Chapter 212: Old House

The man sitting across from him gave him an elegant, gentle smile. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Wen Tong, the head martial arts instructor at Yangzhi City’s Constabulary. The constables prefer to call me Mr. Wen. I’m here on orders to protect you.

“We’ve looked into your security guards and found that most of them were sent by various companies. I’ve already taken them out for you. Please rest assured.”

“Are you sure?” Zhu Xian asked with a scowl.

“Yes. The companies are trying to influence and control your decisions. By sending their security guards to your side, they’re also trying to make sure that they can conduct their businesses,” Wen Tong said sincerely.

Zhu Xian’s expression became solemn.

Wen Tong then smiled and stood up. “I won’t interrupt your meal. Don’t worry, I’ll be in charge of your safety from now on until you reach Yangzhi City.”

Zhu Xian then saw a flash of movement. When he snapped out of his daze, Wen Tong had already disappeared. All he could hear was the rhythmic sound of the train wheels and his assistant’s gulps. When he looked out, he saw that he was still in a moving train.

After some thinking, he stood up and went to the door. When he grabbed the handle, he waited for a moment before slowly opening the door. The security guards were all slumped against the walls with their heads cracked open.

Their brain tissue was blackened and dry, with hot waves of steam still rolling out of them. Clearly, a sudden blast of heat had cooked their brain tissue so much that their skulls cracked open.

Since the assistant was a Yangzhi City local, his knees buckled when he saw this, and he stammered in fear, “I-It’s the Head-Splitting Monster…”

Zhu Xian observed the corpses for a moment before closing the door and returning to his seat. Once he stewed in his thoughts for a while, he retrieved the list of names from the bottom of the pile and signed it. “Send it back,” he told his assistant.

***

Half an hour later, back in Martial Valor University, Cheng Zitong received the news that the application had been approved, and he immediately made the call. “Chen Chuan, your application has been approved. I wasn’t expecting the new director to do it while still on the train. It looks like he’s very supportive of Martial Valor University’s work and looks highly upon you.”

After exchanging a few more words with Chen Chuan, he hung up and turned around. Cheng Shang, his uncle, was still sitting in his office while drinking tea. “Uncle, look—”

“I’m going back to the main campus in two days and will bring his record and application form with me. Zitong, you didn’t amount to much, but your mentee is pretty outstanding. It seems like your father has overlooked your talent as a mentor. Why don’t you come back with me?” Cheng Shang asked while looking up.

Cheng Zitong returned to his seat and huffed. “The old man will criticize me no matter what I do. He makes it sound like he’s the best in the world. Let him teach his mentees while I teach mine. It’s best if we stay out of each other’s business.”

“You two have the same temper. Neither of you will take a step back and apologize first. Forget it. I don’t want to dictate what either of you do,” Cheng Shang said with a shake of his head.

“Tea brewed with Yangzhi City’s water is really the best. The filtered water from Central City is tasteless,” he lamented after taking a sip of his tea and shook his head.

“Uncle, you’re just saying that because you’re used to the water there.” Cheng Zitong laughed.

Cheng Shang glared at him before saying gravely, “Central City offers a lot of opportunities, but also puts a lot more responsibilities on your shoulders. In time, you even start feeling as if there’s a hand constantly pushing you forward without letting you stop for a moment.

“Even when I’m here, I’m thinking about Central City, worried that I’d miss something just by spending a few days here. I keep fretting that I might end up as the last to know something back in the city.”

Cheng Zitong shrugged his words off. “My mentee is perfect for that sort of place. I’m sure that he’ll get used to it.”

“Enough already. I’m sick of you praising him.”

“He’s my only mentee. Can’t I praise him? Is the old man the only one allowed to praise his mentees? Why can’t I do it?” Cheng Zitong grumbled.

Cheng Shang huffed in mock annoyance. “Do whatever you want. I won’t stop you. In any case, I’m going back in two days. You can praise him however you like, but it’s not that easy staying in the main campus. He’ll have to work hard to gain a footing there.”

***

When Chen Chuan finished lunch with Luo Kaiyuan, Feng Xiaoqi, and Wei Dong, he returned to his room and found his internal mailbox filled to the brim again. He took out all the mail.

Once he was back in his room, he looked through the mail and found that most of them were invitations for invitation-only classes, but one of them was from a teaching assistant called Miss Qiu.

After going through his memories, he remembered the teaching assistant to be the woman beside Ni Xiaolin. Chen Chuan opened the letter and found that Ni Xiaolin wanted to speak to him. She asked him to visit her when he was free.

Why would Ni Xiaolin want to see him? Was it because of the Frost King Saber? That could only be it. This meant he should place quite a lot of importance on this matter.

Chen Chuan picked a suitable time and went to the training center Ni Xiaolin frequented in the afternoon. Once he located Xiao Qiu, the teaching assistant brought him to the lounge and poured him a cup of tea before asking him to wait while she brought Ni Xiaolin over.

In less than six minutes, Ni Xiaolin came in with Xiao Qiu supporting her. The moment Chen Chuan saw her, he got up from his seat.

“Sit. Xiao Qiu, keep a lookout outside. I have some things to say to this young man,” Ni Xiaolin instructed.

“Understood.”

Once Xiao Qiu left, Ni Xiaolin sat down and asked, “Is your mother Yu Zhen, young man?”

Chen Chuan gave her an inquisitive look before nodding. “Do you know my mother?”

It wouldn’t be strange for Ni Xiaolin to know her. Chen Chuan’s mother was a martial artist and a Yangzhi City local, who grew up here. But why would Ni Xiaolin ask him to talk about this? Did they have some connection with each other?

“I do. I suppose it’s fate. Her master was my martial sister. It was around ten years ago that your mother handed something to my martial sister. She said that if her son got into Martial Valor University and had the chance to go to Central City, she was to hand it to him, but if he couldn’t make it, then forget it.

“My martial sister, though, isn’t someone to sit still, even though she’s already up in years. She has been living abroad over the past decade or so, so she left the thing with me. Since you’ll be going to Central City, I will give to you what your mother left and lift a weight off my shoulders.”

As Ni Xiaolin spoke, she placed an average-sized package on the table. “Take a look.”

Chen Chuan walked over and picked it up. It was light, and judging by the size, it looked like a notebook.

“I haven’t read it. Don’t worry. I’m already old and have no interest in the affairs of young people like you,” Ni Xiaolin reassured him.

“I believe you. By the way, have you met my mother before?” Chen Chuan asked seriously.

Ni Xiaolin nodded. “I have. Once. She was pretty, feisty, and had a sharp mind. But she was also stubborn. I saw her spar against one of her peers. Even after losing more than ten times, she gritted her teeth and stood back up. With each spar, she managed to gain more of an edge in the fight. Back then, she still failed to win. Later on, I heard that she sparred with the guy again and won, but I didn’t see it, which was a pity.”

Chen Chuan nodded and said earnestly, “Thank you for keeping her notebook for me for so many years.”

“You don’t have to thank me. My martial sister paid me for it. If the deadline had passed and you didn’t manage to go to Central City, I would have destroyed it according to our promise.”

“If you see your martial sister again, could you thank her for me, Miss Ni?” Chen Chuan asked.

“If I see her, I will. Alright. I know that you youngsters are all impatient folk and don’t like talking to old folks like me. Off you go now,” Ni Xiaolin shooed him off.

Chen Chuan nodded and said goodbye to Ni Xiaolin before leaving the training center. When he stood outside, a thought struck him, and he turned around to look at the training center. Ni Xiaolin might not have handed the Frost King Saber to him because of the monthly exam.

Chen Chuan hurried back to his room. Once he shut the door, he removed the wrapping and found that it was indeed a notebook, but the pages were all damaged and didn’t seem to have any connection with each other. He couldn’t decipher the contents at all.

Then, he thought of something. There was something similar in his old house.

Looks like I’ll have to go back.

Chen Chuan hadn’t gone back since the old Chen Chuan was killed because the killer remained unknown. Before, Chen Chuan hadn’t been strong enough to protect himself, but now, he got protective gear and his second self. It was time for him to go back and take a look.

Despite deciding to go back, Chen Chuan didn’t head off immediately. Instead, he waited for the first break of the month. Once it arrived, he put on the entire set of protective gear and gave everyone he was close to a heads-up, including Cheng Zitong. Then, with the Frost King Saber strapped on his back, he rode out on his bicycle.

After leaving the downtown area, Chen Chuan rode north for more than an hour until he reached a river bend. Across from it was a house his parents had left for him.

There was a large manor approximately half a kilometer away, where Meng Shu once lived. Back then, she only had servants with her. There were barely any adult relatives around. Since the area was sparsely populated, they often played together when they were children.

The old house was located in a rather secluded place, but the ground around it was rather smooth, and there was a rather spacious road leading to it. The road had been built during the Great Expansion and was still in use to this date.

But judging by how things looked, not many people had come over the past year or so.

Chen Chuan headed downstream and found a cobblestone path at a shallow bend. He rode over and only stopped when he was in front of his old house.

He stared at it. The house was pretty big and had five bedrooms, one living room, and an outdoor corridor with a roof. The old Chen Chuan loved walking on its railing.

Back then, while taking a walk through the corridor, the old Chen Chuan was struck dead by a small stone, and Chen Chuan took over.

Chen Chuan walked in while pushing the bicycle. He secured it in the bicycle stand, then walked up the creaking stairs to the front door. He fished out the keys, unlocked the door, and pushed it open gently. After taking a look inside, he walked in.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep