This Feeling in My Heart

Before long, the dishes started arriving, before they'd even finished their second round of drinks.

The dishes were made with monster meat. They were delicious, looked appetizing, and were highly nutritious. Iron-Haired Wild Boar meat, for example, could improve blood circulation, while Water Caltrop Sheep meat could speed up the recovery of leg muscles. Such foods were quite expensive among Martial Artists.

As expected of adults, Ji Shan and Luo Hong had talked for ages, but in the end they still circled back to their own children.

"Xiao Yue's still in high school this year, right?" Ji Shan asked.

Hearing Ji Shan's question, Luo Yue immediately replied, "Yes, Uncle Ji. I'm about to start my senior year."

Ji Shan cleared his throat. His face flushed slightly as he asked, "How are your studies? Do you have a boyfriend?" Clearly, this was Ji Shan's first time doing something like this, and he was very awkward about it.

"Huh?"

Luo Yue was taken aback by Ji Shan's question. Asking about her grades was fine, but whether she had a boyfriend? Why did it sound so much like the questions relatives asked her at New Year's?

"Why is Uncle Ji asking whether I have a boyfriend? Could he be trying to set me up with his son? No, no. I don't even know him. How can he make that decision for me? Still, maybe I should find out what this guy's like first."

Even so, Luo Yue answered, "My grades are pretty good. I shouldn't have any trouble getting into college."

"As for a boyfriend, I don't have one."

Seeing that things were going awry, Luo Hong immediately put a hand on Ji Shan's shoulder and said, "Old friend, why are you grilling my Xiao Yue? I haven't even asked about A-Yun yet. Right, A-Yun?"

"Right, right." Ji Yun gave a couple of wry laughs.

"I heard you passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment. How are you doing now? What level are you at?"

"Level?" Ji Yun repeated to himself.

"Should I tell them the truth? I'm worried it'll scare them. It's pretty shocking. But there are countless geniuses in the world. I'm not that remarkable."

After thinking it over, Ji Yun said, "My physical fitness is probably close to Low-Level War General."

"Holy crap, you're a freak."

Luo Hong was shocked. It was rare for him to swear in front of his family.

After all, Ji Yun had passed the Quasi-Warrior Assessment only three months ago. Reaching a level close to Low-Level War General in three months was astonishing.

Luo Hong couldn't help asking, "A-Yun, can you reach Low-Level War General physical fitness before August first?"

"That... I'm afraid it'll be difficult. I've already used up most of the gains I'd built up, so I probably won't make another big improvement for a while."

"That's still incredible," Luo Hong exclaimed.

"I've spent most of my life just barely making it to Mid-Level War General. You're only eighteen, and you're already about to cross the threshold into War General. At your age, I was only a High-Level Trainee. I'm getting old, really old."

"Brother Shan, you've got a fine son."

Hearing that, Ji Shan widened his eyes and said, "Of course. Have you forgotten who I am? How could my son be anything less? Like they say, dragons beget dragons, and phoenixes beget phoenixes."

"You get one compliment and now you're bragging. Come on, let's drink."

Ji Yun quietly asked Luo Yue beside him, "You're starting your senior year this year, right? You'll be taking the college entrance exam next year. How do you feel about it? Is it easy?"

"???" Three question marks seemed to appear over Luo Yue's head.

"You actually asked a high school senior if she's got it easy? You're something else. Are you toxic? Bro, did you never go to senior year? Aren't you a year older than me? How do you not know this?"

Ji Yun said, "I really didn't go to senior year. I stopped going to school in my first year of high school. I trained at home and at the martial arts center every day. I didn't even take the college entrance exam."

The month of the college entrance exam was when Ji Yun absorbed Cosmic Energy the fastest, so naturally he didn't want to waste time taking the exam.

Luo Yue gave a light cough. "You look so proper, but it turns out you're pretty carefree. I thought you were a stickler for rules." Then she added, "What, your dad was okay with you skipping school to practice martial arts?"

"Of course he was. I'm much more talented at martial arts than at math. Why shouldn't I train? Besides, I really do have some talent."

"How talented are you, then?"

Although Luo Yue had grown up in a Martial Artist family, she didn't know much about the details of the Martial Artist world. Of course, before becoming a Martial Artist, most people knew very little about that world. She only knew a bit about her father: Luo Hong was barely a High-Level War General, but she had no idea how powerful a High-Level War General really was.

"You heard what I just said, right? My physical fitness is close to Low-Level War General. It won't be long before I break through for real and become a Low-Level War General. After that comes Mid-Level War General, then High-Level War General."

"So you're almost as strong as my dad? No wonder you said you were talented." Luo Yue covered her mouth in surprise.

Looking at Luo Yue's astonished expression, Ji Yun couldn't help smiling. After their few conversations, he'd started to like this bright, youthful girl.

But his goal was to become a High-Level War God, and even surpass the War God level to become someone Beyond War God. Should he be dating? Ji Yun was quite conflicted.

Seeing that Ji Yun seemed troubled, Luo Yue asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick? Want to go for a walk?"

"Right," Ji Shan chimed in. "A-Yun, all you do is train, train, train, or think. You don't act like an eighteen-year-old at all. Go for a walk with Xiao Yue and see what young people get up to."

"Uh, Dad, isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Ji Yun hesitated.

"What's inappropriate about it? Your Uncle Luo and I know each other so well, and you're both young. You'll have plenty to talk about. It won't be awkward. I can tell Xiao Yue wants to go out too, and you can keep an eye on her."

"All right. We'll be back in a bit." With that, Ji Yun and Luo Yue left the room.

Once they were outside the hotel, Ji Yun took a deep breath of cool air to clear his mind. Then he asked,

"Where do you want to go?"

"My dad never let me go anywhere by myself. He always insisted on coming with me, so there were lots of places I couldn't go. Maybe... maybe you could take me to the red-light district?"

"The red-light district?" Ji Yun looked at her strangely.

"Why would a girl who's still in school want to go to the red-light district? I've never even been there. How do you know about it?"

"Come on, are you going or not? It's none of your business how I found out. The internet's so advanced now, you know."

"Sure, sure. It's not like I can stop you. I've never been there either, so let's go take a look."

"You say you don't want to go, but if you really didn't, would you have said that?" Luo Yue giggled and grabbed Ji Yun's arm. Then she added, "I heard girls get kidnapped around the red-light district, so keep a close eye on me. Don't let me get lost."

"Of course. I definitely will."

"Let's go. We'll take the back alleys and get there quickly, then come straight back."

With that, Ji Yun led Luo Yue into a narrow alley. It wound on and on, deep and twisting, with nothing but moonlight to light their way. There was a dim streetlamp only every ten or so meters, making the place feel eerie.

The dim lights stretched their shadows, making the alley seem strangely quiet and sinister. Some walls even had stains that looked like blood. Because the alley was a shortcut to the red-light district, these narrow streets had become the city's dark corners. Before the Great Nirvana, the differences in people's physical abilities hadn't been so obvious. But after the Great Nirvana, people were divided by strength, and ordinary people were even more vulnerable to abuse. The bloody, sordid things that happened there made the alleys terrifying.

Luo Yue clutched Ji Yun's arm and leaned against him, clearly frightened. Her whole body trembled slightly.

As they walked, several beams of light suddenly appeared ahead. Ji Yun led Luo Yue quickly toward them and saw a few men holding flashlights.

Before Ji Yun could say anything, a voice came from across the alley.

"Well, Brother Fa, looks like we're in luck tonight. There's a pretty woman in this alley."

The gang leader, whom they called Brother Fa, shone his flashlight on Ji Yun and Luo Yue. "Not bad. Same as usual—I go first."

The men behind him laughed. "Heh, Brother Fa gets the good stuff. We underlings can make do with whatever's left."

Luo Yue immediately understood what they intended to do. Terrified, she shrank behind Ji Yun, trembling even harder.

"Ji Yun, they... they're going to hurt me..."

"It's okay. I told you I'd protect you." Ji Yun patted her head, rolled his neck, and stepped forward. "Which one of you wants to be the first to get knocked on his ass?"

"Oh? We've got some little kid who hasn't even lost his baby teeth. Have you finished school yet?" the gang leader said arrogantly.

He had reason to talk that way. Most seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds were only Low-Level or Mid-Level Trainees. Brother Fa was already a High-Level Trainee, so naturally he looked down on a student.

"Kid, bring the woman behind you out here. If she keeps me happy, I might go easy on you."

"Haha, Brother Fa's getting more and more merciful," his men laughed lecherously.

Before they could finish laughing, Ji Yun moved. He shot toward the leader like a bullet from a gun. A sharp sonic boom rang out. Before the leader could react, Ji Yun threw a punch and struck him squarely in the face.

"Bam!"

With one punch, the man was sent flying more than ten meters. The dim streetlamp revealed his bloodied face.

"A M-Martial Artist! You're a Martial Artist!"

The gang leader's voice was filled with terror. Martial Artists had the power to kill him, of course, but what terrified him even more was the privilege they enjoyed.

If an ordinary person tried to harm a Martial Artist or their family, the Martial Artist could simply notify the Security Bureau and have them arrested. The punishment could be ten years in prison at the very least, or even execution. It was extremely severe.

"Mister, mister, my boss is Blood Jackal Pan Feng. He's a Martial Artist too. Please let me go for his sake."

"Let you go?" Ji Yun scoffed. "Who do you think you are? Why should I listen to you? If this were against my principles, I wouldn't do it. But you scum—what reason do I have to let you go?"

"I... my boss is Blood Jackal Pan Feng. H-he's a War General Level Martial Artist. Aren't you afraid of him? Even if you're a Martial Artist, you'll be in trouble if you cross my boss."

"I... I've already sent him the details. D-don't do anything rash," the gang leader stammered.

"Blood Jackal Pan Feng? I'm Peerless General, then."

Ji Yun didn't waste any more words on the thug. He walked right up to him and kicked him viciously.

"Ah!" The man screamed before passing out.

Ji Yun then took out his phone and called the Security Bureau. He waited for its people to arrive, then handed the men over to them.

Ji Yun returned to Luo Yue and gently comforted her. "Don't be scared. Don't be scared. See? You're safe as long as I'm here."

"Let's go back now. We'll skip the red-light district. Who knows what other trouble we might run into?"

"Okay." Luo Yue was still trembling a little. "I'll listen to you."

Ji Yun took Luo Yue back the way they'd come. They left the alley and soon returned to the hotel.

After they went upstairs, Luo Yue finally calmed down and caught her breath.

"Ji Yun, I didn't know you were so strong. You knocked him down with one punch."

"My punch is about ten times stronger than his. I showed restraint by leaving him alive. Otherwise, I could've killed him outright."

Luo Yue cried out in surprise. "Killing someone? That's against the law!"

"Someone that stupid can be killed without a second thought. I'm completely in the right, so it doesn't count for anything." With that, Ji Yun went inside.

"A-Yun, what happened?" Ji Shan looked at Luo Yue and noticed that she seemed uneasy.

"Dad, it's nothing serious. We ran into some scum while taking a walk. I dealt with them."

"But..." Ji Yun hesitated, then decided to tell the truth. "Those men worked for a Martial Artist called Blood Jackal Pan Feng. What kind of person is Pan Feng?"

"Blood Jackal Pan Feng?" Ji Shan looked surprised.

"He's only a passable Mid-Level War General. What, did you run into him?"

"No, but it seems he's heard about what happened. He might cause trouble."

Luo Hong had already heard the whole story from his daughter, Luo Yue. "It could be troublesome. It's no big deal for me and your dad, since we're High-Level War Generals, but he could pose a threat to you. How about I find someone to warn him later and tell him not to cause trouble?"

"No need, Uncle Luo. A Mid-Level War General won't be able to cause trouble for much longer."

"Fine. We'll leave it at that for now."

After Ji Yun and Luo Yue returned, they were nearly finished eating. Soon, Ji Shan and Ji Yun went back to Panshan Residential District.

Once they were inside, Ji Shan asked in a conspiratorial tone, "A-Yun, are you interested in pursuing your Uncle Luo's daughter?"

"Uh, I guess. I like her quite a bit." Ji Yun couldn't help rubbing his forehead.

"But I'm worried that dating might affect my progress in martial arts. Honestly, it's hard to choose," Ji Yun said seriously.

Hearing that, Ji Shan said, "Luo Yue seems like a well-behaved, sensible girl. She won't distract you too much. When you meet a good girl, you should seize the chance."

"Mm-hmm. I'll give it a try."