Departure

July 1st, Wuyi College's summer break. Chen Chuan woke early, went out for some exercise, and then began packing his things for his trip. Since he had made a long journey not long ago, he only needed to pack a few simple essentials along the same lines. Yesterday, he had returned to his aunt's home and mentioned that his instructor would take him out to broaden his horizons over the break. Yu Wan naturally encouraged this; for his instructor to take Chen Chuan out showed how good their relationship was, something she was delighted to see. At noon, while the whole family was having lunch together, Nian Fuli said, "You Wuyi students start internships in your second year, don't you? How about it—have you thought about where you'd like to intern?" Elite students of Wuyi reached a capable level after their first year. Those impatient with restrictions went to commission companies, so not many actually went to the Municipal Administration; essentially, they were talents that various departments scrambled to recruit. Leaving Yangzhi City aside, the compensation offered by the six surrounding counties was also exceptional. After all, for government officials, personal safety was their primary concern. Beyond that, it was assisting in law enforcement; bandits with martial artist backgrounds could only be dealt with by martial artists. Left unchecked, their destructive power was immense. Chen Chuan smiled and asked, "Could Uncle arrange a spot for me at the constabulary?" Nian Fuli said with certainty, "I can't speak for others, but for you, Little Chuan, there definitely won't be a problem. We watched you grow up from a boy; you're one of our own constabulary family." Chen Chuan knew that very few Wuyi students interned at the constabulary each year. On the surface, it was because the constabulary was itself an organ of force and did not have an urgent need for these students, but in reality, it seemed higher-ups did not wish to see Wuyi and the constabulary grow too close. He had some guesses regarding the reasons for this. He said, "Uncle, I think I'll wait and see. My instructor might have arrangements for me." Nian Fuli said, "That works too. You're a scholarship-winning elite student, fiercely sought after wherever you go. Your instructor has deep backing and broad connections, so he's sure to recommend you to a good place." Chen Chuan, however, was thinking that with Liu Zhan's reassignment, he would soon be facing off against the Mutual Aid Society. If he could weather this onslaught from the Mutual Aid Society, he would be able to apply for a recommendation spot to Center City. By that point, whether he did an internship or not would hold little meaning for him. If he really had to go somewhere, he would rather go to the Esoteric Cult Examination Bureau. That way, he could come into contact with more matters concerning esoteric cults; he was extremely interested in these things tinged with mystery. His aunt, who was currently wiping Nian Lu's mouth, suddenly remembered something and said, "Did Gao Ming say he was coming back these couple of days?" Chen Chuan replied, "He might arrive tonight." Yu Wan said, "My cousin has always been proud and competitive, and her husband is rarely home year-round. No one took much care of Mingming since he was little. Every time I visited, he was all by himself; it's quite pitiful." Chen Chuan said, "Gao Ming has a good head on his shoulders. Among our graduating class, except for those with extraordinary family backgrounds, hardly anyone could compare to him." Nian Fuli also chimed in, "The lad has a bright future. He's got street smarts, but he never uses them for crooked deeds. His father taught him well." Nian Mo held his head high at this and piped up, "Dad, I'm smart too." Yu Wan snapped in annoyance, "You call that smart? Every time you see something good, you snatch it, and anything bad you shove onto your sister. That's just a bad habit! When you grow up, I don't expect you to have your brothers' abilities—just don't keep vexing me all day long." After lunch, Chen Chuan returned to the study to read. Toward evening, Gao Ming finally arrived. After receiving the call, Chen Chuan left the house and sat inside Gao Ming's car. Gao Ming cut straight to the chase. "Cousin, regarding Director Liu, I'm actually not surprised. Based on what you explained before, I ran a brief personality analysis on every key figure who could affect your journey to Center City. Among them, Director Liu was the most likely link to go wrong. "As long as he is a Great Shun bureaucrat who still harbors political ambitions, it was inevitable that he would actively seek a transfer out of the Foreign Affairs Bureau after the incident with the Maka people. The only question was whether he could pull it off. "With the matter of the recommendation assessment leaked ahead of time, the only real change is that your martial strength, Cousin, might not meet expectations in time. If you feel your strength is insufficient to cope, the best move would be to arrange to go out as an exchange student, or start an internship out of town early to buy time. Once you're confident, you can return, neutralizing the fallout of this incident to the greatest extent." Here, he pushed up his glasses. "However, if you feel the impact on your martial strength won't be substantial, then all we need to do is move up the contingency plan we drafted before. "In short, when it comes to dealing with the Mutual Aid Society, you haven't lost any of your advantages outside of sheer martial force. Bad as the situation is, it might not be that dire. How do you plan to proceed, Cousin? I can adjust our arrangements accordingly." Chen Chuan said slowly, "Teacher Cheng is having me travel out of town for an intensive crash course with Teacher He." Gao Ming's eyes lit up. "The Teacher He Xiaoxing you mentioned before?" Chen Chuan nodded. "After seeing you today, I'll take the train tomorrow to meet Teacher He where he's practicing. His ability to instruct students is exceptionally high. When I studied under him for just one evening before, I benefited immensely. If I can train with him for a period of time, it should bridge the gap in martial strength." Hearing this, Gao Ming smiled. "In that case, Liu Zhan's matter might not be entirely bad. Without it, Teacher Cheng probably wouldn't have gone out of his way to recommend you for training, and Teacher He might not have spared the time to teach you right now." Chen Chuan agreed with this assessment. Indeed, had this incident not occurred, he likely would have spent the next half of the term training on his own. Cheng Zitong wouldn't have found an opportunity to broach the subject, making the chances of studying under He Xiaoxing very slim. Thus, at times, danger and opportunity truly walked hand in hand. "Alright, then we'll discuss the details once you return, Cousin." Gao Ming rummaged through his briefcase for a moment, pulled out a document, and handed it to him. "This is another contingency plan I put together synthesizing information from all angles; it should be fairly comprehensive. Take it back to review, Cousin, and try to finish it within three days. The writing was done with chemical fluid and will fade away in three days." Chen Chuan took it. Something came to mind. "Right, there's also something I should let you know." Before the break, he had received a phone call from the constabulary saying that Zhuo Bao, having spent a large sum on medical treatment after being injured by him, was preparing to sue him for compensation. A criminal gangster failing in an assault and turning around to sue his victim seemed laughable on the surface, but what it revealed behind the scenes was chilling. The constabulary, however, told him that there was no need to fear taking it before the tribunal. Aside from disgusting him, the matter posed virtually no real threat to him, though he would need a solicitor to handle the proceedings. Specialized tasks were best left to specialists, and since Gao Ming was right here, he planned to hand it over to him. Hearing this, Gao Ming smiled and said, "That's easy enough. I'll take care of it. If you decide to see it through to the end, Cousin, we might even make him pay you compensation instead." Chen Chuan shook his head. "No need for that. I don't have time to waste on it." Gao Ming nodded. "Your call, Cousin." After their conversation, Chen Chuan parted ways with Gao Ming and prepared to head to He Xiaoxing's location. He called Cheng Zitong to inform him and received his train ticket that very day. Because it was during the holiday break, one couldn't test for an unlimited defense license anyway, so being away from Yangzhi City for a while wouldn't arouse suspicion. Cheng Zitong wouldn't need to hide out in the countryside either. Since Yangzhi City had only one railroad leading outward, which had remained unrepaired since the previous year, Cheng Zitong once again drove him to the Shangbu City train station, from where he would transfer toward his destination. Upon arriving at the station, Cheng Zitong said to him, "I'll keep an eye on the situation with Liu Zhan. You don't need to carry any burden. Just focus on learning from Old He first. An opportunity like this is rare, so don't squander it." Chen Chuan said, "I understand, Teacher." After saying farewell to Cheng Zitong, he got out of the car and boarded the train alone. He had originally thought He Xiaoxing was cultivating in some desolate wilderness far from human footprints. Only upon receiving the ticket did he realize that the place was near a renowned tourist attraction. The place was called Luoya Ancient City. Its palaces and houses were shaped like ant nests, with labyrinthine tunnels winding inside and underground. It was said that to this day, not all the subterranean passageways had been fully explored, so it was only partially open to the public. Even so, many people went missing inside every year. It was a two-day train ride from Yangzhi City. Fortunately, paying his own way this time, he had bought a sleeper ticket. After traveling continuously for two days, he arrived at the station around noon. Because a telegram had been sent well in advance, someone was waiting to pick him up as soon as he exited the station. The driver took him directly to an old hotel and told him that He Xiaoxing had instructed him to wait in the lodge; he would come find him in the afternoon. Chen Chuan put away his luggage in the room, then walked to the window to look outside. This was not peak tourist season, yet travelers were still abundant and the streets bustled with life. After all, legends claimed vast wealth lay buried within Luoya Ancient City. This was not merely hype invented to draw tourists; the place was renowned precisely because even in recent years, news of unearthed treasures had surfaced from time to time. On his way up, he had seen many people claiming they could guide visitors through never-before-trodden secret underground passages, catering specifically to thrill-seekers. He had no interest in treasures, but judging from the introductory material, Luoya Ancient City carried a certain mystical flavor in its Old Era history. This piqued his curiosity; if he had time, perhaps he could find a way to learn more about it. As evening approached, someone knocked on the room door from outside. His expression stirred slightly, however, because prior to the knock, he had not sensed anyone approaching outside the door at all. He rose, walked over to the door, and placed his hand on the handle. Just as he was about to open it, he suddenly paused and turned around—only to see that at some point, someone had sat down upon the bed.