Chapter Seventy-Five: A Stroll Through the Streets

“Brother, dinner’s ready.”

Yang Ying’s voice called from outside.

Inside the bedroom, Yang Wenhao let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes. His cultivation had advanced at an extraordinary pace—after his secluded training at Blackwood Cliff, he’d broken through to the sixth stage of Qi Refinement. In just this short period, he’d already reached the late sixth stage. It was clear how formidable the Heavenly Dao technique granted by the system truly was.

He pushed open the door and saw Yang Ying untying her apron.

Seeing Yang Wenhao emerge, Yang Ying said, “Brother, why do you like locking yourself in your room so much? You never used to be like this.”

Wenhao replied, “Can’t I have a few secrets of my own?”

“Alright, fine.” Yang Ying didn’t press further and said, “Let’s eat. Oh, and I’m heading out tonight.”

Wenhao was puzzled. “Going out? It’s already dark—where are you going?”

“My classmate asked me to go shopping with her.”

“It’s late. It’s not safe for a girl to be out alone.”

“I know.” Yang Ying nodded. “But I can’t keep declining her. I’ve already made excuses several times.”

Wenhao hesitated, then said, “How about I go with you? I need to buy a few things anyway.”

Yang Ying looked at him with some confusion. “But we’re all girls. If you come along…”

Wenhao had no ulterior motives. “You go have fun with your friends. I’ll shop by myself. If you need anything, just call me.”

“Alright.” Yang Ying nodded.

After dinner, they left the house together.

A bright moon hung in the sky, the city shrouded in night. Even so, the city’s nightscape was beautiful, the streets glowing with lights.

Together, they arrived at the meeting spot, the city center—Fengzhou’s most bustling district.

“Ying, over here!”

In the distance, a few girls in casual clothes waved to them.

Yang Ying was about to head over but noticed Wenhao wasn’t moving.

“What’s wrong, brother?” she asked.

“You go ahead. I’ll look around on my own.”

“Okay, sure.” She nodded, understanding his meaning.

“This is a bank card—dad gave it to me. If you need to buy anything, just use it.” Wenhao handed her the card.

She took it, puzzled but not asking further.

Standing a little way off were three of Yang Ying’s classmates.

“Ying, who’s that handsome guy? Is he your boyfriend?” one of the girls asked, her curiosity ablaze.

Yang Ying rolled her eyes. “Sun Wenjia, must you always imagine things? He’s my brother, Yang Wenhao.”

“Your brother?” Wenjia’s eyes lit up. “So the Yang family really does have good genes—both the boys and girls are so good-looking. Why not introduce your brother to me?”

“Forget it.” Yang Ying snorted. “I doubt my brother could handle someone as wild as you.”

“Hey, what kind of talk is that?” Wenjia huffed. “You know, I could punish you for that as your Captain Sun. Introduce your brother, or face dire consequences!”

Their banter made the other two girls, Li Xuan and Zhang Mengyi, burst out laughing.

Li Xuan, like Wenjia, was bold and outspoken—a bit of a tomboy. Zhang Mengyi, on the other hand, was gentle and delicate, dressed in a long white dress.

The four were all close friends, though only Wenjia was particularly eccentric. She’d declared the four of them to be a “Beautiful Girls Squad” and made herself captain. The others let her have her fun, never taking it seriously—only Wenjia truly played the part.

Zhang Mengyi asked, “By the way, Ying, isn’t your brother coming with us?”

Yang Ying shook her head. “He said he’s going shopping, so he won’t join us.”

Wenjia butted in, “I bet he’s not really shopping—he’s probably meeting some secret girlfriend.”

“But your brother really is handsome,” Li Xuan said. “Are you sure you don’t want to introduce us?”

“He’s already left,” Yang Ying replied.

“That’s fine, I saw which way he went. Let’s follow him,” Wenjia said. “This is now a pursuit mission—everyone, be stealthy.”

The other three rolled their eyes. Wenjia was fine in every way except she was too eccentric. None of them knew where her “chuunibyou” came from.

Meanwhile, Wenhao was searching for a computer store, planning to buy a computer. Wu Xiuping had previously given him a website—a place, he’d said, where all of China’s cultivators exchanged information. Wenhao was intrigued, but since he didn’t have a computer at home, he’d decided to buy one.

After some searching, he finally found a reputable store. As he was about to enter, he suddenly paused, then smiled and walked inside.

From a distance, the four girls, who had been trailing him, were puzzled by his odd behavior.

“Could he have noticed us?” Wenjia wondered.

Li Xuan replied, “No way—could he really notice from this far?”

Yang Ying, standing by, said helplessly, “Can you two be serious for once? Li Xuan, you’ve really been corrupted by Wenjia.”

Zhang Mengyi said, “Your brother seems to be buying a computer. Should we go in too?”

“No,” Wenjia shook her head. “This is a covert operation—we can’t reveal ourselves.”

“Come on, Mengyi, let’s leave them,” Yang Ying said, tired of the antics, and pulled Zhang Mengyi toward the store.

“Captain, two team members have defected. What are your orders?” Li Xuan looked at Wenjia.

Wenjia’s face turned cold. “Traitors! Once I emerge victorious, I’ll pass judgment on them myself.”

Meanwhile, Yang Ying and Zhang Mengyi entered the store. Inside, they saw Wenhao sitting, apparently waiting for someone.

It was obvious who he was waiting for.

“Why is it just you two? Weren’t there four of you?” Wenhao asked, noticing only Yang Ying and the gentle Mengyi.

Yang Ying blushed. “Brother, how did you know we were following you?”

Wenhao replied, “Did you really think your brother was that oblivious? If I hadn’t noticed, I might as well be dead.”

His words, layered with meaning, could be interpreted in different ways by different people.

(End of chapter)