Chapter 7398
The Lu Family Has Arrived
"The Lü family is simply trying to get rid of Zhou Keying. Even if we don't consider our friendship, I can't let those treacherous members of the Lü family run rampant."
Xiao Chen's eyes suddenly sharpened, and an invisible aura of dominance emanated from his body: "When soldiers come, I will block them; when water comes, I will dam it. No matter what calamity or powerful enemy it may be, I will shatter it with a single sword!"
……
Meanwhile, at the ancient city high-speed railway station.
As the crowds thinned on the platform late at night, a slender figure stepped out of the station exit alone.
She was a girl of about thirteen or fourteen years old, dressed in a faded light blue cloth dress, with her hair styled in simple double buns. Her oval face still had a touch of childishness, but it already outlined a delicate and pretty profile.
What's most striking are her eyes, clear as mountain spring water, exceptionally lively, currently darting around, curiously observing the neon-lit cityscape, her eyes filled with wonder and bewilderment.
The long journey had left her long hair slightly disheveled, with a few strands clinging to her forehead.
Seeing several girls her age walking by, carrying schoolbags and chatting and laughing, she wrinkled her small nose and muttered under her breath, her tone carrying a hint of disdain:
"The spiritual energy outside... is it really this thin? These people... haven't even touched the threshold of the Body Tempering Realm, their lives are too stifling, aren't they?"
As she spoke, she extended her right hand, her thumb rapidly tapping the joints of her other four fingers, a faint light shimmering at the fingertips, as if she were deducing something.
A moment later, she frowned and her face fell: "That old guy insisted that I come to the ancient city to kill that guy named Xiao Chen... but I can't even sense a trace of his aura, what's going on!"
The girl pouted impatiently, kicked a pebble at her feet, and stepped into the sparse crowd outside the station.
She walked and stopped, pausing every so often, quickly forming a series of strange hand seals, closing her eyes to sense the movement for a moment, then shaking her head in disappointment before continuing on her way.
"Ugh, this damn job of finding people is so troublesome... It's wasting my cultivation time!" the girl muttered, pulling a yellowed piece of paper from her bosom.
Just then, a middle-aged man carrying a briefcase and looking tired walked by. The girl's eyes lit up, and she waved at him, her tone carrying an undeniable arrogance: "Hey, you...yes, you! Come here for a second, I have something to ask you."
The middle-aged man wearing glasses paused for a moment, looked around to make sure no one else was nearby, and then frowned as he stepped forward.
Seeing that the other person was a teenager, and that he was alone late at night, he figured he was probably lost, so he patiently asked, "Little friend, are you lost? Do you need help?"
The girl shook her head, handed over the piece of paper, pointed to the profile of a young man sketched in ink, and asked, "Have you seen the person in this painting?"
The profile lines were slightly rough, yet full of spirit... If Xiao Chen were here, he would be extremely surprised that the eyebrows and eyes of the person in the painting were seven or eight parts similar to his own!
The middle-aged man leaned closer to look, then shook his head blankly: "I've never seen it before. I'm not from around here, you should ask someone else."
The light in the girl's eyes dimmed instantly. Just as she was about to put the paper away, her small nostrils twitched slightly, as if she had sensed something unusual.
The next instant... "Whoosh!"
A sudden gust of wind swept by, carrying a biting chill!
The middle-aged man felt a blur before his eyes, and when he looked again, the figure of the girl in the green dress had vanished into thin air, as if she had never been there at all!
He took off his glasses in astonishment, rubbed his eyes hard, and looked around... The station square was dimly lit and sparsely populated. There was no trace of the little girl.
"Is...I've seen a ghost?" the middle-aged man muttered to himself, his face turning deathly pale, a cold sweat breaking out on his back. "It must be because of the recent project stress; I'm hallucinating...I need to go to the hospital tomorrow to get some sedatives..."
He shook his head with lingering fear, gripped his briefcase tightly, quickened his pace, and hurriedly disappeared into the deep night without looking back.
……
The next morning, the dawn shone through the gaps in the curtains, casting a few soft golden rays.
Xiao Chen suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them before he regained his composure. He got out of bed, washed up quickly and efficiently, and was ready in no time before heading downstairs to the dining room.
In the restaurant, Zhou Keying and Yun Yuyan sat facing each other, leisurely enjoying their breakfast.
Hearing footsteps, Yun Yuyan glanced at him without looking up, her tone teasing and reproachful: "Oh, our busy man is finally awake? The sun is almost high in the sky! I called you several times, but you were sleeping like a log."
As she spoke, she picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth, stood up briskly, picked up her handbag, and said in a light tone, "I'm not going to banter with you anymore. Today is the final preparation for the new product launch. Mr. Liu and I have to keep an eye on things the whole time. We're so busy we barely have time to breathe."
As she walked up to Xiao Chen, she suddenly stopped, winked mischievously, and said with a hint of slyness, "Considering how hard I've worked, shouldn't the big boss behind Xunjiang Group consider... giving me a raise?"
Xiao Chen pulled up a chair and sat down, his gaze fixed on her, his tone serious and unquestionable: "Xunjiang Group, if you want it, I can give it to you anytime."
Upon hearing this, Yun Yuyan's cheeks instantly flushed crimson, as if she had been burned. She spat lightly, "Who cares about your lousy company! I'm leaving!" Before she finished speaking, she had already rushed out of the villa gate, leaving only a string of crisp laughter behind.
The atmosphere in the restaurant instantly quieted down, leaving only Xiao Chen and Zhou Keying, with a faint aroma of milk filling the air.
Xiao Chen walked to Zhou Keying's side, pulled out a chair and sat down. His gaze was calm but carried a sharp, all-knowing edge as he looked directly at her: "Now, shouldn't you tell me what exactly happened?"
He paused, lowered his voice slightly, and said with a gentle certainty, "After all... we're friends who can talk about anything."
Zhou Keying's cheeks flushed slightly, and a thousand words welled up in her heart, ready to be spoken, when Xiao Chen's encrypted phone on the table suddenly vibrated, breaking the silence.
He picked up his phone, glanced at the information on the screen, and his eyes instantly darkened.
It was an encrypted text message from Di Tianyan, extremely concise, yet every word conveyed a heavy sense of pressure:
"Alliance Leader, news confirmed. The Lü family has set off and is returning to the Western Region at full speed."
Xiao Chen's gaze suddenly sharpened. He put down his phone, looked at Zhou Keying again, and said with certainty, "What you're worried about is that the Lü family is coming back, isn't it?"
Zhou Keying shuddered, a flicker of astonishment crossing her eyes. She hadn't expected Xiao Chen to have already seen through everything. The worry that had been weighing on her mind, the one she didn't know how to express, now seemed to have found a way out. (End of Chapter)