He suddenly noticed the two knights were looking at him, waiting for his response. Quickly shifting his mood, he spoke with enthusiasm :
“Many thanks to Prince Norton! I will work hard and strive to serve the nation in the future!”
The two knights nodded in satisfaction.
“You can travel back with the troops heading to the imperial capital, or you can make your way there on your own. Either way, take this letter and report to the Imperial Military Academy. Understood?”
“Understood!” Shen Ye replied.
“And take this as well.”
A small pouch was thrust into Shen Ye’s hands.
“Kid, do your best!”
Having completed their task, the knights mounted their horses and galloped back toward the camp.
Shen Ye weighed the pouch in his hand.
The pleasant jingling of coins came from within.
Thank you for your generosity, Prince.
With these coins, my living expenses in this world are covered.
The gold I just acquired from the Shadow Hand can be sent home to support my family.
“Let’s go. It’s time for us to head out,” Shen Ye murmured to himself.
He decided not to return to the camp and instead turned toward the depths of the forest.
Several minutes later.
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone else around,” said the large skeleton.
“Good.”
Shen Ye opened a door, stepped through, and returned to his dorm in the real world.
Exhausted!
Shen Ye took a shower, washing off the blood and dirt on his body. Then he opened the fridge, grabbed a drink and some snacks, and sat down, glancing at the clock on the wall.
It was already past noon.
Time flies!
After eating and drinking for a bit, Shen Ye pulled out his phone and turned it on.
If someone tries to reach me while my phone’s on, and I don’t respond, it could lead to unnecessary speculation.
—Being unreachable when the phone is off means I’m busy.
Ding ding ding ding ding!
The moment his phone powered on, a series of notification sounds rang out.
Messages from his parents took priority.
Shen Ye immediately called back and lied without missing a beat:
“Mom? I was taking supplementary lessons at the group this morning and didn’t bring my phone. I just got back to the dorm.”
“I thought so,” Zhao Xiaoshang sighed in relief on the other end. “Are you coming home for dinner anytime soon?”
“No. By the way, Mom, I wanted to tell you: I get a allowance now that I’ve joined the group.”
Shen Ye mentioned a figure.
He did receive a allowance, but not as high as the number he gave.
“That much? Wow, it really is a big company! That’s wonderful. Your father and I were just discussing giving you some living expenses.”
Zhao Xiaoshang’s initial surprise quickly turned to relief.
“No need at all. With this allowance, I won’t even use it all. Why don’t you and Dad take it first and use it to cover the cost of the marrow-nourishing pills?” Shen Ye suggested.
“Your money is for you to use,” Zhao Xiaoshang replied.
“Mom, I might end up wasting it on games and comics—or who knows what else—and I need to focus on exams soon…”
“Transfer the money to me later. Keep only what you need for food,” Zhao Xiaoshang said immediately.
“Alright, I’m heading to the company cafeteria now.”
“Stay in touch with us.”
“Will do.”
The call ended.
Shen Ye’s lips curled into a slight smile.
In his previous life, he was an orphan, wandering alone through the world. The hardships and loneliness of that time were unspeakable.
This time, he truly cherished the care and connection he now had.
After changing into clean clothes, he returned to his phone messages.
Several classmates had sent him congratulations.
It seemed the school had already started publicizing the news.
Even Zhao Yibing had sent a message with a photo attached:
“Waaah, it’s all my fault! Shen Ye, please forgive me. Let me make it up to you with a movie tonight, okay?”
The photo was a glamorous portrait of her.
She was undeniably beautiful.
Shen Ye admired the photo for a moment before typing his reply:
“Face reality, Bingbing. I’m the swan you’ll never reach.”
After sending the message, he stretched and felt a wave of satisfaction.
—Time to exchange some money!
Shen Ye headed to the group’s financial services department and exchanged his gold for digital currency.
It totalled about 60,000 to 70,000.
Shen Ye kept only a few thousand for himself and transferred the rest to Zhao Xiaoshang.
—The marrow-nourishing pills had cost about 16,000, so this would fill the gap perfectly.
Now his family wouldn’t need to struggle financially.
Next stop: food!
Feeling happy, Shen Ye walked along while browsing his phone.
“Strange…”
He checked his messages again and noticed something.
His childhood friend and closest buddy, Chen Haoyu, hadn’t sent him a single message since last night.
What’s going on with him?
Ding!
A new message arrived.
“Brother Ye, congrats on signing with the Mortal Martial Arts Group! How about we celebrate tonight?”
Chen Haoyu had finally messaged.
Shen Ye put his phone down and thought for a moment.
A celebration…
It made sense to celebrate.
But with the Assassin League targeting him, leaving the group premises and moving around outside wasn’t safe.
Still, Chen Haoyu’s good intentions couldn’t be ignored.
In middle school, their friendships were pure and uncomplicated.
He genuinely wanted to maintain this bond.
After some thought, Shen Ye typed a reply:
“We should celebrate, but you’ve got your second exam coming up. Once you’re done with that, let’s have a meal together.”
The message sent.
Moments later, Chen Haoyu’s reply came:
“Brother Ye, can I visit the Mortal Martial Arts Group today? That’s my dream place. Just a quick look, I promise!”
Shen Ye responded promptly: “Come on over. We can have lunch together too.”
The group grounds should be safe. If he wanted to visit, there was no harm in letting him.
“Great! I’ll be there in ten minutes tops,” Chen Haoyu replied.
All messages handled, Shen Ye prepared to welcome his friend.
Shen Ye replied to all the messages and put away his phone. Taking the elevator, he arrived at the lobby on the first floor of the group headquarters building.
He sat on the wide and comfortable sofa in the lobby, legs crossed, waiting idly.
This was the central office of the Mortal Martial Arts Group in the south-eastern provinces, bustling with a constant stream of people.
After watching the crowd for a while, Shen Ye spotted a few extremely powerful professionals among them. His observation naturally caught their attention as well. However, seeing that it was just a teenager, they all returned friendly gazes.
“Are you the rookie this year?” a muscular man, over two meters tall, asked.
“Ah, yes. My apologies, was it inappropriate of me to stare at you?” Shen Ye replied.
“It’s fine,” the man said, a nostalgic look crossing his face. “When I was selected as a rookie and joined, I used to stay here, watching the group’s professionals like you.”
“Were you imagining your future?” Shen Ye asked.
“No, I thought they all looked arrogant and wanted to beat every one of them,” the man answered seriously.
Shen Ye was stunned.
Are people in this world always this bold? Don’t they understand our traditional virtues…?
Then it dawned on him—oh, this isn’t my world.
His expression made the man laugh.
“Good luck, kid!” The man burst out laughing, waved at Shen Ye, and walked away.
A while later, a long-haired young woman, wearing skinny jeans and with two revolvers holstered at her waist, entered the lobby. In a soft voice, she said, “Shen Ye, a boy named Chen Haoyu is looking for you. His identity has been verified. Should we let him in?”
“He’s my classmate. Please let him in,” Shen Ye said, standing up.
“Alright, don’t wander off. I’ll bring him to you right away,” she replied.
“That’s not necessary!” Shen Ye quickly waved his hands. “I’ll go bring him in myself.”
“No can do, little brother. Manager Qian has instructed us to protect you well since you seem to be in a bit of trouble.”
The young woman gave him a warm smile, turned, and walked toward the entrance.
Shen Ye felt empty. He hadn’t succeeded in being treated like an equal but had instead become the “little brother.” He’d rather have been treated like a son.
As she walked to the entrance, the muscular man from earlier, about to leave, greeted her. “Wenna, you’re on duty today? Got time for dinner tonight?”
“Scram.” Wenna shot him a glare.
“Fine, no dinner then. No need to be so fierce,” the man muttered, shuffling away.
“If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll skin you, just like I did with that pervert the other day,” Wenna said coldly.
The man’s face changed, seemingly recalling something, and he hurried off, leaving quickly.
Wenna returned with a tall, skinny boy and brought him into the lobby.
“Thank you, sister,” Shen Ye said to her.
“You’re welcome. If you need anything, just call,” Wenna replied with a smile before walking away.
Now, only Chen Haoyu stood before Shen Ye. Dressed in his school uniform, he looked around curiously.
“Wow, this place is so lavish! I don’t even know where to look,” Chen Haoyu exclaimed.
Shen Ye chuckled. “You can come here anytime to find me in the future.”
“Brother Ye, you’re incredible. Signing with the Mortal Martial Arts Group—do you know how much of a sensation it’s caused at school?” Chen Haoyu said, giving him a thumbs up.
“Let’s not talk about that. Come on, I’ll take you to the group cafeteria,” Shen Ye said.
“I’m not hungry yet. I’d like to see where you’re staying,” Chen Haoyu replied.
“Alright then,” Shen Ye said.
The two walked to the elevator. When the doors opened, several other professionals entered in single file, with Shen Ye and Chen Haoyu following. The elevator was crowded, and the two were pushed into opposite corners.
The professionals, apparently just back from a mission, chatted animatedly about their experience. Chen Haoyu listened intently, while Shen Ye stood quietly, waiting for the elevator to reach their floor.
Suddenly, Shen Ye’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out to find a message from Xiao Mengyu:
“The nurse who witnessed the incident is missing, but I found a horribly disfigured corpse. Based on the body type, it’s not her, which is strange.
The body is currently undergoing identification by a professional agency.
I suspect the corpse might be linked to you, perhaps someone silenced. I’ve re-examined your surroundings.”
“Did you find anything?” Shen Ye typed back.
A reply came quickly:
“Everyone else checks out, but look at this.”
It was a surveillance video. Shen Ye opened it and saw footage from the school hallway yesterday morning at 9:37.
A man appeared, looking around as he walked down the corridors.
The video, sped up, showed him checking every restroom before heading to the top floor and inspecting the empty classrooms. Finding nothing, he left disappointed.
Shen Ye closed the video quietly.
Yesterday morning—what was I doing?
Oh, right. I asked Chen Haoyu to hold my spot in line while I went to the empty classroom on the top floor and entered the nightmare world.
So, in this footage, Chen Haoyu couldn’t find me despite searching the entire building.
Why was he looking for me?
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