Zhang Daosheng Let Loose

"Congratulations! You have received one bottle of air from the Naruto World."

Ye Chen: ...

System: ...

"You're cheating!" Ye Chen grabbed a spirit stone beside him and hurled it at the floor.

He hadn't even looked at what he was grabbing...

"I gave you a chance to draw. I never said what you'd get."

"Then just tell me. What can I get from this thing?" Ye Chen was dejected. As the system had said, it had never told him what he could draw.

"Why don't you try a ten-draw and find out?"

A vein bulged on Ye Chen's forehead as he clenched his fists. "Don't push me, system. Push me again and I'll kill myself!"

"Understood. Unbinding now. Goodbye."

"You're ruthless... You win..." Ye Chen collapsed in defeat.

All the energy seemed to drain out of him...

He looked at the draw button on the system interface and gently tapped the ten-draw option.

Then he stared blankly at the screen.

"Congratulations! You have received air from the Naruto World ×9."

Ye Chen froze, then brightened. Only nine?

That meant the last one had to be something good!

"Congratulations! You have received expired milk from Naruto Uzumaki's refrigerator."

In another world, someone opened a refrigerator. "Huh?! Where's my milk?!"

Ye Chen grabbed the milk that appeared before him and slammed it into the floor too.

"What a scam!!! If I ever draw again, I'm your son!!!"

The system fell silent... Maybe it had gone a little too far...

Ye Chen was furious. He stared at the ten bottles of air on the table...

He opened them all, hoping they might have some other use...

They didn't do a damn thing!

Ye Chen gave up. He never should have expected much from a so-called prize draw...

Gamblers had been losing everything since time immemorial.

Maybe points would have some other use?

With that thought, Ye Chen picked up a spirit stone and began his training for the night.

By then, Bai Zhan and Zhang Daosheng were already standing outside his door.

Bang! The deafening crash nearly made Ye Chen jump out of his skin.

"Holy shit! Did my front door just explode in broad daylight?!"

Ye Chen leaped off the sofa.

Two figures walked in, both glaring at him like they wanted to kill him.

Ye Chen was dumbfounded.

"Old Zhang, why'd you kick down my door? And who's this? You're paying for that door! Wait, why are you filthy from head to toe?"

The moment Ye Chen saw Zhang Daosheng, the questions came pouring out.

Bai Zhan's eye kept twitching. What was wrong with this kid?

Zhang Daosheng's face darkened. His anger boiled over, and he roared at Ye Chen.

"You've got the nerve to ask? Who told you to leave the city? You're support-type! What if you'd died out there? Did you think the Lianhai Mountains were somewhere you could just wander into? Good thing that dragon let you come back! Otherwise, what would've happened to all the hopes I placed in you?!"

Zhang Daosheng was genuinely furious. His voice thundered through the room.

Ye Chen stood there stunned.

How does he know I left the city? That I went to the Lianhai Mountains? He even knows about the Wood Dragon?

Zhang Daosheng only got angrier as he spoke. "Damn it, I told you to practice escaping! Not to practice getting yourself killed! For fuck's sake!"

Ye Chen watched him rage and couldn't help laughing.

Warmth spread through his chest. The old man had been worried sick.

"But I'm fine, aren't I?"

"Fine, my ass! What if you hadn't been?!" Zhang Daosheng pointed at him and let loose.

"All right, all right. Calm down. I was wrong, okay?" Ye Chen couldn't muster the slightest resentment, no matter how fiercely Zhang Daosheng scolded him.

It seemed that since his parents had left, no one had ever chewed him out because they cared about him.

He could get used to that feeling.

After half an hour of scolding, Zhang Daosheng dropped onto the sofa in a huff.

Grinning, Ye Chen took a bottled drink from the refrigerator and handed it to him.

"Throat sore, Old Zhang? You're getting old. Try not to get so worked up, all right? Here, have some water~"

Bai Zhan had watched Zhang Daosheng scold him for the entire half hour.

Teacher's talent for cursing people out is as... impressive as ever.

At Ye Chen's words, Zhang Daosheng nearly started up again.

Before he could, Bai Zhan hurriedly stopped him.

"Teacher... It's been half an hour. Let it go and catch your breath."

Zhang Daosheng glanced up at Bai Zhan, gave an annoyed snort, and turned his head away without another word.

Bai Zhan knew his teacher was saving face for him—and taking the chance to back down.

"Hello, junior. I'm Bai Zhan." Bai Zhan held out his right hand with a friendly smile.

Ye Chen blinked and shook it.

"Hello, Senior Bai."

Bai Zhan laughed. "When you ran off to the Lianhai Mountains, Teacher and I searched the whole range for you. We were one step away from challenging the Lion King."

Ye Chen glanced at Bai Zhan in embarrassment, then turned to Zhang Daosheng apologetically. "Sorry, Old Zhang. I won't do it again..."

"Again?!" Zhang Daosheng flared up.

"No, no, there won't be an again..." Ye Chen hastily waved his hands.

"How's your training going?"

"I'm almost at the Fifth Realm..."

"Mm, then you're... What?!" Zhang Daosheng stared at him. "Wait. What did you say?!"

"Almost at the Fifth Realm." Ye Chen repeated himself with a squinting smile.

Bai Zhan was stunned too. Four days, and he was almost at the Fifth Realm?

Zhang Daosheng's anger vanished at once. He glanced at the front door he had kicked to pieces.

He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and tossed them to Ye Chen.

"Move into the school. The villa behind the campus is empty. It's yours."

Zhang Daosheng gave Ye Chen another glance, stood up, and turned to leave.

Without looking back, he said, "I'll have someone bring you three meals a day. Just focus on your training."

Bai Zhan and Ye Chen watched him go, both moved.

"That's how Teacher is. His words are harsh, but his heart's soft. He looks after everyone. Though I never got treatment like this." Bai Zhan patted Ye Chen lightly on the shoulder.

"I know." Ye Chen looked at the keys in his hand and murmured, "It's been years... since anyone cared about me."

He said it as though it meant nothing, but Bai Zhan went still.

There was so much pain behind those words.

"Well, since Teacher's gone, I should head back too. Here's my contact information. If you need anything, come to me, got it?" Bai Zhan handed Ye Chen a black card.

It bore only two large white characters and a string of numbers.

Bai Zhan. A white name on a black card.

Ye Chen accepted it without ceremony. He had also caught the change in how Bai Zhan addressed him.

Before, Bai Zhan had called himself his senior at school. Now he was calling himself his senior brother...

Clearly, Ye Chen had risen in Bai Zhan's estimation.

Ye Chen smiled. "Got it, Senior Brother."

Firmament Academy. I'm looking forward to it more and more.

Hearing Ye Chen's ready answer, Bai Zhan waved.

He walked to the window, pulled it open with one hand, and leaped out.

Ye Chen stared after him...

Old Zhang had given him a new place to live, but did they really have to wreck this one?

Could neither of them leave without breaking something?

I miss Old Li. At least when he visits, my home stays in one piece.

Far away at Firmament Academy, Li Mo suddenly sneezed.

"Which beauty is thinking about me?"