"How terrifying!"
Ding Fei hid behind a tree, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
After buying something at the Market, he had deliberately lingered for a while to avoid being followed. He even took a small path when he left. Although an "Overseas Fierce Dragon" wouldn't deign to notice a small fry like him, there was always the chance of being targeted by some desperate Cultivators.
Once he was sure no one was following him,
Ding Fei finally breathed a sigh of relief, and on his way, he couldn't help but fantasize about the future:
'Once I take this Qi Gathering Pill, my bottleneck will disappear instantly, and I'll successfully break through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. My future Cultivation will be smooth sailing, and I might even reach Foundation Establishment one day, or perhaps even become a Golden Core Great Power that everyone admires.'
In short, everything seemed so bright.
But he had never, ever imagined that he would accidentally stumble onto a battlefield, let alone witness Chen Che slaughter four Cultivators in the blink of an eye.
'He's terrifying... How could he be that strong?'
'To think I spent half the day at the Market haggling over prices with a monster like that...' The thought alone made him shudder uncontrollably.
"Come on out!"
Hearing this voice, Ding Fei's body jolted. He walked out, his face a mask of despair, and dropped decisively to his knees.
"Senior, spare me!"
"It's you?"
Looking at Ding Fei, whose face was ashen and who was trembling like a leaf—his pants even darkening on the spot—Chen Che couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "You saw everything, didn't you?"
Now came the question.
'He saw the whole thing. Should I kill him to silence him?'
At these words, the color drained from Ding Fei's face. "I, I didn't—"
"Actually, Senior, yes I did! I saw it with my own two eyes!"
Seeing Chen Che's blank expression, Ding Fei suddenly changed his tune, his voice becoming righteous and solemn as he pointed at the corpses on the ground:
"These men were here dividing their spoils, but then they started arguing over an uneven split... Er Ya caught them off guard, attacked suddenly, and killed the others."
"As for Er Ya, he killed himself! Overcome with regret for killing the other three, he took his own life to atone for his crime! You and I, Senior, heard the fighting and happened to witness this very scene, but it was too late to intervene!"
Ding Fei spoke faster and faster, his train of thought growing clearer with every word.
"Upon seeing this, you, Senior, were moved by compassion and decided to prepare graves for the four men. I, this junior, am filled with admiration for your noble deed and would like to offer this Pill and Weapon as a show of support!"
As he spoke, he took out the Pill and Weapon and held them high above his head.
Ding Fei knelt for a moment. When no response came, he began to think his life was forfeit, but then he heard Chen Che say calmly:
"Go on. I don't kill my customers."
"Thank you, Senior!"
Seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, Ding Fei kowtowed again and again. He didn't even dare to stand, instead shuffling backward on his knees until he was deep in the forest.
'This guy's ability to see which way the wind blows isn't half bad, and he's got a certain crafty cleverness. But the smarter people are, the more they fear death. I might as well let him live for now. He could be useful someday,' Chen Che thought to himself.
Of course, the main reason he let him go was that Er Ya and his crew had no powerful backing.
Even if outsiders found out what happened, no one would come looking for revenge.
Only after Ding Fei's figure had completely vanished into the trees did Chen Che look away. He turned his attention to the four corpses and couldn't help but rub his hands together.
'Time for the spoils.'
The so-called dignity of an expert was worthless in the face of Cultivation resources.
A moment later,
Chen Che's expression soured.
Aside from a few ounces of gold, the four of them had practically nothing.
Broke losers.
A few tufts of Spiritual Fire appeared at his fingertips. With a flick, the fire landed on the four bodies, incinerating them and their Weapons into ash. After erasing all traces of the fight, Chen Che took a long detour, confirmed he wasn't being followed, and only then returned to his Cave Mansion.
He cultivated for a short while, and seeing that night had fallen, he returned to Earth Element Star.
...
「High School Year Two, Class One.」
After a week of adjusting since the start of the semester, the students had fallen back into the rhythm of school life.
Some students who had arrived early were reading from their textbooks aloud. Others hid behind stacks of books to eat their breakfast. Small groups of twos and threes were gathered, chatting in low voices, while a few students who had clearly pulled an all-nighter were already asleep on their desks.
Just as Chen Che arrived in the classroom, Huang Zhongfei walked over and whispered, "Dad, my Demon-Slaying Sword..."
"Didn't you say I could borrow it for a week?"
Chen Che glanced at him.
Huang Zhongfei rubbed his nose. "I just came to remind you. Make sure you don't get it dirty, and don't go around randomly chopping things with it..."
Er...
'Well,' Chen Che thought, 'the Demon-Slaying Sword repels blood, and killing people isn't exactly 'randomly chopping'...'
So he shook his head firmly. "Don't worry, I won't."
"Good to hear." Huang Zhongfei breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Che nodded.
As he was putting his bag away, he suddenly frowned. There seemed to be something extra inside his desk.
He reached in, and when he pulled his hand back out, he was holding a glass jar filled with paper stars and a pink envelope.
"Holy shit, another love confession?" Lin Yi, who had been reading a novel, was instantly intrigued. "Open it! Let's see what it says."
Chen Che casually tore open the letter.
The handwriting was elegant and pleasing to the eye.
The content was also very simple:
It was basically from someone who had been secretly watching him and had been captivated by his every word and deed. She wanted to be friends, and if he was willing, he should meet her in the small grove after school.
"They say a person's handwriting reflects their character. With writing this beautiful, the girl must be gorgeous!" Lin Yi, who had read it over his shoulder, speculated earnestly.
Chen Che, noticing the letter was unsigned, had a different take. "She didn't even dare to sign her name. She must be some sneaky coward who can't show her face in public!"
Huang Zhongfei's eyes turned red with envy.
It was a classic case of feast or famine.
He'd been rejected dozens of times, yet every so often, strange letters would appear in Chen Che's desk, mostly inviting him to "be friends." 'Just friends? Yeah, right,' he thought, too embarrassed to say it out loud. 'They're clearly just thirsty for his body.'
Pah!
Chen Che looked up and saw Huang Zhongfei still standing by his desk. "Is there something else, Class Monitor?"
"Dad!"
Huang Zhongfei swallowed hard and pointed at the letter. "Are you going to the grove after school?"
"Nope." Chen Che shook his head without hesitation.
Hearing this, Huang Zhongfei pointed to the letter and the jar of stars in Chen Che's hands. "Since you're not going, why don't you just give them to me? Don't worry, I won't go either... If you agree, I'll let you borrow the Demon-Slaying Sword for another week!"
"Deal!"
'Rich kids really know how to throw their money around!'
'Hesitating for even a second would be an insult to the Demon-Slaying Sword,' Chen Che thought.
Women?
Hmph. They'll only slow down my sword-drawing speed!
Watching a delighted Huang Zhongfei walk away with the jar and the letter, Lin Yi couldn't help but ask, "Old Chen, be straight with me. You turn down this girl, you turn down that girl... are you holding out because you're planning to go after *her*?"
He finished with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.
Chen Che followed his gaze toward the front of the room and saw Ye Youwei, who was engrossed in a book. From his angle, he couldn't see her face clearly, only the wrist peeking out from her rolled-up sleeve and the soft line of her profile.
Just then, a voice called out from outside the classroom:
"Chen Che, come to my office for a moment!"
He looked up to see the Alchemy Teacher, Ding Dawei, standing at the door and waving him over.