An easy life often makes one forget troubles, but it breeds a deeper loneliness. For quite some time, Yexiu and Old Liu had been living a life of utter ease in Meiyi’s apartment, waiting for food and clothes to be served—a blissful state they had never dared to hope for.

“I say, Meiyi, with all this money you have, why on earth do you still bother working?” Old Liu chewed loudly on a chicken leg, tearing at it hungrily. “What’s the point of being a journalist? It’s so exhausting.”

Meiyi, clad in a short red waistcoat and a flowing white skirt that hinted at aristocratic grace, replied, “What fun is there in staying cooped up inside all day? Don’t forget, I’m still a member of the Yuyu Fengdao Alliance. I have my own professional aspirations.”

“Professional aspirations? Isn’t it to be a star reporter?” Yexiu chuckled lightly, having grown accustomed to the concrete jungle’s darkness while trailing the Divine Sovereign. “I haven't even figured out what my own aspirations are.”

Meiyi raised a hand, its skin gleaming with delicate smoothness. “The Alliance Master of Yuyu Fengdao, Yan Luo, is already dead. I won’t be able to learn the divine weapon forging techniques he mastered. But I know the Yuyu Fengdao Alliance still exists in this world. I must find those people and upgrade my Haoyue Crystal Wheel to the next level. Perhaps I can even forge an epoch-making divine weapon myself!”

“A divine weapon? Ha! What use would it be to you?” Old Liu glanced toward the corner, where the Demon-Slaying Sword and the Tianmiao Sword still lay wrapped in scroll tubes. “If we haven't reached the Dao Realm, using divine weapons in the real world could cause mass panic. It wouldn't be good if we end up being wanted criminals.”

“Heh, by then you’ll just turn into a rat and scamper away. What’s there to fear?” Yexiu grinned at Old Liu and started eating his breakfast, though everyone knew exactly what was on his mind.

The three finished their meal in a heavy silence. Just then, the doorbell rang. The housekeeper opened the door, and a lively young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, burst into the dining room. “Meiyi, why are you still eating? Didn't we agree that handsome guys would accompany us shopping today?”

Meiyi smiled at the newcomer and pulled her toward the waiting men to introduce them. “This is my good friend, Lin Lan. I asked her to go shopping with me today. She’s famous around here as a campus beauty from the fine arts department. You two need to keep her company.”

“Lin Lan, hello. My name is… just call me Old Liu,” At this, Old Liu frantically dropped his half-eaten meal, stood up with studied politeness, straightened his clothes, and extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Shopping? Absolutely no problem. Let’s go right now.”

“Tee-hee, your friend is so interesting.” Lin Lan wore a short blue T-shirt emblazoned with a cute little tiger design. However, the tiger’s eyes were startlingly prominent, precisely covering her own generous curves. Seeing Old Liu, she nervously tugged at the hot pants covering her lower body. A captivating fragrance suddenly wafted from her fair leg. “Hello, I’m Lin Lan. This dreadful Meiyi said she’d come shopping with me, but she brought so many people along.”

Meiyi hadn't intended to favor Old Liu, but she genuinely hadn't been out shopping in a long time and figured she could pick up some suitable clothes for these two poor souls. “How about this, Old Liu, I’ll leave Lin Lan to you. You need to take good care of her today.”

“That’s no problem. What kind of person am I? You can tell by looking at me, I can manage!” Old Liu flexed his decidedly unimpressive biceps, then pointed at Yexiu, roaring, “Hey, you, why are you still eating? Are you going to starve to death? Let’s go, we’re going shopping!”

“Ah.” Yexiu hadn’t paid attention to the fuss the three were making, burying his head in his food. Only when he heard Old Liu’s shout did he reluctantly lift his head. “Can I… not come?”

“Come on, there’s a beautiful woman waiting, how can you refuse?” Old Liu instantly ducked down, grabbed Yexiu by the ear, and pulled. “Just think of it as relaxing. Look at the little beauty next to me; don’t ruin my mood, brother.”

“Wow, is this person your friend too, Meiyi? She’s so cool,” Lin Lan whispered to Meiyi, covering her mouth. Her bright, sharp eyes were fixed intently on Yexiu, whom she pegged as exactly the type—good-looking but overly aloof. “What’s his name? What’s his name?”

“Don’t you dare set your sights on him; he’s mine!” Meiyi shoved Lin Lan toward Old Liu, stood up herself, and addressed Yexiu. “Let’s go. I’ll treat you to a good time today. Consider it an apology for what happened last time. How about it?”

Yexiu looked at Meiyi’s pleading gaze, Lin Lan’s infatuated stare, and Old Liu’s utterly sleazy expression, then stood up with casual confidence. “Let’s go. But I’m warning you now, I’m not great at shopping. Don’t make me stay in one place for too long.”

“Let’s go, don’t be stubborn…” Meiyi cheerfully linked arms with Yexiu, and the four quickly headed out the door.

The city streets were bustling with prosperity, the major commercial districts choked with crowds. Yet, how many people knew that in the unseen world beneath this surface, surging undercurrents threatened the lives of nearly everyone?

“Meiyi, what do you think of this outfit? Is it too revealing?” Lin Lan rushed directly into a lingerie store. She held up a piece of purple intimate wear and posed with it, twisting her delicate waist in a manner that made onlookers hungry. Naturally, Old Liu had swallowed his saliva countless times already.

Meiyi, holding Yexiu’s arm, had barely managed to drag him inside. She picked up a plain brassiere and asked Yexiu, “Do you like this color?”

“I…” Yexiu felt an urge to summon the Purple Flame and blast the entire shop, but Meiyi’s question made him deeply uncomfortable. “I think it’s fine, maybe. Please don't ask for my opinion; as long as you like it, that’s what matters.”

“I think it looks good. Meiyi, this one is absolutely perfect for you,” Old Liu said between bites of food he was still managing to consume. “It looks good. And Lin Lan’s looks good too. I’ll have to personally evaluate them when I get the chance.”

“Evaluate my foot!” Lin Lan giggled, placing the provocative garment on Old Liu’s head. Her eyes, however, had already spotted clothes in a shop across the way, and she hopped away excitedly. Just then, a car suddenly sped out from who knows where, nearly hitting Lin Lan.

“Lin Lan, are you alright?” Meiyi dropped what she was holding and rushed over to help her up. Lin Lan had scraped her leg slightly, but she was utterly terrified. “Are you okay?”

“Can’t you watch where you’re going, woman? You ran straight into the car! Are you trying to fake an injury? Seeing a Bentley and you just run into it! You want to die?” At this, the car window slid down, and a young, affluent woman began to curse them out. “If you’re poor, don’t wander around outside! It doesn’t matter if you die, but be careful not to scratch my car! You won't be able to afford the damages!”

Meiyi, naturally hot-tempered, snapped when she heard the arrogant woman in the car. She immediately charged over and started shouting back, “You nearly hit my friend! Looking at you, you’re obviously someone’s mistress. What kind of Bentley are you driving anyway? A fake, right? Don’t put on airs in front of me!”

“Forget it, Meiyi, don’t stoop to this level with people like her…” Lin Lan looked slightly wronged and rushed to grab Meiyi, afraid she would escalate the situation.

“Fine! You wait right there, you bitch! See if I don’t teach you a lesson!” The young lady, clearly hoping to stir up more trouble, pulled out her gold-brick-like phone and bellowed, “Hello, Brother Dao? Yes, it’s me. Come down to Central Street, bring a few guys. I need to teach someone a lesson.”

“Hey, what should we do when things like this happen?” Old Liu hated seeing women fight, and now the other side was calling for backup. He nudged Yexiu. “Should we step in?”

“Stop messing around. We don’t need to step in. Just Meiyi alone is enough to kill someone. We need to get them out of here quickly,” Yexiu said quietly, stepping up behind Meiyi. He gently took her arm. “That’s enough. Lin Lan isn’t seriously hurt. Let’s go; there are more and more people gathering.”

“What’s there to fear from a crowd? Today I want to see how many people this shrew can call. If she calls one, I’ll beat one…” Meiyi’s entire demeanor changed; this was her true self shining through. “Showing off with a broken-down car in front of me? I don’t even know which of whose mistress she is!”

“What’s going on! What’s going on! Who dares bother our sister-in-law? Isn't this asking for trouble under the Tai Sui’s head?” Several men in black suits pushed through the gathering crowd. The leader, a bald man wearing sunglasses, stepped forward and confronted Yexiu directly. “Brat, your woman is extorting our sister-in-law. You want to die, huh?”

As soon as the bald man finished speaking, the surrounding lackeys all slipped their hands into their suit pockets, menacingly surrounding Yexiu. “Let’s find a quiet place to talk. There are too many people here!”

Yexiu had been worrying about how to handle things with so many onlookers. He told Old Liu to stay with Lin Lan and Meiyi, then allowed himself to be escorted by the group into a subterranean parking garage. “Wait for me to come back, okay? Oh, and buy me a bottle of water; I’ll be thirsty later.”

Lin Lan watched Yexiu’s composed departure, a pang of worry hitting her heart. “Hey, shouldn’t we call the police? If you go like that, they’ll beat you to death!”

“Let’s go buy him a bottle of water.” Meiyi soothed Lin Lan, settling her near a flowerbed. She knew that Yexiu always acted within his limits and wouldn't actually kill ordinary people. “It won’t take long. Is your leg okay?”

“Alas, what a group of unlucky people!” Old Liu shook his head watching the men in black leave. “Who did they have to provoke? Provoking a character like Yexiu—they deserve to die!”

The underground garage was pitch black. The dozen or so men blocked the exit, having already drawn steel pipes from their cars. They surrounded Yexiu, determined to settle things today. “Brat, you have bad luck. My boss just took a fancy to a chick and hasn't even had his fill yet? Tough luck for you!”

“Ah! Thump, thump…” A series of sharp cries mixed with the sound of steel pipes striking the concrete floor. In an instant, all dozen-plus thugs were kneeling on the ground. Yexiu’s movements were so fast they hadn't even registered what happened before they were subdued.

Yexiu hadn't actually done much—he merely pushed one man, who then crashed into the ones behind him. He grabbed the leading bald man. “You guys have bad luck, but you’re just earning a living. How about this: today, the woman driving the car was in the wrong. Each of you go out there and slap her once, and we’ll consider this matter settled!”

“This…” The bald man tried to negotiate, but the moment he saw Yexiu’s eyes flash a faint red, he froze solid. He nodded and roared at the men on the ground, “Damn it, we ran into a master today! Do exactly as he says!”

“Yes, yes, yes…” The mass of slumped figures stumbled out of the parking lot, fear clouding their eyes. But when they saw the woman standing next to the Bentley, their expressions turned vicious.

“Slap…” The bald man delivered the first strike, and the men behind him followed suit one by one. After a flurry of slaps, the woman’s face was swollen like a steamed bun.

“You… you’re insane…” Before the woman could even start crying, another barrage of slaps landed, nearly knocking her unconscious.

Yexiu walked over slowly, hands tucked casually in his pockets. He waved at the bald man, signaling him to take the woman away. “A cheap mistress like this. Tell your boss not to stick up for her—it’s embarrassing!”

“Yes, yes!” The bald man, knowing Yexiu’s skill, obeyed without question. He cast a contemptuous glance at the woman and ordered, “Forget her. Go back and tell the boss that this chick is keeping another man on the side!”

Meiyi and Old Liu watched Yexiu with amused smiles; only they understood the true meaning behind his actions. Meanwhile, Lin Lan, standing nearby, cast a curious look at Yexiu. “How did you do that? How could all those men lose to you?”

“Fight? I couldn’t possibly beat that many people,” Yexiu said softly, accepting a cup of water. “I just told their boss that the woman was keeping a kept man on the side. He had no choice but to believe it. It’s that simple!”