The World Is So Small (continued)

"Long time no see, old classmate."

Upon meeting, the other party gave Yao Bilian a big hug.

"Wow, is it really necessary to be so enthusiastic? You've never been this close to me before. Are you trying to rekindle our old flame?"

"Haha, after living abroad for so long, I've gotten used to it. The customs and culture there are different from ours; they're more direct and less subtle."

"You seem stronger than before, all hard and stiff. They don't feel as comfortable to touch as they used to. Did you even develop muscles in your chest?"

Yao Bilian made a move to grope her breasts, but the other party easily dodged it.

"You're still the same as ever, even taking advantage of other women," the woman sighed helplessly. "This is my livelihood. My martial arts style relies on great strength and powerful, heavy-handed moves. Before advancing to the Nascent Spirit Transformation, my body will inevitably become stronger and stronger. But you, after graduating for so long, your cultivation seems to have not improved at all; in fact, it has regressed quite a bit. It seems you're leading a very decadent life."

Yao Bilian waved her hand and said, "I'm not like martial arts fanatics like you. I have no interest in martial arts. My attitude towards life is to be carefree and take things as they come. Please spare me the idea of rigorous training. Life is about living it comfortably and enjoying youth to the fullest so that I won't have any regrets when I'm old."

"It's a pity. In terms of talent, you are still above me. Back then, you were the only one in the class who never attended martial arts self-study sessions and often skipped classes to sleep in your room. Even so, you still ranked among the top students in the grade. The instructors also felt it was a pity. They thought that if you could have trained hard, you might have been able to break through to the Spirit Transformation in the future."

"Everyone has their own ambitions, and these things can't be forced. Besides, those old guys always use this kind of talk to lure anyone with a bit of talent. But breaking through to the Spirit Transformation isn't so easy. Didn't someone do a survey? The appearance rate of Spirit Transformation expert is about 1.1 per year. What does that mean?"

If you break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm, no one else in the entire country will be able to do so this year. Only one person in each age group can achieve the Spirit Transformation. Even the top scorer in the national exams isn't that impressive. Although I consider myself to have some talent, I don't think I can reach that level. So, I should face reality, give up unrealistic dreams, and live a life of luxury and indulgence in a down-to-earth manner.

The woman chuckled and said, "A life of extravagance and debauchery is not a stable life, and as the head of a hospital, it seems inappropriate to say such things; it might discourage young people from pursuing their dreams."

She turned her gaze to Si Ming and the others, and Yao Bilian took the opportunity to introduce them, finally introducing her classmates who were responsible for the orphanage.

"This is my college classmate, roommate, and best friend, a true martial arts fanatic, Lin Qingtong."

Lin Qingtong rolled her eyes. "Can't you survive without telling dirty jokes?"

Yao Bilian exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, after a few years of navigating the social world, you're really different! You can even pick up on the veiled risqué jokes now, something you never used to understand."

"If someone else said the same thing, I definitely wouldn't think of this aspect, but when it's you, I can't help but think about it more deeply, and I need to quickly realize what kind of impression I'm giving others."

Lin Qingtong glanced at Si Ming and the others present, then added, "Don't corrupt the child. I thought that now that you've become an educator, you'd be more restrained, but I didn't expect that old habits die hard."

Yao Bilian curled her lip. "Tch, young people these days are much more corrupt than we were. Who knows who's corrupting whom! Social atmosphere always changes from strict prohibition to leniency with economic development, and people's thoughts will also change from a clear stream to a mudslide. In the future, maybe even elementary school students will have to think things through when they sharpen a pencil with a pencil sharpener."

It's clear that the two have a really good relationship; they're chatting away quite animatedly.

Of course, it also has to do with their personalities. They are both outgoing and easygoing, so they speak without any reservations and can chat about anything and everything. If they were two quiet and reserved people, no matter how good their relationship was, they would at most talk about which dishes were the best.

As Lu Mao served the dishes one by one, Lin Qingtong exclaimed, "This is bear paw, right? And this is monkey brain, right? These are incredibly expensive and famous dishes. I really feel bad that you've gone to so much trouble."

Yao Bilian, exhausted after a long day, had been waiting for this chance to show off, and immediately declared with great bravado, "It's nothing. Compared to our friendship, this little bit of money is nothing."

"I almost forgot, you have a large travel goods company behind you, so you're probably not short of money," Lin Qingtong said enviously. "Your job is easy, you have a lot of free time every day, and you can do whatever you want. As the director of an orphanage, you're both an educator and a philanthropist, which is quite prestigious. It's truly enviable!"

"Haha, not at all, not at all, please excuse my smugness." Yao Bilian's face lit up with joy, and a sense of pride almost burst forth.

Si Ming suddenly realized that Lin Qingtong might not be as rough as she appeared. With just a few words, she could make Yao Bilian forget herself. This was not something a "naive and innocent" person could do. It was like Granny Liu strolling through a garden. Others treated her like a monkey, but she treated them like rich people.

However, there's no need to expose this. Yao Bilian isn't stupid, and it wouldn't be easy to take advantage of her. Women seem to have a talent for using their looks to bewitch others.

Perhaps to maintain her image, or perhaps it was just her nature, Lin Qingtong ate heartily at the table. Her wild eating style exuded a strong military vibe. High-end ingredients tasted no different from cafeteria food to her, giving Si Ming, who knew the price of the ingredients, a heartbreaking feeling of chewing on a peony.

"Phew, I'm so full! Home-cooked food is the best! I've been eating out for so long, I can't even remember what good food tastes like anymore."

Lin Qingtong patted her stomach with satisfaction. She had eaten seven bowls of rice, and only put down her chopsticks reluctantly because all the food on the table was gone. Therefore, Si Ming suspected that her saying "I'm full" was just a polite expression.

Yao Bilian looked at the messy table and was speechless. It was true that martial artists generally had a large appetite, but those who were gluttonous were extremely rare.

"So you came here specifically to fill your stomach? What kind of mistreatment have you suffered out there? You look like you haven't had a proper meal in years! I did hear you went abroad. Which country did you go to?"

"Russia, don't even mention it. It's a chaotic place. There are gang fights every day, even in the big cities. There's a brawl every three days, a shootout every five days, and small group conflicts happen every day too. The government even set up a special morgue patrol department. They get up early every morning to patrol and find the bodies that have died in the alleys to cremate. You tell me, in such a living environment, it's really not an easy thing to get a decent meal."

Yao Bilian said with relief, "Russia, huh? It's the territory of the Eclectic School, the Liu School, Xiang Family. The security has always been terrible, which is understandable. None of these families have the ability to Li State order. But what are you going to Russia for?"

"What else can you do in Russia? Be a double-flower red stick for the mafia, of course. If the most promising thing in Li State is to be an official, and the most promising thing in your own country is to be Mohist Knight Guard in the Russia martial arts world), then the most promising thing in Russia is to be a gang member. There are gangs everywhere in Russia. Among ten households on a street, there might be members from five different gangs."

Lin Qingtong began to recount her years in the underworld, filled with bloodshed and violence, with drugs and casinos appearing frequently, but without any mention of prostitution, presumably because she wasn't interested in those things. Just as Yao Bilian had described her, she was a pure martial arts fanatic.

Because the story was too violent and unsuitable for children, Murong Qing forbade her younger brother from listening in and sent him back to his room to study. The others gradually dispersed as well, so as not to disturb the old classmates from catching up.

Si Ming returned to his room, took off his clothes, and entered a state of returning to simplicity. He turned on the sun lamp and continued to cultivate the "Blazing Yang Battle Art." There was no bottleneck in the Internal Cultivation from level five to level six; it was just a matter of accumulating experience. Recently, he had already felt that he had reached the threshold. Having made up his mind, he decided not to sleep for the next few days and to cultivate his Internal Cultivation all night long. In any case, there was no danger of Qi Deviation with the "Blazing Yang Battle Art."

Cultivating Internal Cultivation can significantly shorten sleep time. After reaching level five, it's okay not to sleep at all. However, long-standing habits are not easy to change, and they can bring a certain amount of mental stress. Therefore, unless you are a martial arts fanatic, most people wouldn't be so harsh on themselves.

After the clock struck twelve, all was quiet.

A knock on the door pulled Si Ming out of his reverie. He quickly reached for his pajamas, put them on, and turned off the artificial sun lamp.

"Who could it be at this time? The Murong siblings wouldn't be out at this hour, Yao Bilian and Hongdou aren't the type to knock, Ying Zhou isn't home, and Lu Mao went to school after cooking. That leaves only Yu Shuying and the guest..."

Many thoughts flashed through Si Ming's mind in an instant. He made a guess and opened the door to find that the person standing outside was indeed Lin Qingtong, Yao Bilian's classmate.

"I'm sorry to bother you so late. It's not easy to wait for Yao Bilian to fall asleep."

"What do you need me for?"

"I'm here to deliver a message. The first stop for your trial with Yu Shuying has been decided: Russia. I'm your guide, responsible for arranging your identities and providing some assistance."

Si Ming was stunned for a moment. He had several guesses about Lin Qingtong's identity, but he never expected that it would be related to the matter of Grandmaster Candidate. Although it was not a state secret, only people in the industry would know it. Considering the other party's age, he thought of another possibility.

"Which senior of the Heaven's Will Palace are you a disciple of?"

Lin Qingtong praised, "You reacted very quickly, figuring this out right away. I'm 'Pig's' apprentice."

"So it's Senior Sister Lin. Aren't you going to participate in the trial yourself?"