56: Chapter 56 The System's Belated Reward

An oppressed groan of pain escaped Brother Ma's throat; he no longer dared to show even a hint of his previous arrogance.

Watching Zhang Wen nonchalantly spear a piece of meat, he felt that the ruthlessness hidden in those calm eyes was sharper than a blade. He hurriedly hauled up the still-moaning Blondie, not even daring to leave behind a single parting threat.

The two stumbled as they turned around. Blondie, his knees weak, nearly knocked over a tray on a neighboring table, only steadying himself after Brother Ma gave him a harsh shove.

With hunched backs and staggering steps like withered leaves swept by a gale, they burst out of the Canteen doors as if wishing their parents had given them two extra legs. They scrambled away until they vanished from sight, not even daring to look back for a cufflink that had fallen on the floor.

Zhang Wen glanced at their frantic, fleeing figures, then unhurriedly wiped the corner of his mouth before popping the last piece of crocodile tail into his mouth.

The sound of his chewing was exceptionally clear in the empty Canteen, as if the commotion just now had been nothing more than shooing away two noisy flies.

Brother Ma dragged Blondie as they stumbled out of the Canteen, only daring to take a ragged breath once the cold wind rushed down his collar. Blondie clutched his swollen cheek and whimpered, "Brother, are we just letting this go? That kid is way too arrogant!"

Brother Ma stopped abruptly, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes. He kicked Blondie and lowered his voice with venom, "Let it go? Like hell! You think I was scared just now? There were too many eyes and ears in there; it wasn't convenient to make a move."

He pulled out his phone, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip. "Just wait. Your Brother Ma has connections in the Student Union. So what if that kid can fight? I want to see if he can withstand the fists of those guys from the Student Union."

Blondie's eyes lit up, his pain forgotten. "Right! The lowest cultivation among those in the Student Union is the Subtle Realm. They can definitely help us vent this frustration!"

Brother Ma didn't dial immediately. He stared toward the Canteen doors, his Adam's apple bobbing. Zhang Wen's calm eyes from earlier were like a thorn stuck in his heart, but at the thought of the Student Union's terrifying strength, his heart hardened again.

"Let him be arrogant. In a moment, I'll make him understand the meaning of regret." He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and pulled Blondie toward a street corner. "Let's find a place to wait. Once the Student Union people arrive, we'll head back—this time, we're going to grind that kid's arrogance into the dirt!"

(At this point, someone raised their hand to ask: "What is Brother Ma's actual name? Surely his ID card doesn't actually say 'Brother Ma'?")

(Someone nearby immediately picked up the thread: "Why couldn't it? Go ask someone—'Comrade, can I change my name to Brother Ma?' That person looks up: 'Oh, what a coincidence, you have the same name as me!'")

(Suddenly, a voice came from the corner: "Case closed! Brother Ma's surname is Ma, his given name is Ge, his courtesy name is Gege, his English name is Mage, and in the Jianghu, he's known as 'Ma-le-ge-ge'!")

(After three seconds of silence, everyone shouted in unison: "That name... is well-given, don't give any more next time!" ...Let me explain, this definitely isn't to pad the word count. Really, I'm not lying, it's definitely not for the word count, truly.)

...

At this moment, Zhang Wen was still entirely unaware that he had invisibly offended quite a few people.

Returning to that grand villa, he began organizing his luggage. Just as his fingertips touched a small backpack, a bank card slid out from inside.

Zhang Wen leaned over to pick it up. The moment his gaze fell upon the card's surface, his brow furrowed sharply. "Isn't this... the one hundred million the school rewarded me with? I clearly gave it to my parents..."

The second half of his sentence caught in his throat. He suddenly gripped the thin card tightly, his eyes reddening.

He didn't even need to think to know why this card had appeared here.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions. He put the scattered items back in their proper places, then picked up his phone and dialed his parents' number.

"Hello, Little Wen? Are you settling in okay over there? You haven't been mistreated, have you?" As soon as the call connected, his mother Wang Guihua's voice came through, filled with deep concern.

"Mom, don't worry. With your son's strength, how could anyone else bully me?" Zhang Wen joked with a laugh. "I'm the only one giving others headaches."

"What nonsense!" His father Zhang Jianguo's voice suddenly cut in, sounding a bit stern. "Bullying others won't do. Our Zhang Family has always valued harmony. Have you forgotten the Family values?"

Zhang Wen's mouth twitched, and he purposefully drew out his voice to recite: "I know, I know—'Harmony breeds wealth, lie down instead of striving' is the core ideology; adhere to the survival wisdom of 'turning big problems into small ones, and small ones into nothing'; implement the pragmatic style of 'mooching whenever possible, and laying low whenever possible'; ensure the basic rights of Family members to not be beaten, not go bankrupt, and not suffer social death."

"Aye, aye, that's it!" Zhang Jianguo laughed on the other end. "You've remembered the essence!"

"Bah, our Family's good values have been completely warped by you!" Wang Guihua interrupted reproachfully, then softened her tone to Zhang Wen. "Little Wen, don't listen to your father. Eat well and sleep well out there. Taking good care of yourself is more important than anything."

Zhang Wen responded helplessly, his heart feeling warm as he listened to his parents' back-and-forth reminders.

After chatting a bit more about trivial matters, the three of them reluctantly hung up.

...

"Ding—Congratulations host for your excellent performance in the Hundred Refinements Pagoda. Rewards are now being issued."

Zhang Wen raised an eyebrow and complained, "I've gotta say, your latency is almost as bad as an old server. How long has it been since then? You finally came to settle the bill. It couldn't be... that some author was writing and just forgot about this, right?"

The System automatically filtered out the complaint and continued its announcement: "host Rating: SSS-rank. Rewards: Jingzhe Thunder Scripture Incomplete Manual (Volume 2); 5,000 Points; one SSS-rank Water Element Cultivation Technique, 'Thousand Streams Merging Art.' Please receive them, host."

By the time the last word fell, Zhang Wen's lips were already curling upward uncontrollably, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Holy crap, it's all the good stuff!" he couldn't help but whisper. "Volume 1 of the Jingzhe Thunder Scripture already felt ridiculous; this second volume is definitely even more powerful. With the points I saved before, I have over seven thousand now—I can finally see some variety in the System shop. And then there's this Thousand Streams Merging Art—"

His fingertips brushed against the Jade Slip that had appeared out of thin air in his palm, his smile deepening. "This technique is practically tailor-made for my second talent!"

"It can merge the spiritual essence of a hundred rivers, turning rain, snow, and ice to one's own use. It can condense water into a shield to tank attacks, or gather streams into blades to tear through enemy lines. The best part is using the world's moisture to hide one's tracks... I was just worrying about lacking a Water Element Cultivation Technique and not knowing where to find one. After all, everyone knows me for my Thunder Element talent; if I suddenly asked for a Water Element technique, it would inevitably arouse suspicion."

"But the System is truly considerate, delivering it right to my door. It's like handing a pillow to someone who's nodding off—so comfortable!" The smile never left Zhang Wen's face.

(Ten years of hard study, unknown to all; one day of sudden fame, known by the world. I seek neither gold nor silver, nor do I seek praise; I only ask for your hand to click a 'Like'!)