Chapter 4: Young Master Qin Is Stumped

The weather was clear today, which should have been perfect for Young Master Qin to sleep in.

Unfortunately, not only could he not sleep, he didn’t even have a bed anymore.

As the saying goes, when immortals fight, mortals suffer.

Just like Qin Mu now—he had been lying quietly on his soft, comfortable bed, and in the blink of an eye, poof!

His bed was gone.

In this situation, surely he shouldn’t have to pay for the damage himself, right?

Qin Mu stood there in the wind, disheveled and confused.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out.

“Eh, brother, you’re here too?”

Qin Mu turned around and saw none other than the Gongzi who had persuaded him to buy a book yesterday.

Still holding that flamboyant folding fan, fanning non-stop, which made Qin Mu feel a bit annoyed.

The Gongzi swaggered over with no regard for anyone else, shaking his head and smiling, “Fate brings us together again—didn’t expect to meet you today once more. This is destiny. Let me introduce myself: I’m Chen Kai. What’s your honorable name?”

“I’m Zhang San, also known as the Outlaw.”

Qin Mu replied, cupping his fist politely.

“Oh, I like that nickname,” Chen Kai said, winking.

He then moved closer, about to throw an arm around Qin Mu’s shoulder.

Qin Mu stepped back slightly and held up a hand to block him.

“Sorry, Brother Chen, but I’m not really into men.”

Chen Kai was momentarily stunned but soon laughed, “Haha, Brother Zhang, you’re amusing. We’re all men here, no need to be so reserved. But you, my friend, I’ve definitely taken a liking to.”

After all, Qin Mu was his only big client from yesterday.

Hearing this, Qin Mu staggered.

Damn, this guy was terrifying.

Even after he said he wasn’t interested, the man shamelessly kept coming closer.

How could he escape such pestering?

It wasn’t about liking or not—the look in that guy’s eyes was just unbearable.

The best strategy was to run away.

“Well then, see you another day. Suddenly remembered I have urgent matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave first, Brother Chen.”

With that, Qin Mu quickly slipped away, not wanting to stay another moment.

Watching Qin Mu’s retreating back, Chen Kai was puzzled.

Shouldn’t the priority be figuring out where to stay tonight?

Looks like inviting Brother Zhang to stay together won’t work.

Could it be he has other lodging plans?

Chen Kai stroked his chin, smiling mysteriously.

“Oh, truly an interesting man.”

Qin Mu jogged along, his pajamas loose, causing the sash to come undone.

The wind rushed in, fluttering across his chest and then downward, sending a chill straight to the top of his head.

After running for a while and seeing no one around, Qin Mu hurried behind a large boulder.

He loosened the sash to fix his clothes and tied it tightly again.

Even if he got cold, at least he wouldn’t let little Qin Mu freeze!

“Are you done tying it?”

A voice came from nearby.

“That’s a silly question. Didn’t you see I already tied it?”

Qin Mu turned his head and saw two young men standing on the boulder behind him.

Their chests bore badges that read “Law Enforcement.”

One of them said, “We received a report that someone was openly ‘flying the bird’ in broad daylight, seriously violating moral standards. Looks like it’s you. Come with us.”

Qin Mu didn’t like hearing that.

As the self-proclaimed villainous Young Master Qin, even though his cultivation was nothing special, his moral standards were quite high.

He examined himself three times a day: Did I eat well? Did I sleep well? Did I have enough fun?

“You’re slandering me! I’m telling you, it’s slander!”

Qin Mu pointed accusingly at the two men.

“I, Qin, conduct myself properly and uprightly. I absolutely deny any such disorderly conduct.”

These kinds of denials were nothing new to the two men.

One reached out a hand, “Since it’s your first offense, pay one Ling Stone. Next time it’ll be detention.”

“Humph.”

Though unwilling, Qin Mu still handed over a Ling Stone.

It was better to avoid trouble.

After the two left, Young Master Qin was very unhappy inside.

“That damn guy—if he hadn’t hit me and ruined my room, I wouldn’t have been fined a Ling Stone.”

Feeling inside his pocket, the Jade Talisman given by Miss Mengyu was still there, which comforted him a bit.

“Forget it. As long as the green mountains remain, there will be firewood to burn. Once my cultivation is complete, I’ll have that guy wash my feet every day.”

Finding a quiet spot, Qin Mu carefully opened the Jade Talisman.

Although Miss Mengyu had said to open it only when facing difficulties, Young Master Qin felt this was indeed a difficult moment.

Two beams of light shot out and hovered steadily in front of Qin Mu.

When the light faded, two waist badges appeared—one engraved with “Sword,” the other with “Pill.”

“What’s this?”

Qin Mu curiously touched the two badges.

They were warm and smooth, emitting two faint, pleasant scents—scents he was familiar with.

“Miss Ruoshuang’s and Miss Mengyu’s personal items, huh? But what use are these things?”

At that moment, heavy bell chimes rang out.

Dong—dong—dong—

“Oh, right. Time to gather.”

Qin Mu hung the two badges on his waist and hurried toward the plaza.

The huge plaza was already teeming with people, a sea of heads pressing and shoving.

In this crowd, the pressure and contact between bodies stirred up a peculiar atmosphere, such as…

“Hey! Who just grabbed my butt!”

“Ouch! Which careless jerk poked my back of the head with something!”

“Pervert!”

“Damn it, why isn’t that pervert me!”

“Who dares touch my delicate body! Hey, could it be you, big brother~”

And so on.

“Cough, cough, silence!”

A gust of Qi swept over the crowd as an elder’s figure appeared on the plaza’s high platform.

“I am Elder Liu, the chief overseer of this Assessment. The test is simple: random matchups for combat. As for the rules, those at Qi Refining Tenth Layer, Ninth Layer, Eighth Layer, and Seventh Layer will duel against opponents of the same cultivation level. The rest will engage in chaotic free-for-alls. Remember, strike to incapacitate but do not cause fatal injuries.”

Elder Liu waved his hand, and each person received a number plate, though in different colors.

“When your color is called along with your number, be sure to see your number plate clearly. If no one shows up within fifteen minutes, it will be considered a forfeit.”

“Now, I hereby announce the Assessment officially begins!”

“Whoa!!!”

The crowd erupted in deafening cheers.

Everyone hurried toward their designated arenas.

Among them, one stood out: none other than Young Master Qin, Qin Mu!

At this moment, Qin Mu looked down at his number plate, unsure what to say.

A round white number plate lay in his palm, with the number… none.

That’s right, no number.

No matter how Qin Mu looked, turned, or tilted it, even tried to pry it open, there was simply no digit.

“What does this mean? Someone tell me what this means!! This number plate is too confusing! I can’t read it!!”