"A sparring partner?"
Xue Jing looked puzzled as he glanced at Zhu Shanying.
She nodded enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Yeah! The client is a martial artist too. He saw the news report about you and wants to fight. He's offering five hundred thousand for the match."
The girl chuckled as she relayed the offer.
Xue Jing thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Alright, sounds good."
It seemed like an easy enough job, and turning down that amount of money would have been foolish. Although the amount felt excessive for a simple sparring session, he figured rich people had their own way of handling things.
"Tomorrow at noon," Zhu Shanying added, smiling. "The client said he'll call with the location."
Xue Jing nodded in understanding, but after a moment's thought, he looked at her with curiosity. "Senior Sister Zhu, why do I feel like you've got a lot of free time on your hands?"
Zhu Shanying raised her eyebrows and stepped toward Xue Jing, standing on tiptoes to pinch his cheeks playfully. "Junior brother, are you saying I'm too idle? Am I annoying you?"
Xue Jing sighed helplessly. "That's not what I meant."
He gently moved her hands away. "It's just that other seniors seem busy with commissions every day, and you seem to have so much free time. I'm just curious."
Zhu Shanying withdrew her hands and crossed them behind her back. She snorted, raising her chin with pride. "Well, you see, I have a superpower."
Xue Jing's curiosity was piqued. "What kind of superpower is that?"
Zhu Shanying grinned mischievously. "I'm super rich!"
Xue Jing blinked. "..."
She chuckled. "What do you think? Senior sister here is far richer than you can imagine. Stick with me, and you'll never have to worry about money again."
Her teasing was meant to bait him into reacting so she could pull a prank or get some payback for the times he'd thrown her over his shoulder. However, Xue Jing's reaction wasn't what she expected. He simply shook his head, a calm expression on his face.
He raised his right hand, clenching it into a fist. "Money, power, fame... these things are fleeting and can be lost at any time. They're just poor substitutes for true strength."
"To someone truly powerful, those things are as common as stones—easy to obtain, easy to discard."
He continued, his tone sincere, "If I stayed with you for money, then when I become strong enough to see money as nothing, you, senior sister, would become like a stone I could toss away without care." (TN - OMG What a Diss!!)
Zhu Shanying was caught off guard, staring at him in a daze. His words struck a chord she hadn't expected. After a long pause, she sighed softly, her expression a mix of emotions. "...I was just joking."
A notification popped up in Xue Jing's mind:
[Someone has developed a lot of affection for you, Charm Experience +231]
[Charm has leveled up to Lv6 (125/3000)]
Xue Jing glanced at the notification on his panel and remained calm, though inwardly he smiled.
Zhu Shanying, unaware her thoughts had been laid bare, looked at Xue Jing in slight confusion. Why did her junior brother suddenly seem more handsome?
Shaking off her thoughts, she waved at him, gesturing toward the training room's center. "Junior brother, it's been a while since we sparred. Let's have a match."
Xue Jing stretched his body and walked toward her with a teasing smile. "Thanks for the offer, but don't expect me to charge any less than the client. Five hundred thousand sounds fair."
Zhu Shanying's eyes widened. "Didn't you just say money is as common as stones to you?"
Xue Jing grinned. "That's for the future. Right now, I'm still worth quite a bit. If the client is willing to pay that much, I can't let you, a self-proclaimed super-rich senior sister, get a discount."
She glared playfully. "I don't care! I'm your senior sister—this match is free!"
With that, she lunged at him with a punch.
---
Two minutes later.
Bang!
Zhu Shanying lay on the floor, having been thrown over Xue Jing's shoulder again. Covering her face with both hands, she curled up in embarrassment.
---
Elsewhere, on the seventh floor of Qingcheng University's library, the quiet and history-filled attic had an air of tranquility. Under dim lighting, a girl sat in a wooden chair, flipping through the pages of a book in silence. Her posture was upright, her attire simple, and her unadorned but pretty face formed an elegant picture against the backdrop of the old attic.
Suddenly, a breeze stirred, though the windows were closed. Her ponytail swayed gently as a short-haired woman in a slim black tactical uniform appeared.
The newcomer, who appeared to be in her late twenties, had an ordinary face marred by a blade-shaped scar at the corner of her eye. Various knives hung from her uniform in strategic places, ready for use.
Embroidered on her chest was a pair of fully extended white wings, with a few feathers floating around the emblem, giving it a delicate appearance.
Wu Youqing, the girl in the attic, didn't seem surprised. Calmly, she closed her book and retrieved a tea set from a nearby compartment, silently making tea.
She didn't speak but slid a cup across the table to the visitor.
The short-haired woman sat down, took a sip, and frowned. "What a strange taste."
Wu Youqing stirred her own cup and said, "What's the matter?"
The visitor took out an obsidian card, showing it to Wu Youqing. "Ms. Wu, I'm the captain of the 838th Squadron of the White Crow Task Force, codename 'Void Blade,' under the Special Service Department of the Special Abnormal Disaster Emergency Management Agency."
Wu Youqing sighed. "You don't need to name every dish. Just get to the point."
The woman's expression didn't change. "That's the protocol."
She continued, "Xue Jing, a C-level containment officer with the Divine Relic Containment Company, is involved in a case we're investigating. We'll be contacting him soon. This is just a formal notice."
Wu Youqing frowned, thinking of the news she had read earlier. "Is this related to the incident in the news?"
The visitor stood, shaking her head. "I can't comment. I've delivered the notice, so—"
"Wait." Wu Youqing's tone turned cold, her lavender eyes darkening.
"You can contact him and investigate as you see fit. That's within your rights. If you need his help, and he agrees, I won't object."
She stood, her presence more imposing. "But remember this: don't use any of your White Crow's dirty tactics on him."
"If anything happens to him because of you..." She leaned forward, her voice ice cold, "...not even your agency's management committee can protect you from Wu's wrath."
The visitor remained expressionless, but the sweat forming on her brow betrayed her unease.
"Do you understand?" Wu Youqing asked softly.
"...I understand," the woman nodded before disappearing as suddenly as she had appeared.
Wu Youqing watched her go, then took out her phone. She hesitated for a moment before pulling up a contact labeled "Xue Jing." Her finger hovered over the dial button, but she ultimately didn't make the call.
Instead, she opened a surveillance video. The grainy footage showed two figures fighting on a dilapidated street. Toward the end, one of the figures engulfed the other in black flames.
"Interesting ability," Wu Youqing muttered to herself. "There's still a lot I don't know about him... Maybe it's time to let White Crow make the first move."
---
At noon the next day, Xue Jing was quietly practicing the Hibernating Dragon Technique in the training room. The combination of dynamic and static exercises was perfect for his current level of mastery. The "blood training" of the Armor-Shaking Technique trained his dragon strength, while the Hibernating Dragon Technique nourished his energy. Together, they complemented each other.
His improved physical condition made it easy to handle the technique's demands. Maintaining the posture for 24 hours seemed possible if he pushed himself, but Xue Jing knew better than to overtrain.
As he completed the session, his panel updated:
[You performed the Hibernating Dragon technique, Fitness Experience +228]
[Hidden Dragon Strength Experience +217]
[Visualization Experience +116]
Just as he finished, his phone buzzed on the wooden floor. Picking it up, Xue Jing answered the call.
"Yes, it's me."
"..."
"No problem, I'm free now."
"..."
"Okay, I'll be there right away."
It was the client calling to confirm the sparring match. After hanging up, Xue Jing showered, changed into fresh clothes, and left the Canglong Dojo.
"Boss, take me to Mufeng Street in Beicheng District," Xue Jing told the taxi driver as he got into the car.
The middle-aged driver smiled and turned the wheel with a wide grin. "Got it! Hang on tight." The car sped off toward the designated location.