signingbooks Chapter 2 The Zhang Family
Chapter 2 The Zhang Family
Song Chen stared at the rice bowl in front of him, the white rice still steaming.
He expected his parents to find out about it, but he didn't expect his homeroom teacher to call home directly.
Presumably, his 0.6 health value was too conspicuous, and the homeroom teacher was really worried, so he gave him a heads-up in advance.
"I know it's dangerous."
Upon hearing this, Li Xiuying's voice suddenly rose: "You knew it was dangerous, yet you still went?"
"Do you know how many strange beasts are outside the city? Do you know how many people died during last year's training?"
"The child from Aunt Wang's house next door, two years older than you, had a blood energy level of 1.1. He went there and never came back. His mother still cries every day. You want me to..."
She couldn't continue, and raised her hand to wipe away her tears with the back of her hand.
Song Chen raised her head and looked at her mother.
Li Xiuying is 43 years old this year, but she looks like she is in her fifties.
His eyes were lined with wrinkles, his temples were streaked with gray hair, and his hands were rough and cracked from years of housework.
She was a first-level martial artist when she was young, but after giving birth to Song Chen, her foundation was damaged, and her qi and blood plummeted to 0.3, making her even weaker than an ordinary person. She aged extremely quickly.
Song Zhengye is still stuck at the threshold of martial artist, with his Qi and blood value remaining stable at around 0.9 for many years.
But after losing that arm, he could no longer take on missions outside the city and could only make a living by doing odd jobs inside the city.
This is a slum.
The name did not come from poverty.
Instead, most of the people living here are "useless people" with a blood and qi value of less than 1.0.
Some never awaken, while others fall after being injured following awakening. Song Chen's parents belong to the latter category.
In this era where martial arts reign supreme, health and vitality are everything.
If your skill level is below 1.0, you're not even a martial artist, and you don't even qualify to leave the city.
They are trapped in the city, doing the lowest-paying jobs, earning the meager wages, and living in the most dilapidated houses.
Song Chen grew up here; it looks like he's been here for eighteen years.
He spoke softly, "Mom, I know it's dangerous."
Li Xiuying raised her head, tears still clinging to her cheeks.
"But I have to go."
Li Xiuying became anxious: "Why?"
"You only have one month left until the martial arts college entrance exam. Study hard and train diligently, in case you get into a martial arts university..."
"mom."
Song Chen interrupted her.
"There's only one month left until the martial arts college entrance exam."
"My Qi and Blood value only increased by 0.1 in a year, and at most it will reach 0.7 in another month. With this score, what kind of university can I get into?"
Li Xiuying opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
The Martial Arts College Entrance Examination is a national unified examination, which is divided into three parts: Qi and Blood Value, Culture, and Combat Skills.
Among them, the Qi and Blood value is a hard indicator; a difference of even one point can make a world of difference, and there is no way to fake it.
The minimum requirement for ordinary universities is 1.0, for key universities it is 1.5, and for top universities it is 2.0 or higher.
With a Qi and Blood value of 0.6, you can't even get into a regular university.
"But you can earn points through real-world experience!"
Li Xiuying grasped at this last straw: "The homeroom teacher said that your combat skills are the best in the class, even formal martial artists can't beat you, so you might get a high score in the combat assessment..."
Song Chen shook his head: "Adding points is useless."
"Qi and blood levels are a hard requirement; if you don't reach them, you can forget about getting into a martial arts university."
Li Xiuying fell completely silent.
Song Zhengye took another sip of wine and finally looked up at his son.
"So you want to take a gamble outside the city?"
"Yes."
Song Chen responded.
"The practical training lasts for ten days, and the team leader is a formal second-level martial artist invited by the school."
"As long as you don't venture deep into the abandoned city and only hunt first-tier alien beasts on the outskirts, your safety is still guaranteed."
"The school will give out rewards after the training. The crystal cores of the monsters you kill are yours to keep, and you can exchange them for health potions."
Qi and blood-nourishing medicines are of paramount importance.
A bottle of the most common Tier 1 Qi and Blood potion costs at least 80,000 in the market and can permanently increase Qi and Blood value by 0.1 to 0.3, with the specific effect varying from person to person.
Eighty thousand yuan.
The father earns 2,000 yuan a month doing odd jobs, and the mother earns 1,500 yuan a month doing handicrafts.
This amount of money would take the whole family more than two years to save up, even if they didn't eat or drink anything, and they still couldn't afford it.
Song Chen looked earnestly at her parents: "I know it's dangerous, but I really have no other choice."
He was telling the truth, but his sense of "having no other choice" was completely different from what his parents understood.
His parents thought he just wanted to go to university and make a career for himself.
He couldn't explain the existence of the killing system, so he had no choice but to keep it a secret.
Song Chen has lived in this world for eighteen years. His parents are his true relatives, and they have a deep bond with him.
He didn't want them to worry, and even more so, he didn't want them to be afraid.
"you……"
Li Xiuying wanted to persuade him further, but Song Zhengye interrupted her.
"Let him go."
Li Xiuying was stunned: "Old Song!"
I said, let him go.
Song Zhengye downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, put down the cup, and looked at Song Chen: "Do you know what it's like outside the city?"
"I know a little."
Do you know how to avoid strange beasts?
"I've watched the instructional videos."
Do you know how to distinguish the levels of exotic beasts?
"For Tier 1, look at size and speed; for Tier 2, look at spiritual energy fluctuations; and for Tier 3 and above, run away as soon as you encounter them."
Song Zhengye nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
He picked up the empty glass, looked at the bottom of the glass against the light, and gazed into the distance.
"The last time I left the city fifteen years ago, I encountered a mutated cat at the peak of the first tier."
"At that time, my health was 1.8, and I thought I was pretty good at fighting. But when it slapped me, I almost died."
"This arm is the one that was ruined that time."
Li Xiuying's eyes reddened as she said, "Old Song, why are you telling the child these things..."
"Let him see the cruelty outside the city."
Song Zhengye looked at Song Chen with a calm that was almost frightening.
"If you want to go, I won't stop you."
"You're eighteen now, a man, you should be able to make your own decisions. But remember this one thing."
He reached out and tapped Song Chen's chest.
"Come back alive."