I Am Also An Extraordinary Creature
Chapter 243 - 208: Wanting a Head_1

Chapter 243: Chapter 208: Wanting a Head_1

"Busy? Time to eat."

"Ah... got it, are you my mom?" Hearing the voice outside the car, Chiang Wei responded loudly, "How long has it been, and it’s time to eat again."

She glanced at the time, okay, quite a bit of time had passed, she pouted, tidied up the programs mounted on the desk, left the base vehicle, and looking at those kebabs, Chiang Wei breathed a heavy sigh, "I’ll go wash some veggies."

Eating roasted meat every day was not a long-term solution, and when she returned she saw that Zheng Yichen had taken out a pot, "Hotpot? That’s more like it."

During the meal, Zheng Yichen shook his smartphone, "Ever thought about learning martial arts?"

"Huh? Didn’t you say that it’s hard for martial arts to be effective in this world? Can I learn magic instead?"

"Magic? That’s also an option, though the magic I’ve mastered isn’t much, you want to try them all out?"

"Sure."

"Wait until after the meal."

Originally thinking it was a depressing meal that would just add pounds, Chiang Wei’s appetite surged because of what Zheng Yichen said. After enjoying her meal, she eagerly sat next to Zheng Yichen to delve into the information about magic.

"You know quite a lot, did someone specifically teach you?"

"I know two witches and a fire dragon."

"...That’s quite a fantastical life."

Chiang Wei got to grips with the knowledge of magic, only to find she didn’t seem to have any related talent. Following Zheng Yichen’s instructions, Zheng Yichen could barely use some very low-level magic, but she felt nothing at all.

"Let’s talk about martial arts instead, I feel that’s pretty useful, like, it could be good for fitness?"

In this world, there’s genetic enhancement technology, but people, after having something for a while, start advocating for the alternative. Genetic modification technology developed well, and then some people promoted the Original Human Race, but as much as it’s advocated, not many really take it to heart.

Her previously constant work in front of a computer without suffering from nearsightedness or gaining weight was directly related to this technology.

"I practice the Clothes of Iron Technique."

"?? You’re telling a girl about this kind of martial arts?"

"Hey, are you scoffing at this technique? It belongs to Body Refinement. There are plenty of benefits once you master it!"

"Doesn’t it make your skin rough?"

"That depends on how you train. If you want quick results, it will definitely become rough, but after reaching a high level, it becomes smooth again."

In the world of Qi Xiangyun, many martial arts are like this. Once you reach the pinnacle, the adverse effects from training will vanish. To reach this pinnacle means to ’return to the origins.’ Someone who has mastered the Clothes of Iron Technique won’t be easily recognized for having practiced such martial arts. And if the Eagle Claw Technique is perfected, even peers would find it difficult to associate someone’s hands with the practice of such martial arts.

Leaving aside whether the Clothes of Iron Technique could block sword and blade attacks once mastered, it certainly provides high resistance to punches and similar strikes, and effectively resists the penetration of Inner Strength.

But such martial arts are considered easy to learn but hard to master. Zheng Yichen is practicing it, but the short-term effects are not very noticeable. However, a passive skill like this that doesn’t take up a skill slot is always worth lighting up, whatever it is.

As for the consumption of ’skill points,’ he’s even less worried about that. His way of becoming stronger doesn’t solely rely on martial arts. It’s something that can be trained slowly, even if it takes a lot of time to build.

"Can it block bullets?"

"For small calibers, getting hit might result in a bruise, but large calibers would probably kill you straight away?" Zheng Yichen wasn’t quite sure since he hadn’t mastered it yet; he was just beginning based on his robust constitution, and this stage of initiation is achievable quickly in the martial arts world by anyone with sufficiently good constitution.

The rest is up to the individual.

As for the impact of this initial stage on constitution, it’s minimal; in terms of the skin’s resilience, Zheng Yichen personally felt that the training could perhaps improve it by about one-thousandth? Any improvement is considered a start, and from there it goes up slowly.

Going from one-thousandth to one percent is already impressive, and any further improvement from that basis is formidable.

In a world with a strength grading of two, mastering the Clothes of Iron Technique could probably only withstand small-caliber handguns, anything stronger wouldn’t be stopped.

"Sounds kind of useless."

"Well, generally speaking, relying only on armor is a dead-end road, eh? Wanna learn it or not?"

"Isn’t there something... really powerful, like Lightness Technique?" Chiang Wei agreed with the point about stacking armors being a dead-end; just look at those killed by Zheng Yichen from the Heaven’s Will Organization. Some were inside mechs, and still they ended up dead anyway, right?

"Are you planning to be an athlete? In this high-tech world, lightness technique won’t outpace much, I guess."

"The rules for athletes these days are really strict." Chiang Wei frowned, "Those with genetic modifications or mechanical prostheses are banned from participating in competitions."

"Cough, the topic’s gone off track. In case of an emergency, you might not escape even if you learn the Lightness Technique, but Body Refinement martial arts will definitely make you healthier, as long as you don’t overexert. I mean, hasn’t this world already solved the issue of overtaxing oneself?"

Chiang Wei nodded. "It’s true, the problem with my body’s overexertion has indeed been solved, but that did cost a substantial amount of money."

"So, are you short on money?"

"Not at all!"

Chiang Wei had learned the Clothes of Iron Technique.

Just going by the name, it seemed like a dime-a-dozen technique, with the wealthy lady Ahn able to offer several different versions of it, but the intrinsic quality of this technique varied greatly depending on the environment it was used in.

"And there’s the Chasing Stars and Moon Sword Technique. I was only interested in it and didn’t learn it thoroughly," she admitted.

"...You didn’t remember any of the ’sword technique’ part, did you?"

Zheng Yichen pulled out his fishing rod. "Do I look like the type who would use sword techniques? As long as you master the footwork and are fast enough, that’s all that matters."

Unable to refute, Chiang Wei still perceived Zheng Yichen akin to a mage; now, he was a mage skilled in martial arts and quite strong. She looked at the fishing rod in Zheng Yichen’s hand. "Why did you turn your weapon into this? I remember reading somewhere: ’the stranger the weapon, the quicker one dies,’ wasn’t it?"

Zheng Yichen rolled his eyes and waggled the fishing rod in his hand. "What do you think people’s reactions would be if they saw me carrying this around outdoors?"

"A young angler without complete gear?"

"You... never mind, that’s the idea. What if I switched the fishing rod for a sword?"

Chiang Wei gave Zheng Yichen a once-over. "Then you should wear some fancy clothes and tell anyone who stops you that you’re on your way to a local comic con, see if you can bluster your way through."

"That’s right. Most of the time, no one pays attention to an angler, but if you’re carrying a sword, you’ll draw attention, especially in a modern world like this one."

Chiang Wei then turned to look at Zheng Yichen’s motorcycle. "Alright, even if people don’t suspect a thing when you carry around a fishing rod, what about your bike? Can you ride that in ancient worlds without any trouble?"

"Actually, it’s not a problem," Zheng Yichen said with a smile. "Ancient people don’t have as much knowledge as modern folks. As long as I show enough martial prowess in that world and I’m not an evil person, no one would care if I was riding a horse or a motorcycle."

"At most, they’d be curious and gather around, but there won’t be any traffic police or other law enforcement to stop me. The most I might face are criminals trying to rob me, but they can’t beat me."

Zheng Yichen’s logic was so sound that Chiang Wei couldn’t argue. She watched with intense yearning, enjoying the conveniences brought by the high-tech age. Yet without lacking in material things, she found Zheng Yichen’s descriptions of the ancient world very appealing.

Such a world would not have modern conveniences, but it would surely offer charm and experiences that the modern world lacks.

And for someone like Zheng Yichen, there was no need to worry about being stuck in such a world forever. After experiencing it, he could just leave.

How envious.

"Sigh, I’ve rested enough, I will go and try out these techniques you’ve taught me."

The next day, Chiang Wei put practicing martial arts on the back burner and, as usual, spent her time glued to the computer. It wasn’t that she thought practicing martial arts was futile, but rather because it was too slow to see results. If she were still at home, it would be easy to spend an hour or two a day training. But that wasn’t so easy here.

It’s better to finish the main tasks at hand, she thought. She kept watch over every place the Heaven’s Will Organization could monitor, and with her technical skills—ever since her old team leader had scolded and warned her—she had become very cautious. The team leader knew about her skills only to the extent she had revealed years ago.

Her subsequent growth had remained a secret known only to herself, and the old team leader had never subtly inquired about that information again.

She monitored the Heaven’s Will Organization to gather more information and to better handle some follow-up matters after Zheng Yichen finished his business. She glanced at the working 3D printer next to her and approached Zheng Yichen. "There’s something I need to discuss with you."

"What’s up? You seem serious."

"It’s about my family and me. You said the Eye of Time and Space is harmful, but the government’s top ranks don’t think so. So after you’ve taken care of this, I need you to preserve some solid evidence for me!"

"Of course, I was already planning to help you with the aftermath," Zheng Yichen readily agreed. Chiang Wei had been a great help, so it wouldn’t do just to solve the current issue, then heartlessly hit the road.

The Eye of Time and Space was problematic, but until its flaws were exposed, in the eyes of those who invested in it, it was flawless. The real problem would be Zheng Yichen, the destroyer.

"How do you plan to do it?" Chiang Wei asked with a curious look.

"Perhaps take your family and relocate to a different environment?"

"...Wouldn’t that make us fugitives?" Chiang Wei’s eyes widened. She couldn’t accept that kind of solution.

"What’s your plan, then?"

"I want the heads of our real enemies, preserved intact and still alive, without too much damage."

"That’s a morbid request, but I agree. I’ll do my best to bring you back more trophies," Zheng Yichen agreed on the spot to her request.

After hesitating for a moment, Chiang Wei said, "If it’s too much trouble, even bringing back one head is enough, as long as it contains enough information."