Book 3, Chapter 121: Home

After leaving the Arcane Palace, Chen Chuan got on the flyover. He drove for a little over an hour before reaching the checkpoint to leave the city.

His Realm Pass flickered, and the checkpoint let him through. He didn’t even need to stop. He drove out of the city and left behind the flashing lights.

The area before him was dark, and only his headlights lit up the road ahead. Since he had left at midnight, he would reach Yangzhi City in the morning.

Around ten minutes later, his Realm Pass let out white noise before falling completely silent. Chen Chuan removed it and placed it in the box he had prepared beforehand. Then, he turned on the radio.

Aside from some midnight programs from Central City, he could also tune into channels set up by the armed forces in the wilderness. They played practically only heavy metal music, which was sometimes paused for records of people wailing.

Finding it too noisy for his liking, Chen Chuan changed channels, but only white noise came out of the radio. No matter how much he turned the dial, he couldn’t hear anything else. It made him wonder whether it had broken down.

Just then, he sensed something and noticed a person sitting behind him.

Chen Chuan remained calm and didn’t look at the rearview mirror. He continued turning the dial until normal, upbeat music started playing. This was the channel of the public road’s checkpoint. Aside from broadcasting safety reminders, it played catchy music.

Once the music filled the car, the unnerving feeling disappeared.

Chen Chuan took a look at the rearview mirror and found that the backseat was empty.

He had been alone when he left, so there was absolutely no possibility that someone could have snuck into his car, which meant that this was an abnormal sight from having entered the Third Limit.

According to the Studies of the Unusual, these things happened occasionally, usually whenever one least expected it. They would intrude into a martial artist’s life and make them paranoid.

Third Limit martial artists were highly alert, so if this happened now and then, it was far too easy for these things to make them snap.

The Studies of the Unusual mentioned that the more a person paid attention to them, the more detailed they would be. They had to steady the mind and ignore them. As time passed, these creatures would disappear.

Chen Chuan believed that since he had only just reached the Third Limit, he didn’t have much divine energy, so he could sense more than other Third Limit martial artists. He was at his most vulnerable. Once he refined and gathered more divine energy, he wouldn’t be affected anymore.

Martial artists who only focused on accumulating blood essence shouldn’t have this problem. Only the exceptionally talented martial artists or those who trained their minds would often encounter the abnormal sights.

If Chen Chuan wanted to walk further down the path of a martial artist, he was going to have to train his mind sooner or later.

He could do it after building a solid foundation of blood essence, but this path was still difficult.

Chen Chuan took a look at the front passenger seat. Dawncall had been really excited earlier, but at some point in time, it had curled up and fallen asleep.

Chen Chuan chuckled at that and toned down the volume of the radio before switching to a channel that played relaxing music. Then, he continued slowly driving back home.

Five hours later, it was past 6 a.m.. The red sun rose on the horizon and cast its bright light on the car. Chen Chuan was alone on the wide, endless road, as if he was the only moving thing in this still picture.

With a chirp, Dawncall woke up and let out a long, pleasant thrill at the sun before climbing up the front passenger seat and looking around excitedly.

Fifteen minutes later, Chen Chuan arrived at the final checkpoint, where he came to a slow stop. After this, he would enter the territory of Yangzhi City.

Anyone going from Yangzhi City to Central City had to go through a lengthy check, but those coming out of Central City could skip all that trouble.

A constable from the checkpoint came forward, and Chen Chuan handed over his ID card. The constable saw his uniform and checked his card before saluting him respectfully and handing the card back. “Yangzhi City is right ahead, Officer Chen. I hope you have a safe trip.”

“Thank you,” Chen Chuan said with a nod after taking the card back.

He restarted the car and left the checkpoint to continue down the road. When it was a little past 7 a.m., he finally entered Yangzhi City.

Around him were familiar trees and buildings. Few pedestrians filled the streets, since it was still early in the morning. Despite the place not being as prosperous and grand as Central City, Chen Chuan felt an indescribable sense of familiarity with it.

He suddenly had an undeniable desire to visit the places he had gone to in the past and see the people and things he had not been able to see for a long time.

He sped up a little, and half an hour later, he arrived at the Constabulary’s residential area. He parked by the sentry post outside and wound down the car window.

He had made a phone call before coming. Since it was a day off, his family should be home.

Chen Chuan opened the car door and stepped out before smoothing out his uniform. As he looked at the familiar alley and buildings, he sucked in a deep breath.

Then, he went to the back of the car and took out his luggage before calling out to Dawncall. The Bird Reptile chirped at him and jumped on his shoulder to look around.

The constables in charge of the security passed by. When one of them saw him, he called out with uncertainty in his voice. “Chen… Chuan?”

Chen Chuan took a look at him and recognized him as the constable who often patrolled the area. He nodded. “It’s me, Brother Wang.”

Delight flashed on Brother Wang’s face. “It’s really you! Look at that uniform. Wow, I almost didn’t recognize you. Did you… come back from Central City?”

“Yeah. The university’s on summer break right now, so I’m back to visit my aunt and uncle,” Chen Chuan replied.

“You’re back to visit your family, huh? That’s good,” Brother Wang praised him.

Chen Chuan walked in with his luggage. Behind him, the constables chattered among themselves.

“I told you that it was Chen Chuan, the one who got into Central City’s main campus last year. He’s Brigade Commander Nian’s nephew.”

“That’s Chen Chuan? Not bad. He looks really spirited. When he walked over, I almost forgot to breathe. Not even Commander Guan commands that much presence.”

“I know, right? That’s a martial artist who got into Central City’s main campus. How could he be an ordinary person? Chen Chuan brought great honor to the Constabulary last year, you know? Look at his uniform. I’m sure he got himself into Central City’s Resolution Department.”

“Didn’t he go there to study?”

“Are you stupid? Even the lecturers here can have a position at the Resolution Department. Why can’t he have one over there?”

“A job in Central City, huh…”

The constables were envious. Even though they had never gone to Central City, they longed to go there. Still, they simply amused themselves with that thought. Both of them knew that if they weren’t citizens, they would only suffer if they went there.

***

A number of neighbors saw Chen Chuan walking through the alley.

“Xiao Chuan? Is that you?”

Chen Chuan greeted them all with a smile.

“Why are you still calling him ‘Xiao Chuan’? Look at his uniform and his demeanor. I’m pretty sure he has a job in Central City. We need to refer to him as Mr. Chen or Officer Chen now.”

“Even if he’s an officer now, we watched him grow up. He’ll always be Xiao Chuan to us.”

Someone immediately teased the person for that. “That makes sense. That’s why you call a certain someone Big Head behind his back all the time, right?”

That person immediately panicked. “Don’t say that. When have I ever called him by that nickname?”

A smart kid received instructions from his parents and ran over to Nian Fuli’s house. “Uncle Nian, Xiao Chuan is back from Central City!”

The door flew open, and Nian Fuli and Yu Wan came out with Nian Mo and Nian Lu in hand. The entire family had clearly been waiting for a long time and rushed out the moment they heard word that Chen Chuan was back.

Chen Chuan looked over. After half a year of not seeing him, Nian Fuli had gained a little weight. Yu Wan, though, still looked the same as before. His two cousins had grown taller, and the entire family was wearing new clothes.

Chen Chuan put down his luggage and went over to them. He looked Nian Fuli and Yu Wan in the eye and said, “I’m home, Aunty, Uncle.”

Yu Wan hurried over and grabbed his hand before taking in the sight of him. Then, she brought a hand up to smooth out the wrinkles on his uniform. Her eyes were a little teary.

Chen Chuan put a hand on Yu Wan’s shoulder and whispered, “I’m back, Aunty.”

Yu Wan wiped off her tears with the back of her hand and nodded repeatedly.

“When you called us yesterday to tell us you’re coming back, Yu Wan couldn’t sleep at all. She kept wondering about when you’d be back. I kept telling her to calm down. You’ve been in Central City for such a long time. We can afford to wait a little longer,” Nian Fuli chipped in.

“I wasn’t being impatient. I just missed Chan’er,” Yu Wan grumbled as she continued staring at Chen Chuan. “You look taller and thinner, but you seem even more energetic.”

“Hello, Chen Chuan!”

Nian Mo and Nian Lu ran up to him to greet him, but their gazes were glued to Dawncall. Their eyes sparkled as they stared at the Bird Reptile. Dawncall wasn’t scared of them. It chirped, earning amazed gasps from the two children.

Nian Lu looked up at Chen Chuan. “Can I pet it?”

“Go play with them,” Chen Chuan said to Dawncall with a smile. Dawncall was smart and immediately understood what he meant. It hopped down from Chen Chuan’s shoulder and jumped at the children, who caught it with shouts of glee.

Nian Fuli took a look at Dawncall and asked curiously, “What’s that you brought back, Xiao Chuan?”

“This is a Bird Reptile, a man-made animal produced in Central City. It’s really smart and can keep watch over my room for me. It’s just a baby for now, though,” Chen Chuan said.

“It can keep watch over your room? That’s good. No matter what, you’re alone in Central City, and you need to be careful. Even if you’re strong, you need to keep an eye out for your surroundings.” Nian Fuli nodded in approval.

“You’re right, Uncle,” Chen Chuan agreed wholeheartedly.

Yu Wan took that moment to give them a light nudge. “The sun is shining on us. Go inside to talk, you two.”

“Okay.”

Chen Chuan went back home with his family. Meanwhile, Nian Mo and Nian Lu skipped about with Dawncall in Nian Lu’s arms as they cheered. “Chen Chuan’s back! Chen Chuan’s home!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep