Chapter 306: Omen of Great Misfortune Chen Nuo sat in the back row with the girl who had pretended to be drunk. Of course, by now, the girl was definitely not drunk. "My name is Fang Lin. What’s yours?" the girl asked, sitting in the back seat, occasionally sneaking glances at Chen Nuo and feigning ignorance. "What’s your name?" Chen Nuo replied indifferently, "Didn’t Zhou Kai tell you?" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝕟𝕖𝕥 Fang Lin, her pretense exposed, merely pursed her lips and didn’t seem embarrassed. She spread her hands and said, "Ah, I can’t keep up the act. So, are you mad? Because in the bar, I pretended to be drunk on purpose and tried to hook up with you, aiming to use you..." "To start a conflict with that group of people so that you could take the opportunity to slip away?" Chen Nuo turned and looked at the girl named Fang Lin. She wasn’t particularly beautiful, just above average, but she knew how to dress up. It was just the nightclub style of makeup that Chen Nuo didn’t really like. In order to prevent Li Qingshan from causing more trouble, Chen Nuo had declined Lao Qi’s offer to drive them. Instead, he had brought the girl downstairs, hailed a taxi to accompany them, and offered to drop the girl off at her home on the way. "You’re quite skilled! Are you also mixed up with Li Qingshan?" Fang Lin seemed a bit excited. Chen Nuo looked at the girl and frowned. "I heard your family doesn’t like Li Qingshan very much. Why are you so close to him?" Fang Lin said nonchalantly, "Because he’s rich!" Chen Nuo was speechless. "When my dad died, I was only one year old. I don’t even remember what he looked like. "My grandma and my mom both hate Li Qingshan. They say my dad died on a business trip down south with him. "Li Qingshan came back and quickly made his business prosper, becoming wealthy. "We never even saw my dad’s body. "Of course, my grandma and my mom wouldn’t show him any kindness." "Having a rich and powerful uncle is always beneficial, right?" Fang Lin chuckled slyly. "I’m a young girl, and my family isn’t that wealthy. "In my opinion, my mom and grandma are just too stubborn. It’s been so many years since my dad died, and it wasn’t Li Qingshan who killed him. "He even came over to visit, but they drove him away. "Isn’t it good to have one more wealthy and powerful friend? "I’m not that foolish. "Li Qingshan treats me quite well. Every time I go to see him, he is willing to meet me and cares about me. "There were also a couple of times I got into some minor trouble outside, and it was Li Qingshan who sent people to take care of it for me." Chen Nuo’s brow furrowed. The unabashedly pragmatic and materialistic attitude exhibited by the girl didn’t please him. "How old are you?" Chen Nuo asked. "B-cup!" Fang Lin laughed heartily. Chen Nuo’s expression hardened. After staring at Chen Nuo for a moment, Fang Lin shook her head and sighed, "Alright, alright, I’m nineteen." Chen Nuo frowned. "How do you know Zhou Kai? And the girl from tonight?" "Zhou Kai’s a friend of mine, and that girl was a middle school classmate of mine." "That’s not right, is it? That girl is from our school’s international section, a freshman, only seventeen years old. And you’re already nineteen." "I got held back in primary and middle school," Fang Lin blurted nonchalantly. Well... quite proud of it? Chen Nuo inwardly shook his head again. A little while ago at Li Qingshan’s place, Li Qingshan agreed to let her go and made up some unrelated excuse to resolve the issue of calling Fang Lin so late. This girl obviously hadn’t bothered to think about the suspicious aspects of that. Before leaving, Li Qingshan also gave her some spending money, which made the girl beam with joy, warmly calling out "Thank you, Uncle Li" several times on the spot. Fang Lin’s home was in an average neighborhood. It was slightly better than the neighborhood where Chen Nuo lived, but it was far from high-end. The taxi dropped her off at the neighborhood entrance, and Chen Nuo once again declined Fang Lin’s offer to exchange phone numbers. This girl was hitting on him—blatantly and unapologetically at that. Chen Nuo felt a bit annoyed with such materialistic realism and a hint of promiscuity in her words and deeds. When the taxi stopped, Fang Lin got out somewhat regretfully, then blew Chen Nuo a kiss before turning and walking into the neighborhood, her high heels clicking as she strutted in. Chen Nuo also got out of the taxi, paid the fare to the driver, and quietly entered the neighborhood. A few minutes later, Chen Nuo stood on the roof of the building where Fang Lin’s apartment was located. Fang Lin lived on the top floor, apartment 601. Sitting on the rooftop, Chen Nuo could clearly hear the sounds coming from the apartment. "Why are you back so late..." "Ah, I was out playing with friends!" "Every day, all you know is to have fun! You’ve graduated high school and still won’t go out to look for a job!" "Work’s deadly! I want to play a little longer!" "Or you could come with me to..." "I’m not going to keep you company and sell clothes, the mall is boring as hell." "Anyway, drop it! I’m going to sleep! I drank a lot, my head is spinning..." Then came a resigned sigh from a middle-aged woman. Chen Nuo sat on the rooftop, heard this, and slowly frowned. His spiritual power slowly released, quickly covering the entire residential area around him. After a thorough search with his concentrated mind, Chen Nuo swiftly retracted his spiritual power. He could confirm that there was no one suspicious lurking or guarding nearby. In this small community, there were a total of 607 people. At this moment, 546 were asleep. Those who were awake had all been checked by Chen Nuo’s spiritual power; they were all ordinary residents of the community. He then waited on the rooftop for a good half an hour more. During that time, the streets surrounding him had seen a total of thirty-one passersby. Not a single one was suspicious. So this mother and daughter, they really have no one looking after them... That "Second Brother," does he really not care about his family in Jinling at all? He captured Hall Master Li’s son, but is utterly indifferent about his own wife and daughter, as if he doesn’t care at all about Li Qingshan retaliating? After sitting for a bit longer, Chen Nuo slowly stood up and went home. By the time Chen Nuo entered the gate of his own community, it was already the early morning hours. The pathways inside were deserted, with only the occasional hum of air conditioning units from the residents’ homes breaking the silence. On the road, stray cats from the nearby area would occasionally dart across. On the opposite building’s rooftop, a small figure lay prone, holding binoculars with night vision, intently watching Chen Nuo’s figure. "Getting home in the middle of the night! He must have been out messing around!" Yu Naitang gently played with her white hair and pursed her lips. "Looks like he really is a scumbag." Suddenly, Yu Naitang’s heart skipped a beat! Chen Nuo, just as he was about to enter the building, seemed to sense something. He abruptly turned around, and his gaze sharply swept towards the exact location of the rooftop where she was! "?!?!" Little Candy was shocked! Chen Nuo’s form suddenly flashed on the spot, and then he was airborne, flying right over! His feet landed on the rooftop, and his cold gaze swept across... The rooftop was empty, not a sign of anything unusual. Chen Nuo furrowed his brow, released his spiritual power again, and after a quick search, shook his head and withdrew his power. Could I have been mistaken? I clearly felt someone was spying... Chen Nuo shook his head, leaped into the air, and flew directly to his own building’s rooftop, then plunged into his balcony and went back to his room... On the rooftop where he had been standing, a gentle night breeze swept through the southeast corner. Gradually, a figure emerged. Little Candy’s face was a picture of nervousness. Her mouth was covered by a slender palm, and her body was also embraced. Behind her, a graceful figure clung to the back of the little loli, with tips of seaweed-like hair brushing the little loli’s face, making Little Candy want to sneeze uncontrollably. Twisting her head nervously, she looked at the woman in front of her. "Um... how did you know I was here?" Lu Xixi didn’t speak. "I used a fake passport. How could you track my flight and know I came to Huaxia?" the nine-year-old loli asked curiously. Lu Xixi heaved a sigh, her voice distant. "I obviously can’t find you with the fake passport you used. "But, you self-proclaimed clever little fool. "You left your real passport at home and didn’t take it with you! "So, I knew you must have snuck out behind my back to cause trouble. "Causing trouble and doing it behind my back... "If I couldn’t guess where you’d gone, I’d be an idiot." By the time Lu Xixi finished speaking, her hand had already slowly moved to the nine-year-old loli’s head, gently caressing her hair. Seeing that her teacher didn’t seem angry with her, Little Candy relaxed and asked, "What about your husband..." "Hmm?!" Lu Xixi’s eyes narrowed. "Cough, I mean, your child’s father..." Little Candy corrected herself. "...Alright, that scumbag, he seems quite formidable, huh! He could actually detect my spying just now." "He... is indeed quite formidable," Lu Xixi uttered through gritted teeth, her tone complex. Gazing across to the window of the room opposite... Lu Xixi’s eyes held a mix of love and hatred... "Teacher! Since you’re here too, let’s find him together! "He’s consumed everything from you, he better not deny it!!" Little Candy whispered excitedly. Lu Xixi cast a glance at the genius little loli but turned her head, sighing softly. "Stop it... Let’s go home~" Even if they were to go home, there were no flights in the middle of the night. After taking the mischievous little loli back to the hotel to rest for a few hours, Yu Naitang, under Lu Xixi’s stern warning, seemingly gave up on her plans to cause trouble that morning. "The plane doesn’t leave until the afternoon! "We still have half a day. Can we just wander around a bit? "The thing I ate last time, what’s it called... crawfish! Yes, crawfish! "I remember it being really delicious!! "Lu Xixi, can you take me to eat crawfish? "The next time we come here, who knows when that will be. "Please, take me to eat just once!!" After being nagged by her smartest disciple for half an hour, Lu Xixi sighed and nodded her head. After asking the hotel receptionist, they learned there was a famous local crawfish restaurant just down the street from the hotel. It was only a few hundred meters away, so the master and disciple decided to walk there. When they reached the corner, Little Candy suddenly felt a whim upon seeing a nearby cake and dessert shop and pulled Lu Xixi inside. "Buy me some cream puffs! I just suddenly feel like having some!" Little Candy smiled and then suddenly said, "Oh, Lu Xixi, let me tell you something fun. "When I first arrived in Jinling, I met a really strange kid. "He’s a foreigner, pretty ordinary-looking, but he has this smart vibe, with bright eyes... and... "I thought at the time, he seemed like a good fit to be tricked into becoming your disciple!!" As she spoke, Yu Naitang realized that Lu Xixi seemed a little distracted. Looking up, she saw Lu Xixi’s beautiful eyes narrowing, her expression solemn, looking intently ahead! From the dessert shop, a little boy emerged holding a packet of cookies. Spotting Lu Xixi and Yu Naitang, he smiled and waved at them. The little boy walked over with a smile. Little Candy was taken aback and laughed. "Ah, that’s him, that’s him! See, isn’t he an interesting person! His eyes are so bright!!" As Yu Naitang spoke and took a large step towards him, Lu Xixi suddenly grabbed her firmly! Lu Xixi even stepped forward, shielding her disciple with her own body. She took a deep breath and stared intently at the little boy! "Wow!" The little boy’s eyes lit up. All of a sudden, Lu Xixi seemed to hear a voice in her ears—or, to be exact, it was as if it resonated directly in her mind. "A breakthrough in sight? The lady who is about to break the barrier. "You can actually sense my power? "You are the most powerful human I have ever met. "Hmm... compared to the last time we met, you seem to have improved!" Lu Xixi’s face changed, her gaze fixed on the little boy. "Hey! We meet again." Little Candy struggled to squeeze out from behind Lu Xixi and greeted the little boy, "Seed, right? I remember your name. What are you doing here?" "I’m waiting for someone, just buying some goodies to eat," the little boy said with an innocuous smile, shaking the package in his hand. "Want a piece?" "Dry and hard stuff, I don’t like it," Little Candy, completely unaware of her teacher’s anomaly, shook her head. "I really don’t get why you like cookies so much." As she spoke, Little Candy pointed at Lu Xixi and said, "Let me introduce you, this is my teacher." The little boy smiled at Lu Xixi. Lu Xixi kept a calm face, reluctantly nodding slightly, but while one hand held her disciple’s, the other was behind her back, slowly clenching into a fist. "Teacher, I’m going to buy the cream puffs. Wait for me, okay?" Little Candy was about to head to the counter when she was unexpectedly held tightly by Lu Xixi. She looked back at her teacher with confusion. "Teacher?" Well, when outsiders were present, Little Candy generally showed the Star Sky Empress respect and wouldn’t call her by her name directly. Lu Xixi exhaled softly, releasing her grip, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. "Sure, go ahead..." After saying this, she followed for two steps, then positioned herself between her disciple, who had run to queue at the counter, and the little boy. "You don’t have to be so guarded against me." The little boy shrugged, taking a cookie to bite. "You mentioned, the last time we met?" "Ah, don’t worry about those things." The little boy smiled and then whispered, "I was just curious, so I came to take a look... I sensed a very powerful force in this city, so I came to find out who it was. "If it’s you... it’s both a surprise and expected." With that, the boy shook his head, looking somewhat regretful. "Were you... waiting for me on purpose?" Lu Xixi frowned. "Who are you?" The little boy laughed, then waved his hand dismissively at Lu Xixi. "Alright, let’s meet again some other time. It shouldn’t be too long..." Having said his piece, he looked as if he were about to leave. But suddenly he seemed to remember something. After staring at Lu Xixi for two seconds as if with some regret, he shook his head. He pointed at Lu Xixi with his finger. "Your power is already too strong... "Don’t continue to grow stronger... Having said this, the little boy waved his hand and walked out of the shop with ease, soon disappearing into the street. Lu Xixi stood where she was, only now slowly exhaling a breath. On her forehead, a drop of cold sweat slowly fell to the ground! Suffocating! It was too suffocating! Just now, when that guy stood before her, that vast, surging, sea-like energy... Lu Xixi had a vague feeling that this guy was not just powerful... not just a little more powerful than herself... but, in all aspects, on a level far above her own! Little Candy came over with a pack of cream puffs, looking regretfully towards the doorway. "It’s a shame... I thought he was quite interesting. He looked smart too. I wanted to ask if you wanted to take on a disciple." Lu Xixi didn’t speak but gave a wry smile... I certainly don’t want to take on a disciple I can’t even beat myself... ACHOO! ACHOO! ACHOO! Wu Daodao sneezed three times in a row. He looked up at the three disciples kneeling before him. "Do you know what you did wrong?" The three children didn’t speak. "Master," Situ Beixuan (AKA Erya) spoke up, "Madam is about to leave. If you’re going to punish us, Master, please do it quickly. Once she’s gone, she won’t be here to help you, and you’ll never catch us." "I..." Wu Daodao sighed, slowly stood up, and with a helpless wave of his hand said, "Alright, alright, scatter! Go do whatever you need to do!" Ignoring his three disciples, he turned and walked to the entrance of the hall, glancing at the fourth disciple who was writing carefully... Hmm, the fourth one is obedient indeed... Wu Daodao approached and looked down, his face falling immediately. The paper was full of turtles drawn on it. "You... I told you to write lines as punishment, write your master’s name three hundred times, not to draw turtles!!" The fourth disciple looked up, blinked at Wu Daodao, and then sniffed. "...Never mind, whatever." Wu Daodao suddenly felt mentally exhausted, waved his hand, and went inside. He bowed to the ancestral tablet of the founding master. When Wu Daodao looked up, his gaze fell upon the incense burner below the tablet, and his expression changed drastically! He turned his head and bellowed, "Which one of you messed with the ’Life Incense’ offered to the founding master!! You idiots!!!" A head peeked in from outside, belonging to Situ Beixuan. The young girl seriously said, "Master, we might be mischievous, but we would never touch the Life Incense! Madam had also instructed us; we must not touch the Life Incense. "It is the lifeblood of our sect’s fortune; only the Sect Leader is allowed to perform the rites and offer incense to the founding master." "You really didn’t touch it?" Wu Daodao asked through clenched teeth. Situ Beixuan rolled her eyes. "We really didn’t." After speaking, the young girl turned and ran off like a wisp of smoke, and the courtyard soon echoed with the sounds of disciples frolicking and chasing each other. In the room, Wu Daodao stood there, ashen-faced, staring deathly at the incense burner! In the incense burner, five red incense sticks made from an unknown material were slowly burning away... But strangely, the lengths were odd! Three were long, but two seemed to have burned faster, much shorter than the others. Wu Daodao’s lips quivered. "Three long and two short... an extremely ominous sign!"