Chapter 9: Chapter 9: My Big Nephew Got Scammed
After the Rising Sun had fully risen, Yang Shen also finished his Cultivation.
For now, he still couldn’t look directly at the fully risen sun.
But every day, he could await the arrival of his own sun.
He had already decided that from now on, a combination of "All-Night Cultivation" and "Rising Sun Martial Arts" would be his standard routine, something he would do every single day.
Yang Shen decided to make a plan for himself, just like the countless plans he’d made during past summer breaks.
But this time, he would grit his teeth and see it through.
Because this time, he had a clear goal!
First, he needed to improve his strength to get into a good university through the college entrance exams.
Second, he needed to improve his strength to change the lives of his aunt and younger sisters and to develop the Jianghuai Yang Family.
Third, he needed to improve his strength to be qualified enough to investigate—and perhaps even resolve—the truth behind Xu Bamboo’s "premature death."
People always say that it’s better to have a long-term ambition than to be constantly making new resolutions.
Yang Shen wasn’t sure if his goals qualified as a "long-term ambition."
But whether it was long-term or not, at least he hadn’t lost the courage to make resolutions in the first place. Whether he made one or ten, it didn’t matter.
He would always be like the Rising Sun, trying to rise again and again.
Yang Shen faced the sun and clenched his fist, as if he were holding it in the palm of his hand.
"You show up every day, and I’ll show up every day. Maybe one day, I’ll be able to ascend to the sky, too?"
In the past, as a young man, these were things he wouldn’t have even dared to imagine.
But now, he at least dared to imagine them.
’If you don’t even dare to have a couple of dreams, isn’t that just pathetic?’
Carrying the fruits of his night’s labor, Yang Shen was about to turn when he heard someone calling him from downstairs. He peeked his head curiously over the edge of the Celestial Platform. It was his aunt, Tao Ying, back from her night shift, her face etched with exhaustion.
Tao Ying recognized Yang Shen’s face, and a faint smile broke through her weariness. "I saw someone on the Celestial Platform from a distance, but I lost sight of them as I got closer. I knew it had to be you. Up so early today?"
Yang Shen scratched his head. His thick, short hair was damp with sweat. He smiled, "Just a little morning exercise."
In truth, he hadn’t slept all night.
Tao Ying held up the basket of groceries she’d bought at the morning market. "Come on down when you’re finished. I’ll make breakfast right away, otherwise you’ll all be late for school."
—
In the Yang Family’s home, the two little sleepyheads, Yang Mo and Yang Man, were brushing their teeth and washing their faces in the bathroom. It was the only one in the house, so it was quite crowded.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Yang Shen was helping his aunt, his head bowed as he shredded potatoes. "Auntie, did you get a notification about a money transfer on your phone?"
Tao Ying paused. "My phone died last night. What transfer?"
Yang Shen explained what had happened at the milk tea shop, and his aunt fell silent.
She wasn’t happy about the extra 500 yuan; instead, she was worried about losing a source of long-term "income."
Yang Shen sighed, blaming himself. "I’m sorry, Auntie. I was too impulsive. I’ll go back and talk to the manager again today..."
’My Cultivation is at night anyway, and it only takes five hours a day.’
’Earning a little money would be good, too.’
Tao Ying finally snapped out of it and shook her head. "No, you were right. With the college entrance exams just around the corner, it makes no sense for you to have a part-time job... People would laugh."
The spatula started moving again, faster than before, CLANKING against the iron wok.
It made the home sound as if it were still running with some semblance of vitality.
"Don’t you worry about things at home. Your aunt isn’t so fragile that I can’t handle this much. Even if you want a job, there’s plenty of time during the summer after you graduate high school. Right now, your studies are more important."
As she spoke, Tao Ying took a few more eggs out of the refrigerator, deciding to add another dish to the meal.
"If your uncle were still here, he would have chosen the same."
Yang Shen’s hand, still shredding potatoes, suddenly froze. The blade slid across his fingertip, but luckily, he hadn’t used much force, and the knife wasn’t sharp. It couldn’t have hurt his "Mid-stage Skin Refining" self anyway.
But in that moment, he made a decision.
’Family... The clan...’
’Whether it’s a Cultivation Clan, a Martial Arts Clan, or even a family at the very bottom like theirs, why should things be kept hidden?’
’Even if this whole system thing is too strange, the *Qi Cultivation Guiding Technique* should be shared. What’s the point of a family system if it isn’t used to develop the family? Isn’t that just a joke?’
’The system itself said it was a family legacy Cultivation Technique.’
If his aunt could learn it like he had, perhaps some of her Martial Cultivation could be restored. At the very least, it would be good for her health. If she kept going like this, he was afraid she would collapse from exhaustion.
So, Yang Shen said, as if it were an afterthought, "Oh, by the way, Auntie... after school yesterday, there was an old man by the gate selling textbooks. I think I found a pretty good Cultivation Technique..."
But before he could elaborate, Tao Ying cut him off. "Don’t trust things like that from the roadside. They’re all scams."
"Besides, apart from the Cultivation Techniques provided by the government, all other Martial Arts Techniques are under strict patent management. If you’re caught practicing one illicitly, you could be taken to court! Did you actually buy it?"
’I’m really terrible at lying...’
It was true. In a society centered on Martial Arts, Cultivation Techniques were the most important form of intellectual property, backed by the clear and detailed "Martian Arts Intellectual Property Protection Act."
Other than the textbooks provided by the Yanhua Official government and the widely circulated but obsolete "Ancient Skills," almost every Cultivation Method had an intellectual property rights holder behind it.
Some were owned by corporations that earned money from licensing fees. Others weren’t available to the public at all and could only be practiced by insiders.
Even the Martial Arts Techniques from the Yanhua Official government weren’t completely free; the more advanced ones required you to be promoted within their system to gain access.
For instance, there were Director Level Cultivation Techniques, Section Chief Level Cultivation Techniques, and so on.
This was especially true for Yang Shen, a student facing the college entrance exams. In three months, the exams would include a detailed test and record of his physical condition. If he were caught "infringing on intellectual property rights," he could have his eligibility for the exams revoked on the spot.
But only Yang Shen knew that the *Qi Cultivation Guiding Technique* was unique.
It was the family Cultivation Technique of the Jianghuai Yang Family!
Not just his aunt, but also his two younger sisters, Yang Mo and Yang Man—even the many future members of the Jianghuai Yang Family—were supposed to practice it.
Seeing Yang Shen remain silent, Tao Ying thought he was being defiant. She turned to face him. "Shen, you can’t do anything illegal. This is serious, I’m not joking with you!"
Yang Shen sighed. "I checked, and the Cultivation Technique doesn’t have a patent. It’s more like a martial art from a bygone era. The old man said it’s been passed down for over a hundred years."
"Something passed down for over a hundred years, and he sold it to you? How much?"
Yang Shen thought, ’If I name a high price, she’ll know I couldn’t afford it.’ He gritted his teeth and said, "Eighty!"
Tao Ying was speechless.
"Just consider it the price of a lesson learned."
She had clearly decided that her nephew had been scammed, case closed.
If she had the time, she’d be tempted to go find that old man and give him a piece of her mind.
’Preying on a child like that!’
Just then, Yang Mo and Yang Man finished getting ready and called out a greeting from outside the kitchen, so the two of them dropped the subject.
Yang Shen would just have to find another opportunity.
As for revealing the existence of the "system"... he wasn’t mentally prepared for that yet.
After all, it was an even more "outrageous" secret. His aunt would probably think he had gone insane.
Or perhaps, it was a secret he would have to keep for the rest of his life.
After breakfast, Yang Shen slung on his backpack and headed to school.
High school classes started much earlier than elementary school, so Yang Mo and Yang Man would wait at home for their aunt to take them.
It wasn’t that his two younger sisters were spoiled; the elementary school required parents to drop off their children.
It was actually quite interesting. In elementary school, the fear was that kids would run into danger outside. But once they got to high school and started learning Martial Arts, that fear was completely flipped around.
The fear became that the kids would *cause* danger outside.
After all, not everyone in society had the chance to practice Martial Arts. Even a bottom-tier P.E. student like Yang Shen could pin down and pummel any liberal arts students he came across. Taking on seven or eight of them by himself wouldn’t be a problem.
As for a top student like Xu Bamboo, it was entirely possible she could kick a small car to a halt and then quip, "Was I supposed to avoid its sharp edge?"
Of course, Xu Bamboo wasn’t that unhinged.
On the way to school, Yang Shen, despite the slight pain in his wallet, splurged on breakfast for Xu Bamboo. A promise was a promise.
At the school gate, Yang Shen waited for Xu Bamboo as usual. A few underclassmen girls trailed behind her, apparently discussing how dashing and cool the top student in their year was.
Yang Shen saw his chance and popped out, thrusting the fist that was holding the plastic bag toward Xu Bamboo’s face. This time, however, Xu Bamboo didn’t jump in surprise.
Xu Bamboo took the 20-yuan deluxe breakfast and tugged on Yang Shen’s sleeve. "Hurry up. We need to conserve our energy today. Let’s use the morning self-study period to review our academic subjects as much as possible."
Yang Shen was confused. "Why? What’s going on today?"
"There’s a practical combat quiz in P.E. today. I brought two extra bottles of Initial Realm Passage. We can use them to recover our stamina."
A flicker of panic went through Yang Shen. He’d been a poor student for so long that every quiz felt like facing an execution squad. But then, he calmed himself.
’I’ve started Cultivation now. Even if it’s been too short a time for any visible results, there’s probably nothing to panic about.’
’My target is the college entrance exam. What’s a little quiz to be scared of!’
But then, a thought struck him, and he asked, "How did you know beforehand?"
They hadn’t even entered the academic building yet.
"Liu Yuankui told me yesterday during my private tutoring session. Don’t spread it around, though everyone will find out soon enough anyway."
Yang Shen frowned slightly. "You’re still practicing with Liu Yuankui? That whatever-it-is Swordsmanship."
Xu Bamboo then remembered that Yang Shen and Teacher Liu didn’t seem to get along, and she worried that he would be upset.
’But as soon as that thought surfaced, she found herself strange... Why should I be afraid of him being upset about my own affairs...’
She wasn’t one to overthink things, so she just gave a soft "Mm."
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