Chapter 149: Granted Entry

Hu Xian stuffed the gold certificate into her pocket. “I’d like to make this clear: This is extra work for me. Regardless of whether I succeed or not, I’m still charging you a referral fee.”

“Makes sense to me,” Chen Chuan said.

“Deal. That’s exactly why I said I like you. You know that it’s hard for us to earn a living. I’ll get this settled for you,” Hu Xian said.

She walked downstairs and went to the room where Lao Feng was and told him about Chen Chuan’s request.

“You agreed to it?” he asked.

“He paid me, so I will carry out his request. That’s not against the rules. The higher-ups also told me to help the examinees as much as possible, which is exactly what I’m doing right now,” Hu Xian said.

Lao Feng looked up at her. “I hope he knows what he’s doing.”

“It’s just a rather bold recon job. Do you really think he’s going to attack them just like that? Don’t joke around. That kid looks like the cautious type. He won’t do that,” Hu Xian said casually.

Lao Feng thought about it and agreed.

Chen Chuan seemed to want to use the trade to understand and observe Lionfist and the other members from a closer distance. If they thought that he was a potential buyer, they would lower their guard a bit.

This might seem like a dangerous plan, since Lionfist was infamous for not following the rules, but he didn’t need to worry about that right now.

Lionfist was actively searching for buyers, and it concerned whether his team could successfully gain its footing in the Chaotic Land. They couldn’t just kill the buyer. No one else would trade with them if they did.

Of course, there were all sorts of people in the Chaotic Land, so Chen Chuan was unlikely to exclude the possibility of people who liked this sort of thing in there, but Lionfist was the sort of person who liked

being

the one who spat on the rules. He did not appreciate other people disrespecting the rules.

Lao Feng was pretty impressed with Chen Chuan’s bold but cautious plan and believed that this was the characteristic that all examinees taking on the unrestricted defense permit’s test should have. Since Chen Chuan was just a freshman, his marks should be even higher based on this alone.

After Hu Xian left, Lao Feng retrieved a case file from the cabinet behind him. It belonged to Chen Chuan and was to contain details of his test, but most of the pages were blank right now.

Lao Feng picked up a pen, opened the cap, and wrote down his thoughts and reviews. After some thinking, he added one last line.

I believe that the examinee merits our attention and guidance.

***

Night fell. Chen Chuan was wiping down the Frost King Saber when he heard knocking on his door. He resheathed the saber and said, “Come in.”

Hu Xian opened the door and walked in with an unlit cigarette between her lips. She cast a glance at the Frost King Saber before turning to Chen Chuan. “I contacted them for you and handed the gold certificate to Lionfist. They wish to meet you tomorrow.”

“What time?”

Hu Xian shrugged. “They didn’t say. They just said to wait for them to call on you. I think that it’s unlike them to not approach you tonight itself after you threw that big, juicy bone in front of them and made them smell the sweet scent of money.”

Chen Chuan thought about it. Hu Xian was right. Those guys were clearly in urgent need of money, but they decided to wait despite seeing that he had a lot and was willing to part with it. Their lack of initiative was strange.

“You’re experienced in this area, Ms. Hu. Why would they do this?” he asked.

Hu Xian pondered over it. “My opinion? I think that they’ve found another buyer. They’re probably thinking about making you two meet to increase the price.”

“Makes sense,” Chen Chuan said after some contemplation.

“What are your thoughts? Will you go tomorrow?” Hu Xian asked.

“Since they’ve set a time, I’ll meet them,” Chen Chuan replied in a relaxed fashion.

Hu Xian removed her cigarette. “Even if you’re only going to meet them, you need to be on guard. Do you want to bring anything with you? If you’re lacking anything, just tell me.”

Chen Chuan thought about it and asked, “Do you have smoke bombs?”

Hu Xian perked up. “Smoke bombs? Sure. What model do you want? The smoke screen ones or colored-smoke ones? Need anything extra in them? I can guarantee you that it’ll block Ran Xiaoli’s stupid nose!”

“The one that can block the smell, please. How much would it be?” Chen Chuan asked.

“Fifty devs per bomb. No IOUs,” Hu Xian said.

“Four,” Chen Chuan said after some consideration.

“Oh? You don’t think it’s expensive? You’re not going to haggle at all?” Hu Xian scrutinized him.

“I’m not familiar with the place, so even if I wanted to buy them elsewhere, I wouldn’t know where to go. If you could provide them for me right away, that’d be the best for me.”

Hu Xian spread her arms and said happily, “Alright. Because of how quickly you agreed with the price, I’ll give you a buy-two-get-one-free deal. I’ll give you two extra bombs for free!”

“Thank you, Ms. Hu.”

“Need any guns? I have rifles, pistols, and submachine guns,” she offered.

“I have my own.”

“That works. You’re just going there to negotiate, so you can’t bring any big weapons with you. If you think of anything else, come find me.” Hu Xian waved him goodbye and shut the door behind her.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Chen Chuan waited for her to leave before sitting back down on the chair and pulling the Frost King Saber out of its sheath to continue oiling it. When he held the saber hilt, he could feel a faint tremor, like it was breathing.

After Chen Chuan reached the Second Limit, he could sense his connection with the Frost King Saber having improved. It had become lighter and sharper. The lightness was not a flimsy, weightless sensation. Instead, it was light because it had settled on a weight that was most suited for his current self after he imbued it with refined force. The saber felt like it had always been a part of him.

Chen Chuan looked outside and noticed snowflakes falling from the sky.

It was snowing.

He cast a glance back at the Frost King Saber. His reflection could be seen on the snow-white blade with a cold and piercing shine.

The next day was going to be a cold one.

Once Hu Xian walked downstairs, she met up with Lao Feng. When he heard that Chen Chuan only asked for smoke bombs, this made him even more certain of his theory that Chen Chuan was only going to scout out his test targets. After all, using smoke bombs to run away was really convenient.

As an examiner, no matter what the examinee did, the moment they chose to approach the test targets, he had to think of a way to observe it so that he could give marks and record their actions.

***

In a four-storey building more than three hundred meters away from the hostel was Lionfist. He was listening to a lackey’s report.

He had a well-built body, and his thick pecs stretched his tank top tight. His exposed muscles were well-defined and looked tough, as if they were filled with rocks. He had small braids woven into his hair, which gave him a savage appearance.

“Boss, I’m not mistaken about this. Blue Sparrow of the Chaotic Land has always been a man of his word. If he said that he’s going to inspect the goods tomorrow, then he will.”

Tuo Qi sat on a square stool, making it seem as if two people were sharing it back-to-back. The one at the back was playing cards in boredom while the one in front stared at the lackey. “Didn’t he give you a deposit of any sort?” he grumbled in displeasure.

“No...” the lackey answered awkwardly. He was just an errand boy. How could he possibly have the guts to ask a powerful person from the Chaotic Land for money? He was thanking his lucky stars that he let him return with all his limbs intact.

“If that’s the case, the client Fox Deity introduced to us has more sincerity,” Ran Xiaoli said while slouching on the sofa.

Lionfist gave no comment to that. He just said to the lackey, “You did pretty good. Get your wages.”

While he always spat on the rules, he was generous to those who worked for him, because he knew that these people were his capital for gaining a footing in the world. He would only be able to trample all over the annoying rules with their help.

“Thank you, Boss.” The lackey left happily.

Lionfist turned to Ran Xiaoli. “Did Fox Deity’s client say that he’ll come tomorrow?”

“She replied just now that he’ll be there.”

“Let them meet. We’ll see who shows more sincerity.” Malice appeared on Lionfist’s face.

“I don’t know who Fox Deity’s client is and what sort of background he has. If he’s not strong enough, we can devour him whole. We don’t have a business here, do we? Fox Deity’s hostel looks like a good place,” he suggested.

“Fox Deity is a real eye-candy too,” some of the lackeys said, and the others cackled perversely.

“If she can open up a hostel here, it means that she has a powerful background,” Ran Xiaoli warned them.

“She has a history with Great Horse of the Chaotic Land. I asked around. Great Horse has his hands tied right now and won’t be able to extend his influence here. Once Boss contacts that guy, we’ll see who has to play nice with whom,” Tuo Qi scoffed.

Lionfist then asked, “Where are the goods? Keep them on standby. We might need them tomorrow.”

“They’re by the window.” Ran Xiaoli pointed at a box on a table in a corner.

“Make sure to keep an eye on them,” Lionfist said.

“Don’t worry. My eyes are glued to them,” a voice cut into their conversation, and a part of the wall split away. When the “wall” stepped further away, it showed up to be a person. His skin color made him practically one with the wall, so no one had been able to detect him.

Ran Xiaoli was displeased. “Damn it. Song Zhi, you perv. You’re up to this again?! Don’t let me see you where you shouldn’t be.”

The lackeys thought of something and snickered.

“Why the hell are you laughing?” Ran Xiaoli looked around, and ruthlessness flared on her pretty face. Suddenly, her eyes became narrow and long, as if she had multiple pupils. It made the lackeys’ skins crawl.

They instantly fell silent.

Ran Xiaoli turned her attention back to the pensive Lionfist. In the past, she would have crushed such people’s skulls, but Lionfist had always taken care of his underlings and hadn’t allowed anyone to kill them without a good reason. She had to endure the insult and console herself by thinking about ways to vent her rage after the deal was done.

Lionfist picked up a medicinal drink from the table and drank it all in one gulp before crushing the metal cup. “We have important business tomorrow, so go back. Don’t mess around. I don’t want any of you to be tired or lethargic during the deal.”

“Got it, Boss!” The lackeys quickly left.

***

The next day, Chen Chuan woke up early in the morning and took a shower before changing into a trenchcoat suitable for getting around. He wrapped a scarf around himself and filled a water bottle.

Then, he opened a box and took out some pills.

Cheng Zitong had prepared them for him. They had pre-mixed Marching Powder meant for martial artists serving in the army who were dispatched to carry out special missions. The pills could replenish any deficient nutrients and swiftly boost a person’s combat power for a short period of time. Since it was a fully developed product, the side effects were minimal.

There was a phone number on the pill box, along with a note telling him to call the number if he ran into any problems.

Chen Chuan didn’t need them for the time being, but he put the box into his pocket with the intention to carry them with him. Then, he sat down and guided his breathing to get himself ready for combat until it was time to leave.

At around 10 a.m., Hu Xian knocked on his door and came in. She saw Chen Chuan sitting in front of the table with a red scarf around his neck. He wore a beige trenchcoat and had his saber beside him. The bright sun shone through the window on him and gave him a keen, cutting presence despite his stillness.

Her eyes lit up. “Phew, Chen Chuan, you look sharp in that outfit.”

“Is it time?” Chen Chuan asked and looked up.

Hu Xian nodded. “Yes. I came here to tell you to get ready. We’re about to leave.”

Chen Chuan stood up and grabbed the Frost King Saber. “Let’s go.”