"Why don’t you tell us *your* name?"
"Ugh, I’m done talking crap with you guys. Maybe after the school-wide assessment next Monday... whoops, sorry, I’m an S-rank. So from now on, you’d better show me some respect when you talk!"
"Just an S-rank, and you dare act so arrogant? I’m SSS-rank! You’re not even qualified to sit at the same table as me!"
"You’re full of it. There’s no such thing as SSS-rank! You’ve definitely been reading too many novels!"
"Damn, they’re already fighting over it. What a couple of morons." Zhou Xianchuan looked at the two arguing guys with disdain and curled his lip. He turned to Wan Ze and asked seriously, "Ah Ze, what kind of talent do you think I should awaken? What if it’s something like waving swords and staffs around? You know I’ve always been the quiet, scholarly type... Hmm, an intelligence-based one would be okay... but hey, what if I end up as a tank? You know I’ve always liked hiding behind people..."
"Get lost. Are we going to the dojo or not?" Wan Ze couldn’t be bothered with his friend’s daydreaming.
"Yes! Definitely! Should we find our senior?"
"Let’s go and ask."
The three met up. Sun Fan was about to call their driver, Uncle Li, to come pick them up, but her family’s car was already parked by the side of the road. The window rolled down... revealing her father’s face.
"Hello, Mr. Sun," Zhou Xianchuan said, reacting the fastest with a sycophantic greeting.
Father Sun nodded. His expression was stern, without a hint of a smile. He said to Sun Fan, "You’re coming home with me. Stay put for the next few days. You are not to go to the dojo."
"Why?" Sun Fan’s expression soured as she frowned.
"We’ll talk at home." Father Sun glanced at the bustling crowd and offered no explanation. He turned to Wan Ze and Zhou Xianchuan, his tone softening slightly. "Where do you two live? I can give you a ride, it’s on my way. Holy City isn’t safe right now, so you two should also stay out of trouble for the next few days. Just lay low."
"Mr. Sun..." Zhou Xianchuan started to speak, a sudden impulse making him want to ask if the Spiritual Qi revival was actually happening. But one sharp glance from Father Sun made him smile sheepishly and change his tune. "In that case, thank you, Mr. Sun."
He frantically shot Wan Ze a look.
Wan Ze smiled back at him. "Thank you, Mr. Sun, but I have to go pick up my little sister. You all can go on ahead."
"Then we’ll pick up your sister. It’s on the way. Safety first," Father Sun said decisively, with barely a moment’s hesitation.
Seeing this, Wan Ze didn’t insist. "Then I’ll have to trouble you, sir."
A moment later, he had picked up Wan Xiaoyu.
Wan Xiaoyu, who had been chattering nonstop, immediately grew reserved upon seeing the strangers in the car. She followed Wan Ze’s lead in greeting Father Sun and Sun Fan before settling down beside her brother.
Zhou Xianchuan’s home was nearby, so they dropped him off first.
The car stopped at the entrance of a high-end residential complex.
Seeing the bustling location and tight security, Father Sun could guess at Zhou Xianchuan’s family background. A slight smile touched his lips as he nodded and saw the boy off.
Because their new house in Cuihu Heaven and Earth was still under renovation, the family was still living in an old neighborhood.
A communicator suddenly vibrated.
Father Sun subconsciously reached for his waist, but realized it wasn’t his device. He was visibly taken aback.
It wasn’t Sun Fan’s, either.
Then he saw Wan Ze, sitting in the back, calmly pull a top-of-the-line communicator from his pocket. Wan Ze first murmured an apology to Sun Fan and her father before answering the call. "...Brother Jia, it’s me... yeah, I’m on my way home... Okay, I’ll call you back as soon as I get my sister home."
The call ended.
Just then, the car pulled up to the entrance of their neighborhood.
Wan Xiaoyu immediately opened the door and hopped out, clutching her schoolbag. She turned and waved sweetly at the car’s occupants. "Goodbye, sir! Goodbye, pretty sister!"
Sun Fan’s heart blossomed with joy, and much of the gloom on her face vanished. Her eyes curved into smiling crescents. "Goodbye, you adorable thing! Be careful... Goodbye, Wan Ze."
Wan Ze kept a protective arm around his sister to watch for traffic, waving with his free hand. He thanked Father Sun one more time, then led his sister home.
The car started up again.
Father Sun was silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but glance back. His interest in Wan Ze was clearly much greater than it had been for Zhou Xianchuan. "Honey, this friend of yours... what does his family do?"
"I don’t know. I’ve never asked." Sun Fan pouted, still sullen about being dragged home. ’It was so embarrassing!’
"A top-of-the-line communicator, the latest model. That must cost what an ordinary person makes in a year or two, at least. His family can’t be struggling, so why are they still living in this old neighborhood? Nostalgia? By the way, how is he doing at Dragon Eagle?" Father Sun asked casually.
"He’s much better than I am." At this, Sun Fan immediately perked up, rattling off the details as if they were precious treasures. "When Senior Lei Ming first brought him to our class as an assistant instructor, his stance was so solid that I assumed he was older than me. I only found out later that he’s actually younger! He was just so good that Master Qin made an exception and recommended him for the position. I even paid to hire him as my sparring partner for a while..."
"But not long after that, he actually broke through and became a Martial Artist before I did. Now... now I can’t beat him even when I’m going all out. It’s like he has this special... this special aptitude for Martial Arts. His progress is terrifyingly fast."
"Oh? That impressive?" Father Sun had just assumed that boys naturally had an advantage when it came to Martial Arts, and hadn’t thought much more of it.
Of course, in the past, he certainly would have.
But now...
His daughter was just far too excited when talking about this boy.
The way her eyes had suddenly lit up, the way her speech had unconsciously quickened... it was hard for an old father like him not to read into it.
’What in the world is going on!’
After they returned to their villa, Father Sun had Sun Fan go to her room to rest. He sat alone in his study for a short while before calling in the driver, Old Li, to ask about what his daughter had been up to lately.
"Old Li, you’ve been driving Xiaofan to and from the dojo all this time. How is she getting along with those two friends of hers?" Father Sun lit a cigarette, getting straight to the point.
"...The Young Miss’s interactions with her two friends are quite normal. However, she spends more time with the boy, Wan Ze... She also seems more willing to listen to his advice and often asks him for guidance on her Martial Arts."
Father Sun exhaled a ring of smoke, his expression pensive. "Old Li, be honest with me... Do you think they’re dating?"
"..." Old Li hesitated. He didn’t dare say that the Young Miss was the more forward of the two. Choosing his words carefully, he said, "I don’t think so. There isn’t a hint of romantic interest for the opposite sex in that boy’s eyes. As for the Young Miss... it’s rare for her to find a training partner she connects with, so it’s only natural that they’d be close."
"I see."
Father Sun was confused. He shook his head. "Forget it, then. Never mind. There’s going to be more trouble in Holy City over the next couple of days. I’ve applied for a gun for you. Carry it, just in case."
"Boss, has something major happened?" Old Li asked hesitantly. It had been a long time since he’d sensed this kind of tension from his employer.
"I heard a major felon escaped from prison... Fucking hell, I have no idea what those idiots in Holy City are paid for. A desperado like that... they should have just put a bullet in him, but no, they just *had* to transfer him! And now look, what a massive screw-up! I heard he’s still hiding somewhere in Holy City... and who knows how many weapons he’s got stashed away."
Father Sun cursed under his breath.
「Meanwhile.」
After Wan Ze got Xiaoyu home, he told her to be good and stay in her room to do her homework. He reminded her to wait for their parents to get home from work so they could all eat together, and to absolutely not run off and play outside by herself. Seeing the little girl nod emphatically in promise, he finally went to his own room, closing the door behind him and calling Zhai Jia.
The call rang for a few moments before Zhai Jia picked up. The background was noisy, as if he were outside. "Ah Ze, listen to me... The people from the Secret Palace have shown up again! I’m not sure if they’ll come looking for trouble with us at Dragon Eagle, but... better safe than sorry."
"Okay, I understand." A number of things suddenly clicked into place for Wan Ze. "You stay safe."
"I’m so fucking pissed right now! You might not even believe this, but the people behind that bastard Jie Zhengyang are from the Secret Palace. Someone hijacked a transport vehicle last night... Now he’s escaped, and his whereabouts are unknown," Zhai Jia said furiously.
"As expected..." Wan Ze wasn’t the least bit surprised.
Zhai Jia faltered. "You knew?"