High Martial Arts: Slay enemies to become stronger, forge invincibility from billions of corpses.

Chapter 9 One Slap

The carriage was very quiet.

Li Wei leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to rest. She had several wounds on her arms, but none of them were deep.

Wang Jun sat next to her, blood still dripping from the corner of his mouth, but his expression remained blank, as if he wasn't the one who had just knocked the wild boar away.

Sun Qiang and Liu Tingting huddled together, their hands trembling, still reeling from the fear.

Song Chen sat at the very back with her eyes closed.

He was looking at the system, which was divided into four sections: [Martial Arts], [Potions], [Weapons], and [Supernatural Abilities].

He was thinking about what to exchange for.

The items in the store aren't expensive, but the downside is that they're not high-grade; there are only C-grade and D-grade items.

Song Chen estimated that higher-level products might only appear after the system is upgraded.

However, he only looked and didn't buy anything. There were so many people around, what if he got caught?

Inside the carriage, Li Wei suddenly spoke up: "Captain."

Zhang Zhenyun, who was driving, looked at her and said, "Speak if you have something to say."

"How do we divide the life cores of those strange beasts?"

The atmosphere in the carriage suddenly became subtle.

The life core is the crystal core dug out from the alien beast.

All mythical beasts will materialize after they reach a certain level, and of course, the same applies to humans.

This is a really good product; one can sell for tens of thousands of yuan, and three can cover the expenses of an average family for a year.

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes turned to Zhang Zhenyun.

Zhang Zhenyun exhaled a puff of smoke, took out three red crystal cores from his pocket, and weighed them in his hand.

"According to the rules, whoever kills him gets to keep him."

His gaze fell on Song Chen.

"All three Tier 1 monsters were killed by Song Chen, so these three crystal cores belong to Song Chen."

The carriage was quiet.

Li Wei nodded, her expression unchanged.

Wang Jun didn't react either, as if the crystal core was something insignificant.

Sun Qiang and Liu Tingting exchanged a glance, but neither dared to speak.

Only Zhao Wei's expression changed. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

What could he possibly say?

During the battle just now, he couldn't even hurt a level 1 wild boar.

If it weren't for Song Chen, they would all be in danger.

Song Chen took the three crystal cores and put them into his pocket: "Thank you, Captain."

"Don't thank me, you earned it yourself."

"But let me give you a heads-up, you'd better exchange this for cultivation resources. Don't keep it. Money is worthless, strength is what truly belongs to you."

Song Chen nodded slightly.

Zhang Zhenyun glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

The armored vehicle drove in the setting sun, and occasionally the roar of a strange beast could be heard from afar, long and deep.

The car was quiet, with only the roar of the engine.

Zhao Wei sat in the corner, head down, seemingly lost in thought.

His legs still hurt, but it was nothing compared to the fear in his heart.

Thinking of the battle just now, and the scene of Song Chen putting his arm into the wild boar's mouth, his stomach churned again.

He was scared.

It's not that I'm afraid of Song Chen as a person, it's that I'm afraid of his ruthless, reckless nature.

He can't afford to mess with that kind of person.

He looked up at Song Chen.

Song Chen leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed, it was unclear whether she was asleep or thinking about something.

Zhao Wei gritted his teeth, stood up, and limped over.

"Song Chen".

Song Chen opened her eyes and looked at him.

Zhao Wei stood in front of him, his lips moved, and after a long pause, he finally managed to utter, "Um... about what happened before, I'm sorry."

Song Chen looked at him without saying a word.

Zhao Wei felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, but he still forced himself to continue: "What I said about you in class before was just my loose tongue. If it weren't for you today, we might all be..."

He paused, then swallowed.

"I just want to apologize to you. Let's call it even, okay?"

Song Chen still didn't react, just staring at Zhao Wei.

It's not that he can't accept turning the page on past grievances, but that he can't accept turning the page with just two light sentences.

An apology and remorse are both essential.

Song Chen was waiting to apologize, but Zhao Wei was clearly not able to grasp this.

His expression was somewhat stiff, his eyes darting away, and he dared not meet Song Chen's gaze.

He adopted a very humble posture, but there was an awkwardness to it, as if Zhao Wei's initiative to apologize was a great favor that Song Chen should accept with gratitude.

Seeing that Zhao Wei showed no intention of apologizing, Song Chen looked away and decided to ignore him.

"Song Chen?"

Zhao Wei waited for a while but didn't receive a response, which made him feel a little awkward.

"I'm talking to you..."

"roll."

Song Chen didn't even lift his eyes.

Zhao Wei's face froze. He stood there, his face turning pale and then red.

Everyone else in the car was watching them.

Li Wei's eyes held amusement, and Wang Jun finally showed some expression; he was smiling.

Sun Qiang and Liu Tingting lowered their heads, pretending not to see, but their ears were both perked up.

Zhao Wei felt as if he had been slapped in the face.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and tried to make his voice sound calm: "Song Chen, I'm here to sincerely apologize. We're classmates, and we'll see each other again in the future. There's no need to make things so tense..."

Song Chen looked up at him and said, "I said, get lost. Can't you understand human language?"

Zhao Wei's expression changed completely.

His voice suddenly rose: "Song Chen, we're in the same class, don't push your luck!"

"I, Zhao Wei, am only apologizing to you out of respect. Who do you think you are? You just killed a few wild boars, what's so great about that? If I wanted to, I could kill them too!"

Song Chen looked at him and suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, as if he were looking at a clown.

"You can kill me?"

"When that wild boar charged at you, you could barely hold your knife, your legs were shaking. If Wang Jun hadn't knocked it away, you'd be dead by now. What would you have used to kill it?"

Zhao Wei's face turned bright red.

"I...I wasn't prepared, I'll definitely do it next time..."

Song Chen waved her hand to interrupt him: "There won't be a next time."

"I've seen plenty of people like you. You swagger around in class, thinking you're something special. But when it really comes down to risking your life, you'll be the first one whose legs go weak."

He stood up. Although he was not as tall or as strong as Zhao Wei, Zhao Wei subconsciously took a step back when he stood up.

"You said you would apologize."

"Then let me ask you, did you apologize because you genuinely felt you were wrong, or because you were afraid of me?"

Zhao Wei opened his mouth: "I..."

"You're afraid of me."

"You're afraid I'll mistake you for a beast and kill you outside the city one day, so you came here to apologize, hoping I'll forget what happened before and that I won't bother you anymore."

Zhao Wei's face turned deathly pale.

Because everything Song Chen said was correct.

Song Chen took a step forward: "But Zhao Wei, you apologize, fine, but who are you trying to fool with that attitude? 'I'm apologizing to you to save face,' you think? Who the hell do you think you are?"

Zhao Wei was forced to take another step back, his back hitting the carriage.

"I……"

Song Chen looked at him coldly: "Didn't you want to wipe the slate clean?"

"Fine, I'll grant your wish."

He raised his right hand.

Snapped!

He slapped Zhao Wei hard across the face.

The sound was crisp and clear, echoing in the cramped carriage.

Zhao Wei was completely stunned by the beating.

He covered his face, staring blankly at Song Chen, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He was beaten.

I was beaten up by Song Chen in class; he beat me so badly I was left with my teeth hanging on the ground.

But that time it was a friendly sparring match, a fair and square fight.

This time it was a slap.

It is an insult.

He was slapped in the face in front of everyone.

"You..." His lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something.

Song Chen had already turned around and sat back in her seat, closing her eyes.

"Get lost."

"If you bother me again, next time it won't just be a slap."

Zhao Wei stood there, covering his face, trembling all over, his gaze sweeping over the people in the carriage.

Half of his face was swollen.

Li Wei was looking at him, her eyes filled with indifference, not sympathy.

Wang Jun was looking at him, a smile still on his lips.

Sun Qiang and Liu Tingting lowered their heads, avoiding eye contact with him, but it was clear they were trying hard to suppress their laughter.

Zhang Zhenyun was smoking, his face expressionless amidst the swirling smoke, as if it were none of his business.

No one spoke up for him.

nobody.

Zhao Wei suddenly realized that he was nothing in this team.

He gritted his teeth, limped back to his seat, huddled in a corner, and dared not utter another word.