When does a person die?
It is said that humans undergo three stages of death. The first is biological death, also known as brain death. At this point, a person is biologically deceased. The second death occurs at their funeral, when their passing is announced to others, marking their sociological death. The final death is when all traces of that person disappear, including the passing of everyone who remembered them. Only then has the person truly died from the world.
In this sense, those who have become gods, such as Confucius or Newton, whose contributions were immense, have their names passed down through generations. As long as humanity exists, their names will not vanish, and thus their spirits will be immortal. Unless humanity itself is extinct, these individuals will forever be considered deities.
It was with this thought that Zhang Xixi did not hold an elaborate funeral for her brother. Her brother was someone few would remember, so she decided to be the only one to mourn him. As long as Zhang Xixi lived, Zhang Jue's trace in this world would not disappear.
Ultimately, Zhang Xixi turned and left, tears falling once more. She placed her brother's remains in the graveyard, seemingly concluding a duty, but it also signified that the person she wished to see was gone forever.
In the box, Zhang Xixi placed the letter she never got to send, along with Zhang Jue's remains. The tombstone, she decided, would be carved at a later date.
Next, Zhang Xixi needed to prove her capabilities and continue living in Yuzhou.
Upon returning to Yuzhou, Shen Feng was quickly faced with a mountain of tasks. The most important among them was to reward the children who performed exceptionally well in the orphanage's examinations. Shen Feng had promised generous rewards to the top male and female students.
On this day, an awards ceremony was held in the stadium. The children who achieved the highest exam scores turned out to be a brother and sister: Wang Xiqiang and Wang Xiran.
Wang Xiqiang, who was already the leader among the orphanage children, surprisingly scored first place. As for Wang Xiran, she had previously been tutored by Yu Ren Shu, so her grades were considered passable.
When Shen Feng heard this news, he couldn't help but ask Tu Xuhuai, "They are both around ten years old, right? Can they really score first place? It wasn't arranged by you, was it?"
Tu Xuhuai smiled faintly and did not answer directly. Instead, he chuckled and said, "City Lord, I believe the most important quality you seek in people is not academic achievement, but loyalty to you. Wang Xiqiang and his sister were brought back by you personally, so their loyalty is undoubtedly assured."
Thus, with Tu Xuhuai's answer, Shen Feng finally understood. How could Wang Xiqiang and his sister so easily achieve first place? Considering there were at least eighty to a hundred thousand orphans in Yuzhou, and children aged twelve to thirteen possess strong learning abilities, it was unlikely they would be surpassed by a pair of ten-year-olds. Therefore, these two must have been a result of Tu Xuhuai and others manipulating the results.
However, Shen Feng became puzzled by this. If the results could be manipulated, why didn't his senior sister (Hua Jingran's) arrange for her to be first? That would have been more fitting.
As Shen Feng pondered, Tu Xuhuai continued, "City Lord, I forgot to tell you. These two were personally selected by the Madam. For the girls, I recall the first place was Hua Jingran, but alas, since the Madam had her requirements, we had to make changes."
Upon receiving this answer, Shen Feng was startled. If what Tu Xuhuai said was true, Hua Jingran was originally first place, but under Chang Jianyi's suppression, Hua Jingran was demoted to third. Later, she agreed to Chang Haojie's plea and allowed Hua Jingran into the family. This tactic of "carrot and stick" was truly masterful.
"Senior sister is so scheming; it's truly terrifying. But I still can't tell Hua Jingran about this," Shen Feng thought to himself.
The stadium was already filled with children, and cameras were constantly focused on Shen Feng on the stage. For the children present, many were seeing the City Lord for the first time and craned their necks to get a look.
The gathering today was being live-streamed throughout Yuzhou. Of course, due to network base station issues, only those within the city could watch.
Previously, there were rumors that the top male and female students from the orphanage would receive prizes, and these prizes were none other than ability-enhancing potions.
When this news spread, it immediately caused discontent among many, especially some of Yuzhou's management. They privately said that the City Lord used people like stacking firewood, with latercomers surpassing the earlier ones. They had worked diligently for the City Lord for so long, only to find that in the end, they wouldn't receive the ability-enhancing potions, while a group of young children would. What logic was this?
As the meeting began, Shen Feng needed to give a speech. Before he could even speak, countless reporters started taking pictures, as they could be used in newspapers.
"I previously promised that the male and female students who achieved first place in the orphanage examinations would receive generous prizes. Now, I can announce directly that there are two prizes: one is an ability-enhancing potion, and the other is to become my disciple and reside in the Fengshen Palace to receive my personal tutelage!" Shen Feng declared loudly.
As soon as these words were spoken, the stadium erupted in thunderous applause. The children clapped wildly, clearly delighted by the news. Although they hadn't secured first place this time, there would always be opportunities in the future. Who could predict what the future held? Perhaps one day, they too could become the City Lord's disciples.
Behind Shen Feng sat dozens of important figures from Yuzhou, who were now whispering amongst themselves, discussing the matter.
Zhou Xiaoxiao leaned closer to Yang Ye and whispered, "Hearing this news, does it remind you of anything important?"
Yang Ye immediately asked, "What important matter?"
"Your intuition is too dull. It's about the use of people, can't you see that? The City Lord intends to cultivate ability users himself, and these orphans are the most suitable candidates," Zhou Xiaoxiao whispered.
Yang Ye replied calmly, "Isn't that very normal? Why be so surprised? It's been like this for hundreds of years. Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, who didn't have a few godchildren? And during the Republic of China era, it was all about the teacher-student relationship. Now, the City Lord is merely imitating them."
Yang Ye saw this matter very clearly. The leaders of the peasant uprisings hundreds of years ago all did the same, taking in many godchildren who became their confidantes. Now, Shen Feng taking these top-scoring orphans as disciples was naturally a way to cultivate ability users loyal to him. In five to six years, these children would be at least fifteen or sixteen years old, becoming a strong force.
Zhou Xiaoxiao also felt that the names Wang Xiqiang and Wang Xiran sounded very familiar. She couldn't help but ask, "Why do these two children's names sound so familiar?"
Yang Ye replied, "That's naturally because of Tu Xuhuai. You probably don't know yet, but these two were actually chosen by Tu Xuhuai."
"Damn it, that sycophant who only ever tries to guess the City Lord's thoughts. And he's our leader now. It's just annoying to look at him," Zhou Xiaoxiao said angrily. When she joined the Self-Help Association, Tu Xuhuai's skill in reading people was already profound, and he was still like that now.
"Stop talking, the awards ceremony is about to begin," Yang Ye interrupted Zhou Xiaoxiao.
At the front of the award stage, Wang Xiqiang stood proudly, with his sister Wang Xiran beside him. Under everyone's gaze, Wang Xiran couldn't help but lower her head. The stadium could accommodate a hundred thousand people, and under the scrutiny of so many, Wang Xiran still couldn't bear the immense pressure.
Shen Feng said, "Let's give a round of applause for this year's first-place winners, Wang Xiqiang and Wang Xiran."
The crowd continued to applaud. At this moment, several ladies in qipaos carrying two trays walked onto the stage. On the trays were two bottles of pale green liquid.
As the two ladies approached, everyone's attention shifted. Although the qipaos they wore had slits that reached almost to their thighs, the focus of the hundred thousand people was not on the ladies, but on the ability-enhancing potions on the trays. Anyone who drank these potions would undoubtedly become an ability user.
Shen Feng handed the two ability-enhancing potions to the siblings Wang Xiqiang and Wang Xiran, then said, "You two, work hard. From now on, I am your teacher. Don't disappoint me."
Wang Xiqiang and Wang Xiran quickly took the ability-enhancing potions and replied, "We will definitely work hard from now on."
After the awards, there were still prizes for the top ten, ten males and ten females. However, these did not include ability-enhancing potions, but rather evolution bases and other valuables. This time, Chang Haojie's girlfriend, Hua Jingran, was among them, and she was originally the first place winner.
Seeing this, Yu Zhiling couldn't help but say enviously to her brother beside her, "I wish I could also be in the top ten in the future. It's a pity you can't participate in the exam, otherwise, first place would definitely be yours."
Yu Zhiling had great faith in her brother's intelligence, as he was a true genius who could achieve photographic memory in anything. If he had participated in the exam, he would undoubtedly have taken first place.
However, Yu Zhijing had been studying under a half-immortal for some time and had gained much life experience. He directly said, "First place? Impossible. No matter how smart I am, I can only get second place. You'll understand when you grow up. Many times, first place is predetermined."
Although Yu Zhiling didn't quite understand what her brother meant, she remembered it in her heart, planning to study the matter further when she grew older.
In fact, the awards also included the top one hundred, but the number of people was too large, so the rewards would be distributed later. Now, the City Lord's speech was about to begin.
Shen Feng stood on the stage and spoke passionately, "You are all the future flowers of Yuzhou, the sun at eight or nine in the morning. Although you have all lost your families now and your future is uncertain, do not give up. From now on, Yuzhou is your home. As long as you work hard, you can enter relevant departments of the City Lord's Mansion in the future.
I have a dream: to end this doomsday, to make all mutated beasts and mutated birds disappear, so that anyone can freely enter and exit the city. Not only that, but in the future, you will not have to worry about food, education, or medical care. I hope everyone's life can return to what it was before the doomsday, and I believe this is also your wish."
After Shen Feng said this, many children couldn't help but cry, clearly remembering life before the doomsday. Having lived through three years of doomsday, they understood suffering. Now, the children were incredibly excited. The City Lord wanted to restore the past life, and this was also a scene they often saw in their dreams.
Shen Feng took a deep breath and continued to shout, "This dream is too grand, because we cannot see hope for peace in the present. But I believe that as long as you help me, this dream can be realized! Now, I want to know, are you willing to help me?"
"Willing!" The response to Shen Feng was a thunderous roar. The countless children in the venue looked in Shen Feng's direction with deep fervor in their eyes.