Chapter 36: I Heard You Have A Bone To Pick With Me?
Martial Arts Department.
The chief’s office.
Duan Tianhe was standing beside the window and looking downwards. He could see Bai Feifei and Jiang He from there. Beside him was a middle-aged man wearing a Chinese tunic suit, who was frowning and at a loss of words.
“Team leader Duan… no, I should call you Chief Duan now. Are you really having me challenge a small fry? Do you think I can still show my face anywhere if words of that gets out?” complained the man before pompously taking a seat. “Why don’t you fight instead?”Glancing at him, Duan Tianhe flashed a pained smile.
“I’m the chief of this Martial Arts Department. How can I fight so easily? The kid also instakilled Cordo, a rank-four pinnacle, so I have a feeling that his cultivation isn’t just rank-four pinnacle. But he’s not saying a thing even though I asked. And as you well know, things are bad over here in Linzhou. The Feral incidents at Mount Dadong haven’t been pacified, and the Sky Demons Cult are watching in secret.”
Handing the middle-aged man a cup of tea, Duan Tianhe grinned. “Old Cheng, help me test the kid, and I’ll treat you to a meal afterwards.”
“Hold on… what does anything you say have to do with testing him?” asked the man.
“I’m just curious,” said Duan Tianhe, still grinning. “How could I not be curious when someone like that suddenly pops up in my domain?”
“I’ve checked his background so there probably won’t be any problems, but there is just no telling about his actual ability. The policy set by the higher-ups is to groom all civilian martial artists and Awakened, so if the kid really put in some eye-catching performance, wouldn’t I be able to apply for more resources from our higher-ups?” he added.
“I know shame even if you don’t. I can’t do something like fighting a junior!”“One bottle of qi pellets.”
“I can see that you have a fine crew too. Some of them are even rank-five pinnacle, why not ask them?”
“Two bottles!”
“I…”
“Three bottles!”
The middle-aged man promptly slammed his hand on the table, gritting his teeth even as he spoke vindictively, “I’m born in Xibei too. In the name of developing Xibei’s martial arts scene, I shall have to put aside my pride for this day.”
Heh.
Duan Tianhe chuckled.
Why are you acting serious in front of me? The great rank-six pinnacle martial artist was selling himself for three bottles of qi pellets!
Still, that was really in line with Cheng Dongfeng’s typical behavior.
Of course, Duan Tian only kept those thoughts in his head, with that grin still plastered on his face. “Old Cheng, many thanks for this. Moreover, wouldn’t you have every reason to do this since the kid beat up your fellow disciple? Don’t worry, I’ll immediately give you the qi pellets when you’re done.”
The middle-aged man waved him off. “Do I not know you after a dozen years? Give me the qi pellets right now, or I walk even if there’s one pellet short.”
***
“Mister Jiang, this is the main hall where Awakened and martial artists will be received in the future. There will be labs designed specifically to assess them upstairs as well, and they will be offered great support according to the nation’s planning, even granted certain special rights.”
“That tower over there has been sold to the National Superpower Research Department. It’s where they will establish a Feral materials trade department.”
Even as Bai Feifei spoke, she couldn’t help watching Jiang He.
What the hell?
He had been eating from the very start.
She was not too concerned at first, but now the look in her eyes changed.
What was he eating?
Qi pellets?!
Being a rank-four martial artist and having had qi pellets herself, Bai Feifei could see that what Jiang He was eating was almost the same in appearance, color, and scent to qi pellets. That being said, one pellet was well worth over a hundred thousand, and even an employee like herself had to buy them at a hundred and fifty thousand.
On the other hand, hasn’t that fellow eaten over ten of those pellets by now?
‘No, it can’t be qi pellets… And a rank-six martial artist needs at least a day to digest one, let alone a rank-four,’ thought Bai Feifei.
But even as that thought crossed her mind, she noticed a change in Jiang He’s aura. It was a virtually instantaneous change that soon withdrew, which left Bai Feifei thinking that she imagined it.
“Mister Jiang, this way please… the building up ahead is the mission center, and every martial artist who has passed the assessment can accept missions here… Eh? Mister Jiang, You’re eating…?”
“Qi pellets,” said Jiang He, putting one in his mouth and swallowing it after chewing a few times. Smiling, he then took out another and put it in his mouth. “By the way, Miss Bai, could you tell me about the elite from the Eight Trigrams School?”
Dropping her mouth open in surprise, Bai Feifei exclaimed, “You’re such a joker, Mister Jiang. How could you down qi pellets like that?”
That’s right!
Those definitely aren’t qi pellets!
Perhaps, it’s just chocolate… that looks and smells like qi pellets?
Jiang He ate another qi pellet, but did not offer any explanation. “Miss Bai, let’s go meet team leader Duan. We can talk about that elite on the way.”
He was already a rank-four pinnacle now, and if he ate two qi pellets with each helping on the way, he would be rank five by the time they met Duan Tianhe.
“The Eight Trigrams School was founded by Grandmaster Dong Haichuan back in the Qing Dynasty. He is one of the most powerful individuals of the Hua Nation now, having surpassed rank-nine even before the Revival of Qi…”
“What the heck? Dong Haichuan is not dead yet!?”
Jiang He’s eyes widened, and he forgot to chew the two qi pellets he just put into his mouth.
Dong Haichuan?
He seemed to have heard about him in his past life… he was the founder of the Eight Trigrams Palm, but he is still alive???
Beside him, Bai Feifei’s face dropped and she quickly started speaking in a hushed tone, “Mister Jiang, be careful. You shouldn’t mention this in public. If word gets out, some martial arts elites might come at you, or perhaps even the disciples of the Eight Trigrams School. Those champions are basically the country’s nuclear deterrents, but also a greater threat to Ferals than a nuclear bomb. Don’t speak without discretion.”
“Sorry,” said Jiang He, collecting himself even though his thoughts shifted.
Soon, he entered a building with Bai Feifei.
“This will be the Martial Arts Department’s office. There are nine floors here, and Chief Duan’s office is at the topmost floor.”
“Chief Duan?”
“That’s right. With the Linzhou Martial Arts Department becoming official, team leader Duan has been named chief.”
They entered the elevator, and soon moved up to the ninth floor.
Bai Feifei knocked on Duan Tianhe’s office door. “Chief Duan, Mister Jiang has arrived.”
“He’s here?”
Duan Tianhe opened the door and made a face at Jiang He, gesturing for him to go first… One must give a complete performance if they were putting up an act, after all.
Behind him, Cheng Dongfeng said flatly, “Jiang He? The one who beat up my fellow disciple?” He walked up to Jiang He, putting his burly form in front of him and smirking. “You are a bold one, Jiang He. You dare beat up a disciple of the Eight Trigrams School?”
Jiang He studied Cheng Dengfeng. A middle-aged face, dressed in a Chinese tunic suit and old cloth shoes. He did look the part of a martial artist.
“Are you the elite from the Eight Trigrams School?” Jiang He smiled. “I heard you have a bone to pick with me… but wait a moment, let me have this pellet…”
After all, he had made a mistake in his calculations! He was probably three qi pellets away from reaching rank-five. To avoid not ascending, Jiang He promptly took out five pellets and gobbled them all up.
What!!!
Cheng Dengfeng’s eyes almost popped out.
What in the name of…
He had to bend himself backwards for just three bottles of qi pellets.
On the other hand, this brat was downing five pellets in one go???
