Ding Meng stayed in Qingxi Village for three days, mainly to accompany Old Yu and help him take care of the wheat fields.
Of course, with Ding Meng's current strength as an Origin Ability user, Old Yu did not need to prepare any tools like sickles or hoes for him. Wherever Ding Meng's telekinesis passed, the wheat would automatically be harvested, automatically fly back to the yard, and automatically be packed into piles. Even the wheat that had not matured would be directly killed by his telekinesis.
Old Yu could only stare helplessly at this. Ding Meng's efficiency was ten times faster than an AI robot's.
Next, Ding Meng also went to visit the kind citizen officer, Fred. Then, he used his wristband to contact Yu Man, and they agreed to meet at the Listin Academy.
Now, entering the city was not as troublesome as before. First, he had to find a taxi to Verdant Tarn Town, then take the crystal train to Autumn Tarn City. Ding Meng directly flew into the sky and used his wings of light to fly. The five thousand kilometer journey only took about ten minutes, and this was even when he deliberately slowed down to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Jinfeng Oasis.
The Listin Academy had not changed much. It was still as solemn, sacred, and tranquil as before. This church-like school had sent many talents to the Empire in the past ten years, but none of them were top-notch talents. The one with the greatest achievements was Qu Xiaoqing herself. Currently, she was a major general on the Empire's front lines, commanding a huge interstellar fleet. Among her peers, she was the only one with such a rank.
At the school gate, Yu Man had been waiting for a long time. When she saw Ding Meng appear on the street, she happily waved her hand. "Ding Meng, Ding Meng, over here …"
Yu Man had changed a lot. It was probably because she had entered society and joined the workforce. She had changed from the country girl's clothes to that of an urban professional. Her youthful vitality had also been replaced by a mature charm. She looked like a woman in the workplace.
Beside Yu Man was a man with an elegant temperament. Yu Man introduced him. "Zhuo, this is my cousin from my hometown, Ding Meng. He just came back from retirement."
"Hello, Cousin Ding Meng!"
Fang Zhuo's attitude was very gentle, and he did not show any dissatisfaction because of Ding Meng's tattered clothes. On the contrary, the soldiers of the Empire were very respected wherever they went.
Yu Man obviously knew about the news of Ding Meng's return from Lao Yu. She took the initiative to introduce, "Ding Meng, Zhuo works in our Autumn Ze City's Cultural and Education Department. He can take you to see the school superintendent."
It seemed like Fang Zhuo was someone with some means in Qiu Ze City. He was actually able to contact the Colonel himself.
On the way, Yu Man couldn't stop herself from talking. She kept asking about Ding Meng's movements in the past ten years. Of course, Ding Meng could only choose some insignificant questions to answer. If he were to tell her what he had really experienced, it would be like a fantasy story to ordinary people like Yu Man.
The school superintendent was no longer Abel, but an old man named Fang Yunfeng. He was Fang Zhuo's third great uncle. No wonder Fang Zhuo could contact him directly.
The three of them quickly sat down in the office of the teaching building. After Fang Yunfeng learned about the purpose of Ding Meng's visit, he couldn't help but sigh, "So it's Elder Zhao's favorite student. Student Ding Meng, you are really considerate to come and visit him after honorably retiring from the army. Elder Zhao was also a soldier, but he retired eight years ago. The school also treated him well, allowing him to live in the dormitory in the western district. Six years ago, Elder Zhao went to his hometown in Qingxiang, saying that he was going to visit his niece, but since then, he never came back …"
His words seemed simple, but they contained a lot of information. Ding Meng could imagine that Mr. Zhao had retired eight years ago. Not many people wanted to learn his "Classical Swordsmanship Theory Lesson". Even if they wanted to learn it, there were only a few who could. Ding Meng was probably the only one who had received his inheritance, and the two ancient swordsmanship were mostly comprehended by Ding Meng herself.
Ding Meng recalled what Elder Zhao had said before his death. He wanted Ding Meng to tell his family and friends. Could it be that Elder Zhao's family was his niece in the countryside?
Fang Yunfeng sighed and explained, "Little Ding, you don't know. Elder Zhao's life was too rough. When he was young, he responded to the call of the empire and joined the army. He was there for more than twenty years. His wife in his hometown had already run away with someone else, and he didn't leave any children behind. Before Elder Zhao became an origin ability user, it was his sister who supported his studies at Listin College. Later, when he joined the army, his only sister also passed away, leaving only his niece to farm in Qingxiang Village …"
Ding Meng frowned and said, "So, Elder Zhao did go to visit his family six years ago?"
Fang Yunfeng sighed and said, "But there was no news of him for a long time. The school was also very concerned about him. Half a year later, they sent a teacher to Qingxiang Village to look for him, but they found that he and his niece had mysteriously disappeared in Qingxiang Village."
"Disappeared?" Ding Meng frowned even more.
Fang Yunfeng nodded and said, "Yes, mysteriously disappeared. He disappeared, and so did his niece. The school directly called the police. The guards and the Civil Protection Team were there to investigate, but they didn't find any clues. The space station also didn't have any relevant entry or exit records, but they just couldn't find him. There's still no news of him until now."
Of course, he didn't know that Elder Zhao had died in the underground palace of the Flame Star in the Devouring Sector. Ding Meng certainly wouldn't tell him the truth. Ding Meng thought that Elder Zhao should have met with an accident when he returned to his hometown to visit his family six years ago. The space station didn't have any entry or exit records, so it was very likely that he was kidnapped.
But that was the problem. Who would kidnap a frail and sickly old man?
There might only be one answer, and that was, the two sword techniques in Elder Zhao's hands. There was really no other explanation.
Ding Meng pondered and said, "Did Elder Zhao leave any personal belongings?
Or is Elder Zhao's residence still there? "
Fang Yunfeng said, "The school has been keeping Elder Zhao's dormitory for six years. It hasn't been touched. We firmly believe that he will come back."
That made things easier!
Ding Meng knew about the dormitory in the western district, and he also knew where Elder Zhao's room was.
"Ding Meng, do you want to take a look at Elder Zhao's dormitory?" Fang Yunfeng asked with concern.
Ding Meng said, "Oh, that won't be necessary. I just came back to take a look. Since Elder Zhao isn't here, I'll take my leave."
While he was saying this, thirty psychic dots had passed through the teaching building and the central square, flying directly into Suite 15 on the third floor of the western district's classroom dormitory. Then, they immediately spread out and formed a force field, quickly scanning all the personal belongings in the room, including the portable optical computer, and refreshing all the data. At the same time, they formed a stream of memory and returned to Ding Meng's telepathic consciousness. It took less than ten seconds to complete the process. In other words, all the data and information of Elder Zhao when he was alive were now in Ding Meng's mind. With this information, there was no need to worry that he couldn't find any clues.
After leaving the Listin Academy, Yu Man enthusiastically invited him, "Ding Meng, today is Zhuo's grandmother's 112th birthday. She's holding a birthday party in the central park. Come with me and Zhuo!"
Fang Zhuo also enthusiastically invited him, "Yeah, Ding Meng, you just came back. It's a good choice to walk around. There will be a lot of people at the party, so it's good to meet a few more people and have more connections."
Both of them thought that Ding Meng had no job after retiring, so they wanted to introduce him to some friends to help him make a living.
"Alright!"
Ding Meng thought about it. He had nothing to do now, so he could use this time to digest the information about Elder Zhao. This was because Elder Zhao left behind a lot of valuable information in her personal optical computer, especially some swordsmanship notes and teaching experience, as well as some personal contact information.
The central park was located in the center of Qiu Ze City. It was called a park, but it was actually a large resort. In a small city like Qiu Ze City, it was considered a very high-class place. The party was held in a quiet hotel deep in the park. It was obviously a family party of the Fang family, but there were still many outsiders who came to celebrate.
After the shuttle car landed on the tarmac, a group of girls surrounded him as soon as he got out of the car.
"Oh, it's really Cousin Ding Meng!"
"Cousin Ding Meng has become a lot more handsome!"
"Lili, there's something wrong with your eyes. Cousin Ding Meng's body has become stronger, so he must be stronger as well."
"But why can't I sense it …"
…
Ding Meng was a little flustered, "You guys …"
The girls immediately looked at him with smiles, "Cousin Ding Meng, don't you remember us?
You even helped us back then. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to graduate from Listin Academy. "
Ding Meng looked at the three girls in front of him and couldn't help but say, "I remember now. You guys are Sister Man's roommates."
The three girls were Zuo Min, Jiang Lili, and Akasu from Yu Man's dormitory. When Lei Bao blackmailed them, it was Ding Meng who stood up for her and disabled her. Lei Bao died in Qingxi Village. The four girls all worked in Qiu Ze City after graduation. They had always taken care of each other and were very close to each other.
"Haha!"
Ding Meng scratched his head embarrassedly, "So it's you guys. Long time no see. How have you been?"
Jiang Lili smiled, "We heard from Man that Cousin Ding Meng came back from retirement, so we came to see you."
Akasu also smiled, "Cousin Ding Meng, don't listen to Lili's nonsense. She has a single girl in her office. She wants to matchmake you. Cousin Ding Meng, do you have a girlfriend?
If you do, I can introduce you to her today. "
"Hmm?
Well … "Ding Meng was a little embarrassed and could only scratch his head," Ahem, well, let me think about it … "
Zuo Min smiled and said, "Stop teasing Cousin Ding Meng. It's not easy for him to come back, and it's grandma's birthday. Let's go in and have a seat. Eating and drinking is the most important thing!"
Hearing that it was eating, Ding Meng was immediately energized, "Yes, yes, yes. Sister Min's suggestion is the best. I happen to be a little hungry."
Thus, the group of people chatted and laughed as they walked to the entrance of the first floor of the hotel. Suddenly, they were stopped, "Sorry, uninvited guests are not allowed in today."
The person who spoke was a middle-aged man with a dignified appearance. He was Fang Zhuo's cousin, Fang Ying. His main task today was to welcome guests at the entrance. He was already annoyed when he saw Yu Man, and now he saw a short boy with untidy clothes beside Yu Man. He was even more annoyed. He reached out and stopped the group of people.
Fang Zhuo frowned, "Brother Ying, what are you doing?
Man and the others are not outsiders. They are all here to celebrate grandma's birthday. "