Feeling hungry, Qin Mu rubbed his stomach, set down his book, and walked out of his room.
The place where Qin Mu was currently staying was the Imperial Capital Branch of the Seven Star Sect.
It was worth noting that in a world of immortal cultivation, efficiency was truly remarkable.
In just one day’s time, the branch had been completely rebuilt, looking exactly as it had before.
If Qin Mu hadn’t seen the ruins with his own eyes, he would have thought it had never been destroyed at all.
Civil engineers here must have lost their jobs; it seemed the competition among those who worked with wood and earth in this world would be incredibly fierce.
As luck would have it, the moment Qin Mu left his room, he ran into Li Wenji yet again.
The two stared at each other, momentarily speechless.
The encounter was so sudden that neither was prepared.
‘I…’
Qin Mu was instantly speechless, finding himself with nothing to say.
“Hmph!”
Li Wenji let out a contemptuous snort.
Since Qin Ruoshuang had arrived at the branch, Li Wenji rarely ventured out, but that didn’t stop him from harborring hostility toward Qin Mu.
“I didn’t expect to run into you, brat, the moment I stepped out.”
Qin Mu crossed his arms, looking at him with the disdainful gaze of a powerful figure.
He said flatly, “What are you barking about?”
“You…”
Li Wenji’s hand trembled as he pointed at Qin Mu.
If he weren’t afraid of Qin Ruoshuang, he would have long since given this brat a thrashing.
“Good, good, good! A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years. You just wait!”
“Tch.”
Qin Mu curled his lip.
“Only a gentleman says things like that. If you’ve got the guts, hit me right now. Come on, I won’t even dodge.”
As he spoke, Qin Mu leaned his face closer.
“Come on, hit me right here.”
With a snap, the veins on Li Wenji’s forehead bulged.
“Tsk, tsk. See? You’re all talk and no action. If that isn’t barking like a dog, I don’t know what is.”
Qin Mu swaggered past Li Wenji.
Watching Li Wenji’s frustrated expression, Qin Mu felt a wave of satisfaction.
The man had tried to make things difficult for him every single time they met.
For some reason, after Miss Ruoshuang arrived, the guy had stayed holed up in his room and rarely came out.
But this worked out for Qin Mu; out of sight, out of mind.
When he reached the lower floor, the disciples of the Seven Star Sect couldn’t help but look at him.
Their gazes were filled with envy and jealousy toward this youth who had seemingly skipped hundreds of years of struggle.
Not only was he intimate with the Holy Maiden of the Alchemy Sect on a daily basis, but he also had an unusual relationship with the Holy Maiden of the Sword Sect, who rarely showed anyone a kind face.
Rumors claimed the three of them were siblings—after all, they all shared the surname Qin.
However, most people didn’t believe it.
Even if they were siblings, they were likely not related by blood.
First, the difference in their appearances was too great.
The Qin sisters were acknowledged as national beauties with peerless grace.
Second, there was the matter of talent.
It was common knowledge that the word “monstrous” wasn’t enough to describe the Qin sisters’ exceptional aptitudes.
As for this Qin Mu, while his youthful face was somewhat popular among the female disciples, it wasn’t to the point of making people fall in love at first sight.
And his talent?
There was no need to say much.
He was only at the Qi Refining Stage.
You could find a handful of people with that level of talent anywhere in the Sect.
Qin Mu was accustomed to these looks.
As long as he wasn’t embarrassed, their judgment couldn’t defeat his sense of pride.
Just as Qin Mu sat down, a figure immediately sat beside him.
It was Chen Kai.
“Brother Qin, you didn’t keep your word.”
Qin Mu blinked.
“???”
Seeing Qin Mu’s confused expression, Chen Kai slapped the table and reminded him, “Your thoughts! Didn’t you say that after you finished reading, you would pass on your path of experience to me?”
Qin Mu thought back and remembered that such a thing had indeed happened.
“Cough, cough. Well, Brother Chen, it’s not that I didn’t want to write it for you. It’s just that… I didn’t read the book at all.”
His heart ached at the mention of it.
The book had been confiscated by Miss Mengyu.
He hadn’t read a single word beyond the cover.
“How about this, Brother Chen? Give me another copy. Don’t worry, I won’t take it for free. I’ll pay for it.”
Chen Kai sighed.
“Brother Qin, that book is a limited edition that can’t even be bought with money. There are very few copies in existence. It wasn’t easy for me to get my hands on one.”
Hearing this, Qin Mu clutched his chest as if he had lost a fortune.
He hadn’t even caught a glimpse of that precious book which concentrated the splendor of human culture.
“Did you come down to eat, Brother Qin?”
After observing him for some time, Chen Kai had realized that whenever Qin Mu came downstairs, it was almost guaranteed to be for food.
“Of course.”
Lately, Aunt Yan’er had gone to find Aunt Lu, and Miss Mengyu was making preparations to head to the Wildlands.
Miss Ruoshuang had nothing much to do, so besides practicing her sword, she spent all her time by Mu’er’s side.
To Qin Ruoshuang, the world was simple: it was divided into things related to Mu’er and things not related to Mu’er.
It was very easy to understand.
Qin Ruoshuang was very happy to see her little brother after a long time, but for the person involved, Qin Mu, he couldn’t quite share that joy.
Ever since Miss Ruoshuang arrived, Qin Mu’s already difficult days had become even more grueling.
Miss Mengyu had already been keeping a close eye on him, and with Miss Ruoshuang added to the mix, he was under twenty-four-hour supervision.
Faced with such treatment, Qin Mu wept bitter tears in his heart.
When he was on a task with Senior Sister Zi Xi, Young Master Qin had been completely free.
He could do whatever he wanted.
The feeling of being unrestrained had been wonderful!
But alas, good times were always brief.
Life was not just about current hardships; there were also unknown hardships waiting in the distance.
The more he thought about it, the more Qin Mu felt like crying.
“In that case, I’ll take Brother Qin to a great place. The food there is definitely delicious.”
Chen Kai patted his chest in a confident guarantee.
“No, no, I shouldn’t accept rewards for doing nothing. Thank you for the kind offer, Brother Chen, but I’ll just eat here.”
Last time, he had taken the book from Chen Kai and ended up not reading it before Miss Mengyu took it.
If he went out for a free meal now, it wouldn’t be right.
“Hey, Brother Qin, you’re being too formal. Besides, this shop is very cheap. It’s only ten Ling Stones for all you can eat.”
Hearing Chen Kai’s description, it sounded exactly like a buffet.
Ten Ling Stones…
It wasn’t too expensive and was well within Qin Mu’s budget.
“Alright then, let’s go take a look.”
Qin Mu nodded in agreement and left a voice message for Miss Mengyu.
“Great! Leave it to me!”
Chen Kai immediately led the way.
Before long, the two arrived in front of an exceptionally large restaurant.
“It’s this big!”
Qin Mu was startled.
In terms of experience, Young Master Qin had seen his fair share of the world, but he had truly never seen such a massive restaurant before.
“Hehe, how is it? Impressive, right?”
Chen Kai patted Qin Mu’s shoulder and continued, “I was also shocked the first time I came. This shop relies on high volume and low profit. Moreover, the food here is very good for those of us in the Qi Refining Stage.”
“Come on, Brother Qin, let’s go inside and see.”
Qin Mu followed Chen Kai into the shop.
There were many people inside, almost all of whom were cultivators.
Judging by their aura fluctuations, they were indeed at the Qi Refining Stage.
After paying ten Ling Stones, Qin Mu looked at the vast array of delicacies before him, and his appetite was instantly piqued.
There were many things he had never seen before, let alone tasted.
His inner foodie was burning with excitement!
In truth, it wasn’t Qin Mu’s fault that he hadn’t seen much variety in food.
Qin Mengyu was essentially in charge of her younger brother’s diet.
As an Alchemist, her starting point was always how to nourish his body, rather than considering color, aroma, or taste first—though the food she made herself did look quite good.
This restaurant’s food followed a completely mainstream path.
While the taste was indeed excellent, the medicinal properties were too low, so Qin Mengyu would have filtered them out immediately.
Although Qin Mu had eaten at some restaurants before, they were always the extremely expensive ones.
It had to be said that the best masters were found among the common people.
Qin Mu took his first bite.
Mmph!
Satisfaction!
Seeing Qin Mu eating so ravenously, Chen Kai wiped his mouth.
“Brother Qin, what do you think of this place?”
Qin Mu gave a thumbs-up, took a sip of fruit wine, and praised, “It’s really good. This is a total steal.”
Just as they were enjoying their meal, a commotion broke out among the crowd nearby.
Many people stood up.
Qin Mu stopped chewing, a bad feeling rising in his heart.
‘Oh no. I finally come out for a meal, and I still run into trouble?’
Wiping his mouth, Qin Mu didn’t stop to think.
He needed to slip away now.
As long as he ran fast enough, the trouble wouldn’t catch him.
“Eh? Brother Qin, where are you going? You’re finished already?”
Regarding Chen Kai’s question, Qin Mu replied without looking back, “I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll take my leave now.”
Although Qin Mu’s reactions were fast, fate was fate; if it was meant for you, you couldn’t run.
He had barely taken a few steps when a particularly loud voice yelled, “It’s him! It’s him!”
With a whoosh, the gathered crowd instantly parted to create a path.
Qin Mu turned his head and saw a young girl pointing directly at him.
His heart skipped a beat, and internal alarm bells went off.
‘Crap, I need to get out of here!’
Before Qin Mu could move his legs, a dark shadow flashed before him, and the light instantly dimmed.
He looked up to see a massive, burly man whose muscles looked like they were about to burst through his clothes.
Gulp.
Qin Mu’s throat moved as he let out a forced smile.
“Haha, might I ask what you need, big guy?”
The burly man jerked his head, gesturing for Qin Mu to look at the girl.
“Do you know her?”
The girl was naturally beautiful with skin as white as snow.
She wore practical, clean-cut clothes that showed off her straight, long legs.
Looking up, she didn’t have large mounds, only small ones, appearing somewhat youthful.
Her hair was tied in a high ponytail that swayed gently.
Qin Mu blinked, searched his memory, and shook his head.
“I’ve never seen her.”
The burly man said, “But that customer says she knows you.”
‘Huh?’
Now it was Qin Mu’s turn to be bewildered.
Had his charm really become that great?
The burly man’s voice was very loud.
When the girl heard it, she dashed over, appearing beside Qin Mu in an instant.
“You… how could you say that! Do you really want to abandon me…?”
As she spoke, the girl put on a pitiful expression, and tears began to well up in her eyes.
“Wait, no, I think this is the first time we’ve met!”
It was the first time Qin Mu had encountered such a scene, and he was a bit dazed.
Not far away, Chen Kai watched with wide eyes.
In just a few moments, Brother Qin had captured another heart.
If he weren’t worried about his own image, Chen Kai would have wanted to kneel and beg to be his disciple right then and there.
He wanted Qin Mu to teach him his flirting techniques.
Capturing a heart with a single glance… it was truly enviable!
The girl grabbed Qin Mu’s arm and said with a trembling voice, “Are you tired of me…?”
After saying that, her tears fell like rain.
‘Young lady, your crying skills are so deep that it’s a waste you aren’t an actress.’
“I…”
Just as he was about to speak, Qin Mu heard the crowd whispering.
“Tsk, tsk. Who would have thought this boy who looks so harmless would actually be someone who toys with a young girl’s feelings.”
“Yeah, truly, you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
“Exactly. Didn’t you see him? He was just trying to sneak away through the crowd and leave this poor girl all by herself.”
Great.
Hearing those comments from the crowd, Qin Mu realized the situation was only getting worse.
If this continued, he would be branded a scoundrel.
The burly man brandished a massive fist.
“Customer, looking at your clothes, you don’t look like someone who can’t afford a meal. As long as you pay, everything is fine.”
Qin Mu didn’t want to drag this out any longer.
Given his tendency to attract trouble, things would only escalate if he stayed.
He would just treat it as paying to avoid disaster!
Qin Mu pulled out ten Ling Stones and handed them to the man.
When the burly man received them, his murderous aura vanished, and he broke into a grin.
“Received! Please, have a nice day!”
Fierce one second and smiling the next—your refusal to become actors is truly a huge loss for the entertainment industry.
Without saying a word, Qin Mu walked away quickly.
Seeing him leave, the girl hurried to follow him.
After walking for a while, Qin Mu realized the girl was still following him.
He turned around and looked at her.
“Why are you still following me?”
The girl paused, looking a bit embarrassed.
She fidgeted and said, “You paid for my meal. I’m not the type to be ungrateful, so…”
‘A scam?’
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow and waved his hand.
“It was just ten Ling Stones, it’s not a big deal. Let’s just go home. You find your mom—no, find your sisters.”
“That won’t do!”
Hearing Qin Mu’s words, the girl wrinkled her nose.
“My master said that even a drop of kindness should be repaid with a fountain. Besides, if I hadn’t lost my storage pouch, I wouldn’t have been unable to pay for the meal!”
Seeing the girl’s righteous manner, Qin Mu nodded and replied, “Right, right, okay. So, can we part ways now?”
The girl didn’t reply, but she kept glancing at Qin Mu.
Qin Mu immediately felt a sense of dread.
Time to bolt!
Although Qin Mu reacted quickly, the girl’s movement technique was truly impressive.
In the next moment, she was in front of him, blocking his path.
“Miss, you take your broad road and I’ll take my single-log bridge. Let’s just mind our own business.”
Seeing how she seemed determined to stick to him, Qin Mu spoke helplessly.
The girl scratched her cheek, looked away, and said with some embarrassment, “Could you, maybe, let me stay at your place?”
“Huh?! Why!”
“I… I just arrived at the Imperial Capital and lost my storage pouch. I don’t have a single Ling Stone on me…”
Qin Mu was speechless.
It seemed she was really going to rely on him.
“No, why me? There were so many people back there!”
Qin Mu pointed at himself, asking in confusion.
The girl summoned her courage and looked directly at him.
She said firmly, “Because you look like a good person.”
Qin Mu: “…”
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