Chapter 98: Chapter 62: The Vanishing Figure

Zhao Rui’s performance in the Martial Arts Arena made some of the freshmen change their attitude toward him. At least on the surface, they no longer looked down on him, a Pseudo Martial Arts Student from the Outer Courtyard.

“What are you going to look up at the library?”

Before long, Zhang Kui came jogging over.

He asked curiously the moment they met.

“Just some stuff about the history of the Martial Dao. You haven’t eaten this late… you aren’t really waiting for me to treat you, are you?”

Zhao Rui said contemptuously.

“Am I that kind of guy? Sigh, the teacher just let class out late. We’re in university, and that guy still holds us after the bell.”

After speaking, Zhang Kui suddenly waggled his eyebrows at him and said, “Is this because of what I said yesterday?”

Zhao Rui shook his head.

A slight smile touched Zhang Kui’s lips. “Let’s eat first,” he said. “After we’re done, I’ll take you to my dorm. I’ve got something cool to show you.”

“Do I get one?”

“Holy crap, that’s disgusting. You think you’re a girl? I’m all man, bro.”

Zhao Rui chuckled, and the two of them headed into the cafeteria for lunch.

A little over half an hour later, their stomachs full, the two of them arrived at the Martial Arts Academy’s dormitory building.

This was a place Zhao Rui had always wanted to see but never had the chance.

Stepping inside, he saw that it was indeed as luxurious as a five-star hotel.

Each dorm was designed and built to the standards of a luxury hotel room. Not only was the decor opulent and pleasing to the eye, but the rooms were even equipped with all kinds of practical appliances.

TVs, refrigerators, washing machines—they had everything.

“With digs like these, why do you still live off-campus?”

Zhao Rui couldn’t help but remark, looking at the clean, comfortable dorm room.

“You get sick of it after a while. It’s not as freeing as living off-campus, where you can eat what you want and come home whenever you want. Here, let me show you something.”

With that, Zhang Kui grabbed a laptop from his bookshelf, quickly booted it up, and fiddled with it mysteriously for a moment.

A screenshot then appeared on the screen.

“A friend of mine sent me this. Don’t worry, it’s not AI-generated.”

Zhao Rui leaned in, his eyes fixed on the screen.

The image was an angled shot of a pitch-black cave.

An eerie azure glow emanated from within, making it look like a giant, ravenous maw.

“This is the cave that appeared on Taishan. It’s been sealed off now.”

“Isn’t Taishan still open to the public?”

Zhao Rui asked curiously. He’d checked online, and the Taishan scenic area was still open for business.

“Different area. This is in another part of the Taishan mountain range, not the tourist section.”

“Doesn’t this glow look like some kind of radiation? I suspect there’s high-Energy ore inside.”

Zhang Kui said, looking thoughtful.

Zhao Rui paused. He hadn’t expected Zhang Kui to consider that angle, but it sounded quite plausible.

“Interested in checking it out? It’s on Sunset Peak.”

Zhang Kui asked.

’A longing for excitement after a period of calm?’

Zhao Rui shook his head. He didn’t want to get involved. High-reward adventures always came with high risks.

He had his system panel; a slow and steady approach was best for him.

Seeing Zhao Rui’s reluctance, Zhang Kui sounded disappointed. “You’re too uptight. So boring.”

“I think so too.”

Zhao Rui smiled self-deprecatingly. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go, he just didn’t have a compelling reason to.

“Next month, our practical skills class is a trip to Taishan to ’commune with nature.’ If you want to go to the cave then, I’m not taking you.”

Zhang Kui flopped onto his bed out of boredom, no longer bothering with Zhao Rui.

“Alright, you get some rest. I’m heading back.”

With that, Zhao Rui walked straight out of the room, ignoring Zhang Kui’s surprised expression.

“If you won’t go, I’ll go with someone else!”

Zhang Kui rolled over, pulled out his phone, and started scrolling through his contacts.

…

As winter deepened, the weather grew colder. Outside, only a few lonely leaves still clung to the branches, struggling against the biting wind.

Zhang Kui had taken a leave of absence. Two days!

Zhao Rui only found out when he arrived for Martial Arts Team training.

’Why is he so obsessed with this? It’s not like him at all!’

Zhao Rui knew with certainty that Zhang Kui had taken the time off to go to Taishan.

No one paid it much mind, and neither did Zhao Rui at first. His training routine continued as usual: personal Cultivation in the morning and dutifully serving as a sparring partner in the afternoon.

But without Zhang Kui’s constant joking around, the day’s training felt a bit dull, prompting Li Xinran to complain about his absence several times.

It wasn’t until the afternoon of the third day, with still no sign of Zhang Kui, that Zhao Rui realized something was wrong and tried calling him.

But the call wouldn’t connect.

Zhao Rui’s heart sank. He rushed to find Zeng Hongyi and briefly explained that Zhang Kui had gone on a “trip” to Taishan.

Upon hearing this, Zeng Hongyi immediately grasped the seriousness of the situation. He rushed Zhao Rui to the main hall to explain everything to Wang Zhanshan.

“That kid… he’s completely out of line.”

Wang Zhanshan was furious. As the university named after the province itself, Dongqi University held a unique position within Dongqi Province.

It wasn’t just responsible for educating students; it also participated in some of Dongqi Province’s strategic planning.

Wang Zhanshan might not have known the full details of the anomaly on Taishan, but certain personnel transfers and the movements of the academy’s elite fighters had told him that something strange was afoot.

And Taishan was the epicenter.

After muttering a few curses, Wang Zhanshan quickly pulled out his phone and made a call.

“Elder Ge, a kid from our Martial Arts Team went to Taishan… Yes, it’s the third day now… Okay, okay, I understand.”

After hanging up, Wang Zhanshan instructed Zeng Hongyi to keep an eye on the students. He was heading to Taishan to contact the local Patrol Office.

Hearing this, Zhao Rui immediately asked to go along, but Wang Zhanshan shot him down.

“Don’t bite off more than you can chew. All of you are to stay put, you hear me?”

With that, Wang Zhanshan stormed out of the main hall.

Zhao Rui turned to Zeng Hongyi and asked anxiously, “Teacher Zeng, what’s going to happen?”

“I don’t know either. Let’s just hope that kid is lucky.”

Zeng Hongyi didn’t know much more. He stared quietly as the autumn wind began to rise outside the window, unable to shake the worry from his heart.

By the following afternoon, not only had Zhang Kui failed to return, but there was also no word from Wang Zhanshan.

Not until the afternoon of the day after that did word finally come from Wang Zhanshan. He told Zeng Hongyi to contact the academic advisor for Zhang Kui’s class and have them notify Zhang Kui’s family.

Hearing this, Zhao Rui’s heart sank like a stone. He knew something must have happened to Zhang Kui.

Early the next morning, a travel-worn Wang Zhanshan returned. As soon as he entered the main hall of Mingcan Temple, he summoned the two Support coaches and Zhao Rui to his office.

“Zhang Kui went climbing in the mountains with another person without authorization. It is highly likely that he fell from a cliff. Let this be a lesson to all of you. The specifics of how to handle the aftermath are still being discussed…”

Zhao Rui was visibly stunned by Wang Zhanshan’s words. ’Fell from a cliff?’

“What if he didn’t go climbing at all?”

“The local Patrol Office has already gathered some information. He did go into the mountains. As for whether he’s alive or dead… no one knows.”

A mix of emotions churned within Zhao Rui as images of Zhang Kui cracking jokes kept flashing through his mind.

“Zhao Rui, whatever Zhang Kui told you is not important. What is important is that you are forbidden from going anywhere near Taishan.”

Zhao Rui heard this and quickly nodded in agreement.

In the following days, Zhang Kui’s parents arrived. Their stance on the matter was firm: they demanded compensation.

They even caused a huge scene, but the Martial Arts Academy was not a place where ordinary people could raise a ruckus unchecked.

Not wanting the situation to escalate, the academy used a carrot-and-stick approach before hastily escorting them away.

Zhao Rui had no idea what happened afterward. In any case, Zhang Kui’s sudden disappearance completely upended his understanding of the world.

“Back to training! Learn from this mistake!”

Seeing that everyone was listless and dispirited, Wang Zhanshan’s voice boomed out.

Only then did everyone file into their designated team formations, finding their spots in the Martial Arts Arena.

Life goes on, with or without you.

Within a day or two, all traces of Zhang Kui’s presence on the Martial Arts Team faded, no longer noticed or mentioned by anyone.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep