Chapter 6

Su Chen felt his body tremble uncontrollably, his pores opening up in comfort, as if he had just taken a sauna. A cool breath rushed to his brow, and the feeling from the boxing ring earlier returned.

“Beep... beep beep, Red Flame Fruit detected, energy activated, host bound, Yanhuang No.1 learning chip fully activated.”

“Temperature 29, humidity 60, essence energy concentration 0.3... environment harsh, unfavorable for human survival and evolution.”

As various data and formulas cascaded before his eyes like a waterfall, Su Chen quickly understood what this chip, which had appeared in his mind, was all about. Its main functions were recording, analyzing, calculating, and scanning.

After experimenting with the operations for a while, he finally figured out how to use it. Indeed, it was a learning aid chip, capable of monitoring physical data, though he wasn't sure whose standards it used.

“Spirit: 1.2, Constitution: 0.4, Strength: 0.5; Agility: 0.5”

“Good heavens, except for my spirit power which exceeds the normal standard, the rest—constitution, strength, and agility—are all ‘third-class cripples.’ What standards are these? Are normal humans really that strong? Or is this ‘gold medal sparring partner’ just a fraud?”

Although somewhat resentful, Su Chen wasn't the type to get angry at a chip. He vaguely understood that without the fruit, his spirit might not have even met the standard. Since eating the red fruit, his mind felt exceptionally clear, and things he couldn't understand before became clear instantly.

Those long-forgotten math formulas and English words, when recalled, appeared vividly before his eyes. Even the disdain in the eyes of the girl he had confessed to for the first time surfaced in his mind, and he fully understood its meaning, something he had never noticed before.

“We are still young, we should focus on our studies.”

The girl had said it with apparent sincerity.

At the time, Su Chen felt ashamed and thought that early romance was indeed wrong, so he didn't bother her again.

Now, thinking back, he realized that the girl had looked down on him. It was just an excuse. No wonder, his family was indeed poor.

Happy and sad memories flooded his mind, and Su Chen found himself in tears. This must be the effect of a broadened mind, the improvement in his spirit power was quite noticeable.

Looking down, he saw the kitten staring at him with its bright eyes. Su Chen picked it up, ignoring its disdainful and evasive gaze, and kissed it hard.

“Xiaohong, thank you. This fruit is really a good thing.”

The kitten chirped twice and ran back to the three-leafed grass, squatting there with its eyes half-closed, seemingly unwilling to move.

Su Chen quickly understood what the kitten was doing. It was waiting for the fruit to ripen, probably wanting to eat it too. There were two fruits in total, and it had given up the first one that ripened.

“No wonder it didn't want to go home with me. With such a precious fruit, I wouldn't want to leave either.”

Recalling the black-and-white footage of the sparring partner going all out, Su Chen subconsciously noticed that the scenery within three meters around him had changed. The surroundings were filled with the sounds of insects and the fluttering of butterflies, the grass swaying, and the leaves gently rustling, all reflected in his mind. The world seemed different.

A small green snake was in the grass not far behind him, and a worm was poking out of the soil under his feet.

Unfortunately, the chip could only scan things within three meters, and it didn't show the red dots on the sparring partner's body during the attack. He didn't know the principle behind it and would have to test it at the boxing gym or during a fight.

After experimenting with various functions, Su Chen forcibly suppressed his excitement. He couldn't figure out where the chip came from, so he stopped thinking about it.

He remembered what Shen Yue had said about the five dangerous boxing matches. Now that the chip was activated, he vaguely understood how to use it to break the deadlock.

“Since it's a learning aid chip, the focus should be on learning. Absorbing the strengths of other boxers, with enough time, any danger can be overcome.”

With this realization, the heavy burden on his mind lifted. He said goodbye to the kitten, noticing it was getting dark, and left the park to go home.

...

At the street corner, a girl of about fourteen or fifteen stood there, occasionally tiptoeing to look into the distance. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, her big, black eyes blinking, and her face, illuminated by the streetlight, was as pale as white porcelain. Her body was very thin, giving the impression that even a slight breeze could blow her away.

Suddenly, the girl jumped up and ran a few steps forward, waving her hand and calling out in a sweet voice, “Brother is back.”

She ran over and hugged Su Chen's arm, pouting her cute little mouth, “Brother, you're so late. Ling'er is starving.”

While saying she was hungry, her eyes were scanning Su Chen's body.

Su Chen winced as she hugged him, the wound hurting. Fortunately, it was covered with medicine, and no blood seeped through his sleeve.

He pulled his arm away without showing any discomfort and patted the little girl's head, “Brother worked overtime today, nothing to worry about. Look, I'm fine.”

Su Chen, of course, wouldn't tell his little sister about his job as a sparring partner at the boxing gym, but some signs were inevitable, like bruises and a swollen face.

So he had to find an excuse. Sometimes he said he had fallen, other times he said he had encountered a thief.

He had a reason, but it also had side effects...

His little sister would wait for him at the street corner every day, worried about whether he was injured.

Seeing his sister Su Ling's pale face, Su Chen felt a pang of pain.

Her illness was unknown, and the hospital couldn't diagnose it, only saying it was malnutrition, not a disease.

Only Gu Mama and Su Chen knew that Su Ling's constitution was getting worse.

After Gu Mama's death, Su Chen took care of his little sister, dropping out of high school to work and earn money.

Unfortunately, he couldn't afford any supplements, and Su Ling's health didn't improve at all.

“Ling'er, look what brother brought back.”

Su Chen proudly took out the old ginseng root from the bag. It looked unremarkable, but it would greatly benefit Su Ling's condition.

He was also proud, at least signing the boxer's contract meant more money, which was a good thing.

“This is... ginseng! It doesn't look much like a doll.” Su Ling guessed it was ginseng at a glance, flipping it over and saying doubtfully.

“That's what they show on TV. Ginseng comes in all shapes and sizes. Besides, this is only 20 years old. As long as it works, that's fine.” Su Chen laughed.

“20 years, that must cost a lot of money. It's all because of my illness, brother...”

Su Ling, a top student at school, was very smart and loved reading. She thought of something and her eyes welled up.

“It's not expensive. It's not fully mature, so it doesn't cost much. Don't worry about it. Let's go home and cook dinner. I'm hungry too.” Su Chen quickly changed the subject and led his sister home.

Their home was a small house next to a three-story luxury villa, which belonged to the Gu family.

In front of the first floor was a pharmacy called ‘Deren Hall,’ also owned by the Gu family.

The small house next to the pharmacy looked very out of place.

As the two siblings were about to walk past the pharmacy, they saw a few people coming out of the villa, heading towards a BMW parked at the entrance.

Su Chen looked up and saw a young man walking in front, his cousin Gu Ming, whom Su Ling called her cousin. He was talking and laughing with a young man.

“Mr. Wu, thank you so much for your help. I'll come to thank you again soon.”

“It's no big deal. Just remember to prepare the medicine soon. I'm waiting for it.”

Mr. Wu, with a pale face, looked like he had overindulged in alcohol and women. He smiled, “I didn't expect your grandfather to be so skilled in medicine. It's a pleasant surprise.”

“Yes, my grandfather...” Gu Ming said, then turned and saw the ginseng in Su Ling's hand, “Hey, this ginseng...”

He walked over and, seeing it, became furious, “Su Ling, you actually stole medicine from my house. This 20-year-old ginseng is worth tens of thousands. How dare you take it?”

“Cousin, I didn't. My brother bought it.”

Su Ling was taken aback by his outburst and quickly defended herself.

“What do you mean your brother? That bastard? He's just a stray you picked up. How sweet you call him brother.”

Gu Ming glanced at Su Chen, looking at him like trash, “He can afford ginseng? He's just a worker, barely able to afford food. Su Ling, you stole it and are lying? Just like your mother, you're no good.”

“You're the one who's no good, you're lying!”

Su Ling's tears fell, but she had never cursed anyone and didn't know how to retaliate.

Her mother, Teacher Gu, had an illegitimate daughter, and the man was nowhere to be found. She lived near her family, but was looked down upon.

This was evident from the small house they lived in.

Teacher Gu was always depressed and died of illness a few years ago, leaving Su Ling alone.

Of course, there was also Su Chen.

Su Chen was picked up by Teacher Gu at the school gate and adopted, treated as her own child.

Gu Ming's comment about Su Ling's mother being no good was a cruel insult, implying she had no father.

Teacher Gu was his aunt, but he had no respect for her, insulting her casually.

“Gu Ming, look, the little girl is crying. How pitiful. Little sister, why don't I pay for the ginseng for you, and you come out and play with me for a night?” Mr. Wu stared at Su Ling, his eyes wide with desire.

“Play your mother!”

Su Chen rushed forward and kicked Mr. Wu away, who flew out a few meters with a thud.

“You dare to hit him? Are you crazy? Su Chen, do you know who he is? He's Wu Shaohua, the owner of Zhonghai Hospital. You're dead.”

Gu Ming, seeing Mr. Wu kicked away, screamed and pointed at Su Chen, cursing.

Su Chen didn't bother to respond. No one could bully his sister, not even the emperor.

His eyes turned cold, and he rushed forward, grabbing Gu Ming by the collar and slapping him, knocking out his teeth.

“I'll teach you to be no good, no good.”

He slapped Gu Ming with each word, making him cry and his face swell like a pig's head.

“Stop!”

A middle-aged man rushed out, shouting.

“Su Chen, let go. He's your cousin, and you're hitting him? Someone, someone.”

Two security guards from the pharmacy rushed out.

Su Chen saw his nominal uncle, Gu Changchun, running over, coldly snorted, and pushed Gu Ming to the ground in front of him, “Cousin? I can't afford to lose face. He calls me a bastard and says my aunt is no good. I can't associate with such a person.”

“Quick, beat this bastard to death!” Gu Ming, seeing the security guards, cried out. He had never been beaten like this before and was dazed by Su Chen's slaps.