Jinling City was always raining.
Unlike before,
today's rain carried a refreshing chill.
Lu Xuan walked along the streets wafting with the aroma of fireworks, letting the icy rain beat against his transparent raincoat as he slowly entered an Old Soldier Barbecue Restaurant.
"Boss, give me a serving of slime-paste-grilled kidney oysters."
"Coming right up!" The boss had just served the neighboring table. He pulled out a little notebook to write down the order, then turned around and handed Lu Xuan a bottle of drink with a smile.
"Please wait a moment!"
"Boss, has your restaurant upgraded its service?"
Lu Xuan was slightly surprised.
He had eaten at this restaurant countless times, but he had never seen the boss so generous.
Good grief, you've struck it rich and didn't call me?
The boss leaned closer to inspect Lu Xuan. Unable to recall which regular he was, he said apologetically, "Don't blame me for not recognizing you. Ever since a martial artist who was specially admitted to Jiangnan Martial University came from our neighborhood, people have been coming every day. The value of our neighborhood has risen, and quite a few people have bought houses at high prices just so their families might produce a genius!"
"How could we not upgrade our service?"
"Oh?"
Lu Xuan's hand paused slightly as he twisted open the bottle cap. "Then there must be quite a few big shots coming in and out of the neighborhood every day, right?"
"You bet!"
Pride surfaced on the boss's face. He pointed at the portraits on the wall and lifted his chin. "See those people? They're big shots from the Xu Family. And there are also martial masters from the Monster Potion Company. They often come eat at our restaurant..."
As expected...
Lu Xuan stared at the photos on the wall and casually opened the drink, gulping it down as he thought:
"That group has been keeping watch on the neighborhood."
"Perhaps they started getting suspicious when my little sister entered Jiangnan Martial University."
That was also why he had not dared to return home right away.
Whether it was the Pharmaceutical Company or the Xu Family,
a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. Their methods were varied, and tracing even the slightest clues was a piece of cake for them.
Especially last time,
when he had exposed his coordinates because of the locator.
They could never pass up a chance like that to find the culprit who had killed their direct descendants.
Fortunately,
before leaving, he had already erased all traces related to himself and his sister from the house.
"Go ahead and look."
Lu Xuan shook his head with a laugh. "The house is rented, anyway. Letting you waste your time here is fine by me."
The landlord had probably rented the place out long ago after seeing that he had not returned.
Thinking of this,
Lu Xuan asked, "Boss, do you know whether the house where that specially admitted martial artist used to live has been rented out yet?"
The boss wore an expression that said he had expected this. "I knew you wanted to rent it. Unfortunately, someone beat you to it."
"Oh? Who?"
"Seems to be a mother and daughter?"
A mother and daughter?
Lu Xuan silently committed that to memory.
"They should be ordinary people, right?"
For that reason, he released his Psychic Power and continually probed toward his former home.
Suddenly,
Lu Xuan narrowed his eyes. "Something's wrong. There's a problem with the people in that room!"
He quickly finished the oysters.
After paying the bill, he left at once.
Lu Xuan quickly made his way toward his former home.
It was not because he was angry that someone had rented out his house, but because he feared they might uncover some clues there.
Rumble--!
Under the thunderstorm,
Lu Xuan put on a black hooded cloak and approached "home" bit by bit.
He had not gone far.
His Mental Power detected a surge of energy fluctuations on his body, and he immediately stopped.
With quick hands and sharp eyes, he searched out the source of the energy fluctuations.
Clack~ A necklace fell out.
"Hm?"
Lu Xuan brought it closer. A blue, crystal-like necklace was reflected in his pupils, and his brows instantly drew together.
"The Holy Cult's token?"
That was right.
The thing emitting the energy fluctuations was the crystal necklace he had stripped from Jiang Xi back then.
According to Jiang Xi, it was a token of the Holy Cult.
It was emitting energy fluctuations now.
Could it be...
Lu Xuan raised his head and looked toward the location of "home."
Almost at the same moment,
a woman's silhouette appeared in the window, her gaze turning toward him.
"Interesting..."
Lu Xuan's mind raced, and he immediately understood the item's true purpose.
It was a mark of a Holy Cult follower's identity.
More importantly, it was the key to making contact.
With that thought,
Lu Xuan no longer acted cautiously.
He glanced at the woman in the window, then simply lifted his foot and walked into the building.
Three minutes later.
Knock, knock, knock!
Lu Xuan knocked on the door of "home," and a beautiful mature woman opened it for him.
The moment he saw the woman, his body stiffened slightly.
Shen Liyue!
"Not good!" Lu Xuan's aura fell into brief disarray, but quickly settled down again. I'm disguised now. She won't recognize me. Calm down...
He took a silent breath and was just about to speak.
Shen Liyue beat him to it and asked:
"Are you the person newly sent by the organization to pretend to be my husband?"
"..."
Pretend... to be her husband?
Lu Xuan felt as if a mosquito had flown into his brain, buzzing incessantly.
Was there something wrong with this Holy Cult?
Why did they always engage in this sort of role-playing?
Last time it was a teacher; this time it's a househusband.
I don't understand it, but I respect it.
But since he was already here,
he might as well see what the Holy Cult was up to.
After hesitating for an instant, he lowered his cloak, revealing a face around thirty years old, and smiled.
"Hello, my name is Xuan Lu."
"Come in!"
Shen Liyue ushered Lu Xuan inside.
Inside the house,
a girl of about fifteen sat upright.
When she saw him, the girl stood up and extended her hand with a smile. "My name is Xuan Xiaoxiao. I just chose this name based on you, 'Dad.' Does it sound nice?"
"...It's quite nice."
The corner of Lu Xuan's mouth twitched.
He had just turned eighteen and suddenly had a fifteen-year-old daughter.
The feeling of becoming a father out of nowhere made him feel as if a spider were crawling over his body—an itchy discomfort whose source he could not find.
The three of them sat facing one another.
Shen Liyue poured him a glass of water, folded her arms, and went straight to the point. "This mission is more important than the last one, so you must be even more careful in your actions. The Holy Cult realized one thing after our setup in Jinling City was uprooted last time: someone must enter the true core region of the Federation."
"So..."
Lu Xuan raised his cup and looked at Shen Liyue and Xuan Xiaoxiao, arching a brow.
"What plan do you two have?"
"They sent me here without telling me anything at all. They were probably afraid I would disrupt the plan, right?"
After saying that, he took a sip of water.
Shen Liyue and Xuan Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance and did not harbor much suspicion.
The Holy Cult was too secretive; its followers had not even met one another.
Therefore,
Shen Liyue said frankly:
"Have Xiaoxiao get into Jiangnan Martial University!"
"Pfft!"
Lu Xuan had not even swallowed the water before spitting it out.
He turned his head
and stared at the two women of different sizes in disbelief.
"Is there a problem?" Shen Liyue asked.
The problem is huge!
Although Lu Xuan did not understand the Holy Cult, he knew its style and methods.
Those lunatics specialized in digging out geniuses.
They dug out other people's foundations and planted them inside themselves.
If she entered Jiangnan Martial University, wouldn't countless people suffer?
That even included his own sister!
"What level is she?"
Lu Xuan pointed at Xuan Xiaoxiao.
Xuan Xiaoxiao pursed her lips. "A first-rank martial artist!"
"Are you practicing a Holy Cult Martial Art Manual?"
Lu Xuan asked again.
Shen Liyue shook her head. "No. She's practicing a Federation martial art. There won't be any problems."
"What about the two of us?"
"We'll enter Jiangnan Martial University together with her."
"..."
Enter Jiangnan Martial University?
Lu Xuan did not think their plan would work, because someone must have tried this method before.
They had simply failed.
And now they wanted him to go take the risk with them?
You've got to be kidding.
If I'd known, I wouldn't have come... Lu Xuan found himself in a bind. He regretted coming to see what these two were up to.
He could still withdraw now.
But then he would have to guard against the possibility that the two of them might target his little sister.
In that case, he would be in the open while the enemy remained in the shadows.
That would not do.
Now that he had encountered this opportunity, he could also keep watch on the Holy Cult's actions, trade the information for resources, and prevent his sister from being threatened.
His mind raced.
After weighing the pros and cons,
Lu Xuan gathered his thoughts and asked doubtfully, "Are you a hundred percent certain?"
Without absolute certainty, he would rather turn against them on the spot.
Shen Liyue nodded firmly. "The Holy Cult found us an ally this time. There absolutely won't be any mistakes."
"I hope so!"
In the end,
Lu Xuan decided to take a risk and go along with the two women.
If it didn't work out, he would simply reveal his identity.
Neither of those two people with no way back was afraid, so why should a man with a way back be afraid of a damn thing?
This was a decision he had reached after careful deliberation.
First, he could keep a close watch on the Holy Cult's movements and sell that intelligence to the Federation in exchange for cultivation resources;
second, he had nowhere to go anyway. He might as well stay by their side and enter Jiangnan Martial University, which would also let him keep an eye on his younger sister and family.
This move
would bring him a hundred benefits and no harm.
"Then let's do that."
Shen Liyue shook those two big white rabbits, her voice carrying a faintly magnetic quality. "Come sleep in my room tonight. A married couple should look like a married couple. Besides, we need to discuss what our life will be like from here on."
Before you continue