Chapter 63: Before Departure

Chapter 63: Before Departure

The sky gradually darkened.

Chen Mu lit a candle and pulled down the rolling shutter door, grumbling, "Business is getting worse and worse. Hardly anyone comes to eat anymore."

"What more do you want? So many people are unemployed these days. Earning anything at all is already good enough," Chen Dawei said, putting down the dishes and wiping his hands on his apron.

"I don’t know what’s wrong today, but my eyelids keep twitching, and my heart feels uneasy. Do you think there’s a problem with those loans we invested in? If we can’t get them back, we’re in trouble."

The Jiangnan region had always valued commerce, and underground finance thrived there. The returns from such investments were often much higher than bank interest rates, so the Chen family had naturally put their spare money into it.

"Then maybe we should withdraw it another day. Losing a bit of interest is still better than losing the principal. Who knows when things will go back to normal? The risk is too high now!" Chen Dawei also sounded worried.

"If we wait, it’ll be too late. I’ll go get it back tomorrow," Chen Mu said decisively. She had always been a woman of action.

As she spoke, she walked to the staircase and shouted, "Are you two just going to stay cooped up in your rooms without eating? Do I have to call you down for every meal? Hurry up!"

...

In the darkness, Chen Shouyi opened his eyes, changed into black clothes, grabbed the longsword from the table, and opened his door.

At the same time, the door next to his opened, and Chen Xingyue stepped out, her eyes red.

In just a few hours, she had grown noticeably haggard and much quieter.

"Brother, you..." She stared in shock at the sword in his hand.

She was both surprised by her brother’s decisiveness and puzzled about the origin of the sword.

"There are already people watching us outside. They might try to kill us. Are you scared?" Chen Shouyi said calmly. "As for where this sword came from, don’t ask too many questions."

"Brother, I’m not scared. They all deserve to die!" Chen Xingyue froze for a moment before replying coldly.

As if remembering her two tragically deceased friends, tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly turned back to her room and retrieved her alloy sword.

...

The two of them walked down the stairs one after the other.

"Why are you carrying swords?" Chen Dawei asked, staring at them in confusion. "And Shouyi, when did you buy that sword?"

Chen Xingyue remained silent.

"Dad, let’s eat first. I’ll explain later," Chen Shouyi forced a smile.

Chen Mu, however, was more observant. She noticed her daughter’s swollen, red eyes and gloomy expression, as well as her son’s strained smile and evasive manner. Combined with the swords in their hands, a sense of foreboding rose in her heart.

"What did you do to your sister? If you don’t explain clearly, we’re not eating!"

It wasn’t unreasonable for Chen Mu to suspect something. Anyone seeing their expressions would jump to the same conclusion.

What kind of misunderstanding was this?

Even with murderous intent in his heart, Chen Shouyi couldn’t help but gape in astonishment at his mother’s scolding.

On the other side, Chen Dawei’s smile vanished, and he asked sternly, "Shouyi, what’s going on with you two...?"

"Mom, Dad, what are you talking about?" Chen Xingyue couldn’t help but snap.

"Then why are you holding swords?" Seeing Chen Xingyue’s reaction, Chen Mu finally realized she might have misunderstood and awkwardly added...

Chen Shouyi's face darkened with exasperation, feeling that if he didn't clarify things, this meal would be impossible to eat. He glanced at the already closed rolling shutter door, his expression turning grave as he said, "Mom, Dad, something major has happened."

Affected by Chen Shouyi's solemn demeanor, Chen Mu and Chen Dawei's hearts skipped a beat. Chen Dawei quickly asked, "What happened?"

"So many people died nearby today—you must know about it, right?"

The two immediately nodded. The incident had already spread like wildfire in the area—how could they not know?

"Xingyue was originally among them, but she was lucky enough to escape. Later, she reported it to the police and leaked information. By the afternoon, people were already watching us from outside." Chen Shouyi briefly explained the sequence of events.

"Tonight, we must leave Dongning City!"

Seeing Chen Xingyue also nodding in agreement, Chen Mu grew flustered. No matter how capable she was, she was still just an ordinary person. "How can there be such lawless people? Can't we just call the police?"

"Calling the police is useless. They can handle it temporarily, but not forever. These people are all lunatics," Chen Shouyi rejected without hesitation, then turned to Chen Dawei. "Dad, is there enough gas in the car?"

"Plenty! Plenty! I haven’t driven since the last fill-up. It should last a few hundred kilometers without a problem."

Chen Dawei felt he couldn’t appear useless in front of his wife and children. Forcing himself to steady his nerves, he said, "We really should leave Dongning City. Some things just have to be let go. Our family’s safety is more important than anything else. At worst, we’ll endure some hardship for a while."

"But what about the people watching us?" Chen Mu asked worriedly.

"Mom, leave them to me," Chen Shouyi said calmly.

As he spoke, he instantly drew his longsword. With a sharp zing, like a flash of lightning, the blade was already sheathed again before either of them could see it clearly.

The next moment, a corner of the dining table suddenly separated from the surface and, pulled by gravity, fell straight to the ground with a crisp clatter.

The room fell into silence.

Chen Xingyue's eyes widened in astonishment. She had already sensed her brother’s strength that afternoon, but she never imagined it would be this formidable. Even she couldn’t clearly see how he had sheathed the sword.

"Brother... are you a Martial Artist now?" she couldn’t help but ask.

"More or less," Chen Shouyi replied.

In this critical moment, he could no longer afford to hide his strength. The more powerful he appeared, the more at ease his parents would feel.

Listening to their exchange, Chen Mu and Chen Dawei exchanged glances before looking back at Chen Shouyi, as if they no longer recognized their own son.

"Shouyi, are you really a Martial Artist now?" Chen Mu asked, still unable to believe it.

Meeting their excited gazes, Chen Shouyi nodded.

This wasn’t exactly boasting—at the very least, his physical abilities had long surpassed the standard for a Martial Artist.

Chen Mu’s face flushed with excitement, and her previously anxious heart temporarily settled. The might of a Martial Artist was deeply ingrained in people’s minds—each one was a lofty figure of great status, and there were only a handful in all of Dongning City.

Then she began worrying about something else. "When the time comes, don’t impulsively kill anyone, alright?"

"Don't worry, Mom, I just knocked them out," Chen Shouyi said, though he had long harbored killing intent. To reassure his parents, he kept his tone light.

Chen Dawei snapped back to reality and quickly interjected, "This isn’t the time for chit-chat. Let’s eat first!"

"Right, right, and we still have to pack."

...

The meal was tense. Aside from Chen Shouyi, no one had much of an appetite.

Chen Mu hurriedly took a few bites before dragging Chen Dawei off to gather their belongings.

Parting with their possessions was hard, especially since they didn’t know when—or if—they’d return. They had to take as much as they could.

About ten minutes later, the two came downstairs lugging bags of all sizes.

"I packed all your clothes, Shouyi. But why is there a bow under your bed?"

"Mom, don’t ask now. I’ll explain later," Chen Shouyi said, rubbing his temples.

Chen Xingyue stared at the absurdly large giant bow and the bundle of combat arrows in her father’s hands, then turned to gape at Chen Shouyi as if he were a monster.

Brother, what exactly have you been doing in secret lately?

"Mom, did you take my briefcase?" Chen Shouyi suddenly remembered and asked urgently.

"Yes, I stuffed it into your backpack with your clothes!"

What?!

Chen Shouyi’s face paled, a chill running down his spine. He immediately set down his bowl and strode over. "Mom, let me handle it. I’ll check if we missed anything!"

He quickly took the backpack, feeling its bulging weight. It was clearly packed full.

Was Shell Woman crushed to death?!

Turning away from the others, he hastily unzipped the bag and frantically pulled out clothes one by one. At the very bottom, his hands trembled as he retrieved the badly flattened briefcase.

Taking a deep breath, he yanked the zipper open.

Inside, Shell Woman looked terrified from the crushing pressure, but she was unharmed. He exhaled in relief.

"That scared me to death."