Chapter 67: Settling In (Part 2)

Chapter 67: Settling In (Part 2)

The clock neared midnight.

Under the bright moonlight, the family of four walked briskly. The fire in the distance had grown larger, engulfing the entire car in flames. Fortunately, this was a rural area, remote and deep into the night, so no one noticed.

When they passed a river, Chen Dawei decisively threw the license plate into the water.

After half an hour of walking, they finally reached the town. Before they could find a place to stay, a patrol officer stopped them on the road.

"What are you doing out so late?" The officer shone a dim flashlight at them, sweeping it back and forth.

Thankfully, they had already prepared their story and steeled themselves for such situations. Chen Dawei forced himself to remain calm. "Our car broke down on the road. We’re just looking for a place to stay for the night."

The officer studied them—adults and children alike, each carrying luggage, speaking with the local accent. He didn’t suspect anything and instead offered kindly, "At this hour, it’ll be hard to find lodging. Try knocking on the doors of small inns. The owners might still open up."

"Thank you so much. We won’t trouble you further—we’ll be on our way."

"Alright, be careful. The area’s been a bit unsafe lately. If you run into trouble, just shout. We patrol nearby often," the officer said.

The family breathed a sigh of relief and quickly moved on.

Chen Shouyi realized then that Chen Mu, who always seemed so strong-willed at home, was actually all bark and no bite. In that tense moment, she had frozen, her expression stiff.

Thankfully, Chen Dawei had nerves of steel.

Otherwise, Chen Shouyi would have had to step in—but as a minor, he would’ve drawn suspicion. Fortunately, the crisis had passed without incident.

They tried several inns before finally finding one that answered their knock.

The owner was an elderly man. He lit a candle, peered at the four of them through the curtains, then opened the door, grumbling, "Coming to sleep at this hour? How many rooms?"

"Three," Chen Dawei said.

"That’ll be 120, plus a 100 deposit. Oh, and candles cost extra. How many do you need?"

"Three. And two lighters," Chen Dawei replied.

"Give me 330. Candles have gone up in price lately. Hot water’s over there if you need it. The toilet’s down the hall. Take this candle with you too."

Not once did the old man ask for identification, much to everyone’s relief.

……

A 40-yuan-a-night inn wasn’t exactly luxurious—or sanitary.

But for Chen Shouyi’s family, having a place to sleep was more than enough. They couldn’t afford to be picky.

In Chen Xingyue’s room, Chen Mu held her hand, uneasy. "Don’t overthink it. Get some rest—it’s all over now."

"Yeah, once things settle, we’ll open another restaurant. Everything will go back to normal," Chen Dawei added.

Chen Xingyue nodded hard, her eyes glistening. "Mom, Dad, Brother… I’m okay. You should rest too."

After a few more words, Chen Mu and Chen Dawei left.

Chen Shouyi returned to his own room.

He lay back on the musty-smelling bed and let out a quiet sigh.

Just a day ago, he had been contemplating how to completely eliminate the threat of the spatial gateway, eradicate all the barbarians' canoes, and perhaps even search for Zhang Xiaoyue. Yet a day later, he was forced to flee in disarray, taking refuge in an obscure town of another city.

Life never follows the path you plan.

He felt like a rootless duckweed, drifting aimlessly with the slightest breeze or ripple, with nowhere to anchor.

In the end, it all boiled down to his lack of social influence.

He possessed the strength of a Martial Artist but none of the corresponding social status. His words held no weight. If he were a registered Martial Artist, would the cultists dare to target his family so brazenly? He wouldn’t have to skulk around in fear of exposure.

It should be the cultists who feared exposure, not the other way around!

The thought filled him with frustration.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t just unregistered as a Martial Artist—he wasn’t even a Martial Apprentice.

And by age, he was still a minor with no political rights.

"I wonder when the Martial Apprentice Examination will resume."

It wasn’t that Chen Shouyi didn’t want to take the Martial Artist exam directly, but one had to pass as a Martial Apprentice first to qualify. Moreover, the Martial Artist exam couldn’t be taken in small cities like Dongning or Pingqiu—he would have to go to the Jiangnan Province Martial Arts Branch.

……

Then, he finally remembered Shell Woman.

Since she had been crushed, he hadn’t properly checked if she was injured.

He immediately grabbed the briefcase, unzipped it, and found her fast asleep.

He fished her out, untied the straps, and peeled off the tape on her face.

"Stupid Giant, you woke me up!" Shell Woman shouted angrily after being startled awake.

As an Otherworld creature, she had an exceptionally long sleep cycle—sleeping for seventeen or eighteen hours straight was normal for her.

Chen Shouyi had expected her to bring up nearly being crushed to death earlier, but instead, she was annoyed at him for waking her. Clearly, she was fine.

Otherworld creatures were indeed tough.

"Aren’t you hungry?"

Shell Woman thought for a moment. "Hungry!"

Well, there you go.

Chen Shouyi found the honey in his backpack, mixed a spoonful with hot water, and handed it to her.

Shell Woman’s temper was as quick to flare as it was to fade. She stood up on the bed, curiously looking around. "Giant, why did you change your sleeping place again?"

Chen Shouyi didn’t want to answer that depressing question. He placed the spoon on the nightstand.

"Eat up, then go back to sleep!"

Shell Woman immediately scampered over on her tiny legs and leaped onto the nightstand.

After she finished eating, Chen Shouyi placed her by the wall at the edge of the bed, blew out the candles, and lay down.

Closing his eyes, he practiced "Meditative Self-Refinement."

Then, fighting off exhaustion, he entered his Memory Space to review his battle with the Black-suited Man.

At the time, the fight had seemed like an easy victory, but in reality, it had been perilously close. The slightest lapse in focus, the smallest mistake, and it could have been him lying dead.

Even now, watching the battle from a third-person perspective, he broke out in a cold sweat. It felt like he had narrowly escaped the brink of hell.

Compared to the life-and-death sniping battle with the barbarian tribe chief, this cold weapon combat was undoubtedly far more thrilling and intense, leaving no room for even a moment's respite.

The Black-suited Man's swordsmanship was unbelievably advanced. He executed various techniques effortlessly, with little adherence to rigid forms. Many standard sword stances had blurred in his hands, and the transitions between moves were seamless and natural, devoid of any forced or awkward feeling. Every gesture he made carried immense power.

After observing for a while, Chen Shouyi immediately focused his attention on the Black-suited Man's physique.

His first impression was that the man seemed slightly frail—noticeably weaker than his own body by more than a margin.

His second impression was one of coordination—an extraordinary level of bodily harmony. The man's muscles moved as if oiled, with every subtle motion engaging his entire musculature.

Clearly, the Black-suited Man's control over his muscles had reached an unbelievable level, becoming completely instinctive.

In truth, there were two fundamental criteria for becoming a Martial Artist: one was reaching the physical standard of a Martial Artist, and the other was completing Muscle Refinement through Meditative Self-Refinement. Chen Shouyi had long met the former, but the latter still required considerable refinement.

Of course, only the first criterion was an absolute requirement, while the second was merely the path to achieving a Martial Artist's formidable combat prowess.

Someone like Chen Shouyi, who could kill a Martial Artist in a one-on-one battle, was undoubtedly a Martial Artist himself.

He carefully savored the sensation of such precise control over his entire musculature, but soon, overwhelmed by mental exhaustion, he fell into a deep sleep.