Chapter 16: Patrol
Glancing back at Zhao Tianxing, who was still frozen in place, Zhang Yu urged, “Let’s get to work, Little Zhao. You slacking off already?”
Zhao Tianxing quickly hurried to catch up, though he couldn’t resist glancing back a few more times at Bai Zhenzhen serving dishes.
No one at school would ever believe this, he thought. Bai Zhenzhen is working a part-time job? Did something happen to her family?
After another round of patrols, Zhao Tianxing followed Zhang Yu into an empty emergency stairwell, where he watched Zhang Yu suddenly sit down cross-legged.
“You might as well take a break too,” Zhang Yu said.
“Huh? But the captain told us to keep patrolling. If he finds out…”
“The exhibition hasn’t even started yet. What is there to patrol? Besides, what could possibly happen inside this building?”
With a small laugh, Zhang Yu added, “Anyway, didn’t you want to talk to me? This is a perfect chance for me to teach you the true way of the security guard.”
Hearing this, Zhao Tianxing remembered Wang Hai’s instructions.
Across from him, Zhang Yu then dropped a bombshell.
“The whole point of being a security guard is to slack off!”
“Huh?” Zhao Tianxing asked.
Zhang Yu continued, “Think about it. Whether you patrol a few more times or a few less, does your pay change?”
Zhao Tianxing hesitated for a moment. “I guess… not?”
Zhang Yu asked again, “With or without us here, does the security level of this venue really change?”
Zhao Tianxing scratched his head. “I guess… not either? But…”
Zhang Yu stated, “But the time we steal for ourselves is our own.”
“Alright, I’m going to rest for a bit. We’ll head back out later when the exhibition officially begins.”
Watching Zhang Yu close his eyes and begin his breathing exercise, Zhao Tianxing grew nervous, terrified of being caught slacking off by their superiors.
Glancing again at Zhang Yu, now completely absorbed in his breathing exercise, Zhao Tianxing felt a mix of admiration for his dedication to cultivating at every opportunity and disbelief at how incredibly reckless he was being.
Wait a minute, wasn’t I supposed to ask him about the medicine? How did I get sidetracked into a lecture on slacking off…
Suddenly, Zhao Tianxing’s eyes flickered as he replayed Zhang Yu’s words in his mind, lost in thought.
Zhao Tianxing was the type of person who wasn’t particularly skilled at socializing. He was thoughtful and sensitive, always worried about what others thought and prone to overthinking things.
Now, as he recalled what Zhang Yu had just said, he realized it all seemed to apply to his own situation.
If I ask him a few more questions, or a few less, will Teacher Wang Hai refuse to guide me?
Without me digging up information, will Teacher Wang Hai really be unable to find anything out?
Could Zhang Yu have already figured out what I was planning? Was he saying all that to subtly give me a hint—to tell me to slack off on this too?
At this thought, Zhao Tianxing looked again at Zhang Yu and his steady breathing exercise, and suddenly even the simple act felt profound and inscrutable.
As magic power surged through his body, Zhang Yu silently circulated his energy for a full cycle, advancing his Celestial Cycle Qi-Gathering Method to (13/80) just as the art exhibition finally, officially began.
“It’s just as you’d expect from an exhibition hosted by Ms. Li. Every guest here is either wealthy or influential.”
Zhao Tianxing sighed with sincere admiration as he watched the attendees file in.
Although he didn’t know who any of these people were, a single glance at their luxurious clothes and accessories was enough to tell him they were all of considerable means.
Even though his own father was a minor manager at a company with a respectable income, he could still identify numerous luxury items on these guests that his family could never hope to afford.
Just then, Zhang Yu whispered from the side, “Old Zhao, look at that!”
Zhao Tianxing followed the direction of Zhang Yu’s chin and immediately spotted a gleaming golden figure entering, surrounded by an entourage.
Focusing his gaze, he saw that the man’s skin was like a layer of gold foil, faintly reflecting the light with a soft, metallic sheen.
Beside him, Zhang Yu asked curiously, “What is that? A robot?”
Zhao Tianxing hastily clamped a hand over Zhang Yu’s mouth, watching nervously until he was sure the golden man hadn’t looked their way, before finally letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
He then released his hand and explained, “That’s the Immortal Resonance Group’s Songyang City Director. You can’t just say whatever you want.”
“Immortal Resonance Group?” Zhang Yu asked, looking curiously at the golden man. “Then why is he so… shiny?”
Zhao Tianxing explained, “That’s a Bionic. You’ve never heard of it?”
Seeing Zhang Yu’s blank expression, Zhao Tianxing figured his family probably wasn’t exposed to such things and patiently explained, “A Bionic… well, it’s sort of like a prosthesis, but infinitely more powerful.”
“And on the technological level of the Immortal Dao, Bionics have been developed to encompass the entire human body.”
“It’s like you can replace any part of your body with a magical treasure, drastically enhancing its abilities while preserving all the original functions.”
“The only catch is you need a magic power level of 100 or more to have one implanted…”
At these words, Zhang Yu’s eyes flickered. He knew that 100 magic power was the absolute limit one could reach in the Qi Refinement realm.
He asked, “So you can get one implanted with just 100 magic power, or do you have to wait until after Foundation Establishment?”
Zhao Tianxing replied, “100 magic power is enough, but this man is a true Foundation Establishment cultivator. He comes from a prestigious family and graduated from Myriad Laws University.”
Zhang Yu got it. This was a Foundation Establishment grandmaster, fresh out of university, coming down to a low-level lobby to stomp on newbies—showing off and putting a bunch of stubborn Qi Refinement cultivators in their place.
As more and more guests arrived, Zhang Yu spotted two other individuals who looked like they might have bionics. One had eyes that shone like jewels, while the other had a halo of light floating behind his head. Their entire aesthetic was a stark contrast to the other wealthy attendees.
These two, along with the glittering director from the Immortal Resonance Group, formed three separate centers of gravity, periodically drawing in Qi Refinement hopefuls who looked desperate enough to kneel and kowtow.
By now, Zhao Tianxing seemed to be gradually getting used to his security uniform, no longer appearing so tense as he watched the guests come and go.
As the two of them patrolled, they inadvertently overheard snippets of conversation.
Some remarked on Ms. Li Xuelian’s immense wealth.
Others praised the outstanding quality of the paintings, speculating on their exorbitant value.
And, of course, some were discussing the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll, personally painted by a Golden Core True Person.
“Brother Li? Don’t tell me you’re also here to seek enlightenment from the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll painted by Senior Starfire?”
“Of course. If any young prodigy under the age of twenty can master the martial arts contained within it, Senior Starfire will take them as a direct disciple. That news has already spread throughout the entire Immortal Dao community of Songyang City, so how could I possibly miss this?”
Wait, that’s a thing? Zhang Yu thought. And it’s spread throughout the entire Immortal Dao community of Songyang? How come I never heard about it?
Maybe a bottom-feeder like me in the Immortal Dao community doesn’t deserve to know?
For the moment, however, Zhang Yu suppressed his questions and decided to carry out his duties as a security guard.
He walked up to the person who had been speaking and asked politely, “Sir, is everything alright?”
The youth who had spoken had sharp, defined brows and starlike eyes, marking him as someone extraordinary. He gave the security guard a puzzled look.
“Is there a problem?”
The youth announced proudly, “I am Lian Tianji of Purple Cloud High School. Can’t you see I’m talking with my friend?”
Zhang Yu and Zhao Tianxing glanced at him, and then at his so-called ‘friend.’
This ‘friend’ was a box resting on a nearby table, its surface covered in a peculiar wood grain. In size and shape, it looked exactly like a funerary urn.
Schizophrenia? Zhang Yu wondered. Did he study himself into insanity?
He had, however, heard of Purple Cloud High School. It was an elite institution even more prestigious than Songyang High School, one of the top three schools in Songyang City. It was a place the old Zhang Yu wouldn’t have even dared to dream of applying to.
Purple Cloud High School was legendary for its principals, who were known for their cruel methods, appalling pressure tactics, and hellishly strict school rules.
Everything at Songyang High School paled in comparison. The legendary campus caste system, where underachievers ate their meals in the bathroom and the weak were expected to kneel before the strong… rules like these were enough to strike terror into the hearts of students from any other school.
Looking now at Lian Tianji, who was deep in conversation with a funerary urn, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but sigh. Purple Cloud High School really did drive its students mad.
But just then, the ‘funerary urn’ spoke. “Brother Lian, I believe these two security guards have misunderstood.”
“I am Li Xingyu, a soul cultivator from Mount Mang High School.”
Mount Mang High School? A soul cultivator?
Zhang Yu remembered now. Wasn’t that a school he had once considered applying to?
He knew that soul cultivators had lower score requirements for the college entrance exam and were on a specialized track, but he also knew it came with the requirement of abandoning one’s physical body.
But staring at the ‘funerary urn’ on the table, he was still utterly shocked.
“Mount Mang High School… it really does turn people into ghosts.”
Zhang Yu and Zhao Tianxing quickly apologized and backed away. They watched as Lian Tianji and Li Xingyu exchanged a few more words before four propeller-like devices extended from the ‘funerary urn,’ and it flew away like a drone.
Watching this, Zhang Yu was secretly grateful his predecessor hadn’t chosen the path of a soul cultivator. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even be able to look the part… to have that ethereal, transcendent bearing of an immortal. What kind of cultivator would he be then?
Wait, that soul cultivator doesn’t even have a physical body. How does he plan to practice the martial arts from the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll?
Then he recalled the information the two had just shared about the scroll.
If that’s true, does that mean tons of young prodigies under twenty will be attending this exhibition? All just for a chance to master the peerless martial art within the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll?
At this thought, Zhang Yu found himself looking forward to the exhibition more and more.
Four hundred an hour, a free show, and a chance to comprehend a peerless martial art? Whoever said this was a bad gig was dead wrong. This job was amazing.
He turned to Zhao Tianxing beside him and asked, “How about it, Old Zhao? Are you interested in the peerless martial art from the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll?”
Zhao Tianxing instinctively shook his head.
He knew his own limits. A technique that only true prodigies or the fabulously wealthy could ever hope to master—what could that possibly have to do with an ordinary person like him?
Far from being interested, he was filled with an urge to shrink away. Even if the Celestial Paragon’s Martial Demonstration Scroll were brought out right now, he wouldn’t even dare to try, terrified of making a fool of himself in front of everyone.
A moment later, however, Zhao Tianxing—who had just started to get comfortable in his role—wanted nothing more than to cover his face and flee, to rip the security uniform right off his body.
Zhang Yu glanced at Zhao Tianxing’s rapidly retreating figure, then looked in the direction he had been facing, immediately spotting several familiar faces.
“Huh? Isn’t that Qian Shen? And those others look like they’re from our school too, right?”
Qian Shen was the academic prodigy who was always ranked just behind Bai Zhenzhen, consistently holding the number two spot in their year since school began.
Zhang Yu clapped Zhao Tianxing on the shoulder.
“Old Zhao, look. Aren’t those our classmates?”
Zhao Tianxing quickly yanked Zhang Yu back.
“Turn around, hurry!” he said, his voice tight with anxiety. “Don’t let them see us.”
Translator’s Note
In Chinese culture, Mount Mang is synonymous with death, burial, and the afterlife.
Located north of Louyang in Henan provice, Mount Mang was considered the most auspicious place to be buried due to its excellent feng shui (high soil quality, deep earth, and protection against floods).