Selling

Song Chen had stayed outside the city these past few days, busy killing mutant beasts to improve his strength, but he had not forgotten about Zhao Wei.

Now that martial law had been lifted, Zhao Wei could go after his parents at any time if he wanted to. The chances were slim—after all, Zhao Wei and his grandfather were both Martial Artists, so they should not stoop to laying hands on two ordinary people—but what if?

What if Zhao Wei, petty as he was, held a grudge and caused trouble for his parents while Song Chen was away?

Song Chen clenched his fists. He could not afford to take chances. He absolutely could not let his parents face any risk.

He drew a deep breath, no longer caring about anything else, and turned toward the camp.

"Hey, Little Song, you're not heading out of the city today?" Old Wang called from behind him.

"I'm not. I have something to do."

He hurried back to his room and began packing. He had not dealt with the gains from the past few days, so now was the perfect time to settle them all at once.

A little over half an hour later, Song Chen arrived at the Martial Artist trading market outside the city, carrying an enormous backpack.

It was an open area near the city walls, specifically meant for Martial Artists to trade mutant beast materials and Crystal Cores.

Rows upon rows of makeshift stalls were packed full, displaying all kinds of mutant beast pelts, bones, fangs, and Crystal Cores in dazzling abundance. The air was thick with the smell of blood and spiritual energy.

Song Chen found a stall that specialized in purchasing goods and set his backpack on the ground.

The stall owner was a shrewd middle-aged man. When he saw the backpack, his eyes lit up. "Brother, selling goods?"

"Yeah." Song Chen opened the backpack.

"Clatter..."

A heap of items poured out, piling into a small mountain atop the stall.

The stall owner's eyes went wide. They were Crystal Cores from First Rank mutant beasts, densely packed, at least several hundred of them. There were also more than eighty Crystal Cores from Second Rank mutant beasts, along with all manner of precious materials taken from mutant beasts—Mutated Wolf fangs, Mutated Bear gallbladders, Mutated Fox pelts...

"Th-this is..." Even the stall owner's voice changed pitch.

"Count it up. Give me an honest price, and I'll sell." Song Chen said.

The stall owner swallowed and began counting.

Passersby nearby gathered around as well, staring at the mountain of materials and discussing it among themselves.

"So many Crystal Cores? Did one person kill all of them?"

"Bullshit, don't you see who that is? Sky Thunder Blade!"

"Sky Thunder Blade? The one who killed more than a thousand ranked mutant beasts alone?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Holy shit, I'm seeing the real person with my own eyes..."

The stall owner counted for a full half hour before finally raising his head. His expression was complicated as he looked at Song Chen as though he were a monster.

"Brother, all this of yours..."

"Just tell me the total."

The stall owner took a deep breath. "First Rank Crystal Cores, eight hundred and sixty-three in total. Second Rank Crystal Cores, eighty-seven. And all the other materials combined, approximately..."

He punched at a calculator for a long while. "The total comes to... twelve million. What do you think of that price?"

Song Chen's brow twitched. Twelve million—damn it, he had never seen that much money in his entire life.

The stall owner added, "Brother, with this much merchandise, I can't come up with that much cash at once. If you trust me, I can help you contact a major buyer. The price could be even higher."

Song Chen considered it. "How much higher?"

"At least twelve and a half million. A medicinal materials merchant has been urgently needing Crystal Cores to refine medicine lately, and he's willing to pay a premium. He'll definitely be interested in your goods."

Song Chen nodded. "Fine. Contact him."

The stall owner made several calls. Half an hour later, a finely dressed old man rushed over. The moment he saw the pile of Crystal Cores, his eyes gleamed. Without another word, he said, "I'll take it all. Thirteen million, cash transfer. Deal immediately."

Song Chen did not haggle. "Deal."

Five minutes later, his communicator received a bank transfer notification.

[Deposit received: 13,000,000 yuan]

Song Chen stared at the number in silence for several seconds. He thought of the cramped little room his parents lived in within the Poor District, his mother's face full of wrinkles, and his father's ruined arm. It was enough for them to live the rest of their lives without worry over food or clothing.

The stall owner handed him a large bag. "Brother, these are for you too. A personal gift from me—some supplements, Blood Vitality Pills, Yuan Nourishing Paste, that sort of thing. Give them to your family. Let's be friends."

Song Chen accepted the bag and nodded. "Thanks."

"Oh, right. Give me your account number, and I'll transfer you five hundred thousand. You went to the trouble this time too." He did not like owing favors.

The stall owner quickly waved his hands. "No, no need. That old man will give me a referral fee. Don't worry about me. Let me use this little bit of money to make friends with Sky Thunder Blade."

Song Chen suddenly understood why the stall owner had been so kind. So he had taken those people's words to heart. Song Chen was not one to stand on ceremony. "Then many thanks."

He immediately slung the backpack over his shoulders, turned, and left.

Song Chen passed through the crowd and headed toward the city gate.

Soldiers still guarded the gate, but the atmosphere was clearly much more relaxed. When several soldiers saw him, they even nodded at him.

After showing his Martial Artist Badge, he passed through the city gate without issue.

As he entered the city, he suddenly felt as though a lifetime had passed. The streets had returned to their usual bustle, shops were open as normal, floating cars came and went, and everything looked much the same as it had more than ten days ago.

But Song Chen knew that things were different. At the very least, he was different.

He took a deep breath and walked toward the Poor District.

Two hours later, he stood downstairs from his home.

Standing outside the door, he suddenly felt a little nervous. He had been outside the city all these days and had not called home once. His parents must have been terribly worried, right?

He took out his key and opened the door. A familiar aroma of cooking drifted from inside.

Li Xiuying's voice came from the kitchen. "Little Chen? Is that you? Are you back?"

Song Chen walked in and saw his mother busy in the kitchen, while his father sat on the sofa watching television. Everything was exactly as it had been more than ten days ago, yet his eyes suddenly stung.

"Mom, Dad, I'm back."

Li Xiuying poked her head out of the kitchen, looked at him, then froze. "You... why have you gotten thinner again? The special training your teacher gave you must have been hard."

She put down her spatula, hurried over, and looked him up and down.

Song Chen let her inspect him without saying a word.

Song Zhengye stood as well and looked at him. Father and son met each other's eyes for several seconds.

Song Zhengye's brow furrowed, then relaxed. "You got stronger again?"

Song Chen nodded.

"How much stronger?"

"Almost Second Rank."

Song Zhengye's pupils contracted slightly. Almost Second Rank at eighteen years old—what kind of concept was that? He was silent for several seconds, then suddenly smiled. "Good. Good. You found a good teacher. When you make it big in the future, you must repay this teacher."

Li Xiuying did not care about any of that. Knowing that her son had returned safely was enough for her. "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back... Hurry and wash your hands. Eat!"

Song Chen nodded. He placed the backpack on the floor, took out the large bag from inside, and handed it to Li Xiuying.

"Mom, this is for you."

Li Xiuying took the bag, opened it, and froze. Inside were bottles of Blood Vitality Pills, Yuan Nourishing Paste, and all sorts of supplements whose names she did not know, filling the entire bag.

"Th-these..."

"They're all for strengthening the body. You and Dad should take a little every day. It'll be good for you."

Li Xiuying's eyes reddened. "You child... Why spend money on this... Keep it for yourself..."

"I don't need them. My teacher is very generous."

Then he took out his phone, opened his bank balance, and handed it to his father.

Song Zhengye looked down, and his hand trembled. Thirteen million!

He raised his head and looked at Song Chen, his expression as complicated as a surging sea. "This is..."

"This is the reward my teacher gave me for this special training. Dad, let's move. Move out of the Poor District and buy a better home. You can use the rest of the money for retirement."

Song Zhengye fell silent. It was a long, long time before he finally spoke. "Son, you've grown up."

Song Chen looked into his father's eyes and suddenly smiled. "Dad, let's eat. The food's getting cold."

Li Xiuying wiped away tears beside them and nodded desperately. "Eat, eat..."

The family of three sat around the small dining table, eating their simple meal.