665: Chapter 665 Nurturing Bandits for Self-Respect

"Lord Special Envoy, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. This place is not safe. How about we return to Changsheng Technology Island first?"

"Return?"

Xiao Weiqing's lips curled up into a faint chuckle as he said, "Why go back?"

"We've already been ambushed and intercepted. If we just go back like this, wouldn't that mean the ambush was for nothing?"

"This…"

Manager Lie Ge hesitated. He never expected that Xiao Weiqing would treat an ambush as if nothing had happened, and this logic sounded rather strange as well.

"But what if we are attacked again…?"

Xiao Weiqing said, "I'm not even afraid, what are you afraid of?"

"Besides, didn't you leave two teams of men behind?"

Manager Lie Ge hesitated once more. In fact, he still hoped to return to Changsheng Technology Island; he had never wanted Xiao Weiqing to come here in the first place.

"However."

"Having said that, Manager Lie Ge, the strength of your security personnel is rather mediocre."

Xiao Weiqing glanced over the nearly one hundred people before him, discovering that there were only a few in the Dominator Realm, while the rest were in the Star Lord Realm. Their strength was truly ordinary.

Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that these people had the Realm in name only, yet possessed very little actual combat power.

Moreover, from the start of the ambush until the Resistance Army was repelled, a good seven or eight minutes had passed, and only then did these people appear.

This was no longer a matter of strength, but an issue of attitude.

Manager Lie Ge's expression stiffened, feeling somewhat embarrassed by Xiao Weiqing's words.

"Lord Special Envoy, I will communicate with Jiuxin about this and increase the security personnel."

Xiao Weiqing laughed heartily.

"I was just speaking casually. Decide on your own matters yourselves. In fact, troops should be valued for their quality rather than their numbers."

"Having too many would instead arouse suspicion of harbouring bandits to secure one's position."

Manager Lie Ge was puzzled, "Harbouring bandits to secure one's position?"

Xiao Weiqing smiled and explained,

"It means deliberately failing to annihilate the Resistance Army, keeping them for future use, which indirectly makes one's own status and strength higher and stronger. If anything happens, one can also pin it on them."

"For instance."

"If a few longevity fruits are lost one day, if a certain tree's yield drops, or if several batches of no. 4 longevity potion inexplicably disappear, it can all be blamed on the Resistance Army."

"Such behavior is called balancing the books where we come from."

"No, no, no… Lord Special Envoy, that's impossible."

Manager Lie Ge's expression changed drastically, becoming even more nervous than when he encountered the ambush earlier.

"This kind of thing absolutely cannot happen. All of our longevity fruits and chang sheng elixir are registered in the accounts, and the situation you mentioned can absolutely never occur."

"Don't get excited, I was just speaking off the cuff, haha~~"

Xiao Weiqing said seemingly indifferently.

Manager Lie Ge looked at Xiao Weiqing's meaningful expression, and his heart skipped a beat. His expression changed abruptly, filled with terror.

Xiao Weiqing's words just now were clearly hinting at him.

"Lord Special Envoy, I swear on my character that this ambush has nothing to do with Longevity Potion Company. I will definitely give you an explanation."

Xiao Weiqing waved his hand.

"When did I say it had anything to do with you? I was just talking casually, don't take it seriously~"

Manager Lie Ge wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly changed the subject, "Lord Special Envoy, look, shall we go to Base No. 1 now?"

"Of course."

Base No. 1 was not far from here.

The group arrived in less than half an hour.

Outside the main building in the center of the base,

Denise came out to welcome them.

"Manager Lie Ge, Lord Special Envoy, I heard you encountered an ambush just now?"

Manager Lie Ge nodded, "Mhm, it was the Resistance Army."

Denise nodded. Seeing that Manager Lie Ge's expression didn't look too good, she didn't ask any further.

"Lord Special Envoy, please."

Xiao Weiqing nodded slightly and followed Denise to tour Base No. 1.

Entering the interior of the base,

Xiao Weiqing discovered a strange thing: there were more indi people here than imagined, and even the security personnel were predominantly indi people.

Was Denise, one of the three giants of Longevity Potion Company, really this careless?

"Xilin, take out a Level 4 longevity fruit."

Denise instructed the woman beside her, who was also an indi person.

"Yes, Teacher."

Xiao Weiqing raised an eyebrow; this relationship was not ordinary.

Seeming to see Xiao Weiqing's doubt, Denise explained,

"Xilin has a deep research on the longevity tree and longevity fruit, and she is also an indi person herself, which is helpful for cultivating the longevity tree. So I took her in as a student and made her my assistant."

A moment later,

Xilin walked out holding a crystal tray with a longevity fruit inside. Compared to the Level 1 longevity fruit, this Level 4 longevity fruit was as green as jade, and there seemed to be unknown energy flowing inside it, looking somewhat unreal.

Moreover, Xiao Weiqing noticed that Xilin had deliberately worn a pair of gloves, which she hadn't been wearing when she left just now.

"Lord Special Envoy."

Xilin came before Xiao Weiqing and raised the tray slightly.

"For me?"

Denise smiled and said, "Longevity Planet has nothing else to entertain the Lord Special Envoy with, only longevity fruits."

Xiao Weiqing did not refuse directly, but instead asked, "How many portions of no. 4 longevity potion can be developed from this single Level 4 longevity fruit?"

Denise replied, "At most one portion."

Xiao Weiqing nodded slightly and reached out to pick up the longevity fruit.

Upon touching it, it turned out to be somewhat warm, and unknown energy penetrated through the skin into the body; this was not an illusion.

After this energy entered his palm, Xiao Weiqing felt extremely comfortable.

"Thank you for your kindness."

Xiao Weiqing placed the longevity fruit back onto the tray and did not accept it.

Manager Lie Ge persuaded, "Lord Special Envoy, you were startled when you came to the base today, this is just a small token of our appreciation."

Xiao Weiqing shook his head, "I don't eat fruit."

"Let's go take a look at your laboratory."

Helpless,

Manager Lie Ge had no choice but to signal Denise.

"Lord Special Envoy, this way please."

Xiao Weiqing toured the place where Denise worked. The laboratory was huge, with hundreds of people busy at work, but Xiao Weiqing didn't understand much and didn't know what they were busy with.

Then he went to check out the longevity tree cultivation base, which was similar to the cultivation base on Longevity Planet No. 1.

The only difference was that the longevity trees here easily spanned tens of thousands of years, and when cultivating them, thousands of indi people were required.

Night fell.

Xiao Weiqing and Manager Lie Ge began returning to Longevity Planet No. 1.

Longevity Planet No. 1 was not safe. There was no problem visiting occasionally, but lingering here for a long time would be treating one's own life as worthless.

Although Xiao Weiqing was not afraid, he was not stupid either.

Meanwhile,

on Changsheng Technology Island,

inside a certain palace, a fierce argument was erupting.

Manager Lie Ge was like an enraged beast.

"Jiuxin, are you out of your mind?"

"You actually sent people to ambush and intercept Xiao Weiqing."

Facing Manager Lie Ge's questioning, Jiuxin was unhurried and calmly said,

"Manager Lie Ge, I heard you were ambushed, and I was also very worried. However, to actually think this has something to do with me—you must speak with evidence."

Hearing this,

Manager Lie Ge was furious, staring dead at Jiuxin.

"Xiao Weiqing and I left just moments before, and we were ambushed the moment we arrived at Longevity Planet No. 1. Aside from you leaking the news to the Resistance Army, who else could it be?"

"Don't think I don't know about your relationship with Feiliwei, the leader of the Resistance Army. I'm telling you, have him hand the people over tomorrow, otherwise don't blame me for being ungracious."

Jiuxin let out a cold snort, "You know my relationship with Feiliwei. Without him, those indi people would have revolted long ago."

"When trouble breaks out and the Heavenly Venerate holds someone accountable, will you shoulder it or will I?"

"Don't use the Heavenly Venerate to pressure me. If the indi people want to rebel, isn't it because you went too far? If this goes on, the indi people on Longevity Planet No. 1 will be driven to extinction."

Manager Lie Ge was consumed by fury.