Worldly Affairs

"I don't want to stay here another second!"

Yang Fan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, calmed his heart, which was pounding like a drum, and looked at Zhao Rui.

"Me neither!"

The two hurriedly hopped on their bikes and rode to a hotel near the school, where they checked in right away.

They wouldn't go home just yet. Who knew whether that strange old man might do something extreme?

Of course, logically speaking, the chances were almost zero. If he wanted to kill Zhao Rui and Yang Fan, it would be as easy as lifting a finger. He wouldn't need to care whether it was broad daylight.

Even in broad daylight, no one would notice the covert attack he launched.

After settling into the hotel, Zhao Rui called his family and made up an excuse. Then he sat cross-legged, circulated his energy through his meridians, and checked whether anything felt wrong.

Though, well, he probably wouldn't find anything. Still, it was better than nothing—a little reassurance never hurt!

"Dad, I'm scared. What should I do?"

Meanwhile, Yang Fan had dissolved into tears on the phone, pleading with his father for help over a video call!

At a time like this, who cared about getting beaten? His life was what mattered.

Yang Fan's father had spent years in business, seen plenty of the world, and had dealings with people from the underworld.

After hearing his son out, he broke into a cold sweat and told the two boys not to go anywhere. Then he immediately drove over.

In less than fifteen minutes, Yang Fan's father, Yang Yutai, arrived with two bodyguards.

"Dad, I was wrong. You have to save me! I don't want to die!"

Yang Fan, a complete coward, had finally broken down. He clung to his father and burst into tears.

Snot and tears smeared half of Yang Yutai's shoulder.

"All right, it's not as bad as you think!"

Seeing his son act so spinelessly left Yang Yutai both exasperated and amused. He glanced at Zhao Rui, who had been sitting cross-legged and meditating, calm as could be when he walked in. He couldn't help muttering to himself, like father, like son. He had no one to blame but himself.

"Huh? Dad, what do you mean?"

Yang Fan froze, wiped his nose with his sleeve, and asked excitedly.

"When immortals fight, little people like you two have nothing to do with it. Let this end here. Don't go running your mouths for no reason!"

"Huh? Oh! Dad, I won't say a word, I won't! That's great! I love you, Dad!"

Yang Fan was so excited that he threw his arms around Yang Yutai in a bear hug.

Yang Fan was his biological son, but he took after his mother. Yang Yutai himself was a small, slender man.

Now that his son had him in a tight embrace, his face turned red and black.

"Uncle Yang, I'm sorry," Zhao Rui said awkwardly after Yang Fan had calmed down.

Yang Fan had suggested going to the entertainment venue to pick up girls, but Zhao Rui had gone along with him. Worse, he hadn't done what a friend should and tried to talk him out of it.

So Zhao Rui's apology was entirely sincere. He had simply underestimated how rampant violence was in this world.

He had spent so much time lately hanging around school and the martial arts academy that he had lost his sense of caution.

"That's not necessary. You're both adults now. Some things happen naturally; trying to block them is worse than teaching you how to handle them. We parents understand that you're more mature than Xiaofan. Give him some advice from time to time."

"Yes, Uncle Yang. I will."

Zhao Rui had wanted to say something else, but in the end, that was all he could say.

"All right. You're laughing one moment and crying the next. Go home and wait for your punishment!"

Yang Yutai looked at his son, who was already grinning, and spoke gruffly.

"I don't care if I get punished! Haha!"

Yang Fan might not be good at martial arts, but he had trained for years and had a body tempered by hard training. A little punishment was nothing to worry about.

"Come on. Let's get something to eat first!"

After speaking, Yang Yutai took Yang Fan and Zhao Rui to a nearby upscale restaurant, where they enjoyed a good meal.

It was meant to calm the two young men down, so they wouldn't be left with any psychological scars from the incident.

That might affect their chances of finding girlfriends later!

After the meal, Zhao Rui declined Yang Yutai's offer to drive him home and took a taxi back.

Zhao Jincheng and his wife, who hadn't expected their son to come home, were surprised to see him. But Zhao Rui made up an excuse and managed to get past them.

"Mom, Dad, I'm a little tired. I'm going to rest in my room."

Zhao Rui took a sip of water, then went straight to his room.

What had happened today had hit him hard. The vanity and arrogance that had built up during his Gaokao preparations crumbled in an instant.

The world was far more dangerous than he'd realized. Even with his system panel to help him, he was still a weakling in other people's eyes until he grew stronger.

Zhao Rui couldn't help feeling a lingering fear.

If this hadn't happened, who knew how conceited he might have become?

Martial artists trained both their bodies and their minds!

Zhao Rui took a deep breath and began meditating on the Ethereal Divine Skill.

As Zhao Rui's signature internal cultivation method, the Ethereal Divine Skill was actually rather average at improving his Internal Energy.

It might have had an impressive name, but his unreliable master had just pulled it out of his ass.

It wasn't a divine skill at all.

This method wasn't something you could find on every street corner, but neither was it an unparalleled technique.

It had been more than enough for Zhao Rui in the past. But now that he had a system panel and higher standards, naturally he craved a more profound internal cultivation method.

Unfortunately, such things were found by chance, not sought. Unless someone had powerful connections and heaven-defying luck, an ordinary person had no way to learn one of these top-tier methods.

Martial arts techniques might be common as dirt, but internal cultivation methods certainly weren't.

There was no point reaching for the stars!

Zhao Rui quieted his mind and continued cultivating with meticulous focus.

A little after eleven that night, Zhao Rui finished his session and had just spent a while watching short videos on his phone when Yang Fan called.

"The news is out, and it's explosive! Check out Lincheng Today."

At Yang Fan's words, Zhao Rui opened a browser and searched.

Sure enough, he found a prominent news report: "In order to crack down on criminal activity, our city's Patrol House has recently launched its Summer Storm special operation... According to reports, Carefree Pavilion and several other entertainment venues have received notices ordering them to suspend operations for rectification..."

Looking at the news, Zhao Rui couldn't help shaking his head. It seemed nowhere was free of the struggle between the underworld and the authorities. He just didn't know what role Fiery Cloud Evil God had played in all this.

"I've seen it. Since it has nothing to do with us, get some sleep."

"Ah, there's nothing else to say. Once things cool down, I'll take you there again."

"You really never give up on chasing girls!"

"Haha, of course not. My dad doesn't mind!"

The two chatted for a bit, then hung up.

The next day!

Zhao Rui went to Wende Martial Way as usual.

After what had happened the day before, Zhao Rui was more eager than ever to improve his strength.

Today, he sparred not only with the paying students but also with the coaches during his breaks.

He was all about making every minute count.

A year of training only built up so much power. Sparring with others was much faster.

The coach's martial arts were nothing special—just the ordinary Chaotic Wind Saber Technique.

His advantage lay in his mastery. Years of training had given him abundant Internal Energy, earning him the position of assistant coach.

He still couldn't compare with some of the talented students.

But Zhao Rui didn't care about that. Whether it was a black cat or a white cat, if it caught mice, it was a good cat.