Chapter 77 Gift
On the weekend, Yu Che walked into the antique market again, and the atmosphere was slightly different from the last time he came.
The streets were clearly filled with unusual Taobao shoppers. Their clothing might be ordinary, but their expressions were filled with a certain arrogance and eagerness that was difficult to conceal.
When his eyes swept across the stalls, he didn't seem to be appreciating antiques, but rather searching for some treasure that could make him soar to the sky in one step and trample ordinary people under his feet the next moment.
Yu Che watched them coldly, knowing in his heart that these were the so-called beginners on the path to immortality.
They don’t know yet that on this road, independent cultivators without foundation and resources will most likely only be able to survive in the gap between aristocratic families and powerful masters in the future.
And the vast majority of them will in turn oppress the weaker ones, forming a tragic cycle.
Yu Che had experienced every stage of the spiritual energy revival in his previous life, and he was unwilling to delve into it.
Yu Che's purpose in this trip today was to pick out a nourishing magical tool for Lin Xingyan.
She had already taken a week off, and even if there might be other reasons, Yu Che had long considered Lin Xingyan a friend. Seeing how hard she worked, this gift was entirely appropriate.
He had a clear goal and headed straight for Wanxiang Pavilion.
The things in Wanxiang Pavilion are good and the prices are fair, even cheap. Many old items are imbued with a thin spiritual energy that has been nurtured over the years.
With the internship allowance from the Abnormal Control Bureau, a small gift is still affordable.
As Yu Che stepped into the store, a rather fierce bidding sound came from inside.
"...800,000, I want this thing!" A crisp female voice sounded.
"One million!" The young man immediately raised the price in a domineering tone.
The tone is strangely familiar.
Yu Che looked in the direction of the voice and saw several people gathered in front of the new counter of the "Magical Instrument Store".
He raised his eyebrows slightly. The background of Wanxiang Pavilion was indeed not to be underestimated. It was able to provide a large number of magic tools for sale in a short period of time.
As we got closer, we saw that the man was dressed in a unique and trendy brand outfit, while the woman was wearing an exquisite Chanel-style suit. Both of them exuded the aura of someone from a wealthy family.
When Yu Che saw the face of the bidding man clearly, he was suddenly stunned.
Mu Feng?
It turned out that he was his partner in founding the "Dawn" organization in his previous life.
Mu Feng is two years older than Yu Che, but the dandy young man in front of him is completely different from the taciturn and steady man in his memory.
He had never revealed his origins at the time, and Yu Che could understand that. If cultivators like them hadn't experienced such tragic events, they wouldn't have resolutely established this organization to protect the mortals.
If Yu Che hadn't been sharp-eyed and hadn't noticed the familiar little mole on the base of Mu Feng's left hand resting on the counter, he wouldn't have believed it.
The girl who was bidding against Mu Feng was so angry that her cheeks flushed red, her fingers trembling slightly, and she pointed at him:
"Mu Feng! You're really trying to snatch it from me, aren't you? You know I've maxed out my monthly credit limit!"
Yu Che looked at the counter with a warm attitude. The items displayed inside were all qualified as magical instruments. They were not fake. This also proved that there must be a cultivation force behind them to support them.
What they were fighting for was a brooch called "Gilded Quenched Feather", which was shaped like a stretched brass feather and inlaid with several tiny green gems, sparkling with brilliance.
The label next to it states: Contains the energy of flames, which can increase the concentration of fire elemental spiritual energy within five feet and boost the wearer's spirit.
Yu Che's expression was subtle, and he could tell at a glance that this thing was completely useless.
The magnitude of the improvement hasn't been quantified, and the morale-boosting effect is a mysterious one. It can be summed up in eight words: flashy, overpriced.
Mu Feng sneered and raised his chin towards the girl. "Given your boyfriend's mediocre skills, it would be a waste to give this good thing to him. Why not give it to me and make the best use of it?"
"It's none of your business! I'm happy to do that!" The girl was so angry that she said, "I asked you to come here to help me choose. If you find fault, get out. I'll choose it myself!" After saying that, she turned around angrily and walked towards another counter.
Mu Feng hummed, and seemed to have achieved his goal. He was in a good mood and paid the bill with his card without blinking.
Yu Che watched quietly from the side, not saying anything to stop them because they were friends from his previous life.
Since Mu Feng can offer one million with his fighting spirit, it proves that he has the financial resources to do so, and there is no point in blocking the store's financial path.
But... he had never seen this brooch in his previous life, and Mu Feng must have felt it was useless later.
Mu Feng took the packaging bag and turned to leave. Yu Che raised his eyes, stepped forward to stop him, and said with a smile:
"Excuse me, I see you're a fellow practitioner. I wonder if we could be friends? We could exchange experiences in cultivation in the future."
Mu Feng paused and looked Yu Che up and down. Seeing that Yu Che was dressed casually and was younger than himself, a playful smile appeared on his face, as if to say, "I understand, you just want to make friends."
He patted Yu Che's shoulder and advised with some kindness in his tone:
"Brother, being quick-witted is a good thing, but cultivating is not as good as cultivating. When the spiritual energy becomes stronger, you will understand that money may not be of much use."
What he meant was that he thought Yu Che saw him spending a lot of money just now and wanted to curry favor with him.
Yu Che's expression was strange. Besides Mu Feng's misunderstanding of him, he had never expected Mu Feng to call him "brother".
In the previous life, everyone called me by my name politely, but in this life, I have become a junior in people's eyes.
Yu Che chuckled inwardly and patiently added, "That's not what I meant. I just happened to have seen a similar magical instrument and have some experience using it, which I might be able to discuss with you."
Mu Feng obviously didn't believe it, thinking Yu Che was just looking for an excuse to get closer, so he waved his hand perfunctorily: "Alright, brother, I appreciate your kindness. I have something else to do here, so I'll be leaving first."
In order to get rid of Yu Che, he simply turned around and quickly chased after the girl who was still sulking.
Yu Che looked at his departing back and shook his head helplessly.
Well, there is still a long way to go.
He collected his thoughts and focused on choosing a gift for Lin Xingyan. His eyes wandered around the counters until they were drawn to a bracelet.
The bracelet is made up of more than a dozen bright white jade beads, with a layer of light green mist flowing on the surface. It is gorgeous but not gaudy, and is named "Cold Moon Frost".
The spiritual energy within the bead is pure and gentle, making it an excellent auxiliary magical tool.
Inexplicably, Yu Che felt that this cool yet vibrant texture was quite similar to Lin Xingyan.
"Here, how much is it?" He pointed to the bracelet.
"Three thousand five," the clerk replied.
This price was within Yu Che's expectations. Although it wasn't a small sum, the bracelet was definitely worth the money.
He thought of Lin Xingyan's efforts in cultivation but her inability to find the right method. This magical weapon was a perfect match for her water spirit root constitution. He nodded and said, "Wrap it up."
"Do you need a greeting card?" the clerk asked enthusiastically.
"Okay." Yu Che originally wanted to ask her to write it for him, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he changed his mind.
He took the exquisite card and pen, pondered for a moment, and wrote:
To Lin Xingyan:
The road is long and difficult, but if you keep going you will reach your destination;
I hope you will be diligent and take care of yourself.
——Yu Che
He handed the card to the salesperson, who carefully wrapped it. Looking at the bracelet wrapped in the velvet gift box, and imagining the surprised smile Lin Xingyan might have when she received it, Yu Che's lips curled up slightly.
He thought he would see her back next week.
However, a week passed, two weeks passed... until more than half a month passed, and Lin Xingyan's seat was still empty.
Yu Che couldn't help but ask his homeroom teacher, Zhai Manni, but she also said she didn't know - Lin Xingyan claimed that "there was an emergency at home" and was not sure when it would be completed.
The lessons were all based on the basic techniques that Yu Che knew by heart. He sat in the classroom, his eyes occasionally glancing at the empty desk next to him.
The figure who always had a bright smile on his face, sometimes clumsy and sometimes stubborn, had not returned yet. Yu Che took out the gift box from the drawer, looked at it, and put it back where it belonged.
That night, after Yu Che finished practicing in the mountains behind the school, he had dinner at home.
In the slightly cramped living room, my mother ate while watching the melodramatic TV series on the old TV.
As soon as the show ended, the evening news began. The female anchor's voice was solemn:
"...Latest news from our station. Since the resurgence of spiritual energy became public, cases of unusual evolution of plants and animals have appeared around the world.
"Recently, a beast outbreak occurred in J Province, the world's first involving human activity. A large number of evolved birds and small mammals have lost their normal behavior and become extremely aggressive, causing severe damage to some areas.
"Among them, the most seriously damaged building was the Qin Technology Group headquarters building located in the capital of J Province.
"Over 70 percent of the glass curtain wall was shattered or pecked by birds, and a large amount of sophisticated electronic equipment within the building was damaged. Preliminary estimates of the economic losses run into tens of billions of yuan..."
The television screen switched to close-ups of the building's devastated interior and exterior, littered with broken glass and damaged equipment.
"In addition, a high-end villa project developed by Wang's Real Estate in the suburbs was attacked by a small group of beasts during its opening ceremony, resulting in multiple injuries and more than ten deaths.
"It is reported that Mr. Wang Minghai, Chairman of the Wang Group, unfortunately died in the incident..."
News footage showed the chaotic scene and the flashing lights of ambulances.
Yu's mother was terrified. She put down her bowl and said to Yu Che worriedly:
"Xiao Che, the world has really changed so much that even my mother can't understand it. The beast tide... just hearing about it is terrifying. Although you have those spiritual roots now, which is a good thing, it's so chaotic out there, you must be careful."
Yu Che didn't pay attention to what Yu's mother said. He stared at the TV screen intently with a frown on his face.
Province J? According to his memories from his previous life, the initial signs of a beast tide wouldn't appear for at least a year. Why was it so much earlier in this life?
Was the trajectory of the world shifted by his rebirth, or was there some other force secretly driving it? A haze enveloped his heart.
No, no matter what happens, now that he's been reborn, he won't back down. He'll protect his mother, and countless other ordinary people like her.
"Xiao Che, what are you daydreaming about? There's still rice in the rice cooker, go add some." Yu's mother's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Yeah, okay." Yu Che stood up and walked towards the kitchen with a firm look in his eyes.
No matter how difficult the future is, he must become stronger faster.
At the same time, in J Province, at the Qin family's ancestral home.
The atmosphere was so heavy that water seemed to drip out of it.
The Qin family's patriarch's expression was sinister as he slammed his palm down on the Huanghuali wood table. "A beast tide? Humph! That little scoundrel from the Chu family really thought he could hide this from the world? He acts so cruelly and ruthlessly, isn't he afraid of divine retribution?"
Young Master Qin, who was sitting below him, had an equally grim expression on his face. "Father, the Chu family actually has the means to mobilize the beast tide. Doesn't that mean they can just attack wherever they want?"
Young Master Qin paused and repeated the news from his men:
"I heard that Chu Yanxing recently recruited a large number of weapon cultivators, medicine cultivators, and even formation masters, and secretly established a research institute specializing in the biological and non-biological applications of spiritual energy after its revival. This is probably one of their achievements..."
A cold light flashed in the Qin family head's eyes, and he took out an encrypted list and handed it to his son:
"We can't just sit there and wait for death. Go and secretly contact the families on the list. The Chu family's actions clearly indicate an attempt to defeat us one by one and annex us. We must join forces and not let the Chu family continue to run rampant!"
The situation at the nearby Wang family ancestral home was quite different. Following the sudden passing of the patriarch, most of the family members were preoccupied with the division of power and property. Only a few core members, including the young master, were concerned with the Chu family.
The Chu family's secret research institute.
Chu Yanxing was wearing a white coat and standing in front of a one-way glass wall, with an ascetic temperament.
He watched as researchers in the lab tested drugs on several restless evolved creatures.
On the glass round table next to it was a report on the damage assessment of the "J Province Beast Tide".
A trusted aide stood behind him with his head bowed, reporting in a low voice: "Young Master, the Qin and Wang families are secretly colluding, and several families on good terms with them seem to be ready to make a move."
Chu Yanxing's eyes still didn't leave the laboratory: "Continue monitoring, just in time to catch them all."
His confidant hesitated. "Young Master, although you used some of the research institute's findings to accurately strike the target, wasn't the noise too loud...? I'm afraid it will arouse excessive vigilance among the authorities and other forces."
Chu Yanxing finally turned around, his eyes like a hawk, and patiently explained to his confidant: "In troubled times, severe punishments are needed. Only absolute deterrence can bring about true order. As for vigilance?"
He chuckled, "They will soon understand that what they should be wary of is not the Chu family's methods, but the consequences of standing against the Chu family."
-----------------------
The author has something to say: I am dying of laughter. I tried some political tricks to show my power, but it was not surprising that I got stuck.
Oh yes, I forgot to say it yesterday. I wish you all a happy start to school, haha.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
