"Always be on your guard against people with ill intentions. They're more terrifying than monsters."
"Thank you. I'll remember that."
"Good. Now come with me."
"Come with you?" Shen Ye asked in confusion. "Isn't another murderer about to come out of the spellcraft?"
"This place is about to be locked down. More specialized people will come to deal with him. We have to leave immediately," Qian Rushan said.
Shen Ye could only follow him downstairs. They hurried out of the Police Station, crossed two streets, and were picked up by a black car already waiting by the roadside.
Inside the car.
"Where are we going now?" Shen Ye asked.
"I just contacted your parents and arranged a place to meet. You might as well come along," Qian Rushan said.
He opened a bottle of hard liquor and took a swig straight from it.
"Why didn't you stay and settle everything at the Police Station in one go?" Shen Ye asked.
"Me? No, no, no. Kunlun's assignment for me was to kill one and get you out safely. More specialized people will handle the rest," Qian Rushan said.
"Judging by the power of that slash of yours, killing another one didn't seem difficult," Shen Ye said.
"Never think that way." Qian Rushan took another drink. "Who knows what he'll bring out of the Church's 'anomaly'-"
"Right, you know what an 'anomaly' is, don't you?"
"No." Shen Ye shook his head.
-Right now, he was just an ordinary middle school student. If corpses couldn't talk, he really wouldn't know what an "anomaly" was.
Qian Rushan explained "anomalies" and "Calamities" again, then continued:
"I remember one fellow who looked perfectly normal when he came out of an 'anomaly,' but he was actually nothing more than a human skin."
"Inside that skin hid a monster that had never been recorded before."
"The monster slaughtered more than half a city district before its weakness was found and it was killed on the spot."
"So I'd rather take jobs killing people than have anything to do with the Church's 'anomalies.'"
"-Everyone feels the same way."
As he spoke, Qian Rushan suddenly opened his phone and dialed a number.
"Luo Feichuan... surname Luo. I just thought of someone. Look into her for me."
"Her name is Xiao Mengyu. Check her relationship with Luo Feichuan."
Whatever the person on the other end said made Qian Rushan sit bolt upright.
"Ah, this is really bad."
He muttered under his breath.
Seeing that he was in low spirits, Shen Ye simply listened quietly without asking any more questions.
Twenty minutes later.
The car stopped outside a teahouse.
"I picked a new location," Qian Rushan said. "Half a city district away from the Police Station-that's a safe distance. Generally speaking, there'll be enough time to escape."
Shen Ye sighed. "I never knew how hard it was for humanity to survive."
"Knowing that life is hard means you've grown up." Qian Rushan patted his shoulder.
"Ordinary people don't know this?" Shen Ye asked.
"Usually, when ordinary people encounter the Church's spellcraft, they die before they even notice anything, while we have to struggle desperately for the survival of human civilization," Qian Rushan said.
Even from a distance, Shen Ye could already see his father, Shen Shi'an, and his mother, Zhao Xiaoshang, waiting outside the teahouse.
"Dad, Mom!"
He got out and waved to them.
His mother glowed, and his father wore a gratified smile as they both looked at him.
Qian Rushan also got out and walked up with a smile to shake hands.
After exchanging pleasantries, they entered the teahouse, found a private room, and sat down, still chatting.
"I've already explained the situation to you both over the phone. Here's the detailed contract. Please take a look."
Qian Rushan was all smiles, showing no sign that he had just killed someone.
Shen Shi'an set the contract Qian Rushan handed him on the table without so much as glancing at it, then said:
"At this point, there's something Shen Ye must know. He needs to make a choice before we examine this contract in detail."
Qian Rushan seemed to know what he was about to say and nodded repeatedly. "Of course. I'll step out for a cigarette. Just call me back when you're ready."
He rose, left the private room, and politely closed the door.
Shen Ye turned to look at his parents.
What are you talking about?
"Ye, we won't keep this from you. Your father actually comes from a branch of the Three Jin Shen Family. Strictly speaking, you're also a descendant of an aristocratic family," Zhao Xiaoshang said.
The Three Jin Shen Family?
The name sounded familiar to Shen Ye, and he immediately began recalling the history he had studied.
His history textbook seemed to have mentioned them briefly.
The Three Jin Shen Family was one of several families in history that possessed divine legacies and Divine Artifacts.
But the middle school textbooks hadn't gone into detail. That knowledge would only be taught in high school.
"Your father was once an extraordinary genius, someone everyone flocked around. Unfortunately, he suffered cultivation deviation while practicing an Ancient Cultivation Method and lost all his strength. The family immediately began treating him coldly."
Zhao Xiaoshang choked up a little and continued:
"Disheartened, he left the family and came to this city to live alone."
"He met me."
"Your grandfather arranged a marriage alliance for him, but he refused for my sake. That angered your grandfather, and the family abandoned him completely."
Shen Ye looked at his father.
-You had that kind of melodramatic love story?
Looking perfectly at ease, Shen Shi'an gently stroked his wife's hand and picked up the story:
"And that's how we came to live peaceful, contented lives, with a child who grew up healthy."
The couple looked at each other and smiled warmly together.
Shen Ye felt as if his parents had shoved their lovey-dovey display down his throat.
No wonder Qian Rushan had found an excuse to leave.
He must have investigated Shen Ye's family background. He had left now to give the family a chance to talk.
Perhaps he had also gotten an eyeful of their affection during his investigation.
"Dad, Mom, aside from showing off how much you love each other, is there anything else you want to tell me?" Shen Ye said irritably.
Shen Shi'an grew serious and said:
"Ye, do you want to return to your ancestral family and cultivate there?"
"I can go beg your grandfather."
Shen Ye carefully thought back.
Over all these years, his family had visited his grandfather very few times.
And in his childhood memories, the only happy moments were the brief times he had spent playing with the other families' children during New Year visits.
Thinking back now, his grandfather had never treated his parents kindly whenever they returned.
The other relatives had all been cold toward him too.
As he grew older, they had practically stopped going back.
In his previous life, he had seen more than enough hardship and coldness, living alone all his life until now. All he wanted was genuine familial affection.
-Why would I go back to a cold-blooded family like that?
"Ye, don't worry about us," Zhao Xiaoshang said. "If you want to return to the aristocratic family, we can actually-"
"Mom, there's no need to say any more." Shen Ye cut her off directly. "I'm not going back."
"An aristocratic family's legacy is something countless people can only dream of reaching. Ye, if you join the Human Martial Arts Group, you'll never have access to the family's secret legacy again," Shen Shi'an said.
"Once your grandfather agrees, you can return to the Shen Family and at least never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of your life," Zhao Xiaoshang added.
Shen Ye smiled. "Dad, Mom, I don't want you to beg anyone."
"I'm joining the Human Martial Arts Group. This is the path I chose myself. It has nothing to do with Grandfather or the Shen Family."
"I'll be able to support myself in the future. Trust me."
His parents both looked at him.
He nodded firmly.
"You really have grown up," Zhao Xiaoshang said, wiping away tears.
"Good. You take after me," Shen Shi'an said with gratification.
"You agree?" Shen Ye asked.
"We respect your wishes. After all, this is your life. Your choice matters most," Zhao Xiaoshang said.
"Then I'll go call Supervisor Qian back."
"All right."
A short while later.
Qian Rushan returned to the private room and sat beside Shen Ye.
"Mr. Qian, I'll be working under you from now on."
Shen Ye spoke.
Qian Rushan's face immediately lit up with smiles. He took a gold pen from inside his jacket and said:
"To tell you the truth, regional heads like us are also responsible for selecting talent. It's one of the performance measures the group values most."
"Shen Ye's talent is outstanding. I have high hopes for him."
He presented the gold pen to Shen Shi'an.
Shen Shi'an read the contract once, then again, before slowly signing his name and pushing it toward Zhao Xiaoshang.
Zhao Xiaoshang took out a pair of glasses, put them on, and read the contract word by word.
"He still has to take part in the Three Prestigious Schools' selection process?" she asked.
"Yes. This is an extremely valuable opportunity. He's just in time for the Three Prestigious Schools' entrance exams," Qian Rushan said.
"When?" Zhao Xiaoshang couldn't help asking.
Qian Rushan smiled and explained:
"In fact, Shen Ye was the very last participant I fished out of the vast sea of people before the deadline."
"The other candidates were all decided long ago."
"A notice will arrive in a few days. Then he'll go to the assembly point and take the exams."
Zhao Xiaoshang grew a little excited.
Those were the three best high schools in the entire world!
Feigning a casual air, she said to Shen Ye:
"It's all right, Ye. Just do your best. The result doesn't matter."
Shen Shi'an's expression, however, grew increasingly complicated. Only after hesitating for a long time did he speak:
"Ye, there's something I must tell you."
"What is it?" Shen Ye asked.
"If you take the exams as a child of an aristocratic family, you can get better resources and assistance. Your chances of getting into those three high schools will be higher. If you want to go back, we can swallow our pride and beg your grandfather-"
"Dad, there's no need to say any more. I'll take the exams on my own," Shen Ye said firmly.
I finally got another life. No amount of money can buy my happiness, and now you want me to put up with other people's moods again?
No way.
Even if I skipped the exams and sold fish at the market, I'd be far freer and happier!
-Provided I deal with the people hunting me down.
"All right." Shen Shi'an sighed, then looked at Qian Rushan and said sincerely, "These exams will probably be quite difficult. Please take good care of our boy, Mr. Qian."
"Of course!" Qian Rushan said repeatedly. "Right now, I'm looking after Shen Ye. In a few years, he might be the one looking after me."
He burst into hearty laughter.
Fifteen years old.
Strength above 5, full marks in agility, and very strong mental power too.
His background was clean, and all his circumstances had been thoroughly investigated.
In fact, the boy didn't need to sign this contract. All he had to do was return to the Shen Family, and he might have everything.
But this family had pride, which was why they lived in straitened circumstances.
By extending an olive branch and befriending him at a time like this, Qian Rushan would lose nothing, whatever happened later.
Even taking a step back and setting aside the boy's background, successfully recruiting a young genius like him alone was enough to add a bright spot to Qian Rushan's performance this year.
If Shen Ye shone even more brilliantly as he grew-
As the one who had recommended him, Qian Rushan would rise along with him.