Zhang Meng's Adoration

Xu Qian, with his masterful "Cleaning Swordplay," had successfully stirred up a hygiene storm on the lowest level of the Heavenly Prison, earning high praise from his direct superior, Zhou Kang, for being "dedicated to his job." The matter quickly spread among the Guards in Zone D.

Most people's reaction was: "Is this kid an idiot? In a hellhole like the Heavenly Prison, who are you cleaning for? Wouldn't it be better to rest with all that energy?"

But there were always exceptions.

This exception was Zhang Meng.

In Zhang Meng's simple and chivalrous mind, Xu Qian's image, after a series of events (subduing Scarface Li, providing a clever rat-extermination method, "luckily" surviving a suspected assassin attack, and now this dazzling cleaning achievement), had become incredibly tall, mysterious, and... charismatic.

Now, when he looked at Xu Qian, everything about him seemed pleasing. Even Xu Qian's seemingly casual and relaxed walking posture, in his eyes, exuded a profound, effortless master's demeanor!

One day, the two were returning to their dormitory after their shift. Xu Qian, having just given a flight of stairs a "deep clean" with a bit of Sword Qi, was in a good mood. His steps were unconsciously lighter than usual, carrying an indescribable rhythm.

Zhang Meng followed behind him, his bull-like eyes wide, watching with rapt attention.

Look! Look at Brother Qian's steps! Seemingly casual, but secretly in harmony with the Dao! Every step is so steady, so full of charm! No wonder he's so good at sweeping! Zhang Meng cheered wildly in his heart for Xu Qian.

The more he watched, the more he felt the profound principles contained within the walking posture. He couldn't help but start imitating it. He tried to mimic Xu Qian, relaxing his shoulders slightly, lightening his steps, attempting to find that feeling of "effortless mastery."

However, he was already tall and sturdy, usually walking with a powerful stride. Forcing himself to change his posture suddenly made him look incredibly awkward. He moved like he was sneaking to steal mines, tiptoeing, his feet and legs moving stiffly, nearly tripping himself.

Xu Qian walked along, sensing something unusual behind him. He turned to look and saw Zhang Meng following him in an extremely contorted and awkward posture, a look of serious concentration on his face.

Xu Qian: "???"

"Mengzi, what... what are you doing? Did you pull your back?" Xu Qian asked, utterly confused.

Zhang Meng, seeing he'd been discovered, wasn't embarrassed. Instead, he leaned forward, scratching his head, and chuckled foolishly, "Brother Qian, the way you walk has a real... a real... vibe! I wanted to learn it!"

Xu Qian's lips twitched. Seeing Zhang Meng's frame, which was a whole size larger than his own, trying to imitate his "lazy style" of walking, he found it visually painful.

I was just in a good mood and walking casually, big brother! Your imagination is too wild! he complained internally.

"Ahem," Xu Qian coughed lightly and patted Zhang Meng's sturdy arm. "Mengzi, everyone walks differently. You don't need to copy me. Your Dragon-walking Tiger-stepping is quite good; it has presence!"

"Really?" Zhang Meng asked, skeptical, but he obediently returned to his original gait and immediately felt much more comfortable. However, he still firmly believed that Brother Qian's walking definitely held some hidden secrets, and he just lacked the insight to learn it properly.

Back at the dormitory, Zhang Meng transformed into a considerate little padded jacket (the burly version), rushing to fetch water for Xu Qian to wash his face and even shoving a piece of jerky he'd been saving into Xu Qian's hand.

"Brother Qian, you worked hard cleaning today. Replenish yourself!"

Xu Qian couldn't refuse and accepted it, feeling both amused and warmed. In this cold Heavenly Prison, having a brother with such a simple mind and genuine care for him felt truly good.

"Brother Qian," Zhang Meng leaned in, lowering his voice, his expression full of mystery, "I think you're definitely not an ordinary person!"

Xu Qian's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm. "Oh? How am I not an ordinary person?"

"Look!" Zhang Meng counted on his fingers. "You can fight (referring to the Scarface Li incident), you're knowledgeable (referring to rat extermination), you're lucky (referring to the assassin attack), and now even your sweeping is ten times better than others! Can an ordinary person do all that?"

Xu Qian: "..." He couldn't refute it.

Zhang Meng became more excited, his eyes shining. "I think you're like those characters in storybooks, you know... a Hidden Master! Deliberately pretending to be ordinary, tempering yourself in the mortal world! Right?"

Xu Qian looked at Zhang Meng's eyes, full of longing and admiration. He couldn't bear to shatter his fantasy, so he just chuckled vaguely, "What Hidden Master? I'm just an ordinary guard, trying to live a more comfortable life."

His "modest" attitude, in Zhang Meng's eyes, only solidified his "master's demeanor"!

See! Brother Qian is so low-key! He's clearly so powerful, yet so humble! This is what a true master is like! Zhang Meng's admiration for Xu Qian flowed like a mighty river, ceaseless.

From that day on, Zhang Meng completely became Xu Qian's "number one fan" and "loyal follower." If Xu Qian said to go east, he wouldn't go west; if Xu Qian said to chase a dog, he wouldn't catch a chicken. Although he occasionally caused a few jokes due to his overactive imagination, his presence genuinely saved Xu Qian a lot of trouble. At the very least, with Zhang Meng as a shield, virtually no one in Zone D dared to openly pick on Xu Qian.