Extraordinary Realm from Persuasion System

Chapter 529: Chapter 197: Return to School, Sensation_4

There were also some foreigners, people from the Asian Martial Arts Association.

Their less-than-fluent Great Xia language was often interspersed with verbal tics such as ”simida,” ”konnichiwa,” and ”sawasdee ka”...

Clearly, the Asian martial arts community had caught wind of Zhang Beixing’s breakthrough, and they were all hurrying to visit and cultivate relationships.

Especially after seeing him with their own eyes, they gained a true, tangible sense of a Hidden Essence realm Martial Artist.

From the inside out, they exuded an aura of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Every gesture, laden with grace, left everyone breathless. It also made them keenly aware of the distinction between a Hidden Essence realm Martial Artist and a Great Grandmaster.

In the end, it all boiled down to one phrase: Zhang Wusheng, in his transcendent form!

Not long after, Zhang Beixing’s other relatives also began to arrive in succession to offer New Year’s greetings.

Seeing this, the group of martial artists tactfully stood up, took their leave one by one, and departed.

Firstly, attending to two groups at once could easily become overwhelming and difficult to manage.

Secondly, taking advantage of the New Year period to exchange pleasantries and improve their relationship with Zhang Beixing was quite sufficient.

To shamelessly impose further without considering the circumstances would be just plain rude.

Besides, they weren’t Liu Yi, who shared a master-disciple relationship with Zhang Beixing.

Damn it, even mentioning Liu Yi irritated them.

That old guy’s luck was uncannily good, downright infuriating!

Why should he get to take Zhang Beixing as a disciple?

And it was one thing to accept a disciple, but they’d heard that absolutely nothing had happened to his family’s ancestral tomb until now.

Unacceptable.

They had to find a way to dig up his family’s ancestral tomb!

「...」

After Zhang Beixing stepped out to see off Wan Mingde and the others, his home returned to its usual routine.

The tasks at hand were the usual: entertaining relatives, visiting neighbors, and the like.

Even now, having transcended the Great Grandmaster to become a Hidden Essence realm Martial Artist, he could not eschew tradition.

After busying himself with these matters, more than a week had passed.

By the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, the festivities were essentially over. It was time for everyone to return to work and their regular routines, with just the Lantern Festival left to await.

It was also around this time that the sensation of being watched, which had disappeared for several days, returned with a vengeance.

He muttered, ”Well, I’ll be. Taking the New Year off, were you?”

Zhang Beixing was momentarily speechless. This feeling of being watched really knew how to pick its moments, returning only after the New Year was over?

And this time, the watcher was even bolder.

Even when Zhang Beixing sensed the presence and turned to look, the watcher did not flinch.

It was as if they were challenging Zhang Beixing himself.

Sensing this, Zhang Beixing’s brow furrowed.

He went inside and dialed Police Chief Bai’s number.

After a brief ringing, Police Chief Bai answered.

Zhang Beixing got straight to the point, ”Police Chief Bai, Happy New Year. How’s the investigation coming along? Have you found out who’s behind him?”

With the capabilities of the Great Xia Police, tracking down a person with evidence in hand was easy.

This was especially true when the person in question had been so bold and reckless.

By the second day after the watcher resumed observing Zhang Beixing, the Shishi Police had already traced the clues he provided. They quickly found out the identity of this observer.

As for why they hadn’t proceeded with an arrest after identifying the individual, the reason was simple.

They were laying a long line to catch a bigger fish.

This was a specific request made by Zhang Beixing.

Being a thief for a thousand days is one thing, but guarding against one for that long is a huge problem.

Even if Zhang Beixing could resolve this issue now, what about the next time, or the time after that?

He wasn’t a god; he couldn’t possibly be vigilant every single time.

Nor could he always resolve problems in a timely manner.

Therefore, uncovering the real mastermind and resolving the issue at its root was of utmost importance.

”Not yet. As of now, the target hasn’t made contact with anyone. What’s the matter, Comrade Zhang, are you running out of patience?” asked Police Chief Bai.

”A bit. Being watched isn’t exactly pleasant,” Zhang Beixing admitted frankly.

”In that case, shall we arrest him now and proceed with interrogation?” Police Chief Bai offered a solution.

”Let’s not. It’s not foolproof enough. I’m afraid that if we catch him, the other side might get wind of it and sever contact. I’ve endured it this long; we can wait a bit longer,” Zhang Beixing said. He added that they had come this far, and it would be a waste of all their previous efforts if impatience led to failure. It was better to be cautious with this matter.

Police Chief Bai acknowledged this and then resumed monitoring the suspect.

「...」

Under such relentless surveillance and counter-surveillance, February 20th, a Sunday, arrived. It was also the day universities started the new semester.

Zhang Beixing packed his luggage early.

Under that prying gaze, he arrived at Shi University.

Stepping back onto this familiar campus, for a moment, Zhang Beixing felt a wave of nostalgia.

It had been... uh... well, it had been many days.

He had finally returned here.

The place where dreams began!

”I really do miss it,” Zhang Beixing muttered.

Carrying his luggage, he entered room 203 of the men’s dormitory.

He pushed the door open and peered inside.

Sure enough, the resident NPCs of the dormitory had respawned!

Seeing Zheng Jituo and the others had already tidied up and were even now firing up their computers for an intense three-player gaming session, Zhang Beixing tossed his luggage onto his bed. He couldn’t help but ask teasingly, ”Well, well, my dear sons, you’re here already?”

In response, Zheng Jituo waved his hand dismissively. ”It’s nothing, just basic stuff. But you, Lao Zhang? What are you doing here? You’re still attending school?”

”Bullshit! I’m a student, after all. I haven’t graduated yet,” retorted Zhang Beixing grumpily.

He hadn’t graduated or dropped out. Where else would he go now that school was back in session?

Besides, he planned to spend his final university semester peacefully, returning to a normal routine, adjusting his mindset, and stirring up less trouble!

Hearing this, Dong Guoning nodded in agreement. ”Indeed. Even though Lao Zhang is already a Hidden Essence realm Martial Artist, Chairman of the Great Xia Martial Arts Association, and a bureau-level official, at the end of the day, he’s still a student. So, Lao Zhang... no, I mean, Director Zhang, when you meet the university president, who greets whom first? Does he greet you, or do you, the Director, greet him?”

”Is that even a question? Of course, the president should greet me, Director Zhang, first. If that old codger dares not to, by tomorrow he could be expelled for merely stepping into the school with his left foot first. Speaking of which, Director Zhang, I’ve already put your ’Nutrition Express’ on your bunk. I’m relying on you for that military canine position!” Jin Linyu chimed in from the side, a joking grin on his face.

To this, Zhang Beixing just frowned. ”No way!”

”Huh?” Jin Linyu was stunned.

Before he could figure out what was going on, he heard Zhang Beixing add, ”That military canine position was specially reserved for Lao Dong. You can’t fight him for it. We in room 203 must stay united!”

Jin Linyu was speechless.

Dong Guoning was bewildered.

Zheng Jituo exclaimed, ”Damn, that’s classic you! You’re something else!”

Joking with each other, a cheerful atmosphere filled room 203.

Amidst their banter, the sun climbed high in the sky.

More and more students returned to campus, bringing a buzz of life to the otherwise quiet Shi University. The tail end of winter’s chill lingered in the early spring air, but it seemed to melt away in their warm enthusiasm.

University life is truly great!

Just then, a RUMBLE— sound, like a vehicle driving over snow, reached them from afar, growing louder as it approached.

Hearing this commotion, students by the road turned their heads in curiosity.

To their surprise, they saw several camouflage-painted military vehicles entering the campus!

”Military vehicles?!”

The sight of these vehicles shocked the students.

They had never imagined military vehicles would come to Shi University.

This isn’t a military academy, so what are they here for?

Why such a grand display?

Did something happen?

Questions like these filled the students’ minds. Finally, they watched the military vehicles drive up to the men’s dormitory. Several soldiers, with glistening ranks on their shoulders, descended from the trucks.

Then, a group resembling guards followed, notable for the various special tools they held carefully in their hands.

For instance, there were stick-shaped objects about a meter long, tightly wrapped in cloth that obscured their contents. There were also square military toolboxes, their interiors a mystery, though some appeared from a distance to be inscribed with phrases like ’Cold & Hidden Weapons: Military Issue.’ And so on...

Many such items were carefully held by the guards, who stood ramrod straight behind several officers, drawing crowds of curious student onlookers.