Chapter 128 - 107: The Xia Family Ancestor’s Label

Chapter 128: Chapter 107: The Xia Family Ancestor’s Label

The next day.

Saturday.

The sky outside the window was just beginning to brighten at dawn when Gu Qing’s eyes opened, right on schedule.

Although he had only slept for a little over four hours last night, he wasn’t the least bit tired. He felt full of energy.

This was the change brought about by evolution.

Before awakening his tag "cheat" ability, he needed at least seven hours of sleep a day to stay alert.

But now, after awakening his tag ability, farming a large amount of Physical Strength Attribute from tags, and evolving his Biological Level to Tier Eight, he only needed three hours of sleep a day to stay energized all day long.

The stark contrast made him wonder if he was about to become a separate species from ordinary people.

’If I keep evolving like this, I should be able to optimize away the need for sleep entirely.’

’Just like when I first farmed the Devouring Attribute and nearly optimized away my excretory functions.’

’Sister Zhiyi is a Captain-Level powerhouse. Her Biological Level starts at High-Level. I wonder how much sleep she needs now.’

’Probably an hour at most.’

’Hmm, about the length of a nap.’

Gu Qing mused idly as he picked up his phone from the bedside table and started scrolling.

He browsed Tieba, Douyin, and WeChat, and read some Qidian novels.

When it was almost 6:30, his phone buzzed violently. He had received a message from Xia Shuran on WeChat.

His junior said she was getting up now to go to the market to buy groceries, and she would make breakfast when she got back.

That way, by nine o’clock, when Gu Qing took a cab to her place, he could immediately eat a breakfast she had made herself. It was a perfect plan.

In response, Gu Qing sent a message: [Hai City’s number one junior!]

He chatted with his junior for a while.

The time came to seven o’clock.

Gu Qing got out of bed and went to the living room for breakfast.

With his Devouring Attribute, his appetite was like a bottomless pit.

Whether it was the breakfast at home or the one his junior would be making later, he was going to eat it all.

...

In the living room.

The family of four sat together, eating breakfast.

His sister, Gu Yao, was wearing a white dress. Her small hands held a large cob of corn, and she was picking off the kernels one by one to put into her mouth, eating extremely slowly.

While eating her corn and scrolling through Douyin on her headphones, her eyes suddenly lit up. She looked up at Gu Qing across from her and asked,

"Bro, let me test you."

"Test me on what?"

Gu Qing looked confused.

Gu Yao asked with a mischievous grin, "Do you know what the opposite of ’sapient’ is?"

Gu Qing answered instantly, "Dumbass."

"You actually knew?"

Gu Yao’s eyes flew wide, looking like something out of a big-eye mascara commercial, and her face showed her surprise.

Gu Qing was speechless. "I’m not a caveman, you know. I use the internet too, okay?"

"Damn it!"

Gu Yao looked indignant. "I was hoping you wouldn’t know so I could get a free pass to call you a dumbass."

"Dumbass."

After saying it, Gu Qing added, "That wasn’t the answer to your question this time. I’m actually calling you a dumbass."

"You’re the dumbass."

Gu Yao rolled her eyes at her brother, mimicking their mom.

Their mother, Wen Wanyi, shook her head. "You’re both too old to be bickering like little kids."

Their father, Gu Mingbo, just smiled. "Isn’t this great? The fact that they can still bicker means they have a good relationship. You haven’t seen siblings with bad relationships. They go the whole year without saying more than a few words to each other. Now *that’s* scary."

"Mom, I’m heading out in a bit."

Gu Qing finished his egg and looked over at Wen Wanyi. "I’m going to Shallow Water County to hang out with a university classmate. I probably won’t be back for lunch or dinner."

Before Wen Wanyi could respond, Gu Yao, sitting opposite him, jumped in. "A guy or a girl?"

Gu Qing: "Why are you so nosy?"

Gu Yao turned into ’Sherlock Yao’. "He won’t give a straight answer! It’s definitely a girl!"

Then she looked at her parents and clicked her tongue. "Your Majesties, your crown prince is about to start his harem. He’ll be giving you a whole bunch of royal grandchildren."

Wen Wanyi shot her a look. "You should watch fewer of those palace dramas. They’re making you silly. All this flowery language comes out whenever you open your mouth."

"Okaaay-kay-kay-kay—ah-ha~"

Gu Yao replied with a long, drawn-out sound of acknowledgment, letting out a huge yawn.

She’d been on her phone until almost two in the morning and had woken up before seven, so she was exhausted.

Wen Wanyi turned to Gu Qing and reminded him, "Have fun, but remember to come back early. Don’t stay out until the middle of the night again. It’s too late."

"Okay, I’ll try to be back early."

Gu Qing said, picking up another egg and eating it as he spoke.

...

After breakfast, he brushed his teeth and washed his face.

Gu Qing scrolled on his phone for a bit. Seeing it was almost eight, he went to the entryway to change his shoes, getting ready to call a cab to Xia Shuran’s house.

His sister, Gu Yao, came over. "Bro, take me with you! I want to go have fun in Shallow Water County too."

"I’ll be very self-aware, I promise not to be a third wheel and interrupt your date."

"And I’ll even help you keep it a secret, so Sister Zhiyi won’t find out you’re two-timing."

"..."

"Who’s two-timing?"

Gu Qing was beyond speechless. "Stop making baseless accusations against an innocent man. I’m still single, you know."

Gu Yao said, "Could it be that scumbags all like to say they’re single? Your denial is basically a confession."

Gu Qing retorted, "If you became a Security Officer, you’d be one of those master detectives with a 100% case-closure rate, because you’d have framed all the suspects after torturing confessions out of them."

"Fine, fine, whatever you say, I’ll admit to it."

Gu Yao’s face was serious. "I’m just asking, can you take me with you to Shallow Water County or not?"

"No."

Gu Qing refused point-blank. "You’re a high school senior about to take your college entrance exams. Why are you always thinking about going out to have fun instead of staying home and studying seriously?"

Gu Yao said dismissively, "I’m not ’having fun.’ I’m ’balancing work and rest.’"

Gu Qing ignored her, finished putting on his shoes, and left by himself.

After leaving the residential complex, Gu Qing hailed a Didi and headed for the martial arts hall run by Xia Shuran’s family.

When he first woke up, he and his junior had agreed on WeChat to meet at the martial arts hall first.

After touring the hall, he would go to her house for a meal.

...

At 8:50 AM, Gu Qing arrived at his destination—the Jixia Martial Arts Hall.

The moment he got out of the car, he saw Xia Shuran waiting for him in front of the hall.

His junior was wearing light makeup, her hair tied in a neat, clean high ponytail. She wore a beige chiffon dress, the hem revealing a pair of slender, straight calves. She looked exceptionally beautiful.

Gu Qing gave her a quick glance, his eyes landing on her face.

She really was captivating.

’But...’

’It would be better if she wasn’t wearing makeup.’

’I think she looks better without it.’

’Yeah, when I get home tonight, I’ll have to tell her on WeChat.’

’Tell her that she’s actually more beautiful with a bare face.’

’There’s really no need to put a layer of useless powder on that exquisite, flawless face of hers.’

With these thoughts in mind, Gu Qing walked unhurriedly toward Xia Shuran.

Just then, Xia Shuran saw him too and immediately came forward with a smile, her voice sweet.

"Senior, you must be tired from the ride."

"Here, these are buns I made myself. There are lava buns, char siu buns, and custard buns."

"Hurry and try one to see if they’re good! See which one you like best."

Xia Shuran walked up to Gu Qing and handed him the bag of buns she was carrying.

"These are buns made by my junior herself. I don’t even need to taste them to know they’ll be delicious."

Gu Qing took the bag with a smile. "As for which one I’ll like best, it has to be all of them, of course."

"Senior, you’re such a sweet-talker."

Xia Shuran said he was a sweet-talker, but in truth, she was the one feeling sweet inside.

So sweet that she felt like she could burst with joy.

Her body felt light as a feather.

To her, Gu Qing’s approval and praise were like a shot of adrenaline.

Just a single word of recognition or praise could make her happy for half the day.

Gu Qing knew this about her, so he never hesitated to give her compliments.

"Senior, try the lava bun first."

Xia Shuran strongly recommended, "I think it’s the most delicious one I made."

"Let me try."

Gu Qing took a lava bun from the bag and took a bite with anticipation.

The moment he bit down, the filling exploded.

Warm, golden lava filling erupted wantonly in his mouth, so sweet that every taste bud was celebrating.

"It’s delicious."

Savoring the taste, Gu Qing gave it his heartfelt, high praise. "It’s much better than the pre-made buns from the school’s breakfast shop. With your skill, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to sell these lava buns for ten yuan each."

"Senior, you’re too good with compliments."

Xia Shuran’s eyes crinkled with a smile, her voice crisp and pleasant. "The bun isn’t made of gold. How could it possibly sell for ten yuan?"

"Come on, Senior."

Xia Shuran smiled brightly. "I’ll take you inside for a tour of my family’s martial arts hall."

With that, she led Gu Qing into the building.

Gu Qing followed beside her, eating the steaming bun in his hand while curiously observing the interior of the hall.

The martial arts hall was very spacious inside.

It was bustling with voices.

The atmosphere was electric.

The main hall was lined with training dummies and weapon racks.

Sabers, swords, staffs, and clubs were neatly arranged.

As far as the eye could see, many people were practicing horse stance, punches, and kicks, their movements sharp and powerful.

By visual estimate, there were over a hundred people in the hall.

Among them, the Martial Arts Uniforms they wore were divided into black and cyan.

Black was the vast majority.

Only a few wore cyan.

The few people in cyan uniforms were spread out, each occupying a different area and leading groups of people in black uniforms through different Ancient Martial Arts forms.

As they walked, Xia Shuran explained, "Senior, there are two types of people in my family’s hall."

"One type wears the black Martial Arts Uniforms. These are paying students. Many of them used to be boxing, wrestling, or MMA enthusiasts, and some are even professional fighters."

"The other type wears cyan Martial Arts Uniforms. These are all our own people—some are relatives, and others are disciples who were formally accepted into the hall in the past."

As she spoke, Xia Shuran couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

"Senior, don’t be fooled by how lively the hall is now. Just over a month ago, it was challenged repeatedly by internet celebrities. We lost every fight, our reputation plummeted, students dropped out... it was so deserted we were on the verge of closing down."

"That all changed when our ancestor returned. He taught us juniors Ancient Martial Arts, allowing our strength to skyrocket. In just a few days, we became several times stronger, able to crush those internet celebrities who challenged us with just one hand."

"Gradually, the hall recovered, and now there’s an endless stream of people coming here, drawn by our reputation, to learn martial arts."

Xia Shuran continued, "The reason I started a Douyin account and posted martial arts videos every day was to advertise for the hall when it was about to go out of business."

Gu Qing nodded. "I see."

Then, he leaned close to Xia Shuran’s ear and asked in a low voice, "By the way, junior, where is that ancestor of yours who’s lived for several hundred years? I’d really like to meet him. Can you take me to see him?"

He leaned in too close as he spoke.

His warm breath tickled Xia Shuran’s ear.

It felt ticklish and quite pleasant.

"The ancestor usually stays in the inner hall. After we finish the tour, I’ll go ask him if he’ll let me bring you in to meet him."

Xia Shuran said in her clear, sweet voice.

Just as the words left her mouth,

an archaic voice suddenly sounded from behind them:

"Little Shuran, is this the senior you so often speak of?"

A voice had appeared behind them out of nowhere.

Gu Qing was startled. ’When did someone get so close behind me? I didn’t sense a thing!’

He spun around.

His eyes fell upon an old man with white hair and a white beard, dressed in a light-colored Daoist robe. He had the air of a transcendent immortal.

Floating above the man’s head was a conspicuous and extraordinary-looking tag:

——[Immortal]

...

PS: The begging bowl is out! Please give me your monthly tickets and recommendation votes!