But this middle-aged man would absolutely not comprehend it at this moment. He had already, silently, become one of the pawns being used by others. Despite his position at the bottom, he held no value whatsoever to the upper-class aristocrats at the top of the Pyramid.

So, amidst the rising misty clouds of smoke in the room and the heaviness in the man's heart, a long time passed. Then, a youth brimming with youthful spirit, carrying a backpack faded from countless washings, pushed open the door to his home. He exclaimed excitedly to his father, "Dad, have you seen the news that's everywhere today? Hahaha, those noble families and financial groups are getting desperate! They're brazenly slandering my elder sister. They're afraid of the Eighth Elixir Company being established! That's why my classmates and I have decided: tomorrow, we're going to stage a sit-in protest outside the State Government! We want to tell our elder sister that even if the entire Federation doesn't understand her, we will definitely support her…"

However, before the youth could finish speaking, BANG! A dull, sharp sound made the youth jolt. It turned out that the middle-aged man, his father, had just fiercely snapped the smoking pipe in his hand with a ferocious expression, causing the loud noise. The youth, who had been so excited just moments before, instantly grew sullen. Fear and unease spread across his face as he asked, "Dad, what's wrong?"

GASP. GASP.

After several large puffs of the misty clouds, the middle-aged man began to cough furiously. Without a doubt, the act of smoking had directly choked his lungs, making him flush red in the face.

The youth was startled, but his filial piety made him quickly run behind his father. He then patted his father's back, firmly yet gently, and said quickly, "Dad, Dad! Don't be upset, don't be upset! What's wrong? Please tell me! Your son is grown up now; I can help you…"

At this moment, the youth's eyes even began to redden. He knew how good his father was to him and how much he had sacrificed to ensure he had a good future. So, he assumed there was a problem with his father's work, which was why he was acting this way.

However, once the middle-aged man finally caught his breath, his calloused hands grasped his son, whose skin was soft and tender. With evident struggle, yet firmly, he said, "Your… your Senior Sister's affairs… you shouldn't get involved in them anymore. We're not fools; of course, we know it's those man-eating bastards deliberately slandering her from behind. But who can be sure that your Senior Sister is still as kind-hearted as she used to be?!"

Suddenly, the youth felt his whole body go numb, his arms covered in goosebumps. Then, as if poisoned, he stared stiffly and incredulously at his father, involuntarily crying out, "Dad…"

What followed was a heart full of incomprehension and doubt towards his father!

The girl currently on stage… she's my Senior Sister! She's the one my idol, Wang Zhan, used to admire! Moreover, Senior Sister's parents once helped Dad at a critical moment. Even though the whole world doesn't know about this, I've always remembered it vividly. So, even if Yao Yao might not even know my name, I'm still committed to her. I want to do everything in my power to help her. I'm one of Yao Yao's admirers, someone who silently supports her.

However, he had never imagined that at this very moment, when Yao Yao was facing a life-or-death crisis, when she could potentially be utterly crushed and needed their support the most, the first person to stand in his way would be his own father—the man who had supported him through thick and thin for over a decade, who had painstakingly raised him to adulthood!

So, full of struggle and confusion, he asked, "Dad, Senior Sister's family helped us before! Is this how we repay them?"

Seeing the expression in his son's eyes, a flicker of pity crossed the father's heart. But very soon, he locked that pity deep inside. Then, he forcefully dragged his son in front of him, stared intently into his eyes, and said, leaving no room for discussion, "Anyway, I don't care what you think. I absolutely will not let you get involved in this anymore! Do you hear me?"

His final roar struck the youth's heart like a thunderbolt on a clear day. It left him looking dazed, unable to snap back to his senses for a moment. He only felt… "Dad, let go! It hurts…"

But if he was in pain, wasn't his father, whose dark, wrinkled face was etched with it, suffering just as much? So, he continued to earnestly explain to his son, "Your Senior Sister is a big shot now! But you're still a nobody. So, what can you possibly do to help her? Good son, listen to your father. Let's not make a fuss. It's enough for us to just watch those upper-class people play their boring games…"

Besides, as a middle-aged man who had struggled at the very bottom of the Federation for nearly half his life, he understood better than anyone:

This world is never simply black and white! Not to mention, I only have one son. The outside world seems treacherous and turbulent right now; who knows what will happen next? Especially with a young man like my son, full of vital energy—if he can't control his youthful impulsiveness and something happens… then who have I been struggling for all my life? What's more, Yao Yao is already a Martial Artist! Compared to the cheap, uncertain elixirs from the Eighth Elixir Company, Yao Yao has already obtained everything she wants. But people like us… we're still nothing! So, naturally, I'm more inclined towards the elixirs from the other seven established Elixir Companies. They're expensive, very expensive—so expensive that any family not well-off might not be able to afford them. But still, who doesn't want to become a Martial Artist! You want to help the Federation's people? Fine, go help them! Why drag us into it? We're just poor, ordinary folks. How could we possibly board such a massive ship? Besides, setting aside whether Yao Yao can even succeed, if something really goes wrong, then what about my son…

Such is the boundless, anxious love of parents. Even if Yao Yao understood how complex human nature is, what could she do? Unless one has no worries holding them back, who would risk their life for you!

「In Jing State.」

At the same time, Yao Yao's parents, who had also impatiently awaited the latest news, saw the articles. Their already anxious hearts naturally grew even more fearful. They had already been worried sick all night. It was only after that high-ranking figure, Wei Daoming, had shown willingness to support Yao Yao that they had managed to relax even a little. However, now, seeing the wording in article after article filled with malicious speculation, their spirits immediately plummeted to rock bottom.

Then, Yao Yao's mother, weeping, looked at the reports and cried incessantly to Old Yao for help, "Yao Yao's father, what do we do now?! Is that foolish girl trying to get herself killed? Does she even care about us at all… If-if something happens to her, what will become of us…"

Old Yao, also sitting in the living room, consumed by unending fear, heard her. He immediately took a deep drag from the cigarette in his hand, so deep it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Then, his voice trembling slightly, he struggled to maintain his composure and said, "Cry, cry, cry, all you do is cry all day! What damn good will crying do? If you want to cry, go to your room! I still need to ask around, to see if those people are still willing to support our girl…"

Without a doubt, Old Yao managed to maintain his basic composure at this moment. Although he had never attended university or a Martial Arts Academy, and his ancestors had mostly struggled at the bottom, he had experienced much, and his resilience was naturally stronger.

What situation could be more terrifying than ferocious beasts, their mouths full of blood and gore, chasing human-like organisms like us through the streets?

Old Yao had survived scenes exactly like that!

So, when Old Yao saw today's news, he knew at once: his daughter's troubles were clearly escalating, becoming harder and harder to control! But, even though he had led an unremarkable life, he wasn't entirely useless. Stimulated by that drag of the cigarette, Old Yao immediately thought of something else.

Those man-eating bastards in the shadows… why are they spreading these obviously nonsensical rumors and spewing such filth? In the final analysis, isn't it because they aren't confident of winning on the open battlefield, so they resort to sneak attacks from behind?! If that's the case, as long as I can figure out the target of their sneak attacks, I'll immediately know the most effective and quickest way to find out Yao Yao's current situation: the opinions of the Federation's people!

Therefore, after Old Yao ushered the weeping Yao Yao's mother back to her room, he finally picked up the phone with trembling hands. He dialed the numbers of his old acquaintances one after another. Then, when they answered, he instantly regained a cheerful and calm demeanor, laughing as he spoke, "It's me, Old Yao! How have you been lately? …Oh, oh, you mean my daughter? Yes, yes, yes, she certainly has been on TV a lot recently…"

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