Chapter 34: Chapter 34: This Is Not the Bus to School
That evening, after returning from Chen Beiwang’s residence, Yang Shen received another payment of 1,600 yuan.
Chen Beiwang mentioned that he might visit Yang Shen during the Training Camp. It wasn’t far, and he could check on Xu Bamboo at the same time.
After discussing the Training Camp with his aunt, she also approved of Yang Shen’s decision.
"Don’t worry about things at home. Mo and Lv are both very well-behaved. An opportunity like this Training Camp is a good thing. Your grades are what’s most important before the college entrance exams."
Yang Shen replied, "It’s not really about the grades for me... Never mind. Let’s not talk about it."
’Saying more would just make his aunt worry for nothing.’
That evening, Yang Shen replied to Director Liang. Director Liang was very pleased and told him to assemble at the designated location early the next morning.
That night, Yang Shen again spent a long time teaching his two younger sisters the Qi Cultivation Guiding Technique.
He planned to start teaching Lei Lv and Lei Yi after he returned as well.
He had been giving his two sisters special lessons, excluding the Lei Brothers. This wasn’t because Yang Shen was being petty.
Yang Shen had a good read on Lei Lv’s character, and Lei Yi, aside from being a bit of a glutton, was also very well-behaved.
The truth was, the two boys had only just arrived, and it was still uncertain if they could truly stay with the Yang Family.
’What if, in a few days, the police came knocking and said the Yang Family wasn’t qualified to adopt them and that they had to be taken back to their village?’
Yang Shen understood the principle that secret arts should not be taught lightly. If the boys left, the technique would be spread to their entire village.
’Wouldn’t that be a complete mess?’
His aunt said she had been asking around for the past few days and had made some headway with the adoption. All she needed was a full-time job at the factory to secure the final piece of the puzzle.
Only then would Yang Shen dare to teach the two boys "Cultivation."
The next morning, the Yang Family home was bustling with activity as his aunt scurried about, packing Yang Shen’s luggage.
Ten days was a long time, so he needed a change of clothes and toiletries. She even packed seven or eight pairs of underwear, many of which had been hastily washed the night before.
They were still a little damp.
In the end, she had packed an entire suitcase plus a backpack.
"Auntie, call me anytime if you need anything. It’s just a training camp, not prison. The school said we can leave for special circumstances."
Tao Ying smiled. "What could possibly happen here? You’re the one we should be thinking about. Study hard, and we’ll be waiting for your good news."
Yang Mo and Yang Man clung to their brother’s legs, one on each side. They didn’t ask him to stay, but their reluctance was written all over their faces.
The night before, Yang Shen had quietly told them not to mention the "Ancient Skill" to their aunt yet. They were to keep it a secret and give her a surprise once they had achieved some results.
Finally, Yang Shen turned to Lei Lv. "I’m leaving the house in your hands. While I’m away, you’re the oldest man of the house."
Lei Lv nodded emphatically. "Yang, don’t worry."
Yang Shen smiled. "Next time we meet, you can just call me ’brother’."
A glimmer of light appeared in Lei Lv’s eyes.
’Hmm... But why are the little sisters hugging my legs pinching me harder and harder...’
————
Lugging his suitcase, Yang Shen spent two yuan on a bus ticket and rattled all the way to a commercial plaza in the city.
It was still early, so the plaza was deserted, making it easy to find his group.
Yang Shen was surprised to find he recognized the supervising teacher—it was the female gym teacher from the previous "combat evaluation."
She was around thirty, with a valiant and heroic air about her, dressed in a sharp black tracksuit.
Yang Shen vaguely recalled her name was Zhou Yao and that she taught several second-year classes.
’Many of the "top students" this time are probably hers, so she’s a fitting choice to lead the group.’
’As for Liu Yuankui... as a "Nanliang Master," he wouldn’t need to participate in this kind of work. It made more sense for him to remain at the school.’
This was a relief for Yang Shen. If Liu Yuankui had been by his side for ten days, he would have been on edge.
’As for whether the "cult followers" were connected to "Martial Arts Psychosis"...’
’Yang Shen felt like a detective in a novel. The suspicious points were all laid out before him, but he couldn’t find a single shred of evidence.’
’The detective can’t just reveal his hand, especially when the suspect could take him out in a single move.’
’Yang Shen wasn’t even sure if Liu Yuankui was the only one at the school with a problem.’
’After all, scumbags were a dime a dozen at Nanliang High School.’
When the police had questioned him, he had subtly mentioned that he felt Liu Yuankui’s personality had recently become gloomy and irritable. He also noted that after the Vajra Sect’s presentation, Liu Yuankui had been paying very close attention to his condition.
He used his status as a student to frame it as a personal observation.
If he had said any more, the police would have just kept asking, "What evidence do you have?"
For now, it was impossible to tell if his words had had any effect.
If he risked retaliation from Liu Yuankui by making baseless accusations, he would undoubtedly be gambling with his life.
’What if the cult had nothing to do with the psychosis and the police couldn’t find anything? Liu Yuankui would be reinstated, and wouldn’t he try to kill me?’
’Was this so-called cult just a loose gathering? Or a powerful organization?’
’It was supposed to be a case of "the enemy in the light, myself in the dark." Now, it had turned into "never mind who the enemy is, I don’t even know where to find them."’
He hoped that during the ten days of the Training Camp, the storm outside would die down.
’And it would be even better if Liu Yuankui got arrested...’
...
Perhaps because the Training Camp wasn’t something "worth advertising," Yang Shen simply signed in and was herded onto the large bus by Zhou Yao.
Yang Shen went straight to the front row—a habit born from years of riding the bus.
’Rich kids wouldn’t know these little tricks.’
The underclassmen boarded one by one, many of them greeting Yang Shen. Just like a "Family Reputation" stat in a game system, Yang Shen had now made a name for himself at school.
The recent incident had caused a huge stir.
Of course, in some people’s eyes, he was probably also a candidate for Martial Arts Psychosis... someone who might go full-on superhuman at the slightest disagreement.
Yang Shen closed his eyes to rest, mentally adjusting the "volume" of the Buddha Sound Body Refining Technique in his mind. Due to his suspicions, he had been keeping it running at a bare minimum for the past two days.
He felt someone nudging his shoulder, trying to squeeze in next to him. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know it was Xu Bamboo.
’The sensation was unmistakable.’
They didn’t have to wear uniforms for the Training Camp. Xu Bamboo wore a baggy hoodie, had huge headphones on, and was chewing gum.
Her long legs were as captivating as ever, but today she wore loose, wide-leg pants, giving her a more androgynous charm.
She looked like an elegant swan out for a trip.
Yang Shen smiled and made room, glancing curiously out the window. The rear of an unidentifiable luxury car was pulling away; it was probably Xu Bamboo’s family.
After sitting down, Xu Bamboo rummaged through her backpack for a moment before pulling out a lunch box filled with perfectly arranged sandwiches.
"I’m usually too lazy to bring food and just eat at home. Lucky you. Here, try it."
Yang Shen took a sandwich and began to chew.
"Well... it tastes very healthy."
’If this bland flavor had a name,’ Yang Shen thought, ’it would be called To Live.’
"The ham and lettuce are High Source grade. It should give you at least 0.01 in Qi and Blood Value."
Yang Shen took a large bite. "Living is the most important thing."
’It’s nice to be rich...’ he thought with a sigh.
Xu Bamboo’s Qi and Blood Value was around 400, accumulated little by little just like this.
’By that logic, wouldn’t it cost over 100,000 yuan a month to support a high school student like her?’
"You’re always wearing headphones when you’re out. What songs do you listen to?"
Xu Bamboo simply took her large headphones off and put them on Yang Shen.
The earcups were still warm from her and smelled faintly of shampoo.
But there was no sound coming from them.
Xu Bamboo laughed. "I just don’t want to talk to people or make eye contact, so I wear them for show. My hearing is enhanced from the Marrow Refining Realm, so it doesn’t affect me."
Yang Shen said, "Slick... Zhuzi."
More people were arriving. Yang Shen counted; there were exactly eighteen. Aside from the two who had already succumbed to the illness... the entire "helmet group" should be here.
Among the eighteen, besides himself and Xu Bamboo, the rest were underclassmen. Yang Shen thought everyone was there, but then an unexpected figure climbed onto the bus.
Huang Gang?!
Yang Shen raised an eyebrow. "This isn’t the bus to school..."
Huang Gang’s first reaction upon seeing Yang Shen was happiness—at least there was a classmate in this unfamiliar environment—but it quickly turned to disdain. "Tch, so I can’t come to the Training Camp? Who do you think you’re looking down on?"
’What do you think this is, some kind of prize?’ Yang Shen thought.
’This is the express train to psychosis!’
Beside them, Zhou Yao checked off the last name on her list. After signaling the driver to depart, she explained, "That night, Huang Gang paid a staff member at the Vajra Temple 5,000 yuan... to privately try the Buddha Sound Body Refining Technique."
Yang Shen asked, "You have 5,000 yuan?"
’I don’t even have that much!’
Huang Gang pursed his lips. "Is that the important part?"
’5,000 yuan? Isn’t that just a tap of a finger away?’
’There are so many online loan platforms... you just have to take a picture. At worst, you wear a little less for it.’
Zhou Yao put the list back in her bag, her expression one of exasperation.
"Although Huang Gang only lasted 30 seconds before he started convulsing, the police found out last night and informed the school. So, he’s also one of this... Training Camp’s members."
’Don’t call 30 seconds fast. That’s just pathetic!’
Yang Shen was silent for a long moment before giving Huang Gang a thumbs-up.
’You’re the calcified nodule on humanity’s ten-thousand-year road of evolution. When you think, does your left brain just delete your right brain or something?’
’Were you blind to what happened to everyone else in the helmet group that day, besides me?! And you still went and threw yourself into it!’
Huang Gang looked mortified, but he had probably spent the last two days being furious with himself to the point of numbness. He didn’t talk back, just found a seat and sat down.
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