Jia Xin

"Beep, beep, beep..." Even though they were supposed to be back at school by 9 AM today, Zhang Chen didn't forget to train himself. His alarm rang precisely at 6 AM.

An invisible force gently turned off the alarm, and then the blanket on his body automatically folded itself. A black tank top and white athletic shorts flew from the closet into Zhang Chen's hands.

As his telekinesis continued to be used, not only the frequency but also the power of its use greatly improved. More importantly, Zhang Chen began to control this telekinesis with extreme precision, both to strike targets more accurately and to control compressed air more stably.

Zhang Chen had also watched many fantasy movies, like "The Lord of the Rings" series and the "Harry Potter" series. Just a few days ago, Zhang Chen had a sudden idea. He turned on the lighter at home and tried to peel off the flame by itself. But every time he peeled off a little bit of flame, it would extinguish. There was no way he could compress it into a fireball.

Zhang Chen also tried what he learned from his chemistry book: peeling off the flame while simultaneously peeling off oxygen from the air into the flame. Although he failed again, the reason for the failure was that oxygen was too difficult to separate.

After all, the movement of oxygen molecules in the air was completely random, mixed with many other gas molecules, making control extremely difficult. It was like asking a child who had just learned to use chopsticks to perform various programming edits on a computer. Therefore, Zhang Chen now focused more on the subtle control of his telekinesis.

Sweating profusely in the woods, Zhang Chen sat on a tree branch and checked the time. It was almost 8 o'clock, so he moved his body and headed home.

After taking a shower, eating the soy milk and fried dough sticks his father bought, and changing into comfortable athletic wear, he picked up his small suitcase. Under his parents' instructions, he left home and walked towards the school.

Since they were taking a bus to school today, Zhang Chen wasn't going with Wang Yizhi.

"Come to think of it, ever since I started picking up and dropping off Wang Yizhi last year, I haven't gone to school alone anymore." Sitting on the bus, Zhang Chen chuckled to himself. "It seems that sometimes, being apart for a bit feels quite good."

Arriving at the school gate, although it was only 8:40 AM, Zhang Chen was the only one waiting.

"Brother Chen, what were you doing at home? We're all waiting for you!" Tan Fei shouted from a distance.

Zhang Chen didn't respond. With the bustling crowd on the street, he didn't want everyone to cast strange glances his way.

Upon entering, Zhang Chen saw Wang Yizhi chatting enthusiastically with her best friend. Her friend, Dai Xu, was also in Zhang Chen's class. She was about the same height as Wang Yizhi and was known as a big-mouthed girl in the class. It also seemed like Tan Fei was quite interested in her. Zhang Chen couldn't help but guess that Tan Fei and Er Wa likely got the news that he and Wang Yizhi were going on a trip from this Dai Xu.

"Er Wa, what's with the gear?" Zhang Chen was startled by Er Wa's outfit. Er Wa was wearing a camouflage short-sleeved shirt, camouflage pants, and hiking boots. He carried a huge backpack, with a large military canteen and a Swiss Army knife hanging from his waist.

"Er Wa said there are many wild beasts in the mountains and we need to be extra careful," Tan Fei said from the side. "Besides, Er Wa also has professional diving equipment in his backpack."

Zhang Chen was impressed. His brothers, whom he had known for so long, had such unknown sides to them. Looking at Er Wa's serious expression, he felt a strange urge to laugh.

"Zhang Chen, you're here." Wang Yizhi, hearing Zhang Chen's voice, turned her head and said to him with a smile, "By the way, Zhang Chen, did you bring your swimming trunks? Dai Xu just said she brought her swimsuit. There's a large lake in the back of the picture."

Zhang Chen realized he hadn't thought that far ahead. He really hadn't considered swimming at all. Seeing Tan Fei pull out his swimming trunks and wave them in front of him, Zhang Chen felt utterly speechless.

"There should be some for sale in Lvyuan County. We can buy them then," Zhang Chen said.

"Doo doo doo~~" A huge luxury tour bus pulled up in front of everyone.

"No way? Is this picking us up?" Even Er Wa, who had been silent, was shocked.

As the bus door opened, Zhang Chen got on. The driver was a middle-aged man with a receding hairline.

"Driver, is this bus for picking up and dropping off tourists in Lvyuan County?" Zhang Chen asked.

"En, get on. We still need to pick up people from No. 1 Middle School later," the driver replied with a good attitude.

Zhang Chen knew it was unlikely that only the five of them would charter this bus. So, he gestured, and everyone happily boarded the bus. It was also their first time riding such a luxurious bus, and after a burst of excitement, Wang Yizhi and Dai Xu sat together, while Er Wa and Tan Fei sat together, leaving Zhang Chen to sit alone in a double seat.

"Brother Chen, are there only five of us on the bus?" Tan Fei suddenly asked.

"No, the driver said we still need to pick up people from No. 1 Middle School. There should be a few more people. In any case, it won't exceed twelve people."

"Sigh, I thought we chartered the bus for just the five of us. I heard that people from No. 1 Middle School look down on people from our second-rate school."

"You don't even have to pay, and you want to charter a bus. Whether they look down on us or not is their business. Why do you care so much? It's good enough if there aren't dozens of people going. Be content. If they look down on us, just get Er Wa to cut them for you."

A moment later, the bus stopped at the entrance of No. 1 Middle School. Three boys and three girls excitedly got on. It seemed, just as Tan Fei had said, they were ignoring Zhang Chen and his group.

The six people ran to the back of the bus, keeping a significant distance from Zhang Chen's group.

"See, I told you people from No. 1 Middle School are arrogant. Damn it, they look like they're asking for a beating," Tan Fei said with a very cynical expression.

Zhang Chen didn't care about these narrow-minded people. However, a short-haired man caught his attention. After the first five got on the bus, chatting and laughing, he slowly walked up.

He had short, crew-cut hair and was a little over 1.7 meters tall. He had a typical Korean handsome face, with eyes that were neither too big nor too small, and a slightly prominent nose. His walk seemed casual, but in reality, it was firm and powerful, with each step planting his feet firmly. Despite his seemingly slender build, Zhang Chen sensed an unusual strength in him.

After the man got on the bus, a righteous and awe-inspiring aura emanated from him, completely opposite to the aura Zhang Chen felt from ghosts. As the man walked past Zhang Chen, he subconsciously glanced at Zhang Chen. His aura instantly intensified several times before he shifted his gaze away.

"Master Pu Hu said yesterday that in this world, besides us, there are also many people who subdue demons and eliminate monsters. This guy is probably one of them, and he doesn't seem weak at all. That's good. If any minor issues arise, I won't have to deal with them myself." Zhang Chen wasn't worried about what this guy might do; instead, he was happy to have an extra shield.

"Yizhi, that guy from No. 1 Middle School earlier was so handsome," Dai Xu said to Wang Yizhi.

However, Wang Yizhi didn't pay much attention. But Tan Fei, overhearing this, immediately shot the handsome young man a resentful look and muttered, "Is it great to be handsome? Is it great to be from No. 1 Middle School? He's so skinny. I'll just have Er Wa take care of him. He'll have him spitting blood in two or three minutes. Right, Er Wa?"

After speaking, he patted Er Wa on the shoulder. Seeing Er Wa flash his Swiss Army knife, Tan Fei felt much happier, as if he had gained some advantage.

"Driver, why aren't the people from the travel company on the bus?" the voice of the handsome young man came from the back of the bus.

"I'm only responsible for collecting the money and taking you there. They just said to bring you to the destination, and I'm not very clear about anything else," the driver replied patiently.

"Thank you, driver," the man said.

"This person seems quite polite, but this is also a bit strange. Wouldn't the travel company people follow along? Are they driving themselves? I've never heard of that before," Zhang Chen thought to himself upon hearing their conversation.

"Stop pretending, damn it, all you do is pretend," Tan Fei seemed to hate this guy to the bone.

The bus slowly started moving, and Zhang Chen and his group were very excited. They chatted and laughed all the way, discussing what they would do on the first day and second day after arriving.

Suddenly, a sturdy man, about the same height as Zhang Chen, from the back row walked over and said to Wang Yizhi.

"Beautiful, are you interested in joining us for a chat? The drive is four hours long, and it will be very boring. But if we chat, time will pass quickly."

"Huh? Me? Then what about my classmates?" Wang Yizhi asked, a little surprised.

"After this, only you are needed. I assume you're the only one who got into the key high school. Let's exchange some experiences." The man spoke without any regard for Zhang Chen and the others.

Not only Tan Fei, but even Er Wa was angered. Zhang Chen glanced at him and chuckled softly.

"My friend, it would be better if you went back. The five of us chatting here is enough," Zhang Chen said politely.

"I was talking to her, not to you..." The man, relying on his robust physique, turned around and glared at Zhang Chen angrily. However, before he could finish speaking, with a "plop," he tripped and fell to the ground, his head hitting a metal trash can carried in the vehicle.

"Hahaha..." Er Wa and the others burst into laughter, and Zhang Chen also smiled faintly.

The robust man seemed quite resilient, as the impact didn't seem to affect him much. After standing up, he actually intended to fight Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen watched him calmly and smiled. If the man really made a move, Zhang Chen wouldn't bother to teach him a lesson.

"Enough," a slender white arm grabbed the robust man's shoulder.

"My apologies everyone, my friend is just like this, very impulsive. Please continue your conversation. This is a small gift as an apology. My name is Jia Xin, like the 'xin' in heart. I look forward to your guidance." The speaker was the handsome young man, who casually tossed a pack of gum to Zhang Chen.

"It's fine. We'll have to look out for each other for the next week. My name is Zhang Chen, all Zhangs," Zhang Chen replied courteously.

Although the robust man was still somewhat defiant when held back, he returned to his seat. He seemed to be questioning why he was stopped. In response, the young man directly slapped him across the face and whispered a few words. The man, covering his face, fell silent. He just cast a resentful glance at Zhang Chen.

"Jia Xin. This guy is really interesting." Looking at the pack of gum in his hand, Zhang Chen smiled and passed it to Tan Fei and the others.

"He's too arrogant. Er Ge, if I get the chance, I'll definitely kill them," Tan Fei said, still very angry.

"Zhang Chen, are you okay?" Wang Yizhi asked, concerned about Zhang Chen and not paying attention to what was happening behind them.

"I'm fine. By the way, I wonder if the villas over there will provide meals for me?" Zhang Chen suddenly shifted the topic to the trip.

Everyone gradually forgot about the earlier incident and happily started chatting.

Only Zhang Chen, while chatting happily, occasionally glanced at the group from the other high school sitting in the back, who were also chatting enthusiastically. Every time he turned his head, Jia Xin would also turn his head to look at Zhang Chen and smile knowingly.

"Sigh, I was hoping for a nice trip. I didn't even encounter any ghosts, but instead, I met someone more annoying than a ghost." Zhang Chen turned back helplessly and continued chatting happily with everyone.

Unknowingly, three and a half hours passed. A road sign flashed by the roadside, and a few sparse words could be seen on it: "Jiaoping Village, Lvyuan County..."