The bus slowly began to move. Hao Ren opened the window, and the warm breeze blew in from the outside.
Many students on the bus kept on glancing at them. Now that the two gorgeous girls always followed him around, Hao Ren couldn't be low-key even if he wanted to.
Feeling the warm breeze, Hao Ren took out his cell phone and dialed Zhao Yanzi's cell phone number.
"Are you at the airport?" Hao Ren asked her.
No matter what, Zhao Yanzi was still his fiancée in the future. It was necessary to care about her.
"Still have half an hour until boarding," Zhao Yanzi replied over the phone.
"The weather forecast said that there'd be light rain in Beijing these two days; it will be a bit chilly. Remember to dress warm," Hao Ren said.
"You are so fake!" Zhao Yanzi shouted on the phone. However, she was bored in the waiting lounge, and there wasn't much to text about with Ling anymore. She felt slightly moved when Hao Ren suddenly called and was concerned about her.
"Fine, I'm being fake," Hao Ren was a bit helpless and added, "Are you coming back on Sunday?"
"Um, the plane leaves in the evening."
"Remember to come back and do your assignments," Hao Ren said.
"So annoying. Cut it out!" Zhao Yanzi hung up the phone angrily.
"Uh…" Hao Ren put down his cell phone. "What did I say wrong?"
The bus moved up stop by stop. Hao Ren used the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll secretly to absorb the five elements.
He absorbed water elements without any obstacles, but it was difficult for him to sense the other elements and absorb them.
The more anxious he was, the more chaotic his mood became. Soon, the five elements mingled around him, and he couldn't even tell where the water-elements were.
"Gongzi, you can't be anxious when you cultivate," Lu Linlin said when she saw Hao Ren frown as if he was taken.
Hao Ren opened his eyes and smiled. "The earth elements are indeed hard to feel."
Lu Lili, who was beside him, covered her mouth and laughed, "Gongzi is so simple. To sense the earth elements, it obviously will be best to be standing on the ground. You're sitting on a metal chair and trying to sense the energy of the earth. How could you make progress focusing on the wrong thing?"
"That's it!" Hao Ren understood completely. When he cultivated the Spirit Concentration Scroll, he absorbed all five elements but with more water in them. If he wanted to absorb a single elemental essence, he had to go to the specific places to cultivate.
"Gongzi's amber is a water-elemental accessory. It can help you sense the water element, and that's why the water element is the most abundant element inside Gongzi's body," Lu Lili looked at Hao Ren's chest and said.
Hao Ren touched the little accessory that Zhao Yanzi gave him and nodded.
"Gongzi, there seems to be a fluctuation of array formation," Lu Linlin suddenly said.
"Fluctuation of array formation?" Hao Ren was confused.
"Um, it seems like some people are fighting here!" Lu Linlin nodded.
Hao Ren looked in the direction they were pointing at but saw nothing.
"Hehe, we forgot that Gongzi isn't at Kan-level yet." Lu Linlin grabbed Hao Ren's palm, and pure five elements entered Hao Ren's body from his arm.
Pa! Hao Ren suddenly felt like he had broken through to Kan-level and his body became light.
His gaze followed the direction that Lu Linlin pointed towards and saw two people inside a dark red sphere in the sky; blue lights could be seen on them.
He couldn't hear the sounds but could see icy rain flashes and a white sword swing inside the dark red sphere. It seemed to be very intense.
"Two juniors of Zhen-level are fooling around," Lu Lily watched for a while and said.
"Yeah," Lu Linlin let go of Hao Ren's palm and explained, "Elder Lu mentioned that in the regulations of the Dragon Tribe, a dark red sphere means a practice battle, and a white sphere symbolizes a battle of life and death."
As the pure energy from Lu Linlin disappeared, Hao Ren's head felt dizzy. He looked up again and only saw the blue sky and white clouds as if everything was normal.
"After a while, it will be little Zhumu's birthday. It seems like some Elders already brought some playful young ones to East Ocean City," Lu Lili said.
After they chatted for a while, they suddenly noticed Hao Ren's confused look. Then, Lu Linlin said in a hurry, "Ah! I'm sorry, Gongzi. I suddenly took away the five elemental essences and forgot that you're not used to it."
"It's fine…..." Hao Ren waved. Lu Linlin's comment about him not being at Kan-level struck him hard.
After all, he would still be a mortal without reaching Kan-level. After stepping into Kan-level, he would really enter the door of cultivation, and the world he sees would be totally different.
"In fact, my younger sister and I can give you the five elemental essences and make Gongzi break through to Kan Level. However, the realm won't be stable if you don't cultivate it on your own," Lu Linlin said as she tried to comfort Hao Ren.
"I believe that Gongzi will be very strong in the future!" Lu Lili also tried to comfort him.
Hao Ren smiled. Having two followers who were top-tier Kun-level gave him quite a bit of pressure.
"Gongzi, you are good at other things like English, Advanced Mathematics, University Physics, and... Um, you also play basketball too!" Lu Lili added.
"Alright, alright, you don't have to comfort me. I'll work hard in cultivating," Hao Ren used his hands to block their mouths and said.
Lu Linlin and Lu Lili covered their mouth and smiled sweetly like two flowers.
They didn't know why they felt happy when they followed Hao Ren around; it might be because of their curiosity. In their minds, Hao Ren had a temperament that was hard to describe. Most of the time, he had a gentle character that tolerated everything. However, he still had the courage that was sharp enough to cut everything off when it was needed.
"Mortals could also be this interesting," the twins thought to themselves.
It was still sunny outside as the bus traveled at a moderate speed.
The bus stopped at the bus stop near the beach, and Hao Ren carried his bag and walked to his home near the sea. Lu Linlin and Lu Lili followed Hao Ren under the scorching sun.
It would take half an hour to walk to the house, but the Lu sisters weren't as weak as they seemed. Their stamina was better than Hao Ren!
When they arrived at the house, Hao Ren opened the door and didn't know how to explain things to Grandma. All of a sudden, he heard a girl's voice inside the house.
"Ah?" They were both surprised when they saw each other.
Hao Ren saw Xie Yujia wearing a white apron and was carrying a fish in her hands, and Xie Yujia saw Hao Ren carrying his bag home with two beautiful girls behind him.
"Why…... Why are you here?" Hao Ren asked foolishly.
"You're back, Ren?" Hao Zhonghua walked out of his room when he heard Hao Ren's voice. "Yujia was a bit drunk yesterday, so she slept over at our house and didn't go to school today either… Hmm? Who are they?"
"Oh, my classmates, Lu Linlin and Lu Lili. They wanted to visit our home," Hao Ren answered.
"Hello, Uncle!" Lu Linlin and Lu Lili said sweetly to Hao Zhonghua.
Hao Zhonghua was slightly dazed.
He then saw Xie Yujia holding the fish and said, "Oh, you finished killing the fish? You can steam it then. Grandma likes to eat steamed fish."
"Ok, Uncle." Xie Yujia nodded and walked into the kitchen without looking at Hao Ren again.
She looked like a great wife and wise mother when she tied her hair up and wore an apron.
Yue Yang walked out of the kitchen wearing sleevelets, and she saw the two pretty girls standing beside Hao Ren. Her facial expression changed, and she asked, "Why did you bring more girls back home?"
"Hello, Auntie!" Lu Linlin and Lu Lili greeted Yue Yang sweetly as well.
Yue Yang was originally going to make a face. But after seeing the twins being so polite, she couldn't be too mean to them. Her tone softened as she said, "Nevermind. Since you guys are here, let's eat together."
Xie Yujia drank quite a bit of alcohol last night and spoke some gibberish at the end. Yue Yang felt sorry for her and had her stay over. She also made Xie Yujia stayed over for the day as she tried to comfort her. However, who knew that Hao Ren would bring two girls home?
Yet, even though she had some complaints in mind, she didn't want to show it on the outside.
"Have your classmates sit down. Lunch will be ready soon," Yue Yang turned around after she finished speaking and went to help Xie Yujia in the kitchen.
Xie Yujia was the head chef today and was going to make something delicious. As an Auntie, Yue Yang was only an assistant.
Hao Ren was in a turmoil because he didn't expect Xie Yujia to be at home. He pointed at the sofa in the living room and said, "Linlin, Lili, find a place to sit."
"Yes, Gongzi!" Lu Linlin and Lu Lili nodded and found a spot to sit in the living room.
Hao Ren put down his bag and walked into the smoky kitchen.
Xie Yujia, who wore a white apron, was steaming the fish. Her hair was tied up, revealing her fair skin in the warm kitchen. There were a few drops of sweats by her ears, and it was obvious that she had worked very hard.
She didn't say anything when she saw Hao Ren squeeze in; she lowered her head to look at the braised pork in another pot. Her face was red and formed an apparent contrast with her pale white neck.
Hao Ren got snubbed and could only ask Yue Yang, "Mom, did the Class President sleep here yesterday?"
"What Class President? Call her Yujia!" Yue Yang scolded him.
"Alright… Mom, did Yujia live here yesterday?" Hao Ren could only repeat the question.
"Yeah, Uncle Xie and Yujia both slept at our house yesterday. Yujia stayed over in your room, and I slept with your grandma," Yue Yang said.
"The Class President stayed over in my bedroom…..." Hao Ren felt weird.
"Yujia seemed to be a bit drunk yesterday. She felt dizzy this morning, so I didn't let her go to school," Yue Yang said, "She said that you're coming back at noon and wanted to make a delicious meal for you…"
"Auntie!" Xie Yujia, who seemed to be concentrating on cooking the braised pork, suddenly interrupted Yue Yang and corrected her, "I'm cooking for you guys, not just for him."
"Okay, okay, okay…..." Yue Yang nodded continuously and looked at Hao Ren. "Anyhow, why don't you thank Yujia?"
"Thank you very much, Class President...…" Hao Ren said. But halfway through, he felt like it sounded wrong and decided to rephrase it. "Thank you very much, Yujia…..."
After he finished saying this, he thought it felt slightly awkward again and shut his mouth. Changing from calling her 'Class President' to the intimate 'Yujia' was something he was still not used to it. Yet, they used to be childhood sweethearts a long time ago. There didn't seem to be anything wrong addressing her this way either.
Seeing Hao Ren acting awkward, Xie Yujia smiled. "Alright, it's nothing. Just thanking your parents for treating us. There isn't any special meaning to this."
When she smiled, she looked like a blooming flower. She wasn't as beautiful as the Lu sisters, but she was more charming.
"Well… Thank you anyway," Hao Ren backed off and exited the hot kitchen. He found himself sweating all over his forehead and realized that cooking wasn't an easy task.
He returned to the living room and found that Grandma had appeared magically, grabbing the Lu sisters' hands and chitchatting with them.
"Grandma actually won't say no to anyone…..." Hao Ren's sweat fell down. He walked over and said "Grandma, they are Lu Linlin and Lu Lili. They came to the beach to play today."
"Um, I saw them yesterday. Such beautiful girls," Grandma smiled and said at the same time.
As she talked, she also pinched their smooth cheeks as if she was pinching two dolls.
Hao Ren couldn't stand his grandma and thought, "As long as they are beautiful girls, she would take them all. What kind of attitude is this…"
The Lu sisters and Grandma seemed to get along well. They chatted about all kinds of tales, all sorts of local customs, and all types of mythical legends. Hao Ren couldn't help but admire their knowledge.
"Ren, these two girls, Linlin and Lili, are so nice. After chatting with them for a while, I feel a lot better," Grandma stood up and said.
Lu Linlin and Lu Lili looked at each other and smiled secretly. When Grandma grabbed their soft hands, they also used the five elemental essences to cleansen Grandma's body and eliminated the remaining illnesses. It would be weird if she still had no energy.
The result was way more effective than Zhao Hongyu's way of utilizing precious ingredients and elixirs.
Not everybody could touch their bodies. If one could touch their hands, it would be a profound fortune. If Grandma knew about their identities, she would know that she touched the 'immortal essence.'
"You little girls are great and know so much more than little Zi. Visit here often during the weekends from now on," Grandma looked at them pleasantly and said.
"Sure!" they promised before Hao Ren had a chance to interrupt. Visiting here every weekend to talk to Grandma while nursing her body at the same time would count as repaying Hao Ren for saving their lives.
Hao Ren could only sigh when he saw Grandma, Linlin, and Lili smiling at each other.
"Whatever, Grandma is at this age already. As long as she's happy, she can do whatever she wants," he thought.
"Lunch time!" Yue Yang carried the dishes out from the kitchen.
Xie Yujia also followed her from the kitchen. She already took off the apron and let her hair down, and this made her look tranquil and gentle.
"Come, come, come. Yujia, come and sit beside me!" Grandma waved at Yujia as an act of intimacy.
The table was set with lots of dishes, and every single one seemed to be delicious in its color, aroma, and taste. It was obvious that Xie Yujia put lots of effort into cooking this lunch.
Hao Ren didn't expect that the ordinarily hard-working Xie Yujia, who also studied when she was at home, would be so good at cooking. At a young age, her cooking skills were on par with Zhao Hongyu's.
Xie Ming and Hao Zhonghua, who were talking about national affairs, came to the living room when they smelled the aroma. Hao Zhonghua laughed brightly. "Haha, Yujia is our big hero today!"
"Uncle! It's what I should do!" Xie Yujia smiled refreshingly and elegantly.
"Would you stay with us this weekend, Yujia?" Grandma asked. In her mind, Yujia was pretty, considerate, and also cooked well. Her personality was also gentle and was an excellent candidate for granddaughter-in-law.
However, she also had little Zi in mind. That was why she was indecisive.
"There's no need. I'll be heading back after lunch," Xie Yujia glanced at Hao Ren and at the two 'unexpected guest' and said.
" I have turned my heart to the moon, but the moon shines upon the ditch 1 ."
a Chinese saying that means, "I have been trying to express my feelings, but you don't see it and never appreciate it"