Chapter 91: The Scenery Remains, but the People Are Gone

Chapter 91: The Scenery Remains, but the People Are Gone

At that moment, a military vehicle sped over from the distance. With a screech of brakes, the tires scraped against the pavement, emitting a piercing sound. Twenty to thirty soldiers swiftly jumped out of the vehicle—some stood guard with spears at the ready, while others quickly checked the soldiers lying in pools of blood. Many of the spear muzzles were aimed at Chen Shouyi, who stood holding his sword.

Fortunately, the misunderstanding was quickly resolved.

The leading officer surveyed the numerous corpses with a grim expression but mustered his composure and shook Chen Shouyi’s hand firmly. "Thank you very much for your assistance."

"Anyone would step in when faced with something like this. However, I came to Dongning City with my family this time, so I hope you can keep this confidential," Chen Shouyi said. After all, the cult hadn’t been completely eradicated, and exposing his identity could invite retaliation.

"Of course!"

...

Chen Shouyi returned to the bus.

The interior was eerily silent. Everyone looked at him with a mix of awe and fear, their gazes shying away. To ordinary people, a Martial Artist was a distant, almost mythical figure. Faced with someone who could effortlessly take lives, no one could feel at ease—especially after witnessing such a bloody massacre firsthand.

Chen Shouyi sat back down in his seat, only for Chen Mu to turn around and glare at him sharply. She remained utterly unaffected. No matter how formidable her son was, he was still her son. Did he think he could defy the heavens?

Perhaps influenced by the tense atmosphere in the bus, she ultimately said nothing.

However, the peace didn’t last. Half an hour later, the bus finally arrived at its stop.

...

Smack!

"You’re getting more and more reckless, aren’t you?"

Chen Shouyi winced as the back of his head stung, instinctively ducking his neck.

Chen Mu was furious. "Charging into something so dangerous—do you have a death wish?"

She didn’t share such lofty ideals. To her, her son’s safety was the only thing that mattered.

"Actually... it wasn’t that dangerous," Chen Shouyi attempted to defend himself, only to earn another smack to the back of his head.

Chen Xingyue snickered from the sidelines.

"Alright, alright! He’s a Martial Artist now, not a child or an ordinary person. I’m sure he knows his limits," Chen Dawei interjected, trying to mediate.

"Limits, my foot! He’s just an idiot. How did I end up with such a foolish son?"

"Enough—people are staring!"

...

Dongning City was swarming with police and soldiers, heavily guarded, but the public mood remained relatively stable. Most shops along the streets were open for business, and pedestrians were plentiful.

Instead of heading home, the family chose a hotel far from their residence. After everything that had happened, even the most carefree person would have developed a sense of caution. With the cult’s influence not yet fully eliminated, no one could guarantee whether they were still being watched.

After completing the check-in procedures, Chen Shouyi returned to his room to drop off his luggage. He pulled open the window to inspect the surroundings. The hotel was located in a bustling district, with several military police patrolling the street outside.

It should be safe enough.

He checked the time—only 9:00 in the morning, still early before lunch. Knocking on his parents’ door, he made up an excuse, grabbed his briefcase, and slipped out of the hotel.

...

As he walked down the street, he passed by an elementary school.

On the playground, a group of young students was having a P.E. class.

Chen Shouyi suddenly realized that Dongning had already resumed classes. His heart surged with emotions, and he quickly hailed a taxi.

"Where to?" the driver asked.

"Dongning No. 5 High School!"

The driver glanced at Chen Shouyi through the rearview mirror and said, "Running late?"

"In a hurry!" Chen Shouyi replied impatiently.

"Got it!" The driver chuckled and soon set off.

As the scenery outside the window rapidly blurred past, Chen Shouyi's heart pounded wildly.

After more than ten minutes, Chen Shouyi handed over a hundred-yuan bill and opened the car door.

"Wait, I need to give you change!"

"No need!"

Chen Shouyi strode quickly toward the school gate.

The original electric sliding gate had been dismantled, replaced by a massive iron gate flanked by four security guards. Clearly, the school had tightened security during this time.

Of course, the large iron gate was reserved for school staff vehicles, while students passed through the small iron gate.

"Elderly man, open the gate!" Chen Shouyi knocked on the security booth.

The security guard inside scrutinized Chen Shouyi carefully, hesitating before asking, "Who are you looking for?"

The young man before him appeared youthful, yet his presence was imposing, exuding an inexplicable pressure that made it hard to tell whether he was a student or an outsider.

"I'm Chen Shouyi from Class 7, Senior Year."

The guard frowned skeptically, putting on his reading glasses before flipping through the student roster. To his surprise, he actually found the name listed under Class 7, Senior Year.

Seeing this, Chen Shouyi let out a slight sigh of relief. It seemed the student roster hadn’t been updated since his leave of absence—otherwise, he would’ve had to climb over the wall.

Once the guard confirmed he was a student, his attitude shifted, his tone turning authoritative.

"Look at the time—you're over an hour late. Come here and register."

Chen Shouyi had no choice but to sign his name.

……

Stepping back into the campus, he was struck by a sense of how much had changed.

The school was still the same, but he was no longer the person he used to be.

He hurried to the corridor outside Class 7 and glanced through the window, scanning the room but failing to spot Zhang Xiaoyue. Thinking he might have missed her, he checked again, one by one…

It was still class time, and homeroom teacher Cao Lili was lecturing animatedly at the podium.

"Look at the results of this month’s exams! What kind of grades are these? Our Class 7 is almost at the bottom! I’ve been teaching for six years and have led three graduating classes. You are by far the worst I’ve ever taught."

Noticing some students repeatedly glancing out the window and making faces, Cao Lili’s temper flared uncontrollably.

"Sun Xin! What’s so fascinating outside? Stand up and tell us all about it… You were last in the class last month, and this time, at least you didn’t drop further—your performance is consistently terrible..."

Sun Xin, long past caring, declared loudly, "Reporting, Teacher! It’s Chen Shouyi distracting me!"

Cao Lili froze for a moment before opening the door, staring in surprise at the now somewhat unfamiliar young man.

"Chen Shouyi!?"

Though his heart was unsettled at not seeing Zhang Xiaoyue, Chen Shouyi forced a faint smile. "Hello, Teacher Cao!"

Cao Lili exclaimed in astonishment, "It really is you! Are you here today to… complete your re-enrollment procedures?"

"No, I just came to see my classmates," Chen Shouyi replied.

He then added, "Also, I've already obtained the Martial Arts Apprentice Certificate."

He didn’t mention the Martial Artist Certificate—that would be too shocking.

Even so, Cao Lili’s mouth fell open in surprise, and the entire class erupted in excitement. Dongning No. 5 High School was just an ordinary school, and the number of students who obtained the Martial Arts Apprentice Certificate each year was even fewer than those who got into prestigious universities.

"Teacher Cao, I won’t disturb your class any further. I’ll come back after the lesson!"

Chen Shouyi walked downstairs in low spirits and sat on the edge of a flower bed, lost in thought.

Had something happened to Zhang Xiaoyue?

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became.

His mind was a mess!

Finally, the bell signaling the end of class rang.

Chen Shouyi stood up and hurried back to the classroom, only to be immediately surrounded by a crowd.

"You’ve changed so much, I almost didn’t recognize you!"

"Chen Shouyi, did you really pass the Martial Apprentice Examination?"

"I’m so jealous—you’re finally free!"

"Poor us, still stuck suffering here!"

After patiently dealing with his enthusiastic and curious classmates, Chen Shouyi grabbed Sun Xin and pulled him into the hallway. "Why haven’t I seen the class monitor?"

"Damn, the first thing you ask about is the class monitor? You two really have something going on, don’t you? Typical—throw away friendship for a girl!"

"Cut the crap. Just tell me!"

Seeing Chen Shouyi’s impatient expression, Sun Xin suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure and quickly said, "She transferred schools. Heard her dad got relocated for work, so she’s studying somewhere else now."

"Did she say where?" Chen Shouyi pressed.

"She didn’t even come to school—how would I know? The homeroom teacher told us!"