Having let out a light sigh to ease the frustration in his chest, Xiang Mantang's expression returned to its usual calm as he softly said, "It doesn't matter, as long as they are unharmed. Sooner or later, I will find those people!"
Xiang Mantang spoke in a gentle and indifferent tone, but the fleeting glint of coldness in his eyes revealed that his heart was far from being as serene as his appearance suggested.
Mu Jinyu dared not ask further, unwilling to peel back the layers of Xiang Mantang's emotional scars, and changed the subject, "On this return, are you just staying for a few days before heading back to the military, or are you here for a long stay?"
Xiang Mantang shook his head, "I'm not returning. The main reason I came back this time is for a specific matter. If successful, it would give me a greater confidence in finding those criminals."
"What matter?"
Mu Jinyu asked curiously.
If they had been merely acquaintances, he might not have ventured to probe, but his relationship with Xiang Mantang was so strong that he did not mind inquiring further.
Xiang Mantang did not hide it from him and softly explained, "You know, in our Shenzhou, there traditionally exists an organization comprising one hall, two gates, and three societies…"
"Hmm," Mu Jinyu nodded. "The two gates are the Red Gate and the Blue Gate. The three societies, I am not very familiar with; they seem to have perished long ago."
Xiang Mantang continued, "Yes, the two gates were once dominators of the underworld, specifically dealing with matters beneath the surface. Now, they barely exist in name only, not amounting to a significant force. However, the single hall is Dragon King Hall, which is also known to the people as Dragon Group."
"The origins of Dragon King Hall are unknown, and it is unclear when it was established. But over the centuries, amid the waves of history, it has stood unyielded like an unmatched monument!"
"Its existence is to protect the safety of various top-grade talents and important figures within the country. It also ventures internationally; whenever any force dares to stretch their hands towards Shenzhou's interests, Dragon King Hall ensures that the hand is severed!"
As Xiang Mantang spoke, a sharp light flickered in his eyes, and then he continued, "At the age of twenty, with a senior's recommendation, I passed the assessments and joined Dragon King Hall. Within five years, I became the hall master of Tianshu Palace, the chief among the Seven Sub-Halls, under the title Beidou Tianshu."
"I have returned this time as the Old Dragon King's end is near, and we are preparing to select the new Tiance True Dragon."
The words of Xiang Mantang were not overly clear, but Mu Jinyu understood his intentions.
As the Dragon Master was on his deathbed, he was selecting the next Tiance True Dragon, but Xiang Mantang was not a man to languish beneath others.
If given a chance, he would definitely contest it!
Mu Jinyu nodded slightly and smiled, "I support you. If there's anything I can assist with, just give the order, be it money or manpower!"
"If there really is a need, I won't hesitate to ask," Xiang Mantang also showed a slight smile as he replied.
The two had been friends for many years. Even though they had not seen each other for nearly a decade, their affection did not wane with distance.
"Let's go, let's go eat first."
Mu Jinyu and Xiang Mantang exited the park. Noticing it was time for a meal, Mu Jinyu suggested.
"Hmm." Xiang Mantang nodded, then glanced around, motioning towards a small restaurant, "Let's go to that one."
The two then walked together towards the small restaurant across the street.
Gu Xiyan followed behind, initially feeling that hosting guests at home would be the proper welcome, but then hesitated thinking about her own cooking skills.
She felt a pang of unease, wishing Wen Rou were at home.
Following Mu Jinyu, Gu Xiyan walked into the small restaurant and glanced at Liu Mei, asking in a low voice, "Sister Liu, are you okay with eating here? Should we find another place?"
It wasn't that Gu Xiyan couldn't eat there herself; if it were just her and Mu Jinyu, she wouldn't have minded eating anywhere.
However, since they had important guests, she felt that even if they weren't going to host them at home, they should take them to a nicer restaurant. Going to this small diner seemed rather stingy.
Liu Mei's spirited and pretty face didn't show any dislike while entering the small restaurant. She smiled openly and said, "It's fine, I can eat here."
As a subordinate of Beidou Tianshu, she had experienced times during missions where she had gone hungry for three days and nights to complete tasks and had even eaten rotten food next to corpses to survive after narrow escapes…
This small diner, despite its modest size, appeared to be clean and hygienic overall; there was nothing she could not eat here.
"Boss, two bowls of beef noodles."
Mu Jinyu called out to the owner and then turned to Gu Xiyan. "If you can't eat the food here, you can go find a restaurant outside with Sister Liu. Eat whatever you want."
Gu Xiyan playfully rolled her eyes at him and retorted, "If you can eat it, why can't I?"
Then, she also called to the owner, "Boss, I want a bowl of beef noodles too."
After ordering, Gu Xiyan turned to Liu Mei and asked, "Sister Liu, what about you?"
Liu Mei smiled and replied, "Since you're both getting beef noodles, I'll have the same."
"Alright, so it's four bowls of beef noodles then?"
The restaurant owner shouted to confirm their order and then went into the kitchen to prepare the beef noodles.
Liu Mei pretended to glance casually at Xiang Mantang, her eyes wandering, thinking to herself that Commander Xiang liked beef noodles after all. She had been following him for so many years and hadn't known this; she felt like she had failed as a subordinate.
Mu Jinyu and Xiang Mantang continued chatting casually.
Soon, the four bowls of beef noodles were gradually served by the owner.
Xiang Mantang looked at the steaming, hearty bowl of beef noodles in front of him, his gaze somewhat dreamy. He then unwrapped the disposable chopsticks and, instead of eating right away, picked up a few pieces of beef from his bowl and habitually placed them into Mu Jinyu's bowl.
Mu Jinyu, just about to start eating, slightly amused and touched, advised, "Ah-Xiang, eat it yourself, there's no need to give me the beef anymore, I'm not the same Mu Jinyu who often went hungry back then."
Xiang Mantang, whose eyes were slightly hazy, quickly cleared up upon hearing this and chuckled, "It's a habit. Besides, I'm not too fond of beef anyway. You eat it, don't waste it."
Mu Jinyu shook his head slightly and then accepted Xiang Mantang's kindness.
His thoughts drifted, and he seemed to reminisce about their time in the orphanage.
Back then, Xiang Mantang, being seven years older than him, had looked after him in the orphanage. Since the food at the orphanage was not very good, whenever Xiang Mantang managed to save some money from selling scrap, he would sneak him out to secretly enjoy a meal of beef noodles to help the skinny boy get some nutrition…
At that time, he was young and naive. Naturally, he was very happy to have meat to eat, and since Xiang Mantang claimed not to like it, he would accept all the beef handed to him and eat contentedly.
He was entirely oblivious to the fact that Xiang Mantang was also watching his swallowing movements and that, being just a teenager himself, Xiang Mantang too needed proper nutrition…
Just now when he ordered beef noodles, it was merely a spontaneous desire to reminisce about the old times—he hadn't expected Xiang Mantang to still habitually share his beef with him.