Chapter 65: Purchasing Agent?
Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Purchasing Agent?
"Wow, bro! This Combat Suit looks so cool on you!"
Fang Min circled Fang Chen, her eyes sparkling. "I heard it’s invulnerable to weapons? Come on, take a punch from me!"
With that, the little girl giggled and swung her small fist at Fang Chen’s arm.
Fang Lin saw this and quickly stopped her. "Min’Er! Stop fooling around! Didn’t you hear your brother say that this thing consumes the energy of that... Spiritual Crystal Stone? It’ll wear it down!"
Fang Chen smiled, letting his sister’s fist land lightly on his Combat Suit with a soft THUD.
He explained, "It’s fine, Dad. It only consumes energy when the Spiritual Crystal Stone on the chest is activated. When it’s off, the material of this suit is comparable to regular light armor. It’s very sturdy."
He patted his sister’s head and teased, "Besides, if Min’Er could deplete an activated Energy Shield with a single punch, it would mean our Min’Er’s fists and feet are probably even more formidable than an expert in the True Martial Realm!"
"Wow! That’s amazing!" Fang Min stuck out her tongue and withdrew her hand. She carefully touched the cool, smooth fabric of the Combat Suit, her small face filled with envy. "Sigh, it is a three-hundred-thousand-yuan piece of equipment, after all..."
Fang Chen looked at his sister. "Haha, no need to be jealous. I’ll save up for you. When it’s your turn to take the martial exam, you’ll get a suit like this too!"
"Really? That’s great! You’re the best, bro!" Fang Min immediately jumped for joy.
"Alright, it’s getting late. I need to head out." Fang Chen adjusted his backpack.
"Okay! Here, bro, your sword!" Fang Min quickly handed him the longsword embedded with a Crystal Stone that had been leaning against the wall.
His mother, Song Qingmei, walked over with a cloth bundle in her hands, still looking a bit worried. "Chen’Er, how about... taking some more dry rations? Just in case on the road... bah, bah, bah! Mom means, you can have a bite if you get hungry."
Fang Chen patted his bulging backpack and reassured her, "Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve already packed a whole bag of steamed buns. Plus, the school will definitely provide food. Since we paid so much, they’ll at least have that kind of perk. I’ll be going now."
"Take care on the road, Chen’Er!"
"Good luck with everything, bro!"
"We’ll be waiting for your good news!"
Fang Chen waved and turned to walk out the courtyard gate.
Since they had to gather at the school today to take a bus, leaving his bicycle at the school for too long wouldn’t be safe, so Fang Chen decided to go on foot. With his current leg strength, his walking speed was already very fast.
Just as he reached the village entrance, he saw Uncle Dayuan riding a half-worn motorcycle. With a loud PUTT-PUTT-PUTT, it slowly trundled forward, carrying Li Shanqiang on the back. The father and son duo stopped from time to time; whenever they encountered familiar villagers, they would chat for a bit.
"Hey, Uncle San, have you eaten? I’m taking Shanqiang to the martial exam today!"
"Yes, indeed! He’s about to enter the Martial Arts Academy!"
"Haha, the five-hundred-thousand-yuan registration fee is a bit steep, but what can I do? Our Shanqiang is quite a promising kid, after all."
"Haha, once Shanqiang learns some real skills at the academy, he can come back and give your eldest son a few pointers..."
"Oh, we’re all fellow villagers. We help each other out, it’s all the same, all the same!"
Li Dayuan and his son stopped frequently along the way, showing off to everyone they met. Their speed was so slow that Fang Chen, who was jogging from behind, actually caught up to them.
"Oh, Fang Chen!" Uncle Dayuan’s voice rang out from behind, laced with exaggerated surprise. "You’re going to the martial exam too? This outfit... is it the equipment issued by the martial exam department?"
Although the Combat Suit was designed to look like everyday clothing, the standard longsword in Fang Chen’s hand was instantly recognizable as equipment issued by the martial exam department.
Fang Chen didn’t stop walking. Without looking back, he simply replied, "Yes."
Seeing his attitude, Li Shanqiang, who was sitting on the back of the motorcycle, instantly flared up. He raised his voice and shouted, "Hey! Fang Chen! My dad is talking to you! What do you mean by not turning around? Is this your so-called upbringing?"
Fang Chen still didn’t look back. His steady voice drifted over, "It’s getting late. At the speed you’re going, you probably won’t even reach the school by noon."
"Tch!" Li Shanqiang spat angrily.
Uncle Dayuan narrowed his eyes and called out again, "Fang Chen, where’s your bicycle?"
Hearing this, Li Shanqiang immediately realized something and chimed in, "Yeah, where’s your bicycle? Don’t tell me... Uncle Lin sold everything in the house just to scrape together your registration fee? Heh, if I were Uncle Lin’s son, I definitely couldn’t bear to let him do that!"
Fang Chen came to a halt. He turned around, his gaze landing on Li Shanqiang’s equally brand-new Combat Suit.
"You think wearing a Combat Suit makes your skin thicker?" His tone was flat, yet it carried a chilling edge, giving absolutely no face to Uncle Dayuan beside him.
Li Dayuan’s face instantly darkened.
Li Shanqiang was slightly unnerved by Fang Chen’s glare, but his mouth didn’t stop. "You... oh, I get it! Not only did you make Uncle Lin sell off the family belongings, but you also most likely borrowed money from that beautiful school idol, didn’t you? You kept man!"
Fang Chen raised an eyebrow. "So what if I did?"
"You!" Li Shanqiang hadn’t expected him to admit it so readily. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. Then, a wave of sour jealousy rushed to his head, and his voice pitched up. "Really? Did that beauty really lend you money?
"Is she... is she actually willing to spend that much cash on you?
"On what grounds?!
"What... what kind of magic potion did you feed her?!
"How could she possibly be interested in someone like you..."
The sourness and disbelief in his tone practically overflowed, his face twisted with pure jealousy.
Fang Chen, however, wore a smug, humble-bragging expression. "What can I say? Xia Chu was so sincere and went out of her way to deliver it to me. I couldn’t very well refuse her, could I?"
He abruptly changed the subject and looked at Li Shanqiang. "As for you, didn’t you claim to have awakened a Tier 2 Elemental Superpower? What’s the matter? Not going to the Magic Academy? Why are you squeezing into the Martial Arts Academy with the rest of us?"
Li Shanqiang’s face flushed green and white. He held his breath for a long time before stiffening his neck and sputtering, "I... I...!"
"Forget it," Fang Chen couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on him. "I don’t have time to chat with you. I’m leaving."
With that, he ignored the father and son pair. His legs suddenly exerted force, and his speed skyrocketed.
Watching Fang Chen’s rapidly retreating back, the pent-up anger and grievance in Li Shanqiang’s stomach finally exploded. He slammed his fist into the motorcycle seat and roared tearfully, "Dad!!! Why didn’t you let me apply to the Magic Academy?! If I had gone..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Li Dayuan slapped him across the forehead!
SLAP!
"Apply to the Magic Academy?" Li Dayuan was so furious that the veins on his forehead throbbed. "Then why didn’t you go find a rich, pretty girlfriend who’s willing to throw money at you, just like Fang Chen did?! Huh?!"
Li Shanqiang clutched his forehead, feeling incredibly wronged, and muttered softly, "You think I don’t want to...? I..."
"Worthless!" Seeing his cowardly demeanor, Li Dayuan grew even more furious. "How did I end up giving birth to something like you?!"
At the Third High School, Fang Chen arrived at the school gates half an hour early. The scene before him was far more bustling than he had anticipated.
The several buses meant to transport the candidates had not yet arrived, but the area near the school gates was already packed with people.
Just as Fang Chen approached the gates, seven or eight middle-aged men and women—who didn’t look like parents—swarmed over with a SWOOSH, instantly boxing him in.
"Student! Student!" A tall, thin man squeezed to the front, lowered his voice, and spoke at lightning speed. "Do you take proxy-purchase orders?"
Fang Chen paused his steps, frowning slightly. "Proxy purchasing?"