Chapter 283 - 281: Carrying Bamboo on a Night Outing

It was the thrill of a new toy. Having just acquired a wondrous ability like True Gang, Yang Shen naturally wanted to play with it all night.

After a lively meal with his family, Yang Shen returned to the Martial Arts Arena.

First... time to fly again!!

Flight has been a dream of humanity since ancient times. It was an envy etched into our very genes; seeing a bird in flight, one couldn’t help but think of freedom.

Yang Shen was no exception.

He stood ramrod straight as his feet quickly lifted off the ground, rising higher and higher.

As he "passed by" the fourth-floor level of the ancestral hall, he even greeted Xu Bamboo, who was inside.

Xu Bamboo: "Shenzi, heading for the sky again?"

Yang Shen smiled. "Just messing around, just messing around..."

A few seconds later, Yang Shen descended again and looked at Xu Bamboo. "How about... we go together?"

Xu Bamboo’s eyes lit up. She glanced around nervously, but only Long Jiu was there, cultivating quietly.

Then she came to the window and extended a delicate hand.

She had thought Yang Shen would pull her up by the hand, but instead, he scooped her up and held her in his arms in a princess carry.

Xu Bamboo grew a little flustered, biting her lip. "Is... is this the only way?"

Yang Shen said with a straight face, "Don’t fidget. I’m new to this and not very skilled."

"This keeps our center of gravity stable."

Her big eyes subconsciously darted to the side. "You have a point... Safety first..."

’It somehow never occurred to her that with his True Gang, Yang Shen didn’t need to pull or even hold her. He could have just enveloped her in True Gang...’

’They wouldn’t even die if they fell...’

’She couldn’t think, she just couldn’t. Her mind had gone completely blank.’

Yang Shen gradually released his True Gang, and they ascended.

Xu Bamboo watched as everything below grew smaller and smaller. The feeling was completely different from just climbing onto a roof.

It was as if... the entire world had been reduced to just the two of them and the bright moon overhead.

Xu Bamboo looked up at Yang Shen, who held her, his sharp jawline radiating handsomeness. "Your True Gang is definitely different from other people’s... The books don’t teach it like this."

Yang Shen gave a wry smile. "That’s why I have to research it, so you all won’t be as clueless as me when you’re Breaking Realm in the future."

Xu Bamboo wrinkled her nose. "Just you wait. It’ll take me half a year at most!"

Gradually, the two reached their maximum altitude of about 100 meters.

As mentioned before, True Gang is like an invisible hand, its essence being to support a person. As long as the weight limit wasn’t exceeded, it made no difference to the altitude whether it was lifting one person or two.

As for flying higher, like how Deng Ming freely soared at 2,000 meters in the Noon Realm, that clearly wasn’t a matter of simple "support."

It couldn’t possibly be a 2,000-meter-long, invisible True Gang tentacle writhing on the ground below, could it?

In that situation, the Martial Artist acts as an engine. Their True Gang erupts at high frequencies, continuously pushing against the air—a completely different principle.

That was an ability unique to the Jade Viscera Realm, and 2,000 meters was the level of a Late-stage Jade Viscera expert.

After experiencing it for himself, Yang Shen also understood why Huo Jun rarely floated and, in fact, seemed to despise it.

Because it was incredibly slow and unstable.

If Yang Shen’s maximum speed on the ground was a 10, then floating was a 1 at best. Moreover, with no point of leverage besides the spot directly beneath his feet, even the fastest reaction speed was useless. In Huo Jun’s words: a living target.

Of course, for hurrying along or showing off in a peaceful life, like many of the teachers at Jiangti, it was perfectly fine.

Perhaps because he had a girl in his arms, Yang Shen felt the urge to add some style points. He thought just standing there stiffly looked a bit dorky, so he used his Black Engraving to condense a long spear and stepped onto it.

A moment later, he realized how stupid this was.

Although it visually resembled "Spear Flight," in reality, it was purely decorative... like someone who could already fly having a washboard stuck to their feet.

Xu Bamboo found it amusing. "Can you split your True Gang into different strands?"

Yang Shen: "At close range, yes. It’s basically one whole mass. It gets a bit difficult from far away..."

Strength, precision, and length.

Fen Gang, Gang Condensation, and Chonggang.

In this domain, there was still much for Yang Shen to explore.

You rarely saw Martial Artists floating around willy-nilly. Besides the fact that those at the True Gang Realm and above were increasingly rare, the practical application of this mode of travel was indeed limited.

While the drain was less than the Magic of the Cultivation Side, it was far greater than simply running on solid ground. Even a Late-stage True Gang expert, who could plow a field all day like an ox without breaking a sweat, would be panting after floating for just an hour.

But... it looked cool!

Yang Shen felt the biting night wind and the warmth in his arms.

The path of Cultivation was to stand tall in the world, to seek longevity and gaze into eternity.

The path of the heart was to embrace one’s feelings on the journey forward, to find peace within oneself.

The scenery in the distance was becoming clearer and clearer to Yang Shen...

Floating there, a hundred meters in the air, the two gazed upon a landscape they had never paid much attention to before, and for a moment, they were completely mesmerized.

Yang Shen looked at Xu Bamboo’s delicate face. As if sensing something, she closed her eyes.

The young man lowered his head; the young woman tilted hers up.

Cool on the outside, warm on the inside; soft, supple, and tender.

Yang Shen savored her sweet taste, his eyes filled with mirth.

Their lips parted. Xu Bamboo turned her head away. "What are you smiling at..."

"We just kissed. If I don’t smile, should I cry instead?"

’The world is vast and full of possibilities!’

Yang Shen was suddenly struck with inspiration. Although the True Gang Realm didn’t allow for true free flight, as an educated Martial Artist, he knew there were always more solutions than problems.

The Black Engraving on his back instantly condensed into the shape of enormous wings, but a moment later, it transformed into a more practical "hang glider," like a giant black triangle.

Then, holding Xu Bamboo, he withdrew his supporting True Gang and glided into the enchanting night.

Faster, more stylish, and freer.

The neon lights below streamed backward as they quickly left the vicinity of Cangwu Garden, and the bustling city nightscape rushed up to greet them.

Xu Bamboo grew excited as well. "Make one for me, too!"

Yang Shen placed his hand on Xu Bamboo’s back, and a moment later, he had constructed a hang glider for her as well. Then, like a parasite craft detaching from its mothership, he slowly let her go.

And so, the two of them flew side-by-side, like a pair of lovebirds.

Whenever Xu Bamboo drifted too far, Yang Shen could use his True Gang to pull her back in, or he could re-establish his connection to the ground to regain altitude.

The more they flew, the more thrilled they became, soaring farther and farther!

That is, until they were passing over a bustling street, when a black dot suddenly rose up from the ground.

A traffic cop... wearing a fluorescent vest, but with two star-shaped insignia on his shoulders.

He was holding a megaphone. "Hello, please cease your illegal activity and land immediately for inspection."

Yang Shen: ???

’What the heck?’

This was the first time he’d encountered such a situation. Yang Shen’s brain froze for a second as he debated whether to just gain altitude and flee or to surrender obediently.

The middle-aged man, who appeared to be a high-ranking police officer, flicked his right hand, sending a long chain snaking toward Yang Shen’s calf like a Spiritual Snake. Yang Shen hesitated for a moment, but upon seeing the body cam pinned to the man’s chest, he ultimately decided not to dodge.

’Well, damn. My Spiritual Snake Force just met the genuine article!’

However, the officer enforced the law with a degree of care. After the chain wrapped around Yang Shen, the officer’s own True Gang supported him to prevent any accident. The two descended like this, and after realizing what was happening, Xu Bamboo also circled around and flew back.

————

A few minutes later, Yang Shen and Xu Bamboo stood blankly on the roadside, surrounded by several parked police vehicles.

It seemed to be a DUI checkpoint or something similar.

The man who stopped them was clearly in the True Gang Realm. Judging by his epaulets, he was a high-ranking official, apparently out on a "routine leadership patrol," which was why he’d intercepted them directly.

After they landed, the high-ranking officer was also stunned for a moment. "Hello, please show me your IDs... Huh? You two aren’t in the True Gang Realm?"

’How are they so young?’

Yang Shen said awkwardly, "I am, but she isn’t. I just broke through and am not familiar with the rules."

The high-ranking officer looked him up and down. ’Is this kid even twenty? And he’s True Gang?’

’How many enhancers did he take?’

"Wait, you’re not ’Flame Fist Yang Shen,’ are you? You’ve already broken through to True Gang?"

Yang Shen could only admit, "That’s me."

A smile appeared on the high-ranking officer’s face. "My son has been mentioning your name a lot recently. I didn’t expect you to be even more incredible than I imagined. Breaking through to the True Gang Realm at your age... you’ve probably set a new record."

"But we still have to handle this by the book. No matter what realm you’re in, you can’t break the law, right?"

’As for how someone who just broke through can fly so high... he’s probably just a daredevil who jumped off a tall building?’

Yang Shen: "You’re right... I was just wondering... what’s the verdict on the crime of, uh... reckless True Gang flying?"

"Hah, it’s not a ’crime.’ You just violated the ’Martial Artist Road Safety Act.’ You know how True Gang levitation works—you can’t see what’s on the ground. The Gang Qi can easily crush people, cars, or property. It’s a huge hazard."

"I was using a hang glider. And by the way, it’s an Exotic Realm ability, acquired through legal channels. You’re not going to confiscate it, are you?"

"Let’s put the equipment aside for a moment. Regardless of whether you’re gliding or using some other method, the law can’t be open to individual interpretation. The rules explicitly prohibit high-altitude flight within city limits, no matter how it’s done."

Were there people who flew secretly? Certainly, especially at night. But if you weren’t caught, there was nothing to say. If you were caught, you had to be dealt with.

"According to regulations, the fine is 30,000. Do you want to pay on the spot, or will you come down to the station later?"

Yang Shen: "How much?"

Thirty thousand??

Are you serious?!

The high-ranking officer nodded. "True Gang are considered High Realm Martial Artists. Your incomes aren’t low. If we fined you fifty or a hundred, you’d just think of it as a toll fee. It wouldn’t serve as a proper warning."

Yang Shen could only take out his phone, scan a QR code, and pay the 30,000.

"It’s 30,000 per person. Will the young lady be paying for herself, or are you covering for her?"

Yang Shen: ...