Ch. 203 - Did the Stray Dog at the Black Market Corner Have Her Puppies
It's Perfectly Normal for my Slime to beat up a Dragon, Right?This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
"..."
Fang Si was completely speechless. Did this kid's brain run on nothing but schemes and chaos every single day?
This was literally interfering with Spirit Suppression Bureau operations!
Fang Si said, "Get into Huaxia Academy, and they'll naturally give you a license plate."
The two of them hailed a taxi and headed to an apartment complex in the city center.
"Sis Fang Si, you have relatives living here?"
"A friend of my teacher's!"
The complex looked like it had been around for quite a few years. The two of them made their way to the second floor of Building 1.
Knock, knock, knock!
Fang Si rapped on the door with impeccable politeness.
An old man in an undershirt, holding a palm-leaf fan, opened the door. His eyes landed on Fang Si immediately.
"Little Fang Si?"
The old man smiled. But then his gaze drifted to the person standing next to her, and his expression froze solid.
"Holy shit! It's you, kid?!"
"Old man, it's YOU!!"
Chen Shu's eyes went wide. He recognized the man instantly.
It was the old man from the Beast Resource Bureau entrance...
Last time Chen Shu had gone to spend his Huaxia Points, he'd run right into this guy.
"Professor Ye Qing, you two know each other?"
Fang Si looked equally stunned. She hadn't expected the two of them to have a history.
Old Man Ye nodded and said, "Of course we know each other." He turned to Chen Shu. "So, kid -- did that stray dog at the Black Market corner have her puppies?"
"..."
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected this kind of coincidence.
So you still remembered that, huh?
Back then, the old man had suspected that Chen Shu's Huaxia Points were of dubious origin. Chen Shu had fired back without missing a beat.
Chen Shu put on his most earnest face and said, "She did. Nine puppies. Mother and pups are doing fine. You can rest easy, old man."
"..."
Ye Qing's eyes went wide. He was completely stumped. What do you mean I can rest easy?
He wanted to fire back, but then he glanced at Fang Si and swallowed his words. "Just come in," he said.
The two of them carried the fruit they'd brought and walked into the living room. The apartment wasn't large, and it was obvious that only one person lived here.
"Let me go grab some snacks."
Old Man Ye shut the door and disappeared into the back room.
Chen Shu immediately leaned over and whispered, "Sis Fang Si, what's this old man's deal?"
"You didn't offend him, did you?"
"How could I? I, Chen Shu, have always respected the elderly and cherished the young..."
Chen Shu let out a dry laugh and said, "But hypothetically -- if I did offend him -- there wouldn't be any consequences, right?"
"He's a Gold-rank Beast Tamer!"
One sentence. Chen Shu's heart leapt into his throat. A random old man was Gold rank?!
"Professor Ye is the strongest person in Nanjiang City. He's also a retired professor from Huaxia Academy. If you really did offend him, you'd better apologize. He probably won't hold a grudge against a junior like you."
"Apologize?"
Chen Shu shook his head. "I, the Nanjiang Bandit, have iron bones -- I could NEVER back down in this lifetime!!"
"As long as I'm inside the city, even a Gold-rank Beast Tamer can't do anything to me. Worst case he beats me up. I can take it!"
Huaxia's Beast Taming Law protected him. Even a King-rank Beast Tamer wouldn't dare kill someone -- at least, not on Blue Star.
Fang Si dropped her voice to a murmur. "He's the Chief Examiner for Nanjiang City's college entrance exam. Your exam scores depend on him..."
Before the words had even finished leaving her mouth, Chen Shu was on his feet like he'd been electrocuted.
"Sir! How can you carry something this heavy all by yourself at your age?!"
Chen Shu was beaming like a sunflower in full bloom as he rushed over and took the fruit tray and sunflower seeds from the old man's hands.
"Grandpa Ye, let me give you a shoulder massage!"
Chen Shu was the picture of dutiful service -- kneading his shoulders, rubbing his lower back, pounding his legs -- all while chattering away:
"Sir, I notice you've been living alone all these years. How about I set you up with someone?"
"I know a grandma who's absolutely incredible at square dancing!"
Fang Si: "..."
Old Man Ye: "..."
Both of them fell completely silent. The room plunged into dead quiet.
Fang Si rubbed her forehead. Bringing Chen Pi along for this visit was shaping up to be the worst decision of the year...
So THIS was the iron-boned, unyielding Bandit Chen?
Old Man Ye's mouth twitched too. This kid was really something else.
"Alright, you -- sit down and behave!"
Chen Shu immediately planted himself obediently on the sofa, looking like the most well-behaved boy in the world.
"Professor Ye, my teacher asked me to come check on you."
Fang Si produced an exquisitely crafted box and said with a smile, "A small token from a junior."
Old Man Ye raised an eyebrow. He cracked the box open slightly, and his expression immediately turned strange.
Inside lay a single vial of serum. No brand label -- just one line of text: Serial No. 001.
Chen Shu caught a glimpse of the vial too.
Ye Qing was no fool. He understood Fang Si's intentions instantly -- she wanted him to give Chen Shu favorable treatment during the college entrance exam.
"What is this kid to you?"
"My little brother."
Fang Si placed a hand on Chen Shu's shoulder. There was pride in her eyes.
Old Man Ye let out a sigh. "This vial probably cost you an entire semester's worth of credits."
Chen Shu's expression stiffened. He turned to look at Fang Si.
The Serial No. 003 serum from last time had already been rare enough -- it could boost all attributes.
And now this Serial No. 001 in the box had cost Fang Si an entire semester of credits?
"Take it back."
Old Man Ye shook his head. "Rules cannot be broken. If this kid truly has ability, I'll give him the highest score."
The Beast Taming track of the college entrance exam was split into the Academic Written Track and the Beast Taming Practical Track.
The Academic Track was a straightforward written test -- no room for any kind of cheating.
But the Practical Track was hands-on combat, evaluated across multiple factors: Beast Tamer level, potential rating, combat technique, and more.
Multiple examiners would evaluate and score collectively, which inevitably introduced a degree of subjectivity.
Especially since Chen Shu's potential rating was F-rank. That alone would leave the examiners with a negative impression.
In their eyes, potential rating was a lifelong determinant -- absolutely a factor of the highest importance.
If the Chief Examiner, Professor Ye, threw his full support behind Chen Shu, it would make no small difference.
"Sis Fang Si, take it back. You're a Dragon Guard -- you can't break the law."
Chen Shu grabbed the box and pushed it back into Fang Si's hands.
A full semester's worth of credits -- the kind of thing that could tempt a Gold-rank Beast Tamer. Just imagining its value was staggering.
Fang Si's face was all helplessness. She knew Chen Shu's dream was to get into Huaxia Academy. But with an F-rank contract spirit, it was genuinely, brutally difficult.
"Rules cannot be broken!"
Chen Shu's expression was rock-solid with conviction. He turned to Ye Qing. "But seriously, old man -- that grandma is really worth considering!"
"..."
Ye Qing was speechless for a moment, then said, "I will say, kid -- your level's gone up pretty fast."
It had only been half a year, and this kid was already a Level 9 Beast Tamer.
Under normal circumstances, there shouldn't be any Level 9 seniors in Nanjiang City at this point.
"Sir, you don't know who I am?"
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow, genuine surprise in his eyes.
The Nanjiang Bandit. The Public Toilet Potion Master. Either title alone was enough to shake Nanjiang City to its foundations.
And this guy didn't recognize him?
"Who are you?"
Professor Ye Qing looked at him like he was a complete nobody.
Chen Shu stared at him as if he'd just encountered a caveman. "You don't go online? Don't watch TV?"
"Of course I do!"
Ye Qing pointed at a beaten-up transistor radio sitting on the side table.
...So THAT was his idea of "going online."
Chen Shu was speechless. No wonder the old man didn't recognize him.
He'd been about to say the old man didn't know he was in the presence of greatness -- but then he remembered who Ye Qing actually was, and the phrase didn't quite fit anymore. He kept his mouth shut.