Chapter 114: I Don't Know That Fool Zhang Ze
“A few trainees dying—what’s the big deal? Is it really worth all this fuss?” Woody frowned and scolded sharply when he saw Zhang Ze’s strong reaction.
Seeing Woody’s indifference, Zhang Ze immediately felt displeased.
He shot back, “We’re both about to become your students, and now you’re telling me your trainees are dying?”
Ignoring Woody’s sixth-rank cultivation, Zhang Ze pressed on, “Have you lost more trainees recently, which is why you suddenly decided to recruit fresh ones this year?”
“Exactly~”
“Otherwise, why do you think I’m wasting time chatting with you two here?”
Woody looked thoroughly self-assured.
“...”
Zhang Ze stared at her calm expression and fell silent.
After hesitating for over a minute, Zhang Ze threw up his hands and said to Woody, “There’s no way I’m becoming your student—this is way too dangerous!”
“I’m just a small-town guy. We’re not close, so I’m not going to risk my life playing games. Bye~”
No matter if she’s a sixth-rank cultivator or not, I’m definitely not going to gamble with my own life!
With that, Zhang Ze turned to leave.
...
“If you’re scared of dying, then you shouldn’t have embarked on the path of a warrior. Otherwise, you’re just wasting resources!”
That sentence sounded strangely familiar to Zhang Ze.
His footsteps, already in motion, halted involuntarily.
Wang Chao’s words from before suddenly echoed vividly in his mind.
He turned back to look at Woody and asked in a low voice, “Don’t tell me you took those trainees into places like the star domain space or the front lines!”
“Oh~”
Woody feigned shock. Judging from Zhang Ze’s reaction earlier, she had thought he was unaware of the star domain space and such matters.
Shrugging, Woody retorted, “If they didn’t die there, do you think they’d die in my own hands?”
“Oh, right!”
Woody added, “A few trainees also died at the hands of cultists...”
This time, Zhang Ze didn’t interrupt.
He kept his eyes fixed on Woody’s expression as she spoke.
Too calm!
Too nonchalant!
Those were lives—each one a human life!
At this moment, Woody said no more, and the training ground fell into a long silence.
It’s worth mentioning that the young girl standing nearby showed no particular surprise upon hearing Woody’s words.
It was as if...
As if she already knew about those things.
...
After several minutes of silence, Woody finally spoke to Zhang Ze, “If there are no issues, come over and note down the training schedule.”
Zhang Ze rubbed his neck, feeling something was off.
If it had been his past self, he wouldn’t have cared about enemies or front lines or any such nonsense.
No matter what, nothing was more important than his own life!
But this time, Zhang Ze hesitated.
He wondered how Wang Chao, the second-rank warrior, was doing.
He wondered if Qianqian and Peng Fei would have to go to those places too.
His thoughts scattered, Zhang Ze didn’t catch the rest of the arrangements Woody mentioned.
Not until her voice fell silent.
...
Swallowing nervously, Zhang Ze asked, “Mentor—could you explain what the star domain space and front lines actually are?”
Woody was taken aback by the sudden question and stared at him for a long moment without replying.
Zhang Ze must have summoned his courage, his voice trembling slightly but resolute: “I’m already a third-rank cultivator, with cellular strength nearing the 800S level. Am I not qualified?”
Woody frowned. “Simple enough~”
“There’s a group of invaders outside trying to break into this blue planet, devouring your parents, your girlfriend, and so on~”
“And they’ve already eaten many people’s parents, friends, and loved ones, so the hatred between the two sides runs deep~”
Zhang Ze furrowed his brow. “That place... the star domain space. If there are enemies, why doesn’t the country deploy H warriors?”
“What enemies are there that modern technology can’t handle? Why would traditional warriors need to intervene?”
Woody waved her hand, cutting off Zhang Ze’s questions.
Her voice dropped to a serious tone: “I’m too lazy to explain all this to you.”
“In short, only warriors can enter that place, and we can’t let the invaders onto Earth. As for all those modern tech achievements you mentioned, they’re useless there~”
“You’ll get a detailed explanation in your future general knowledge classes from your mentors.”
Woody’s tone softened considerably.
Finally, she looked at Zhang Ze and the others and said, “In any case, being my students means entering that place earlier than others.”
“Other mentors wait until their students reach third or even fourth rank before taking them there for a visit...”
“Heh~”
“But my students? From second rank onward, they come with me!”
She glanced sideways at Zhang Ze and mockingly added, “Though compared to a third-rank warrior like you, I’d rather take Zhang Yue, a second-rank warrior!”
It was then that Zhang Ze learned the young girl’s name beside him—Zhang Yue.
Woody then turned to Zhang Yue. “You tell him the training schedule from now on. I’m off.”
...
Woody left.
Only Zhang Ze and Zhang Yue remained in the training ground.
“This is your training assignment from now on.”
The girl handed Zhang Ze a note. Zhang Ze, still dazed, stuffed it into his pocket without reading it.
By this point, Zhang Ze had shaken off much of his earlier shock.
He quietly asked Zhang Yue, “So you know about the star domain space, right?”
“Yeah, a little,” Zhang Yue nodded confidently.
Zhang Ze pressed on, “Do you have any warrior seniors in your family?”
“Yes!”
“My parents and grandfather were all warriors, but they’re all dead now~”
Hearing this, Zhang Ze studied the girl’s expression carefully.
What he saw mirrored Woody’s calmness.
“Did they die in that place?”
“Yeah!”
...
On his way back to the dormitory, Zhang Ze kept pondering Woody’s words.
He suddenly realized that he was drawing closer to certain truths.
“You’re a new student too?”
Just as Zhang Ze reached the gate of the Dragon Lake Dormitory, he heard a young man’s voice.
Looking toward the voice, he saw a youth in white carrying two large blades.
Instantly, Zhang Ze became alert.
Good grief!
Someone was chasing me with blades?
“Damn~”
“You’re way too scared.”
The youth mocked Zhang Ze’s reaction.
Then, he sheathed the two large blades on his back.
Zhang Ze breathed a sigh of relief.
The youth, acting familiar, sidled up and smiled, “Since you’re a new student living here in Dragon Lake Dormitory, your strength should be decent, right?”
“Which mentor did you pick today? Our beautiful Mentor Zhou?”
“Forget it, forget it, that’s boring. Let me ask you—do you know someone named Zhang Ze?”
Though the youth smiled kindly, Zhang Ze became wary when hearing his own name mentioned.
Good grief!
You’re carrying blades and trying to find out who Zhang Ze is?
Do you think I’d just tell you?
Zhang Ze quickly shook his head and explained, “I don’t know that idiot named Zhang Ze...”