Book 3, Chapter 229: Decision

Book 3, Chapter 229: Decision

The main gate of Martial Valor University opened, and the security guards saluted Chen Chuan as they watched him drive his car into the campus.

Once he turned the steering wheel, he saw no other people aside from security guards on his way to meet Cheng Zitong. It was the New Year, and the students as well as lecturers were all on holiday. There was even a thin layer of snow on the branches and eaves.

Chen Chuan drove along the road and soon arrived at the Spring-Autumn Lake and the dorm.

When he last visited the place, it was half a year ago, but most of the students in the same batch as Chen Chuan had more or less all graduated. The dormitory supervisor was still there, though, which made sense, because he was waiting for Chen Chuan to increase his pension.

After passing by the Spring-Autumn Lake he drove down the road until he arrived at the residential area by the lake. That was where the lecturers stayed.

While he was still a student, he had visited Cheng Zitong’s house a few times, though most of the time, Cheng Zitong came to Chen Chuan’s room. They also sometimes went to other martial arts training centers for their lessons.

Since it had stopped snowing a few days ago, the sunlight was perfect at that moment. The outdoor courtyard had been swept clean, and two old men were sitting at a stone table playing chess.

When they saw the car, they looked over.

“Is it another one of the lecturers’ relatives? I’ve never seen that car before,” one of them remarked.

The other old man squinted. “Judging by where he’s going, he’s here for Mr. Cheng.”

“Heh. Mr. Cheng has had a nonstop stream of visitors since the start of the New Year. Being the vice director of the Logistics Department makes him popular. We can’t compare. Aside from our unbreakable sack of old bones, we don’t have much left. No one remembers us.”

“Why are you making it sound like you’re some young man looking for a wife? Who’d want an old man like you, anyway? Mr. Cheng didn’t have so many visitors in the past, but even people from Central City have come over the past few days. I heard that his family actually came to visit him.”

“That’s rare. Mr. Cheng and his father have been giving each other the cold shoulder for years, and Elder Cheng was the first to extend an olive branch?”

“I don’t know about that. I’d guess they’re only coming because he managed to produce a good student.”

“The one who went to Central City?”

“

And

has a job at the Resolution Department. That’s impressive, you know? He came back half a year ago, and I heard that he already had quite the high rank. Give him a few more years, and I think that even the chancellor will have to show him respect.”

“It’s no wonder why Mr. Cheng has become rounder this year. Anyone in his place would get a better appetite from this.”

The car stopped in front of Cheng Zitong’s house, and the door opened. A tall and handsome young man in a military overcoat stepped out of it.

One of the old men said, “Lao Qian, is that the student you mentioned?”

“I think so.”

“That uniform doesn’t look average...”

They squinted and felt their hearts skip a beat in shock.

Not only did they recognize the uniform, but they also sensed an indescribable presence from the young man.

Martial artists were incredibly sensitive to other martial artists’ aura when it intertwined with theirs. Even though the student hadn’t turned his head around, they felt needles prick their skin and their hair rise up.

The two old men exchanged glances.

“Mr. Cheng’s student is pretty amazing.”

***

Since Cheng Zitong was the vice director of the Logistics Department, he had a security guard at his house. The guard had received a notice early in the morning that Chen Chuan was coming, so he immediately opened the gates and saluted him.

Chen Chuan gave him a nod as thanks and walked in with gifts. The moment he stepped into the living room, he saw Cheng Zitong coming out. Compared to half a year ago, Cheng Zitong had become even rounder around the waist, but he appeared lively and energetic, a clear sign that he had been living a good life.

“You’re here, Xiao Chuan! Come on in.” When he saw the things in his student’s hands, he sighed. “You can just come here. You don’t have to bring anything with you.”

“It’s just a show of my appreciation,” Chen Chuan said.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

“Okay. I won’t say no.” Cheng Zitong observed him a little, and his eyes lit up. “That uniform... Are you a squad captain now? When did you get promoted?”

“Not too long ago. In the last couple months,” Chen Chuan answered.

“That’s good. That’s great!” Cheng Zitong thought of something and became even happier. “Yes, that uniform suits you well. You deserve to wear it. Come, sit down.”

Chen Chuan followed him inside. The layout of his house was pretty much the same as the other lecturers’ and had a traditional air to it. When they reached the decorative hall, he took the can of tea leaves from Cheng Zitong’s hands and said, “I’ll do it.”

After brewing the tea, Chen Chuan handed a cup to Cheng Zitong before sitting down.

As Cheng Zitong held the steaming cup of tea, he sighed. “I know that it’s not easy getting promoted in Central City. If you were anyone else, I’d tell you to not work too hard, but I know that you know your limits, so I won’t tell you to not push yourself.”

Chen Chuan smiled. “I remember all your teachings, Mr. Cheng.”

Cheng Zitong beamed as he put down his teacup. “Xiao Chuan, tell me about your life in Central City.”

Chen Chuan nodded.

They sat in the decorative hall and chatted while drinking tea. During that time, other guests arrived, but their visits were all short, and they left soon after handing over their gifts.

In the afternoon, Chen Chuan had lunch with Cheng Zitong and stayed until it was around 4 p.m.. When he saw that it was already quite late, he stood up and left. Cheng Zitong went with him to the gate and watched him drive off, only then did he go back inside.

A thought struck him when he returned, and he grabbed his phone to make a call.

“Hello, Senior Brother, I’m going to visit you later.

“Why can’t I visit you again after seeing you during the New Year? We studied under the same master, so there’s no need for you to treat me like a stranger. Oh, you need to go out later?”

Cheng Zitong laughed after hanging up. “Going out, he says. Why would you be going out at this hour? And you think I won’t come just because you told me not to?”

He took a sip of his tea, then grabbed the box of gifts he had prepared earlier and strolled out of his house.

***

Chen Chuan went back home after visiting Cheng Zitong. A few days later, he met with Ding Jiao and his high school friends.

The winter this year wasn’t as cold, so they had to cancel their plans for ice-skating, skiing, and other ice-related activities. Instead, they went on a roadtrip on motorbikes and visited the new archery center in the downtown area.

Martial Valor University didn’t teach archery since the potential of bows and arrows was limited. They were also bothersome to lug around and required a certain degree of skill to use, which made everyone prefer guns or just throwing things. The two provided better accuracy and greater power, anyway.

However, shooting a bow provided great entertainment and was good training. As a martial artist, Chen Chuan only needed to know the technique to generate power and practice it a few times before getting the hang of it, but he was out here to hang out with his friends, so he didn’t show off too much and leave them in the dust.

After becoming a martial artist, aside from entertainment that needed a lot of skill, he no longer had any difficulty with activities that required physical strength.

After relaxing for a few days with his friends, Chen Chuan went to Douyi Hotel on the fourteenth. This time, he was meeting up with Wei Changan and the others. When he arrived, they were already there.

Once they ordered their food, Wei Changan said, “Remember the last time you talked to us about Central City? I spoke with my team, and we’re planning to test our luck there after the New Year.”

“That’s great, Changan,” Chen Chuan said with a smile.

He always supported his friends’ decision to go to Central City. After all, there was a limit to how much a person could grow in Yangzhi City, and it would be a waste for Wei Changan and the others’ talents if they stayed here. Not only would they be unable to get stronger, but they would also only ever be agents, while if they went to Central City, they could make something of their lives.

Also, the Great Crash was about to happen, and the physical world was going to keep changing. It was about to become much easier to cross the boundaries of the social hierarchy.

“We’re not the only ones with that plan. I know plenty of agent groups who have gone to Central City,” Cai Si added.

“Ever since Black Orchid collapsed and the Blood Scars Gang dissolved, the Chain Links Gang has been doing their business like honest good boys. Under Director Guan’s leadership, the Constabulary has been really strict with the city’s safety, so there’s practically no problems anymore.

“While there’s still plenty of issues outside the city, the smuggling channels leading to Yangzhi City have suffered multiple crackdowns, so aside from fighting against the armed forces in the wilderness, there’s few major missions anymore.

“There’s only so much of the pie left, but plenty of people are still eyeing it. Instead of fighting for the pie here, it’s better to go somewhere else.”

The other people in the group felt melancholic about this. Even the quiet Ren Xiaotian nodded at those words.

Wu Han and Wei Dong exchanged looks, seemingly puzzled. Their expressions practically screamed, “There are fewer missions? Really? We never noticed, though?”

Cai Si could tell what they were thinking and said in resignation, “The two of you are only taking up missions in the wilderness, remember? You’re also not picky, unlike other agents. That’s why you never noticed the missions going down in number.”

The agent companies loved people like Wu Han and Wei Dong. They did whatever missions came their way and never asked about whether a mission was going to be difficult or not. They also loved the two of them because they never shied away from fighting. If they managed to make friends with people who loved fighting at the front lines and invited them to join on a mission, their success rate shot up.

Hence, until all the armed forces in the wilderness were killed, the two weren’t going to find themselves short of missions.

“Wei Dong and I work well together, but Wei Dong is going to study at the main campus,” Wu Han remarked before turning to Feng Xiaoqi and Luo Kaiyuan. “I heard that you two are joining him.”

They nodded, and Wu Han said with a troubled expression, “Doesn’t that mean that I’d be alone? Should I go to Central City too?”

You’re going to have more options in Central City, and many more resources as well,” Chen Chuan offered. “While Central City looks down on the other cities around it by calling them peripheral cities, there’s a huge difference between them. If you want to walk down further in your path as a martial artist, you can only achieve your goal there.

“I’ve gained a footing in Central City now. If you go there, I can help you.”

If it weren’t for the fact that he could only recruit people who signed the NDA before or those who were merged space locals, he would have recruited his original team. But he might have a chance to do that in the future.

With a serious expression, Wei Changan said, “You’re right. Then, I’m going to be a bit shameless. We don’t know anything or anyone in Central City, so we’re going to need you to take care of us, Chen Chuan.”

“I’m sure that with your abilities, you’ll be able to gain your footing soon,” Chen Chuan said with a nod.

Wu Han then slammed his hands on the table and puffed out his chest. “I’ve made up my mind. I’ll also go to Central City after the New Year!”

“We’ll see you in Central City, Chen Chuan. Let me toast to you.”

Then, he stood up and lifted his glass.

Once he did that, everyone followed after him.

Chen Chuan smiled and grabbed the glass in front of him while standing up. “Alright. I’ll wait for all of you in Central City.”