The three quietly left the area, preparing to return to their hotel, when a massive black shadow suddenly descended from above.
Chen Shu's eyes widened as he looked up. It was a mighty hawk!
On the hawk's back sat a figure wearing a black robe with a golden armband on his right shoulder, emblazoned with the characters "Dragon Corps."
The Dragon Corps—an elite military unit equal in status to the Spirit Suppression Army, primarily responsible for handling major incidents across Blue Star.
Unlike the Spirit Suppression Army, their numbers were extremely small and they operated solo. But every single Dragon Guard possessed immense strength, far beyond their rank.
"Fang Si from Huaxia Academy?"
The man leaped down from dozens of meters in the air, landing gracefully.
Even Fang Si couldn't pull off a feat like that. It meant this guy was at least a Silver-rank Beast Tamer!
Fang Si opened her backpack and said calmly, "The Black Beetle Lord is dead."
"Today's young people really are impressive."
The Dragon Guard murmured, looking at the Black Beetle Lord's corpse materials.
"According to intel, there should be another Huaxia Academy student on Taiqing Mountain."
Chen Shu stepped forward at that moment and said, "Big bro, that person prefers to stay low-key. Does good deeds without seeking credit. Left Taiqing Mountain early."
The Dragon Guard didn't think twice about it. He mounted his hawk and departed from Taiqing Mountain.
Since the lord-level fierce beast was already dead, the crisis was resolved.
The three returned to their hotel and rested for the night.
Meanwhile on Taiqing Mountain that cold night, Su Han's naked body was stuffed in the bag, shivering occasionally.
Still, his body was strengthened. At most he'd just catch a cold.
The next morning—
"Chen Pi, take this."
Fang Si tossed over a blood-red shell. If swallowed, there was a chance it could grant comprehension of the Black Beetle's skill "Dark Light Shield."
"Dark Light Shield" was an extremely versatile defensive skill—it could block both elemental and physical attacks.
In terms of value alone, it was worth at least four million Huaxia currency.
Chen Shu shook his head. "You keep it. My contract spirit doesn't need skills."
Both of Fang Si's dragons had mediocre defense. If she could learn a defensive skill, it'd be a solid choice.
Fang Si nodded and put the shell away. With their relationship, words weren't needed.
Even though the Black Beetle incident happened, it didn't dampen the trio's mood for sightseeing.
Over three days, they explored every corner of Taiqing Mountain.
After that, the three visited the Capital's other tourist attractions. Since they could finally all be together, naturally they had to enjoy themselves.
Fang Si felt incredibly relaxed. Ever since entering Huaxia Academy, every day had been spent in fierce competition.
Either studying various subjects or entering Alternate Dimensions to hunt fierce beasts.
The intense pressure and competitive environment had made her strength skyrocket, but long-term mental strain would inevitably affect her body.
For her, this carefree time was extremely precious.
Time slipped by quietly, and soon it was late August.
School would start soon, and for the three of them, it was time to part ways.
Sister Xiao's Food Stall—
Back when Chen Shu and the others first came to the Capital, the three had eaten dinner here.
Now that they were about to part, they came here again.
Initially the two guys had mocked the low-class grade of the place, but now they ate with relish.
Reluctance showed in Fang Si's eyes as she said, "Chen Pi, you better come to the Capital soon."
Chen Shu said with a smile, "Of course. Right after I finish the college entrance exam next year, I'm coming to Huaxia Academy."
His heart also felt a touch of reluctance, especially since both of them would stay in the Capital while only he returned to Nanjiang City alone.
"Dali, you're really not going back to Nanjiang for a visit?"
Zhang Dali shook his head. "School's got something. They're organizing some kind of training for us."
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. "You're a genius. You need to study?"
Zhang Dali pursed his lips. "I'm only a genius compared to mortals like you. Compared to people at my level, not so much."
Fang Si sighed. "Who knows when we'll all be together again."
Amid the melancholy of parting, the three finally finished their meal.
Chen Shu returned to his hotel and booked a train ticket for tomorrow, preparing to return to Nanjiang City.
He was now a Level 7 Beast Tamer, the same level as Xu Xiaoyu. Combined with various skills and potion enhancements, he could even fight an A-rank Fire Bird.
Of course, if the two actually competed, whether he'd win would depend on the specific circumstances.
The next morning—
Chen Shu packed his luggage and set out on his journey home alone.
"Driver, take me to Capital South Station!"
Chen Shu grabbed his backpack and got into a taxi.
The driver's mouth curled into a smile. "Perfect timing! You're both going to South Station!"
Chen Shu saw that sitting beside him was a guy wearing a baseball cap who looked kind of pretentious and mysterious.
The guy's flashy getup reminded him of Su Han from Taiqing Mountain.
Chen Shu was about to rest for a bit when his expression suddenly froze. Options appeared before his eyes.
【Option 1: Forcefully exit the vehicle and escape with your life. Reward: Large amount of Beast Taming Power】
【Option 2: Talk your way around and find a chance to slip away. Reward: Golden Slime Body Size +5%】
【Option 3: Shout loudly "This isn't the kindergarten shuttle, let me out!" Reward: Purification Potion】
Something's definitely wrong!
Chen Shu stayed calm as his eyes darted around.
When he saw the first option, he'd thought the taxi would get into an accident. But looking at it now, either the passenger next to him or the driver was wrong. Or both were wrong.
The first option was definitely out. Even though the reward was generous, forcefully jumping from a speeding car was certain death.
As for the third, it would also alert them.
Chen Shu glanced at the person beside him, then suddenly threw an arm around his shoulder.
"Old Wang! I knew you looked familiar!"
Chen Shu's face was full of smiles, as if he'd run into an old friend he hadn't seen in years.
The man's voice came out cold. "You've got the wrong person!"
Song Xu couldn't help thinking—did this guy figure it out?
But he hadn't exposed anything unusual the whole way.
"Sorry, sorry! Wrong person!"
Chen Shu quickly let go.
It was just a simple action, but it confirmed that the guy's physical fitness wasn't strong—definitely not a Black Iron rank Beast Tamer.
Damn. Not even a Black Iron rank Beast Tamer and he thought he could ambush him?
Chen Shu's heart relaxed as he looked toward the driver.
"Driver, Capital South Station isn't this direction. You're going the wrong way!"
The driver didn't respond at all and kept driving on his own.
"Kid, sit tight!"
The baseball cap guy raised his head, revealing a scar across his face that made him look fierce as hell. Clearly not a good person.
WHAM!
Chen Shu didn't say another word. His fist shot directly at the guy—fast and accurate.
"You—"
The guy looked completely dumbfounded. Was this really a high schooler? How did the roles reverse so fast?
WHAM WHAM!
Chen Shu kept punching without holding back at all.
"Stop!" the driver yelled, but it had zero effect.
"Song Xu, didn't you learn martial arts?!"
Song Xu was getting beaten to a pulp, clutching his head with no ability to fight back.
"I just learned military boxing[1] for like three days during training... even did a demonstration with my classmates..."
"..." The driver was speechless. "Then fight back!"
Song Xu finally found his chance and was about to get into the starting stance for military boxing—
Chen Shu threw another punch, smashing his nose and drawing blood.
"Are you a clown sent by monkeys?"[2]