699 We Will Get Even! (1/2)
The Solar System Array Formation was activated once the battleship carrying Wang Baole and Feng Qiuran entered the Venusian outer atmosphere. A series of checks confirmed that neither of them hid Never-Ending Clan parasites. Li Xingwen conducted his own special inspection as well, verifying that they were indeed not under an external force's control. Their battleship was finally allowed entrance and landed at the Venusian aerial port.
The entire aerial port was placed under martial law.
The interior of the port was placed under lockdown, and the defenses around the port were ironclad. Masses of cultivators stood guard, alert and curious. They were commandeered by Duan Muque himself. Countless eyes stared as the battleship slowly landed.
The doors of the battleship swung open. All eyes turned towards the opened doors, and a low voice thundered in the air.
\”Salute!\”
Every cultivator and staff member on the ground, including the various leaders of the respective political entities, raised their right hand and performed the Federation military salute. Duan Muque was one of them.
The salute was directed at Wang Baole!
They had all heard the reports from Zhao Yameng and Sect Lord Xu. Wang Baole himself had personally escorted Feng Qiuran back to the Federation. The contributions he had made to the Federation were beyond parallel!
The reports had revealed how Wang Baole had risked his life to send Zhao Yameng and the others to safety. That had been how the Federation was alerted to the incoming danger. Wang Baole's subsequent return with Feng Qiuran had been a boost of confidence to the currently disadvantaged Federation.
When the Federation's Hundred Seedling Plan had first been initiated, Duan Muque had advertised Wang Baole's name as well. Wang Baole's reputation and his contributions to the Federation had been made known to the entire Federation. Even Duan Muque had no idea what position he was to award Wang Baole now…
Regardless, this was a salute that Wang Baole clearly deserved!
However… just as everyone stood at attention and extended their salute, ready to receive the new arrivals, an excited bray pierced the air and echoed in the port. The sight that greeted everyone when the battleship doors opened made their eyes widen. The expression on their faces was that of surprise, and Duan Muque was clearly startled.
The first people to step out of the battleship were Li Xingwen and the giant tree. Their appearances were ordinary and hardly noteworthy. However, there was a slightly embarrassed look on both their faces. Wang Baole followed behind. He also seemed normal. He was no longer exhausted, was dressed in proper attire, and was no longer chubby looking but had become slim. Even his aura had changed. It was drastically different from when he had left the Federation.
It was all due to the advancement of his cultivation, his attainment of the Stellar Nascent Soul, and his years of hardship. He had shed all residue of immaturity. The changed and matured him should have been an opportunity to leave a good impression on everyone. His new self should have inspired respect and admiration. It would have… if not for the donkey sitting on his shoulders!
It was a small black donkey. Its hind legs were hanging over both sides of Wang Baole's neck, while its front legs were pressed onto Wang Baole's head. It was skin and bones. However, the braying it let out was filled with life and clear as day…
Humans riding donkeys was a common sight, but a donkey riding a human… was certainly out of the ordinary. The bizarreness of the situation was compounded by the bag of snacks in Wang Baole's hand and how he kept raising his arm up to feed the donkey…
The expression on everyone's faces turned odd at the sight.
Wang Baole wasn't immune to embarrassment, but there was nothing he could do. The donkey hadn't been willing to return inside the storage space after being let out. It had cried tragically, shivered like a leaf, and even stuck its tongue out to make a show of its willingness to just kill itself right there and then. The sight had sent guilt spiking through Wang Baole. A moment's weakness had led to their current situation.
The snacks had been something Wang Baole had started feeding the donkey after seeing its starved state. The donkey had started exploiting his guilt-driven generosity then. It would threaten to bite its tongue and kill itself if Wang Baole stopped feeding it.