Chapter 41#

The Celestial Master Who Doesn’t Understand the Ways of the World#

Puff was a cat that the Qin family had kept since Qin Yi was young. Puff was an orange tabby with a pair of amber eyes, fluffy fur that felt incredibly soft to the touch. Even after all these years, he could still remember the feeling when Puff gazed at him — that sense of being its entire world.

As the young man drew closer and closer, Qin Yi felt his hands itch with the urge to rub that perfectly soft-looking hair. And then see whether those amber eyes would quietly settle on him.

During this brief stretch of walking together, Pan Rongxi had already gained a thorough understanding of Lu Heng’s temperament. If he didn’t initiate conversation, this man could probably remain silent until the end of time.

“Squad Leader Qin, Senior Brother, Si Le, this is my savior, Yun Lan.” Pan Rongxi took the initiative to introduce Yun Lan to the three.

He called Mu Fei “Senior Brother” because they had shared the same advisor back in graduate school, and Mu Fei had always looked out for him.

“Yun Lan, this is Qin Yi, Mu Fei, and Jiang Sile. We’re all on the same team, out on a mission together.” Pan Rongxi then said to Lu Heng.

Jiang Sile — the Reborn. Lu Heng’s employee rank wasn’t high enough, so the intelligence he’d received wasn’t particularly detailed. He only knew that this was a derived universe born from a Reborn, and the key point should center on the Reborn themselves. As for what the Reborn had done, their social connections, and so on — Lu Heng knew absolutely nothing. Still, his luck wasn’t bad: he’d stumbled upon someone connected to the key figure just by grabbing a random guide.

No matter how his thoughts churned, not a single trace showed on Lu Heng’s face. He nodded and said, “Which one is the friend you mentioned?”

Pan Rongxi was momentarily stunned by the question, then quickly recovered. The benefactor must be asking for his reward. They had agreed beforehand: Lu Heng would escort him to reunite with his friends, and in return, Pan Rongxi would have his friends tell Lu Heng everything about the crystal cores.

Although he understood Lu Heng’s meaning, Pan Rongxi hesitated slightly. “All three of them are Awakened. Do you want to discuss it right now?”

Lu Heng stated matter-of-factly, “Once we’re done, I can leave.”

Watching the two speak as if exchanging coded signals, and noticing Pan Rongxi’s troubled expression, Mu Fei piped up, “Rongxi, what’s going on?”

Pan Rongxi explained the agreement he and Lu Heng had made. Mu Fei was about to say something when he heard Qin Yi speak up from the side: “The matter of crystal cores isn’t something that can be explained in a few words. It’s getting dark — let’s head back to camp first and talk there.”

When those amber eyes looked over, Qin Yi — almost as if compelled by some unexplainable force — added, “We can eat dinner and chat at the same time.”

Dinner. The moment Lu Heng heard that word, he perked right up. He gave a slight nod and walked off in the direction the three had come from. The four behind him exchanged baffled looks. Only Pan Rongxi, who understood him a bit better, offered, “I think he means he agrees.”

The four of them made it back to camp just before night fell completely. The faint aroma of cooking had already drifted through the air.

The moment Lu Heng caught the scent, he knew it was the classic Master Kang’s braised beef instant noodles. He felt a wave of disappointment. This apocalypse really offered nothing surprising when it came to food — but then again, thinking about his completely empty stomach, it was better than nothing.

In the center of the camp, a makeshift stove had been piled up from stones, with a large iron wok perched on top. Inside, steaming instant noodles bubbled away, their bright, vivid color enough to make anyone’s mouth water. Of course, instant noodles were considered a rare commodity in the apocalypse — everyone in the team could only get a small mouthful to satisfy their craving. Their main source of sustenance was still compressed biscuits.

Pan Rongxi was good at reading people and handling situations with tact. Though he wasn’t an Awakened, he was well-liked within the team. Lu Heng, as his savior — compounded by Pan Rongxi’s vivid, theatrical descriptions of how incredibly powerful Lu Heng was — meant that no one raised any objections when a full bowl of instant noodles was given to Lu Heng.

Cradling the bowl, Lu Heng listlessly picked up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks and stuffed them in.

The moment the noodles entered his mouth, Lu Heng was stunned. This wasn’t instant noodles — this was the nectar of dragons and the marrow of phoenixes. He could almost hear a choir of little angels singing hymns around him.

[Little Assistant, the instant noodles in this world are so delicious! They’re nothing like those noodles from my world that smell amazing but taste like pure seasoning packets. To think that once I finish this mission, I’ll never eat noodles this good again — it’s a little bit of a regret, isn’t it?]

[I think it’s probably because this body was raised on Qi-fasting pills and has never eaten any modern food before…] The Little Assistant ruthlessly laid bare the truth.

That single sentence was like waking from a dream. Still, Lu Heng, surrounded by little bubbles of happiness, finished that bowl of noodles with an almost reverent expression. The bowl was emptied in no time, and Lu Heng still hadn’t had his fill — but he simply couldn’t bring himself to lick the bowl clean, so he reluctantly set it down.

Another bowl of noodles appeared right under his nose. Lu Heng followed the hand holding it and saw Qin Yi smiling at him. “Here you go.”

Seeing Lu Heng’s expression flicker between confusion and a hint of wariness, Qin Yi quickly added, “I don’t really like this stuff.”

Lu Heng twitched his nose slightly, unable to resist the temptation of the aroma, and took the bowl to eat. Qin Yi, who had watched the entire exchange unfold, felt his hands itch again. The way he ate looked so similar… he really, really wanted to ruffle that hair.

“I heard Little Pan say you want to know about crystal cores?” Qin Yi said.

Just then, Lu Heng had finished the last sip of broth. Hearing something he was deeply interested in, he set down his bowl and chopsticks, straightened up, and nodded.

After Qin Yi gave a detailed explanation of the classification, grading, and usage of crystal cores, he asked with a hint of puzzlement, “This isn’t really a secret anymore. Why do you look like you’ve never heard of any of it?”

Because of the bowl of noodles from earlier, Lu Heng felt a few degrees closer to Qin Yi. “I’ve been cultivating in the mountains with my master since I was young. I only came down a month ago.”

“So you really are one of those hidden martial arts masters! I didn’t think martial sects actually existed? Could you show me a move or two? My childhood dream was to become a chivalrous hero who roamed the land righting wrongs — but unfortunately, I never found my way in.” Qin Yi’s face lit up with genuine interest.

“I’m not a martial arts master. I’m a Celestial Master. The rest — I can’t say more.” Lu Heng steadfastly remembered his sect’s precepts.

Lu Heng’s candor caught Qin Yi slightly off guard. He actually quite admired that kind of personality — someone who said things straight. Qin Yi was a straightforward man himself and preferred making friends with people of that sort. He patted Lu Heng on the shoulder right then and there. “I think we really hit it off. How about we become friends? I’m a few years older than you, most likely. If you don’t mind, call me Big Brother.”

“Why would I call you that?” Lu Heng asked.

“It shows we’re close. Call me Big Brother and I’ll look out for you from now on.”

“We just met, and your strength isn’t greater than mine. You can’t look out for me.” Lu Heng said honestly.

Qin Yi was half-choked by Lu Heng’s bluntness. He could only laugh awkwardly and retreat in defeat. Still, he thought to himself: truly deserving of being born in the Year of the Cat — not easy to get close to. But then again, being stared at earnestly by those eyes for even a few seconds, he’d willingly take a scratch.

For the night watch, Qin Yi deliberately paired himself with Pan Rongxi. He had a few things he needed to clarify with him.

“How did you and Mu Fei’s group get separated?”

Pan Rongxi had always been a man of small schemes. But the moment he was pinned by those hawk-sharp eyes, a cold sweat broke out over him, and he didn’t dare play any tricks. He told the truth: “Senior Brother said he wanted to go into that forest. I… I tried to stop him. I said Squad Leader Qin ordered us not to enter that forest, and that psychic-type mutant beasts have barely been seen by anyone, so how could one just show up in a place like that? But Senior Brother wouldn’t listen. He said his source of information was reliable…”

“Get to the point.” Qin Yi’s thick, dark brows knitted tightly together.

“S-sorry. It’s just that Senior Brother suddenly said he spotted a mutant beast in the forest. He grabbed Jiang Sile and chased after it. But I waited in place for a long time and they never came back. Then a mutant beast appeared, and after that, I was saved by Yun Lan.” Pan Rongxi jumped in fright. The long, prepared speech he’d rehearsed was blurted out in a few hurried sentences.

He stole a glance at Qin Yi’s expression. Seeing that he didn’t look angry, he added, “I thought Senior Brother looked quite strange at that time. He’s not normally that reckless.”

“Understood. Now tell me in detail what happened when you encountered Yun Lan.”

Pan Rongxi obediently recounted the entire encounter with Yun Lan in meticulous detail, placing special emphasis on Yun Lan’s strength — especially the formidable power of the wooden sword in his hands.

As he finished, Pan Rongxi added: “Yun Lan appeared to be lost when he showed up there. His sense of direction seems to be a bit poor. The whole way out, whenever he walked in front, we ended up heading the wrong way…”

Pan Rongxi harbored an ulterior motive in saying these things. He hoped Yun Lan would stay. This man was so powerful, and Pan Rongxi was the one who had brought him out of that forest — there was bound to be some goodwill between them. And goodwill like that, you never knew when it might come in handy.

Qin Yi didn’t ask anything further. He was perfectly clear about Pan Rongxi’s little schemes. Only now, Pan Rongxi’s scheming happened to align exactly with what was on Qin Yi’s own mind.

Early the next morning. As a faint whitish glow just appeared along the horizon, Lu Heng picked up his sword and prepared to leave. In his view, matters here were settled, and it was time to move on to his own affairs. He had just reached the village entrance when someone called out to him.

“Yun Lan, where are you headed so early in the morning?”

Lu Heng turned around to find Qin Yi walking over. A thin sheen of sweat hung on his forehead — it looked like he’d been out for an early morning run.

“Leaving. To find something.” Lu Heng thought for a moment, and decided this answer didn’t violate his sect’s precepts.

“What are you looking for? Maybe I can help.” Qin Yi asked.

“Can’t say.”

Knowing his personality, Qin Yi smiled. “Then do you even know where to look?”

Lu Heng’s face went blank with bewilderment. He shook his head.

“Then why not join our team? We’re out searching for resources all the time. I’ve also got a decent network of connections — maybe we can get word on whatever you’re looking for.”

Lu Heng still looked hesitant. From the corner of his eye, Qin Yi spotted a pile of trash by the village entrance. Among it was a red plastic bag packaging with three large characters printed on it: “Master Kang.” Inspiration struck him like lightning. “Join our team, and there’s always extra instant noodles to go around.”

Lu Heng stayed, perfectly naturally. The key point of this mission was the Reborn — his earlier intention to leave had simply been to act in a manner consistent with Yun Lan’s character. His reason for staying absolutely, under no circumstances, had anything to do with the instant noodles.

Lu Heng formally joined and became a member of the team. As they walked back together, Qin Yi introduced some things about the team. Thinking of Lu Heng’s life of isolation in the mountains, he also gave him a brief overview of the current state of human society.

Three years had passed since the apocalypse virus outbreak. After the initial period of chaos, human society had reestablished basic order. In China, survivor bases had formed on the foundation of several large military districts. When the apocalypse hit, Qin Yi had just been discharged from the special forces. He didn’t go back to the military afterward, but instead pulled together some discharged comrades and brothers to form a mercenary squad. This mercenary squad was the team Lu Heng had just joined.

The squad had come here to locate a pre-apocalypse air-raid facility, rumored to contain a large stockpile of strategic supplies. However, because a massive amount of data and documentation had been lost during the chaos of the early apocalypse, the specific location of the shelter’s entrance was missing — which was why Qin Yi’s team had been making no progress.

After thoroughly combing through the surrounding area to no avail, Qin Yi had planned to go into the forest alone today to eliminate the threat — then have the squad enter the mountains to search. He never expected Lu Heng to descend like a divine warrior and kill that mutant beast for him.

“I’m telling you, we’re really destined to meet. I was just thinking about dealing with that beast today, and you went ahead and solved the problem for me.” Qin Yi threw an arm over Lu Heng’s shoulder in a brotherly manner. “With fate like this, I think we should become sworn brothers.”

“I killed that beast to save Pan Rongxi. If he died, no one would lead me out of that forest.” Lu Heng said earnestly.

Hearing the first half of the sentence, Qin Yi had felt a strange pang of annoyance — but when he heard the rest, he burst out laughing heartily. “I really do like your personality! Are you really not going to consider calling me Big Brother?”

They had just arrived at the camp entrance when they saw Jiang Sile come rushing over excitedly. When he spotted Qin Yi’s arm draped over Lu Heng’s shoulder, his expression stiffened. Despite Qin Yi’s outgoing personality and love of making friends, he actually didn’t enjoy much physical contact with people. Unless absolutely necessary, he would never be the one to initiate touching someone.

Only Jiang Sile and Mu Fei, who had grown up with him since childhood, knew this. Back when Qin Yi was in his early teens, the school beauty had been utterly infatuated with him. She threw herself at him by the school pond — and he had dodged with a nimble flip of his body, sending the gorgeous girl headfirst into the pond with a splash. The incident became legendary, and Qin Yi earned the reputation of a rough, boorish man who didn’t know how to appreciate feminine beauty. No girl dared come near him after that.

“Little Sile, what’s the good news?” Qin Yi asked.

“It’s… something related to the mission.” Jiang Sile glanced at Lu Heng. This wasn’t something that should be shared with outsiders.

“Just say it. Yun Lan has officially joined our team.”

Knowing Qin Yi’s personality, Jiang Sile cut to the chase: “I know where the entrance to the air-raid shelter is.”

“Let’s hear it.” Qin Yi’s face broke into a smile. Truly, good news just kept coming this morning.

“At the very beginning of the apocalypse, I had just awakened my spatial ability and wasn’t very skilled with it. I shoved everything in the house inside in one go. Later, when the space expanded, I didn’t pay those items much mind. Last night, I suddenly remembered that among that pile was an encrypted work laptop my dad had hastily left at home. I dug it out and found it — it really did contain materials about this air-raid facility.” Jiang Sile spoke with animation and excitement.

Jiang Sile’s father had been an engineer in the combat engineering corps, involved in the construction of most of the air-raid facilities. It wasn’t surprising that there would be related data on his work laptop.

But Lu Heng looked at Jiang Sile with puzzlement. Spatial ability? No — the qi on this Jiang Sile was different from that of Qin Yi and the other Awakened. An Awakened’s qi originated from the spiritual root in the dantian and circulated through the meridians. This Jiang Sile had no qi within his body. The source of his energy was some foreign object in his chest.

Lu Heng noticed a glimpse of a red cord visible at the base of Jiang Sile’s neck, its end disappearing beneath his collar — too obscured to make out what it was attached to. Sensing Lu Heng’s gaze, Jiang Sile turned his body slightly to the side, his hand drifting instinctively to shield his chest.

“There’s no time to waste. Little Sile, go call everyone together — let’s discuss this,” Qin Yi said.

With the data Jiang Sile provided, the mercenary squad quickly finalized their next course of action. Without further delay, they prepared and headed for the entrance of the air-raid facility.