An Unexpected Person

Early the next morning, the Central Square.

Mo Xie stood in the center with his hand on the hilt of his Tang Dao, eyes closed.

Planting his right foot and sliding his left foot back, he crouched his body and assumed the stance for a drawing slash.

His left thumb pressed against the hilt, slowly pushing out a sliver of silver radiance.

Three, two, one... He silently counted down in his heart.

As the countdown ended, Mo Xie abruptly snapped his eyes open. A flash of purple light swept past, and then lightning filled his gaze.

And in the very next second, Mo Xie vanished from his spot, leaving behind only a trail of purple afterimages.

"Bang!"

A crisp explosion rang out, the blast wave stirring the hems of his clothes.

Mo Xie appeared before a giant boulder, the Tang Dao in his hand already unsheathed.

A massive hole pierced the boulder in front of him, and at the same time, a streak of purple blade-mark silently swept past.

The boulder slowly shifted apart, and the chunks of stone on top crashed heavily to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Spinning the blade in a flourish, Mo Xie returned the Tang Dao to its scabbard.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Zhan Kong stood not far away, clapping his hands, his eyes brimming with astonishment.

He stepped forward, carefully observing the boulder sliced neatly in two, while muttering continuously.

"I tell you, kid, you dragged me up early in the morning claiming you wanted to show me something, but you really gave me a huge surprise!"

His palm brushed across the cross-section of the boulder—smooth and flat, without the slightest undulation.

"This boulder is considered quite hard in terms of material, yet you managed to slice it so smoothly."

Looking at the cut surface, Zhan Kong grew more and more shocked the more he thought about it.

"If you replaced this boulder with a Demon Beast, wouldn't that be a guaranteed one-hit kill?"

"Not necessarily."

Regarding Zhan Kong's thought, Mo Xie shook his head.

"If the opponent were a higher-level Demon Beast, or one with a tough outer skin, I might not be able to pull it off."

"True, after all, you're only at the Intermediate Second Tier. That move just now almost gave me a hallucination."

"It's not something that can be used casually at any time; it requires control and judgment of the timing."

Mo Xie twirled the Tang Dao and looked at Zhan Kong with a smile.

"So I want you to take me outside the Safe Zone to find some Demon Beasts for some actual combat. Only through real combat can my ideas be realized."

"Not just the Lightning Element, but the moves for the Fire Element and Ice Element as well—I want to try them out too."

"Small matter. Tomorrow I'll take you out for actual training; today, let's go meet someone first."

Zhan Kong waved his hand casually and spoke.

"So tell me, who exactly are we meeting?"

"You'll know soon enough. Go clean up first, and gather at the main gate of the transit station in half an hour."

With that, Zhan Kong left first.

Mo Xie likewise returned to his dormitory to take a shower and change clothes.

Looking at the Military Mage uniform in the wardrobe that Zhan Kong had specifically instructed him to wear today, Mo Xie thought for a moment and decided it would be best to put it on.

Fastening his tie and buttoning his jacket, he looked at himself in the mirror. This was the first time he was wearing the official Military Mage uniform.

It fit quite well... Shaking his shoulders and putting on his cap, Mo Xie walked out of the dormitory.

Arriving at the main gate, he found someone already standing there.

That person wore the same uniform as Mo Xie, with an upright posture, a handsome face, and clean, sharp short hair.

Mo Xie looked closely and felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity from this person.

The person seemed to hear footsteps, slowly turning around to look at him.

Mo Xie finally realized why that person looked so familiar—wasn't that just Zhan Kong?!

"Not bad at all! Doesn't it look quite handsome once you put it on!"

Zhan Kong walked over, patted Mo Xie on the shoulder, and praised.

"You..."

Mo Xie's expression turned somewhat odd as he pointed at Zhan Kong, momentarily at a loss for words.

"How is it? Were you so shocked by your master's handsome appearance that you were left speechless?"

Zhan Kong touched his chin and said with a smug look.

To be honest, Mo Xie hadn't even recognized him at first; he was truly shocked.

Zhan Kong's long hair had been cropped short, his stubble cleanly shaved off, and wearing the official uniform, the demeanor a Military Mage ought to have came shining through.

Clearly, he had been a stubby-bearded uncle just moments ago, but in the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a handsome young man.

Mo Xie felt that this current Zhan Kong was his true self—handsome, confident, and high-spirited!

Well, except that he still wasn't as handsome as himself...

While the two were chatting idly, a military-green off-road vehicle slowly drove over in the distance.

Zhan Kong's expression instantly turned serious, his gaze never leaving it.

From his look, Mo Xie faintly caught a sense of anticipation. What was he anticipating?

Finally, the military-green off-road vehicle stopped right in front of the two of them.

The rear door opened, and a slender, straight jade leg stepped out first, startling Mo Xie.

When the entire body emerged from the car, Mo Xie realized that the newcomer was actually a woman.

She wore a black waist-cinching long dress that outlined a tall and fiery figure, and a pair of fair, long legs made it impossible to look away.

With a breathtaking face, what drew the eye most was her fiery red, flame-like long hair, which only served to set off her stunning beauty all the more.

She was like a red rose in the dead of night, so vibrant and captivating.

The moment the woman saw Zhan Kong, a flash of brilliant light lit up her beautiful eyes, and she pounced toward him like a bird returning to its nest.

"Xing Yi!"

Zhan Kong caught the pouncing woman in one go, hugged her with a smile, and spun around in a circle.

Mo Xie stood aside in a daze, quietly watching the two of them show affection, feeling thoroughly stuffed just from eating dog food.

However, none of that was the most important thing. The important thing was: who on earth was this woman?

In his memories, Zhan Kong's lover was named Qin Yuer, an Ice Element Calamity Survivor.

According to the current timeline, Qin Yuer should still be sealed in the Tianshan Mountains and absolutely could not appear here.

Furthermore, the appearance of the woman before him bore no resemblance whatsoever to the Qin Yuer in his memories.

The two were complete extremes—one like fire, one like ice.

Mo Xie's brain was buzzing right now, utterly unable to figure out what was happening.

Could it be the butterfly effect again... That was the only reason he could think of at the moment.

Finding a suitable reason, Mo Xie's psychological fluctuations gradually calmed down.

When in doubt, asking Zero was always the right move.

"Zero."

[I am here.]

"What's going on with her? Do you know?"

[She harbors a massive amount of Fire Element magic energy within her body. Barring any accidents, she should be a Fire Element Calamity Survivor.]

"A Fire Element Calamity Survivor?!"

Mo Xie hadn't expected that the woman hugging and kissing Zhan Kong right before his eyes would actually be a Fire Element Calamity Survivor.

Qin Yuer, the Ice Element Calamity Survivor, was nowhere to be found, and instead a Fire Element Calamity Survivor had shown up in her place!

Zhan Kong and the woman hugged for quite a while before realizing there was someone else nearby. Feeling that the impact wasn't very good, they somewhat embarrassedly let go of each other.

"Ahem, let me introduce you two."

Zhan Kong coughed dryly with a hand over his mouth, and wrapped an arm around the woman's shoulders as he spoke.

"Her name is Shao Hongying. She's my wife, and also your Master’s Wife."

"Hongying, this is the guy I told you about—"

Before he could finish, the woman named Shao Hongying eagerly walked right up to Mo Xie, grabbed his hand, and said.

"Little Xie, right? I've heard Xing Yi talk all about you. I'm actually your loyal fan, you know!"

Shao Hongying's overly familiar way of calling him "Little Xie" left Mo Xie stunned.

"Uh, thanks..."

"Quick, call her Master’s Wife!"

Mo Xie was somewhat overwhelmed by Shao Hongying's enthusiasm, but looking at her expectant gaze, he still managed to say the words.

"Alright, Master’s Wife..."

Shao Hongying was very satisfied with this form of address, smiling as she patted Mo Xie on the head.

"Does this mean I can be considered to have a disciple now?"

"What are you thinking? Just because she calls you Master’s Wife makes him your disciple?"

This kid hasn't even called me Master so readily...

Feeling somewhat aggrieved by this, Zhan Kong piped up in protest from the side.

"So what? I say he is, so he is!"

Shao Hongying put her hands on her hips, pouted, and glared at him with dissatisfaction.

Hey, hey, hey, did either of you two ask for my opinion?

Mo Xie watched the two of them on the verge of arguing, the corners of his mouth twitching.

A new book on the road, please show your support! Seeking recommendations, collections, follow-reads, and monthly votes!

Zhan Kong's original partner in this book is an original character and no longer Qin Yuer. Everyone can try guessing what Shao Hongying's identity might be.