"Lao Qin, are you going to sing at Bai Jinhan tonight?"
When they arrived at the cafeteria, they ordered their favorite dishes and sat down together.
At the mention of Bai Jinhan, Xia He beamed with joy. "My dear little sister, you won't regret it!"
"No."
Qin Yang shook his head, his eyes fixed on the braised pork in front of him.
As a man, he naturally knew what kind of place Bai Jinhan was. But he had always been a person of principle, never tempted by such indulgences. So how could he—
Alright.
Qin Yang admitted it. It wasn't about virtue. He simply couldn't afford that kind of place.
He only earned 3,000 yuan a month. Could that even cover a night at Bai Jinhan?
As for letting Xia He treat him?
Well, that sounded nice. Not having to spend money was always good.
After all, it would be like getting whored for free.
But favors like that had to be repaid, right? Qin Yang wasn't the kind of man who wanted to owe someone for something like this.
If he really wanted to go, he'd rather pay for it himself.
Still, better not to spend money at all.
"Are you a man or not?"
Xia He had already expected Qin Yang's rejection. He was used to it by now. It wasn't the first time he had extended the invitation, and this guy refused every single time.
And with Qin Yang's awkward reactions to their female coworkers at the library, Xia He couldn't help but question the guy's orientation.
"I'm afraid of getting sick," Qin Yang replied, looking like a proper gentleman. "Take my advice. It's best not to go to places like that."
"There he goes again..." Xia He sighed, helpless. "You nag more than my parents. Fine, if you won't go, I'll go by myself."
"If I don't show up tomorrow, remember to check District 2 for me."
Qin Yang nodded. District 1 and District 2 were right next to each other. Plus, it was a slow period at the library, so managing both areas wasn't a big deal.
This wasn't the first time he'd helped Xia He like this.
After dinner, the two of them went behind the cafeteria, squatted down by the door, and lit cigarettes, chatting casually.
"Old Qin, have you heard? A Grandmaster from the imperial capital is coming to Jianghai City. Word is, he's originally from our city."
"Grandmaster?" Qin Yang was surprised. A Grandmaster was someone who stood above the Innate realm—rare and revered.
Recently, he had been catching up on martial arts literature. He knew that once someone reached the Grandmaster level, they could cross the void with protective energy cloaking their body. Not even cannon fire could harm them.
That kind of power was no longer human. It was divine. A land immortal.
Why would someone like that come to Jianghai City?
"Yeah," Xia He continued. "I heard he used to study at Jianghai Martial Arts College. He's coming back to visit his alma mater, and he's even going to give a public lecture."
"A martial arts class taught by a Grandmaster. Want to go watch?"
Xia He's face was full of reverence. In a world where strength earned respect, a Grandmaster was practically a god.
"We're not students there. Can we even get in?" Qin Yang asked, instantly tempted. He was currently stuck at the half-step Innate realm. With his current aptitude, there was no telling when he'd break through.
If he could attend the lecture, maybe he'd catch some insight. Maybe even a breakthrough.
"Don't worry about that," Xia He replied confidently. "My dad's got connections with the director of Jianghai Martial Arts College. If you want in, I'll make it happen."
It was clear now that Xia He's family had serious influence.
After work, Qin Yang didn't go home right away. As usual, he headed to a secluded open space to practice his swordsmanship.
After memorizing every move of the Qingfeng Sword Technique, he had spent a hefty sum—five hundred yuan—to buy an iron sword online for training.
For more than half a month now, he'd practiced daily. With the support of his half-step Innate cultivation, he was finally beginning to master the technique.
…
The next day.
Qin Yang arrived at the library right on time.
Xia He must have had a wild night, because he didn't show up.
Sooner or later, that guy is going to die on a woman's belly.
Qin Yang cursed under his breath, then went to find a book as usual.
Now that he'd learned a sword technique, it was time to search for a body movement skill.
Being a swordsman was every man's dream, but when things went south, you needed good footwork to escape.
If you can't win, at least be able to run.
After a bit of searching, Qin Yang pulled a book titled Seven Star Steps from the shelf.
The name sounded promising, but since it was placed on the first floor of the library, it probably wasn't anything high-level.
Of course, sometimes you could find treasure in a junk heap.
But that kind of luck only happened to protagonists in novels. Qin Yang wasn't delusional enough to think he was one of them.
With the secret manual in hand, he made his way to District 2.
He had promised to cover for Xia He, and he wasn't one to break promises.
Just as he was immersed in reading the Seven Star Steps, a strand of spider silk slowly descended from the ceiling.
At the end of the silk was a small, purple spider, dangling right above Qin Yang.
Its tiny eyes glinted with a blood-red light as it stared not at Qin Yang, but at the book in his hands.
More precisely, it was staring at Seven Star Steps.
If someone had been observing closely, they would have been utterly shocked.
In those blood-red eyes, there was a flicker of... intelligence.
The spider gazed at the secret manual as though it understood the contents. A thoughtful glint passed through its eyes.
"Ding! The aura of a Beast King has been detected. Extreme danger!"
"Host, flee immediately, or your life will be in jeopardy!"
"Host, escape now!"
Qin Yang was deep into the book when the voice suddenly rang out in his mind, nearly scaring him half to death.
"What the hell?!"
He leapt up, furious. "System, are you trying to kill me with a heart attack?"
This damned system. Not human, but worse than a dog.
Still, the system had been silent for so long that he couldn't take its sudden warning lightly.
"Ding! The presence of the Beast King is confirmed. Host, take this seriously and leave at once, or you will die without a complete body!"
The system's voice echoed again, and Qin Yang immediately stood up and looked around cautiously.
All he could see were rows of bookshelves and a few people quietly reading.
Thinking back to the cockroach that exploded last time, Qin Yang's eyes lit up. He lowered his head and started searching the ground.
Could the so-called Beast King be some small creature?
If he triggered something again, maybe the system would reward him like last time.
With that hope in mind, Qin Yang became fully motivated and began combing through the area.
But the library floor was spotless. Not even an ant in sight.
"Beast King?" he muttered. "How could there be a Beast King in this library?"
This damned system must have lost its mind again.