Martial Path Planning, Wen Li's Deep Affection, Wen Xue's Identity in Doubt

Luo Bin was slightly stunned, staring at this woman with snow-white cheeks and a soul-stealing gaze, suddenly understanding something...

He laughed and said, "Wife."

Then Luo Bin grabbed Sun Shuhua by the arm, pulled her behind him, gathered his strength, and threw another punch straight at the old Daoist Jia Yao!

His fist force was pushed to the extreme, unleashing eleven-tenths of his full power.

Boom! Jia Yao was forced back several steps.

Luo Bin didn't linger. Tearing off his disguise, he hugged Sun Shuhua and leaped down from the third floor, sprinting toward the convoy...

From the punch to the escape, it all happened in the blink of an eye. By the time Jia Yao blocked the unexpected blow, it was too late to stop him. All he could do was watch Luo Bin's retreating back, grinding his teeth in frustration.

"I thought I was already shameless enough... but this adulterous pair is even worse..."

Jia Yao walked over to the three men Luo Bin had beaten half to death on the ground, finished each off with a palm strike, looted their belongings clean, and then fled toward the mountain forest.

He hadn't run far before the bang-bang of mortar fire reached his ears.

"You little bastard, you're ruthless!"

Luo Bin carried Sun Shuhua back to the convoy. The latter stared at this young man who hadn't spoken a single honest word. Even though he'd said he was against the Sun Family, he'd still maneuvered through the chaos to rescue her.

She pressed herself against Luo Bin's chest, greedily inhaling the scorching heat radiating from the man's body. Remembering the coquettish "husband" she'd called out earlier, her tender cheeks flushed crimson. This was the first time she'd ever been held in a stranger's arms.

"Sister, are you alright!" Sun Jingyao rushed over excitedly. The hostility in his eyes had faded by about a third, but he still shot Luo Bin a vicious glare.

Chen Mansheng saw Luo Bin carrying a woman back, and her heart clenched. Her chest felt tight and uncomfortable, so she simply snorted coldly and turned her head away, refusing to look.

Luo Bin gave a rough account of the rescue details inside the building to everyone present, including the Sun Family members.

It stunned the crowd. This kid was strong, resourceful, and courageous—he'd even set aside the rift and prejudice between the two families at a critical moment to save the Sun Family Eldest Miss.

Sun Jingyao, though reluctant, cupped his hands and said, "Luo Bin, the Sun Family owes you a favor. But it's owed to you personally, not to the Chen Family."

"Relax. I only saved her because your Sun Family Miss is good-looking, not out of any respect for the Sun Family, so don't worry about it." Luo Bin smiled.

Sun Jingyao was "already crying from anger," his chest heaving, clearly furious at these words.

"You... Shuhua, let's go home."

"Wait, big brother. He saved me—I haven't even thanked him yet...

By the way, I'm Sun Shuhua. Thank you for not leaving me there...

And... thank you for saying I'm pretty!"

Sun Shuhua's eyes fixed on Luo Bin. Under the gentle sunlight, the young man seemed to glow.

Luo Bin waved his hand and tightened the buttons on his suit. "Just happened to be convenient."

Sun Jingyao couldn't stand it anymore. Suppressing his boiling rage, he grabbed Sun Shuhua's hand and led her back to the car. The Sun Family convoy slowly drove away...

Chen Tianren stepped forward with concern. "How are you? Any injuries?"

"Thanks for asking, Uncle Chen. Nothing serious. As for why A-Jing ended up in this situation today, we'll talk about it in detail when we get back." Luo Bin glanced around.

And so, under Luo Wendi's arrangements, the Chen Family convoy also began to move slowly. Luo Bin rode in the same car as Chen Tianren and Chen Mansheng, while Chen Jing remained unconscious beside them.

Twenty minutes later, everyone returned to the Chen Residence.

The main hall.

Almost every important figure in the Chen Family had gathered, along with a few hired Martial Masters at the peak of the Golden Skin Pass, standing respectfully to the side. Everyone's gaze was fixed on Luo Bin's face.

Waiting for this young man who had saved the Chen Family's young master from danger to speak.

Luo Bin took off his slightly tight suit jacket, revealing the crisp, broad white shirt beneath, stretched taut over his smooth, muscular frame. He took a sip of Lin'an Round Tea.

He looked at Chen Tianren. "The ones who made the move were the Pei Family. What I'm about to say might not be complete, but Uncle Chen can have the Black Sheath Gang brothers interrogate the two I caught...

They might know something important."

"As for what I know... the Pei Family has a Daoist named Jia Yao. He masters a strange art called 'Spirit Binding and General Commanding,' which can extract a person's soul for surveillance... but if the surveillance is too frequent, the target becomes drowsy..."

As soon as Luo Bin opened his mouth, Chen Mansheng's eyes locked onto him.

Her elder sister Chen Manqing had been acting very off lately, and she was also drowsy. What stood out most to Chen Mansheng was the last "River God Festival"—Chen Manqing had slept from the afternoon of the previous day almost until noon the next day...

At the time, everyone had dismissed this minor change as fatigue from Chen Manqing handling the relocation to avoid disaster, so no one thought much of her sleeping more.

But recently, Chen Manqing's sleeping habits at home had been completely abnormal...

Chen Mansheng gasped. "Could it be... sister?"

Luo Bin hadn't expected the Second Miss to react so quickly. He nodded in confirmation. "That's right. Based on the information I got and what I overheard in that rundown building, the Eldest Miss has indeed had a soul extracted... but A-Jing is fine. I arrived in time to stop the Daoist from completing the spell."

Chen Tianren, Luo Wendi, and even Ji Xuan all exclaimed at once, "What?!"

The latter had dealt and negotiated with various factions in Ping City for years, so he naturally knew about some of the capable people the Pei Family had recruited. He'd even heard of this Daoist named Jia Yao.

But the claim of extracting a soul was too shocking. He cut in and asked, "Young Master Luo, does having a soul extracted have any major effects? What should Manqing do from now on?"

Chen Tianren had the same question. Luo Bin explained briefly—it wasn't a big deal and wouldn't threaten her life—and everyone relaxed a little.

The reason Luo Bin had saved even Sun Shuhua today but hadn't pressed the old Daoist further about Chen Manqing's soul was simple: Chen Manqing had treated him too poorly. So why should he risk his life to help her?

Of course, after the full details of the matter were laid out, this became Chen Tianren and the decision-making layer's headache to deal with.

From then on, the Chen Family was rocked again—first, they scrambled everywhere for clues about Chen Manqing's lost soul, and second, Luo Bin had once again done the family a massive favor.

His strength and skill left the entire Chen Family utterly astounded; if not for Luo Bin, whether Chen Jing would have escaped this ordeal was anyone's guess.

Even the usually aloof Chen Family steward, Fang Zijing, now gave Luo Bin a slight bow when they met—he had simply become too important to the family...

After laying out all the information he knew, Luo Bin started to wonder: was he relying too much on the Chen Family?

In truth, his words to Jia Yao had been half-truth, half-lie, but back in his room at Qufang Garden, Luo Bin sat cross-legged and thought for a long time. He couldn't keep stumbling around like a headless fly; he needed a goal to strive for.

Life couldn't be without a goal, just like the West couldn't be without Jerusalem.

But what should he set as his short-term goal?

Simple—since he had "Crimson" to assist him, he'd just add points!

He'd break through two major realms first!

Yet thinking this far, doubt crept into Luo Bin's mind. He realized his understanding of this world was still too shallow. He'd been cultivating martial arts for a while now, but his knowledge of martial realms and planning was only half-baked.

He didn't even know what came after the Golden Skin and Jade Bone stages, or what level of strength the "Profound Mastery" from Ping City's street ballads actually represented...

His knowledge base and grasp of this world's underlying logic were still too narrow. Tomorrow, he'd have Jiang Ling and Uncle Jiang give him a thorough explanation!

But tonight, he'd handle the business at hand first.

Luo Bin recalled Sun Shuhua's fiery figure, her eyes carrying a hint of allure, that exaggerated hourglass pear-shaped body that almost surpassed Chen Mansheng's, subtly threatening Wen Li's status in that department.

With a flicker, Luo Bin vanished into the night. Though Ping City wasn't brightly lit at this hour, many rickshaw pullers were still hard at work. Luo Bin hailed one and arrived at the Pei Family Manor.

It was early summer night, just past the rainy season. The wind in Ping City carried the moisture of the Li River, rustling the sycamore leaves in the manor.

Luo Bin leaped onto the wall of the Pei Family Manor, then, using his "Phantom" talent, silently slipped behind a familiar wooden door.

This was a small courtyard Luo Bin had specially arranged for Wen Li after his status had risen. A dim yellow light still glowed in the yard, where Wen Li sat on a bamboo chair under the eaves, sewing a half-finished fine cotton shirt.

Hearing the noise, she jerked her head up and saw the tall figure at the door. The needle and thread in her hands instantly fell to her knees.

She wore a dark green cheongsam with floral patterns.

The fabric was form-fitting silk, cut perfectly to her curves. The collar had two frog buttons loosened, revealing a small patch of snow-white chest. The front of the cheongsam swelled into two rounded, perky arcs that swayed gently with her steps.

Even the delicate skin at her collar flushed a faint pink—a soft, supple fullness unique to a mature woman, plump enough to squeeze out water.

The cheongsam was cinched tightly, her waist pulled slender, but below, her hips and thighs were full and wide. The round, firm peaks of her buttocks stretched the back of the dress taut, rippling with a soft curve at every step. The slit ran up to her thigh, revealing two pale, plump legs with smooth lines and ample flesh, her ankles delicate.

Luo Bin didn't want to pretend anymore.

Back when he'd first transmigrated, he'd already been distracted by the sight, and they were only "nominal aunt and nephew." Now, he opened his mouth and called out:

"Sister Wen?"

As Wen Li approached, her eyelashes trembled at his words, and the soft fullness on her chest quivered slightly. "A-Bin... what did you call me?"

Luo Bin stepped forward, his hot breath almost brushing her face.

"I don't want to call you Aunt Wen anymore. I want to call you Sister Wen. Is that okay?"

Then he pulled her directly into his arms.

Wen Li instinctively trembled and resisted, but her body went limp in an instant, leaning softly against him. Her back pressed against his solid chest, her fingertips trembling, her voice soft and sticky: "A-Bin... don't mess around... we... we're almost ten years apart..."

"I'm not messing around." Luo Bin rested his chin on the top of her head, his hand gently covering her waist. His fingertips could feel the delicate skin under the cheongsam and the perfectly soft flesh. He slid his hand lower, landing right on her round buttocks—a touch that was soft yet springy, making him unable to resist giving a squeeze.

"Mmm~"

"I've never seen you as any aunt."

"Three years ago, when you gave me that bowl of congee, I already decided. In this chaotic world, a woman like you has to be mine."

Wen Li's tears fell instantly.

All these years, as a woman with no one to rely on in this devouring Ping City, she'd walked on thin ice—playing ugly, enduring, swallowing countless grievances, never daring to tell anyone.

Only in front of Luo Bin could she let down all her defenses, but she'd never dared to think too much. He was a promising young man, a martial arts prodigy valued by the Chen Family, while she was just a helpless widow, over ten years older than him. How could she be worthy?

But now, the seriousness in his eyes burned away all her worries and inferiority, melting them into a puddle of water.

"A-Bin, I... I'm so much older than you. People will gossip..." she choked out, her hands gripping the hem of her cheongsam until her knuckles turned white.

Luo Bin leaned down, gently wiping away the tears on her face, pressing his forehead to hers.

"I don't care," he said softly. "In this world, human life is cheap as grass. As long as I'm alive, I want to protect the people I care about. Let them say whatever they want. If anyone dares to say one more word, I'll cut out their tongue."

Wen Li couldn't hold back anymore. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the hollow of his shoulder, sobbing until her shoulders shook.

All the grievances, unease, and hidden feelings she'd buried deep for years burst forth in that moment.

Luo Bin hugged her tightly, then scooped her up in his arms, strode into the room, and closed the door behind him.

He gently laid her on the bed covered with a soft mattress, leaning over to look at her.

Wen Li's cheeks were flushed like a ripe peach, the corners of her eyes red, tears still clinging to her lashes. Her lips were slightly swollen, and she looked at him with a mix of shyness and timidity, her hands gripping the bedding beneath her, even her breathing growing shallow.

"A-Li," he asked softly, "is this okay?"

A long while later.

Luo Bin lit the lamp and let out a long breath. The fire that Sun Shuhua had kindled in him during the day was finally quelled.

He looked down at the trace of crimson left by the woman beside him on the pillow and asked:

"Wen Xue isn't your daughter, is she?"