pjbooks Chapter 31 A Lazy Daily Life
Chapter 31 A Lazy Daily Life
The following period was tedious and boring for Jiang Chen.
My daily life is routine.
She gets up in the morning, eats breakfast made by her mother, goes to school, and after school in the afternoon, she takes Wang Kai to the abandoned factory area in the south of the city to practice. In the evening, she goes home for dinner, plays a few games, and goes to sleep.
It goes on and on, like a clock that's been wound up.
The only change is that the school is organizing more frequent practical training sessions. Since the unexpected appearance of a C-rank monster in the training grounds, the school has been pushing its students to train harder, even venturing to more realistic locations.
It was supposed to be an observation and learning session, but in reality, it meant sending the combat class students to fight monsters while the life skills class students were left behind carrying supplies and recording data.
As a powerless individual from Class 5, Jiang Chen was always assigned to the safest area at the very back. He was quite content with this peace and quiet, leaning against a large tree with his eyes closed to rest, occasionally using his divine sense to scan the surroundings to make sure no monsters appeared that were beyond the students' handling range.
Wang Kai is different.
Since he started cultivating immortality, this kid has been like he's been injected with adrenaline, always rushing to the front in every combat training session. Of course, he still uses his C-level life skills as a pretext, saying that he accidentally encountered a monster while transporting supplies and had to defend himself.
At first, some people were skeptical, but Wang Kai was just an inconspicuous nobody, and Class 5 was a "useless class," so no one really cared what a C-level life skills awakener was doing.
Jiang Chen noticed, however, that Wang Kai's strength was increasing at a visible rate.
From initially only being able to barely deal with E-rank Shadow Wolves, to later killing a D-rank Ironback Bear with a single punch, and now—being able to hold his own against a C-rank early-stage monster for more than a dozen rounds without being at a disadvantage.
Although he was always bruised and battered after each fight, his progress surprised even Jiang Chen.
"Brother Chen! I chased away that C-level wind wolf today!" Wang Kai crawled out of the cave, his school uniform was torn in several places, and his face was covered in bruises, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.
"Driven away?" Jiang Chen leaned against the rock wall, glanced at him, and said, "Are you sure you drove them away, or that they just didn't want to fight you?"
Wang Kai's smile froze for a second: "Okay, I'm the one who angered it. It chased me for three blocks and then ran back home by itself."
"Is that called driving them away?"
"But it did run away!"
Jiang Chen was too lazy to argue with him, so he turned around and walked out: "Go back and treat your wound, we'll continue tomorrow."
"Okay!"
Wang Kai followed behind eagerly, pulling out his tattered notebook and scribbling by the moonlight.
Jiang Chen glanced back, a slight smile playing on his lips.
This kid is more hardworking than most of the people he's met in the cultivation world.
Unfortunately, the spiritual energy in this world is far too thin. With Wang Kai's five elemental spiritual roots, in the cultivation world, with sufficient resources, breaking through to the Golden Core stage within ten years wouldn't be a problem. But here, successfully establishing a foundation within one or two years would be considered quite good.
However, Jiang Chen did not say these words.
Sometimes, saying things aloud can actually dampen someone's enthusiasm. Keeping Wang Kai's current drive is more important than anything else.
As for Shen Qingxue, she took leave to return to the Shen family in the capital, saying it was a summons from home. Jiang Chen learned some of the specific reasons from Su Ze.
Near the capital, demons are gathering, and it is unknown whether the demons are about to make a big move. Therefore, the noble families in the capital have begun to assemble, both to eliminate the demons in the surrounding area and to prevent any unexpected changes.
Such situations do occur from time to time. It is said that the level of the monsters gathered at this stage is not high, so Jiang Chen has no interest in going there.
However, compared to the frequent activities of the demons, the apostles have been much quieter.
Three hundred years ago, black ice flowers fell, and apostles from outer space descended to earth. But since then, these unreachable apostles have created thirteen apostle halls in the human world, each guarded by one of the thirteen strongest apostles.
Humans are qualified to challenge this Hall of Apostles, and it is said that upon reaching the highest level, one will encounter one of the thirteen strongest apostles.
Since humanity's awakening, many have attempted to challenge the legendary thirteen apostles, but no one has ever actually seen them.
Apart from that, the apostles had no further activities, and humanity focused more of its attention on the demons.
...
The capital city, the Shen family.
When Shen Qingxue returned to the Shen family mansion, it was already evening.
The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the Shen family's estate, which spanned hundreds of acres, in a warm golden light, illuminating the ancient buildings with their upturned eaves. The estate was situated on Phoenix Mountain in the western suburbs of the capital, a place said to be one of the most spiritually rich areas in the Dragon Kingdom's capital. Three hundred years ago, when the apostles descended, this land had never been tainted by demonic energy.
The Shen family has been able to stand strong in the capital for a century not only because of its strength, but also because of the auspicious feng shui of their ancestral home.
"The young lady is back!"
The guards at the gate spotted the black sedan in the distance and immediately notified the inner courtyard via walkie-talkie. When Shen Qingxue got out of the car, Shen Fu, the head butler of the Shen family, was already waiting at the second gate with two maids.
"Miss, you must be tired from your journey." Shen Fu, who was in his early sixties with gray hair, was still very energetic. He was an elder of the Shen family and had watched Shen Qingxue grow up. "Master is waiting for you in the study."
Shen Qingxue nodded, handed the suitcase to the maid, and walked straight into the inner courtyard.
The layout of the Shen family's residence is typical of an aristocratic family—the front courtyard for receiving guests, the middle courtyard for discussing matters, and the back courtyard for living quarters. Shen Wanshan's study is located on the east side of the middle courtyard. It is a room that is not large but exceptionally elegant, and you can see the bamboo forest on the back mountain by opening the window.
When Shen Qingxue pushed open the door, Shen Wanshan was sitting behind his mahogany desk, engrossed in reading a piece of intelligence. Hearing the noise, he looked up, and a smile immediately appeared on his square face.
"You're back? Were you tired on the way?"
"It's alright." Shen Qingxue sat down opposite her father, took the tea offered by the maid, and took a sip.
Shen Wanshan looked his daughter over a few times, his brows furrowing slightly. "You've lost weight and gotten darker. Is the food in Jiangzhou bad?"
"Dad, I'm going there to study, not to enjoy myself," Shen Qingxue said helplessly. "Besides, I've only been there for less than a month, how much weight could I possibly lose?"
Shen Wanshan chuckled, put down the intelligence report in his hand, and leaned back in his chair: "Alright, let's not talk about that. Let's get down to business—how's your contact with that Jiang Chen going during your time in Jiangzhou?"
Shen Qingxue paused slightly in the hand holding the teacup.
She remembered the alley that night, the image of the boy slicing a peak A-level Awakened into a human stick with a flick of his wrist, the warm breath he gave her when his fingertips touched her brow, and the tone of his voice when he said, "I don't need anyone to protect me, but I accept your kindness."
"He's very strong." Shen Qingxue put down her teacup, carefully choosing her words. "Stronger than we had anticipated."
"Oh?" Shen Wanshan became interested. "Tell me more about it."
Shen Qingxue recounted the events of that night in detail. From the ambush by three A-level Awakened members of the Dark Night Organization, to the sniping by Night Owl, to the steel body of Mantis, to her preparation for self-destruction after being injured, and then to Jiang Chen's intervention.
When Jiang Chen casually severed the mantis's limbs at the root, Shen Wanshan's brow twitched. When he spoke of Jiang Chen interrogating Night Owl with the mantis's head in his hand, Shen Wanshan's expression changed. When he mentioned Jiang Chen turning the mantis to ashes with a single finger, leaving not even ash behind, Shen Wanshan fell completely silent.
"You mean," Shen Wanshan's voice was somewhat hoarse, "that he kills a peak A-level Awakened as easily as crushing an ant?"
Shen Qingxue nodded: "Moreover, Night Owl suffered a mental breakdown after just one glance from him. After returning, he kept repeating 'I can't think about it,' and the Dark Night organization diagnosed him with severe post-traumatic stress disorder."
Shen Wanshan leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.
This was his habitual gesture when he was thinking. Shen Qingxue had known since childhood that the faster her father tapped his fingers, the more difficult the problem he was pondering.
"Dad," Shen Qingxue said, "Ancestor is right, this person cannot be our enemy."
Shen Wanshan opened his eyes and looked at his daughter: "What do you think we should do?"
"Let's maintain good relations," Shen Qingxue said without hesitation, "but not for personal gain, but rather—"
She paused for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts.
"But what?"
"But he truly deserves it." Shen Qingxue raised her head, her eyes clear. "Dad, you might not believe it, but the Jiang Chen I observed during my time in Jiangzhou is completely different from what the intelligence reports say. He's not some kind of serial killer, nor some kind of cold-blooded monster. He's just... just someone who's detached from this world."
"There's a layer between them?"
"Yes." Shen Qingxue thought for a moment and found the most fitting word, "It's like looking at the world through frosted glass. He can see, he can hear, he can sense, but those things can't get into his heart. Liu Ruyan's betrayal can't get in, his classmates' ridicule can't get in, and even something like murder can't get in."
Shen Wanshan fell silent.
"But that night," Shen Qingxue's voice softened, "he said, 'I accept your sentiments.' Dad, do you know, at that moment, I felt like the frosted glass had cracked."
The study remained quiet for a long time.
Shen Wanshan looked into his daughter's eyes, and there was a light in them that he had never seen before. It wasn't the shrewd calculation typical of children from wealthy families, nor the shy innocence of a young girl in love, but something more complex—as if she had seen something worth sacrificing everything to protect.
"Qingxue," Shen Wanshan's voice was very soft, "Are you...?"
Having been through it all, Shen Wanshan seemed to understand something.
"Dad!" Shen Qingxue interrupted him, a blush rising on her face.
"Don't overthink it. I just feel that this person is very important to the Shen family and to humanity. That's all."
Shen Wanshan stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled.
"Alright, that's all." He didn't ask any further questions, but simply picked up the intelligence report from the table and handed it to Shen Qingxue. "Take a look at this."
Shen Qingxue took the intelligence report, glanced at it, and immediately frowned.
"A monster tide?"
"Yes." Shen Wanshan stood up, walked to the window, and opened it. The evening breeze blew in, carrying the fragrance of bamboo leaves from the back mountain. "In the past three days, at least six waves of monsters have been detected gathering on the outskirts of the capital. Although their levels are not high, mostly between E and D rank, their frequency and density far exceed normal values."
Shen Qingxue quickly scanned the data on the intelligence report: "Three times in the north of the city, twice in the east, once in the west? What about the south?"
"The south side of the city is the quietest, not even once."
"This is not normal." Shen Qingxue put down the intelligence report. "Monsters usually gather in a pattern and don't so obviously avoid a certain direction."
"So I've discussed it with the other families," Shen Wanshan turned around, "Starting tomorrow, each family will take turns leading people out of the city to clear them out. On the one hand, we need to get rid of these low-level demons to prevent them from continuing to gather; on the other hand, we also want to figure out why they've suddenly become so active."
He paused, then looked at his daughter: "You'll come with me tomorrow."
Shen Qingxue was taken aback: "Me?"
"What's wrong? You've been in Jiangzhou for a month and you can't even lift a knife anymore?" Shen Wanshan laughed. "You have an S-rank ice-type talent. Although you just awakened it not long ago, it's more than enough to deal with D-rank and E-rank monsters. This is a good opportunity to practice."
Shen Qingxue nodded: "Okay."
Shen Wanshan patted his daughter's shoulder with satisfaction: "Alright, go and rest now. Your mother made you some soup, it'll get cold if you don't drink it soon."
Shen Qingxue stood up, and as she walked to the door, she suddenly turned back: "Dad."
"Um?"
"Don't worry about Jiang Chen. He's doing things his own way."
Looking into his daughter's eyes, Shen Wanshan suddenly felt that this little girl, whom he had cherished since childhood, seemed to have grown up overnight.