Chapter Chapter 9: Salted Fish and Shoes (1/2)
Chapter 9: Salted Fish and Shoes
Translator: Strivon / AshEditor: Geoffrey / Lancent
With the day’s school session end came a rare moment of calmness over the campus. Along a small path above the shade of the trees flew cheerful laughter and conversation. Several luxury private shuttles slowly descended from the air as parents arrived to pick up their children. There were also several students like Li Yao, who dragged their weary bodies along, slowly walking towards the school gate.
Just as he was about to exit the school gate, Li Yao suddenly felt his body tighten up. A tall silhouette obstructed the path in front of him, “You’re called Li Yao? Was it you who was with Si Jia Xue just a moment ago?”
Li Yao’s eyes suddenly shrank back into their sockets. He felt like ten-thousand needles had stabbed into his entire body. His heart rate sped up in a flash. A chill spread from his tailbone and rushed up to the top of his skull. The pressure exuded by this person was too great. He was like a poisonous viper staring fixated at a mouse. Li Yao was absolutely unable to move a single step. Even swallowing some saliva became incomparably difficult.
“It’s He Lianlie! Its Crimson Nimbus Second’s number one expert, He Lianlie! This time I’m done for!” Li Yao shrieked in his heart. He intended to explain himself, but he was unable to speak even half a word.
He Lianlie stood casually and wantonly. A crystal processor was clasped in his right hand and was immersed in calculating through a set of applicable exam questions, not at all looking directly at Li Yao in the eyes. He said without much thought, “No need to be afraid. I obviously know that with your type of trash, it’s impossible for you to have something with Small Xue. I’ll forget it this one time. I don’t feel like cleaning you up.”
His finger tapped a hologram lightly, switching to the next question. He Lianlie continued speaking, “Nevertheless, right now it’s the urgent and critical moment — the ‘Hundred-day Sprint’. Small Xue and I are the people who will attack for first place in Floating Spear City’s university entrance exams. I hope that during this time-frame, there won’t be any sketchy garbage disturbing Small Xue, distracting her. Do you understand yet?”
Li Yao’s eyes squinted into slits as he firmly bit down his teeth, “You’re saying I’m trash?”
He Lianlie didn’t even lift his head as he said indifferently, “Don’t be mistaken, I’m not specifically targeting you. From my point of view, you bunch of mishmash Common Class students, each and every one of you — are trash!”
After he said his last word, he finally raised his head and swept a glance at Li Yao.
Just a single glance caused Li Yao to feel like the pits of his stomach were ferociously hit by massive hammer. It was unbearable. He fell back two steps and coughed violently.
He Lianlie snorted coldly. Disdain filled his face as he turned and left.
Li Yao was bending over coughing, looking like a giant shrimp, and even coughed up his tears. A long time passed before he was able to stand straight. He breathed heavily and glared unwaveringly towards the direction of He Lianlie’s departure.
“DAMN IT!”
“Don’t tell me that in these days, all one needs is to be tall and lofty, to be bold and powerful, to be handsome and stylish, to be confident and relaxed, to have thin eyebrows and starry eyes, to be born to a rich and powerful household with a net worth of 18 billion, to possess an exceedingly powerful talent for cultivation and unyielding strength of a tyrant — then one can be this arrogant?”
……
Half an hour later.
“Lucky lucky, indeed this time luck has brought me to grandma’s house. For the sake of repairing Si Jiaxue’s crystal processor, I actually offended He Lianlie! If I had known things would turn out this way, I absolutely would have increased my price. Only a minimum of 200,000 credits would have been worth it!”
“Also, there’s He Lianlie. This. Son. Of. A. B*tch. Armed with the power of money, he consumes heavenly materials and earthly treasures as if they were food. He drinks strengthening drugs as if they were tap water. He also has underground cultivator experts helping him strengthen his mind. Great martial arts masters help him forge his physique. Only then could he raise his Actualization Quotient to over 70 percent. Surprisingly, he is this arrogant! Trash? I am not trash! The day will come. I will become a true Master Artificer. I will beat you into a pig’s head and stuff you in a trash can!”
A lone youth walked solitarily on the road home. His expression was just like a devil’s as he gnashed his teeth in anger. Occasionally, when he happened onto a small rock by the road, he would ferociously kick it flying.
The appearance of He Lianlie caused him to clearly understand the distance between him and a cultivator genius, and sure enough, the gap was extremely large. It caused him to understand that the chance of success of his dream of “testing into the Nine Elite Universities, stepping onto the road of cultivation, and becoming a Master Artificer” were however uncertain.
A scene that he saw over and over in his uncanny dreams emerged in the sea of Li Yao’s mind. It appeared to be a scene from a movie.
There was a youth wearing a red tank-top. With raised eyebrows and open-wide eyes, he spoke loudly, “If we don’t have any dreams in life, how are we different from salted fish!?”
From the past until now, this scene would motivate Li Yao deeply. It let him advance bravely on the road of his dreams without any fear.
It was only at this time that he finally recalled the rest of his dream. What the other person’s response was when the red-tank-top youth had finished his words was:
“You don’t even have shoes. Doesn’t that make you a salted fish?”