Chapter 96

Early the next morning, cultivators from the City Defense Department arrived one after another to tally the casualties and losses at the stronghold. Those who needed treatment were treated, and what needed rebuilding was rebuilt.

Just as they had guessed before, the person who had first gone to Sand City to deliver the letter had never managed to send it out at all.

In other words, if they had stupidly waited for reinforcements last night, they basically would have waited until they were wiped out and still never seen anyone arrive.

It was only after the battle ended that someone went to deliver another message and finally called over the City Defense Department’s people. Of course, the commotion later last night had been huge enough that someone might still have seen it and reported it. Sooner or later, someone would have come.

Song Yi was currently engaged in a pleasant division of stolen goods with the shopkeeper. Ah, no. The high-EQ way to put it should be: dividing up the spoils of war.

Some people jokingly said they were taking hush money, but in reality, they were too embarrassed to take any, especially when the shopkeeper pitifully sold his misery. “You saw it too. Running a business out here isn’t easy… This is all life-risking money…”

But one should never place too much hope in Song Yi’s moral standards.

Since she had the nerve to ask, she naturally had the nerve to take it. “Then what you’re paying now is life-buying money. You can’t buy a loss, and you can’t buy getting scammed.”

The black-hearted shopkeeper sighed gloomily. He had discovered one of Song Yi’s traits:

When facing good people, she would work hard to play the role of an obedient child. Though sometimes she did not perform it very successfully, at least she tried.

But when facing someone like him, she seemed a little unrestrained. She did not consider his feelings at all! If she could scam him even a little, she would scam him!

Song Yi asked with absolutely no self-awareness, “What are you sighing about?”

“I just suddenly want to be a good person.”

Evil amplified evil, and goodness amplified goodness. So it was true after all.

This was also a truth he had learned from this little kid.

It was just that the child had no sense of romance. Instead, she looked at him warily. “Even if you say that now, I won’t return my share to you.”

Sigh. The shopkeeper sighed again. He still preferred simple little cubs who were easy to trick.

Song Yi had only just finished muttering with the shopkeeper when Chu Wen patted her shoulder. His tone was complicated, and his voice carried the tiniest bit of grievance as he asked, “Why are you here? First grade shouldn’t have any practical courses outside the Human Realm yet, right?”

Song Yi froze. Right. What had she originally come out here for again?

She had not wanted to make herself famous. She had wanted to create a mysterious big shot who did not exist to cover for her.

But now things had already gone completely against her original purpose. First there was Song Yi, sword Dao genius, and then another mysterious sword Dao big shot. It would be very easy for people to connect the two.

And even though she looked lively and recovered quickly right now, that kind of overdrawn state from last night still left some aftereffects. In the short term, she would not be able to unleash such a powerful move. Not to mention that she had even lost her support tool now, the modified spirit-energy cannon.

If Chu Wen had not brought it up, she would almost have forgotten.

Song Yi’s cheeks puffed up. Damn it. Her original goal had not been achieved, and she had indirectly given the teacher free advertising. She did not dare go to Old Yuan to collect an advertising fee, either. The more she thought about it, the more of a loss it felt.

But thinking about it again, it was not as if she had gained nothing at all. Most of the people in this settlement had survived. Song Yi’s cheeks returned to normal again.

The little kid’s ever-changing expressions were very fun to watch.

Chu Wen held back his restless hand that wanted to poke her cheek, and then he heard Song Yi ask, “What about you? Why are you here?”

Chu Wen coughed dryly. “I also need to undergo tempering.”

Li Wenwen popped out from who knew where and bluntly exposed him. “That’s not it, Little Yi. He almost blew up the school teaching building, so his dad sent him to the border city to ‘settle’ for a bit. He has to come out for volunteer duty every weekend.”

In simple terms, he had caused trouble and been sent out to do hard labor.

One thing Father Chu probably regretted more than anything was letting Chu Wen hang around with Song Yi and the others.

His original intention had been to broaden Chu Wen’s horizons so that he would not be restricted by elite education. He wanted him to come into contact with more different kinds of people and develop more diversified thinking.

The effect had indeed been pretty good. Chu Wen had corrected some flaws like arrogance, but he had gained more other flaws. He had more strange ideas, developed a habit of scamming people…

Once, he had subconsciously dragged a classmate in as a scapegoat. After discovering that the other party had silently let himself be scammed, Chu Wen finally came back to his senses. “Sorry. I’m used to it.”

His classmates were different from Song Yi and the others. When he scammed them, his conscience still hurt.

Chu Wen’s classmate: …Excuse me? Is this the sort of thing one can get used to?

They felt that Young Master Chu had become strange. He had become more grounded, but in a way that made people feel a little creeped out.

It was a little hard to tell whether that was good or bad.

In any case, after that, the number of times Chu Wen caused trouble increased visibly.

And so he was thrown out by his dad. Since you’re so capable, go blow up ghosts instead.

Of course Chu Wen would not spread that sort of thing everywhere, but Li Wenwen was good at digging up gossip like this. She laughed loudly. “Little Yi, when we cause trouble, we keep it low-key. He doesn’t know how to cover it up, so that’s why he ended up so miserable.”

In Li Wenwen’s words, his cultivation was not up to standard.

“Need me to teach you a couple more moves?”

Chu Wen took out his notes. “Go on.”

After he finished taking notes, he coughed dryly and tried to save some dignity for himself. “Otherwise, this is punishment, but I also came voluntarily.”

He straightened his back. “A genius should prove himself through merit.”

“Huh? Then what merit have you earned? I heard Little Yi can get a silver medal. Maybe I can even appear in the textbook with Little Yi, hehe,” Li Wenwen said, stabbing him straight in the heart.

She had already asked around about all these things earlier. Asking about Chu Wen’s situation had only been something she did along the way.

Song Yi’s contribution was beyond doubt. As for Li Wenwen and the others possibly getting into the textbook, it was because they had worn demon beast skins to seek help and had united all the nearby demon beasts.

That point had also been key to the battle lasting until the end.

This might not have been the most unique battle, but flexible and varied tactical thinking would always have value as reference.

Li Wenwen was very happy. Although her life goal was to freeload food and wait for death, feeling the joy of surviving a disaster and realizing her own value made her feel like she was simply awesome beyond belief. She had the bearing of a legendary “protagonist.”

She decided that once she went back, she had to brag to her dad and mom. If you two don’t work a little harder, I’m going to surpass you.

She very likely was about to achieve something that even her parents had never accomplished.

In that case, she would become the head of the family… Myehahaha. Once she grasped the family’s financial power and domestic sovereignty, she would send her parents off to some place like a “reeducation academy” to be remade from scratch.

Since she had been cruelly thrown into school to study, it was only right to let them taste the same thing.

Li Wenwen happily imagined her future.

But after hearing Li Wenwen say this, Chu Wen’s newly straightened back bent again. The problem lay right here. Before he had even had time to display his genius, Song Yi was already about to receive a silver medal. Even Li Wenwen and the others were on pace to leave him behind.

He had acknowledged Song Yi and the others, but he also had his own pride. He believed his brilliance would not be overshadowed by anyone.

When he said he had come here voluntarily, that was also true. He wanted to prove that he had not grown older for nothing. For example, killing ghosts on the front line was something Song Yi and the others could not do, right? He would wait until he had earned merit, then go back and brag to them…

Splat. The beautiful dream woke up.

They had taken his script, while he was currently still a nobody.

This was why Chu Wen’s voice had sounded so resentful just now. Couldn’t you lower-grade little kids just develop safely for a while first? At least give me a chance to show off!

Song Yi said calmly, “A silver medal is okay. But as for being in the textbook, there’s nothing special about that. You get used to it.”

Chu Wen considered himself someone rather capable of showing off, but Song Yi’s bragging…

“How is being in the textbook nothing special? That’s clearly an achievement no less than a silver medal! You make it sound like you’ve already been in it a bunch of times.”

“Heh heh.” Song Yi and Li Wenwen both revealed the same mysterious, unfathomable smile.

Although she had not appeared under her own name, she had indeed appeared quite a lot.

And Li Wenwen had “manipulated” the relic site together with her. She did not think Little Yi was the ancient great power Song Yi, but she knew there were definitely some reflections inside the relic site that Little Yi had snuck in herself. That was roughly equivalent to them manipulating the textbook.

It was just that the fewer people knew about this sort of thing, the better. Better not say it out loud and stimulate Chu Wen’s little heart.

Chu Wen: ?

He did not understand what they were smiling about, but he vaguely felt like he had been excluded.

Li Wenwen comforted him thoughtlessly. “Don’t be sad. The demon beast skins you made all got on camera, so that’s equal to half of you getting on camera. Next time, make more good stuff like this. Your chances to steal the spotlight will be greatly increased.”

Chu Wen: …

Li Wenwen was right. As the details of the battle spread, those demon beast skins of his might very well become popular.

Chu Wen had extremely complicated feelings about this.

He had participated in so many projects and had even led the creation of something like the simulated artifact spirit. Chu Wen had always believed he would become a legendary artifact-refining master. But never in a million years had he expected that the first work of his to make a contribution would be this thing.

It had been customized according to Song Yi and the others’ requirements, but from the professional perspective of an artifact refiner, there were too many points to criticize, so many that he did not even know where to start.

As a normal person, why would you insist on “packaging” yourself as a demon beast?

If he had not considered Song Yi and the others his friends, he would never have bothered making something like this.

So it turned out he had been the one narrowing his own road. Put something bizarre in the right place, and it could still produce an effect beyond your imagination.

Li Wenwen chuckled. “You just haven’t grasped the essence. It’s not about using the right tool. It’s about following the right person. Follow Little Yi, and even without opportunities, you can create opportunities.”

She bobbed her head. “The most ordinary geniuses do things.” Then she pointed at herself. “The highest-level geniuses learn how to judge people. Young man, your realm needs improvement.”

Li Wenwen spoke as if it were all very serious, making Chu Wen somewhat doubtful. Was that how it worked? Could she be the kind of genius who cultivated fate studies? People who cultivated that path really did often appear perfectly ordinary, only to astonish everyone with a single brilliant feat.

He did not even have time to quibble over the detail that she was several years younger than him yet called him “young man.”

In the end, Song Yi could not bear it. Seeing that he was about to be fooled into limping, she said, “Ahem. Then shall we talk about the creative fee and advertising fee for this skin project?”

Before this, Chu Wen had made the thing but had never thought of letting Wanqi Sect mass-produce it, because under normal circumstances, no one would buy it.

But after this battle, was there still any need to worry about whether it would sell? What a joke.

When it came to this sort of thing, Chu Wen was still very generous. With a wave of his hand, he said, “Anything is fine. After all, the main ones who contributed were all of you.”

Song Yi, who had just finished dealing with the black-hearted shopkeeper, was extremely moved. Her thoughts synchronized with the shopkeeper’s. Sure enough, dealing with the foolish son of a landlord was happier.

Chu Wen did not care about this bit of small money. Mainly because it would not come out of his own pocket; scamming his dad was not difficult. What echoed through his mind was what Li Wenwen had just said. He glanced at those adults, then turned back and asked Song Yi and the others, “Do you want to join my squad?”

“You should have seen the current situation. I heard that other continents and other border cities are also seeing ghosts run rampant. The City Defense Department will send its main force to carry out purges, but the area outside the Human Realm is too large. They alone won’t be enough, so they’ll also recruit externally and let more volunteer cultivators join.”

He happened to be in the border city’s City Defense Department, so he was better informed than others. But these things would probably be gradually announced to the public before long.

Song Yi spread her hands. “Did you forget our age? It was only because Teacher Yuan made an exception and brought us that we were able to come.”

“Because there’s a big demand for manpower, a lot of requirements will be loosened. Many upper-grade students might form teams and come. There will definitely be an assessment then, but it shouldn’t be hard for you. Add in the fact that you really did make contributions, and if you join a reliable squad, it’ll be settled.”

“A reliable squad? You?” Song Yi’s tone was full of suspicion.

This time, Chu Wen could not accept it. “What’s the problem? My reputation, character, strength, and so on, which part isn’t reliable?”

Every part was unreliable. But Song Yi and Li Wenwen looked at each other and had similar thoughts. Unreliable was good. That way, no one would be able to control them!

“We want to join! As long as you can help us convince our teacher.”

Teacher Yuan had also heard about the recruited squads from the City Defense Department’s people.

Today, Wang Yisheng and the others’ field study could only be temporarily canceled, in case they ran into a second wave and got trapped.

According to the estimate, they could continue their field study content next weekend. The City Defense Department suggested that they do so in the format of a recruited squad.

Because by then, the City Defense Department’s main force would have roughly swept through the dangers. The squads following behind would be relatively safe, fitting the model of trial and learning.

It was not just Wang Yisheng’s class. The related arrangements of many schools and many students would all be adjusted. The City Defense Department would also encourage school clubs to organize weekend participation in the recruitment.

When Chu Wen came to find Teacher Yuan and tried to persuade him to let Song Yi and the others join his squad, Teacher Yuan considered it for a long time, but still agreed in the end.

He knew that with Song Yi and the others’ personalities, once they learned about the situation outside, they definitely would not be able to sit still.

In Song Yi’s mind, Chu Wen’s image was not very reliable, but in many people’s minds, he was still reliable. Teacher Yuan, for example.

Although the two sides had once had unpleasantness between them, they had already let go of their grudges.

Song Yi and the others liked taking unorthodox paths, but a “genius” like Chu Wen, who had received a proper, rigid education, would have much more normal methods. He happened to complement Song Yi and the others.

It was true that a genius like Chu Wen, who had not suffered the beatings of society, would have a certain arrogance that made him difficult to get along with. But from another perspective, people who had not been worn down by society were purer and more upright. Song Yi and the others’ safety would be more guaranteed.

“Great!” Chu Wen clenched his fist excitedly.

He had heard many claims that Old Yuan was hard to deal with, drafted lots of talking points, and made multiple layers of preparation, but he had not used any of them.

Song Yi and the others, who were hiding in the shadows, were all shocked. How could this be! Chu Wen couldn’t have fed Old Yuan some kind of mind-bewitching soup, right?

It was one thing for an obedient kid like Lu Shan, but how could even Chu Wen receive his special regard?

Song Yi and the others were all very sour. Good for you, thick-browed, big-eyed Old Yuan. In the end, didn’t you still bow down before the Chu family’s background? We’re the students you properly brought up yourself!

They did not realize that Chu Wen was actually like an enhanced version of Lu Shan. It was very normal for him to gain a teacher’s trust.

Teacher Yuan was extremely satisfied with his own arrangements, until he chatted casually with the City Defense Department’s people and said, “Speaking of which, why did Chu Wen come to your place?”

After hearing rumors like the teaching building explosion and so on, the smile on Teacher Yuan’s face gradually disappeared. “Wait… Are you talking about Chu Wen?”

This kind of scamming, suffocating operation absolutely should not have been something a proud son of heaven who cared especially about face would do, right?

He had agreed too hastily!

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