All of us are one

Chapter 79 A Casual Chat with Senior Liang

"My uncle?" Jiang Yanming was quite puzzled, wondering when he had acquired an uncle.

"You don't even know this?" The old man frowned slightly. "The head of your alliance is your father's younger brother."

"I see." Jiang Yanming suddenly understood why his father trusted the head of the main hall behind Ling Heng so much; it turned out that the other party was his uncle.

"You are unaware of the arranged marriage, and I imagine your father is unaware as well. Let's just drop this matter." Senior Liang shook his head slightly, a hint of regret in his voice.

"Senior Liang, the marriage candidate mentioned by the Grand Hall Master might not be the Young Alliance Leader, but rather the Alliance Leader's niece, Miss Meng," Ji Fan guessed.

"Your Alliance's Grand Master only mentioned a marriage alliance, without specifying any details." The old man nodded slightly, then looked at Jiang Yanming and said, "Young friend Jiang, are you interested in forming a marriage alliance with one of the three great families of Jiangnan?"

"Such an important matter must be reported to Father." Jiang Yanming used his father, Jiang Yi, as a shield.

Senior Liang had just saved him, so he couldn't very well refuse or reject the other party's goodwill, otherwise he might be seen as looking down on the three major families.

"Such a major event as marriage should naturally be known to Alliance Leader Jiang," the old man said with a smile. "Young friend Jiang, don't be in a hurry to refuse. The eldest daughters of the three major families in Jiangnan are all talented and beautiful, and some have already stepped into the Qi Condensation Realm. Perhaps one of them is destined to be with you."

"Senior Liang is right." Jiang Yanming humbly cupped his hands. "If my father does not object, I will visit you in Jiangnan when I return to the Four Kingdoms Alliance."

"Alright, it's settled then." The old man stroked his white beard and nodded, seemingly satisfied with Jiang Yanming's answer.

Then, the old man smiled and asked, "I am on my way to visit a friend in Beiliu City. Would Master Ji be willing to give me a ride?"

"Senior Liang, you're too kind," Ji Fan said, cupping his hands. "Senior Liang saved our Great River Alliance fleet from danger. How could we let you go to Beiliu City on your own? After we send the young alliance leader back to Duanshui City, I will lead the fleet to escort you to Beiliu City."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Master Ji." The old man nodded upon hearing this, not refusing Ji Fan's suggestion.

"Senior Liang, I'll have someone prepare a room for you. Please wait a moment." Ji Fan said, cupping his hands in greeting. After the old man nodded, he quickly left.

"Young friend Jiang, you have lived and grown up in the Four Kingdoms Alliance since childhood. What do you think are the differences between the Divine Martial Kingdom and the Four Kingdoms Alliance?" the old man suddenly asked.

"The difference?" Jiang Yanming was at a loss for words when he heard this question, because he didn't know much about the Divine Martial Kingdom.

"For example, the differences in lifestyle, the livelihoods of ordinary people," the old man reminded him.

"The four-nation alliance has advanced technology and abundant resources and food production. If the people are diligent and healthy, they generally have no worries about food and clothing," Jiang Yanming replied.

"It sounds no different from the lives of ordinary people in the Divine Martial Kingdom." The old man shook his head slightly. "I can't believe that nearly two hundred years have passed and the livelihoods of the people in the Four Kingdoms Alliance are still the same."

Jiang Yanming remained silent upon hearing this.

He didn't know much about the Shenwu Kingdom, but he did know that after forming an alliance with the Four Kingdoms Alliance, the Shenwu Kingdom received assistance in improving food crops and producing bio-fertilizers, which made its food production quite high.

Furthermore, while fights between martial artists generally do not affect ordinary people, and various factions will jointly issue warrants for the arrest of those who commit indiscriminate killings, many ordinary people still die at the hands of martial artists.

While the people of the Quad seem to be safe from gun control, the problem of difficulty in accessing medical care remains unresolved, and the safety levels of rich and poor neighborhoods are on completely different levels.

Overall, the livelihoods of the people of Shenwu Kingdom and the people of the Four Kingdoms Alliance seem to be quite similar, except that the people of the Four Kingdoms Alliance have more entertainment activities.

"Senior Liang, have you seen the Four Nations Alliance from two hundred years ago?" Jiang Yanming asked, changing the subject.

At the same time, he was very curious about how old this senior Liang was.

"Hehe, without the intervention of our top experts, the Four Nations Alliance could not have been established." The old man smiled upon hearing this. "I, Liang, have no other merits, except that I have lived long enough to have sparred with the masters of the Holy Alliance."

"What level of cyborg is he?" Jiang Yanming asked curiously.

"Cyborgs?" The old man shook his head slightly. "If I remember correctly, the experts from the Holy Alliance didn't do any modifications."

"No modifications?" Jiang Yanming was puzzled.

Based on his understanding of the Four Nations Alliance's superhuman system, it's possible that, in the end, aside from the brain, the rest of the body of a cyborg could be replaced with artificial parts.

Moreover, most modern cyber hackers are modified, and traditional cyber hackers who advocate for the original physical body are almost extinct.

"Don't underestimate the Holy Alliance. Those cyborgs and cyber hackers have obvious strengths and weaknesses, making them easy to deal with," the old man said softly. "What's truly difficult to deal with are the forces that actually control the Holy Alliance."

Jiang Yanming pondered upon hearing this.

Based on his understanding of the Holy Union, its highest ruling body was a parliament jointly controlled by numerous large corporations, which was far more blatant than the elected system of the Quad.

"How difficult is it to deal with?" Jiang Yanming asked curiously.

"If you can reach the very top, perhaps you'll have a chance to see it," the old man chuckled and shook his head, "otherwise you won't see them make a move."

Jiang Yanming nodded slightly and did not ask any further questions.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Holy Alliance's hidden forces will not act until a critical moment. The primary condition for drawing out those forces is to defeat the Level 8 cyborgs and electronic hackers.

Not long after.

Ji Fan returned to the top of the ship's deck, cupped his hands in greeting to the old man, and said, "Senior Liang, your room is ready. If you need anything..."

"A room to rest and decent food will suffice," the old man interrupted, raising his hand. "In the past, I, Liang, traveled the world, slaying strange beasts and eliminating wicked people, enduring much hardship. After becoming a master, I enjoyed much happiness. Now, I've become indifferent to it all."

"Senior Liang, you are truly virtuous." Ji Fan bowed.

"Haha." The old man chuckled and stood up. "I'll trouble you, Master Ji, to lead the way."

"You're too kind, senior." Ji Fan bowed and led the way for the old man.

Jiang Yanming stood aside with his hands clasped in respect, watching the old man leave.

"Young Alliance Leader," Chen Yao said at this moment.

"Is it Chen Yao, the head of Ziguang Hall?" Jiang Yanming asked, cupping his hands in greeting.

"It is indeed me, Chen," Chen Yao replied, bowing respectfully.

"Thank you, Hall Master Chen, for traveling so far to protect me." Jiang Yanming bowed and expressed his gratitude.

"Young Alliance Leader, you're too kind," Chen Yao returned the greeting. "Since I am a member of the Great River Alliance, it is natural for me to protect you."

Jiang Yanming bowed again before asking, "Does Hall Master Chen know Senior Liang's age?"

"I have a general idea," Chen Yao said after thinking for a moment. "Senior Liang is the patriarch of the three major families in Jiangnan. These three families are Senior Liang's father's family, the Liang family, his mother's family, the Wang family, and his wife's family, the Zhen family."

"The three major families rose to prominence more than two hundred years ago, hence the world's speculation that Senior Liang is close to three hundred years old."

"Hmm?" Jiang Yanming was startled upon hearing this. "Extreme lifespan far surpasses that of a Qi Condensation cultivator?"

"Senior Liang, like the Alliance Leader, is no ordinary expert!" Chen Yao emphasized.