Chapter 29: Poised To Soar
It was August twenty-eighth, the last day before the follow-up exam.
Chen Chuan had not gone to the Domain of Fists the last few days but instead prepared for the exam at home. When he woke up, he practiced Major Sanshou in the courtyard.
His movements were slow but powerful, a perfect blend of motion and stillness. The aggressive Major Sanshou had an aesthetic beauty when he performed it.
When Yu Wan came out of the kitchen wearing her apron, she smiled and watched him practice. Even though she could not understand it, she felt that his strength and rhythm were soothing to the eyes and mind.
She felt like she could see another person through Chen Chuan, and that person was also practicing martial arts in the courtyard. She could not help but mumble to herself, “Sis...”
After practicing every move of Major Sanshou, Chen Chuan smelled something fragrant. He lowered his arms and legs and asked, “Did you make chicken soup, Aunty?”
Yu Wan was surprised. She had only just begun making the soup, but she still smiled and said, “You have a sharp nose, just like your mother. You’re taking the follow-up exam tomorrow, aren’t you? I’m making some chicken soup for you to nourish your body.”
With Chen Chuan’s training, chicken soup was not going to give him the nutrients he needed, but Yu Wan made it with kindness and concern toward him. Also, after spending days eating black rat and pumpkin porridge along with nutritional paste, Chen Chuan was beginning to forget what normal food tasted like.
In a good mood, he thanked Yu Wan. “Thanks, Aunty. I’ve been having my meals outside these days, so it’s been a while since I’ve had your cooking. I miss it a lot.”
Yu Wan was delighted upon hearing his words. “It needs to sit on the stove for a while more before it’s ready. You burn a lot of energy practicing martial arts. Do you want to have some biscuits first?”
“I’ll save that space for your chicken soup instead,” Chen Chuan answered with a smile.
Yu Wan giggled and went inside. “I’ll keep an eye on the soup. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
Chen Chuan continued practicing. When he felt completely loosened up, he returned to the living room.
It was a holiday, so the entire family was at home, including Nian Fuli, which was a rare sight. His belt was removed and put aside while he read the newspaper. The radio was turned on beside him, and it was playing some folk song from North Ornament Highlands.
Chen Chuan went inside and poured some water for himself from the thermos. When he saw that Nian Fuli’s teacup was half empty, he refilled it as well.
Nian Fuli cast a glance at Chen Chuan. The sight of him seemed to have reminded him of something, and he put down his newspaper. “The problem is dealt with, but that case got a little more complicated, so we’re still dealing with it. You don’t need to care about it and should just focus on your exam. Don’t ask any questions. If anything happens, I’ll handle it.”
Nian Fuli was talking about the ambush.
“Thanks, Uncle,” Chen Chuan said.
“Are you confident?”
“Mr. Yu is a good teacher. I’ve learned all that I need to know. It’s all thanks to you, Uncle,” Chen Chuan replied.
Nian Fuli could see the confidence in Chen Chuan’s eyes, and he hummed before picking up the newspaper to cover his face. But the shaking of his crossed leg gave him away.
Chen Chuan smiled and went back to his room with his cup. After placing it on the table, he opened the window. It had rained a little at night, so the air outside was fresh and full of bird chirps.
After standing by the window for a while, he took The Great Development from the bookshelf. It was his favorite book, and he had been reading it for a long time.
The Great Development was the third development the country had gone through, and it had happened sixty years ago. Back then, Yangzhi City was just a county town. It started developing after it became the development army’s logistical distribution hub.
But the book’s main focus was not on the army. Instead, it was written through the eyes of three commoners of the development crew. It talked about the strange things they encountered during the development, so it read like a bizarre memoir or a diary of their adventures. The book also described in detail the local customs and traditions, which Chen Chuan enjoyed immensely.
Yangzhi City had plenty of strange urban legends, such as the Head-Splitting Monster. According to legend, all of its victims had their heads split open, and their brains were missing.
Since it had such a grotesque style and all of its victims were not ordinary people, the legend of the Head-Splitting Monster was quite well-known.
There was also the legend about the disappearance of an entire village in North Ornament Highlands, the Phantom of Smoked Hills, the Human-Faced Kite, and others. Chen Chuan had asked Nian Fuli about them before, only to have the man scoff at it. He said that the Constabulary had looked into these legends before. Other than a few things that truly defied explanation, most of them showed signs that a living, breathing human was behind them.
He also said that even if such monsters really existed, they were nothing before firearms.
It was not time for dinner yet, but the smell of chicken soup wafted into the living room. The cousins smelled it and immediately started causing a racket.
“It smells so good!”
“I want chicken!”
“That’s for Chen Chuan, not you. You can’t have it.”
“But I want it too!”
“You can’t have it!”
Nian Fuli felt his head pound from all the noise. He put the newspaper down and shouted toward the kitchen, “Yu Wan, why don’t you cook another chicken for the kids?”
“But I want this one!”
“You just won’t behave, will you?” Yu Wan ran out of the kitchen, grabbed Nian Mo’s ear, and gave him two smacks on the rear. Nian Mo started yelling.
Chen Chuan heard it in his room and smiled.
He had lunch and dinner with his family that day.
Before dinner, Nian Fuli said, “Don’t be too nervous tomorrow. When I first went to battle, the word ‘fear’ didn’t even exist in my dictionary.”
“He’s telling the truth. He was really brave back then. But once he returned, he always said that if one particular bullet had gone off its course just a little, he would have ended up dead instead of getting a bullet hole in his helmet,” Yu Wan added.
“When I was a soldier, I was alone and didn’t have anyone to provide for, so I didn’t have many concerns. After I got married, I became more timid and thought that I was too reckless while I was young. But I would have regretted it if I hadn’t given it my all when I was young,” Nian Fuli said while rubbing the stubble on his chin.
“Take your exam seriously. I’m going to be frank with you: Tomorrow will be the day that decides whether you live a life of luxury or have to struggle in poverty.” He looked Chen Chuan straight in the eyes.
“I’m confident I can pass, Aunty, Uncle,” Chen Chuan replied with a smile.
“Alright. Let’s cut the chatter. Eat up. Fill your stomach, then rest. You’ll feel more energetic tomorrow that way.” Nian Fuli picked up his chopsticks, and everyone started eating.
After dinner, Chen Chuan took a stroll outside before returning to his room. He put his alarm clock on his desk and willed his second self to overlap with him while he started counting.
When he opened his eyes, he took a look at the second hand and found that two minutes had passed. This was the result of his hard work.
Fights to the death usually ended within seconds or a little over ten seconds. Hence, if he was just going to fight in a one-to-one duel, that amount of time was more than enough for him.
No matter what, he had done his best over the past three months, so all that was left was to wait and see how he would fare during the exam.
He checked to see whether he had packed up all the things he needed before going back to read and relax. When the mantel clock chimed ten times, just like usual, Chen Chuan turned off the lights and went to bed. He soon fell into a deep sleep.
Night passed. When it was around 5 a.m., Chen Chuan woke up feeling energized. Yu Wan had gotten up even earlier than he did and made breakfast for him. She even asked him whether he was feeling nervous.
Chen Chuan did not feel too nervous, which was due to the confidence he had in his own abilities.
The university had not told them the specific time for the follow-up exam and only asked the examinees to arrive before 8 a.m. In order to avoid a mad dash later, Chen Chuan decided to go to the university earlier.
It was still dark outside. The sun was only beginning to rise, and there were not many pedestrians on the streets.
Chen Chuan cycled past the downtown square and continued on the road leading to Martial Valor University, only to see security guards stationed on both sides of the road to maintain order. They even had batons and knives strapped on their waists.
Martial Valor University had to have sent them out to maintain order. After all, a lot of students were going to be gathered in one place, and they were all young, hot-blooded martial artists who were about to take an exam. If the university did not make proper arrangements, things could go awry.
Chen Chuan cycled a little further until the university gate, but barrier ropes had been set up in front of the open space before the gate. A security guard standing at the junction came over and beckoned Chen Chuan to park his bicycle at a designated spot.
Chen Chuan got off his bicycle and pushed it to an empty spot. There were already quite a few rows of bicycles. Once he parked his bicycle, he walked toward the university through a path formed by barrier ropes.
A small crowd of examinees had arrived early and formed a queue ahead of him. The university was going to verify the examinees’ identities one by one, and those without their student IDs would not be allowed entry. Anyone who had damaged, forgotten, or lost theirs would be denied entry, and the university was not going to accept any excuses.
Two lecturers and teaching assistants stood guard at the entrance with stern expressions. Security guards also wandered around the area, so the tension in the air was palpable.
Chen Chuan joined the queue to enter the university through the side gate. A teaching assistant would check his number and photo to confirm his identity. Then, the teaching assistant would check the items Chen Chuan brought with him. Aside from drinking water, tissues, a towel to clean himself, and other such items, nothing else was allowed. Chen Chuan would then need to sign a form before he was let in.
While he was queuing up, a car drove over. A lecturer went forward to ask the examinee inside a few questions. The examinee did not even get out of the car. They just showed the lecturer their student ID and were let in.
None of the students who were queuing up to go in through the side gates found anything wrong with this. Instead, most of them just looked envious.
Chen Chuan heard birds chirping above him and looked up. As the sun gradually brightened the clear sky, a few sparrows circled above him.
“Here’s your student ID.”
Chen Chuan’s mind returned to the present. After thanking the teaching assistant and putting away his student ID, he tightened the straps of the bag and walked into the university.