Chapter 00056: A Soft Persimmon
# A Soft Persimmon
Chapter 56
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 56: A Soft Persimmon
By the heavens, he truly hadn’t stirred up any trouble this time.
Instead, he’d spent the entire day being beaten by a health-obsessed old man at the training ground, and now he was nursing a headache from drinking too much at night.
Could it be that during his drunken state, he somehow dragged Wen Wen along to deal with that scoundrel Yu Hang Guang? That would be just too... cough, troublesome!
"It's not you, it's the workshop," Ye Chun sighed, picking up another pair of chopsticks.
"Come on, eat up. Luckily, I ran fast earlier. Otherwise, who knows if we would still be in the mood to eat later... Wait, what are you looking at?!"
Suddenly alert, she glanced at Ji Jue's phone.
On the screen was the library access software for Tianmen University, showing Ji Jue’s access history.
To her surprise, it wasn’t professional papers but rather medical textbooks.
Anatomy, Surgery, and deep inside was even Biomimetics...
In that instant, her anger surged.
"Ah, you're overdoing it again, Ji Jue!!!"
Hadn't they agreed to just take it easy together? She originally thought he would take a break after adding that alchemy course.
But instead, while she was playing games, watching shows, and munching on chips, he was secretly reviewing and putting pressure on her?
Was he even human?!
"Just curious, just curious."
Ji Jue scratched his head, awkwardly explaining, "I had a bit of inspiration, you see, in terms of application... What did you mean by trouble?"
"You’ll find out soon enough."
Ye Chun sighed.
"If everything goes smoothly, we’ll have it resolved once we get to the workshop. If not... well, there’ll be trouble."
Ji Jue didn’t dare delay.
He quickly finished his meal and drove Ye Chun toward the workshop.
On the way, the little horse kept fidgeting, twisting and turning as if constantly tickled.
Even kicking it twice didn’t help.
Since he fed it some ashes yesterday, it had been acting like this.
Surely, it couldn’t be an upset stomach, could it? Its belly seemed so loose.
Should he let the professor take a look later?
He daydreamed as he parked in the workshop area, slightly taken aback.
As soon as he entered, he noticed something different about the workshop—it was open, and apart from Professor Ye's vehicle, another unexpected luxury car was parked there as well.
The Guangyuan A800? Was it a limited edition? Ordinary folks called it the "Top Configuration Throne," as those who could sit in such a car were essentially like nobility, unreachable for most.
One of the well-known brands under Huanyu Heavy Industries, the pure gold emblem on the front alone cost two hundred sixty-nine thousand.
For a scratch on the body, the original factory repaint would cost at least ninety thousand.
Ji Jue had never even touched a car of this caliber at a repair shop back on the mainland.
Just a glance from someone inside such a car would have them feeling inferior.
“Oh! This suspension is impressive!” Ji Jue's professional instincts kicked in, bending down to take a closer look, almost crawling under the car.
“Alright, alright, stop looking.” Ye Chun sighed. “Just follow my lead when we go inside.”
“Huh?” Ji Jue was bewildered and helpless.
Every time he tried to guess her mood, he never quite understood.
What if she suddenly rolled her eyes? Should he play dead or make a run for it?
Unfortunately, there was no time for further discussion.
At the entrance of the workshop, a tall figure walked out, looking toward them and waving slightly.
The handsome young man wore a gentle smile, clearly familiar. “Xiao Chun! Long time no see. Master Ye told me you went out, so I thought I wouldn’t see you this time.”
“Ah, it’s you, Brother Lou! Long time no see.” Ye Chun shook his hand enthusiastically. “Did you come with Master Kong this time? For a vacation?”
“Just helping the teacher out a bit,” the young man said modestly, not revealing much.
His gaze eventually landed on Ji Jue, sweeping over him with curiosity.
He extended his hand warmly, “Hello, I’m Lou Feng from Chao City. So, you’re Master Ye’s student? May I ask your name?”
“Ji Jue, nice to meet you,” Ji Jue smoothly exchanged pleasantries, noticing that Lou Feng’s grip hesitated for a moment.
“Ji Jue? Could it be the Ji family from Liaocheng in the South, or the Ji family of Shanguitang in Zhongcheng?”
“... Sorry, neither,” Ji Jue replied inwardly.
"I'm just a local from the cliff city."
The Lou family from Chao City was a name well-known even in his city.
They were prominent even in the nearby Haizhou, considered one of the powerful clans, the backbone of the community.
Just like the Tong family from Cliff City and the Yu family from Jiang City, calling them wealthy would be an understatement; they could easily pass as a noble family.
As is well known, the federal and imperial systems are remarkably decayed and do not have nobles.
However, everyone knows that nobles simply go by another name.
Even if they did exist, ordinary folks would never see them.
So, this young lord thought of himself as one of the upper class?
How amusing.
To be frank, Ji Jue had never even heard of the Ji family from Liaocheng since it was simply too far away and irrelevant to him.
He had wondered, especially in hard times, if he might be an orphan from some great family, but like every person in the federation, he had long since let that dream pass.
The harsh truth proved that he had no ties to the wealthy families at all.
He was confident in this because, although his father passed early, his family had lived in Shuzhou for generations and had no ties to Liaozhou.
As for his mother, she was a native of Haizhou’s Cliff City.
In the federation, whether someone is upper class can often be seen just from their citizen ID number—if your number doesn’t start with 01, you can forget about it for life.
Ji Jue’s number was already around 90; any connection to a noble family would be merely a figment of imagination!
He smiled, not caring about it at all.
Conversely, Lou Feng maintained his polite demeanor, and even after learning Ji Jue was just an ordinary person, he didn’t show any signs of contempt.
He remained courteous, though perhaps a bit more condescending.
They shared a few light conversations, appearing to enjoy their discussion.
Standing at the door, they chatted away, completely unconcerned about the sun beating down on them.
In the midst of their conversation, Ji Jue yawned and glanced at Ye Chun, who seemed to be having a delightful time.
What about your mood?
Ye Chun glanced back at him, with a mix of helplessness, irritation, sympathy, and something unnameable.
Ji Jue couldn’t decipher it, only feeling a sense of isolation.
Was chatting with upper-class people always this tedious?
Ordinary folks just asked, “Have you eaten? Where are you going?” and that was enough.
Why was their process so complicated?
Just then, the voice of Professor Ye echoed from inside the hall, signaling the end of the conversation, “Since you’re here, why are you standing at the door? Are you hoping to sunbathe?”
“Ah, my fault.”
Lou Feng seemed to come to a realization. “It’s been so long since I saw Xiao Chun that I unconsciously spoke too much.”
“Right, right, right.”
Ji Jue nodded, feeling like an outsider in their theatrical exchange.
No need for such performances next time.
Once they entered the hall, he finally spotted the guests seated on the sofa.
A slight feeling of tension welled up inside him.
It was a woman who looked somewhat frail and aged but had clearly aged well.
However, her narrow eyes turned to him made him feel uneasy.
Although it's inappropriate to judge by appearance, whenever he met a car owner at a repair shop who looked like her, he often remained cautious.
Otherwise, after working hard, they’d say he hadn’t done a good job or that he hadn’t cleaned some spot well enough, and in the end, would claim he had a poor attitude or that he switched out their parts.
People were quick to throw around accusations of dishonesty...
Seeing Professor Ye’s neutral expression, he vaguely understood that this visitor likely wasn’t here with good intentions.
“Is this Master Ye’s student?”
The woman on the sofa, Kong Qingyan, smiled amiably, her gentle smile not quite reaching her eyes. “He truly seems exceptional.”
“Well, he’s passable. His talent is just ordinary, but he’s hardworking. After only half a year, he managed to get by as an apprentice.” Professor Ye sipped from his teacup and continued slowly, “At least he’s better than your student; at least he doesn’t try to put on airs.”
“…”
For a brief moment, Ji Jue and Master Kong’s expressions synchronized in a twitched response.
He could imagine Lou Feng’s reaction behind him, which was undoubtedly quite entertaining.
Professor Ye, if you’re not good at chatting, just say it directly.
No need to freeze the air and drag me down with you.
Sheesh, she was a master, after all!
A master! One could squash him with just a gesture!
But still, being a master, even while receiving such unkind remarks, she remained graceful.
She only smiled faintly and said casually, “Since you put it this way, why don’t these two kids have a spar? It could be a good way to get to know each other.”
Ji Jue just wanted to say, “We already know each other well enough! No need for that!”
What was going on? Why was she so eager for the kids to fight? Why not let him perform a show? Give some pocket money and send him on his way instead!
“It’s really unnecessary to complicate matters.”
Professor Ye's words were a relief for Ji Jue, but immediately he heard her unyielding voice: “If Master Kong feels regret over losing to me in the Tian Tai competition years ago, you can directly challenge me. For all these years, you muddled through this and that, and now you want to send your student out to embarrass himself?”
As she spoke, she slowly placed her teacup down and added calmly, “Since the workshop is right here, it’s spacious outside. You can tell me any terms for the match.”
Ji Jue felt darkness creep over his vision.
What the heck? Wouldn't letting the students settle it themselves be better? Why was she fired up herself? Just because their conversation didn't match didn’t mean they had to scrap it out! Fine, fine, you’ve already proven you can chat; many big shots can't even compete!
“... Ye Xian!”
Kong Qingyan’s smile finally froze on her face, her effort to suppress her anger evident. “Setting aside past grievances, I would say that this visit was done out of courtesy, so I haven’t offended Master Ye. Is this how your Ye family treats their guests?”
“That’s why I hate formalities,” Ye Xian shook his head, unconcerned. “Everyone knows what’s in their hearts, yet they still follow through with formalities, like clowns. It’s just meaningless.”
Kong Qingyan’s anger peaked as she stood up, preparing to reprimand.
But at that moment, the previously silent Lou Feng took a step forward, his expression unreadable as always, still serene.
“Teacher, Master Ye has a discerning eye. If she says I’m not her match, I trust she wouldn’t make such an error.”
He paused a moment, then looked at Ji Jue, his smile warm. “I’m just curious; what kind of vast difference is there between me and this Brother Ji? Please, Master Ye do let me learn!”
Ji Jue, taken aback, felt his own anger flare.
So they only picked on the soft persimmons, huh?!
At this point, Ji Jue’s abilities still hadn’t been formally revealed.
Why not hold an event? Those interested could guess the name of his powers and reply to the special thread in the comments.
Those who guess correctly would receive rewards in order of their answers, until they ran out.
If not many guess right, the leftover rewards would randomly go to other participants.
If anyone had particularly creative suggestions, he might even consider adopting them as special titles in the future.
P.
S.: To avoid any suspicious activity, a password-protected compressed file containing the ability’s name has been uploaded beforehand.
(End of Chapter)