"They... just rejected you so casually?"

Xing Zhicheng stared in disbelief in the direction Xia Che had left.

He had done his research and found that recluses like Su Miaorou usually practiced asceticism and suppressed their desires.

They eat wild fruits and drink mountain spring water, adhering to a simple and frugal lifestyle.

For a master like Su Miaorou, who has been famous for a long time, she is already used to this kind of life and can endure it, so Xing Zhicheng is not surprised.

But Xia Che actually refused, which Xing Zhicheng really didn't expect.

This kid looks to be no more than twenty years old, the age when he's like a wolf in sheep's clothing, extremely eager for women, and also at the age when he's very playful. How could he possibly refuse a luxury car and a beautiful woman?

This makes absolutely no sense!

Someone who spent over a decade in the mountains can actually be completely oblivious to these worldly desires after coming down from the mountain... This is just...

This is just too incredible!

"Could it be... that this young man's body isn't up to par? Like, he's not good at it... otherwise, why would he refuse? I can't think of any reason why he would refuse."

Xing Zhicheng's face darkened, and he took several deep breaths to calm down.

"Mr. Xing, could it be that his willpower is too strong, which is why he disregards these worldly matters?"

Zhuo Lu sensed something and, like Xing Zhicheng, looked in the direction Xia Che had left, her eyes filled with a melancholy.

"...It's not impossible."

Xing Zhicheng slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and regained his former calm. When he opened his eyes again, they were as still as a deep well.

This person's control over their emotions is terrifying.

"If that's really the case..."

Xing Zhicheng stroked his chin, and a plan gradually took shape in his mind.

It's alright. Master Su's disciple has already entered the world, and there will be plenty of opportunities to meet him in the future. A genius like him cannot possibly remain unknown.

What does it matter if I don't know the name?

We'll find out sooner or later...

“I felt he looked familiar from the beginning. Could it be because I bumped into him by chance when I visited before? After all, no one knew that Master Su had a disciple before.”

With these strange thoughts in mind, Xing Zhicheng and Zhuo Lu packed up the other gifts that Su Miaorou had confiscated and went down the mountain again.

Those who fish regularly understand one thing: in the process of fishing, being impatient is useless.

No matter how anxious you are, it's useless if the fish doesn't bite. Even if you jump in yourself as bait, it's all for nothing.

As the third-in-command of the Xing family, Xing Zhicheng, a seasoned veteran of the underworld with over a decade of experience, deeply understood this principle.

To catch a big fish, you have to cast a long line.

It can't be rushed.

"Mr. Xing, are we heading back to Jiang City now?"

"Okay, make the arrangements. Take those two brothers who were knocked unconscious to the hospital. They can come back after they've recovered. I'll reimburse all their expenses."

"OK."

"By the way, I have an old friend in Jiang City. Could you arrange for us to have dinner together tomorrow?"

Xing Zhicheng rubbed his temples, then suddenly remembered something.

"What's their name? What's their contact information?"

"Li Qingshan, the chairman of Qingshan Real Estate, is in the contact book I gave you."

"OK."

...

Night fell, and the moon and stars were few.

As night fell, many tourists dispersed from Huangshan Scenic Area. Apart from a few scattered individuals who had set up tents to spend the night, there were hardly any tourists left.

After all, everyone is out having fun. Except for those who have planned to stay overnight, everyone else is tired after a long day and needs to go home to rest.

On the sparsely populated summit of Lotus Peak, a slender white figure stood atop the mountain, her expression neither sad nor happy, her beautiful eyes gazing at the night sky.

This scene is so beautiful it's like a poem or a painting. If someone happened to capture it and upload it online, it would definitely be mistaken for a new still from some young actress's drama.

However, Su Miaorou, the protagonist of the painting, didn't have many thoughts. On the contrary, she frowned, which was heartbreaking.

Su Miaorou made a hand seal and murmured to herself while gazing at the stars in the night sky:

"Even using ginseng to replenish my qi and blood, I still can't improve my cultivation level. It really isn't working..."

Su Miaorou paused, her beautiful eyes becoming somewhat unfocused at that moment.

"The price required to improve one's cultivation level in the Dharma-ending Age is too high, so high that... there is basically no chance of success."

After a long silence, Su Miaorou parted her lips slightly and exhaled a breath of orchid fragrance: "The right person, the right place, but... the wrong time."

"The spiritual revival I'm waiting for may never arrive until the day I'm buried."

"No matter how many times I look at this constellation, the timeframe I get will be decades, or even hundreds of years from now. That will be when the true trend of the Blue Star will emerge."

"Never mind..."

Su Miaorou was lost in thought, then, as if she had made a decision, she turned around and walked down the slope with her hands behind her back. "Since Qingxiu can no longer improve my realm, it proves that this path is blocked. I was already mentally prepared and should not dwell on this matter too much."

"There will be successors."

“The roads I cannot walk, future generations will walk for me; I have reached this point. There are far too many things I have given up for the sake of spiritual cultivation, and I want to take them all back.”

"Perhaps it's time for me to face my own heart."

“Xia Che…”

A soft murmur drifted by, like a heavy burden lifted, a weariness tinged with a joyful sense of freedom, mingling with the gentle breeze and disappearing into the night.

That white-clad figure also disappeared from this place.

She was naturally carefree.

...

A night passed in the blink of an eye, and a beam of bright sunlight pierced into the room, shining on Xia Che's blue Doraemon shorts.

Ring ring—

The shrill alarm clock rang, and Xia Che raised his hand and slapped it down, instantly silencing the alarm.

"yawn……"

He yawned, sat up in bed, and rubbed his sleepy eyes.

"Damn it, I guess I was too tired yesterday. Why does my whole body ache when I wake up? Did someone beat me up while I was asleep?"

Xia Che moved his shoulders, feeling a sharp pain all over his body. He grimaced in pain. "Damn it, I remember now. My meridians are locked, and I don't have the physical strength I used to have. No wonder it hurts so much..."

Suddenly remembering everything that happened yesterday, Xia Che felt a burning hatred.

Because my meridians are blocked, my body's recovery ability has decreased significantly, and now I'm just at the level of a normal high school student.

If it weren't for the fact that Su Miaorou had cleared up his doubts, Xia Che felt he would have exploded at her no matter what!

Even if I can't beat her, I'll still blow her up!

Even if you lose the game, don't lose your spirit.

"Forget it... there's no reason to go out of your way to get beaten up. I should think about what gift to give my master for his birthday in two weeks."

Xia Che sighed, muttering to himself for a long time but unable to change reality. He quickly washed up, pushed open the door, and walked out of the room to go to school.

Then he saw an unidentified creature crouching in the corner, its back to him, acting suspiciously and doing something he couldn't tell what.