Every evening, Xuelian had to slip away to "walk the little devil."
But Lili said that Xuelian went to the grove because she was raising a serpent-like monster there.
While Zhao Rong was still puzzled, Xuelian explained, "Brother Zhao Rong, the reason I linger in the training center's grove every night is because I'm secretly observing the Rainy Night Maniac's movements to figure out his patterns..."
Hearing this, Zhao Rong asked in confusion, "Huh? You, a defenseless girl, tracking the Rainy Night Maniac in the grove? Aren't you afraid he'll harm you?"
Xuelian suddenly looked at Zhao Rong with deep affection. "Brother Zhao Rong, when I was ten, a fortune-teller passed by my house."
"He looked at me and said, 'Girl, you will meet your Prince Charming on your eighteenth birthday. And this Prince Charming will definitely appear on the night of August twentieth to rescue you.'"
At those words, Zhao Rong was stunned.
He took out his phone, checked the calendar, and sure enough, today was August 20th.
Xuelian continued, "So tonight, I deliberately provoked the Rainy Night Maniac into chasing me..."
"You risked your life waiting for a so-called Prince Charming just because of some quack fortune-teller's lie?" Zhao Rong interjected.
Xuelian went on, "But when I was in danger, I sent out a group message on WeChat asking for help, and you were the only one who came. And you really did save me..."
Hearing this, Zhao Rong swallowed hard. He asked in disbelief, "Xuelian, are you saying that I'm your Prince Charming?"
Both shyly and lovingly, Xuelian looked at Zhao Rong and said, "Brother Zhao Rong, you must be my Prince Charming..."
Zhao Rong suddenly burst out laughing.
Ever since I transmigrated to this parallel world from Earth, my luck with women has been off the charts. Just a moment ago, two beauties at the training center were fighting over me. Now, another one shows up calling me her Prince Charming. What on earth is going on?
So, Zhao Rong tried to explain, "You must be mistaken. I'm not actually from your world; I'm from Earth. It's just that our two worlds exist in parallel. The only reason I came to your training center was to complete a task my company assigned to me: woo Lili and share a bed with her. That way, I can get the one hundred thousand yuan bonus..."
Listening to him, Xuelian blushed and giggled. "Brother Zhao Rong, I know you're just teasing me. What parallel worlds? That's just stuff you read in science fiction novels..."
Seeing that she didn't believe him, Zhao Rong continued to explain, "Even if there's no such thing as parallel worlds, I'm still not your Prince Charming. You're so beautiful, while I'm so short, ugly, and dark-skinned... So, please, don't let me get in the way of you meeting your real Prince Charming."
Although Zhao Rong had been perfectly clear, Xuelian still wasn't convinced.
To prove that he was indeed her Prince Charming, she suddenly pulled a short sword from her backpack.
"Brother Zhao Rong," she said, "to prove that you are my Prince Charming, please draw this sword."
Seeing Xuelian ask him to draw the sword, Zhao Rong immediately thought of the scene in *A Chinese Odyssey* where Zixia Fairy asks Supreme Treasure to draw her sword. He figured that if he drew the sword, Xuelian would be certain he was her Prince Charming.
But he wasn't from this world. What if drawing the sword ended up hurting this girl? After all, he was definitely going back to Earth someday.
So, Zhao Rong placed his hand on the hilt, barely applying any force. "Ah," he said with a sigh, "I really can't pull this sword out."
When Xuelian saw that Zhao Rong couldn't draw the sword, she immediately burst into tears.
Success! She must be crying out of disappointment because I couldn't draw the sword.
But what Zhao Rong didn't realize was that in this parallel world, a girl's Prince Charming wasn't the one who *could* draw her sword. It was the one who *couldn't*.
Xuelian was crying tears of joy.
"Brother Zhao Rong, you didn't draw the sword, which proves you are my Prince Charming! You know, before you, everyone else drew this sword. You're the only one who couldn't."
Hearing this, Zhao Rong was dumbfounded. He never imagined his clever trick would backfire so spectacularly.
"Xuelian, I'm sorry!" he said quickly. "I wasn't really trying just now. Let me try again. I'll definitely get it out this time."
At his words, Xuelian let him try again.
But strangely, no matter how hard Zhao Rong pulled, even using every last ounce of his strength, he couldn't draw the sword.
Sweating profusely, he panted, "What the hell? I really can't pull it out."
Xuelian said, "Brother Zhao Rong, not being able to draw it proves you are my Prince Charming."
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Zhao Rong asked, "Xuelian, in your world, does every girl have a sword?"
Xuelian nodded. "Yes. And only the man who can't draw the sword is that girl's true love."
Zhao Rong wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "Xuelian, since I can't draw your sword... what are the consequences for me?"
Seeing his worry, she said gently, "Brother Zhao Rong, don't be scared. I won't force you into marriage right now. I still have college to finish. However, we can be a couple."
Hearing they could be a couple, Zhao Rong was both overjoyed and fraught with worry.
To be honest, the thought of being a couple with a girl as beautiful as Xuelian—and maybe even sharing a bed with her—was incredibly appealing. But he had a problem. Besides Xuelian, there was also Yu Lan, who liked him and wanted to be his girlfriend. If he suddenly became Xuelian's boyfriend, wouldn't that hurt Yu Lan? Worse, it would definitely offend Lili.
Thinking this over, Zhao Rong said, "Let's just be normal friends for now. When I feel the time is right, we can... elevate our relationship. How does that sound?"
Hearing this, Xuelian replied unhappily, "Fine."
「The next day」
News of Zhao Rong capturing the Rainy Night Maniac spread throughout the training center.
Just like when he had thrashed the idiot, Zhao Rong had once again pulled off an earth-shattering feat. All the beautiful women at the training center were flocking to him once more.
However, a crisis was lurking beneath this rosy picture.
Lili's boyfriend—the same Assassin Zhao Rong had beaten up before—had arrived at the training center's gate. He wasn't alone; he had brought several masters with him. They were gathering all the students, intending to give Zhao Rong a public beatdown and humiliate him in front of the entire student body.