"Who said that?" Xu Ke asked in surprise. He hadn't said a word about it, so how did these people manage to spread such vivid and convincing rumors?

"Do we really need someone to tell us?" Duan Chongfeng's tone was low. "A big shot like Ki Qinyin… her movements are always under a microscope."

"When they boarded the plane, nobody saw you with them. Naturally, everyone assumed the Northern Dragon Guard had cut you."

"Tell me, what happened? Why did she go back on her word and not recruit you?"

After hearing the whole story, Xu Ke just shook his head. "What is all this nonsense? I wasn't eliminated!"

He had to admire their incredible capacity for misunderstanding. Just because he didn't follow Ki Qinyin to the Northern Dragon Guard, that meant he was eliminated? That was quite a leap… 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

But Duan Chongfeng thought Xu Ke was just being stubborn about his failure. He shook his head and said comfortingly, "Listen, bro, don't be sad. Yu Kangan will definitely be furious when he finds out Ki Qinyin rejected you."

"That Ki Qinyin really doesn't know what she's missing! But as long as you're strong enough, you won't have to worry about factions not wanting you. What about joining the Duan Family? I'll stake my life on it—even those snobs in my family would welcome you as a guest of honor."

Hearing this made Xu Ke not know whether to laugh or cry. "I really wasn't eliminated. I joined the Northern Dragon Guard."

He chose to tell the simple truth.

Duan Chongfeng's end of the line went quiet, but soon a very faint voice could be heard. Clearly, he had covered the phone's mouthpiece and was talking to someone else.

Then, Xu Ke's brow furrowed. He could faintly hear Duan Chongfeng on the other end saying, "The kid's really taking it hard. I'll go comfort him."

Another voice, obviously Yuan Shang's, chimed in, "Tell him to come over to the Dapeng Commerce. We can't let him get too devastated."

"Anyone would be crushed. First, you get this grand public invitation to join the Northern Dragon Guard, and then you're rejected. That Ki Qinyin… if she wanted to eliminate him, why didn't she just say so? Why all this drama?"

"Who the hell knows…"

Xu Ke's scowl was so deep it could have crushed a crab. Good grief… He was telling them the truth, and these two still didn't believe him?

Then, Duan Chongfeng uncovered the mouthpiece. "Bro, where are you? Come on over to the Dapeng Commerce… Your big bro feels like having a drink."

He planned to use drinking as an excuse to console Xu Ke.

Xu Ke was speechless. "You didn't cover the phone properly. I heard everything. I don't need consoling. I really joined the Northern Dragon Guard."

Duan Chongfeng was silent for two seconds, then, as if having made up his mind, he said, "Bro, the Northern Dragon Guard isn't all it's cracked up to be. Back in the day, the Duan Family even supported Yu Kangan. Honestly, joining them isn't as good as joining the Duan Family. You really don't need to be upset about this. Just face reality. You deserve better."

Xu Ke was silent. Has Duan Chongfeng's brain been fried? Why can't he understand what I'm saying?

"I really joined the Northern Dragon Guard!" he said, exasperated.

Duan Chongfeng replied, "Stop trying to fool me. If you'd really gotten in, would you still be in Tianhai?"

Xu Ke laughed in frustration. "Does everyone who joins the Northern Dragon Guard have to go to the Northern Border?"

"Of course. It's a requirement."

Xu Ke's laugh was even more frustrated. "Okay, even if I have to go to the Northern Border, does it have to be today? I have things to do, like saying goodbye to my parents and wrapping up some personal matters for a couple of days. Can't I go after that?"

Duan Chongfeng assumed Xu Ke still couldn't accept reality and was just stubbornly making up excuses. He shook his head. "Impossible. If they were going to let you handle your affairs first, Ki Qinyin would have waited for you and taken you with her. Everyone knows the Northern Dragon Guard values talent. They wouldn't leave a talent unprotected in one place. At the very least, they would have left an elite guard behind. It's unthinkable for all of them to leave Tianhai."

"After all, the risk of being assassinated would be too high!"

Xu Ke was taken aback. Is that really a thing?

Seeing Xu Ke fall silent, Duan Chongfeng was certain he had won the argument and that Xu Ke was finally starting to face the unacceptable truth. He sighed. "Bro, I don't want to call you out like this, but facing reality is better for you."

Hearing this, Xu Ke sighed as well. "I really did join the Northern Dragon Guard."

This time, Duan Chongfeng got angry. "Why won't you listen to reason? What's so great about the Northern Dragon Guard that you're this hung up on it? If you're that desperate to join, I'll fly you to see Yu Kangan myself next time, how about that?"

"Why won't you believe me?" Xu Ke felt completely defeated.

"Come over here. I'm not sleeping tonight. We'll talk this through," Duan Chongfeng declared, making a final decision. He was determined to make Xu Ke face reality. How could a genius like him have a mental breakdown just from being rejected?

Xu Ke sighed and could only nod. "Fine, I'm on my way…"

「Dapeng Commerce.」

When Xu Ke went upstairs, he found the table laden with barbecue skewers. The liquor cabinet next to it was filled with red wine, spirits, white liquor, beer, and cocktails.

"Come, sit!" Yuan Shang beckoned, an indescribable look of sorrow on his face. He was the most perplexed by the situation. Before meeting Peng Hetong, Ki Qinyin had been enthusiastically pulling Xu Ke into the conference room to discuss the terms of joining the Northern Dragon Guard. How could she change her mind in the blink of an eye? You really can't trust a woman's word!

Duan Chongfeng also nodded gravely. "Eat whatever you want. If it's not enough, your big bro will order more."

Xu Ke flopped onto the sofa, utterly dejected. "Skewers and booze, I'm fine with that. But there's one thing I need to make clear to you both."

"What is it?" Duan Chongfeng asked.

"I joined the Northern Dragon Guard!"

Hearing this, Duan Chongfeng and Yuan Shang exchanged a look. He's still in denial…

Duan Chongfeng immediately grabbed a bottle of red wine. "Let's start with a bottle to whet our appetites."

Yuan Shang nodded in perfect sync, pulling out a pair of chopsticks and handing them to Xu Ke. "Don't just drink. Have some food first."

Seeing their act, Xu Ke immediately understood they weren't taking him seriously at all. He stopped talking, pulled something out, and slammed it on the table.

SLAM!

A golden, dragon-shaped badge.

CLATTER…

The corkscrew Duan Chongfeng had just grabbed fell from his unsteady hand to the floor.

The two men stared, dumbfounded, at the Dragon Badge before them. Under the soft light, the characters on the bottom of the badge seemed to gleam: Northern Dragon Guard.

Yuan Shang's voice trembled. "Wh-what is this?!"

Duan Chongfeng looked up at Xu Ke in disbelief, then back down at the Dragon Badge, then back up at Xu Ke… He repeated this several times.

As Duan Chongfeng's gaze darted back and forth, Xu Ke said, "Bro, stop. I really did get into the Northern Dragon Guard."

Duan Chongfeng and Yuan Shang looked at each other and fell silent.

After a long moment, Duan Chongfeng started coughing violently. "COUGH, COUGH, COUGH…" He hurriedly put his drink down, then glared at Xu Ke with wide eyes. "Why the hell didn't you say so when you got here? Did you come just to give me a heart attack?!"

Shock wasn't a strong enough word to describe his and Yuan Shang's reaction…

Xu Ke erupted in fury, "Damn it, didn't I tell you like five times already?"