Volume One: First Signs of Brilliance Chapter Twenty-Nine: Blocked at the Door

Hearing that voice, Wang Jue knew in his heart that the duel was already over before it began.

This scene reminded him of those movies from his previous life—whenever things reached a critical moment, someone would always appear to spoil the event.

Sure enough.

The arena battle at Qingfeng Martial Hall never took place. This was entirely within Wang Jue’s expectations.

Whether it was coincidence or someone’s deliberate interference, it didn’t matter. At least, on the surface, this match was not compliant with the rules, and it was perfectly normal for someone to step in and stop it.

After all, there were several schools’ worth of students present—hundreds in total. Most of them were martial artists. With so many gathering so casually, it was already fortunate the Enforcement Team didn’t charge them with inciting trouble.

Thunderous commotion, but little substance.

This was the classic case of "much ado about nothing."

Of course, everyone from Qingfeng Martial Hall was taken back by the Enforcement Team for a warning; not a single person escaped, including Wang Jue and his friends.

It was nothing more than a reminder not to gather like this in the future. If it happened again, they would have to bear the consequences.

Fortunately, Wang Jue and his friends had merely been bystanders. The Enforcement Team only scolded them briefly, not even issuing a formal warning, and then their teachers arrived to take them away.

As for the students of the other schools, Wang Jue had no idea. Most likely, they wouldn’t be allowed to leave until their teachers or parents arrived. Still, nothing serious would happen to them—after all, they were just students.

“I told you not to get involved, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look what happened,” Wang Jue said, walking home alongside Luo Shui, his face helpless.

First the Enforcement Team, then the school leaders—they’d both given him an earful.

He could already imagine the lecture he’d receive from his mother upon arriving home, and the funny thing was, he hadn’t actually done anything. Three times in one day—what a farce.

Wang Jue realized he was enduring pressures he shouldn’t have to face at his age.

“I…I didn’t expect things to turn out like this,” Luo Shui admitted, unable to argue, tugging at Wang Jue’s sleeve with a cute pout. “So, are you heading home now? Or do you want to come with me to the martial hall?”

“I’d better go home. I’m sure my family already knows about this,” Wang Jue sighed, forcing a smile. “You know how my mom is. If I don’t go home and get scolded now, there’ll be hell to pay later.”

Usually, Wang Jue returning home early wasn’t a problem. At this time, both his parents were at their noodle shop, so even if they wanted to scold him, it would have to wait until evening.

But today the shop was closed, and his parents had gone to his aunt’s restaurant. Unless something unexpected happened, they were either at home now or on their way back, having heard the news.

Originally, Wang Jue didn’t plan to return so early, but under the circumstances, he had no choice.

He figured the Enforcement Team wouldn’t notify his family about such a minor matter.

But the school...

He didn’t even need to guess; odds were, the school had already informed them.

What made Wang Jue despair was realizing this probability was almost one hundred percent.

“Ah, you’re really going home this early?” Luo Shui, always restless, tried to tempt Wang Jue. “Aren’t you curious what the martial hall is like? Don’t you want to see it, maybe play around a bit?”

“Forget it. There’ll be plenty of chances to visit the martial hall in the future. Right now, I need to figure out how to survive the storm at home,” Wang Jue rejected her offer without hesitation, then said grumpily, “You shouldn’t just think about having fun, either. After what happened today, you’d better go home as well—save yourself some trouble.”

No joke, if it were any other day, coming home late would be fine. But today…

Better not risk it.

“Alright,” Luo Shui understood Wang Jue’s situation and didn’t insist. “Bye, then.”

“Yeah, bye.” Wang Jue nodded.

They walked together for a while, but inevitably parted ways at the intersection.

Luo Shui had no intention of going home; she was heading to the martial hall.

Though their families lived in different neighborhoods, the routes were similar, but the martial hall was in the opposite direction.

If the intersection was the center, the right led home, while the left led to the martial hall.

...

Soon enough.

With a heart full of unease, Wang Jue arrived near his community and immediately sensed something was off.

Although their neighborhood wasn’t some fancy enclave for the rich, it wasn’t a neglected, guardless slum either. It was a typical, well-managed residential area.

He noticed a crowd gathered at the entrance, and judging by their attire, they clearly weren’t decent folk.

Barely able to protect himself, Wang Jue was already thinking about how to explain things to his mother. He had no mind to concern himself with whatever these people were up to.

But when he reached the stairs to his home, he found another group clustered there, furtively watching a particular floor of the building.

As Wang Jue drew closer, observing their strange behavior, he instantly realized these people were watching his own home.

His building had more than one stairway—front, back, left, and right—so residents could easily come and go.

He didn’t know if the other stairways were being watched, but at his own, eight or nine people stood scattered about, two of them nearly blocking his family’s door.

“Who are you looking for at my door?” Wang Jue asked as he climbed the stairs, outwardly playing the role of a clueless youth, though inwardly he was already on guard.

People blocking the entrance to his home?

He didn’t bother questioning anyone elsewhere, but with these two almost at his doorstep, he wouldn’t be polite.

The pair, one fat and one thin, were originally lounging in the corridor by his door, smoking, their eyes frequently darting toward the entrance.

Upon seeing them, Wang Jue immediately thought, “Fat and Thin Monk.”

The thin man glanced over, catching sight of Wang Jue, his face lighting up with excitement. “Brother Jun, Brother Jun, someone’s here! Someone’s here!”

“Heh, little friend, just to avoid any mistake, let me ask: are you a member of this family?” the fat man, called Brother Jun, was momentarily surprised, then smiled, appearing quite amiable.

If Wang Jue hadn’t noticed the occasional flash of malice in his half-closed eyes, he might have been fooled by the man’s facade, thinking him nothing more than a chubby uncle.

In fact, as Wang Jue approached, he could tell these two were just ordinary people. If it came to a fight, they wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

Pointing at his own door, Wang Jue purposely hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. Is there something you need?”

At that moment, Wang Jue acted exactly like a typical junior high student—which, truthfully, he was.

He wanted to figure out what was happening.

Until he understood their intentions, he decided to play along—after all, dealing with these two would be a breeze.

“That’s all we needed to know. There’s no point telling you too much—you’re just a kid,” the fat man straightened his bulk and stepped forward, appearing right in front of Wang Jue. “We won’t hide it from you. Simply put, your family owes us money, and we’re here today to ask your parents to pay up.”

His tone was unchanged, but the aura he suddenly emitted gave a sense of pressure.

Of course, ordinary people might feel intimidated, but Wang Jue sensed no danger at all.

“You’re saying my parents owe you money?” Wang Jue raised an eyebrow.

He already had an inkling of what this was about—he knew his family well. His parents didn’t have the habit of borrowing money, and even if they did, they wouldn’t borrow from these sorts.

“Yes, yes. If they didn’t owe us, why would we come here? As they say, debts must be repaid—it’s only right,” the fat man played his routine, obviously taking Wang Jue for a student.

He was clever, too. Unlike the usual debt collectors who resorted to insults, threats, or violence, he acted like a legitimate person. “Don’t worry, we’re not bad people. We just want to settle things peacefully, avoid any misunderstandings. That would be unfortunate.”

The fat man’s real name was Qian Jun. He was experienced in this sort of doorstep debt collecting.

Still, he hadn’t expected to find the family’s child right away—this made Qian Jun rather pleased.

They had their own strategies for collecting debts.

Generally, families were easy targets—no need for threats. Just block the door, let neighbors or relatives see, chat with the child, and soon enough, without any intimidation, the money would come.

This time, Qian Jun could already see himself collecting at least part of the money by tomorrow, even if not all at once.

“How much do my parents owe you? Is there a written note?” Wang Jue’s lips curved with a faint smile as he asked calmly.

Qian Jun had thought this handsome, not-so-tall youth would be intimidated by now, but to his surprise, the boy remained calm, even serene.

Whether Wang Jue was truly calm or just pretending, Qian Jun didn’t care. The boy looked like an ordinary junior high student—what trouble could he cause?

“Not much, less than two hundred thousand. But we’re in a hurry. Why don’t you call your parents and ask them to pay us?”