Chapter 75: Grown Up

　　Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

　　On the 7th, they sat for their Chinese test in the morning and their Mathematics test in the afternoon.

　　On the 8th…

　　They sat for their Liberal Arts test in the morning and their Science test in the afternoon.

　　Yes, there was no English test!

　　Fang Ping and the others studied English too but the subject was under the music and art category.

　　Only a rudimentary grasp was necessary. There were no examinations that tested one’s understanding of a subject.

　　150 marks could be scored in the Chinese, Mathematics, and Liberal Arts tests, while 300 marks could be scored in the Science exam.

　　Judging from the marks, it was obvious that the government prioritized the Science subject.

　　Social science and martial science were general categories.

　　Social science, as everyone called it, was equivalent to the addition of humanities to science from the past. It could be said that there was no stream separation.

　　It was normal. The social and martial sciences were already segregated. There was no need to break the social sciences into smaller sections.

　　…

　　Fang Ping breezed past his social sciences exams.

　　His Mentality was approaching 200Hz, almost double the Mentality of the average person.

　　This did not mean that his memory and comprehensive ability was two times more than the average person. The increment of such qualities was not calculated in this manner.

　　It was not like that. As an example, Fang Ping could definitely defeat two civilian teenagers easily or even kill a man with a single kick of his leg – despite his Vitality being not more than the total Vitality of two people.

　　Fang Ping did not find the tests overly tough due to his exceptional memory and comprehensive ability. He could remember any kind of question he had solved once before despite permutations done to it.

　　…

　　The Gaokao finally came to an end in the afternoon of 8th June.

　　Fang Ping immediately got a call from Wu Zhihao after he returned home.

　　“Where are you?”

　　“I just arrived home…”

　　“Oh, my god!”

　　Wu Zhihao voiced his disbelief. He said in a surprised tone, “You went home right after the Gaokao ended?”

　　It was as if Fang Ping returning home was an unpardonable crime.

　　He did not wait for Fang Ping to speak up and instead said, “We’re all near No.1 High School. Get ready to relax and enjoy yourself. It’s my treat this time!”

　　The students had been repressed for years.

　　The martial science students had gotten the short end of the stick. They had sacrificed too much just to get a shot at passing the martial sciences tests.

　　Not everyone was like Fang Ping, capable of increasing their Vitality exponentially in such a short amount of time.

　　In order to facilitate the increase of their Vitality and ensure the absorption of nutrients, Wu Zhihao and the others had almost sworn off all junk food, soft drinks, and roadside stalls. They did not smoke or drink as well.

　　In short, every day was monotonous and horrible.

　　Now that the exams had come to an end, the only thing left to do was wait for their results. Everyone wanted to let some steam out.

　　Fang Ping did not experience such hardships himself but he could not very well reject Wu Zhihao’s invitation. He laughed. “Fine. I’ll go after a while.”

　　“Better be quick, everyone’s waiting. Today’s gonna be a sleepless night!”

　　Wu Zhihao let out an unrestrained growl. Fang Ping had heard someone beside him growl crazedly, free of restraint.

　　…

　　15 minutes later.

　　Fang Ping saw Wu Zhihao and the others in front of the school gates.

　　Not all of them present were martial science students. There were also about 10 social science students present.

　　Except for those from class (4), students from other classes gathered together in clusters of several people. They were either waiting for someone else or chatting casually.

　　At the sight of Fang Ping, Zhang Hao guffawed. “Fang Ping, you’ve chosen to go home to be mommy’s boy instead of going out and letting yourself go wild after the exams? Seriously?”

　　Fang Ping laughed. “Let go? What’s there to let go?

　　“Are you planning to bring Zhang Nan along with you when you satisfy yourself with a woman, then?”

　　“F*ck off!”

　　Zhang Hao turned red all over. He glanced at Zhang Nan who was beside him carefully.

　　They always seemed brash normally. However, they were still high school students and were not that mature.

　　The social situation at that moment was not as drastic as the future. The students differed from martial arts students in the way that they were more inexperienced and innocent.

　　At Fang Ping’s words, Zhang Hao turned red immediately. The others were not that well off either.

　　Wu Zhihao looked abashed. The reticent Liu Ruoqi looked at Fang Ping as if he was a hooligan. They did not expect the quiet Fang Ping to be so vulgar.

　　Yes, vulgar!

　　By letting go, they meant having a meal, breaking rules, drinking alcohol, and going for karaoke.

　　Fang Ping was thinking about propositioning women. What was this, if not vulgar?

　　Fang Ping was contemplative when he saw the others staring at him. What innocent young boys and girls they were!

　　After a couple of years, even middle school students would be less stuck up than they were.

　　The others had prepared to tease Fang Ping but they struggled to get their words out. Plus, there were girls present; the boys were not brazen enough to discuss such topics with someone as crude as Fang Ping.

　　Wu Zhihao waved his arm and said loudly, “Let’s go for BBQ! We’re not gonna drink anything else but alcohol today!

　　“After BBQ, let’s go sing karaoke!

　　“This is the only time we’ll get to drink alcohol without anyone knowing. Drink as much as you want. It’s my treat today!”

　　The others did not act coy. They agreed with him immediately and they walked toward the pedestrian street – there were a lot of BBQ stalls there – together, chatting and laughing.

　　…

　　The group of inexperienced teenagers unacquainted with alcohol ordered 5 crates of beer and two bottles of hard liquor as soon as they sat down.

　　Before the BBQ was served, several boys downed their alcohol in a show of recklessness.

　　Fang Ping looked on as Zhang Hao downed about 50 ml of hard liquor in one go. He started to worry about the return trip.

　　This group of foolhardy teenagers looked imposing as they downed their drinks – with nothing in their stomachs and no prior experience with alcohol.

　　Fang Ping wagered that less than three people would be left standing at the end of it.

　　Fang Ping analyzed his options. Should he send them back home or should he book a room in KTV, toss them in and then let them sleep until the sun rose?

　　Zhang Hao didn’t care about anything of that sort. While the alcohol had not taken effect yet, he was excitedly drinking and yelling at the top of his voice, “We’ve been classmates for three years but we haven’t had a single gathering before!

　　“We’re always busy with our own affairs.

　　“Now that we’re finished with our exams, everyone will go their own way. Some of us will study in martial art universities while some of us will go to renowned social science universities. Not to forget, some of us will go to ordinary schools.

　　“We’ll end up in totally different places after we graduate a few years later.

　　“We can’t be sure if we’ll meet again by that time. So we must eat and drink until we’re content today! We’re not gonna stop before everyone gets drunk off their asses!”

　　This speech ignited the emotions in the hearts of many.

　　Everyone was young, yes, but they were not stupid.

　　Within the group, Fang Ping and Wu Zhihao were definite future martial arts university students. They would become martial artists, the zenith of the pyramid.

　　Liu Ruoqi and Chen Fan on the other hand would be unable to go to martial art universities. It would not be difficult for them to gain admission to renowned social science universities. Even if they were civilians, they had a bright future in front of them.

　　Those with slightly inadequate results like Zhang Hao and Zhang Nan had hopes of entering a prestigious university as well.

　　Those who fared worse could only go to nondescript or crappy universities.

　　Would everyone be the same in the future?

　　Of course not!

　　After Zhang Hao finished his speech, it was none other than Liu Ruoqi who spoke.

　　Liu Ruoqi raised her glass full of beer as she slowly lost her composure and said, “I’ll drink with every one of you!

　　“Six years. Ever since my first year of junior high, my family wished that I would succeed in passing the martial science tests. They sold our house and took loans to support me financially.

　　“In the end, I’ve disappointed them. It’s nothing. Even though I’ve failed to gain admission to a martial arts university, I believe that someone ordinary is also capable of extraordinary deeds!”

　　This girl, seemingly quiet and cold, had opened herself to everyone.

　　She was not quiet nor was she acting standoffish. She was overly stressed.

　　The pressure she was under was so overwhelming that she dared not make friends.

　　She had to study and train. Under her family’s expectant looks, she dared not waste even a single second.

　　With her Vitality of 115cal, her hopes were small.

　　When she thought about how she had failed despite the hard work she put in and her family’s high expectations toward her, Liu her eyes began to tear.

　　“Ruoqi…”

　　Zhang Nan smiled reassuringly. “I believe in you. You can definitely do it!”

　　At that, Zhang Nan raised her glass and the two girls drank together.

　　After they had downed their drinks, the other boys did the same after raising their glasses together. They did so regardless of whether their glasses were filled with liquor or beer.

　　Fang Ping did not continue his act. How embarrassing it would have been if he did not drink when the girls had.

　　After the BBQ was served, everyone was more excited. They started a new endless round of clinking glasses.

　　Chen Fan sat beside Fang Ping. Initially one of the Mediocre Duo, the quiet nerd in everyone’s eyes had set aside his burdens and drank to his heart’s content.

　　After a few more rounds of drinking, some of the inexperienced teens had already collapsed. They were drunk.

　　Chen Fan’s glasses were skewed on his nose. He raised his glass and grinned stupidly at Fang Ping. “Fang Ping, I envy you so much!”

　　“You registered for the martial science tests on a whim… but then you actually managed to pass them!

　　“Say, will I regret it for my whole life if you become a martial artist?

　　“Sometimes I think about it. I think about why I didn’t apply for it unlike you. I’m not inferior to you. If you managed to do it, why couldn’t I have done so too?

　　“Fang Ping, what do you say?”

　　“…”

　　Fang Ping comforted him. He smiled and nodded. “Yeah, definitely. You’re more clever than me. If you had taken the tests, you’d definitely have succeed.”

　　“That’s what you think, too?”

　　“Mm. It’s nothing. It isn’t as if you can’t become a martial artist after going to university.

　　“If you really can’t, you can marry a wife, have a son and then have your son apply for the martial science tests!

　　“People like us miss the chance because of financial problems. If we had money, we’d definitely have succeeded in gaining admission to a martial arts university! It’s the same if you make big money and make your son a martial artist!”

　　“You… you’re right!” Chen Fan hiccuped and grinned. “Everything’s because I have no money. No money to buy pills, supplements…

　　“Otherwise, I could take the tests as well!

　　“I’m like this, but my son won’t be!”

　　“Hahaha, Chen Fan, you’re already thinking of having children? That’s a really long shot!”

　　Someone who was beside him laughed and said as he swayed his head, “I think that not getting in is quite good too. At least we aren’t in much danger!

　　“I heard that the training in such universities is lethal. There are students who die in the middle of training every year.

　　“Real death!

　　“In my grandfather’s hometown, there’s a martial arts university student in his junior year. Rumor has it that he’s excellent academically. Hence, he gets scholarships and awards every year so much that he can’t spend all of it…

　　“He hasn’t even graduated from university but he has a mansion in his hometown and his parents drive deluxe cars. Not to mention, the higher-ups in the city visit his family every New Year…

　　“What happened next?

　　“He died!

　　“Rumors say that the training at the end of the semester was so lethal that he died. The school and the government gave his family millions as a subsidy but he was already gone. What’s the point of all that money?”

　　This was spoken by a student from Class (4). He was one of the original eight candidates but he was not too outstanding among them. He was often overlooked by people as a result.

　　Fang Ping could tell that he said those words without the intention of scaring people. Moreover, he did not talk about it out of jealousy for Fang Ping and Wu Zhihao, the two who were headed to martial art universities.

　　He said everything out of fear!

　　He was somewhat afraid and his lips were trembling when he talked about it.

　　A person had just gone and died like that! Moreover, he was acquainted with that person and had even gone to his house to play when he was little.

　　He harbored fear toward martial art universities after finding out about the death of his friend.

　　He did well in the beginning and his Vitality was not too low. However, he had fear in his heart which dimmed his aspirations. He had mucked over the past few years.

　　The others were despondent when they did not pass the Vitality benchmark. He was relieved.

　　Nevertheless, he only expressed everything deep in his heart after a few drinks.

　　Was being ordinary that bad?

　　No!

　　Being ordinary did not mean being constrained to servitude. Civilians had no problems founding a small company and working for corporations or for the government.

　　It was said that civilians could not assume governmental posts beyond city-level but there were few people who had managed to do so.

　　If one had the opportunity, one could very well try to improve theirself by attending supplemental classes. They would end up the same.

　　Things were similar in the private sector. Entrepreneurs who succeeded in expanding their businesses beyond the city were all shrewd and capable, were they not?

　　Could someone so shrewd and clever fail to find and exploit loopholes?

　　They could either become martial artists themselves or associate themselves with capable martial artists. Both of these things could easily be accomplished with money.

　　Life was stable that way. Was it really that bad when compared to attending a martial arts university?

　　There had been occasions like those before. That was why he was not too disappointed when he had failed.

　　The others were in a better mood after hearing his words.

　　Chen Fan patted Fang Ping’ shoulder and grinned. “Fang Ping, don’t do anything foolish. When things make a turn for the worst, you can just drop out of school. Don’t risk your life for real!”

　　“Of course. Would I really do something like that?”

　　Fang Ping laughed and raised his glass to drink heartily together with the others.

　　…

　　After the BBQ and alcohol, the half-asleep, drunken group insisted on karaoke.

　　Fang Ping was comparatively sober compared to the rest of the lot.

　　He could not veto the group’s decision. He could only transport the whole group to the karaoke bar by hailing three cabs.

　　It was packed. Most of them were Senior Three students.

　　At the entrance of the private room, a few guys who could not hold their alcohol went crazy. They practically growled frenziedly into the mics.

　　They sang, danced, laughed and cried.

　　After sobering up, everyone would return to being obedient kids in their parents’ eyes, the future hope of their respective families.

　　However, while drunk, those teenagers vented their frustrations.

　　Fang Ping’s feelings were also complicated. He did not know if he had to reassure them or say something else entirely.

　　At last, he did not say anything and resorted to tidying up after them.

　　Everyone had stress and troubles somewhere in their lives. No one lived completely carefree.

　　Was Fang Ping’s life without any challenges?

　　It was not.

　　Was Wu Zhihao, who could definitely enter a martial arts university, living a life without any complications?

　　If he was, he would not have gotten so drunk to the point that he would roll around the floor.

　　Everyone had opened themselves up during the gathering because everyone knew that it was the only time in which they could converse with everyone else in an equal setting – to treat and be treated equally.

　　Could they do that in the future?

　　No one knew. Fang Ping did not know as well.

　　…

　　The pandemonium ended at midnight.

　　Outside the karaoke bar, the parents of many students waited under the streetlights.

　　Some of them helped their sons and daughters along. Some hoisted their kids – with breaths reeking of alcohol and unintelligible, alcohol-induced mumblings – up and walked the journey back home.

　　They had their own troubles too.

　　Fang Mingrong stood on one side of the street, wearing an expression of concern. He smiled and did not say anything when he noticed that his son was still sober.

　　The father and son duo walked home in silence, one in front of the other.

　　As they were walking, Fang Ping suddenly smiled. “Dad, they say that young people don’t know the taste of sorrow. But now I realize that young men feel sorrow too. Does this mean that we’ve grown up?”

　　Fang Mingrong’s face broke out into a grin. “Yes, you’re all grown up.

　　“After you go to university, far, far, away, you’ll no longer be dependent on your parents.

　　“It’s good. Dad believes in you.”

　　A “believe in you” worked to settle the storm of Fang Ping’s emotions.

　　After they graduated from high school, they would have to leave their parents. All Senior Three students, including himself, could finally say that they had grown up.

　　A new world was opening its doors for him.

　　Although he had experienced something similar in his past life…

　　How was his lifetime, in a world of martial artists, more mysterious and different?

　　Fang Ping was alight with anticipation at that moment.