Forbidden Zone of the Human Race

After a while, Xiang Ning, Fang Rou and Fang Hao sat in the resting area. Fang Rou’s cheeks were still very red, but not as gentle as before. She looked sour, instead, as if someone owed her a million dollars. Her eyes occasionally darted at Xiang Ning, filled with intense bitterness while he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“This is ridiculous, it’s late out, why aren’t they done yet?” After having a chance to vent, Fang Hao was feeling particularly energetic. This was revenge for the bastard spending three and a half million dollars of his savings.

“What time is it?” Xiang Ning froze and then turned to look at the clock. It was nearly twelve!

“It’s late!” Fang Rou was obviously surprised, too. To be honest, Fang Rou felt that practicing with Xiang Ning today had been the right thing to do. Although he didn’t have professional knowledge, he still could pinpoint her weaknesses and launch counterattacks.

She had even broken through to tier one, four-star thanks to him. Of course, she would have preferred it if that incident hadn’t happened.

“Uh… well… it’s late out. I’d better go home.” Xiang Ning clambered up and hurriedly left.

Fang Hao finally turned to look at his sister. “Hey, you aren’t into him, are you?”

“No way! What’re you talking about? I just needed a sparring partner.”

“Tsk, the Thunder Dojo has many coaches and sparring partners available, why’d you pick him?” Fang Hao did not believe her.

“Sigh, I’m not in the mood today. I forgot to pay his wages.” As she spoke, she got up and rushed out, too lazy to even change out of her combat outfit.

Fang Hao silently watched her, mulling over his thoughts when he suddenly remarked, “You aren’t that bad. But if you want my sister, you’ve got to show me you can do better.” He greatly admired Xiang Ning—in fact, if Xiang Ning intended to pursue Fang Rou, he wouldn’t object to it at all, and would even privately help out. His little sister was a famous martial artist in Marsh City with a tier seven martial master as her father; they were familiar with brown-nosing.

Compared to the rest of the scheming bastards, Fang Hao preferred Xiang Ning, who took his time to slowly gain their favor. The man held unlimited potential.

He still remembered the time his body had instinctively reacted when cornered during the fight with Xiang Ning. If they had been of the same level, Fang Hao knew he would have lost.

“Young Master, Master Fang requests your presence,” said a guard at the entrance.

Fang Hao nodded.

……

Five minutes later, the top floor of Thunder Dojo.

A muscular, middle-aged man stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, admiring the view. He exuded a faint, intimidating aura. On the desk behind him was a plaque that read Fang Zhenyuan, Owner of Thunder Dojo

“Father,” Fang Hao softly greeted. When he saw his father’s solemn figure silently radiating a killer aura, he knew something had happened.

“Hao, the borders are slowly destabilizing once more, and the fearsome beasts are growing restless. I don’t know why, but something seems to have happened within the Great Blue River in the south. It could be related to the recent beast hordes. The areas around Tranquil City aren’t safe and I can’t leave Marsh City. Bring a group there to investigate,” said Fang Zhenyuan.

The Great Blue River originated in China and flowed through Y Nation. After the Great Disaster, it had become a playground for various fearsome beasts, including powerful Beast Kings.

“Yes, Father, I understand. I’ll immediately make preparations,” replied Fang Hao.

“Wait.” Fang Zhenyuan turned and looked at Fang Hao with a smile.

“I know what’s going on with Rou. I won’t intervene too much in you and your sister’s relationships, but if you can… I like that kid.”

“What?!” Fang Hao was puzzled. Why did his father bring this up? His father usually left them alone. Now that he had mentioned Xiang Ning… was the kid really that good? He didn’t want to admit it, but the kid was indeed good. But not good enough to catch his father’s attention, surely?!

“Uh, I shouldn’t be discussing these matters with you but all I can say is that if this kid caught Rou’s eye, I’m sure he isn’t too bad. Plus, he’s a kid from the lowest caste of society, that’s much better than those rich brats,” Fang Zhenyuan said with a smile.

There were tier eight and nine masters beyond tier seven, but masters like them would never appear in an obscure region like this city. Tier seven masters alone were already hard enough to come by. That was why many aristocratic families wanted to get closer to Fang Zhenyuan, one of the most well-known masters of the area. Since he was quite old and difficult to reach, the next best way to reach him was naturally his daughter.

Fang Hao nodded. The reason the siblings didn’t make connections with other rich kids was mostly due to their father.

“Father, don’t you have a friend who’s tier seven?” Fang Hao asked in a small voice. He greatly admired tier seven masters. In the few rare times he had seen his father in action, he was astonished by the great power he could unleash.

“Him?” Fang Zhenyuan asked, reminiscing. That was the man he was currently searching for. If he hadn’t appeared before his dojo, he never would have discovered that Xiang Ning was related to that man.

Masters in tier seven and beyond were sensitive to auras. On that day, Fang Zhenyuan had sensed a familiar presence. The man hadn’t shown himself; all he did was quietly wait until the person he brought had recovered, then left. He hadn’t even come to greet his friend.

“All I can say is, don’t interfere with the kid and Rou. Just nudge them if it’s necessary,” he said.

On the other side, Fang Rou had sprinted out while shouting, “Xiang Ning, I haven’t paid you yet!”

Xiang Ning wanted to speed up when he heard Fang Rou’s voice, but when he heard about the payment, he turned around and ran up to her. And because Fang Rou was also in a hurry, her momentum caused her to crash into his chest. She felt like crying as she adorably looked up at him. At that moment, their eyes locked. She felt a strange emotion welling up in her heart and realized that Xiang Ning’s eyes were incredibly clear. She was mesmerized.

“My payment.” Xiang Ning’s words ripped her feelings to shreds. She took a step back, then stuffed three thousand dollars into his hand with an exasperated grunt.

“Your rate is a thousand dollars per hour,” she said, then turned around to leave.

When she turned, Xiang Ning grabbed her hand and she unwillingly turned around to look at him. To her surprise, he suddenly reached out but she was frozen on the spot, watching in dismay as Xiang Ning touched her forehead.

“Your hair’s a little messy, let me fix it.” Xiang Ning smoothed her hair with a grin, then turned to leave, leaving her standing alone at the entrance of the dojo, staring off into the distance. What… what did he mean by that?