The Zhongkao started on June 17th.
Coincidentally, Fang Yuan’s assigned exam venue was Sun City No.1 High School.
...
Her parents did not accompany her to the exam that morning; only Fang Ping went with her.
On the way.
Fang Yuan was in a good mood. She laughed, “Bro, I want to get into Sun City No.1 High School too.”
“Ace your exams, then we’ll talk.”
“It’ll definitely be no problem. I’m really smart.”
Fang Ping could find nothing to say to that.
The siblings arrived at the school entrance as they were chatting. The main gates were still closed, and nobody was allowed to enter yet.
Fang Yuan was recognized before Fang Ping was.
The two of them had just stopped in front of the gates when someone shouted, “President!”
“Sister Yuanyuan!”
“Sister Yuan!”
The incessant shouting made Fang Ping stop in his tracks for a moment.
Some of the students around them, especially the girls, were obviously not from Fang Yuan’s school, judging from their uniforms.
They clamored around her, though, chattering excitedly, “Sister Yuan, you’re at Sun City No.1 High School too, what a coincidence!”
“President, will our club organize activities after the exams?”
“Sister Yuanyuan, are the stance training classes still recruiting? I want in!”
It seemed like every girl in the world had become a member of the Yuan Ping Club. There were dozens of girls waiting outside the gates, but every one of them seemed to know Fang Yuan. They called her President, Big Sister...
Fang Yuan had her hands full responding to all the girls, replying first to this one, then to that one...
Fang Ping listened to the goings-on for a while before he asked abruptly, “Girl, how many people are in that club of yours?”
Before Fang Yuan could speak, a young lady who did not know Fang Ping said proudly, “Wherever there are girls, there are members of the Yuan Ping Club. We have three thousand members all over Sun City!”
Fang Ping’s expression changed rapidly.
Three thousand members!
They were not pulling his leg, were they?
He was still weighing this in his mind when several girls suddenly yelled, “Where there’s a will, there’ll be a way! We’ll give our all till Sun City is ours!
“Those who work hard will be repaid! Three thousand girls will master martial arts!”
Fang Ping was rendered totally speechless.
He was completely in shock.
Such bravado!
To say Sun City would be theirs, and that three thousand girls would master martial arts...were these girls staging a coup or something?
The parents who were accompanying their daughters to the exam were also shocked.
These overzealous young girls with what seemed to be a bad case of eighth-grade syndrome had somehow banded together, and someone had adapted a couplet which had become their slogan.
Judging from how fluent their delivery was, they had probably shouted this slogan quite a lot.
Fang Yuan was a little embarrassed seeing her brother’s rapidly changing expression. “Bro, are you okay?”
Fang Ping’s expression was now pitch black. He said, gritting his teeth, “I’m fine. I just want to be quiet for a little, that’s all!”
‘This club has three thousand members?
‘That’s practically a rebel force!
‘There are only 108 members in my Ping Yuan Club. Look at her club! What does she want with it?’
Fang Yuan’s face showed her embarrassment. Not long after, a loud greeting sounded from somewhere. “Good day, Vice President!”
Fang Ping was confused again. Was he being greeted?
What was this group of wannabe girls up to?
Fang Yuan’s awkwardness continued unabated as she whispered to Fang Ping, “I’m the president, and you’re the vice president.”
Fang Ping was overcome by a temporary fit of coughing.
The girls were extremely excited; they had not met Fang Ping before, but they had seen photos of him, and they had just overheard Fang Yuan calling him her brother.
Sun City’s number one martial artist was back!
The parents were about to reprimand their daughters until they overheard what the girls were excitedly chattering about—Sun City’s top martial artist was here! Forgetting all about reprimands, they each turned to look at Fang Ping with respect.
If their daughters had joined some random gang, that in itself deserved a stern rebuke at the very least; once back home, there would be a good dressing down in store.
If they had joined the club led by Sun City’s number one martial artist though, then that was no problem at all.
Everyone in Sun City knew about Fang Ping—how fast he was progressing in the martial arts to the point that he might even surpass Sun City’s own commander.
Most of them also knew that martial artists had killed people before. Fang Ping had killed a Peak Rank-3 martial artist; perhaps he might even be stronger than their commander.
Because of this, the parents stopped thinking that their daughters were fooling around.
What the average family wanted was to learn martial arts and become martial artists.
Nurturing a martial artist was incredibly difficult.
As such, ordinary people regarded martial artists as being very far removed from their own experiences. Martial artists were so high above every day humdrum, it was normally hard to find any common ground.
Now that a Rank-3 martial artist had opened a martial arts supplementary class, the parents were excited. Would their daughters have the potential to become martial artists?
...
Fang Ping felt extremely mentally drained.
‘My baby sister has become a gang leader of three thousand members!
Anytime, anywhere, you can run into Yuan Ping club members; they’re all over the place.
‘A three-thousand member organization has sprung up in a small place like Sun City! Does Bai Jinshan know about this?
‘Would Bai Jinshan want to cry? Does he even have three thousand people directly under him?’
As Fang Ping contemplated the meaning of life gloomily, the main gates of the school opened. It was time to start the exam.
...
After Fang Yuan went into the exam venue surrounded by her underlings, Fang Ping felt as if he wanted to die under the gaze of all the parents there.
‘I did not found this club!
‘I’m not that juvenile!’
Not only that, they even came up with such an embarrassing slogan! Fang Ping was utterly mortified!
As he prepared to make a run for it, the gates opened again, and the principal of No.1 High School walked out with several teachers in tow.
“Fang Ping!”
From a distance, the principal, whom he did not know well, extended both arms warmly and quickly caught Fang Ping’s hands in his. He said enthusiastically, “I didn’t expect you to return to your alma mater! Please, come in!”
“Previously the school had been discussing if we should invite you back to give a talk, but we finally changed our minds and decided not to disturb you, as we felt you would be too busy honing your martial arts skills.
“Now you’re actually back here...”
The principal was so enthusiastic, he was loath to let go of Fang Ping’s hands.
Fang Ping had no idea how to react. Seeing that the principal was about to haul him into the school, he could not help but point out, “Principal, there are students taking exams here...”
Before the principal could speak, someone nearby said with a smile, “Mr. Fang, it’s not a problem. The students are honored that you’ve come to supervise the exams.”
The way this person spoke was a clear indicator that he was an outsider, not part of the school.
True enough, the principal immediately introduced the man, saying, “Fang Ping, this is Section Chief Liu from the Department of Education. He’s in charge of any matters to do with the Zhongkao here in No. 1 High School.”
Section Chief Liu was a portly middle-aged man with a smile not unlike the Buddha’s. He said hurriedly, “I’m not in charge, I’m just here to provide services for the students. If you want to put it that way, I’m only a menial under Director Fang’s command. Was that his daughter just now? I didn’t recognize her—I’m afraid I’ve failed in my duties...”
Fang Ping was speechless. ‘Director Fang? Is he talking about my father?
‘My father told me the only things that he does in the office are drink tea and read the newspaper! Where did this so-called menial of his sprout from?
‘He’s sucking up to us so badly, he’ll tell me we’re family next.’
Fang Ping did not know whether to laugh or to cry. There were many people outside the gates though, and all of them were staring.
Fang Ping no longer resisted the principal’s attempt to pull him through the gates. He freed his hands discreetly, releasing them from the principal’s grasp, and said, “Let’s talk inside. I hope we don’t disrupt the exams.”
The Zhongkao was organized by the city, unlike the Gaokao, so it was not a big deal to Section Chief Liu and the others. So what if it was disrupted? They could just hold it again!
An unimportant exam was small potatoes compared to welcoming Fang Ping, slayer of a Peak Rank-3 martial artist.
Even if this matter somehow got to the ears of the city authorities, Governor Bai would not say anything about it.
...
Fang Ping was finally able to relax a fraction when the entourage had entered the school and he was no longer under the scrutiny of all the parents outside the gates.
He said some courteous words to the teachers around him before asking with a smile. “Is Teacher Liu not here?”
The principal said hurriedly, “Oh no! Teacher Liu is on leave today. I’ll immediately have someone inform him of this and ask him to come...”
“Please don’t. If he’s on leave, I don’t want to disturb him.”
Fang Ping made some more small talk. His head hurt when he saw everyone’s expectant gazes upon him. He could not very well just take his leave like that, and so he changed the topic. “Principal, how did No. 1 High School do in the Gaokao this year?”
The principal chuckled and hastened to reply, “They did well. Of course, they can’t compare to your year.
“Last year, you were the top student in the martial sciences examinations and you managed to get into MCMAU. You then led the MCMAU team to victory in the National Championship...”
The principal sang Fang Ping’s praises for a while before returning to the original topic. “This year, there are 8 students with Vitality above 120cal, and two of those 8 had Vitality above 130cal.
“Fang Ping, what do you think if they applied to MCMAU?
“Could they get in?
“If I had known that you would be here today, I would have asked the school to organize a seminar so that you could give them some pointers. What a pity...”
Fang Ping could not help laughing despite himself. After some consideration, he replied, “MCMAU’s accepting more students this year – as many as 2000 students. Those who have reached the required Vitality threshold can give it a go.
“NMAU’s policies are being revised as we speak, though. Senior Wang, who’s one year ahead of me, is now in charge of the school’s daily education matters.
“If these students think that NMAU might accept them, I actually suggest that they apply for NMAU...”
It was not that Fang Ping was jealous of them applying to MCMAU; however, the reality was that average students would not fare very well there.
They would be more appreciated by NMAU!
In Fang Ping’s year, there were students like Guo Shen who came from affluent families. Despite that, they had just barely achieved breakthrough to Rank-1.
Their mentors in MCMAU were only at Rank-4, and they had no way to obtain credit rewards.
There might be more opportunities for such students in NMAU.
Students like Wu Zhihao and the others were doing quite well in NMAU. They were close to achieving breakthrough to Rank-1 as well. Average martial arts universities would definitely appreciate these students more than MCMAU.
“NMAU, huh...” the principal muttered. Fang Ping had no way of knowing if the man would pay attention to his words, but he did not care; he was merely giving a suggestion.
True-blue prodigies would do well to enroll in MCMAU, as there would be more opportunities for people like them.
They would have to be of a certain standard though, or they would be nothing but a speck of sand on the beach once they were accepted into MCMAU.
“Wang Jinyang’s already in charge of daily education matters?”
This was astonishing.
The teachers, and even the principal, were all astounded.
What was going on?
All these people were not martial artists, so they were not privy to what was going on in the inner circles.
They idolized Fang Ping because he had managed to get into MCMAU, as well as the Rank-3 ranking. For those reasons, he was more well-known than Wang Jinyang.
After hearing what Fang Ping had to say, everyone was slightly taken aback, even a little letdown.
...
Fang Ping did not say much as he walked around the school with the principal and the group of teachers. He made some general statements in response to their questions, then excused himself early on the grounds of having some matters to attend to.
He did not leave through the main gates; he found a deserted spot and leaped over the wall.
...
The Zhongkao ended two hours later.
Fang Ping did not wait for his sister in front of the gates. He waited until she came out with the other students, then darted out, grabbed hold of her, and vanished out of sight.
...
“President, you’re so amazing!”
In a deserted alley, Fang Ping scolded his sister through clenched teeth, pinching her cheeks hard, “You’re a female gang leader of three thousand people! Clever girl! I’m so scared, my heart won’t stop jumping!
“You naughty girl! I asked you to study hard, and this is what you’re doing!”
Fang Ping tugged on his sister’s cheeks further. ‘You even made me your vice president! Are you trying to raise hell?
‘I only managed to recruit 107 people, and you’ve recruited 3000 of them?
‘I’m not even a big shot in MCMAU right now, and you claim that all of Sun City will be yours?
‘You even say you’ll master the martial arts as well!
‘If there really are 3000 martial artists in your gang, you’ll either be taken over by the government or wiped out!
‘The biggest thing is, all of you are girls! That’s why it’s scary; three thousand girls have more clout than three thousand guys.’
“Mmrph...”
Fang Yuan was now struggling to speak. She looked at Fang Ping beseechingly to stop him pinching her; her face would be so swollen if he went on!
Only then did Fang Ping let go. He said, head aching, “Why did you recruit so many people? It would have been fine if this was something small-scale. But now, how am I to explain this farce to anyone else? A group of middle-school students, that’s still all right but after a few more years, this is going to be a huge problem!
“Disband the club as soon as you can!”
“Bro,” Fang Yuan said, frowning, “I didn’t recruit this many of them. They wanted in themselves.
“Honest, I’m not lying.
“I couldn’t even refuse!
“I wouldn’t admit them, so they formed a Yuan Ping Club themselves. They sent a representative to our school and told me that they’d formed a branch and that they’d collected the club fees on my behalf!”
“And then you agreed because you were tempted by the money?”
Fang Yuan denied the accusation immediately. She said, aggrieved, “I told them that I wouldn’t take the money, but they refused to accept that. They said that if I didn’t take the money, it meant that I didn’t acknowledge them as Yuan Ping Club members.
“I didn’t want to acknowledge them, so they ganged up and cried in front of the gates...”
“What?”
“They went to our school and cried because I wouldn’t admit them. I’m at my wit’s end...”
Fang Ping felt his heart contract. After a while, he managed to say with difficulty, “Ask Dad to mention this to Uncle Tan. Treat it as fun and games. If anything happens, don’t get yourself involved in it.
“Now that you’ve practically been put on a pedestal, you can’t just shrug it off and blindly run wild!
“Another thing—do whatever you want with the stance training classes, but you’re not allowed to teach combat techniques to anyone!”
“I don’t know how to, anyway...” Fang Yuan muttered.
“Stop chattering. Whatever it is, remember, don’t screw anything else up. Don’t pick fights, don’t try and take up the cudgels in someone else’s defense, don’t hang around with questionable people, and don’t use my name to bully anyone. If you’re bullied, tell me, and I’ll beat them up. If you’re the one bullying other people, though, what happens to you isn’t any of my business.
“If you present me with ten thousand club members the next time I come back, I’ll slap you to death, believe me!”
Fang Ping was utterly speechless. How had things turned out this way?
“Alright...” Fang Yuan sighed. She was also tired of this. “I don’t want to recruit anymore anyway, it’s exhausting. You asked me to enlist Dad’s help to tell Uncle Tan about this, but did you know that Uncle Tan wanted me to do him a favor recently? He asked me to recruit his niece into the club! Asking him to put a stop to this seems kind of useless, don’t you think?”
Fang Ping clutched at his chest as he was suddenly seized with a violent fit of coughing. What the f*ck, was the universe trying to provoke him?
Tan Zhenping had definitely gone mad!
He wanted his niece to join the club?
What was the world coming to?
Fang Ping felt rather powerless. Was he really so out of the loop?
Was this now the newest trend?
He looked at the dejected Fang Yuan again and reached out to pinch her cheeks, sighing as they walked out of the alley. “The more famous one is, the more trouble one attracts. This is my fault. You just be smart, and don’t turn this club into anything serious, understand?”
“Okay.”
Fang Ping did not bother to say more on the matter. It was obvious that he himself had played a big role in how large the club had become.
Bai Jinshan and the others probably treated this as child’s play. They did not take it seriously; on the contrary, they seemed to encourage it.
The more his family became enmeshed with Sun City, the harder it was for him to uproot himself from the place.
His father was already the Deputy Chief of Office. Who knew if he might even be promoted to Deputy Director the next day? No one could tell.
The Fang family had rooted themselves in Sun City so much so that they could not possibly leave even if they wanted to.
Fang Ping knew this, but he still could not keep vindictive thoughts from coming to mind. Just wait until the day three thousand female martial artists popped up in Sun City! Bai Jinshan would be utterly shocked! That would be the consequence of him egging things on!