Chapter 6: Too Much Green Tea, Perhaps

Binzhou University, girls’ dormitory.

Su Mingyue stared at her empty social media feed, bewildered. All these years, Zhang Chu had never hidden his posts from her; in fact, many of his declarations of love were visible only to her. Now, Su Mingyue felt unsettled, but her curiosity was stronger.

A loser who stopped being a sycophant, closed off his social circle—either he was dead, or he’d finally grown a backbone.

After much hesitation, she sent Zhang Chu a message: “Why did you block me?”

In Su Mingyue’s mind, she had every right to block Zhang Chu, but he certainly did not have that right over her. That’s how it had always been.

The next second, Su Mingyue shot up from her bed, her exquisite face full of incredulity as a red exclamation mark appeared in her clear, beautiful eyes.

“Blocked... blocked me?”

She could hardly believe what she was seeing. Shock, humiliation, anger, curiosity—the emotional bottle had been tipped over, its contents flooding her heart.

“Zhang Chu, what do you mean by this!”

Unable to hold back any longer, she leapt off the upper bunk, grabbed her jacket, and stormed out of the dormitory. She was going to confront Zhang Chu face-to-face. Even if he was so insecure he felt unworthy of her WeChat, she believed it should be her decision to block him.

Meanwhile, in the martial artist’s single apartment.

Zhang Chu woke naturally from his sleep. Sitting on the tatami by the floor-to-ceiling window, he twisted open a bottle of cola and launched the newly downloaded “Martial Artists’ Marketplace” app, browsing the community forum.

This was the official app—only certified martial artists could download it.

Bathed in sunlight, Zhang Chu lazily scrolled through the forum.

“Surprisingly, the forum on the Marketplace app is quite comprehensive!”

Besides buyer reviews of various products, the main topic was methods to increase a martial artist’s vitality.

After half an hour of reading, Zhang Chu distilled three main points.

First: If you have money, buy Vitality Pills. This was the most direct and effective method, reserved for the wealthy. But this approach came with drawbacks. The official marketplace records purchases under real names and restricts quantities based on martial artist rank. For instance, as a level 1 martial artist, Zhang Chu’s monthly limit was three pills. Each increase in rank meant two more pills per month. In short, money wasn’t everything; the system also considered the disadvantaged, narrowing the social gap between rich and poor.

Of course, where there’s policy, there’s always a workaround.

Zhang Chu scrolled through the comments and, as expected, spotted a striking woman’s avatar, hinting at her offer: “Hey handsome, I’ve got what you need. Check my profile and add me.”

The comments below were even more vulgar:

“Miss, are you selling meat or selling ‘meat’? How much for a quick meal?”

“Miss, can I pay in kind for a Vitality Pill? Long-term cooperation!”

Zhang Chu didn’t need to guess; these were just high-priced Vitality Pill dealers.

The second method was more straightforward: Head fifty kilometers west of the city to Binzhou’s official Exotic Beast Forest, hunt beasts, and exchange their cores for Vitality Pills at the Martial Artist Center.

The greatest drawback of this method: it was suicidal. Every year, tens of thousands of martial artists died in the Exotic Beast Forest across the country.

The third method was safe and effective, ideal for someone like Zhang Chu: Go to the Martial Artist Center’s training grounds, hunt exotic beasts. Not only could their cores be exchanged for Vitality Pills, but fighting also directly increased one’s vitality and combat experience.

The downside? Limited number of beasts in the training ground, so progress was slow.

Having digested all this information, Zhang Chu made a decision that betrayed his ancestral values: “Form a long-term partnership with the Kovi Research Institute!”

Buying Vitality Pills cost money. Going to the Exotic Beast Forest was suicidal. Only testing new drugs was safe, efficient, and lucrative.

With money, he could select martial arts and weapons at the Center, boosting combat experience.

Dual approach—what a thrill.

“First, move. Tomorrow, I’ll check the Martial Artist Center for techniques that suit me.”

With his plan in place, Zhang Chu stood up and headed toward his rental in the city’s village district.

...

“Damn it, how did I survive in a place like this these past days?”

Arriving at the rental, Zhang Chu frowned.

Once you’ve tasted quality living, it’s hard to go back to hardship.

The hard bed that had felt comfortable last night was now unbearable.

He’d intended to pack his belongings, but after surveying the room, realized there was nothing worth taking—aside from the wheelchair and the bed, everything belonged to the landlady.

“Forget the bed—who needs it when the Martial Artist’s Home has luxury mattresses?”

Decisively, Zhang Chu sat in the wheelchair and stared at the photo atop the trash bin. “Since I’ve inherited your body to live this life anew, I owe you revenge. I’ll take this wheelchair with me as a lesson to remember.”

This wheelchair wasn’t the one gifted by class advisor Li Feng.

It was the host’s own creation, made of wood—truthfully, it looked like a commode.

Bang bang bang!

Just as Zhang Chu was about to stand, there came a knock at the door, accompanied by a waft of fragrance.

No need to look—he knew it was Su Mingyue.

Orchid Night was a luxury perfume, distilled from the tears of orchid rabbits, intoxicating in scent, priced at ten thousand per bottle—equivalent to a third of a Vitality Pill.

In all of Binzhou University, only Su Mingyue possessed it. Not because she was particularly sophisticated, but because Zhang Chu had bought it for her three years ago through part-time work, even selling his own blood for it.

“What gives you the right to block me?”

Su Mingyue stood at the door, frowning, reluctant to enter. To her, this rental was no better than a public restroom.

“What gives me the right? WeChat has a blocking function for a reason.”

Zhang Chu showed her no courtesy.

“You... you dare speak to me like that?”

Su Mingyue was dumbfounded. This wasn’t at all like Zhang Chu.

For the past two years, Su Mingyue had deliberately distanced herself, telling everyone that during that training incident, Zhang Chu’s so-called rescue was nothing but his own wishful thinking.

A few days ago, to push Zhang Chu to drop out, she’d visited him. Then, Zhang Chu had been deeply infatuated, groveling for her affection.

Now, after just two days, Zhang Chu had changed!

“I’m tempted to slap you, but you’re not worth it.”

“You can go now.”

Zhang Chu waved dismissively, as if she were nothing but trash.

Su Mingyue’s figure was indeed outstanding, especially her coy, calculating gaze, capable of stirring any man’s protective instincts. Zhang Chu had fallen for her because of those legs and that face.

Now Su Mingyue was completely disarmed: “You... I came here out of kindness, and you tell me to leave?”

“Had too much green tea, have you?”

Su Mingyue’s manipulative charm made Zhang Chu want to hit her, but striking a woman was never admirable.

For a self-proclaimed genius like Su Mingyue, the best way forward was to crush her with superior strength and shatter her confidence. Winning her heart was the real strategy.

“I thought you broke the school’s vitality record, but I guess I was wrong!”

“If I ever visit you again, I’ll eat my words—I’ll be a dog!”

Never before had Su Mingyue been so insulted. Furious, she stomped her feet and stormed down the stairs.

Still, she was now certain of one thing: the anonymous genius who approached Binzhou University’s Vitality Testing Center that day was definitely not Zhang Chu in the wheelchair.

It was the only comforting news.

“Brother, the real show is just beginning. Let’s play this game together.”

Zhang Chu patted his chest, hoisted the wheelchair, and headed downstairs.

He needed to adapt quickly to life at the Martial Artist’s Home and learn how to rise above the masses.

With money, he called a ride and went home.

The moment the driver saw the destination was Martial Artist’s Home, he grew especially attentive, personally helping with the battered wheelchair.

“Grandpa, let me tell you—I met a remarkable person recently. He can swallow an entire dish of bargain Vitality Pills in one go and live to tell the tale!”

Just as Zhang Chu was about to enter the complex, a songbird voice reached his ears.

He turned, stunned: Damn, since when did scalpers and agents live in the Martial Artist’s Home?