Chapter Forty-Six: Ouyang Qianru

To avoid being tracked down in the future, Tang Wei and Zi Xuan both wore special armor to conceal their cultivation levels, and even assumed new identities as Chen Shiyi and Chen Xuan. Why the surname Chen? Because it was common enough to blend in. And why did Tang Wei choose the name Shiyi? She felt her original name was too plain—now that she had the chance, of course she wanted something more elegant. As for Zi Xuan calling himself Chen Xuan, he didn’t even have an ID card to begin with, so it didn’t matter what he called himself!

The two of them went to the neighboring province’s train station. With their current abilities, getting train tickets without an ID was child’s play. Soon enough, they boarded a direct train to City B. Perhaps Zi Xuan was simply too attractive, or maybe Tang Wei was just too average, but along the way, women kept approaching Zi Xuan to strike up conversations, wave after wave—even elderly ladies in their sixties and seventies couldn’t resist chatting with him. Zi Xuan, for his part, remained consistently gentle and courteous to everyone he met.

For the first time, Tang Wei began to seriously consider Zi Xuan’s looks—was he really that irresistible? She herself didn’t see it. Come to think of it, she did think he was quite handsome at first. So when did she start overlooking him completely? Supporting her head in her hands, Tang Wei racked her brains, trying to recall.

On another direct train from S City to B City, the Ouyang family’s young princess, Ouyang Qianru, was sulking in her seat. Just because she’d handed off a useless, discarded cultivation technique to a wandering cultivator she found barely acceptable, the head of the Ouyang family had punished her by making her ride this cramped, suffocating train to S City, alone, with no companions. Even her brother Ouyang Qihua’s pleas on her behalf had been useless.

“Father is just too much, making me take such a dreadful train! Look at the people here—it's filthy, it stinks, and the place is crawling with all sorts of riff-raff. Absolutely disgusting. When Grandfather comes out of seclusion, I’ll be sure to complain about this!” Ouyang Qianru sat rigidly on the hard train seat, eyes blazing, mentally cursing her father a hundred times over.

Raised in luxury and always feeling superior to others, she found it humiliating to be crammed in with these poor strangers. She sensed the man with the beady eyes ahead of her was staring again. She liked men, true, but only the best—how dare such a repulsive lowlife sneak glances at her? Without fear for his life, apparently. She shot him a fierce glare, and when he quickly dropped his head, she thought smugly, “At least you know your place. If you get as bold as that pervert from last time, I won’t mind teaching you a lesson.”

Remembering the pervert from her last train ride to S City, Ouyang Qianru’s anger flared again. That man was, in a way, a kindred spirit, but just looking at his pathetic self, she could tell he was a drifting cultivator. He’d actually tried to cop a feel—how shameless! Even if he’d failed, she’d already decided: once she returned, she’d have her brother track him down and make him pay. To be harassed by such a lewd wretch was the greatest humiliation of her life! She wouldn’t rest until she’d avenged it.

While Ouyang Qianru schemed about how to torment Zhang San, Tang Wei and Zi Xuan had already disembarked and were looking for a place to satisfy their hunger. With their cultivation, starvation was impossible, but Tang Wei was so filled with rage she felt the urge to eat just to vent it. Why was she so angry? She didn’t know. For some reason, she just couldn’t feel happy after leaving the train. She thought a good meal at a nice restaurant might fix things—after all, she’d always loved good food. Zi Xuan said nothing, faithfully trailing after her.

When Ouyang Qianru finally emerged from the train station, she caught sight of Zi Xuan and Tang Wei coming out of a restaurant. As she saw Zi Xuan turn to hold Tang Wei back, her heart skipped a beat. My heavens—a perfect man! This was the one she’d been searching for all along! Instantly, Ouyang Qianru decided that Zi Xuan was her one and only choice in life. Compared to him, her previous suitors were nothing but garbage.

Quickening her pace, Ouyang Qianru hurried into the parking lot, started up her red luxury sports car, and sped ahead, stopping some distance in front of Zi Xuan and Tang Wei. She stepped out, leaned gracefully against the car in a pose she thought was irresistible, and waited for them to approach.

When Tang Wei and Zi Xuan drew near, Ouyang Qianru called out in a sweet, coquettish voice, “Handsome, where are you headed? Let me give you a ride!” She even threw him a flirtatious wink—a trick that had never failed her, no matter the age of the man.

The fire Tang Wei had barely managed to quell with a heavy meal flared up again for no apparent reason. She shot Zi Xuan a fierce glare. Zi Xuan shrugged, baffled. After another glare, Tang Wei turned with a radiant smile to Ouyang Qianru, pointed to a taxi ahead, and said, “Sorry, miss, we already have our own ride!” Without another glance, she strode off toward the taxi.

Zi Xuan, ever polite, added, “Thank you for your kind offer, but I’m traveling with my senior sister.” He then followed Tang Wei into the waiting cab.

Furious, Ouyang Qianru stamped her foot. “That wretched woman—just wait till I see you again!” She yanked open her car door, slammed it shut with a bang, and showed no care for her prized vehicle.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, Ouyang Qianru frowned in thought. “Senior sister? Must be from some martial arts school, but I didn’t sense any energy from them.” With that, she brightened. If they weren’t fellow cultivators, that made things easier. “Handsome, you’re not getting away from me!”

Meanwhile, inside the taxi, Tang Wei’s anger was boiling over. Seeing Zi Xuan had followed, she pinched his leg hard. Zi Xuan grimaced in pain and begged, “Weiwei, that hurts! Let go, please! I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Who told you to act like a butterfly, attracting every woman you see?” Tang Wei released him with another glare.

Zi Xuan protested, “I wasn’t talking to them—they just wanted to talk to me!” When Tang Wei turned away, ignoring him, Zi Xuan was at a loss, not knowing how to make things right.

The driver didn’t hurry to start the car, instead watching their bickering with an amused smile. Once they fell silent, he finally asked, “Ah, youth is wonderful! Young couple, where to?”

Tang Wei blushed, her face red with anger. “Driver, don’t talk nonsense! Who’s a couple with him?”

The driver, unoffended, grinned and replied, “Alright, I misspoke. So, where are you two headed?”

From the moment the driver called them a couple, Zi Xuan couldn’t stop smiling, even forgetting about the pain. When asked their destination, he replied cheerfully, “Driver, please take us to Wolong Mountain, out in the suburbs.”

“Wolong Mountain? That’s private property—you can’t drive a taxi in there,” the driver replied after a pause.

Zi Xuan considered this, and since Tang Wei didn’t speak, he decided on his own, “Just drop us off at the entrance where access is restricted.”

“Oh, alright then! Buckle up!” The car drove smoothly toward the outskirts.

No one noticed the red sports car trailing behind, keeping pace until they left the city. Only then did Ouyang Qianru pull over, leaning on the wheel and muttering to herself, “They’re going to the Xuanyuan family’s place. What are they doing there? I have to ask my brother to look into this.” With that, she spun the car around and sped off toward the city center, leaving only a streak of red in her wake along the deserted suburban road.