Above the Galaxy
Chapter 286 - 189, Making a Fool of Myself! _2

Chapter 286: Chapter 189, Making a Fool of Myself! _2

"Has something like this happened before?" Tang Fei asked with a surprised look on his face.

"No, that’s just them being petty. We in the Phoenix Empire want to win fair and square, and if we lose, we lose gracefully..."

Chen Tianqi said with pride on his face, "I heard they used to stay in academies as well, but once, a competitor got sick from the local food and went back claiming there was something wrong with the food we provided... At the time, the citizens of both countries were arguing fiercely online..."

"After that, the academies stopped inviting them; they can stay wherever they want... In the end, everyone still has to contend for a win or a loss..."

"It does save a lot of trouble," Tang Fei said.

If they were to stay at the academy, the academy would have to take care of their food and clothing, as well as their safety.

If you treat them well, that’s what’s expected of you.

If you don’t treat them well, then you’re accused of foul play.

Who would want to bother with such a thankless task?

"Right. Now everyone is much more relaxed; they are responsible for their own safety. They can stay in places they are familiar with and just come directly to the academy on the day of the competition."

"Right," Tang Fei nodded and asked, "Do you know who exactly is coming from their side?"

"I heard it’s their Prince Philip leading the team... Their prince is also a martial arts expert... I don’t know the exact list, they haven’t announced it publicly."

"How did you come to know this then?"

"Liu Chenghai’s mother works at the embassy."

"Who’s Liu Chenghai?"

"He’s a new student in our batch too, joined the academy with us..." Chen Tianqi turned to Tang Fei and said, "Oh, you probably don’t remember him. You never attended the cultural classes, you were always practicing privately with the Dean..."

"No worries, knowing you is enough. Just keep me updated with any news you hear."

"I’ve got you covered." Chen Tianqi patted his chest boisterously, "And if there’s anything you want to find out, you can tell me..."

"I’ll be sure to rely on you then."

"We’re brothers, no need for formalities." Chen Tianqi said aloud, "By the way, I’m going to visit home in a couple of days, there’s a two-day holiday for the Winter Solstice, I’m going to see my parents..."

"Winter Solstice?" Tang Fei asked.

"Yeah, don’t you know? After the great disaster, although humanity moved to New Star, we still follow the Blue Star calendar..." Chen Tianqi looked puzzledly at Tang Fei, then realized, "I remember now, you’re from Old Land... Don’t you celebrate holidays there?"

Tang Fei laughed and said, "For the folks of Old Land, having meat is a celebration."

"It must be tough..."

"But we do celebrate the Spring Festival," Tang Fei said. "It’s hard to make it through the year, so shouldn’t we celebrate that? It’s the only day people from Old Land really care about."

"I never expected... that humanity’s place of origin has fallen to such a state," Chen Tianqi said with a sigh.

After Chen Tianqi left, Tang Fei remembered that the Tao Exchange Meeting was starting in a few days, and the little gadget he was working on hadn’t been a success yet.

So, he immediately made a video call to Si Yu.

No answer.

He called again, still no answer.

Called again, again no answer.

Tang Fei, as if he was determined, dialed for the fourth time.

The video call was answered, and Si Yu appeared on the virtual screen like a bedraggled lion, roaring in anger, "Tang Fei, what do you want? Are you crazy? Do you believe I will kill you?"

"Aiya, did I disturb your sleep?" Tang Fei said with a startled look, "I thought you didn’t hear the phone ring, so I called a few more times... how about you keep sleeping?"

He knew this woman had a terrible temper upon waking up.

The first time he met her, he reminded her not to sleep in class and ended up being chased by White Tiger for half a day...

"Now that you’ve woken me up, how can I possibly sleep? Speak quickly, if you have anything to say," she said irritably. "Next time you dare disturb my sleep, I’ll really kill you..."

"Alright, alright. Give me a heads-up before you go to sleep next time, and I won’t call you, to avoid disturbing you..."

"..."

Tang Fei saw that Si Yu was on the edge of exploding and didn’t dare to provoke her any further, who knows whether this woman would ride some flying beast to White Crane Academy to fight for her life?

"The Tao Exchange Meeting is starting in three days; the representatives from the Aus Empire have already arrived in Phoenix City. I’ve heard plenty of skilled practitioners are coming... Our little gadget hasn’t been a success yet, and there’s a critical issue that’s got me stuck... I need to consult the Master..."

"Speak!" Si Yu said with impatience.

"Alright, alright, I’ll take you to my workshop now... you can instruct me on-site..."

Having said that, Tang Fei brought Lu Siyu to his own workspace.

Tang Fei was a man determined to excel in both martial arts and academic pursuits, so while breaking through his martial limits, he did not forget to advance his mechanic skills.

He had set aside a room specifically as a workshop and furnished it with a full set of mechanical equipment and software tools.

Lu Siyu was also aware of the importance of this assessment for Tang Fei. To secure a good ranking, he had been working tirelessly, day and night, always pulling Lu Siyu into the workshop whenever he had time.

Seeing how his younger brother was so driven, Lu Siyu felt a touch of relief in his heart.

Who wouldn’t want their brother to have their fill?

------

When Tang Fei arrived at the grape courtyard, Si Yinchuan and Shen Xinglan were accompanying Dean Xuanyuan Mingjing for tea.

Such behavior was incomprehensible to Tang Fei. What was the point of drinking tea so early in the morning?

Didn’t they have any proper business to attend to?

Oh, they indeed had nothing pressing.

One was a Great Grandmaster, one was a Vice Dean, and one was the legitimate descendant of the leading family of the nine major families, the Shen Family. They could all afford to take it easy...

Thinking of the responsibility and hatred he bore, Tang Fei couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

The journey is long and arduous!

"Master, good morning. Dean Si, good morning... Senior Brother, good morning," Tang Fei greeted them respectfully and took the initiative to run over and fill their teacups.

Xuanyuan Mingjing nodded and said, "Go and work hard."

"Yes," Tang Fei responded and prepared to head to the Star-picking Platform to practice swordplay.

"Tang Fei, wait..." Si Yinchuan called out. He looked at Tang Fei and said, "We were just discussing the Heavenly Path Exchange Meeting. As for your senior brother, there is no need to say; he is our academy’s absolute trump card, the strongest candidate to ensure the top spot in martial arts does not fall to the Aus Empire... What about you? Are you not participating in any events?"

"Of course, I also wish to do our academy proud, to win glory for our country..." Tang Fei glanced at Shen Xinglan and said, "With Senior Brother competing in martial arts, securing first place is practically guaranteed, so I will not embarrass myself by participating."

Shen Xinglan smiled without saying a word.

He knew that Tang Fei’s words might be flattery or they might not be.

But it did not matter to him.

He was indeed going to be first.

"As your senior brother takes on such a heavy responsibility, what about you? Both of you are disciples of the dean; you should advance together..." Si Yinchuan seemed to have a good relationship with Tang Fei, jokingly teasing him.

"I’ve only been at the academy for a short while, so it’s not realistic for me to take on such heavy responsibilities..."

Tang Fei first presented the reality: I’m a new student, how can I compare with my senior brother?

If I do well, that’s because I’m excellent.

If I do poorly, it’s because I lack experience.

"So, I was thinking, could I perhaps make a contribution to our academy through the Mechanical Contest?"

Si Yinchuan looked at Tang Fei with surprise and asked, "You also know about mechanic technology?"

Xuanyuan Mingjing and Shen Xinglan were also curious as they had seen Tang Fei’s records and knew he had studied in the Mechanical Department of the Imperial First Military Academy for a while...

However, that was far from sufficient.

Those who could participate in the Mechanical Contest were students with considerable talent in that area.

They possessed passion, creativity, and strong practical and operational skills.

The abilities of those top geniuses were far greater than those of even Advanced Mechanics.

With the little bit that Tang Fei had learned, to join in the Mechanical Contest would indeed be a true embarrassment...

With Tang Fei’s intelligence and wisdom, he should be aware of this.

Yet, he still stepped forward to compete.

Did that mean he was hiding abilities unknown to everyone else? Was he an Advanced Mechanic?

"I know just the basics," Tang Fei said modestly.