Lin Tianhao because he wanted Lin Tianhao to yield to him. He wanted to make Lin Tianhao his loyal subordinate and follower. This way, he would no longer be alone in the Martian Colony.

This technique that he had learned from the giant tree really worked. Lin Tianhao’s frustrations morphed into anxiety and uncertainty as he remembered Wang Baole’s ruthless antics and heaved a giant sigh in his heart.

If it had been anyone else, he might have been able to make use of his family connections, but Wang Baole, despite his commoner’s family origins, was backed by people as impressive as his own family. Having been in the same college as Wang Baole, he was deeply aware of the fact. He even still firmly believed that Wang Baole had a mysterious godfather supporting him, as nothing else could explain how he had managed to escape unscathed so many times.

He thought about how he was going to be his subordinate for the next few years. Powerless to change his fate, Lin Tianhao shifted forward and inched half his bum off the couch. He gritted his teeth and bit the bullet. For the first time in his life, he took out a storage bracelet and placed it carefully to one side.

“Dean Wang… this is just a small token. Please accept it.”

The smile on Wang Baole’s face grew wider as he witnessed the change in Lin Tianhao’s attitude. He reminisced about their college lives for a while before ending the conversation. Before he picked the teacup up and sent him away, Wang Baole got Lin Tianhao to take his storage bracelet with him. His eyes were earnest as he spoke seriously to Lin Tianhao.

“Tianhao, you and I are both college mates, there’s no need for this. What happened between us happened when we were still young and hotheaded. Every thing has been resolved during City Lord Li’s fruit feast. Don’t be burdened by this. I hope that you and I can bring Dao Mountain Mist Academy to the next level and that both of us won’t fail in the duties that have been placed on us!”

Wang Baole’s words sounded sincere, and they moved Lin Tianhao. He looked at Wang Baole for a long time before he kept the storage bracelet. Then, he cupped his fists and bowed deeply.

“I’ll do my very best!” Lin Tianhao left after he spoke to Wang Baole. This was his first day at school, and he still had many things to attend to. Wang Baole watched Lin Tianhao’s back retreat from the room and disappear behind the door. That was when he placed his teacup down, pulled out a bottle of Ice Spirit Water, and took a big gulp. He was very pleased.

<em>There’s no need to rush to secure Lin Tianhao’s loyalty. I’ll take things one step at a time… </em>At that thought, Wang Baole concluded that, despite the giant tree’s presence, life on Mars wasn’t without its pleasures and excitement. He had increased his net worth and become Lin Tianhao’s superior. Both made him incredibly happy.

He hummed a small tune and was about to open a bag of chips when his voice transmission ring suddenly vibrated. He lowered his head and took a look. What he saw surprised him.

<em>Li Yi? </em>Wang Baole had a disbelieving look on his face. He activated his voice transmission ring, and Li Yi’s voice immediately rang in his ear. She sounded calm and slightly tired.

“Wang Baole, I know you’re on Mars. I’ve also been deployed to Mars…

“I hadn’t thought much of it before I graduated, but after I graduated and joined the Federation, I became so tired… I thought back to our past and all the unhappiness I felt towards you. They’re all just fleeting emotions. Why should we be fixated on these things?

“We still have a long road ahead of us. I want to resolve the conflicts between us. Do you have time? I’d like to treat you to a meal.”

Wang Baole was slightly confused. This voice transmission from Li Yi was too sudden and unexpected. He not only found it incredulous, but he also began to find it suspicious too. He was of the firm belief that Li Yi was a petty, vengeful person who loved her grudges. Why would she suddenly say something like that?

“Have you been kidnapped? Did my enemies do that? That’s not right. My enemies wouldn’t kidnap you. You’re not Li Yi. Tell me, who the hell are you!”

At that exact moment, inside Zone Eighteen of the Martian Colony City, within the office building of the Martian City’s Deputy Governor, Li Yi sat inside an office. She gnashed her teeth as she listened to Wang Baole’s voice in the voice transmission ring. After inhaling a few deep breaths, she spoke softly again, trying to make herself sound tired and spent.

“Wang Baole, you’ve misunderstood my intentions. I…”

Wang Baole ended the transmission abruptly even before she could finish speaking. She stared at the voice transmission ring in her hand before smacking her desk violently.

<em>That jerk! How dare he hang up on me! </em>Li Yi was furious. Her chest heaved with anger, and she gnashed her teeth, determination flashing in her eyes.

<em>I was hesitating a while ago. Now I’ve made up my mind. It’s going to be him! I’m going to use him as the target for mastering my mystic art! </em>Li Yi inhaled deeply. The reason she had sought Wang Baole out for reconciliation was that she had obtained a mysterious mystic art. The prerequisite for mastering it was extremely strange. It required her to fall in love with the person she hated the most and then break off their romantic relationship. That was the only way to master it.

It was called the Heartless Willow Art!

The mystic art wasn’t something found in the White Deer Dao College’s records but something the Deputy Governor had given her after she had arrived on Mars and had been appointed his secretary.

She even secretly contacted the college and informed them about the mystic art. The upper echelons of the White Deer Dao College were taken aback and told her to go ahead and master it!

That was why she could set aside her worries and concentrate on practicing the mystic art. She thought long and hard. There were few people she couldn’t stand, but amongst them was one man she despised the most—Wang Baole.

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