Chapter 29: Why'd You Stop Praising Me?

Zhou Wen didn’t try to persuade him further. Jiang Changkong was right—they really should be killed.

When it came to people who wanted to harm her, Zhou Wen would never be soft-hearted.

But Jiang Changkong let go. “Brother Wen is right. We can’t kill anyone.”

Zhou Wen was stunned again. Didn’t you just say that if we don’t kill them, they’ll remain a threat?

Jiang Changkong walked over to the weeds, picked up the phone, stopped the recording, and saved the earlier footage.

Only then did he approach Wu Jun, who was now a puddle of mud. Without waiting for him to speak, Jiang Changkong stomped him to death.

Zhou Wen suddenly understood—this guy had recorded everything.

Once they returned to the city, with this recording, everyone would know they had killed someone.

But there would be no evidence—only proof that Wu Jun and the others had tried to kill Zhou Wen and Jiang Changkong.

And they could pin everything on the Star Demons.

They could say they had crippled the two and left them there. What did it matter to them whether their enemies lived or died?

If they were eaten by Star Demons, that was just their bad luck!

“Please don’t kill me, spare me! I’ll never…”

Li Yuantong was so terrified he wet himself, begging for mercy.

But Jiang Changkong refused his pleas. With one punch, he shattered his heart meridian.

“Changkong, your improvement speed is really fast. Mid-stage Star Cloud?”

Zhou Wen looked at him with a complicated expression.

She never expected that an ordinary person she knew would catch up to her—no, surpass her—in such a short time.

“Let’s leave this place first.”

Jiang Changkong led her away.

Once they were far from the battle site, Jiang Changkong extracted the Essence, Qi, and Spirit from the two men.

It was slightly worse than that of Star Demons—only 200 points, equivalent to a mid-grade Second Tier Star Stone.

Essence, Qi, and Spirit: 950

Soon, he could improve another martial art.

And he had avenged part of his grudge. Perfect.

Jiang Changkong took Zhou Wen far from the battle site, avoiding any Star Demons they encountered along the way.

“Changkong, I owe you one.”

Zhou Wen expressed her gratitude. “You have strength, talent, and loyalty. I wasn’t wrong about you.”

Earlier, when she was surrounded by Star Demons, Jiang Changkong had risked his life to come to her aid.

And just now, when she was nearly killed, he had stepped in to save her.

This friendship was worth it!

Her emotions still surging, Zhou Wen felt a rush of blood to her head. “Senior Sister was right—true friends are the most loyal.”

Jiang Changkong felt a little happy inside and wanted to hear more praise. He remained silent, wearing a faint smile.

Zhou Wen continued, “Brother, didn’t you leave earlier?”

Jiang Changkong: “Why did you stop praising me?”

Zhou Wen: “…”

You really have no shame.

She pursed her lips. “I’ve run out of words. Now, tell me, what happened?”

“What else could it be? Didn’t I mention earlier that I brought three soldiers with me…”

Jiang Changkong explained everything and said, “Wu Jun nearly got me killed. How could I let that go?

I never found the right opportunity, so I kept following them. This time, I happened to overhear them plotting against Brother Wen.”

Zhou Wen’s face flushed with anger. “Zhang Hua is such a scoundrel. To pursue Senior Sister Yanxue, he’d resort to such despicable methods.”

“Brother Wen, what do you plan to do next? Should we return to the city?”

Jiang Changkong asked.

“No, what’s the point of going back now?”

Zhou Wen’s expression turned cold. “Senior Sister Yanxue and Senior Sister Ziling are also furious. We’ll keep following them.”

“Once Ying Yanxue recovers from her injuries, we’ll beat Zhang Hua up and leave?”

Jiang Changkong narrowed his eyes. “Or even… kill him?”

“We can’t kill him.”

Zhou Wen shook her head. “They’re all top students at the academy, highly valued. Besides, Zhang Hua has two other top students with him.”

Jiang Changkong was slightly surprised. “Three Star Cloud Peaks?”

Zhou Wen nodded helplessly. If not for the two Star Cloud Peak experts accompanying him, Zhang Hua wouldn’t have had the courage.

With Ji Ziling and Ying Yanxue combined—two Star Cloud Peak experts—dealing with a single Zhang Hua would be effortless.

But the problem was, he had three!

“Then there’s no point in us following. Even if something happens, we won’t be able to intervene.”

Jiang Changkong thought for a moment and sighed.

Although he had reached the mid-stage of Star Cloud, there was still a gap between him and Star Cloud Peak.

“We’re just going to observe, and hopefully gather evidence against Zhang Hua.”

Zhou Wen’s expression turned cold. “Once we have the evidence, Zhang Hua will be furious.”

“Even with evidence, won’t the school protect its treasure? Even if the Federation intervenes, the school has the influence to shield him.”

Jiang Changkong muttered, “Did Senior Sister mention the Professional Martial Artist Certificate to you?”

Zhou Wen whispered, “As long as there’s a stain on his record, Zhang Hua can forget about becoming a Professional Martial Artist. That would be a huge loss for him in this lifetime.”

“Oh? Are there benefits to being a Professional Martial Artist?” Jiang Changkong’s eyebrows twitched.

Ji Ziling had mentioned the Professional Martial Artist Certificate to him but hadn’t explained the benefits, aside from being allowed to carry weapons openly.

“Of course. Who would do something without benefits?”

Zhou Wen smiled and explained.

Being a Professional Martial Artist not only allows you to carry weapons openly but also proves one thing—you have a clean record!

There are many geniuses and top students in this world. Given the same circumstances, those with clean records are prioritized.

Moreover, Professional Martial Artists can participate in martial arts competitions organized by the Federation and earn generous rewards.

In addition, various high-quality jobs and assignments are reserved for Professional Martial Artists.

“So, does that mean if you’re not a Professional Martial Artist, you miss out on many benefits in life?”

Jiang Changkong pondered deeply, feeling a bit uneasy.

Who hasn’t made mistakes? He didn’t believe he was immune to them.

“Not entirely. Everything boils down to two words: strength.”

Zhou Wen chuckled softly. “If you have enough strength or a powerful figure vouching for you, you can erase some stains. But among us students, who has that kind of strength? Who knows such influential people?”

Jiang Changkong understood now, and he was no longer worried.

It all came down to one thing: those with ability can do as they please, while those without should keep a low profile.

If they could obtain evidence of Zhang Hua’s misconduct, it would surely infuriate him, and his privileges as a top student would be significantly reduced.

“I’ll leave my phone with you. I’m going to hunt Star Demons nearby.”

Jiang Changkong didn’t want to stay idle. With Zhou Wen keeping watch, he could focus on hunting Star Demons without worry.

“Your strength has already surpassed mine, so I’m not worried about your safety. Leave two bottles of water for me and set a marker.”

Zhou Wen said.

If they separated and Zhang Hua’s group left, Zhou Wen would need to follow. If Jiang Changkong didn’t return immediately, he could catch up using the marker.

After agreeing on the marker and planning to meet back in the evening, Jiang Changkong handed over his backpack and turned to leave.

He was eager to upgrade another martial art technique. Having experienced the significant boost from hunting Star Demons, he was determined to make the most of it this time.

Reaching Star Cloud Peak might be challenging, but advancing to the late stage of Star Cloud would be effortless.

He vanished into the tall grass like a tiger returning to the mountains.

With no more constraints, Jiang Changkong encountered Star Demons and unleashed his full power, slaughtering them relentlessly.

Before long, he accumulated a thousand points and upgraded the Tai Chi Fist Scripture.

He continued hunting until nightfall before returning to Zhou Wen’s side.

Zhou Wen’s expression was a bit strange, and Jiang Changkong asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

“Zhang Hua found the bodies of two people and sent people to search, but found nothing.”

“Isn’t that good?” Jiang Changkong said.

“The bodies of the two were rotting, as if they had been dead for a long time.”

Jiang Changkong’s expression remained unchanged as he said, “It might be due to special reasons. Are there any Star Demons that cause corpses to rot?”

With all their Essence extracted, it would be strange if they didn’t rot.

“Haven’t encountered any, but that possibility can’t be ruled out,” Zhou Wen said.