Chapter 38: A Brief Respite

Lao Qin did not linger in the Ancient Capital; he and his party headed straight for the airport.

As for our group, we made our way to the Qin family villa. It wasn't the talisman shop from last time; this villa was also located in the southern suburbs of the Ancient Capital, not too far from Uncle Dazhuang’s home.

After entering the villa, Li Yiran first treated us to a family meal, then turned to the members of the Song family and said, "The loss of life is something I never wanted to see. Here is two million."

Two million in compensation! It was a significant sum, yet compared to a human life, money perhaps seemed trivial.

"Thank you, Eldest Miss." The elder from the Song family accepted the check with a grim expression.

"This is your service fee." Li Yiran handed me a bank card.

In truth, if one were to evaluate it, my harvest this time was the greatest. The black longsword remained in my possession, and neither Li Yiran nor the 749 Bureau had attempted to seize it by force. Perhaps, as Lao Qin had said, this sword could only reveal its true value in my hands; to others, it was at most an object for study. That may be true, but in my hands, it currently didn't seem to have much use beyond being exceptionally sharp.

...

The round trip took nearly three days. I had originally requested a week off from school, which now seemed like more than enough. Returning to campus, I slept soundly for the better part of the day, finally waking up around seven or eight in the evening with a ravenous hunger.

Checking my phone, I saw several missed calls: one from the Old Man and three from Liu Qingya. I returned them one by one, discovering that Liu Qingya wanted to grab dinner together. Since that was the case, I figured I might as well go. After hanging up, I headed out of the dormitory.

Just as I reached the ground floor, someone called out to me.

"Jiang Chen, wait!"

A figure emerged from the corner. She was dressed thinly and was shivering slightly in the autumn breeze. It was Li Yifeng; this girl really was like a persistent ghost.

"I sent you messages today, but you didn't reply, so I've been waiting downstairs," Li Yifeng said. "I even had someone check your dorm, and when I saw you were sleeping, I didn't let them disturb you..."

"Stop. Just tell me what you need; don't make me sound like some kind of scumbag," I interrupted quickly.

"Come on, let's go get dinner and talk about it." Li Yifeng grabbed my sleeve, pulling me toward the exit before I could even refuse.

We hurried along, and since I couldn't stand up Liu Qingya, I ended up bringing Li Yifeng to the restaurant we had agreed upon. It looked like I would have to foot the bill for this meal; after all, it would be quite awkward to show up with an uninvited friend when someone else was treating.

When I entered the private room, the Old Man and Liu Qingya were already waiting.

"Miss Qingya, you wouldn't believe it! Dozens of half-demons were about to charge at Young Master Jiang and me, and guess what? We both dodged, and the talismans in our hands were instantly thrown... *ahem*... Oh, Young Master Jiang, you're here." The Old Man, who had been busy boasting to Liu Qingya, saw me and quickly stood up with a sheepish grin to welcome me.

"Sit down," I said, gesturing for him to stay seated as I entered the room.

Behind me, Li Yifeng sat down beside me without the slightest bit of hesitation. The atmosphere turned somewhat awkward.

"Jiang Chen, who is this?" Liu Qingya asked.

"A friend. She’s just joining us for a meal," I replied casually, feeling no need to go into detail.

"Hey, aren't you that Second Miss?" The Old Man greeted Li Yifeng. In Zhang Yuxuan’s eyes, money meant status, so he was exceptionally polite toward her.

"Hello," Li Yifeng said with a faint smile, then added, "Don't stop on my account, please continue. I'm quite interested in the adventures you've been on."

"Uh..." The Old Man was suddenly at a loss for words. He usually liked to mix three parts truth with seven parts exaggeration when he spoke, but he knew I detested such behavior.

"It’s nothing much. Let's talk after we eat," the Old Man said, his eyes darting around as he brushed the topic aside.

The meal was flavorless, and Liu Qingya seemed somewhat displeased. As a man who had been single for eighteen years, I had no idea how to navigate these complexities, especially since Li Yifeng acted like a curious child throughout the meal, asking about everything.

The meal finally ended in agony. When I suggested taking Liu Qingya home and stopping by our studio, she refused. I had no idea what was going through her mind. Meanwhile, Zhang Yuxuan kept winking at me, but I stared at him for a long time without understanding what the old man was trying to convey.

"Since Miss Liu doesn't want to go back, I'll head back to school. By the way, Jiang Chen, are you going back to the dorms?" Li Yifeng asked.

"I suppose so, it's getting late," I said.

Returning to the dorm to rest was fine; I had plenty of places to sleep these days. Amidst the Old Man’s sighing, I helped Li Yifeng settle the bill downstairs before we started walking back toward the Ancient Capital University.

It was nearly October, and the weather had turned cold. Li Yifeng was hugging her arms, shivering uncontrollably. She had been like this when I saw her in front of the dormitory building earlier. Girls these days prioritized style over warmth. A couple of days ago, I had seen a girl filming some short video; despite the howling cold wind, she was wearing nothing but short shorts and a short-sleeved top.

Wasn't that just asking for trouble? With so many girls showing off their legs on social media, why would anyone pay attention to her? It didn't seem worth it just for a few followers.

"Do you want my jacket?" I asked tentatively.

"No!" Li Yifeng replied stubbornly.

"Oh." I nodded. It had just been a polite offer; since she didn't want it, that was fine by me.

"Hey, don't you know anything about being a gentleman?" Li Yifeng rolled her eyes at me. "I said no, and you just drop it? Couldn't you have been a bit more forceful and put it on me anyway?"

"You said you didn't want it. It's not like I forced you not to take it. Besides, I'm cold too," I replied bluntly.

"What a dense guy," Li Yifeng muttered.

"By the way, why are you so concerned about your sister's affairs?" I asked, as I was genuinely curious. "Isn't she your sister? Why don't you just ask her directly?"

"My sister never says a word. When I was young, she wouldn't let me get involved in that world, but the more she forbade me, the more curious I became. Every time I asked, she would scold me. In her eyes, the only way I can live up to her expectations is to focus on my studies," Li Yifeng said quietly. "I understand her intentions; she's afraid I'll encounter danger."

"But she never stops to think—if she's afraid I'll get into trouble, shouldn't I be just as afraid for her? Yet, she refuses to tell me anything at all."

"That’s why I’m so curious about what she does; I want to find out by any means necessary."