The system's warning stayed in front of his eyes for a full ten seconds before disappearing.
Lin Mo stared at the words "may arrive ahead of schedule," his brow furrowing. Shi Nian had appeared almost twenty hours early yesterday. This time, it might happen again.
When Ning Rongrong came out of the kitchen, she saw the expression on his face.
"What's wrong?"
Lin Mo didn't hide it from her. He told her about the system's warning.
After hearing him out, Ning Rongrong fell silent for a few seconds. Then she said, "Then let's go."
"Where?"
"That abandoned construction site you mentioned." She dried her hands. "Weren't we going to train? We might as well go early and get familiar with the terrain."
Lin Mo looked at her, a little surprised.
Under his gaze, Ning Rongrong grew uncomfortable and turned her head away. "What are you staring at? You said you'd protect me, and I said I'd help you. What good is talk if we don't put it into practice?"
Lin Mo said nothing more. He stood up and grabbed his jacket.
As they were leaving, Ning Rongrong suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
Lin Mo turned around and saw her pointing at the empty bowl on the coffee table. "I'll wash the bowl when we get back."
Lin Mo froze for a moment, then nodded.
As they went downstairs, they ran into the old lady from the second floor again. This time, she was carrying a basket of groceries. When she saw Ning Rongrong, her eyes lit up. "Oh, young lady, that outfit looks lovely on you!"
Ning Rongrong was wearing the white T-shirt and denim overalls Lin Mo had bought yesterday. Her hair was tied in a ponytail. She couldn't understand Shanghainese, but she understood the old lady's smile.
She quietly asked Lin Mo, "What did she say?"
"She said you look pretty."
Ning Rongrong froze for a moment, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks. She glanced at the old lady and softly said, "Thank you," then hurried downstairs.
Behind them, the old lady grinned from ear to ear. "What an interesting young lady..."
The two of them left the building and hailed a taxi to the outskirts of the city.
In the car, Ning Rongrong kept her eyes fixed on the view outside. She wasn't gawking at everything the way she had on her first day, but whenever she saw a tall building or a crowd of cars, a flicker of curiosity still appeared in her eyes.
The driver was a middle-aged man. He glanced at them several times in the rearview mirror before finally asking, "Young man, is this your little sister?"
Before Lin Mo could answer, Ning Rongrong spoke first. "No."
The driver froze, then looked at Lin Mo again.
"She's a friend's kid. I'm looking after her for a few days," Lin Mo said.
The driver nodded and didn't ask anything else.
But Ning Rongrong frowned and muttered under her breath, "Whose kid..."
Lin Mo ignored her.
Forty minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance to a deserted industrial district.
Lin Mo paid the fare, and the two of them got out. Before driving off, the driver leaned out the window. "This place is remote. It's not safe at night, so head back early."
Lin Mo nodded. He watched the car drive away, then turned to face the rust-streaked iron gate.
Ning Rongrong stood beside him, taking in the ruins before them.
It was even more dilapidated than the construction site where Shi Nian had appeared yesterday.
The iron gate stood half open, its chain long since rusted through. Beyond it lay a vacant lot, its uneven ground overgrown with weeds. Several abandoned factory buildings stood in the distance, their windows all shattered and their walls smothered in vines. Most striking was the huge pile of construction debris in the middle of the lot: broken bricks, chunks of concrete, and rusted rebar stacked into a small hill.
The wind stirred the weeds with a rustle, while the corrugated metal roofs groaned and creaked.
Ning Rongrong took a deep breath. "This place is pretty suitable for a fight."
Lin Mo glanced at her. "Aren't you scared?"
"What good would being scared do?" Ning Rongrong said. "I've already seen Shi Nian. Why should I be afraid of this?"
She sounded tough, but Lin Mo noticed that she moved closer to him as they entered.
The two of them walked into the lot and looked around.
As he walked, Lin Mo memorized the terrain: where they could hide, where an ambush would work, and where it would be easy to set a trap. He had learned this from the elders in his family. Practicing ancient martial arts wasn't just about training punches and kicks; it also meant knowing how to use the environment.
Ning Rongrong followed behind him. Suddenly, she asked, "What rank is that Huyan Li you mentioned?"
"Level sixty-five, a Spirit Emperor."
"What's his Martial Soul?"
"Diamond Mammoth. A strength type, with extremely high defense."
Ning Rongrong fell silent for a few seconds. "He's from the Elephant Armor Sect."
Lin Mo looked back at her. "You know him?"
"I've heard of him." Ning Rongrong said, "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is one of the Upper Three Sects, and we've dealt with the Elephant Armor Sect before. Everyone in their sect is a strength-type Soul Master: tough as nails, thick-skinned, and powerful. Their weakness is that they're slow."
She paused, then added, "I've heard the name Huyan Li before. He's a direct disciple of the Elephant Armor Sect and ranks among the top three of the younger generation. They say his strength is astonishing. He once killed a five-thousand-year Soul Beast with a single punch."
Lin Mo nodded and continued onward.
When he reached the pile of construction debris, he stopped and examined it. The chunks of brick and concrete ranged from the size of a fist to the size of a human head, and the pile stood three or four meters high.
He suddenly asked, "How long can your boosts last?"
Ning Rongrong thought it over. "With Heart Separation Control, I can boost four attributes for one person at the same time for about a quarter of an hour. If I boost only one or two, I can keep it up longer."
"How long is a quarter of an hour?"
"Where I'm from, it's..." Ning Rongrong gestured. "About the time it takes to burn two incense sticks?"
Lin Mo took out his phone and checked the time, converting it in his head. A quarter of an hour was fifteen minutes. Two incense sticks would be about twenty minutes. Close enough.
He pointed to the pile of debris. "If I hide behind this, can you boost me through it?"
Ning Rongrong froze for a moment, then released her Martial Soul. Rainbow light gathered in her palm, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared. She closed her eyes and felt it out. "I should be able to. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's boosts are targeted. As long as I can lock onto you with Soul Power, they can pass through even if something's in the way."
"What if I'm moving?"
"That'll be a little harder." Ning Rongrong opened her eyes. "Heart Separation Control requires me to keep my attention on the target. If you move too fast or your line of sight gets blocked, the boost might break."
Lin Mo considered it, then said, "Let's try it."
He pulled a length of rebar from the debris pile. It was a little over a meter long. He weighed it in his hand, then said to Ning Rongrong, "Stand here and boost my strength and speed. I'll run around the pile and see how long you can keep it up."
Ning Rongrong nodded, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda blazed with light.
"First Spirit Skill, Strength Boost!"
"Second Spirit Skill, Agility Boost!"
Two beams of rainbow light fell on Lin Mo at once.
Lin Mo immediately felt strength surging through his body, and his steps grew much lighter. Gripping the rebar, he began running around the pile of debris.
At first, he ran quickly. But after a few laps, he realized that Ning Rongrong's boosts remained firmly fixed on him. No matter which direction he ran, the rainbow light always found him with pinpoint accuracy.
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