Chapter 82: An Emergency
Cheng Zitong nodded. “Yes. That’s its name. Don’t look down on it because of its name, though. This is a saber-based refined force compatible with all saber-based martial arts. It was widespread in the north in the past, but they didn’t have the authentic version.”
He pointed at the saber manual. “This is the legit version. Aside from the key methods to activate your refined force, it also tells you what sort of medicine to use, the recipe to make it, and how to use it in detail. Only certain crucial medicines were passed down orally and not written down. No one knows what they are anymore, though.
“But that’s not very important. In the past, these medicines were expensive, so people were really particular when it came to using them because they were worried about the martial artist wasting even a little bit. Now, though, as long as you have money, you can find whatever medicine you want. There’s plenty around.”
Cheng Zitong pushed another book forward. “I’ve written all the important points here. Take a look. I’m going to be a bit busy, but if you don’t understand something, you can call me.”
“Alright. Thank you, Mr. Cheng,” Chen Chuan said gratefully.
“I’ll be leaving now. Take your time reading it.”
“Let me see you out.”
After sending Cheng Zitong out, Chen Chuan flipped through the manual and the book. It was then that he finally learned that the Frost King Saber was a forbidden weapon forged using ancient methods.
Apparently, it was classified as such because the materials used to make the saber were unique. Some mutated tissue was added to it.
The saber manual stated that all sabers need a saber heart. Once a saber user manages to refine and store enough energy to form a saber heart, the saber comes alive. Not only would it then be able to withstand refined force better than before, but it could also repair itself if it was damaged. It would grow along with its master.
The notes revealed that this was just the martial artist’s mutated tissue and the saber’s mutated tissue influencing each other. The saber did not actually come alive, but used its master’s mutated tissue to repair itself.
In the past, famous sabers were passed down from master to disciple or from father to son. Usually, only those who inherited the same refined force were compatible with the weapon. Over time, people began adapting themselves to fit the saber, rather than the other way round.
However, before the Frost King Saber ended up in Chen Chuan’s hands, it did not have a master. This meant that once he got used to the saber, it would be incredibly compatible with him, but he would have to nurture it and make it grow himself.
There were two common methods for this. One of them was through a breathing technique and refined force. When Chen Chuan used the saber, he had to use those two techniques as well. It was also the reason why he had sensed that strange feeling despite not having learned anything about it. This was a long process.
The other method was to go through multiple fights to activate the saber heart. This was the faster method. Unfortunately, the faster method was also more dangerous. The ones who chose this path seldom managed to make it far. After all, the more martial artists in the past fought and killed, the more likely they were to have an early death.
Honestly, the modern sabers were pretty good too. If one broke, a person could just buy another. After all, weapons were expendable items. They were much more convenient than the sabers from the past, though any good martial artist knew that each weapon was different from each other. Even the slightest difference could affect how well a person fought. Hence, due to modern sabers being expendable items, it was impossible for their masters to become compatible with them, unlike the sabers forged through ancient methods.
So, each had their own pros and cons. It all depended on how the saber user used their weapon.
Chen Chuan had no choice. After all, using expendable items required a lot of money to replace them. He needed to save up for medicine, so he could not waste money on weapons.
Besides, the Frost King Saber was suitable for him to channel refined force. As for whether it would still be suitable in the future? That was for the future him to decide.
After that decision, he went to the training hall to spar against the students from the Weapons Department every day using the permit Cheng Zitong gave him. Since these people specialized in weapons, they were all strong, and he learned a lot from them.
One day during the last third of November, Chen Chuan headed to the cafeteria after his training. Since it was a day off, he intended to go back home after breakfast.
When he was about to go to the designated dining space for first-class students, he heard someone calling out to him. When he turned around, he saw a boy waving at him. A few other boys stood beside him.
Chen Chuan immediately recognized him as Fang Zhiming, the one who had gone into the exam venue with him during the follow-up exam. Chen Chuan walked up to him and greeted him with a smile. “It’s been a while, Fang Zhiming.”
Fang Zhiming was really excited to see him. “It really is. We haven’t seen each other since the exam.” He scratched his head. “But it’s mainly because you’re a first-class student. We don’t train together.”
Even though he had shown courage during the exam that day, he did not become a first-class student. He was lacking in other areas, which was a regrettable fact.
Chen Chuan found it a pity. But if someone was not talented enough or did not have the conviction to become a first-class student, becoming a second-class student was not necessarily a bad thing. While first-class students were in a higher social stratum, the things they had to do were more dangerous too.
Fang Zhiming felt a little embarrassed as he handed him something. “My family asked me to hand this to you, and I couldn’t say no.”
Chen Chuan took the business card of an agent company. Someone seemed eager to contact him. But to think that they would even find out that he befriended Fang Zhiming during the follow-up exam and use him? The company was pretty resourceful...
“How long has it been since you’ve gotten this card?” he asked.
Fang Zhiming thought about it. “Around eight days? I can’t go to the first-class students’ dorm, but you need to come to the cafeteria to eat, so I always waited around here for a little while.”
Chen Chuan nodded. He could understand that. Everyone had it hard in the world, so he said, “You didn’t have to put in so much effort into this, but I appreciate it. You can call the dormitory if you need to find me next time, though.”
Fang Zhiming’s eyes lit up. “Can I? That’d be great.”
They spent some time talking about other things before parting ways.
Fang Zhiming returned to his friends, and one of them said, “You weren’t bragging, huh? You really do have a friend among first-class students.”
“Not bad. After you graduate, you’ll have someone up there who can speak for you.”
Fang Zhiming shook his head. “I wasn’t thinking about that. Also, isn’t it better for friends to not talk about such things?”
“You’re so stubborn. You have to make good use of this relationship, understand? Talk to him when you have time.”
“Yes, yes,” Fang Zhiming replied, but he did not take their words to heart. To him, friends were just that—friends. Even though his family had asked him to hand the card, he would never do it again if he learned that it bothered Chen Chuan.
***
After breakfast, Chen Chuan left the university on his bike. He went to the shopping mall at the downtown square to buy a watch. It was actually pretty useful and allowed him to check the time whenever he wanted.
Honestly, he missed having a phone. Aside from checking the time, he could also read the news on it. Without it, he had far fewer channels to get word of happenings in the city, and plenty of information remained inaccessible to him.
After buying the watch, he bought some toys for his cousins, a hand cream for Yu Wan, and a forest python-skin belt for Nian Fuli. Then, he rode back home. When he saw Yu Wan, he returned Nian Fuli’s watch to her, but she refused to take it. “Your uncle has an old one. You can keep it.”
Chen Chuan showed her his watch and said with a smile, “I bought one for myself, so it’s fine.”
“Is it a good one? If it’s not accurate, it’ll only cause you problems,” Yu Wan said.
“Don’t worry, Aunty. I’m still a student. A simple watch will be enough for me,” Chen Chuan said. He looked around and found that the radio was on, but Nian Fuli was not around.
“Is Uncle Fuli not around?” he asked.
“He got a call just now asking him to go to the station. I don’t know whether he’s going to come back for lunch. We don’t have to wait for him. Let’s eat first,” Yu Wan answered.
“Okay,” Chen Chuan said, then handed the hand cream to her. “For you.”
“Why waste money on this? It’s not easy for you to earn it. You should have bought more good food or something useful for yourself!” Yu Wan exclaimed when she saw what it was.
“Money is meant to buy what makes people happy, isn’t it? If I can buy things that make my family happy, then the money is well spent,” he said with a smile and handed the toys he bought to Nian Mo and Nian Lu. His cousins were really observant and had noticed them right away, which is why they had been stuck to his sides since he came over.
Yu Wan sighed. “Don’t waste your money on such things again, okay?”
Chen Chuan just smiled. He played with Nian Mo and Nian Lu for a while. When it was almost lunchtime, they sat down together at the dining table. Just then, the phone rang. Yu Wan ran over to pick it up. “Fuli? Yes, what is it? Is that so? Alright. Be careful, okay?”
When Yu Wan hung up, worry settled on her face, and she said, “Chan’er, Fuli said that he won’t be coming back today. Apparently, there’s a major case.”
A major case?
Chen Chuan thought about it. In the past, Nian Fuli had only used that term a handful of times to describe a few cases.
The radio that had been playing sentimental prose poetry suddenly went staticky. Then, a broadcaster’s voice came through.「This is an emergency broadcast. At 9:32 a.m. today, a bank on Liyuan Street was robbed. The robbers were armed and had a shootout at the entrance of the street with constables.
「At 9:55 a.m., council member Fang Zuo’s private mansion, located in the Quanzhou District, was broken into and robbed. His family members are suspected to be held hostage. The robber has injured and killed multiple security guards...」
Chen Chuan could not help but turn his attention to the broadcast.
The phone rang again, and Yu Wan hurried over to answer it. She held the receiver to her ear with both hands and listened to whatever the other side had to say before she covered the microphone. “Chan’er, it’s for you.”
Chen Chuan took the receiver and heard Cheng Zitong’s voice. “Xiao Chuan, are you at home right now?”
“Yes, Mr. Cheng.”
“Come back to the university right now. There’s an emergency,” Cheng Zitong said in a serious voice.