Chen Che pushed open the window, only to see a dark-skinned youth of about fourteen or fifteen standing outside.
"Yang Wanli, what is it?"
It was Yang Lin's youngest son.
Yang Wanli raised his head.
The room was unlit.
Chen Che's face was a blur, but his eyes shone brightly. Yang Wanli was suddenly reminded of the descriptions in books—this was how a Mountain Monarch was said to look at people. Though he had never seen one, the feeling arose in his heart instinctively.
'How terrifying. The way he looks at people... it's just like Master Hu.'
Yang Wanli muttered to himself, then braced himself and said:
"My ma saw you didn't come for dinner, so she sent me to bring you a cut of meat."
Only then did Chen Che notice the string of meat the boy was carrying.
Most of the villagers avoided Chen Che like the plague. Yang Wanli didn't understand why his mother had sent him, but a mother's command was hard to disobey. "My ma also said it's not much, just enough for a taste, so don't you mind that it's a small portion."
"Please thank your mother for me."
Chen Che patted himself down, then glanced back into his room, wondering what he could offer as a gift in return.
"No need, Brother Che'er. You should get some sleep. I gotta head back now."
Seeing what he was doing, Yang Wanli quickly hung the meat on the windowsill. He ducked low and slipped into the tall grass, avoiding the ridges between the fields. Instead, he took a small path and scurried away.
Obviously, he had been told not to let anyone see him delivering the meat.
Only after Yang Wanli's figure had completely vanished into the night did Chen Che pick up the meat. He examined it for a moment before hanging it from a beam in his house, then let out a soft chuckle.
"'It's no accident that Yang Lin's family is doing so well these days.'"
Yang Lin was originally a tenant farmer in the county.
Twenty years ago, a disaster struck the neighboring Chi State—the Red Dragon had turned over, as they said—and countless people were forced to sell their children.
He bought his wife for a single bushel of rice. She was said to be the young lady of a prominent family who had even attended a private school.
The villagers laughed at his foolishness. How could he possibly support a young lady from a prominent family? She was pampered, they said, unable to carry heavy loads or do manual labor. She couldn't work the fields or cook at the stove. Sure, she was literate, but words don't fill a stomach. In less than three years, they'd surely be too poor to eat.
But twenty years flew by, and Yang Lin's family only became more and more prosperous.
"A virtuous wife at home is better than ten thousand acres of fertile land!"
This small act of sending meat was a perfect example.
'She's sensible and understands the bigger picture!'
Chen Che gazed at the pork hanging from the beam, lost in thought.
...
When he opened his eyes again, Chen Che was back in his bedroom.
He rested for a moment before opening his Storage Pouch. He took out the safe box, stuffed it into his schoolbag, and planned to try his luck at a locksmith's after school. Then he shoved the Storage Pouch itself under his pillow.
Public security in this world was countless times better than in Yunzhou. While occasional thefts occurred, the chances of an actual break-in were extremely low.
Chen Che didn't touch the Secret Manuals, Pills, or the two Weapons inside the Storage Pouch. That kind of stuff was worthless on Earth Element Star; even a scrap collector would be picky about taking it.
He heated up yesterday's leftovers for breakfast, then called for Lin Yi and headed straight to school.
The classroom was buzzing with activity. Students chatted in small groups about a wide range of topics—games, novels, celebrities—everything except their studies.
Two boys were arguing over which subclass in *Divine Sword Demon Suppression Record* was stronger: Array Master or Talisman Master.
One argued for the Array Master. "They control the very space around you! You'd be helpless!" The other championed the Talisman Master. "A million talismans would blast you to bits!" They argued until they were red in the face, then, after getting too heated, both just snorted and turned away from each other.
However, the center of attention was Huang Zhongfei.
He had come to school today with a dazzling Flying Sword strapped to his back. He just stood at the classroom door with his arms crossed, not saying a word.
Obviously, after getting beaten up yesterday, he'd brought a Magical Artifact today to show off.
It was a normal reaction; he was still just a student, after all.
Having suffered a loss and lost face, he was feeling indignant and looking to regain some dignity. But when Li Xiaoshuang passed by, he spotted the weapon and immediately confiscated it, saying he'd return it after school.
Seeing the frustrated Huang Zhongfei, Lin Yi grinned at Chen Che. "Did you guys hear? Yu Xuan formed her Nascent Soul!"
Yu Xuan?
The name sounded vaguely familiar to Chen Che. He frowned and asked, "What school is she from? How old is she? She's pregnant already?"
"Old Chen, your train of thought is a little dangerous!" Qi Fengzhu turned around, still fiddling with his calculator. "How on earth do you get 'pregnant' from 'Nascent Soul'? She's a famous actress, the female lead in *Divine Sword Demon Suppression Record*."
"I don't really follow the entertainment industry."
Using the excuse of going to the bathroom, Chen Che detoured to the office and returned the 'Forbidden Book'.
"You tried it, so you've given up, I take it?"
Chen Che's gaze fell on the Flying Sword resting on the teacher's desk, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy. It was this year's new 'Demon Suppressing Sword Plus 13.0,' a Tier One Top Grade Magic Artifact priced at 1.26 million. According to data released by Artifact Evaluators, it consumed twenty percent less True Essence than other Flying Swords of the same tier.
The body of the sword was archaic and covered in cloud-like patterns.
It even came with built-in thunder and lightning sound effects, which was incredibly cool.
Tearing his eyes away, Chen Che nodded. "Yes. Forcing it will only slow down my cultivation progress. It's just not worth it. But if I could form my Divine Sense ahead of schedule..."
"Hm?"
Li Xiaoshuang shot Chen Che a glance and smiled knowingly, completely ignoring the conversational bait.
"Teacher Li, I want to form my Divine Sense..."
Chen Che hadn't given up yet.
This time, Li Xiaoshuang shook his head decisively. "Just wait patiently until your senior year. Now, go back to class."
'As expected.'
Chen Che wasn't too disappointed; after all, he had already anticipated this outcome.
'So much for being invincible within my tier.'
After thanking Li Xiaoshuang, he walked back to the classroom. A burly, bearded man was sitting on the teacher's desk, adjusting the tuning pegs of an instrument. Upon seeing him, most of the students wore expressions as if life was worse than death. It was time for music class.
The music theory teachers for the other classes were all cute, sweet girls who played the Ancient Zither or the erhu. Sometimes they would even lead the students in singalongs of popular songs.
Their music teacher, however, was a brutish man who looked as ferocious as Moli Hai of the Four Great Heavenly Kings when he played the Pipa.
What's more, he would sometimes demonstrate the offensive techniques of a Sound Cultivator in class.
While it was certainly an eye-opening experience, the side effects were significant.
After his class, everyone would either feel their blood boil with such passion they'd want to go out and plow a dozen fields, or they'd be reminded of a middle-school confession gone wrong and start crying their eyes out. They were like puppets in the palm of his hand.
Of course, according to him, he was already holding back.
The Magical Combat of a Sound Cultivator was inherently more dangerous than that of an ordinary Cultivator. Sound waves were formless and intangible, capable of killing without a trace.
Controlling people's emotions was just a basic skill; all you had to do was follow the musical score.
More advanced scores could use sound waves to invade the body and control a Cultivator's internal True Essence and Qi and Blood. A single pluck of a string was enough to cause cultivation deviation, or even make their body explode.
Before the Calamity of Heaven's Fall, there was a figure known as the Six-Fingered Piano Demon.
His Zither Technique was sublime and masterful.
He could even use the sound of his instrument to capture a Cultivator's Divine Soul and bind it to the strings. From his music, he could conjure Ghost Soldiers and Generals.
He was eventually slain by a group of Righteous People, who saved the world from his terror.
The incident was even adapted into a movie. Rumor has it that the Immortal Sects have greenlit a TV series adaptation and have already begun pre-production. If all goes well, it should air during winter break, with none other than Yu Xuan as the female lead. Predictably, once the show is released, music shops will start popping up on every street corner.
Today was no different.
After listening to one of his Pipa pieces, every student felt an uncontrollable rage bubble up inside them, making them want to stand up and beat the man to a pulp.
A few students with weaker Cultivation almost actually did stand up.
The moment Xia Chen left, the two students who had been arguing before class immediately started fighting.
By the end of the school day, many students stormed out of the building, still fuming. A passing dog got kicked for its trouble, and even a loose brick on the sidewalk was stomped into dust.
"I'm not going home today! I'm gonna go play some games!"
Lin Yi tossed this parting shot over his shoulder and disappeared into an internet cafe with a group of other students.
After waving goodbye, Chen Che also turned to leave the school. He wasn't heading home either, though. Instead, he made his way directly to a back street.