Only things earned through hard work were truly cherished, and money was no different.
All of Lu Li's money came from the gangs. It was practically free, with none of the hard work and saving that usually went into building up a fortune.
So he spent it without a second thought, transferring 150,000 dollars into Qian Ping's account without batting an eye.
Qian Ping had no more doubts. Convinced that Lu Hongbing was doing well, he immediately sent a WeChat message:
[It's been years. Let's find a chance to get together.]
Seeing those warm words, Lu Li sighed with a feeling of deep nostalgia.
After that, he went to UPS International Express to mail the Calming Incense.
He paid 200 dollars for the most expensive delivery service. The company would send it by air and deliver it safely to Xia Country within three days.
Now all he had to do was wait.
Lu Li put his worries aside and took Jessica to an amusement park.
Jessica excitedly looked all around. It was Lu Li's first time there, too, and he was just as curious.
The two of them got on a roller coaster. When the safety bar came down, Lu Li was still a little excited.
But once the roller coaster started up and sped along with a roar, he began to get bored.
No matter how the thing plunged and flipped, or how suddenly it accelerated and dropped, it couldn't thrill him in the slightest.
Lu Li remained expressionless throughout, as if he were riding a bus.
They tried the drop tower afterward, and he felt just as little.
All around him, people shrieked in terror. Lu Li alone sat there with a calm expression...
The powerful mind he'd gained through Spirit Refinement, along with the killing he'd experienced, made him completely immune to thrills of this level.
Jessica, on the other hand, was having a wonderful time.
After trying every thrilling ride, she retrieved the photos taken by the park's camera equipment and exclaimed:
"Wow, you weren't scared at all! That's amazing!"
Lu Li's photos could have passed for an ID picture.
Looking at his own calm expression, he suddenly laughed. "Thanks to you, I can say I've been to an amusement park now."
After enjoying themselves to their hearts' content, the two had a delicious barbecue dinner before heading home.
Jessica had had a delightful day. She skipped along as she walked, humming a little tune.
The mixed-race girl was already beautiful, and now she was smiling brightly, making her look all the more charming and radiant. Passersby kept glancing her way.
Just then, several girls in school uniforms passed by.
Most schools had already begun preparing to reopen.
Jessica suddenly said, "Lu Li, you don't have much money left, do you? Maybe I shouldn't go to school. Tuition is so expensive."
"No!" Lu Li replied bluntly. "You have to go, and I'll send you to the best private school."
Jessica pouted and fell silent.
Lu Li, too, began thinking about how to make money.
Resell antiques? Jade? Precious metals?
With a portal between two worlds, there were plenty of ways to make money. They'd just take up some of his time and energy.
But just then, Jessica suddenly ducked behind Lu Li.
"C-can we take another street...?"
He looked up and saw that they were passing the Light nightclub.
The girl had been imprisoned there for many days, and the experience had left an indelible shadow in her mind.
Taking another route was actually the worst option. The more you ran away, the more timid you became!
"Someone once said the best way to overcome fear is to face it. Come on, I'll go with you."
Lu Li took Jessica's hand and walked calmly past the nightclub.
Even after a murder had taken place, the club was still brightly lit, with several rows of tattooed men standing outside to keep order.
"Business seems to be booming," Lu Li remarked thoughtfully.
But when Jessica saw the men, her pretty face instantly turned deathly pale, and her whole body began to tremble.
Lu Li frowned. This could already be called post-traumatic stress disorder.
The girl had stayed at home ever since it happened, so he hadn't noticed.
And people often got exactly what they feared. All of a sudden, four tattooed men rushed over and surrounded them.
One of them said coldly, "Pierre wants to see you."
Jessica looked at Lu Li in terror. They hadn't brought any weapons with them when they went out!
Lu Li smiled warmly, his eyes seeming to hold a universe of stars. "Don't be afraid. I'll protect you."
At that moment, Jessica's pounding heart slowly began to settle.
When they entered the nightclub, there was now a metal detector at the door.
It seemed even being slaughtered once had brought about a few changes.
When they arrived at the office on the third floor, they found that the place had been renovated. The safe, however, was still sitting on the desk.
After they were scanned again with a handheld metal detector, Lu Li and Jessica were finally allowed inside.
"Your security's a lot better than the last guy's."
After making his assessment, Lu Li met the current owner of the place—Pierre.
The man looked strange. He had not a hair on his head, and a Chinese character was tattooed on his neck: "Fate."
"Hey, Chinese guy! This is my favorite tattoo. I got it from a Chinese tattoo artist. He said it meant 'grasping fate by the throat'!"
Pierre and his men stared at Lu Li with mocking smiles. Their gazes were cruel and amused, their malice utterly undisguised.
Lu Li looked around. There were nine of them. "Good evening, gentlemen. What can I do for you?"
At that, the group burst into laughter.
Pierre sat in the boss's chair and watched Lu Li with his eyebrowless eyes, sneering.
"I just took over this place, and I need to get the business booming. I want your woman to work here."
Lu Li remained calm. "And if I say no?"
Pierre took out a butterfly knife and scraped at his fingernails. "Then I'm afraid we'll have to take turns with this little slut right in front of you."
He stared at Lu Li with keen interest. "I'm curious. Will your face still be this calm afterward?"
Laughter rang out all around them. In their eyes, Lu Li was unarmed and already a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
But Lu Li stared at the safe on the desk and asked, "Is the combination still 911911?"
Pierre's expression changed. "How do you know...?"
He sensed something was wrong and hurriedly reached for the gun at his waist. One of his quicker men reached for his gun, too...
But at that very moment, Lu Li entered Meditative Entry and glanced at the butterfly knife in Pierre's hand.
The knife shot through the air and plunged into the eye socket of a thug who had been the first to reach for his gun.
He was the fastest to react—and the first to die.
Lu Li beckoned again. Caught off guard, Pierre's gun flew out of his hand and into Lu Li's.
"An Uzi?"
The guy's weapon was none other than the famous Uzi submachine gun.
"Interesting."
As the group's faces slowly filled with shock, Lu Li pulled the trigger.
A thug with a cross hanging around his neck was hit by ten bullets in an instant. He fell dead, spurting blood.
Lu Li swept the gun across them. Three more men were riddled with bullets and collapsed to the floor.
This thing fired so fast that all 25 rounds were gone in the blink of an eye.
Only three enemies still had any chance to fight back.
At 0.6 times normal speed, they moved in slow motion as they reached for their guns. The fastest one had already begun raising his muzzle.
Lu Li's eyes narrowed as he looked at the man's chin.
With a crack, the man's head twisted 180 degrees to face behind him. Telekinesis had snapped his neck!
At the same time, Lu Li looked at the second enemy who had drawn his gun.
The man was using his thumb to flip off the safety when the gun suddenly flew from his hand and landed in Lu Li's.
"Another M1911. You seem to like this gun."
Lu Li raised his hand and fired twice. From six meters away, both shots hit their targets dead on. Blood-red brains sprayed across the ceiling.
In less than five seconds, only Pierre remained, sitting in the boss's chair with an expression of utter disbelief!
Lu Li looked at the "Fate" tattoo on the man's neck and said:
"Didn't anyone tell you that it means your life's at its end?"
Before you continue