After midnight

It was not even June yet, but summer had already arrived, following spring. It was only four or five months since Song Xinjun left in winter. In just four or five months, Zhou Qing's health had deteriorated significantly, and he could no longer take medicine secretly without telling Lin Xuanfeng.

Lin Xuanfeng poured him a cup of warm water. Zhou Qing poured out most of the medicine in the bottle at once and then drank it in several gulps.

"Master, what's wrong with your body? Let's go ask Doctor Wang to take a look."

Zhou Qing shook his head. He spread out his hands and said to Lin Xuanfeng, "Do you see my hands?"

Lin Xuanfeng nodded. Zhou Qing's rough hands were covered with scars of varying sizes and depths. However, he did not understand the deep meaning of Zhou Qing's words at that time. He thought that his master was encouraging him in disguise, so he also stretched out his own worn hands and shook hands.

"Master, I will definitely work hard. But you have to promise me that you will take good care of yourself."

Zhou Qing was silent, and he changed the subject. "Xinjun has been gone for such a long time, have you made any new friends?"

"Yes." Lin Xuanfeng said, but in fact there wasn't.

Zhou Qing knew Lin Xuanfeng's temper very well, and he guessed that there was no one, otherwise Lin Xuanfeng would have said his name immediately. So Zhou Qing said, "In the past two years, there have been many new people in the Revolutionary Army. Have you found any good ones?"

Lin Xuanfeng shook his head but then said, "There is one who is a little interesting. His name is Zhou Chen. He is a newcomer, but he doesn't seem to like me."

Zhou Chen? Zhou Qing's eyes suddenly widened. He let go of Lin Xuanfeng's hand, looking somewhat at a loss.

"Why, Master, have you heard of him?"

Zhou Qing retracted his hand awkwardly, and when he moved his mouth, his beard also moved along with it.

"He is a good boy, Xuanfeng, he won't really hate you." Zhou Qing coughed several times before he finished speaking.

"Master, please stop talking and take a good rest."

"No, I still have something to tell you. Lin Xuanfeng, remember, you must defeat the 'Son of God'. His name is An Yan!"

"Yes, Master!" Lin Xuanfeng inexplicably felt that his master was giving instructions for his funeral. He quickly agreed, not wanting to hear words from his master that he could not bear.

"Master, you should take a rest. I'm going to leave first." Lin Xuanfeng picked up the empty cup and walked out. He remembered that he had heard the name of 'Son of God' when he was a child, but he had long forgotten what it was called. How could the master remember the name of 'Son of God' so clearly? Perhaps 'Son of God' has always been the goal pursued by the master. After finding a reason, Lin Xuanfeng put the matter behind him.

However, not long after, the name of "Son of God" suddenly spread throughout the streets and alleys of Xindu from one morning. Ten years later, An Yan appeared again from the place where he disappeared, and was arranged by the government to attend middle school. Lin Xuanfeng, as an old man who had joined the revolutionary army for two or three years, was one of the first people to know the news.

Lin Xuanfeng almost fled back home in panic. He said anxiously: "Master, today's 'Son of God' is the one called An Yan, he..."

"Have you finally found the 'Son of God'?" Zhou Qing interrupted Lin Xuanfeng.

"Yeah." Lin Xuanfeng didn't understand what it meant to get it out, but he hummed.

"Great." Zhou Qing said, "Xuanfeng, please go out. I want to sleep for a while."

"Then Master, what would you like for dinner? I'll make it."

"Just make anything you want, noodles will do."

Lin Xuanfeng went out, rolled up his sweater sleeves and began to wash his hands and cook. He finished cooking and stared at the bubbles gurgling up in the kitchen. He was done, and all he had to do was wait for the water to boil and throw the noodles into the pot.

The water boiled more and more, and the bubbles gathered more and more. Lin Xuanfeng's thoughts became more and more scattered. The opponent that Master had been thinking about for so many years finally appeared, but Master didn't seem to react much? How could he not react? Did he need to defeat him immediately?

It was such a sensational thing that someone who had disappeared for so many years suddenly appeared.

The water boiled, and Lin Xuanfeng hurriedly took the noodles out of the cupboard. After cooking and eating, Lin Xuanfeng poured hot water for his master to take medicine. The water temperature was just right.

"Let's put it there first." Zhou Qing said.

"Okay, Master, remember to take your medicine later." Lin Xuanfeng went to the kitchen to clean up the dishes without thinking too much.

The next morning, Lin Xuanfeng poured another cup of hot water and took out the empty cup from last night before going out.

Inevitably, Lin Xuanfeng began to pay attention to the rumors about An Yan. Although An Yan had only been in the public eye for a few days, there were many rumors about him. Everything from his height and appearance to his inner personality had been exaggerated. Among them, the most talked about was the fact that Lin Nuan pursued him.

What good luck in love, Lin Xuanfeng couldn't help but think with envy.

But compared to the increasingly heated rumors, Lin Xuanfeng was more concerned about his master's health. Since the day An Yan appeared, his master's health had been getting worse day by day, even though it was quite stable before.

That day, after delivering the water, Lin Xuanfeng sat beside his master Zhou Qing's bed without saying a word. As time passed, Lin Xuanfeng's expression became more and more ugly.

"Master, take medicine," he said.

Zhou Qing opened his dozing eyes and said, "Xuanfeng, you found it."

"What did I find?" Lin Xuanfeng was furious. "I didn't find anything. Master, take medicine."

Lin Xuanfeng said as he forcefully opened the drawer and took out the full bottle of medicine. He placed the bottle on the table and smashed it with a dull sound. The sound startled Lin Xuanfeng. Zhou Qing looked at him coldly, unmoved, but his eyes were particularly deep. This look made Lin Xuanfeng's face flush red all of a sudden. He didn't understand. He didn't understand.

Lin Xuanfeng's eyes were both stubborn and incredible, but in the end he was the first to give in. He fell to the side of the bed, lowered his head weakly, and almost cried.

"Xuanfeng, look at my hands. Although they are covered with scars, I hope they can have another one. Do you know why? Because I am already old and my hands are dry and withered."

"Master?" Lin Xuanfeng was so shocked that he was speechless. No! This is impossible! How could the master who has always been obsessed with abilities no longer be able to use them? How could the master tolerate this and endure it? Lin Xuanfeng burst into tears.

"Remember to defeat the Son of God. And I am proud to accept you as my apprentice. I have never regretted it."

Lin Xuanfeng knelt down, placed his slender body on the cold floor tiles, and finally burst into tears.

Two months later, Lin Xuanfeng bid farewell to his master. On the first day after his master was buried, Lin Xuanfeng found An Yan by the Jiudong River under the Jiudong Bridge. Reality defeated his ridiculous fantasy and broke the last bit of things he had tightly grasped. He knew that it was unrealistic for him to defeat the Son of God, but he never expected that the gap between him and the Son of God would be so big.

Lin Xuanfeng had never been so disappointed in himself. He was like a homeless child who was obsessed with fishing out the moon in the water. He fell into the deep water and lost everything. No one could save him.

Fang Hao found Lin Xuanfeng in a tavern. Lin Xuanfeng had just drunk some wine and was sleeping soundly, not knowing what day it was. Fang Hao threw a basin of ice water over him, and the ice slag splashed all over Lin Xuanfeng. Seeing that Lin Xuanfeng woke up, Fang Hao threw another basin of ice water directly on Lin Xuanfeng's face. Lin Xuanfeng was startled and was about to curse, but he was completely awakened after seeing who was coming.

"Uncle Fang..." Lin Xuanfeng wiped the water off his face, feeling extremely ashamed.

"You still know who I am!" Fang Hao's face was stern and terribly gloomy. He was extremely angry and that's why he spoke like that. "Do you know why I came to find you? You've disappeared for a week without any reason. Do you still know the rules of the revolutionary army?"

One week was a very accurate signal, and the alarm bells immediately rang in Lin Xuanfeng's mind. If the revolutionary army had no mission and did not report to Xindu Building for a week, they would be expelled from the revolutionary army according to the rules. Lin Xuanfeng lowered his head. He was now soaked, but there were still some ice residues on his body that melted into water and slowly dripped down.

"Why, do you want to lose the last thing you had?"

Fang Hao's voice was colder than the ice water on Lin Xuanfeng's body. Lin Xuanfeng almost immediately stretched out three fingers and swore. "I'm sorry, Uncle Fang. I will report tomorrow, no, now, right now, and I promise that I will never drink a drop of alcohol again."

"Very good. You are still a child, I will forgive you this time. But you have to remember this lesson." After Fang Hao finished speaking, a row of people filed in. These dozen people each held a bucket of ice water and poured it on Lin Xuanfeng.

At this point, Lin Xuanfeng returned to his normal life, but the knot in his heart was not so easy to get rid of. Defeating the Son of God almost became an obsession, and Lin Xuanfeng began to lean towards the other extreme, specifically training desperately and then shamelessly clinging to the Son of God.

What can you do by pestering An Yan? Fight!

After Lin Xuanfeng was defeated by An Yan for the second time, he fell to the ground panting. He was not injured, An Yan did not let him get hurt, he just felt tired, very tired. An Yan stood and looked at him, then left after saying something indifferent.

"I once warned myself that I would never fight the same person four times."

After An Yan left, Lin Xuanfeng slowly curled up, holding his stomach and shaking uncontrollably, and finally laughed out loud. It was really interesting that the Son of God could actually give others two chances to survive. But in this third fight, Lin Xuanfeng would never give up.

Less than half a month later, he came to see An Yan again. When An Yan saw him, he immediately tightened the lines of his mouth.

"Lin Xuanfeng, I thought I had made my words very clear last time."

An Yan spoke faster, not very impatient. He didn't like the feeling of losing control. He had accidentally let a girl sneak into his heart, and he didn't want to let another person in. He didn't want to get entangled with any strangers again.

"You made it very clear." Lin Xuanfeng said loudly.

"But if you don't follow your warning to yourself and kill me, I will definitely pester you until the day I defeat you!"

An Yan's eyes widened slightly, then he lowered them. He watched as his right wrist turned slightly and a blue blade appeared. It was as thin as a cicada's wing but could cut through iron like mud. An Yan pointed the blade upwards, clenched his right hand, and raised his eyes, "Come on."

As you wish, An Yan's eyes were full of determination.

Lin Xuanfeng was stunned. He didn't expect that An Yan, who was only 13 years old, had developed his abilities to such an extent. He was a little scared, but when he thought of his master, his breathing became short. Lin Xuanfeng shouted and rushed forward regardless.

Wind! Wind! Wind!!!

This was the only thought in Lin Xuanfeng's mind, even though all his attacks disappeared as soon as An Yan raised his hand.

Wind! Wind! Wind!!! Lin Xuanfeng could no longer tell which move he was using.

His eyes were red and veins bulged, and he rushed towards An Yan, being unreasonable and reckless.

Suddenly, when he launched an attack again, An Yan put down the knife in his hand, and a layer of almost transparent blue film covered An Yan's whole body from top to bottom.

Lin Xuanfeng noticed it, and his keen intuition told him that this was not a good thing, but he couldn't stop.

Lin Xuanfeng fell to the ground covered in blood, with wounds all over his body. He stared fiercely at An Yan who was standing in front of him, feeling no pain at all. An Yan's eyes were somewhat incredible and a little confused, and finally he squatted down hesitantly.

An Yan once again transformed into a blade of pure energy. According to the agreement, this knife would be inserted into Lin Xuanfeng's heart.

"An Yan, I will definitely defeat you!" Unexpectedly, Lin Xuanfeng bit An Yan's trouser leg and pushed the squatting An Yan to the ground. "I promised my master that I will definitely defeat you!"

An Yan sat up and sat on the ground. Lin Xuanfeng in front of him was covered in blood and struggling on the spot without being able to move. He twisted his neck and stared at An Yan with his blood-red eyes. Those blood-red eyes were full of hot tears, which flowed to the ground and accumulated into a pool of water.

"Your injury wasn't actually caused by me, did you feel it?"

Lin Xuanfeng was trying his best to hold back his mouth and nose, fearing that he would burst into tears. He didn't know why he had time to listen to the nonsense of the 'Son of God'. He carefully replayed the scene before he was injured. An Yan was right. He used the wind like crazy. The moment he couldn't take it back, the wind was out of control. He was knocked down by himself.

"Do you want to die by your own hands?"

Of course not. Lin Xuanfeng was speechless but he gradually stopped crying and struggling.

Seeing him like this, An Yan stood up thoughtfully and took two steps towards him. He squatted down and turned Lin Xuanfeng's twisted body over, making him lie on his back in a more comfortable posture. Then An Yan grabbed Lin Xuanfeng by the collar and slowly approached him.

An Yan said in an unquestionable voice: "Your master may not want you to defeat me, Lin Xuanfeng."

After An Yan finished speaking, he let go, and Lin Xuanfeng fell to the ground and fainted. Before he fainted, he actually had an illusion that An Yan seemed to know him, that he understood his past, and not just his name.

Two days later, Lin Xuanfeng woke up in the ward of Xindu Hospital. He was not seriously injured, but just lacked sleep. It took him a while to realize that he was not dead, and then he came to the door of An Yan's house, covering his wound.

As the sun sets, weary birds return to their nests. An Yan happens to return from parting with Lin Nuan at this time.

"Hey, why did you say that Master didn't want me to really defeat you!"

An Yan took back his hand that was about to open the door and put the key back into his pocket. "How do you know I live here?"

"I am a revolutionary soldier, these are just trivial matters." Lin Xuanfeng said proudly.

"Your master's name is Zhou Qing, right?" Compared to Lin Xuanfeng, An Yan spoke rather lightly.

"Do you know who my master is?" Lin Xuanfeng was very surprised.

"I know he's nothing special, but you probably don't know that Zhou Qing and Lin Yaoyue have a close personal relationship."

"So what?" Lin Xuanfeng said. He had heard his master mention him once.

"So, I don't think he's stupid enough to think you can beat me!"

"You!" Lin Xuanfeng let go of his hand that had been holding the wall and was about to limp over.

"Lin Xuanfeng, your master knows you too well. He is not looking for something for you, but a person for you. He hopes that you will continue to become stronger and become the strongest 'Son of God' like me."

Too arrogant! Lin Xuanfeng's hands were shaking! He was going to rush over and beat him up right now, otherwise his mind and heart would cheer for An Yan's words. Lin Xuanfeng's face turned red and he fainted.

This time, Lin Xuanfeng woke up again at Anyan's house. He saw that after he woke up, Anyan collected his thoughts that were scattered about and brought him a glass of water and an apple.

"Junior brother."

"Hmm?" An Yan asked in a questioning tone.

"I've thought of a good idea. If you were my junior brother, Master wouldn't watch us killing each other, right?" Lin Xuanfeng showed his big white teeth.