Immortality begins in Goose City

Chapter 88 Loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty

Liu Kaishan looked at them, then at Huang Shujian, and finally leaned close to Ma Yongzhen, lowering his voice:

"You're not going? That's a hundred silver dollars."

Ma Yongzhen shook his head and didn't say anything.

Liu Kaishan looked at Zhao Long again, but Zhao Long turned his face away, pretending not to see him.

"Why are you guys so cowardly?" Liu Kaishan said with some dissatisfaction. "You get paid if you win, and it's not shameful if you lose."

She's ugly, straightforward, and speaks her mind directly.

Just as Ma Yong was about to explain, Zhang Hu suddenly interrupted:

"Sister Liu, if you want to go, go ahead. We're tired and can't fight anymore."

Liu Kaishan glared at him: "If you're a coward, just admit it! What excuse are you making!"

She ignored them and strode to the center of the training ground, where she clasped her hands in a fist salute to Huang Shujian.

"Young Master, Liu Kaishan requests your guidance!"

Huang Shujian nodded: "Come on."

Liu Kaishan took a deep breath and got into a fighting stance.

She practices wrestling, has a stable lower body, and is very strong. During the ranking match just now, many people were thrown around by her and were completely disoriented.

She gave a low shout and pounced on him.

Soon, Liu Kaishan was sent flying backward, spun in the air, and then crashed to the ground with a thud, sliding two zhang away and stopping right at Ma Yongzhen and the others' feet, raising a cloud of dust.

Liu Kaishan lay on the ground, clutching her arm, grimacing. She raised her head, glared at Ma Yongzhen and Zhang Hu, and roared:

"Young Master is that strong? You all knew all along?"

Ma Yongzhen smiled wryly: "So you know why I stopped going, right?"

Zhang Hu chuckled but didn't say anything.

Just as Liu Kaishan was about to start cursing, Huang Shujian on stage spoke up:

"Zhang Hu, come up here."

Zhang Hu's smile froze.

Liu Kaishan burst into laughter, rubbing his arm as he sat up, gloating, "Serves you right! You'll see me make a fool of myself!"

Zhang Hu, with a bitter face, slowly walked to the center of the training ground.

"Young Master..."

"Let's do it," Huang Shujian said.

Knowing he couldn't dodge, Zhang Hu gritted his teeth, let out a low growl, and charged forward.

Soon, Zhang Hu was also sent flying and landed next to Liu Kaishan.

Liu Kaishan laughed heartily.

Huang Shujian looked at the remaining ten people and suddenly smiled.

"Come one by one is too slow."

He stretched his neck, making a slight crackling sound.

"All of you, come at me together."

The ten people looked at each other in bewilderment.

Attack together? Ten against one?

This is too much...

Ma Yongzhen smiled wryly. He knew the young master was serious. He took a deep breath and was the first to step forward.

"I apologize, young master."

Seeing that Ma Yongzhen had already gone up, the other nine people no longer hesitated and stepped forward to surround Huang Shujian.

Ten against one.

The drill ground fell silent, with only the cicadas chirping in the distant trees, and everyone staring at the center of the field.

Ma Yongzhen took the lead and swarmed forward with everyone.

"Bang bang bang..."

The muffled thuds continued.

One by one, people were thrown out and crashed to the ground, until only Ma Yongzhen was left struggling to hold on.

He was utterly horrified.

The last time he fought the Strange Baby Brothers with Huang Shujian at the train station, although he was not as good as Huang Shujian, he was still able to cooperate in killing the enemy.

At that time, he felt that the young master was strong, but he could still keep up.

But now...

How many days has it been?

Even though the young master seems to have only opened seven orifices, just one more than me, why do I feel so powerless when facing him, like a small stream encountering a surging river?

There's only one possibility...

A thought flashed through Ma Yongzhen's mind.

The young master's cultivation techniques have all been pushed to the ultimate perfection!

Just then, Huang Shujian struck out with his palm.

Ma Yongzhen crossed his arms and blocked the attack.

"boom!"

A tremendous force sent him flying backward, crashing heavily onto Liu Kaishan. The two rolled around in a heap, covered in dust and dirt.

Ma Yongzhen's arms were numb and he could barely lift them.

On the drill ground, twelve people, some sitting and some lying down, were all panting.

Huang Shujian stood in the center, breathing steadily, and barely sweating.

He glanced around, his voice calm:

"I've memorized them all."

The twelve people struggled to their feet and stand up straight.

"You are strong, but not strong enough."

Huang Shujian said, "Follow me, and I will make you stronger. But there's a condition..."

Everyone looked up at him.

He paused, his gaze sharp as a knife:

"Absolute loyalty."

"Loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty."

"Anyone who acts out of selfishness, betrayal, or leaks secrets..."

He paused, his tone chilling:

"die."

The twelve people shuddered.

Ma Yongzhen was the first to speak, his voice rough but firm: "Young Master, rest assured! My life, Ma Yongzhen's life, is yours from now on!"

"We swear to serve our young master to the death!" Zhang Hu shouted in response.

"Red Tassel Squad, swear to serve our young master to the death!" the crowd shouted.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

On the bluestone slab of Huang Shujian's villa, six sets of diving equipment were neatly arranged. They were all old-fashioned and heavy, like a pile of scrap metal.

Each set of equipment includes a round, bronze helmet with a circular glass window in the front.

The helmet was attached to a thick, canvas diving suit, soaked in tung oil, which was waterproof but stiff.

Behind it is a huge oxygen cylinder with a brass casing and German markings engraved on it.

Next to the cylinder hung a regulating valve, a barometer, and a long breathing tube, resembling a thick python.

This is the most advanced diving equipment of our time.

It can stay underwater for an hour, and can dive to a depth of ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).

Huang Shujian sat at the stone table in the courtyard, where breakfast was laid out: three bowls of glutinous rice balls in white porcelain bowls, steaming hot, with osmanthus flowers floating in the soup.

Lin Zhihua sat opposite him, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the diving equipment.

She changed into a neat short-sleeved outfit, and her hair was tied in a ponytail, making her look energetic.

Qin Mo sat on the other side, wearing a dark gray long robe with a beige vest over it, and still wearing gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.

He sat very upright, with his hands on his knees, very proper.

"Shujian, I'm a swimming champion at school," Lin Zhihua said with a hint of pride. "Don't worry, I definitely won't hold you back when I'm wearing this diving gear."

She then looked at Qin Mo, her voice light and cheerful: "Brother Qin, do you know how to use this kind of equipment? Shu Jian finally agreed to take you along, so don't let me down."

Qin Mo smiled slightly, his smile gentle: "Yes, I did. Years ago, I went to the South China Sea with my teacher to investigate shipwrecks and learned to dive. Although I'm not an expert, I have no problem with the basic operations."

He turned to Huang Shujian and bowed slightly: "I must thank Young Master Huang for allowing me to participate in this exploration of Prince Rong's tomb. I hope my knowledge can be of help and that I will live up to your expectations."

Huang Shujian nodded without saying anything.

His gaze fell on the diving equipment, and he silently counted the number of people in his mind.

Myself, Lu Yu, Murong Xue, Lin Zhihua, and Qin Mo.

Five, one more to go.

He recalled the special skills that everyone had been marked during the selection process yesterday. Ma Yongzhen was an excellent swimmer, having grown up by the river since childhood, and could hold his breath underwater for the time it takes to drink three cups of tea.

Six people is indeed a bit few...

However... there is another strange fish in the "Blood and Flesh Medicine Book", and there happens to be a pair in the acrobatic troupe, which might come in handy.

Huang Shujian's lips curled up slightly.

"We're leaving tomorrow," he said, picking up his bowl of glutinous rice balls. "Let's eat some glutinous rice balls together today, for good luck."

Lin Zhihua immediately picked up a spoon, scooped up a glutinous rice ball and put it in her mouth. It was so hot that she gasped for breath, but she still mumbled, "The glutinous rice balls in Goose City are the most authentic! The ones from Wanghai are sickeningly sweet, they're sickeningly sweet."

Huang Shujian ate with his head down. The glutinous rice balls were filled with sesame, sweet but not greasy, and the outer skin was soft and chewy.

Qin Mo also picked up his bowl. He moved gracefully, first scooping up a spoonful of soup, blowing on it, and drinking it down. At the same time, he glanced at Huang Shujian, who was looking down, then scanned the courtyard before scooping up some glutinous rice balls and eating them in small bites.

Huang Shujian was eating sweet dumplings when he "inadvertently" looked up at Qin Mo.

Watching Qin Mo swallow the glutinous rice ball, she picked up a handkerchief and wiped the corner of her mouth with a composed gesture.