The Unexplained Disregard

In the hallway, Su Xiaoxiao stood before the door, but there was no response from inside the room for a long time.

She felt like she was losing her mind, rushing over here on a whim. Even if Shen Qing really did have a new girlfriend, how much time had passed? How could they possibly be living together so soon?

"Forget it, I'll go buy some clothes first."

Su Xiaoxiao turned and headed downstairs, justifying it to herself, "I was just passing by, just passing by."

She felt like she had exhausted herself worrying about those two.

Meanwhile, behind the door.

Watching the doorknob finally stop jiggling, Shen Qingtang let out a sigh of relief. This door could only be locked from the inside, which was why she had to add a padlock whenever she went out.

Shen Qing had told her that he would call her personally when the delivery arrived; the delivery person would never knock.

But this time was different. Thinking of the Heavenly Eye that Shen Qing had mentioned, she felt a sudden surge of panic. Had it seen her earlier?

She had clearly tried her best to stick to the most secluded paths.

Shen Qingtang sat back down on the sofa, clutching her Waist Saber, hoping only for Shen Qing to return quickly.

On the other side, in the training room corridor of the base.

"Ugh, I'm so full."

The youth in ancient attire stretched, his face full of satisfaction, while Fang Shu and the Night Owl team leader beside him couldn't help but twitch their lips.

For a single meal to cost nearly a thousand yuan—even at government-subsidized prices—the amount of food he had consumed was unimaginable; it was completely inhuman.

"Hm?"

The youth in ancient attire glanced toward the training room. At the doorway, one could clearly feel that the temperature inside was higher than in the hallway; someone was cultivating.

Fang Shu followed his gaze, his lips curling into a look of pure pride.

"My team member, Shen Qing. His strength is quite impressive."

The Night Owl team leader curled his lip and scoffed, "He hasn't even been officially confirmed yet. Who knows which team he'll end up joining later?"

He already knew about his team member's mission being snatched.

Although he had suggested putting a little pressure on them to dampen their spirits, he hadn't meant for them to play like that—ramming them with a car!

Why not just use a rocket launcher?

They were a clandestine department, meant to avoid attracting attention; they usually only carried pistols, or at most rifles. Wouldn't it have been easier to just blow them up with a rocket launcher?!

"Fang Shu, don't get cocky. You probably don't know about his bet with He Ying yet. Don't end up capsizing in the gutter."

That kid was actually practicing instead of causing trouble or playing around.

He felt a pang of heartache for his own contribution points; they were likely going to be wasted for nothing.

The youth in ancient attire ignored the silent battle of glares between Fang Shu and the other man, observing Shen Qing, who was in the middle of cultivation.

"Only Ninth Grade? But this blood-energy intensity is truly extraordinary..."

Still, it was nothing special.

The youth in ancient attire shook his head, withdrew his gaze with a lack of interest, and walked away, his sleeves fluttering high. "Let's go, let's go."

As an official disciple of the World-Crossing Alliance, he had seen more geniuses than he could count; there were plenty who broke through to the Middle Three Grades as soon as they reached adulthood.

This world was just so-so. Aside from daily life, only those so-called firearms had any level of competence.

Though he didn't know why the elders seemed so wary—when the strongest among them was only Sixth Grade—they were decent people, otherwise...

The youth in ancient attire took one last look at the training room.

As it happened, Shen Qing had reached the final moment of his cultivation. The temperature on his body had reached its limit and was beginning to drop. As the red hue completely faded from his skin, he opened his eyes.

Their gazes met, but the youth's expression remained unchanged.

How to put it? It was very indifferent, a kind of disregard, as if he were looking at a random tree or a stone on the side of the road.

"Hm?"

Shen Qing frowned slightly, then immediately cast that strange gaze to the back of his mind. "My four limbs are finally tempered as well."

He clenched his fist, his fingers bunching together to produce the sound of grinding metal. Now, only the 26 bones of his skull remained before his entire skeletal structure would be fully tempered.

However, that was also the most difficult part. He didn't dare to act rashly on this step; he would take it slow tonight.

"It's about time to go on patrol."

He spent the afternoon on patrol, and there was still no news of the remaining demons. However, just before getting off work, Shen Qing received a local delivery order.

"Talk about perfect timing."

Thinking about having to return to clock out after finishing the delivery gave Shen Qing a headache. Nobody liked working, and he was no exception.

Not to mention that the director of their branch took those rules very seriously.

Thinking back to his first day, when he was unfamiliar with the situation and forgot to clock out, only to be lectured for a long time, he couldn't help but sigh.

The incident with the Tree Demon had come through as a sudden notification after work; otherwise, he would have had to return to clock out before heading home.

Regardless of how helpless he felt, he still had to go through the motions of his day job.

"Hello, Hummingbird Delivery."

Shen Qing stopped his electric scooter and stared at the guardhouse of the clearly upscale residential complex; he couldn't get in.

"I've arrived at the complex entrance, but I can't get in... hm?"

The voice on the other end of the phone seemed familiar. Since he was already at the gate, he looked around and was surprised to see an acquaintance walking out.

"Xiaoxiao?"

Su Xiaoxiao walked over, carrying a paper bag. "Shen Qing? Aren't you supposed to be delivering food?"

"Hummingbird Delivery handles food delivery and local courier orders alike."

Shen Qing pointed to the thermal box on the back of his scooter and shrugged. "Gotta make money; it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Oh~"

Su Xiaoxiao nodded and handed him the paper bag.

"Perfect timing. This is the clothing you asked me to help pick out. It even saves you the delivery fee."

Shen Qing took the bag and instinctively glanced inside, only for Su Xiaoxiao to state a number: "Friends and family price, one thousand even."

His eyelid couldn't help but twitch. As expected of a wealthy person.

There seemed to be only two or three items of clothing inside—he hadn't even noticed if there were pants—and it already hit four digits?

The clothes on his back were worth two hundred at most, yet he was still agonizing over delivery fees... Thinking back to how Su Xiaoxiao used to freeload off his snacks in high school, she really knew how to pinch pennies where it mattered and splurge where it didn't.

"Alright, thanks. I'll treat you to a big meal when I have time."

Shen Qing tucked the bag away; he had originally planned to ask her about it after getting off work.

"..."

Su Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, seemingly about to say something, but after a moment of hesitation, she stayed silent.

Shen Qing didn't notice, his mind solely focused on rushing back to clock out.

Half an hour later, back at home, Shen Qing took out his keys and opened the door.

Shen Qingtang was reading a book, though she seemed somewhat restless, her other hand constantly clutching her Waist Saber.

"You're back?"

Hearing his voice, she looked up, her tone tense. "Someone came to knock on the door during the day, claiming to be a delivery person..."

After listening to Shen Qingtang's explanation, Shen Qing frowned. First, the delivery person today was a man; second, he always requested that deliveries be left at the door without knocking.

The fact that a female voice had come at noon claiming to be a delivery person meant it was clearly a ruse.

Could it be the people behind Wu Yuan? After all, that was the only matter he hadn't fully resolved after making an enemy of him.

"Perhaps we should consider installing a security camera?"

Shen Qing looked toward the front door.

They hadn't broken in, which meant either they had reservations or it wasn't the enemy he suspected.

Since it involved Shen Qingtang's safety and she was already aware of the existence of Supernaturalists, Shen Qing didn't hide the situation regarding Wu Yuan.

She shook her head, and suddenly, a flash of cold light flickered as her Waist Saber left its sheath.

"You need not worry about me."

Shen Qingtang's voice was soft, yet it carried confidence. "As a bodyguard, I possess the basic means to protect myself. Even against demons and monsters, I would not be entirely without the power to strike back."

During the day, she had been worried that the common government officials Shen Qing mentioned had tracked them here, and she was tense for fear of causing trouble.

But if it were an enemy, then it didn't matter.

"As expected of a female head bodyguard."

Shen Qing smiled, looking her up and down. "Though, you have more of the air of a swordswoman about you now."

Indeed, as someone from ancient times, a bodyguard who had traveled far and wide, she was very different from most modern girls—though her attire was a bit out of place.

"Care to test it?"

Shen Qing suddenly felt a surge of interest and hooked his finger in a provocative gesture. Shen Qingtang did not refuse, her eyes sharpening.

"Very well!"

After a flurry of dense metallic clashing sounds, Shen Qing looked at the slightly breathless Shen Qingtang and nodded.

While her raw power was certainly inferior to his, her technique was far more refined.

Shen Qing looked down at his torn shirt and the white marks on his arm.

If this swordswoman had any other hidden tricks up her sleeve, even without mastering an innate ability, a newly broken-through Ninth-Rank Supernaturalist might not necessarily be her match.

"Impressive."

"Alright, let's get ready for dinner."