After a night of gentleness, Xiang Ning woke early. He looked at the girl before him, feeling like he owed her once more. He reached out and caressed her cheek. When he touched her, Xiang Ning smiled. She… was awake. 

She was up earlier than him. 

“Why’re you up so early?” 

“Mmmh!” Fang Rou stretched in response.

When the girl stretched without any reservation before him, he shyly rubbed his nose. 

Fang Rou smiled. “Because I only met you because I was lucky. And I’m afraid that luck will run out and you’ll run away.” 

Her words caught him off guard and his heart skipped a beat as blood coursed through his veins. He really… liked the girl before him. He just wanted to cuddle, he didn’t want to leave. 

…...

The beast invasion of Hang City had officially ended. It was the largest invasion in the past two decades and the battle had witnessed the rise of many young stars. Mankind had come together to defend their land. 

The most unforgettable scene was the appearance of a super battleship above the fortress before the end. Since it was something they couldn’t cover up, the Earth Federation would naturally offer an explanation, though it was still up to them how much they would reveal to the public. 

As for Xiang Ning, news of him was crowded out by discussions of the battleship. His monstrous abilities were still shocking, seeing as he consecutively solo-challenged three tier six beasts and killed them. At the time, the internet had been in a craze because killing a tier six beast require at least two tier six masters. Killing a tier six beast was extremely difficult. Very few people could do it alone, though it wasn’t unheard of. 

There was a place in Marsh City, Xiang Ning’s hometown, where people were focused on something other than the battleship. The people of the city saw him as the son of the city, and although they followed news of the battleship, they were also following news of the kids from their hometown. 

“Today should be the day they return, right?”

“I think so.”

“‘Should be’?! I’ve been waiting for two days!”

“The invasion’s over, it’s time they came back.” 

“Hey, hey, hey, calm down. Isn’t it good that they came back a little later?” 

“What do you mean? 

“Think about it. If they’re coming back late, there must be something holding them. What could it be? Good news? Maybe they’re getting recognition and rewards for their contributions?” 

“But—”

“No buts, they’re the children of Marsh City!” 

Many people of Marsh City congregated at the train station every morning, along with the media carrying their huge cameras waiting for the return of Xiang Ning and his team. 

Time slowly passed. The first train arrived… and they weren’t there. The second train, third train…. They still weren’t there. 

School was ending soon. 

“Whatever, I’ve got to fetch my children from school.” 

“Sigh, looks like they aren’t coming back today.…” 

When they were about to leave, a group of students suddenly poured into the square before the train station. Many people stopped in their tracks. Did this mean that Xiang Ning and his team were on the next train? 

“Hello? Honey, you’ve got to fetch the kids.… Eh, no, it’s Xiang Ning. He might be arriving soon. Mmhmm, of course I’ll get an autograph for the kids.” 

“Come back, come back here! It could be Xiang Ning!” 

“Wow… I heard people were waiting at the train station but I didn’t know there’d be so many people.…” 

“Hahaha, Teacher Xiang Ning is awesome!”

“Tsk, our Senior Wu Rui from Hanwu is cool too!” 

“Hahaha, what are you talking about? They’re all from Marsh City!” 

Among the crowd were Qi Jiuming and Hanwu Academy’s headmaster, Wu Zhikun, and Helios Academy’s headmaster, Zhang Yaoguang. The three prominent figures of Marsh City stood at the edge of the crowd, no one paying the middle-aged men any attention. 

“They should be coming back today, right?” 

“Your student’s in there too, why’re you asking me?” Qi Jiuming looked up at another train arriving at the station. 

“Tsk, your student’s in there, too. If you know, you’ve got to tell me,” Wu Zhikun pursed his lips. 

Zhang Yaoguang flatly said, “I think it’s this one.” 

Both of the others looked at him and he huffed, “Why’re you looking at me? Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Why can’t I come even though they aren’t my students? I want to see what they’ve grown up to now, they’ll serve as great motivation for my kids.” 

“Haha, reality has proven itself. The kids who have suffered emerged with exceptional results. At the very least, they have greater willpower than their peers. It’s been more than a year now, and while the poorer kids aren’t necessarily the most talented, the results we received showed that they improved the fastest. Looks like there’s a need to.…” Wu Zhikun suddenly stopped talking, then laughed, “Apologies, I’ve been a headmaster far too long, all I talk about is education.” 

But it was true. The latest batch of students from Hanwu Academy, also the batch after Xiang Ning and his team, performed better than other schools. 

Hanwu Academy recruited students who were interested in entering the military, and they were often students from average or poor families that lived hard lives. The differences were clear. 

“Mm, look. They’re coming.” Qi Jiuming smiled. 

The train door opened. The people who disembarked were all startled by the crowd. Most of the people arriving in Marsh City weren’t even locals, but were from other cities. 

“Huh? Was there some important person or celebrity on our train?” 

“Uh… I don’t think so, why’re there so many people here?” 

As the passengers left the train, the crowd lost hope and the excitement died down. 

“Xiang Xiaoyu, don’t worry. They’ll definitely return today.” Xiang Xiaoyu and Chen Zixin had run over after school to greet Xiang Ning. 

Xiang Xiaoyu nodded, waiting in anticipation. Many people were like her, staring at the tunnel connecting to the platform. 

Then they heard footsteps and the noisy crowd quietened. 

“It’s all your fault, I couldn’t wake you up.” 

“Hahaha, I haven’t relaxed in so long, you can’t blame me.” 

The voices came from the bend in the tunnel.

MC got home! I need the next chapter/arc!!!