Chapter 6 — The Strongest Waste Item in Martial Arts

"Is it real or fake? Did you go too? How much did you measure? Five hundred or three hundred?" "Definitely not more than a thousand." Another cousin chimed in. “It's difficult for people from area F to surpass a thousand.” My mother bowed her head, her chopsticks wrapped tightly together. My father held the cup of wine and said nothing. Grandpa sighed and looked at me with disappointed eyes that had become a habit: "Dien Nhi, you're gone, but don't tell outsiders that you're from the To family. Avoid..." He didn't finish. The intention is very clear, avoid losing face. To Khai Minh put down his chopsticks and looked over with a smile in his eyes: "Brother Dien, why don't you say anything? It's okay if the exam isn't good, just say it to make everyone happy." His tone was very light. Lightly like teasing a small dog. I raised my head and looked at him. Four eyes looked at each other. In his eyes it was clearly written: You can never surpass me. And in my eyes— I don't know what I'm writing. It can be confusing. It could also be a newly sprouted feeling that I haven't been able to define yet. I said: "It's okay." To Uyen Ninh laughed: "How much is okay? Six hundred?" "Don't remember." I bowed my head again to drink soup. "Stop it." She rolled her eyes. “If it's okay then it's okay, don't try to act like you're smart.” The topic was quickly dropped. No one cares what my “okay” means. In their hearts, "it's okay" to be a waste just means reluctantly not being last. After the meal, I returned to my small yard. The To family's main house is very large, but the place I live in is in the farthest corner, a small room that was added, next to it is a storage room. After entering the room, I turned on the light and sat down next to the bed. There is an unread message on the phone. Came from an unfamiliar phone number: "Hello, Mr. To Dien. I am Lieu Thanh, the official in charge of foreign affairs of the Vo Than Dien inspection department. Regarding your test data in today's exam, the palace has begun the highest-level verification process. Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, a specialized person will come to your residence to meet face to face. Then please maintain contact."Signed: Vo Than Dien - Inspection department. I stared at this message for a long time. Nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Go to the To family's house. Right in front of everyone. I leaned against the head of the bed and suddenly burst into laughter. Being a waste for eighteen years. Tomorrow seems like it's about to turn upside down. Early the next morning. I woke up at seven o'clock. This is not normal for me. Usually I'm the last one to wake up at home, because no one arranges anything for me to do. I washed my face and changed into clean clothes. After a bit of hesitation, I changed back to my old jacket. Forget it, this is still more comfortable to wear. Half past seven. The To family's main house has become bustling. Today grandpa wants to hold a regular family meeting, once a month, to discuss resource distribution, plans for nurturing children and grandchildren, and the like. I have never needed to attend this type of meeting before. Exactly eight o'clock, I was sitting in the small yard eating dumplings when I heard my grandfather's energetic voice coming from the main hall next door: "This month's Thien Rank cultivation resources are all given to Khai Minh. He won first place in section C in the exam, which is the hope of the To family." "The others are distributed according to the old norms." "And Dien Nhi..." There was a short pause. "Continue to distribute according to the lowest standard, enough to eat." A few voices of agreement rang out. I took a bite of the dumpling, chewed slowly, not feeling anything. It's been eighteen years, I'm used to it. Eight forty. I finished the last piece of dumpling, brushing the crumbs from my hands. Raise your head and look at the sky. It's almost nine o'clock. Eight fifty-five minutes past eight. Beside

Outside the main gate of the To family came a low roar. Not the usual car sound. That roar carried a special pulse, like the engine of a heavy vehicle. The butler hurriedly ran from the hallway, straight to the main hall door: "Master! Master! There's someone coming outside!" Grandpa was talking in front of the conference table, immediately frowned: "Who? Don't you know there's a meeting today?" The butler's face was pale, his voice trembling: "It's... a black military combat vehicle. There are three of them. On the car door was printed..." He swallowed his saliva. "The coat of arms of the Martial God Temple." The entire main hall immediately fell silent. quiet. Everyone's faces changed. Grandfather suddenly stood up, the chair slid back, making a harsh friction sound. "What?!" The smile on To Khai Minh's face stiffened. The tea cup in the elder's hand stopped in mid-air and forgot to put it down. Martial God Temple. That is an existence that even the To family cannot reach even if they risk their lives. The highest martial arts body in the country. Only martial artists from Saint Realm or higher are qualified to enter. They went to the To family? Come for what? Grandpa quickly went out, everyone in the family followed behind. I stood at the door of the small yard, watching this scene from afar.