Chapter 77: The Mysterious Man
In just two to three hours, the assessment for nearly a thousand people had concluded.
Yet an accident still occurred.
A female candidate had fallen, striking her forehead directly against a rock, and died on the spot.
When the bloodied corpse was carried out, everyone fell silent.
Compared to the warm and gentle assessments of the past, this one was undoubtedly bloody and brutal.
...
On the way back, the injured were the first to board the vehicle and leave. They would not be returning to the Martial Arts Assessment Center but would instead be sent directly to the hospital.
Sitting in the vehicle, the two remained silent for a long while before Zhou Xue suddenly spoke softly, "I heard you helped me during the assessment."
"It was nothing," Chen Shouyi said with a shrug.
"Thank you!" Zhou Xue replied, her face slightly flushed as she quickly turned her head away to hide it.
Such a thin-skinned girl. She must have been holding onto that "thank you" for a long time.
"Well, you’re the landlady’s daughter after all. Of course I’d look out for you," Chen Shouyi said. Seeing her discomfort, he decided not to tease her further and shifted to more serious matters. "Just letting you know in advance—once we get back to the hotel, I won’t be returning to Changmen Town with you. I need to make a trip to Hedong City to reassure my parents."
"Understood," Zhou Xue replied. Though she had questions, she didn’t ask. She wasn’t the type to pry.
"You know how to get back, right?" Chen Shouyi asked.
"I do," Zhou Xue said, her expression cooling.
And just like that, the conversation died.
...
The bus soon arrived at the Martial Arts Assessment Center.
The subsequent procedures—registration, receiving the certificate, and taking the oath—need not be detailed.
Chen Shouyi’s earlier worries about his identity turned out to be nothing but a false alarm.
As he examined the small, exquisitely crafted certificate in his hands, he finally felt like someone with political rights.
If he had obtained this certificate a month ago, he would’ve woken up laughing in his sleep.
Of course, that would’ve only been possible in a dream.
Back then, the gap between him and becoming a Martial Arts Apprentice was as vast as the distance between dreams and reality.
But now, he felt no particular joy.
It was all rather mundane.
Like a long-time unlicensed driver finally passing the test and getting a license—it all seemed so natural.
For him, what he pursued now was the Martial Artist certificate.
A mere Martial Arts Apprentice certificate was already beneath his notice.
Returning to the hotel with Zhou Xue, Chen Shouyi slung his backpack over his shoulder and picked up his briefcase. He unzipped it briefly to check inside, finding Shell Woman fast asleep, then zipped it back up.
Before leaving, he knocked on the door across from his. "I’m heading out now."
"Mhm," came Zhou Xue’s voice from inside.
Chen Shouyi smiled but didn’t dwell on it. He was already accustomed to Zhou Xue’s colder demeanor, and besides, there was no need to overthink things with a young girl.
...
After checking out at the hotel front desk, he hailed a taxi and headed straight for the High-Speed Rail Station.
An hour later, he was already aboard the high-speed train bound for Hedong City.
Upon entering the train carriage, he found his seat already occupied. Holding up his ticket, Chen Shouyi said, "Excuse me, but this is my seat?"
The carriage was sparsely populated, with few passengers, making it unlikely that anyone would be without a seat. A faint sense of puzzlement stirred within him.
"Oh, sorry." The young man quickly stood up and sat opposite him.
Noticing the slightly odd accent, Chen Shouyi couldn't help but glance at him again, only to find the other already looking out the window.
This was a young man who appeared to be around twenty years old, with smooth and delicate skin. Though dressed in ordinary clothes and not particularly handsome, he possessed an oddly captivating charm.
Chen Shouyi didn’t scrutinize him further and instead pulled out a book on the common language to read.
The train gradually began moving.
The young man remained motionless, staring outside for over half an hour before finally turning his gaze back to Chen Shouyi. "Excuse me," he said, "what are you reading?"
If not for his slightly peculiar accent, his voice carried a magnetic quality—pleasant and elegant.
Chen Shouyi looked up with a smile. "The common language!"
"The common language? What kind of language is that?" The young man seemed puzzled.
"The language of the Otherworld," Chen Shouyi replied, not finding it strange. After all, few people studied the common language—only those in martial arts academies or specialized research institutions bothered with such a niche subject.
"The Otherworld…" The young man murmured softly. "Sorry, could I take a look?"
Chen Shouyi didn’t mind and handed the book over.
The young man took it and began flipping through the pages rapidly, as if skimming through it carelessly. Within a minute or two, he stopped and returned it. "Interesting! Is this something every warrior must learn?"
As Chen Shouyi took the book back, his hand froze slightly at the question.
Then, with a frown, he asked, "How did you know? You’re not from the Great Xia Nation, are you? We don’t call them warriors here."
"You guessed right. I come from somewhere far away. As for how I could tell—well, it’s impossible to hide from my eyes. You’re much stronger than the average person here." The young man smiled, his expression brimming with absolute confidence.
Chen Shouyi stiffened, carefully digesting the last sentence. The phrasing was bizarre—as if the young man wasn’t from this world.
Suddenly, his body tensed as if struck by lightning, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
"You seem nervous?" the young man remarked with a smile.
His demeanor remained warm and friendly from start to finish, but at this moment, Chen Shouyi could clearly sense a chilling indifference beneath that smile—like a being looking down upon all living things from above.
"No, it’s probably just the train carriage being too warm," Chen Shouyi quickly deflected, his heart pounding wildly.
He forced himself to calm down. Panicking now would be useless. Faced with such a terrifying existence, his life hung by a thread.
The young man didn’t press further. Instead, he sighed in a melodramatic tone. "This world is delicate yet fragile, powerful yet weak. Fortunately, everything is changing for the better. War is coming—the foolish will fall into hell, while the wise will rise to glory!"
Chen Shouyi wanted to argue but ultimately held his tongue. In front of a being who could snuff out his life in an instant, any action that might provoke him would be sheer stupidity.
Just then, the train attendant entered the carriage, followed by several train police officers.
"Ticket inspection is now being conducted. Please present your ticket and ID. We apologize for any inconvenience caused."
The ticket check began in sequence throughout the train carriage.
Chen Shouyi's heart immediately tightened. He couldn't help but glance at the mysterious young man, only to find him completely unperturbed—instead, the young man gave him a cryptic smile.
Had he been mistaken?
As the train attendant approached, Chen Shouyi took out his ticket and ID from his wallet and placed them on the small table.
Before long, the attendant came over, picked up the ticket and ID, glanced at them, and said, "Please keep them safely with you."
Chen Shouyi slowly put away his ID and ticket, his muscles tensing as an internal alarm blared in his mind.
Yet, to his shock, the attendant and several train police officers simply walked past the mysterious young man as if he didn’t exist at all in their eyes. He looked around and realized that none of the nearby passengers seemed to notice anything unusual either.
What was going on?
"Strange, isn’t it?" The young man smiled, as if sensing Chen Shouyi’s confusion. "In this world’s terms, it’s just a simple psychological trick. If I don’t want them to see me, then to them, I simply don’t exist."
"Still, I must leave now. I’ve already sensed an ill omen—these annoying surveillance systems and those troublesome pursuers," he said with a laugh.
The moment his words fell, he raised his hand toward the train’s bulletproof glass. His hand blurred for an instant—then, with a howling gust of wind, the glass shattered explosively. At the same time, Chen Shouyi saw his figure flicker before vanishing completely.
Chen Shouyi quickly leaned out the window, and the last thing he saw was the young man leaping off the high bridge, disappearing into the distance.
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