The little girl reread the note again and again, realizing her giggles had grown so loud that even the neighboring Ao Wushuang couldn't ignore them. A dry cough broke the silence, startling the girl back to reality. Feeling guilty, she stole a glance next door, and only when she saw Ao Wushuang seated serenely on her ** did she relax slightly.

Su Chan walked to the table, picked up her brush, intending to write a reply, but noticed the paper crane lying motionless on the wood.

The girl nudged it with her finger; the crane instantly tipped over, falling to the side like a lifeless object, all its former animation gone.

Su Chan gasped, then poked the Thousand Paper Crane again, gently moving its body from one side to the other. "Hey, stop playing dead!" she said nervously.

No matter how she manipulated it, the paper crane remained completely unresponsive.

"No way? What is going on?" Su Chan muttered to herself, feeling disappointed and lost.

As she stood there full of confusion, Ao Wushuang, outside the room, snorted coldly. "Paper cranes only have limited spiritual power, idiot! It’s out of power!"

Su Chan jumped, instinctively hiding the paper crane and the note. But after a moment, she realized her petty little scheme hadn't fooled Ao Wushuang in the slightest.

The little girl stuck out her small, scarlet tongue, gently cracked the door open a sliver, poked her head out, and asked timidly, "Master, you... you know everything?"

Ao Wushuang didn't even lift an eyelid, simply scoffing, "Do you think you can hide even these small tricks from me?"

Having been reprimanded by Ao Wushuang many times, Su Chan’s skin had noticeably thickened. Shamelessly, she grinned, "Master, then why didn't you stop me?"

Ao Wushuang snorted. "Would it have been useful? You, my dear, have your heart elsewhere, despite being here!"

Su Chan rushed out of the room and tugged at Ao Wushuang's arm, whining coquettishly, "Master, please let me go back!"

Ao Wushuang opened her eyes and harshly commanded, "No! The Heavenly Tribulation is approaching. Are you going there to court death?"

Su Chan puffed out her cheeks high. "When exactly is that Tribulation coming? I’m so anxious every day waiting for it!"

Ao Wushuang said coldly, "Soon, it won't be long now. Don't worry!"

Su Chan's eyes darted, and she plastered on a fawning smile again. "Master, you will help him, right?"

Ao Wushuang snorted, her face frosty, and remained silent.

Su Chan vigorously shook Ao Wushuang's arm, her voice sickeningly sweet as she pleaded, "Maaaster, Maaaster!"

At first, Ao Wushuang managed to keep a stern face, but after a moment, she simply couldn't hold back. The corner of her mouth curved upward, revealing a smile mixing exasperation and amusement. She glared at Su Chan with mock anger. "They always say girls are outgoing, and they aren't wrong! I’ve raised you for over a decade, and you never acted like this towards me. But you go out for just a couple of weeks, and now you’re hopelessly devoted to one man, thinking only of him in everything!"

Su Chan giggled, "Master, does that mean you agree?"

Ao Wushuang said, half-angry, half-laughing, "Do you have any idea how difficult and dangerous it is to help someone pass a Heavenly Tribulation? You abandon your Master for a man! You are the most heartless person in the world!"

Su Chan burrowed her head deep into Ao Wushuang’s embrace. She looked up at her Master and smiled brightly. "Master, you are the best to me; you won't just stand by and watch someone die, right?"

Ao Wushuang poked Su Chan's forehead with her finger. "You! You’ll be the death of me! This Li Yundong must have accumulated immense merit in his past life to find such a wonderful Dao companion like you!"

Su Chan shook her head in refutation. "No, it was my past life's merit that allowed me to find such a good Dao companion like him!"

With that, she hopped out of Ao Wushuang's arms, knelt on the ** herself, pressed her hands together, and said with a beaming smile, "The Buddha says that if you strike a wooden fish until it breaks in a past life, you can earn a destined affinity in the next. I must have hammered a hundred wooden fish to meet someone as wonderful as Yundong!"

Ao Wushuang snorted. "This fellow better not change his heart, or else, hmph!"

Su Chan instantly sprang up and countered loudly, "He won't! Yundong definitely won't change; I believe in him!"

Ao Wushuang looked at Su Chan with mingled affection and pity. She seemed to recall something and sighed softly, murmuring low, "I thought the same thing back then. Su Chan, oh Su Chan, don't follow my old path..."

Su Chan heard Ao Wushuang murmuring something quietly but couldn't quite catch it, so she asked, "Master, what did you just say?"

Ao Wushuang sighed and shook her head. "Nothing. I will help him, but we'll wait until the Heavenly Tribulation is about to descend."

Hearing this, Su Chan jumped with joy, not bothering to ask about Ao Wushuang's earlier comment. In her mind, as long as her Master took action, everything would be fine!

Meanwhile, in the distant Tiannan City, Li Yundong sat on his balcony, lost in thought, waiting for the paper crane to return after it flew away. But he waited until late at night and still saw no messenger bird.

Disappointed, Li Yundong walked inside from the balcony, sighing inwardly and forcing a bitter smile. "In this age of computers and the internet, I'm still using the most primitive form of communication with the girl. It's bizarre! I have no idea where she is!"

Li Yundong stood staring blankly by the balcony door for a while until Ziyuan greeted him, jolting him back to the present.

"I'm leaving," Ziyuan said.

Li Yundong managed an "Oh," and as he opened his mouth, he almost asked, "Don't you usually stay the night here?" But he caught himself, deciding it was inappropriate, and closed his mouth.

Seeing he said nothing, Ziyuan left the room and gently closed the door behind her.

Only after she left did Li Yundong fully realize how empty and solitary the room felt. His eyes swept the surroundings and noticed that Ziyuan had tidied everything away. The table was covered with a cloth, looking clean and pristine, and on it sat a teacup filled with warm water, under which lay a slip of paper.

Li Yundong walked over and glanced at it. Written there were the words: The Heavenly Tribulation approaches. Do not allow distraction to disturb your spirit.

Li Yundong’s expression sharpened. He carefully placed the note back in its spot, weighted down by the bowl. He took a sip of water. As the water flowed down, Li Yundong felt a warmth spreading through his blood vessels; his crown felt clearer, and his inner elixir in the lower abdomen seemed to have visibly expanded.

"No way, just drinking a cup of water strengthens my divine powers?" Li Yundong felt a surge of strangeness, but for the moment, he couldn't fathom the reason.

Li Yundong pondered for a while but found no answer, so he sat cross-legged in the living room by himself.

He practiced Qi cultivation until dawn. Then, carrying the Seven Treasures Spirit-Guiding Fan on his back, Li Yundong headed toward the school. His legs moved like flying, ignoring the stares of passersby; his speed was nearly as fast as a bus, reaching the school in just half an hour.

As soon as he entered the school gates, Li Yundong noticed that every gaze had instantly snapped toward him.

In the past, perhaps seven or eight out of ten people in the school would recognize Li Yundong, but there were always two or three who kept to themselves and wouldn't know him. This was especially true after new students arrived; perhaps only five or six out of ten recognized him. But now, nine out of ten knew who Li Yundong was!

The moment he passed the school gate, his signature black cloth-wrapped Seven Treasures Spirit-Guiding Fan immediately drew everyone's attention, and students began whispering everywhere.

Li Yundong felt an uncomfortable prickling sensation under their stares. Just as he was about to hurry into the teaching building, he heard a cheerful voice next to him exclaim: "If one doesn't know Li Yundong!"

Immediately following that, another voice chimed in with a playful tone: "Then roaming the campus is in vain!"

Li Yundong didn't even need to turn around to know it was the dynamic duo, Feng Na and Cheng Cheng.

He chuckled, turned around, and there they were, Feng Na and Cheng Cheng standing side-by-side, grinning at him.

Cheng Cheng, truly someone who was starting to engage with society, was wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt. The buttons on her chest were stretched taut by her full **, threatening to burst. Her lower half was clad in black Western-style trousers that elegantly contoured her tall, slender figure. Her overall look was both feminine and professional, in an 'L' style.

Li Yundong appraised her with a smile. "Not bad, tsk tsk, looking like an office lady!"

Cheng Cheng slapped Li Yundong heartily on the shoulder. "Oh, come on. Can someone as plain as me catch the eye of a senior like you?"

There is an adage among martial artists: The familiar and the stranger must not be approached.

This meant that neither acquaintances nor strangers should be allowed close, much less extend a hand to touch any part of the body, for fear of a sudden attack.

This held true for cultivators as well. When Li Yundong saw Cheng Cheng’s hand swing toward him, he instinctively dodged, causing her slap to land in empty air. She paused, surprised.

Li Yundong then realized his reaction and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, that was just a conditioned reflex."

Cheng Cheng snapped back to attention, waving her hand. "It's fine, you're a martial practitioner; I understand!" Then, as if remembering something, she added with a mixture of annoyance and excitement, "Right, Na Na told me you showed off your might in the cafeteria again last time?"

Li Yundong gave a wry smile. "What might? What showing off?" He then turned to Feng Na. "Classmate Feng Na, please don't exaggerate things, okay?"

Feng Na covered her mouth and laughed. "I was just telling the truth!"

Cheng Cheng, feeling indignant, cried out loudly, "I missed it last time; I lost out big time! Absolutely not, you have to compensate me!"

Li Yundong was caught between laughter and tears. "How should I compensate you?"

Feng Na and Cheng Cheng exchanged a look, a flash of mischievous success crossing their eyes. Feng Na smiled. "We'll have you move tables. You're strong enough anyway!"

Li Yundong laughed. "Hey, you two are pressing a strong man into service, do you know that? Even the Party-State stopped doing that!"

Cheng Cheng burst into loud laughter. "The Party-State stopped, but our current dynasty still practices this! Stop the nonsense. You're coming with us at noon!"

Li Yundong shook his head, smiling helplessly at Cheng Cheng and Feng Na. "I really can't do anything about you two! Fine then, we'll talk at noon; I have classes this morning."

Saying that, he started walking toward the teaching building. After a few steps, he noticed Feng Na and Cheng Cheng trailing right behind him, inseparable. He asked curiously, "Why are you following me? Afraid I'll run away?"

Feng Na smiled. "We don't have classes today, so we'll stoop low today and act as your personal bodyguards!"

Li Yundong was exasperated. "Who exactly is protecting whom?"

With that, he shook his head and walked into the classroom. As soon as he entered, he saw Ding Nan walking toward him, who immediately delivered a cold opening line: "Want to know Zhou Qin's whereabouts?"