Chapter 31: Where Did You Get That Phone?

Two days later, Chen Xian finally embarked on the journey home. At the start of the school break, train tickets were notoriously difficult to secure. When Chen Xian finally managed to purchase his, he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. Being able to secure a ticket after only two days of waiting was considered quite fortunate; many students had yet to obtain theirs. In a couple of days, once the freshmen and sophomores finished their exams, tickets would become truly impossible to find. Every year, there were always students who ended up unable to return home because they couldn't get a seat.

On the train, Chen Xian leaned against the window, watching the scenery fly backward, feeling a touch of sentimentality. This semester, he had made leaps and bounds in the martial arts, achieving significant milestones. There were no tumultuous storms; it had been a steady, tranquil progression. He never expected to harvest such gains in his martial practice, and he could only attribute it to his incredibly good fortune. As he thought about this, the scene of him collecting his martial artist certificate flashed through his mind. During those two days spent waiting for a ticket, he had taken the opportunity to visit the official administrative office to pick it up. While one could register their identity on the official martial arts website, the actual physical certificate had to be collected in person and could not be mailed.

The clerk at the office showed no surprise when he came to collect his certificate; given his age, it was not uncommon for someone to be applying for it only now. It was a mundane affair. To a clerk who dealt with martial artists every day, someone like Chen Xian seemed quite ordinary. Clearly, people like Chen Xian were not rare in the Great Xuan. This realization made him understand that his current level of martial achievement was quite common among the practitioners of the Great Xuan. He could only remark that the Great Xuan was truly deserving of its reputation as the birthplace of martial arts. His martial artist certificate looked no different from a standard student ID.

The train sped along, yet the carriage remained remarkably quiet, devoid of chatter or noise—a standard state for a train filled almost entirely with university students. Outside the window, the scenery flashed by, currently draped in a silver mantle. As far as the eye could see, the land was covered in snow. When the train first departed, most people in the carriage had been curious, craning their necks to admire the view. But as time passed, the unchanging white landscape eventually wore them down, and they lost interest. With the quiet atmosphere, most people turned to their phones or drifted off to sleep. Consequently, by the time the train reached the station, there was virtually no movement in the carriage.

Chen Xian hauled his luggage out of the carriage. The biting cold wind outside felt refreshing to him. Stepping onto the platform, he took a deep breath, feeling his internal energy and blood circulate even faster. While the freezing wind was harsh for others, for him, it was merely invigorating. After cultivating his energy and blood through martial arts, his body operated like a furnace; such cold had no effect on him.

***

Arriving at the bottom of the apartment building, Chen Xian felt a twinge of confusion. Under normal circumstances, Chen Qiqi would have already rushed out, impatient to rummage through his suitcase—for which he had bought plenty of snacks. Yet, this time, she was nowhere to be seen. Chen Xian was curious.

"Could she have gone to a classmate's house again?" he muttered to himself, looking up at the apartment.

*Click.*

Since Chen Qiqi might not be home, Chen Xian didn't bother knocking and simply used his key to open the door.

"Ah!"

"Big brother! How come you're back so soon?"

Before Chen Xian could even fully open the door, a frantic figure rushed over, looking somewhat flustered. Chen Xian looked at her, suspicious, and asked as he stepped inside, "Mom should have told you I was coming back today. Why aren't you acting like you usually do? Has someone grown up and lost their taste for snacks?" he teased.

"How could that be!" Chen Qiqi’s voice rose sharply. She snatched the suitcase from his hands and began digging through it. "Snacks! Snacks! They're all mine!" she cheered, hugging the snacks to her chest, her face full of joy.

*Ugh... alright. The Chen Qiqi I remember is back,* Chen Xian thought as he watched her rummaging through the bag, checking left and right. *She hasn't changed a bit; she's still the same old Chen Qiqi.*

*Ding...*

*Ding...*

"Huh? Where is that ringtone coming from?" A phone started ringing, catching Chen Xian’s attention.

The phone wasn't his; the sound was coming from Chen Qiqi. Finally, it dawned on him why she had been acting so strangely.

"So that's it."

"Oh no! I forgot to turn off the ringer!" Chen Qiqi exclaimed in a panic. "A classmate gave this to me. Don't tell Mom! If she finds out, she'll definitely confiscate it," she said urgently.

"You're afraid of Mom finding out?" Chen Xian said with an amused smile. "But is this phone really from a classmate? It doesn't look cheap."

"Of course it's from a classmate! She got a new one and gave this one to me," Chen Qiqi quickly explained.

*Her heartbeat is clearly elevated, and she looks flustered. It doesn't seem like this came from a classmate,* Chen Xian noted. *This girl doesn't know that I'm already a Mingjin-level martial artist, and my powers of perception have seen a qualitative leap.*

Clearly, she was hiding something, but Chen Xian didn't expose her. Given her careless nature, it wouldn't be long before she was found out, at which point she would surely have to confess under the threat of their mother’s rolling pin.

"Do Mom and Dad know you have a phone? You didn't even turn off the ringer—how have you been hiding it from Mom?" Chen Xian asked, puzzled.

"I only turn the sound on after they leave for work. I just forgot you were coming back today, big brother!" Chen Qiqi said, looking full of regret.

Chen Xian shook his head. "You're in your third year of middle school, the most critical time of your education. You should spend less time on the phone. If Mom finds out, you'd better think about the consequences." He knew exactly how important this final semester was, having gone through it himself.

"Brother, why don't you help me? If Mom finds out, just tell her it's your phone, okay?" Chen Qiqi tugged on his sleeve, acting spoiled and looking at him with feigned sincerity.

That was a terrible idea. If he did that, he’d be the one getting lectured by their mother every day. Chen Xian was just about to refuse when his eyes caught a glimpse of the phone screen. His expression froze, and a storm of shock surged in his heart.