Chapter 14: Administrator Fang

Chapter 14: Administrator Fang

Fang Che didn't know what to say.

"I'm being serious!" Old Man Shen insisted with a stern expression. "Make sure to look after yourself in the Hall of Protectionists and regularly keep in touch with Jun Hefang. Don't go jumping at whatever mission's laid out in front of you, you hear me? Clearly, the people at the Hall of Protectionists don't have any good intentions for you, so you have to make sure to look after yourself, or you could end up dead before you know it!"

"I know, I'll be careful," Fang Che consoled.

Even after a prolonged stay, Fang Che was still unable to think of a justification for how he had obtained his divine power essence, and his frustration was slowly building.

"What are you still doing here?"

"I'm thinking about where I can get some divine power essence," Fang Che replied. "How long has it been since you took that pill to extend your life, Elder Shen? How much longer can you live?"

Old Man Shen felt both touched and disgruntled as he snapped, "Worry about yourself! I can live for at least another three to four hundred years just fine! You think divine power essence grows on trees? You're a fool! If you end up dead tomorrow, there's a chance I could live until you reincarnate! Get out of here! Hurry up and go make a baby!"

Even after chasing Fang Che out of his room, he was still worried that Fang Che would go taking undue risks, and he warned, "Don't do anything reckless!"

"I won't."

***

For four consecutive days, Fang Che received special lessons from his four instructors day and night.

They were truly a vast wealth of knowledge, providing instruction to him on a wide array of topics, including but not limited to ones related to both battle in a real-world setting and dealing with workplace relationships.

They taught him whatever came to mind, stuffing information down his gullet for four days and four nights.

By the time they were done, Fang Che was feeling a little off balance. It was as if his brain had become too heavy with knowledge, making him feel as if he could topple over onto his face if he weren't careful.

On the final day, the four instructors sat down together, and they forced him into a conscious and alert state before delivering to him a final message.

"In all walks of life, only those who are sufficiently cutthroat will be able to survive and thrive over others! As long as you're not doing anything legally or morally reprehensible, strike first wherever you can rather than give others a chance to seize the initiative from you! If there are people trying to persecute you, strike back at them with force to show everyone that you're not some pushover!

“Kindness is a virtue, but kindness without discretion is stupidity. You have to be alive in order to be kind to others. It's good to be tolerant of others, but excessive tolerance is cowardice. Someone who can face death with grace and dignity in a hopeless situation is a hero, but someone who accepts their fate when there are still chances of survival is simply throwing their life away.

“Adapt, overcome, survive! Sometimes, the cowardly route is the right one to take. If you are the most valuable one among a group of people, then your survival should be prioritized above all else. There are options to be weighed up in every situation, and you must learn to weigh them up well! Even among good people, when faced with temptation, the evil side of human nature will often take precedence over the good.

“When interacting with others, always take care in gauging what kind of person they are and what intentions they have for you. Before you say anything, always think about it to assess what effect your words will have. Never simply blurt out something to anyone at any time! Some words cannot be taken back, and you could regret them for the rest of your life!"

Finally, dawn arrived, and the four instructors fell silent.

Time was up.

Bing Shangxue brought out a brand new Hall of Protectionists uniform along with an identification token.

"Your mother should be the one to dress you in these clothes, but she's not here, so I'll take her place. You made a very wise choice not allowing her to get involved in all of this. Once you put on these clothes, you'll no longer be a student. Instead, you'll be an administrator of the Hall of Protectionists."

Fang Che observed the uniformed with a solemn expression.

He took a step back, then extended a deep bow toward the four instructors, who gazed upon him like proud parents.

Fang Che then reached out to take the inner garments of his uniform from Bing Shangxue before stepping behind a curtain to get changed.

Once he emerged, Bing Shangxue draped his outer robe over his shoulders, then slid his arms into their sleeves before doing up his buttons one by one. She fastened his belt around his waist, then carefully smoothed down all of the wrinkles and creases.

Finally, she placed his hat on his head, adjusting it slightly so that it sat perfectly even and square.

All the while, the other three instructors remained silent.

By the time Bing Shangxue stepped back to admire her own handiwork, Fang Che was already fully dressed in his administrator uniform.

The robe was navy blue in color, and it draped all the way down to his ankles with a tiger's head embroidered onto the chest.

His hat and belt were also of the same color, and he was carrying a saber on his back, while a sword was strapped to his waist.

"Administrator Fang pays his respects to his instructors," Fang Che jibed as he cupped his fist in a salute.

Tears were swimming in Bing Shangxue's eyes, but she couldn't help but break into a chuckle as she strode over to smooth down his robe with her hands once again.

"You look really dashing," she remarked with a warm smile.

"Is there anything you want us to do for you in your absence?" Li Changkong asked.

"There is," Fang Che replied as he made his way to the clothes that he had changed out of, then fished out a pair of swords after some rummaging.

"I came across these two swords by chance. Please pass this wind steel sword onto my cousin, Fang Qingyun."

For a warrior of Fang Qingyun's cultivation base, a wind steel sword was undoubtedly an exceptional weapon, and generally speaking, only warriors of the Lord tier and above were entitled to weapons of this caliber.

"What about the other one?"

"This other one is apparently some type of composite sword. Please pass it onto Ding Jieran for me. If he already has a sword, then I'll take it back from him. This is the more valuable of the two swords, and I originally wanted to give it to my cousin, but I was worried that it would be more trouble for him than it's worth.

“If someone recognizes the sword for what it is, they'll be sure to try and take it from him, and that would put him in danger. However, no one would dare to take Ding Jieran's sword, so I'll give this to him."

This was a wise arrangement.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

With the backing of Bing Qianshan on his side, no one would dare to try and take Ding Jieran's sword.

"Why don't you give this sword to your cousin yourself?" Li Changkong asked.

Fang Che gestured silently at his uniform in response, and the four instructors were immediately enlightened.

If he were to visit Fang Qingyun in person in this uniform, the other students would think that Fang Che had gone to show off to them, and that could place Fang Qingyun on the receiving end of some unsavory remarks.

"Let's go. Assistant Dean Huang and I will accompany you to the Hall of Protectionists," Li Changkong said.

"Why?" Fang Che asked in a surprised manner. "Surely there's no need for that."

"Trust me on this one," Li Changkong insisted. "I'm no bigshot, but I have a fair share of connections, and I'll make sure that all of my acquaintances currently working at the Hall of Protectionists know to look after you. On top of that, I'll pass the word onto all of the alumni of our academy so they don't try to put you through any hazing process or any of that nonsense."

A short while later, Fang Che was standing with his hands clasped behind his back at the main entrance of White Cloud Warrior Academy, while Li Changkong had gone to fetch Huang Yifan.

As Li Changkong and Huang Yifan emerged from the academy, they noticed Fang Che staring at the couplets at the entrance, the ones that combined to read: "A heart that strives to save the world begets empathy for all those in need."

"Take a good look at these couplets before you go," Li Changkong said with a smile. "I've heard that the newly appointed dean of Celestial Being Warrior Academy has removed their academy's original motto couplets and replaced them with these exact same ones, down to every last word!

“It was quite a controversial move, and everyone is accusing this new dean of sucking up or conceding inferiority to our academy, but he hasn't responded to any of those accusations."

"What's the name of the new dean?" Fang Che asked.

"The new dean of Celestial Being Warrior Academy is Heavenly Mizar Star Lord Qin Fengyun!" Li Changkong answered.

Fang Che was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, feeling as if memories from a past life were trying to call out to him, but were concealed under some intangible veil.

After a brief silence, he took a deep breath as he declared, "I'm ready to go."

The trio promptly departed, while Mo Ganyun and the others looked on in silence from afar.

They wanted with heavy hearts, having chosen not to approach Fang Che to bid him farewell.

They were among a select group of top-tier prodigies who were given special privileges in the academy, while Fang Che was being oppressed and targeted at every turn, to the point that he had now been half-expelled from the academy.

They were worried that appearing before Fang Che now would evoke within him a sense of indignation at his unfair treatment, so they could only bid farewell to him in silence from afar.

***

At the entrance of the White Cloud Prefecture's Hall of Protectionists.

The guards looked on in surprise as Deputy Hall Master Fan Tiantiao made his way out of the building, followed by Hall Master Song Yidao.

Is there something important happening today?

the guards wondered to themselves as they extended a respectful salute.

They didn't have to wonder for long before Fang Che's trio descended in front of the Hall of Protectionists.