After the off-road vehicle drove into Center City, Cheng Zitong glanced left and right. Over the years since leaving, he had returned to Center City on business a few times, but this time felt distinctly different.
In his memory, Center City was a prosperous yet chaotic place, home to a massive influx of migrants without citizen status. Street violence, gang conflicts, trafficking of illicit drugs and implants, organ smuggling, arms deals by private armed organizations, and corporate skirmishes played out on a daily basis.
Yet on their drive into the city this time, he had barely heard any gunfire or caught sight of clashes. Vehicles of the City Patrol were just as frequent as before, appearing regularly every so often, but they now carried an aura of order and discipline, completely devoid of their former predatory sloppiness.
News updates flashed across the light screen of the boundary credential from time to time. Most reported on the impending connection of the Skyline and repeated promises by the City Patrol regarding citizen safety. In addition, a new biotech park was being constructed in Hongsheng District, and the aging district was undergoing another round of renewal expected to absorb a large workforce, among other developments.
He sighed. "Center City really isn't quite the same as before." Tapping his boundary credential, he found an address and sent it over to Chen Chuan. "Xiao Chuan, let's head here first to take a look."
Chen Chuan checked it. The location was in Shenwei District. He nodded. "Understood, Teacher."
The off-road vehicle climbed onto an elevated highway, and over half an hour later, it branched off into Shenwei District. Cheng Zitong pointed toward a spot.
"Xiao Chuan, see that rooftop over there? Back then, your teacher often went up there alone to practice boxing. There were no distractions, and at night only the occasional drug dealer would wander around."
Chen Chuan looked over and saw a dilapidated building over a dozen stories high, covered in ivy. It offered a good vantage point; standing there, one could likely see the towering skyscrapers in the distance. There were no tall structures nearby, and a rudimentary sports court was visible in the vicinity.
He said, "I remember Teacher mentioning before that you used to live in Wuding District?"
Cheng Zitong nodded. "From a young age, I trained under the old man alongside my fellow disciples without any special treatment. If I didn't say so myself, people unfamiliar with us wouldn't even know I was his flesh-and-blood son. I ate the same food and used the same things as the others. If I performed poorly in training, the old man would lay into me with a whip without holding back in the slightest.
"I don't hold a grudge against him for that. It was the same for all my brothers; we trained together, each relying on our own ability.
"Yet the old man always looked down on me. He constantly felt I didn't measure up to him in his youth. I thought it was because I wasn't working hard enough, wasn't trying hard enough, so I often ran off here to train on my own. Here, I didn't have to think about anything else, and there were far fewer constraints. But no matter how hard I trained, I simply couldn't catch up to those fellow disciples of mine—in fact, the gap only grew wider.
"And the kids from those martial arts families were always ridiculing me behind my back, waiting to watch me make a fool of myself.
"At first, the old man had high hopes, then came disappointment, and in the end he barely paid any attention to me at all. I felt I had failed to live up to expectations, so I didn't blame him. When a few junior disciples who were in the same boat couldn't master anything and took their leave of the master, I figured I shouldn't keep embarrassing him either. So I said I wanted to leave and make my own way in the world.
"The old man didn't try to keep me. He didn't say a single word, just waved his hand and let me go."
He chuckled dryly. "I was probably fifteen or sixteen at the time, around the age you entered the academy, Xiao Chuan. When I left, I hadn't actually thought through what I wanted to do. In a fit of hotheaded impulse, I just up and did it.
"It just so happened that after leaving, I saw someone posting a commission to resolve an urban legend. I had been fascinated by those things for a while, studying them in secret and letting my imagination run wild, though I'd never put my hands to one before. Having nowhere else to go, I took the commission. To my surprise, I actually resolved it!
"After that, more people came seeking my help, and every single time, I handled it brilliantly. Maybe I just had a knack for it; whenever others drew a blank, I could always come up with a way."
As he spoke, he tapped his temple. "Back then, by relying solely on my brains rather than brute force, I could resolve problems that others never could."
Chen Chuan nodded. Many urban legends required uncovering the root cause, which truly couldn't be accomplished through martial force alone. Looking back at some of the urban legends he had resolved through combat, if one found the right angle and had enough time, alternative solutions might very well have existed.
"Only then did I realize that my talent probably didn't lie in martial arts. Back when I was still with the old man, every trivial matter—what my brothers ate and used each day, the comings and goings—I had arranged in neat order despite my young age. Even the messiest, most tedious chores never took much effort on my part; tasks that gave others a headache, I could straighten out at a glance.
"Later on, I found a spot in a commission company, specializing in logistical support. Over a few years, not only did nothing ever go wrong, but I also helped them streamline procedures, cut costs significantly, and resolve tricky business issues, gradually earning myself quite a reputation.
"Your teacher spent three years scraping together a sizable sum, then went home to pay the old man back tuition—the exact amount he'd spent raising and training me since childhood, calculated after several sleepless nights. Who would have guessed the old man took it without a word, simply remarking that I'd finally learned some sense.
"Hah!"
Cheng Zitong slapped his thigh. "I wanted to spite the old man, but ended up getting enraged by him instead. It infuriated me to no end!
"The old man even said that since I'd grown sensible, he wouldn't bother with me anymore, and told me not to bother him either—if I had what it took, I should carve out my own path."
Hearing this, Chen Chuan smiled, gradually easing off the accelerator. "Did you head to Yangzhi after that, Teacher?"
"Not yet," Cheng Zitong replied, shaking his head. "Having lived in Center City for nearly twenty years, I didn't think of running so far away right off the bat. Back then, the world outside Center City hadn't even crossed my mind.
"After leaving, the more I stewed over it, the more aggrieved I felt. I just had to prove a point! Fall down, get back up, right? So I got in touch with a few disciples who had also left the master, pooled our remaining money, and opened a martial arts dojo to recruit and teach students. I refused to believe it—if the old man could produce fine students, why couldn't I?"
Chen Chuan considered the span of time Cheng Zitong had lived in Yangzhi—at least twenty-odd years—which meant that venture couldn't have lasted very long.
"Who would've thought that just a month after opening the dojo, the old man sent people over. He made all those fellow disciples leave and told me to learn the rules—saying that since I couldn't make a name for myself in martial arts, I couldn't teach others properly and wasn't fit to teach."
Cheng Zitong crossed his arms and said, "I refused to accept that. I might not have excelled in my own training, but I knew how to instruct! So I dug in my heels against the old man. Without my fellow disciples, I taught alone. But even after changing locations several times, even when I taught in secret without charging tuition, senior disciples would always track me down, using every method under the sun—both overt and subtle—to stop me.
"The old man even proclaimed that as long as I remained his son, I had to abide by his rules. And those senior brothers of mine were just like him, telling me to stop making a fuss. Ah, this place..." He patted the back of the seat. "Xiao Chuan, pull over by the curb."
Chen Chuan eased the car toward the side of the street and saw a very ordinary residential building ahead.
Cheng Zitong took off his sunglasses, peered outside, and said, "Ah, about half a year later, I finally compromised with the old man. I couldn't beat him. So I picked up the business of dealing with urban legends again.
"Back then, I rented a place right here and stayed for over six months. Not to make you laugh, my student, but this is where I met the first girl I ever fell for. She told me her family didn't care for her either, which was why she ran away from home.
"She became my assistant back then, and the two of us worked together in perfect harmony. She possessed some psychic talent and had trained in combat; in dangerous situations, she could sense trouble in advance. Together, we dispelled many anomalies and gradually built a reputation.
"Only later did I find out she was actually a girl from a wealthy family, who had only run out to experience adventure on a whim after a row with her family. For some reason, I was furious at the time and had a massive argument with her..."
As he spoke, a tinge of wistfulness crept into his tone. He shook his head in self-mockery. "My damned pride... But right after the argument, I regretted it. After waiting a month without her ever returning, I simply gave up, left Center City for my hometown of Yangzhi, and landed a job at Wuyi Academy."
He pointed toward a spot higher up. "Look, back then I lived in that last apartment on the eastern side. There were three rooms inside; I lived in the outermost one, and she stayed in the inner one."
Chen Chuan asked, "Would you like to go down and take a look, Teacher?"
Cheng Zitong shook his head. "It's been so many years. There's nothing to see. Let's go."
Chen Chuan drove on, taking Cheng Zitong all the way to the marked destination. It was a two-story blue-brick building fronted by a grape trellis. Judging by its architectural style, it was an old structure predating the Great Expansion. Though the location seemed somewhat remote, the surrounding environment was pleasant.
The two got out of the car and walked toward the small building. Just then, a middle-aged man carrying a bag stepped out from inside.
Cheng Zitong took a look and called out, "Flathead, is that you?"
Hearing this nickname, the middle-aged man looked distinctly annoyed. He looked him up and down, then suddenly his eyes widened in shock. Pointing at him, he stammered, "You... you're..."
Cheng Zitong took off his sunglasses. "It's me, Cheng Zitong."
"Brother Tong?"
The middle-aged man instantly grew excited. He rushed forward a few steps, examined him from head to toe, and grabbed his arm, exclaiming, "Brother Tong, it really is you! How many years has it been? You're back?"
Cheng Zitong smiled. "Yeah, I'm back."
The middle-aged man grew even more animated. "It's good that you're back, wonderful to have you back! Hey, wait, how did you get so... stout?"
"Did I?" Cheng Zitong rubbed his face. "Why do I feel like I've actually lost weight lately?"
"Looks like life in Yangzhi treated you well, Brother Tong?"
"Not too bad, I suppose."
The middle-aged man nodded. "True enough. Far from Center City, far fewer headaches. Brother Tong, honest talk—" His expression turned serious. "Coming back this time... do you plan on staying for good?"
Cheng Zitong tapped the sunglasses twice against his palm, put them back on, and looked up with a smile. "I'm staying for a while this time. I want to walk around, take a look, see people from the past, and sort out things from the past."
Chapter 972