Volume One, Chapter 84: What Do You Want Me to Do?

Lin Mo could only accept his bad luck—who told him to have such a sharp tongue? Soon, six dishes filled the dining table, with Lin Mo taking a can from the fridge and adding it to the spread to complete the set. People in Daxia had a peculiar habit: even if they only had one dish, they would find a way to make it two. Even numbers were considered auspicious.

Jiang Chen took a bite and found that Lin Mo hadn’t exaggerated—Lin Ning’s culinary skills were indeed superb, no different from a professional chef’s. Perhaps the only difference was that a chef served dishes more quickly, while she took her time.

Lin Ning picked up a piece of meat for Jiang Chen, while Lin Mo, propping up his chin on the table, complained, “Sis, I am your real brother, right?”

Lin Ning nodded with her head lowered. Lin Mo protested, “Then why are you picking food for Brother Jiang and not for me? I treat you like my real sister, but you treat me like a cousin, is that it?”

Lin Ning put down her chopsticks. “Eat if you want, or don’t.”

“Fine, I’ll eat. A wise man doesn’t suffer losses before his eyes.” In the end, Lin Mo gave in.

A while later, as Jiang Chen finished eating, he asked, “Lin Mo, what do you want to do in the future?”

Do?

“I... I don’t know. My head is ill, and there’s no cure. I can’t do physical work, so I can only take on jobs that don’t require much thinking.” Though Lin Mo’s words were strong, Jiang Chen could see the disappointment in his eyes.

But that was normal. He had spent his whole life suppressing himself; it was only natural to feel lost as he grew up. He was different from Jiang Chen, who had become strong only because he bore a deep, unending hatred. For revenge, Jiang Chen couldn’t rest for even a day; every moment was consumed by thoughts of vengeance.

Jiang Chen took a pack of Liqun cigarettes from his pocket. “Want one?”

Lin Mo was about to reach for it when, in the next second, his hand was smacked away.

“You’ve started smoking now?!” Lin Ning glared at him, her delicate face still graceful even in anger.

Lin Mo pouted. “Aren’t we just talking man to man? Smoking one shouldn’t matter.”

Seeing Lin Mo still making excuses, Lin Ning immediately fetched the broom from the kitchen. “Still arguing, huh? If you dare smoke, I’ll dare hit you. Try me if you don’t believe it.”

Lin Mo quickly surrendered, raising his hands. “My bad, Sis, don’t make a fuss. I won’t smoke, alright?”

Jiang Chen hadn’t expected Lin Ning to react so strongly, but thinking about it, it made sense. She had played both father and mother since they were young, so she had no choice but to be strict—otherwise, Lin Mo would have long since gone astray.

Seeing this, Jiang Chen could only laugh awkwardly. “Kids really shouldn’t smoke.”

He put the cigarette in his mouth, but Lin Ning snatched it away at once, leaving Jiang Chen dumbfounded.

Wait, what? I’m not your brother. Why are you meddling with me?

“You can’t smoke either. It’s bad for your health.” Lin Ning’s tone softened, her voice quiet but resolute.

Helpless, Jiang Chen put away his lighter.

“I do have an idea, though. I wonder if you’d like to hear it,” Jiang Chen said to Lin Mo with a hint of suspense.

Lin Mo was dissatisfied with his situation. He didn’t want to be looked after by his sister his whole life; he wanted to take care of her, to relieve her burden.

Lin Ning’s face was cold as she said, “Whatever it is, as long as it doesn’t affect his health, the rest doesn’t matter.”

Jiang Chen explained gently, “If I could cure your headaches, what would you want to do?”

Jiang Chen only asked in a probing manner; he didn’t mention whether Lin Mo wanted to bring glory to the country—that was up to him. Jiang Chen would respect Lin Mo’s wishes, even if he just wanted to be an ordinary person, for that was his life to live.

Lin Mo stole a glance at his sister and saw she wasn’t looking at him.

“If possible, I’d like to have a job of my own. Ideally, I want to be a novelist. After all, I love Go and would like to write a novel about it,” Lin Mo said, his eyes brimming with hope.

Jiang Chen pondered for a moment, then nodded. “It will happen. I’ll help you.”

However, Lin Mo no longer held out much hope for this sort of comfort.

Lin Ning only looked at her brother in silence, but in her heart she understood—her brother had grown up, and there was only so much she could do.

It was time to let go and allow him to make his own choices.

Lighting a cigarette, Jiang Chen went outside to smoke. Squatting under the streetlamp, he deeply felt the weight of his responsibilities.

Everyone’s life is different. If you wish to interfere in someone else’s fate, you must be prepared to face the consequences.

Lin Mo could spend his life this way; Jiang Chen could easily arrange a job for him—something mindless that would still make money. But if he did that, it would mean he never truly saw Lin Mo as an ordinary person.

In the end, Jiang Chen decided to let Lin Mo choose for himself. Only those who have walked a path have the right to speak about it.

“Isn’t it boring smoking alone? Want to talk?” Li Changsheng approached from not far away, a sword slung across his back.

Jiang Chen wasn’t surprised to see him; anyone who could appear so silently must have some real ability.

“You came looking for me for something, didn’t you?” Jiang Chen stood up and stubbed out his cigarette.

Li Changsheng spoke solemnly. “I need your help.”

“And why should I?”

“Because someone is planning to attack Qingcheng. They want to wipe out the entire city.”

Jiang Chen hadn’t expected him to get straight to the point. “Tell me, what happened? You’re not weak—if you hadn’t run into something you couldn’t handle, you wouldn’t have come to me.”

Li Changsheng replied, “I didn’t expect you to guess so much. You’re right. You must already know what’s happening outside. All the top masters of Daxia have gone somewhere—they’re neither at home nor abroad, but in a place like a barrier, suppressing something there.”

“This has given many foreigners an opportunity. They want to seize the chance to bring Daxia down. Although the top echelon is gone, we’re still here, so the task of clearing out these vermin falls to us.”

“But everyone has their limits. We’re short-handed now, and a lot of them are coming. If I don’t get help, I’ll be fine, but a third of Qingcheng’s people will die.”

After listening to Li Changsheng, Jiang Chen understood.

Now was indeed a time of crisis. Though their environment still seemed peaceful, once this began, other countries would see Daxia as weak. Then, wave after wave would come, no longer hiding in the shadows but appearing openly.

For whatever reason, Jiang Chen had to help.

“Time and place. What do you need me to do?”