Master of Nine Stars

Chapter 567: Chapter 345: New Year’s Eve’s…

Rong Taotao thoroughly enjoyed the New Year’s Eve dinner.

After all, Rong Taotao had visited the Gao family many times, so Mrs. Gao was well aware of his appetite. She prepared a table overflowing with food, worried the boy wouldn’t have enough to eat.

Rong Yang, acting as the “guardian,” also had a couple of drinks with Gao Qingchen. Since it was a festive New Year’s Eve dinner, Yang Chunxi didn’t object.

Rong Yang, however, knew his limits. He was still in the early stages of recovery from a serious injury, so after a symbolic two drinks with Gao Qingchen, he politely declined any more.

Gao Qingchen didn’t mind, happily pouring and drinking by himself.

In truth, what most people didn’t know was that Gao Qingchen’s heart was filled with immense pride and gratification that Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao had received the Star Disc Snowflake Medal. He just hadn’t shown it too obviously when his daughter told him about it.

Without a doubt, Gao Qingchen, Fu Tiance, Chen Bingxun, and their peers were all cut from the same cloth. To them, an honor like a Merit Medal was the greatest affirmation of their careers.

They understood the significance of that small medal, so there was no doubt about the immense joy Gao Qingchen felt seeing the two youngsters be decorated.

The family ate and chatted in perfect harmony. On the coffee table to the side, the Cloud Dog and the Snowball Cat were each gleefully gnawing on a small, crispy fish…

The reunion dinner finally wound down after nine o’clock. After a quick cleanup and watching a bit of the New Year’s Gala on TV, the group headed out together a little after ten, making their way to the town’s Central Square for the fireworks celebration.

The grand annual fireworks display was a specialty of the northern Snow Realm, famous even throughout Huaxia, and was certainly a sight to behold.

Unfortunately, on New Year’s Eve last year, Rong Taotao had been with Gao Lingwei in the hospital, watching the display from her room. But tonight…

“Dad, do you need a horse?” Gao Lingwei couldn’t help but suggest, looking at her father’s injured leg.

“No, it’s alright. I can still walk.” Gao Qingchen shook his head repeatedly. He was a Soul School practitioner, after all. He could get anywhere he needed to go, even if he had to hop on one foot.

But Mr. Gao was in his fifties, after all, and he certainly wasn’t going to do something so undignified.

Gao Lingwei started to say something else, but Rong Taotao gently pulled her by the arm and led her a few steps away.

He whispered to her, “Honestly, people with physical disabilities can be more sensitive about certain things. We’re not in a hurry; we can just stroll over. There’s no need to start a disagreement on such a happy occasion.”

Rong Taotao then asked, “Are there any Snow Realm Soul Skills that can create new limbs?”

Gao Lingwei thought for a moment before replying, “None have been discovered yet. Otherwise, the wounded soldiers would definitely have them embedded. Isn’t our classmate, Zhao Tang, still struggling with his severed arm?”

The problem, of course, was that even if a Soul Pearl with a limb-creation Soul Skill did exist, it would most likely need to be embedded in a Soul Slot at the wrist or ankle.

And for those soldiers with severed arms and legs, the Soul Slots in their wrists and ankles had vanished along with their limbs…

“Oh,” Rong Taotao asked, “Hasn’t Qingchen considered a prosthetic? It would make walking easier.”

Gao Lingwei shook her head gently. “Actually, the Snow Burning Army fitted him with a prosthesis a long time ago. He just doesn’t like it. He says… it’s not his body.”

“It’s so crowded,” Yang Chunxi remarked from the side, her voice deliberately loud. It was a clear attempt to change the subject.

The streets were indeed packed. Keep in mind, the Gao family’s home was in the northern suburbs of Songbai Town, in the school district for Songbai Town Soul Martial High School—far from the bustling town center.

But even so, a huge crowd of people was moving alongside them, all heading for the Central Square.

The trees along the street were hung with fiery red lanterns, and every shop was festooned with lights. The townspeople chatted and laughed as they walked toward the center of town. Rong Taotao had never experienced an atmosphere quite like this.

‘So this is what peace feels like,’ he thought.

“First time feeling so at ease?” Yang Chunxi chuckled softly. Holding onto Rong Yang’s arm, she leaned back slightly, tilting her head to look at Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei behind her. “Normally, if you two were walking through a crowd this dense, you’d probably be on high alert.”

Behind them, Gao Qingchen let out a gratified chuckle.

He knew what had happened in the Snow Realm over the past few days. The Qian Organization had been virtually uprooted—a major event, the likes of which hadn’t been seen in decades, and one that would surely be recorded in the annals of history.

And in this monumental event, his own daughter and Rong Taotao had played a pivotal role.

The two youngsters weren’t just a crucial part of the Twelfth Squad’s mission—they were the very “fuse” that had ignited this whole affair!

A person’s reputation precedes them, as they say.

The catalyst for the Qian Organization’s downfall was one of the Eight Great Coins, Xingyan. Fearing for his life, he had refused the organization’s order to assassinate Gao Lingwei and Rong Taotao.

Clearly, he was a man who had been scared into submission by Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei!

It was Xingyan’s surrender, along with his family, that triggered the ensuing avalanche.

And as the avalanche came crashing down, those two little snowflakes, Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei, were having the time of their lives…

‘Now that the Qian Organization has been beaten into such a sorry state, can the Free People Organization be far behind?’

‘However, compared to the Qian Organization and its extremely low barrier for entry, the Free People all have a “creed.” Acts of betrayal and selling out might be rarer among them, right?’

‘Who knows…’

‘I can’t be blindly optimistic! Putting the Qian Organization and the Free People aside for now, that Wo Xue Mian is an extremely thorny problem!’