Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Thirty-Five: An Unexpected Delight

Wang Jue sat in his chair, bored beyond measure, watching the members of the hunting team standing upright not far away, their gaze fixed on him, and the security team members bustling about their duties. He wondered if he should ask someone when he would finally be allowed to leave.

Just then, the hunting team member supervising him saluted respectfully toward someone behind Wang Jue and addressed them, “Captain Lan.”

Following the direction of his gaze, Wang Jue turned and saw the “culprit” who had brought him here—the one responsible for this whole incident.

“Um, Captain Lan, it’s getting late. I still need to pick up my little sister and take her home,” Wang Jue said as he turned to face the beautiful woman who had come up behind him, his expression languid and weary. “Have you figured everything out yet? When can I leave? I have school tomorrow.”

He was clever, immediately leveraging his status as a student—weak, pitiable, and helpless—to his advantage.

Lan Yiyi nodded to her teammate, indicating they could leave. Once the teammate departed, she looked at Wang Jue and said, “The investigation is complete. You are indeed innocent.”

“So, can I leave now?” Wang Jue’s eyes brightened at her words, unable to resist asking.

“If you want to go, you’re free to do so. No one will stop you,” Lan Yiyi replied, offering him no chance to argue. “However, I have something I’d like to discuss with you. Come with me.”

With that, Lan Yiyi left the office first.

“Uh…” Wang Jue was left speechless by her abrupt departure, with no chance to respond. He could only stand and follow her. His gaze inadvertently fell upon Lan Yiyi’s tall, alluring figure, but he felt nothing except a single thought—when could he finally leave?

In silence, he followed Lan Yiyi to a private office. Now, the two of them were alone.

Lan Yiyi took a seat behind the desk and gestured at Wang Jue, “Sit wherever you like.”

“Captain Lan, is there something you want to say?” Wang Jue asked, forcing himself to sit down, feeling uneasy under her scrutinizing stare.

Lan Yiyi replied with a question of her own, “I’ve read your file. It says you’ve practiced martial arts since childhood? And you’re very diligent?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure if I actually enjoy it. Maybe I’ve just gotten used to it,” Wang Jue said, surprised by her conversational approach.

“Here’s my contact information. Today is Wednesday—three days from now you should have no classes, right? Care to train?” Lan Yiyi, having gotten her answer, pulled a small card from her person and slid it across the desk to Wang Jue, her tone as assertive as ever. Perhaps she didn’t realize how her manner of speaking could be off-putting.

Seeing Wang Jue remain silent, Lan Yiyi added, “If you decide to come, I’ll give you a set of martial arts techniques that day. You won’t need to pay anything.”

Train together? Martial arts techniques? What’s going on?

Is this supposed to be compensation? Or had she taken a liking to him?

With these thoughts swirling, Wang Jue found himself at a loss for words.

“Any questions?” she asked.

“No,” he replied.

“All right, it’s settled. You’ll be on holiday in three days. Remember to contact me. If you don’t, I’ll come find you that afternoon.”

Hearing this, Wang Jue was certain Lan Yiyi must not have many friends. Her attitude and way of thinking were truly peculiar, even misinterpreting his intentions. He had simply meant he had no questions, not that he had agreed, but now it was as good as settled.

“Fine,” he said. Since things had gotten to this point, he saw no reason to refuse. To him, the benefits outweighed any drawbacks. As for Lan Yiyi’s intentions, he’d have to find out on the day.

From what he knew, Lan Yiyi probably saw potential in him and wanted to recruit him.

“You can go now. Would you like me to escort you?” Lan Yiyi asked, apparently pleased with his agreement.

Wang Jue recognized the goodwill but had no desire to accept her offer. “Uh, no, that’s all right. I can go back by myself.”

“All right, then I’ll walk you out,” Lan Yiyi said, her manner as awkward as ever, as if she wasn’t used to interacting with people. Suddenly, she remembered something else. “Oh, there’s one more thing I forgot.”

“What is it?” Wang Jue thought everything was settled and he could leave, but her unexpected words made his heart sink.

Lan Yiyi calmly said, “The martial artist you defeated…”

“It’s not my fault, right? He attacked me first—he was trying to kill me. You saw it yourself; it was self-defense,” Wang Jue interrupted hurriedly.

Lan Yiyi’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. “Could you not interrupt? Let me finish.”

“No problem, please go ahead,” Wang Jue replied nervously.

Lan Yiyi’s lips curled into a slight smile. “The martial artist you disabled was a wanted criminal in the safe zone. According to protocol, you’re entitled to claim the bounty on him.”

“A bounty?” Wang Jue was stunned.

Lan Yiyi nodded. “Yes, a bounty—three hundred and fifty thousand. You can leave your credit account, and after verification, the funds should be transferred tomorrow.”

Her tone reverted to a businesslike manner—no, it was only when discussing such matters that she sounded remotely normal.

Wang Jue was utterly shocked. He had thought he would be in trouble again, but now, such a windfall had landed in his lap—a pleasant surprise.

Three hundred and fifty thousand.

This money was exactly what he needed! His family had been struggling financially, and now he’d earned a reward just for defending himself against someone who tried to kill him.

“Credit account? Sorry, I haven’t set one up yet,” Wang Jue replied with a wry smile.

He truly hadn’t, and he wasn’t sure about his family’s accounts either. Awkward, indeed.

Lan Yiyi’s expression remained unchanged. “That’s fine. Go set one up tomorrow, then contact me—I’ll handle it for you.”

“All right, thank you.”

…

Leaving the security team, Wang Jue glanced at the clock on the lobby wall and saw it was nearly eleven at night. Remembering his little sister still at school, he decided to splurge and hailed a cab to her kindergarten.

He arrived at the kindergarten just as the clock struck eleven. After a lengthy lecture from the teacher, Wang Jue could only apologize and promise it wouldn’t happen again before he was allowed to take his sister home.

Thankfully, the kindergarten had a teacher’s dormitory; otherwise, he would have had to disturb the teacher at home to retrieve his sister.

The little girl usually went to bed early and was already asleep at this hour.

Wang Jue picked up his sleeping sister, apologizing to the teacher as he left. He watched the teacher return to the kindergarten and close the gate before getting into the taxi to head home.

The next day.

Peace No. 10 Middle School.

Ring, ring, ring.

As soon as the bell signaled the end of class and the teacher left, Luoshui eagerly turned to Wang Jue. “Jue, what’s wrong? You look exhausted.”

“Yeah, it’s nothing. Probably just stayed up training too late last night and didn’t get enough sleep,” Wang Jue replied, lethargic, offering a casual excuse.

“Whatever, if you don’t want to say, don’t. Trying to fool me,” Luoshui muttered, giving up on pressing him further. Suddenly, something occurred to her. “By the way, Jue, have you decided which high school you’re going to?”

“Me? Not sure yet,” Wang Jue shook his head.

He was quite self-aware; with his current third-level body refinement, barring any surprises, he could forget about the top hundred high schools. Even if his strength wasn’t measured solely by his realm, his talent was unlikely to impress any of them.

Just then, Luoshui dropped a bombshell. “Jue, I got an invitation from the military academy. They said they’d provide resources and train me, and when I graduate I can become an officer. What do you think?”

Her delicate face showed a hint of confusion; clearly, the news had caught her off guard.

“Why ask me? Shouldn’t you be thinking about what you want, or what your family wants?” Wang Jue replied, sprawled across his desk like a dead fish, not bothering to look up.

He knew Luoshui’s strength made her a natural candidate for a military academy invitation, so he wasn’t surprised. Among their peers, many had reached the sixth level of body refinement, but few were truly unrivaled at their level as she was.

“I don’t know myself, that’s why I’m asking you. My family is all for it—they want me to go, and gave me a whole bunch of reasons,” Luoshui whispered, quite unlike her usual self. Clearly, she didn’t want others to know about it.

“These kinds of decisions, you have to think through yourself.” Wang Jue lifted his head slightly and refused directly. “I can’t make this choice for you.”

He wasn’t foolish—seeing Luoshui’s pitiful expression, he knew she was hoping he’d help her decide. For other matters, he could help, but not this one; he worried that his words might influence her too much.

“All right, enough about me. What about you? Don’t tell me you have no idea—you must have some thoughts,” Luoshui said, not forcing the issue.

Wang Jue hesitated, then said, “Honestly, I have no preference. I’ll do whatever benefits my future the most.”

Top hundred high schools, military academies—it made no difference to him. One could train anywhere.

Besides, he knew his talent probably wasn’t enough for them to take notice.

Wang Jue’s words seemed to make Luoshui ponder. “Benefits…?”

Did he influence her after all?

Seeing Luoshui lost in thought, Wang Jue shook his head with a bitter smile and said no more.