After a reunion at the Dragon Country headquarters, Lu Fan arrived at Jiangjing Longting, feeling quite weary from days of fighting on the extraterrestrial battlefield.
At Jiangjing Longting, Jiang Meili and Lin Ke had been waiting, appearing quite excited. They knew Lu Fan would come today.
Watching the tragic scenes from the extraterrestrial battlefield on the massive screen, their hearts were filled with mixed emotions. Especially for Lu Fan, who had fought bravely on the extraterrestrial battlefield and managed to return safely, it was an incredibly difficult feat.
As soon as he reached the entrance, Lin Ke rushed over and hugged Lu Fan tightly, as if afraid he would run away. With the changes in Dragon Country and the pervasive sense of unease, it was natural for a woman to worry.
Since the war on the extraterrestrial battlefield began, there had been numerous incidents of martial artists causing trouble within Dragon Country. If not for the elders' full efforts to suppress them, the entire Dragon Country might have descended into chaos.
"Silly girl, I'm back, aren't I!" Lu Fan stroked Lin Ke's hair. "Is there food at home? I'm starving!"
"It's all ready, we were just waiting for you!" Jiang Meili smiled. "You are the guardian of Dragon Country, how could we dare to be negligent!"
Although Jiang Meili spoke with a hint of teasing, her eyes held reverence. Lu Fan's contributions to Dragon Country were evident to her, and she was deeply grateful.
Entering the living room and seeing the table laden with delicacies, Lu Fan didn't stand on ceremony and began to eat, especially the braised dried tofu, which was his favorite.
He had expended a lot of energy on the extraterrestrial battlefield in the past few days and hadn't had a proper meal. Now, with so many delicious dishes, he paid no mind to appearances.
"Don't eat so fast, you'll choke!" Lin Ke said softly.
"This might be the best meal I've ever eaten in my life!" Lu Fan said with a smile.
"Really?" Jiang Meili smiled. "This was made by Xiao Ke herself!"
Lin Ke also looked at Lu Fan with surprise. "Didn't you say my cooking was terrible before? Why are you so sweet-mouthed now?"
"I'm telling the truth!" Lu Fan raised his hand earnestly.
"Eat quickly! Of course, I know you're telling the truth!" Lin Ke nodded seriously.
"Oh, this food smells really good!"
The members of the Dragon Group arrived. Seeing Lu Fan wolfing down his food, they couldn't help but be a little moved. This was the guardian of Dragon Country, feared by many on the extraterrestrial battlefield. If the general populace saw this scene, they might find it peculiar.
"Why are you all here?" Lu Fan looked at Long Aotian. "The battle was a great victory, shouldn't you be celebrating? How do you have time to come here?"
"Of course, we're here to drink with the guardian!" Han Bing said with a smile. "If it weren't for Lord Lu this time, Dragon Country would have likely fallen long ago. Lord Lu won't refuse us, will he?"
As he spoke, Jian Ying took out several bottles of wine, appearing to be hiding them, as if they were good wine.
"Since you're all here, how can I refuse!" Lu Fan rolled his eyes. "But these two bottles of wine probably won't be enough to satisfy us!"
"Don't worry, Lord Lu, I've already dragged a cart over!" Jian Ying said with a smile. "This is osmanthus wine brewed by my grandfather. I originally planned to use it as wedding wine when I got married, but now it's a day of national celebration, and I can't let this day go to waste!"
"So you stole your grandfather's brewed wine?" Lu Fan rolled his eyes.
Jian Ying didn't say much more. He took several tables from the car and set them up in the garden of the Jiangjing Longting villa. Today was a big day, and they had come prepared.
Looking at the table full of food and the many bottles of osmanthus wine, Lu Fan glanced at them. "You really treat this place like your own home, setting up a private feast without the owner's permission!"
"Miss Jiang is also a martial artist and likely quite generous. She wouldn't mind this, would she!" Jian Ying said with a smile.
"That's right. You all fought for the country and are people I greatly admire. It is my honor to be able to enjoy yourselves here freely!" Jiang Meili said tenderly.
Lu Fan didn't say anything more and began to drink with everyone. The osmanthus wine tasted truly good, appearing pure and elegant. More importantly, after drinking the osmanthus wine, they all felt a sense of familiarity, as if they had experienced it before.
"Lord Lu, I'll toast you!" Long Aotian cupped his fists. "On behalf of the entire Dragon Country!"
"If you were here by yourself, I might drink this wine!" Lu Fan said directly. "How can you represent the entire Dragon Country? Am I not a part of Dragon Country?"
"It's my fault, it's my fault. I'll punish myself with three cups!" Long Aotian quickly said with a smile.
In the villa of Jiangjing Longting, everyone drank and cheered, their hearts filled with joy. After the battle on the extraterrestrial battlefield, they had experienced life and death. Now, they truly felt how wonderful it was to be alive.
"After today, there will be a celebration banquet! Lord Lu will likely hold a high position!" Long Aotian said with a light laugh. "After all, the primary credit for this victory belongs to Lord Lu."
"I have no intention of seeking credit!" Lu Fan waved his hand. "I am not part of the Dragon Country headquarters. As for the celebration banquet, it's neither here nor there for me!"
"If it weren't for Lord Lu, how would Dragon Country have a celebration banquet!" Han Bing said. "Why should Lord Lu be so humble?"
"I am not being humble!" Lu Fan waved his hand. "The reason I don't join Dragon Country is so I can do what I want. If I joined Dragon Country, I would likely be restricted. This is why I have always been insistent on this!"
Everyone present trembled slightly. They somewhat agreed with Lu Fan's words. After joining the Dragon Country headquarters, no matter what they wanted to do, they would be subject to constraints.
Take the battle on the extraterrestrial battlefield, for example. The members of Qingyun Sect could freely join the fight and sacrifice themselves for the entire Dragon Country, but the members of the Dragon Group could not easily join and instead had to maintain order within Dragon Country. This was a great burden on their hearts.
While many compatriots were fighting bravely on the extraterrestrial battlefield, they were doing nothing within Dragon Country.
"Actually, I also want to leave Dragon Country!" Jian Ying said. "I just don't know if the Lord will accept me!"
"I have the same intention!" Han Bing said.
Long Aotian trembled slightly and looked at the two of them, his face involuntarily showing embarrassment. These were his subordinates, and their saying this in front of him made him quite awkward.
"You are all elites of Dragon Country. My Qingyun Sect cannot afford to take you!" Lu Fan said with a smile. "Dragon Country has invested considerable effort in cultivating you. If I were to recruit you into Qingyun Sect, wouldn't that be poaching from Dragon Country!"
Han Bing smiled. "We were just joking, Lord. You took it seriously!"
"It's best if it's a joke!" Lu Fan nodded slightly.
He saw through some things quite clearly, especially the thoughts of many people.
After everyone got drunk, they sat together, gazing up at the starry sky, appearing quite warm. Such peaceful days would likely become a luxury for them in the future.