Chapter 56: Hey, Can You Tell Me the Way?

Zhang Ze had given Yu Qian four hundred thousand for his wedding, but let’s set that matter aside for now.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed.

July 30th.

Because the provincial martial arts exchange was set to begin with its opening ceremony the next day, Zhang Ze and his companions had already moved into the dormitories arranged by the Anqing Martial Bureau.

It’s worth mentioning that Yongsheng Martial Arts School sent only two leaders, Ren Fan and Zhao Wu, and a team of just nine to participate this time.

Jia Zhengyi, for reasons of his own, had left Yongsheng Martial Arts School two days prior.

…

That afternoon.

The two street punks, Qian Qian and Peng Fei, dragged Zhang Ze along with them to wander outside the Anqing Martial Bureau.

This was actually Zhang Ze’s second time seeing the main entrance of the Anqing Martial Bureau.

Back when he’d first arrived in this world and come into contact with martial artists, he’d come here on his own. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’d been brimming with youthful ambition; after all, he’d traveled between worlds and possessed a system—he looked every bit the protagonist!

…

The entrance itself wasn’t adorned with anything special, just four large characters above spelling out “Anqing Martial Bureau.”

But what was truly astonishing was its sheer size—the gate towered over twenty meters high and spanned more than a hundred meters wide.

Having lived a stifled existence in his previous life, Zhang Ze had never encountered such a grand edifice before.

So even though this wasn’t his first time here, he still found it hard to suppress his inner excitement.

“Hey—”

Just as Zhang Ze was gazing at the gate in fascination, a soft call sounded not far away.

The young man who spoke had close-cropped hair, sharp brows, and striking eyes, and wore a martial arts training uniform. At a glance, he radiated an extraordinary energy.

Zhang Ze, who was never much to look at, couldn’t help but feel a pang of discomfort when faced with someone this handsome.

“Are you talking to me?”

He looked around, then directed his question at the youth.

“How do I get to the East Dormitory Village?”

From his words, Zhang Ze realized that the young man was also a participant in the martial arts exchange.

“You’re here for the martial arts exchange too?”

Peng Fei, who always considered himself second to none, didn’t pay much attention to the youth and asked casually.

The young man nodded slightly.

After pointing him in the right direction, the three didn’t linger at the bureau’s gate.

…

“Damn—”

“Look, isn’t that Jia Zhengyi over there?”

As they returned to the entrance of the East Dormitory, they saw a group of people approaching from afar.

“Isn’t that the kid?” Qian Qian echoed after Peng Fei.

“That looks like the team from Mengyang County Martial Arts School, right?”

Zhang Ze recognized the group, his gaze sharpening as he spotted a familiar figure.

“Brother Ze—!” Li Tian shouted to Zhang Ze from a distance.

He waved in greeting, but Zhang Ze didn’t go over.

“No wonder that guy left—turns out he went to lead the Mengyang County team.”

“Heh…” Peng Fei clearly had no fondness for Jia Zhengyi, grumbling under his breath.

Qian Qian sidled up to Zhang Ze and said, “If you ask me, it doesn’t matter where Jia Zhengyi goes, it won’t do him any good.”

“Brother Ze’s progress these days has been obvious to all. If they really meet, it would only take one kick to settle things.”

Zhang Ze chuckled at Qian Qian’s flattery, but didn’t refute it. Instead, he glanced subconsciously at his system panel.

Wealth: 4.79 million
Cell Strength: 299S
Cell Spirit: 141/150
Skills: Shield (11%), Probe
Meridians: Six (90%) Small Circulation, Three (90%)

Thanks to Jia Yao’s management of the warehouse, Zhang Ze had accumulated over five million in wealth, as well as a large stock of elixirs.

He hadn’t held back at all these past ten days, diligently training in martial techniques and stance work at the school, and progressing rapidly in his meridian refinement.

Now, three of the six meridians in his upper limbs were fully refined.

However, Zhang Ze had chosen to link each refined upper limb meridian with the lower limb’s small circulation, which made refining the upper meridians much more difficult.

Ten sleepless days, plus two Restoration Pills to replenish his spirit, had allowed him to complete the refinement of three upper meridians.

This alone showed how seriously Zhang Ze was taking the upcoming martial arts exchange!

…

“Hey—”

“I really did run into them.”

Zhang Ze was still lost in thought over his system panel when Peng Fei’s words snapped him back.

Following Peng Fei’s gaze, Zhang Ze and Qian Qian saw three figures not far away.

To Peng Fei’s eyes, though, the only ones that mattered were the two young women.

Beside the two girls, a young man trailed behind, smiling ingratiatingly and carrying all sorts of items in his hands.

“Hey!”

Before they knew it, Peng Fei had darted away from Zhang Ze and Qian Qian, trotting over to the two girls with a cry of surprise.

Zhang Ze and Qian Qian, familiar with Peng Fei’s antics, exchanged a knowing smile and said nothing.

“What’s up?” asked the ponytailed girl, caught off guard by Peng Fei’s sudden approach.

“Miss, haven’t we met somewhere before?”

“Don’t say anything!” Peng Fei declared, striking a pose. “Let me think—oh! I know, we must have met at…”

Unfortunately, before he could finish, the young man beside the girls gave him a sharp kick to the backside.

“Damn—what’d you kick me for?”

Peng Fei spun around, expecting to see one of Zhang Ze’s unreliable wingmen, but instead found himself face to face with a stranger.

…

At first, Zhang Ze had also thought this young man was just there to carry things.

But after checking the stats with his system, Zhang Ze whispered to Qian Qian, struggling to hold back his laughter, “Looks like our little Fei is in for it this time.”

Hearing this, Qian Qian perked up, glaring at the young man with renewed interest.

…

“What do you mean, why?” the young man shot back. “I’m talking to Bingbing here—why are you butting in? Get lost before I beat you up, you idiot!”

He set down his armful of goods, rolling up his sleeves as if ready for a fight.

The girl he called Bingbing—the one with the ponytail—was surnamed Leng, and she and her companion were both from Changshan City.

The two girls were students at Yangyue Martial Arts School in Changshan and had come to participate in the exchange.

“Li Zixing! Who told you to start a fight?” Leng Bingbing quickly scolded the young man when she saw things heating up.

At her words, Li Zixing scratched his head awkwardly.

“If you don’t have any important business, you’d best not bother Bingbing—or else…” the other girl chimed in, her tone sharp as she addressed Peng Fei.

This was Zhang Qingping, with short hair framing her face, Leng Bingbing’s close friend—though her temperament was less than gentle.

“Of course not! I just really do feel like I’ve met this young lady somewhere before.”

His tone was playful, and Peng Fei’s face practically spelled out “rascal.”

But Leng Bingbing seemed not to notice, still caught up in the question. Gently, she asked, “You said we’ve met before, right?”

Seeing her take the bait, Peng Fei began to show off his charm, though with Li Zixing glaring murderously behind her, he was probably feeling a chill down his spine.

…

Watching Peng Fei actually manage to chat up the two girls and walk off with them, Zhang Ze and Qian Qian were both stunned.

“Sigh—Brother Ze, it’s all your fault for saying he was doomed.”

“If I’d known Fei was this slick, I’d have joined him as his wingman.”

Chuckling, Zhang Ze ignored Qian Qian’s mutterings.

“Hey—can you tell me how to get to Unit Three, Building Two?”

As they walked, a familiar voice suddenly called out behind them.