A Bold Idea

The night sky over Ba City was clear.

At the end of the sidewalk, Luo Yang stopped.

Wu Shenglan glanced back again, but unfortunately, Buxiangju was already out of sight. She felt a little worried. "Luo Yang, will those three be all right? Maybe I should call the police."

But just as she took out her phone, two police cars roared past them, heading straight for Buxiangju.

Wu Shenglan lowered her phone again. "Looks like someone already called."

Luo Yang watched the police cars pass, having already put the whole affair behind him. He couldn't care less how badly Yang Long, Zhang Bai, and Han Shaokun had been beaten, or how things would end.

"I actually understand why you didn't bring those three out. Just now... they really did go too far." Wu Shenglan had seen everything and understood it, but only now said so.

Luo Yang smiled. "They wanted to feel superior at my expense. I didn't really mind. It wasn't their first time, anyway. But they wanted to use those thugs to get me. I'm no saint, so why should I help them? That wouldn't be righteousness. That would be spineless."

"True." Wu Shenglan couldn't really argue.

"By the way, I'm sure you know what those three are like, and what they had in mind when they asked you out. Why were you still drinking with them?" Luo Yang asked.

Wu Shenglan shrugged. "Like I told you, my company sent me here to develop the market. All three of them have some connections, so there are social obligations I can't avoid. I was being careful. You saw how I only took tiny sips at the table."

"Be more careful from now on. All right, I should head home," Luo Yang said.

A strange expression appeared on Wu Shenglan's face. "You're... just going to leave me here?"

She had just been through something so terrifying, and Luo Yang had rescued her with a dazzling display. Even if the rest of the night didn't involve him stepping on the gas and backing into her garage, there ought to have been more to the story. She had never expected him to leave a gorgeous woman like her right here. If this were an urban drama, who knew how many viewers would mail razor blades to the director?

Japanese directors never pulled anything like this.

Instead, Luo Yang asked, "Do you want me to get you a cab?"

Wu Shenglan resisted the urge to give him a little punch and dropped a bashful hint. "You said you live nearby. Aren't you going to invite me over to sit for a while, maybe have some tea?"

"It's late. I want to sleep. Maybe next time," Luo Yang said.

Wu Shenglan was speechless.

Back in Fragrantless House, when Luo Yang had held her hand and shielded her from danger, she had felt something. In her mind, he was a gentle, considerate man who wasn't afraid to act or take responsibility. She had never imagined he could be this utterly oblivious!

"All right, then. Goodbye." Luo Yang really left, without even calling Wu Shenglan a cab.

Wu Shenglan stood beneath a hibiscus tree, utterly bewildered in the breeze.

Luo Yang disappeared into the night.

How could he dare invite Wu Shenglan home? Unless something unexpected had happened, Ye Zi and Song Meiqi were both still there. If he brought a woman home in the middle of the night, what would Ye Zi think of him? What would Song Meiqi think?

The thought of Ye Zi brought a little warmth to Luo Yang's heart. Then, without warning, the image of her throwing back the covers and sitting up appeared in his mind again, every detail vivid. In an instant, that warmth turned into a glowing coal, burning quietly inside him.

Sometimes, a man's little head really could steer the thoughts of his big head-or even take its place.

Number 13, Jinda Residence. That was his home address.

The lights were on in the villa.

Luo Yang walked through the front garden, but stopped when he reached the door. He wanted to see Ye Zi, yet was afraid to see her.

Back when he had been working to cultivate the ancestral witch spirit body, he hadn't touched his girlfriend Liang Hong even when she lay beside him. His resolve had been so firm then. But things were different now. He had already attained the ancestral witch spirit body and no longer needed to maintain his Boy’s Body. He had also become extraordinarily sensitive. He truly feared that when he saw her again, he would lose control of the desire he had suppressed for so many years and make a mistake.

Ring, ring. Ring, ring...

His phone rang.

Luo Yang pushed aside his jumbled thoughts, took out his phone, and glanced at it.

It was Ye Zi calling.

Luo Yang swiped to answer. "Hello..."

Before he could say anything else, Ye Zi interrupted him. "Are you all right? I just got a call from Zhou Xinfu. Do you need me to come over?"

A warm smile touched Luo Yang's lips. "I'm fine. It's all taken care of. I'm already home."

"That's good. You really scared me just now." Ye Zi let out a sigh of relief.

Luo Yang opened the door and walked in. The house was silent, without a sound.

"Oh, I was worried you'd get back very late, so I took Meiqi home. I'll bring her over again first thing tomorrow morning. Would that work for you?" Ye Zi asked.

Luo Yang felt a little disappointed, but his nervousness faded too. "No problem. Don't worry."

"I've already asked for a week's leave for Meiqi, so you only need to look after her meals. Also, if possible, please give her another treatment and do some rehabilitation exercises with her, so her leg can recover sooner."

"Sure, no problem. Don't worry." Luo Yang had wondered why Ye Zi wanted to bring Song Meiqi to him rather than leave her with her maternal grandparents, but now that she had explained, he understood.

"Um..." Ye Zi hesitated.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Get some rest. Good night." Ye Zi hung up.

Luo Yang stood holding his phone, lost in thought for a moment. He had clearly sensed that Ye Zi had something to say, but he didn't know why she hadn't said it.

Back in his room, Luo Yang took out the mask.

Using the Primordial Medical Finger as his brush and spiritual power as his ink, he gradually formed a Spirit Infusion Seal.

An eerie green glow burst from the Spirit Infusion Seal, carrying a peculiar air of mystery. At that very instant, Luo Yang was drawn into that space again. A beam of golden light descended from above, and Grandmaster Ying Ma danced awkwardly within it.

Luo Yang watched, pondering.

He had chosen the path of a master, and the people he dealt with were all wealthy and powerful. Medical skills alone wouldn't be enough to handle them. First there had been Song Haichang and Song Dongming, and tonight there had been thugs from some finance company. His trick of jabbing people in the eyes with the Primordial Medical Finger worked against one or two opponents, but it wouldn't do against a crowd.

Why don't I adapt Grandmaster Yingma's spirit-channeling Shamanic Dance and turn it into shamanic martial arts? I have the ancestral witch spirit body, the super-sense state, and spiritual power. If I improve those movements, won't that make me a martial arts master? A bold idea took shape in Luo Yang's mind.

Grandmaster Yingma disappeared.

Luo Yang rose from the floor, replaying Grandmaster Yingma's movements in his mind. He copied them, and once he grew familiar with them, he began making changes...