A silent, dreamless night.
Lu Xuan didn't wake until long after dawn, when the sun was high in the sky. He stretched lazily, a faint but happy smile gracing his lips.
'I'm stronger again...'
After giving Wu Xiaoxu the thousand yuan, they had each returned home.
Throughout the night, Lu Xuan had immersed himself in the Spiritual World, studying the profound and majestic characters while his body continuously practiced the Jade Tower Breathing Technique, completing one Circulation after another.
By now, he had already comprehended the seventy-fifth character. Lu Xuan could feel his muscles and bones had grown tougher, the power within his frame noticeably greater.
'Luckily, the energy from that single, crystalline grain of rice hasn't been fully digested. Otherwise, I'd probably be starving again...'
As he thought this, Lu Xuan's eyes brightened slightly. But he didn't rush. Instead, he meticulously washed up, then sat cross-legged on his bed. Spreading his palm open, he began to visualize the seventy-five profound characters.
Space rippled once more. But before the ripples could even spread, sweat was already pouring down the young man's forehead, and a profound sense of exhaustion emanated from the depths of his spirit.
He decisively pulled back, slowly exhaling a breath of foul air, and muttered in disappointment:
"The grain of rice I ate replenished my body's energy, but it couldn't mend my spiritual fatigue. Looks like I'll have to wait until tomorrow to use the Mediation of Creation again..."
"And why was that grain of rice so miraculous? I'll have to ask Grandpa Li the next time I enter the dream!"
Lu Xuan wasn't disappointed; on the contrary, he felt quite content. Just as he was about to study the Mediation of Creation a little longer, a commotion from outside his door interrupted him.
Faintly, he could make out the name 'Li Xiaosang'.
A stir in his heart, Lu Xuan pushed the door open and stepped outside.
The muddy ground was still damp, and the sour stench was thicker than usual. He looked up at the sky; it was blanketed in clouds again.
The spring rains had been coming one after another these past few days.
He had only taken a few steps when he ran into his neighbor, Butcher Zheng. Lu Xuan stopped and called out:
"Uncle Zheng, what's going on?"
Butcher Zheng, who had just returned from the market, grinned.
"That girl Xiaosang is back! And in a car from Longque Technology, no less! What a sight!"
He paused, then as if remembering something, he chuckled.
"Weren't you and Xiaosang childhood friends? Come on, let's go take a look!"
Lu Xuan couldn't argue with Butcher Zheng, and besides, he did want to see an old acquaintance, so he followed him.
On the way, he cautioned,
"Uncle Zheng, please don't say anything rash later. Li Xiaosang and I weren't actually that close. We're just old acquaintances at best."
"I know, I know! Your Uncle Zheng isn't that stupid. That girl Xiaosang is a different person now; she's completely out of our league. But still, there's a little bit of history there!"
Seeing this, Lu Xuan said no more. He just followed Butcher Zheng, moving with the flow of people surging toward the center of the shantytown.
By the time they arrived, a massive crowd had already formed, packed several layers deep.
Fortunately, Butcher Zheng was built like a bull—all broad shoulders and thick waist from his days slaughtering pigs. With his formidable strength, he effortlessly pushed a path through the crowd for Lu Xuan, getting them right to the front.
Lu Xuan peered forward curiously. In the center of the clearing was a hovercar, the kind only the rich and powerful could afford. Two or three men in black stood guard, vigilantly scanning the surroundings. In their midst stood a young woman with a familiar face.
The young woman was dressed in a sharp, black outfit, her hair tied up high. Her exquisite face was marked by a pair of phoenix eyes that held a light—a very bright light.
It was Li Xiaosang.
"Wow, that girl Xiaosang has gotten more and more beautiful. To think a big shot like her came from our neighborhood!"
"I always said that girl Xiaosang was something special, didn't I? Look at her! Tsk, it's only been two years, and she's already riding in a hovercar!"
"Speaking of which, I heard Li Xiaosang used to have a crush on Lu the Kid, the one Old Chu took in. Seems he turned her down. Bet he's kicking himself now..."
"Shh, stop gossiping! Besides, you must have it wrong. Even if something like that happened, it must have been Lu the Kid chasing after Xiaosang, not the other way around..."
"Everyone." Li Xiaosang's voice rang out, silencing the surrounding chatter.
She said calmly:
"I came back this time because I heard there's been some trouble. Someone wants to demolish the cemetery by force, and they even injured Fifth Grandpa. Is that true?"
"That's right, that's right!" a short, bare-chested old man leaning on a cane shouted. "They broke Old Five's leg! He's still recovering in Wu Datong's little clinic!"
Then, he added:
"Heh heh, Xiaosang, do you remember me? I'm your Grandpa Chen. I used to pat you on the head..."
Li Xiaosang glanced at him, offered a polite "Grandpa Chen," then turned back to the crowd.
"I understand the situation now. Everyone, please rest assured. I came from this shantytown too. And while I may not yet have the power to make everyone's lives better, when there's trouble in the shantytown, I will not stand by and do nothing."
She paused, then continued in a serious tone:
"I will go and question Sakata Heavy Industries. I can't guarantee they'll give us an answer, but I'll at least make sure they stop disrupting your lives and desecrating the peace of our ancestors. My grandfather is also buried in that cemetery."
The crowd that encircled them erupted in cheers.
"The girl's got a conscience, just like you, Lu the Kid," Butcher Zheng remarked. "I never expected she'd be willing to get involved in our shantytown's messy business."
"Mm," Lu Xuan responded softly.
"Brother Xuan!" From the noisy crowd, Wu Xiaoxu squeezed his head through and came running over, flustered. "I finally found you! I already gave that thousand yuan to Fifth Grandpa!"
"A thousand yuan??" Butcher Zheng's eyes went wide. "What thousand yuan?"
Wu Xiaoxu froze for a moment, his bravado deflating.
"It's... it's the thousand yuan from the guys who hurt Fifth Grandpa... as compensation..."
Butcher Zheng was astonished. But just as he was about to ask more, the crowd suddenly fell silent.
He instinctively turned his head to look and couldn't help but swallow.
The young woman in the black outfit was staring fixedly in their direction and had begun to walk toward them.
"Xiaosang!" Butcher Zheng quickly plastered on a smile and called out.
The young woman gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, then stopped directly in front of Lu Xuan, saying nothing.
The three bodyguards in black who followed her exchanged a look. The onlookers also began to whisper among themselves in surprise.
Wu Xiaoxu, however, grew excited, his eyes darting back and forth between the two.
"Hello. Long time no see."
Lu Xuan offered a polite greeting.
"It's been over two years. You haven't changed a bit," Li Xiaosang said, gazing quietly at the young man before her, her expression momentarily distant.
'He was still so clean, so gentle. Even though he grew up in this stinking shantytown and wore ragged clothes, he didn't have the air of a poor man at all. He carried himself with such integrity.'
'Then again, if he weren't like that, how could I have ever fallen for him?'
'It's just...'
Li Xiaosang lowered her gaze, an inexplicable sadness welling up inside her as if she were mourning her own past.
She looked again at the clean-cut young man before her and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
'If Lu Xuan had accepted me back then, would things be different now?'
'They probably would be. But everything is already set in stone. The distance between me and Lu Xuan will only grow wider and wider...'
'We're from two different worlds now, after all.'
She looked at the boy who was once the unattainable love of her youth, feeling a mix of loss and pride.
"Long time no see." Li Xiaosang flashed a brilliant smile, tilting her head up slightly to reveal her pale, slender neck.
'I am no longer who I once was.'
Surrounded by the crowd, the young woman was dressed in fine clothes, an air of nobility already about her. The young man opposite her, though clean and tidy, wore ragged clothes and old cloth shoes, looking utterly unremarkable.
She stared at him, her gaze like a silent question.
'Do you regret it now?'