Take Flight

August 28th, one final day remained before the retest.

Chen Chuan had not gone to Fist Home these past two days. Instead, he prepared at home for the upcoming retest. The moment he got up each morning, he practiced the Great Unrestrained Hands over and over in the courtyard.

His movements were relaxed yet powerful, stillness and motion balanced just right. He made the originally highly aggressive Great Unrestrained Hands seem almost beautiful.

Yu Wan came out wearing an apron and watched him practice with a smile. Even though she could not understand martial arts, the strength and rhythm conveyed through Chen Chuan's moves made her feel at ease.

On Chen Chuan, she seemed to see another figure, someone who had once practiced in the courtyard just as he did now. She could not help murmuring, "Second Sister..."

After Chen Chuan finished several rounds, he suddenly caught a delicious scent. He drew back his fists and feet and said, "Aunt, are you stewing chicken soup?"

Yu Wan was a little surprised. She had only started stewing it not long ago. Smiling, she said, "Your nose is sharp, just like Second Sister's. Isn't your retest tomorrow? Aunt is making you some chicken soup to build you up."

Truthfully, a pot of chicken soup could not make much difference to Chen Chuan's training. But it was Yu Wan's kindness and concern for her nephew. Besides, after eating Black Meat Pumpkin Rice and Nutrient Paste every day lately, he had nearly forgotten what normal food tasted like.

He was in a good mood too. "Thank you, Aunt. I've been eating out these days. I haven't had your cooking in a long time, and I've really missed it."

Yu Wan was delighted to hear that. "It still needs to stew for a while. Martial arts training takes a lot out of you. Do you want a few pieces of flatbread first to tide you over?"

Chen Chuan smiled. "I'll save room for your chicken soup."

Yu Wan smiled and headed back inside. "I'll keep an eye on the stove. I'll call you when it's ready."

Chen Chuan practiced alone for a while longer. Once he felt completely refreshed, he returned to the living room.

Since it was Rest Day, the whole family was home. Even Nian Fuli was unusually at home, his belt undone and set aside as he read the newspaper. A radio played beside him, singing a Zhang Mountain Ballad.

Chen Chuan entered the room and picked up a thermos to pour himself some water. Seeing that Nian Fuli's tea was half gone, he took the pot over and refilled it for him.

Nian Fuli looked up at Chen Chuan. Seeming to remember something, he put down the newspaper and said, "Xiao Chuan, that matter has been dealt with. There are still some loose ends, but focus on your exam and don't ask too much. Whatever comes up, your Uncle will cover for you first."

Chen Chuan realized he meant the attack on him. "Thank you, Uncle."

Nian Fuli asked again, "How is it? Are you confident?"

"Mr. Yu is a good teacher. I've learned everything I should have learned, and I have Uncle to thank for that too."

Nian Fuli saw the confidence in his eyes. He gave a grunt and lifted his newspaper to cover his face as he continued reading, though the toe of his crossed leg began to bounce.

Chen Chuan smiled. Carrying his cup back to his room, he set it on the desk and pushed the window open a little. A light rain had fallen last night, and the air was still fresh. Birdsong drifted in from outside.

After standing there for a while, he turned and took down the book Great Exploration from the shelf. It was his favorite book, one he had been reading for a long time.

Great Exploration was set during the Third National Exploration Period sixty years ago. Back then, Yangzhi City had merely been a small county town. It had only gradually developed after becoming a logistics and transport hub for the exploration army.

But the book was not really about the army. Instead, it followed ordinary people from three exploration groups and described the strange stories they encountered on their journey. It was more like an eccentric chronicle and an adventure diary. Every place's customs and local character were described in great detail, and Chen Chuan found it endlessly fascinating.

Yangzhi City itself had all sorts of strange Urban Legends. Take the Skull-Cracking Demon, for instance. At every crime scene, the victims' skulls were split open, and supposedly their brains were gone.

Its style was rather grotesque, and the victims were all far from ordinary people, so the story had spread widely.

There were also tales of an entire village vanishing deep in Zhang Mountain, the Jiao Mountain Phantom, Human-Faced Kites, and more. He had privately asked Nian Fuli about them. Nian Fuli had scoffed, saying that the Patrol Bureau had investigated all those incidents. While some were indeed difficult to explain, most bore signs of human involvement.

He had also said that even if such sinister things existed, they were nothing before rifles and cannons.

In the living room, though it was not yet mealtime, the fragrance of chicken soup had already drifted out. The two younger cousins playing nearby caught the smell as well and immediately began clamoring.

"It smells so good."

"I want chicken! I want chicken!"

"That's for our older cousin, not you. You don't get any."

"I want some too, I want some too..."

"No means no!"

The two little ones gave Nian Fuli a headache. He put down his newspaper and called toward the kitchen, "Yu Wan, then stew another chicken."

"I want this one! I want this one..."

"This child never listens..." Yu Wan rushed out of the kitchen, grabbed Nian Mo by the ear, and gave his backside two quick swats. Nian Mo immediately began howling loudly.

Hearing the commotion from his room, Chen Chuan could not help smiling.

That day, the family ate together for both lunch and dinner.

Before dinner, Nian Fuli said to Chen Chuan, "Don't be too nervous tomorrow. The first time your Uncle went to the battlefield, I didn't even know what fear was."

Yu Wan said, "Your Uncle really isn't bragging. He was quite brave back then. It's just that after he came back, he kept saying that if one bullet had landed a little closer, there wouldn't have been a hole in his helmet—there would have been no one left to see."

Nian Fuli rubbed the stubble on his head and sighed. "Before I enlisted, I was alone and fed myself, with no family to worry about. I didn't need to think too much. After I started a family, I became more timid. I always feel that I was too reckless when I was young. But if you don't fight for it when you're young, you'll inevitably regret it when you're old."

He looked at Chen Chuan. "Kid, take the exam seriously. To put it bluntly, whether you'll be drinking and eating meat or living on bran and scraps depends entirely on tomorrow."

Chen Chuan smiled. "Uncle, Aunt, I'm confident."

"Good. Enough talk. Eat. Eat more, get full, and rest well. You'll have more energy tomorrow." With that, Nian Fuli picked up his chopsticks, and only then did the family begin eating.

After dinner, Chen Chuan took a walk outside. When he returned to his room, he placed the alarm clock on the desk. With a thought, Second Self instantly merged into his body, and he began silently counting.

When he finally opened his eyes and looked at the second hand, two minutes had passed. This was the result of his efforts during this stage.

In a true life-or-death fight, the outcome was usually decided in mere seconds, or perhaps a dozen at most. So if he only had to handle a one-on-one fight, that was already enough.

No matter what, over the past three months, he had done the best he possibly could. Now, all that remained was tomorrow's test.

He checked the things he needed to bring tomorrow once more, then relaxed and went back to reading. When the clock struck ten, he turned off the light and went to bed as usual, quickly falling into a deep sleep.

The night passed, and around five in the morning, he woke up full of energy. But Yu Wan had risen even earlier and had already prepared breakfast for him. She also told him not to be nervous.

Chen Chuan was not particularly nervous. That came from his confidence in his own strength.

The retest notice had not specified an exact exam time, only requiring candidates to arrive before eight. Still, to avoid rushing later, he decided to get to the school early.

After leaving home, he saw that the sky was a hazy blue-gray, with the sun only just rising. There were not many pedestrians on the road yet.

He rode all the way past Central Square and smoothly turned onto the main road leading to Wu Yi University. But he saw security personnel lining both sides of the road, all carrying short batons and daggers at their waists.

They should have been sent by Wu Yi University to maintain order. After all, so many students had gathered here, all young, hot-blooded candidates with martial ability. Without proper arrangements, trouble could easily arise.

After riding a little farther, he could already see the school gates. But barrier ropes had been set up in the open space before the entrance. A security guard standing at the street corner stepped out and waved at him, signaling him to park his bicycle in the designated area.

He swung down from the bike and pushed it toward an open space where several rows of bicycles were already parked. After parking it, he entered through the passage left in the barrier ropes.

Quite a few candidates who had arrived early were already waiting in line ahead. Every candidate's identity had to be checked one by one. Anyone without a student ID would not be allowed into the academy. Damaged, forgotten, or lost—none of it mattered. They would all be stopped outside, and no explanations would be accepted.

Two academy teachers and three assistant teachers guarded the gate, every one of them stern-faced. Together with the security personnel patrolling back and forth, the atmosphere was extremely tense.

This time, Chen Chuan still entered through the side gate. At the entrance, they checked his number and photo to confirm his identity, then inspected the items he carried. Other than food, drinking water, toilet paper, and towels for washing up, nothing else was permitted inside. Finally, he had to sign his name before being allowed into Wu Yi University.

As they queued to enter the gates, a sedan slowly drove over. A teacher proactively stepped forward and asked a few questions. The student inside did not get out, merely showing a student card, and was immediately allowed through.

None of the students entering through the side gate thought anything was wrong. Most instead looked on with envy and longing.

Just then, he heard several bird calls above him. Chen Chuan looked up and, beneath the clear sky brightened by the sunlight, saw several birds circling high overhead.

"Student, your student ID."

Chen Chuan came back to himself, thanked them, and took it. After putting it away safely, he tightened the shoulder bag on his back and stepped through the gates of Wu Yi University.