The bodies of Shen Gongfu and his guards weren't discovered until half an hour later by the night watchmen, who calmly reported it to the Blood Rain Guard. For the night watchmen...they had seen too many corpses during the night; they were used to big scenes.

"It's Shen Gongfu."

"A member of the Shen Gong family was actually killed."

"I wonder which ruthless person Shen Gongfu offended." The Blood Rain Guards secured the scene, and soon experts from the Southern Prefecture's Criminal Investigation Department arrived.

The expert investigators carefully examined the scene.

"Officer Song, what have you found?" Chief Constable Niu, who had been woken up in the middle of the night and rushed over, asked with a yawn.

After all, the deceased held a noble title, so the Chief Constable had to come in person. The Chief Constable was in charge of the Southern Prefecture's Criminal Investigation Department, with a rank equivalent to a Blood Rain Guard centurion.

"Chief Constable Niu."

Officer Song pointed to the scene, "There was only one assailant, skilled in hidden weapons. Although there are only the bodies of Shen Gongfu and four guards at the scene, judging from the bloodstains, Shen Gongfu should have had two more highly skilled guards!"

Chief Constable Niu nodded, trusting his subordinate's judgment.

"I carefully examined the various traces and can confirm." Officer Song pointed to a corner, "The assailant first rushed out from the shadows, unleashing a series of throwing knives at close range, instantly killing four guards. The two stronger guards fought with the assailant, but now even their bodies are missing. Shen Gongfu must have heard the commotion, left the carriage, and was also killed by a throwing knife! He was also completely looted."

"Do you have any suspects?" Chief Constable Niu asked.

"If it was just for robbery, the assailant didn't need to target Shen Gongfu. A little investigation would reveal that Shen Gongfu was ostracized in the Shen Gong family and didn't have much wealth." Officer Song said, "There are many people wealthier than him in the capital. Just for money, it would be better to rob some wealthy merchants. So... it's more like a premeditated assassination!"

"We can investigate who Shen Gongfu offended, especially recently!" Officer Song said, "I think it's highly likely that he offended someone, leading to his death. The key to this case is the two missing guards. If we can find them... whether dead or alive, we can see more clues."

"Okay."

Chief Constable Niu yawned, "Write up a report as soon as possible. I have to notify the Shen Gong family about this. It's the middle of the night, and I won't be able to sleep. I also have to prepare a report to Lord Wang, and report to His Majesty!"

After all, the death of a noble had to be reported to the Emperor.

"Yes." Officer Song replied.

...

Early morning.

"Knock, knock, knock." The door to Xu Jingming's residence was knocked.

Xu Jingming quickly put on his clothes and walked out of the room, his consciousness also fully online! When he had nothing to do, he often cultivated in his personal space.

Whoosh—

Sliding back the bolt, Xu Jingming opened the door and saw Zhang Ke outside.

"Captain, a big thing happened last night." Zhang Ke excitedly said, "Shen Gongfu, remember him? That arrogant Shen Gongfu from Nine Flavors Tower last night! He was killed last night! A throwing knife was stuck right in his brow!"

Zhang Ke spoke with considerable excitement.

"Who was the killer?" Xu Jingming also feigned excitement, Schadenfreude being the normal reaction.

"Who knows!" Zhang Ke laughed, "All we know is that the killer is skilled with throwing knives, nothing else! I heard the Shen Gong family is going crazy, searching everywhere. But the capital is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, masters everywhere. With Shen Gongfu's personality, who knows how many people he offended. Maybe he was taken care of by some ruthless character."

"There are many ruthless people in the capital." Xu Jingming agreed, nodding.

After becoming a Blood Rain Guard, reviewing the wanted criminals in the files, Xu Jingming realized that there were too many ruthless people in the capital.

Assassinations and ambushes were common.

But the most ruthless in the capital were some 'flying thieves', and these flying thieves dared to go anywhere!

A prince's mansion?

The Shen Gong family? The Xiahou family?

The Imperial Palace?

The capital's flying thieves were unbelievably strong, there was no place they didn't dare to go! To steal treasures, they risked their lives.

There were also assassinations for hire, some 'assassination missions' with extremely high difficulty, and some ruthless people dared to take them.

"These ruthless people in the capital, many of the daredevil flying thieves, even the ones who dare to go to the Imperial Palace... are probably mostly cosmic citizen players," Xu Jingming thought. The cosmic citizen players came in search of gold and silver.

So assassins, killers, and master thieves... these were the most common things players did.

If there were benefits, they would risk their lives to do it. A life was only worth 100,000 cosmic dollars!

Of course, people like Xu Jingming, who had established an important identity, cherished their lives more.

"So, it's better to be low-key in the capital." Zhang Ke shook his head and sighed, "No matter if you're from a big family or a member of the imperial family, if you're too arrogant and make too many enemies, you don't know when you'll offend some ruthless person and lose your life."

"There are too many forces and experts in the capital, it's better to be low-key." Xu Jingming also said, "Right, Lao Zhang, for the next three days, don't come looking for me unless it's something extremely important. If you can handle it, just handle it for me."

"Okay." Zhang Ke nodded, "If I really can't handle it, I'll report to the captain."

Xu Jingming nodded.

He had something important to do; his wife, Li Miaomiao, was about to give birth.

******

Li Miaomiao had already checked into the hospital in advance. Actually, since the full evolution of humanity, childbirth had become much simpler. After all, every evolutionist's physical fitness was much stronger than in the past. There were many women online who hadn't even gone to the hospital and had given birth at home.

But obviously, the parents and elders of the Xu and Li families were very careful, having moved to Binhai City long ago to take care of Li Miaomiao.

"Natural childbirth is very fast now."

"After human evolution, natural childbirth is much easier, it's over in a short while." On the corridor outside the delivery room, Mother Li and Mother Xu spoke to each other, comforting each other, but with nervousness between their brows.

Xu Jingming sat on a chair in the corridor, waiting silently.

His mood was complicated at the moment.

Worried?

Reason told him that with current technology and people's physical condition, giving birth was very safe.

"I'm going to be a father." Xu Jingming thought, "Miaomiao should be fine, the doctor said so too."

Suddenly—

The delivery room door opened.

Li Miaomiao was pushed out, lying on a transfer bed, with a small bundle wrapped in cloth beside her.

"Family members, come and see the little baby. The little baby weighs 3050 grams and is 52.5 centimeters long. It's a girl." The nurse pushing the cart said, and Xu Jingming, his parents, the Li couple, Old Master Xu, and a group of others immediately surrounded her, all looking.

Li Miaomiao was also holding the little baby with one hand, her eyes full of maternal love.

"Wow, so cute."

"She looks like Jingming when he was little, all wrinkled."

"What do you mean wrinkled? She'll grow out of it in a month."

The surrounding elders were talking, but Xu Jingming carefully looked at the little one in front of him.

The little one had already opened her eyes, looking around with a blank expression, then sleepily closed her eyes, too lazy to look at anyone.

Xu Jingming couldn't help but smile.

"My daughter."

"I'm a father!" At this moment, Xu Jingming felt that his life was more complete, he had another identity—the identity of a father!

In the years to come, he and Miaomiao would take good care of this little one.

"Have you all seen enough? After seeing her, the little baby has to be sent to the nursery first." The nurse said, picking up the baby and placing her in a crib, then taking her to the nursery.

...

The next day, the whole family left the hospital with the baby and returned to Xu Jingming's residence in Binhai.

In the pavilion in the courtyard.

The stroller was in the pavilion, and a little baby was lying half-reclined, looking around with bright eyes, carefully examining the huge courtyard.

"When I gave birth to Jingming, I stayed in the hospital for five days before being discharged. It's different now, discharged in one day." Mother Xu said with emotion, sitting next to the stroller.

"The constitution is also different. The parents are both evolutionists, so the baby's physical fitness is much stronger than it was back then. The nurse said... they can usually walk in half a month." Mother Li touched the baby's face, "This little skin is so tender, it's like it's about to drip water."

Xu Jingming accompanied his wife Li Miaomiao for a walk in the courtyard, and while walking, they could see their daughter in the stroller in the pavilion.

"Jingming, we still have to register our daughter's household registration, you have to name her quickly." Li Miaomiao said.

"I came up with this name, you didn't like it, I came up with that name, you didn't like it either. I've already come up with more than twenty names..." Xu Jingming said helplessly, "I'm at my wit's end, you, the mother, have to think of a name too."

"I'm not satisfied with the ones I've thought of either." Li Miaomiao shook her head.

Their daughter's name would follow her for life.

Li Miaomiao judged from various angles.

Was it pleasant to hear?

Did it match her birthdate?

What was the meaning?

So the names Xu Jingming came up with were all rejected.

"Of course we have to put our heart into our daughter's name." Li Miaomiao said, "A name has a big impact on a person!"

"Then let's think slowly, it's not too late to register the household registration before she's two years old." Xu Jingming said, "We have two years to think about it."

"Two years?" Li Miaomiao glared, "We have to come up with it within a month. We can't have relatives coming to her full-month celebration and she doesn't even have a name, right?"

"Let's think, we'll think together." Xu Jingming had never felt that naming was so difficult.

...

Training room.

Xu Jingming held a spear and practiced his spearmanship. Suddenly, he stopped, looking through the glass of the training room at his wife pushing a stroller in the yard below.

"My wife and daughter." Xu Jingming looked downstairs, unable to help but smile, feeling it was so wonderful.

For so many years, he had always felt that taking care of himself was enough.

Even after getting married, his wife Li Miaomiao was very capable and didn't need Xu Jingming to worry about her at all.

But at this moment—

Seeing his wife and daughter in the stroller downstairs, Xu Jingming felt a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.

"This era is a turbulent era, an era of great change. By the middle of next year, Blue Star's new civilization protection period will be over." Xu Jingming thought, "In this turbulent era, I must protect Miaomiao, protect my daughter."

Looking at the little baby, her features had so many similarities to his own.

"Life is so magical."

"A child's appearance is similar to their parents, is that genetic inheritance?" Xu Jingming said silently, "Is this another form of life continuation?"

A long time ago, he was also a baby, when the Xu couple were still young!

Now that his daughter was born, he was also thirty years old.

"That's how humanity is, passing on from generation to generation." Xu Jingming thought, "Miaomiao and I both practice evolution methods, so our daughter's physical fitness is much stronger than mine was as a baby. This is also the inheritance of evolution."

"The inheritance of evolution, each generation can only progress a little. After a long time, with the accumulation of generations, it can cause a civilization to evolve and transform as a whole."

"So we have to be patient."

"My personal evolution also needs to be more patient. With a long-term vision, taking one step at a time, the long years will eventually lead me to a very high level of evolution." Xu Jingming's thoughts changed.

People change.

The thoughts of a young person, the thoughts of a parent, the thoughts at the time of death... will all be different.

Xu Jingming now had restrained sharpness, a longer-term vision, more patience, and more fighting spirit! Because he bore a lot on his shoulders!

"Huff."

Xu Jingming moved his spear and began to practice.

He practiced the five volumes of spearmanship recorded in the upper volume of *Hua Guang*, practicing with his heart. When he practiced the *Spark Volume*.

"A single spark can start a prairie fire." Xu Jingming practiced his spearmanship, feeling suddenly enlightened, "The path of evolution will be very difficult, but a single spark... will eventually start a prairie fire. One must have a long-term vision, as well as great perseverance, great focus, and an unquenchable fighting spirit! Only then can that single spark eventually ignite the entire world."

Xu Jingming's eyes were burning.

The Way of the Spark!

The fourth type of spear Dao thought that Xu Jingming had comprehended.

"The Way of the Spark, an unquenchable fighting spirit!" Xu Jingming wielded his spear, his spearmanship changed, as if burning with the flame of life, charging forward with his head held high! No matter when, no matter where, don't be discouraged, don't lower your head, let the fighting spirit burn forever! Always be able to launch an all-out charge against the enemy.

Each move and stance of Xu Jingming's spearmanship embodied his spirit.

Integrated with the mind and spirit! The power and speed of his body naturally increased by a level.

Yes, even though he had already reached the cellular level of control, after this 'Way of the Spark' spirit permeated his mind, his body still erupted with greater power and speed.

Inside the training room, Xu Jingming only stopped when he had practiced his spearmanship to his heart's content.

"The Way of the Spark, this is the spear Dao, and also the Way of the Heart." Xu Jingming felt that his mind was as if it had been scorched by 'spark', ethereal and clear, his mind pure.

"My spearmanship has also broken through." Xu Jingming could feel his obvious progress, "Significantly stronger than before. My combat power bonus was 1260% before, I wonder what it is now."