Yama Reborn-Chapter 501 - 498 [How Could You Possibly Be?]

Chapter 498: How Could You Possibly Be?

When the group returned to the Qingyun Sect, Brother Wu was at the entrance of the courtyard, craning his neck and looking toward the back mountain.

From a distance, he saw the middle-aged woman being assisted by Song Qiaoyun, followed by Chen Nuo, who held the unconscious Sun Keke in his arms.

Wu Daodao noticed the middle-aged woman was covered in dust, her robe torn with many slits, exposing the autumn clothing beneath.

What tugged at Wu Daodao’s heartstrings even more was the middle-aged woman’s obvious weariness, with faint traces of blood on her collar and the corners of her mouth.

Right there, Wu Daodao let out a loud shout, "Honey!!!"

He rushed over, snatched his wife from Song Qiaoyun’s hands, and attempted to carry her sideways.

However, THUD!

After all, Brother Wu’s training was in Spells, not Body Technique. Past middle age, his body was not what it used to be. His waist stiffened, legs went soft, knees cracked, and his arms couldn’t muster the strength; he couldn’t catch his breath.

He didn’t manage to lift her. Instead, she fell to the ground with a THUD.

The middle-aged woman’s previously lifeless face instantly flushed red. She glared at Wu Daodao and burst into a fierce rebuke, "Wu! Are you trying to throw me to my death so you can remarry, is that it!"

Wu Daodao hurried forward to help her, but the middle-aged woman shrugged him off, jumped up from the ground, gave Wu Daodao a fierce glare, and strode toward the sect’s gate with a slight limp.

Wu Daodao rubbed his hands and turned to look at Chen Nuo and Song Qiaoyun.

"Uh, Mistress Song, Junior Brother... what happened here?"

Chen Nuo had a somewhat solemn expression and shook his head. "Let’s go inside and talk."

***

Sun Keke was laid on a bed in a side room. After Chen Nuo personally examined her, there seemed to be no external or internal injuries on Sun Keke. Any scars left from the fight would have healed, given the destructive power she had shown. If she wasn’t the Controller, I’d dare to write my name backward! Right! From now on, I won’t be Chen Xiaoguo, but Gou Xiaochen!

Such minor wounds would have already self-healed.

The problem was, with Sun Keke lying there unconscious, Chen Nuo felt deeply uneasy.

Song Qiaoyun was more attentive. After observing from the side, she pulled Chen Nuo aside, examined Sun Keke herself, and even pried open her eyelids for inspection.

Mistress Song spread her hands. "She’s fine now."

"Huh?"

"She really is fine. It seems like extreme fatigue. This isn’t unconsciousness; she’s asleep."

"Asleep?" Chen Nuo felt doubtful, but when a trace of his spiritual power infiltrated her Consciousness Space, he found nothing abnormal.

Truly asleep?

"Just asleep!"

The middle-aged woman entered from outside. She had dashed into the sect earlier to change into clean clothes and had washed the blood off her face and hands.

With a cold complexion, she entered the room, eyeing Chen Nuo and Song Qiaoyun with a complicated gaze before finally letting it rest on Sun Keke.

"She’s just asleep. Our Qingyun Sect’s Returning Truth Jue consumes spiritual power rapidly when casting Spells. After completely depleting one’s spiritual power, one becomes extremely tired. Right now, she’s like someone who has stayed awake for days and has fallen into a deep sleep.

Observing this condition, after sleeping for a day and a night, she’ll wake up on her own once she’s had enough rest."

She then said to Chen Nuo, "I have questions for you!"

"Good, I also want to ask you." Chen Nuo shook his head. "Keke ended up like this while with you for no apparent reason. Plus, you used that Returning Truth Jue on her, and now she’s like this. You’ve got to give me an explanation, right?"

The middle-aged woman’s expression grew stern. Tilting her head, she said, "Let’s talk outside."

Both of them left the room, and Song Qiaoyun, worried they might come to blows, quickly followed them out.

Standing in the courtyard, the middle-aged woman and Chen Nuo faced each other. The atmosphere between them was inevitably tense. With her hands concealed in her sleeves, the woman stared at Chen Nuo and slowly said, "Chen Nuo, tell me the truth. Did you teach Sun Keke the Spells of our Qingyun Sect?"

"Absolutely not," Chen Nuo immediately shook his head.

The middle-aged woman continued slowly, "Then, Sun Keke’s extraordinary abilities, are they... your doing?"

Chen Nuo nodded. "Sort of."

"Then, how many of our Qingyun Sect’s Spells have you, Chen Nuo, learned?"

Chen Nuo thought for a moment. "Not many, just three or five."

The middle-aged woman immediately turned to look at Wu Daodao, who was standing in the corner.

Wu Daodao quickly shrank back. "Don’t look at me! I only talked about two or three Spells with Junior Brother."

The middle-aged woman: "..."

"And... and there’s what Erya taught," Wu Daodao added.

"Yes. I had a problem before, and Erya went to Jinling to perform a soul summoning for me and then took care of me for a few days. During that time, as we chatted, she shared some Qingyun Sect’s Spells with me, but it was only two or three," Chen Nuo immediately explained. "No more than that. Oh, right... there’s also one more, the Sword of Killing Intent. You transmitted that one to me."

The middle-aged woman silently nodded. "Transmitting the Sword of Killing Intent to you was a necessary accident. Had I not given it to you, it would have been a disaster sooner or later if it stayed with me. However..."

She took a deep breath and then shouted loudly, "Erya!"

A window of a side room opened, and Situ Erya stuck her head out, grinning sheepishly. "Mistress, you called for me?"

The middle-aged woman’s face showed not the slightest smile as she sternly said, "Without the sect’s permission, you privately disseminated our sect’s Spells! For this violation of the sect rules, I punish you. Do you submit?"

Situ Erya turned pale. "I... I submit."

"Good. Starting from today, you shall go to the ancestral cave on the back mountain to reflect on your actions! You will have two meals a day; your eldest apprentice brother will bring you food daily. Reflect for fifteen days and copy our sect rules a hundred times."

Situ Erya’s face soured. "Locked up for fifteen days? Mistress, there’s an exam at school next week."

"Take leave!"

"And a math quiz..."

"Take leave!"

"And there’s the county-wide sports meet for middle and elementary students..."

"Take leave!"

"And there’s..."

"Another word and it’ll be a month!"

Situ Erya turned even paler, pulled her head in, climbed out the window, stood up straight, and bowed. "Yes, disciple accepts the punishment."

"Pack up your things and head to the back mountain yourself."

Situ Erya left, grumbling under her breath.

Of course, those grumbles were silently mouthed at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo threw up his hands. It’s not my fault for selling you out, but this matter is of great importance; I can’t hide it.

Having punished her disciple, the middle-aged woman turned to Chen Nuo. "Now let’s talk about today’s events. Today’s matter went like this..."

A dozen minutes or so later, the middle-aged woman had recounted everything that happened that day to Chen Nuo—Wu Daodao had even interrupted to add some details from before the woman returned home.

The more Chen Nuo listened, the more bizarre it seemed!

"Keke, she can really cast all of Qingyun Sect’s Spells at will?"

"Yes! Every single Spell, as if she had practiced it her entire life."

"After you used the Returning Truth Jue on her, she really became like a different person?"

The middle-aged woman rolled her eyes. "What else? Does the Sun Keke you know have the ability to beat you up? Is she capable of that?"

"...That’s true. But... she really called you ’junior’? And she said you ’do not know your place’?"

The middle-aged woman slowly nodded her head as well.

Chen Nuo frowned.

"That’s why I suspect that something has possessed Sun Keke. And what has possessed her might very well be the consciousness of an elder from our sect! Only an elder from our sect would be proficient in so many of our Spells. Only they would refer to me as a junior. And that phrase, ’do not know your place’..."

The middle-aged woman said this with a serious tone, "Our Qingyun Sect has always had strict rules, clearly defined laws, and an orderly system of seniority..."

As Chen Nuo listened, it all started to sound less and less reasonable! Qingyun Sect? Strict sect rules? Clearly defined laws? What else did she say? An orderly system of seniority? Is it the kind where the master can’t beat the disciple? Don’t you feel any shame when you say such things?

But... let’s set aside these unimportant details for now. After the middle-aged woman said all this, it did indeed sound like one of the old ghosts from Qingyun Sect had taken possession! Possession, Body Seizing, this kind of thing... I’ve been through this routine before! I know it well!

After a moment’s thought, Chen Nuo slowly asked, "In your Qingyun Sect, is there any kind of heirloom treasure, for example... two tiny jade stones, one black and one white?"

The middle-aged woman shook her head. "...No."

Chen Nuo thought again. "Then... has any of the little ones in your sect inadvertently picked up any broken ring on the back mountain that houses an old grandpa, who calls himself Medicine Elder or something?"

"No."

"Then, has there been any of your ancestral masters who died with unresolved grievances and great resentment, for example, wearing a red dress or red shoes or something?"

"No... Chen Nuo, the more you talk, the less sense you make!" the middle-aged woman glared at Chen Nuo fiercely.

Chen Nuo quickly shook his head. "I didn’t mean that. But even if it is possession... Sun Keke has only been here at Qingyun Sect for a total of just two days, right? To talk about Body Seizing and possession... there are several children in your sect, each one a monster with a freakish level of talent. If there was an old ghost possessing someone, why wouldn’t they choose one of those talented kids to possess? Instead, they chose Sun Keke?"

Chen Nuo frowned.

When he had checked Sun Keke’s injuries earlier, he had carefully searched Sun Keke’s Consciousness Space.

With his profound and pure spiritual power, he had searched Sun Keke’s Consciousness Space through and through, finding nothing out of the ordinary. If a Qingyun Sect old ghost or something was hiding... there should have been another cluster of extremely powerful spiritual power hidden in Sun Keke’s Consciousness Space. But, I didn’t see any!

Chen Nuo took a deep breath. "Well, if that’s the case... then you’ve explained Sun Keke’s situation to me. Specifically, I’m afraid we’ll have to wait for her to wake up, and then I’ll have to ask her myself."

The middle-aged woman nodded. "This matter may be related to my Qingyun Sect’s elders... and it also relates to many of Qingyun Sect’s secret techniques. So, you will have to give me an explanation in due time!"

Chen Nuo nodded agreeably. "Okay!"

This was a reasonable request; after all, the Qingyun Sect had also helped him quite a bit.

***

Chen Nuo took Sun Keke away with him.

Sun Keke "was suspected" of being possessed by an old ghost from Qingyun Sect. Whether it was haunting or Body Seizing, Chen Nuo had reason to suspect that the place was not clean.

He naturally couldn’t leave Sun Keke in Qingyun Sect, so he took her away directly.

As for the village primary school where Sun Keke was teaching...

That was a bit of a problem.

If Old Sun found out that his daughter had been possessed by some old ghost from Qingyun Sect, and that Qingyun Sect had a connection with Chen Nuo... Old Sun, who was already very dissatisfied with the ups and downs in their relationship, would likely hate Chen Nuo immensely.

So, he still had to keep it from Old Sun.

After some thought, Chen Nuo could only use his trump card.

He found the school and went straight into the principal’s office.

The principal, a minor education official from the town’s education bureau, frowned at the sight of Chen Nuo, a young stranger, entering and put down the report he was writing.

"Hello, can I help you? Are you a student’s parent... or...?"

Chen Nuo, smiling, walked up and sat down, first taking out a pack of premium cigarettes and offering one.

The principal didn’t put on any airs, just looking a bit bewildered as he accepted it.

"Principal, our school accepted a young intern teacher from Jinling City Education Group to provide teaching support two days ago, named Sun Keke, right?"

"Yes, that’s right." The principal’s expression changed when he heard this. "What are you inquiring about her for! Young man, if you want to cause trouble, go somewhere else! Don’t think about harassing our female teachers! Out! Out now!"

With that, he started to rise to evict the newcomer.

Chen Nuo, on the other hand, laughed.

Good, this principal is a decent man.

"No, you’ve misunderstood. I’m Sun Keke’s classmate."

"Classmate? If you’re her classmate, why are you asking me? If you’re classmates, why wouldn’t you contact her yourself?"

Chen Nuo sighed. "I really am her classmate, and also her friend. So I came to talk to you about something."

"What’s there to talk about?"

"Helping her request a leave of absence."

"A leave? For what? If she needs a leave, shouldn’t she come and tell me herself?"

The principal’s expression soured at this.

These young people nowadays probably can’t endure hardship. She definitely found the conditions here wanting after arriving yesterday and is regretting it now, wanting a leave?

"She... has some other matters to attend to." Chen Nuo said, and then he simply sighed. "Let me just be frank with you."

"Humph, go ahead."

"You see..." Chen Nuo kept a straight face. "Actually, I’m not quite happy about Keke teaching here. After all, the conditions are quite tough, and I can’t bear to see her suffer. It’s distressing, you understand, right?"

"That girl, she is your... girlfriend?"

"Yes." Chen Nuo nodded.

"Then what?"

"I actually arranged another job for her in the city, so..."

"Then she might as well resign! You don’t even need to ask me for leave. Just have her directly apply to the education group that sent her to cancel the teaching assignment." The principal’s attitude had become completely indifferent.

Indeed, young people just can’t withstand hardship. He wants her to be a deserter.

"She doesn’t want to resign, nor does she want to leave the education group, so she can only ask for leave, not resign. Moreover, I hope you can help keep this leave from the education group... In other words, I hope that during her leave, until the end of her teaching assignment, all her assessments and attendance are... normal. You understand what I mean, right?"

He understood now. The principal sneered, his face filled with increasing disdain and contempt. There must be assessments and rewards for teaching assignments from the education group, like commendations, or even policies regarding permanent positions. This girl wants the benefits but despises the hardship.

"Have you finished speaking? If you’re done, then leave! I don’t engage in such crooked dealings here!"

The principal pointed towards the door. "Get out!"

Chen Nuo didn’t budge.

He took a drag of his cigarette. "Our school’s conditions are quite difficult, right?"

"...What do you mean?"

The principal was both amused and annoyed.

He glared. "Are you trying to bribe me?"

The old principal laughed twice, but his laughter was cold. "You clearly haven’t bothered to find out about the traditions of this village’s elementary school! I myself graduated from this very school! What’s the matter, young man, you think you can bribe me with a bit of money! I advise you to get out of here quickly! Then tell Sun Keke, either come back obediently to complete her teaching assignment—and I will watch her every day to see if she is working properly! Or, if she wants to go, she can write a report, and I will report it truthfully!"

Chen Nuo looked at the agitated principal, his gaze lingering for a second on the frayed edges of his sleeves—the old principal’s jacket looked like it had been worn for at least seven or eight years.

He glanced again at the principal’s desk, noticing the half-empty pack of cigarettes—the cheapest local Yellow Mountain brand.

"I’ll build a teaching building for the school."

"You’re full of— Wait! What did you say?"

The old principal had cursed halfway before his tone suddenly changed.

Well then, that was a quick turnaround; the old man nearly lost control of his emotions.

"A three-story teaching building, with four standard classrooms per floor, plus one teacher’s office and public restrooms on each floor. And I’m not talking about a shoddy construction; it will be a conscientious project, using high-grade cement and built to earthquake-resistant standards. When the time comes, your school can engage a third party for construction monitoring and acceptance."

The principal became unsettled.

He quickly calculated in his mind...

"Are you just talking big, young man? An educational building of this standard only exists in the county middle school! An elementary school in a village like ours, how can we afford to build such a thing?" He paused, then whispered, "Just the construction cost would be several hundred thousand."

Several hundred thousand? Chen Nuo was taken aback, then realized—after all, it was the year 2002, when prices were low. It was not yet the era when the real estate market had exploded, and the prices for building materials and labor in the construction industry had soared. Moreover, this was a township, where labor was cheap.

"Let’s make it a round number." Chen Nuo waved his hand. "I’ll add some more money. After the building is finished, I will donate more money to our school to purchase some teaching aids. Things like blackboards, desks and chairs, electric lights, telephones, sports equipment—I’ll buy a new batch of everything. By the way, does the school have a library? I’ll donate another twenty thousand to add a batch of new books to the library."

Chen Nuo said, extending a finger, "One million. I can contribute a total of one million. Besides constructing the building, the rest of the money can be used to purchase the things I’ve mentioned."

The principal couldn’t stay on his feet and sat back down in his chair.

"Young man, you, you..."

"As long as you agree, within a week at most, the construction team will bring the building materials to the school. Piles of sand and cement will be on your school’s playground, solid and visible for you to see. What do you say? What good would lying to you do me? If I fail to deliver, you could report Sun Keke with just one phone call."

That’s true.

The old principal stopped talking. No matter what, the school would not suffer a loss.

Looking at Chen Nuo with a complex gaze, he asked, "Young man... your family is quite wealthy, right?"

"I suppose so."

Alright, the principal understood. Probably a second-generation rich kid from a big family, trying to buy convenience for his future wife because he dotes on her. But this was too much to part with! One million—this wasn’t just parting with something substantial, it was a huge sacrifice!

This principal had been one of Old Jiang’s students back in the countryside and was actually only a few years younger than him. It was precisely because he had received an education that he later made something of himself, and he was forever grateful for that kindness. After becoming a civil servant in the town, he was assigned to be the principal here. He had always walked a straight path and acted with integrity. He had no intention of getting involved in any crooked dealings.

But this young man...

He was offering too much! And it wasn’t for his own benefit, but for the school’s. The children would have nice classrooms, an educational building, and quality teaching materials. The teachers would also enjoy better conditions... I wouldn’t take a single cent for myself.

The principal wrestled with his conscience for a while before taking a deep breath and looking at Chen Nuo. "Three days!"

"Hmm?"

"Young man, in three days, I want to see construction materials—sand and cement—starting to arrive on site! Ground must be broken within a week. Also, don’t think you can fool me. The school’s current educational buildings may be run-down, but they were built under my direct supervision! I know a bit about construction myself! When the time comes, for digging the foundations, pouring the concrete, constructing the load-bearing walls... don’t think you can cut any corners on these critical steps! I’m not some ignorant fool; building a house isn’t as simple as just fencing a flat piece of land and putting a roof over it!"

Chen Nuo nodded emphatically. "Alright! Materials will start to arrive within three days, and construction will begin in a week."

"If you do this, the matter of Sun Keke taking a leave will be known only to you and me within this room. I will tell the others at the school that I sent her to the county education bureau for an observational study. Even when her internship period ends and she returns to the city, there won’t be a single negative word about this on her report, and all her evaluations will be satisfactory or better. Even with the education group, I assure you, I’ll cover for you. Not a single word will leak out." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Chen Nuo was satisfied.

"Then, how long will she need to take leave for?"

Chen Nuo pondered for a moment. "How long is her teaching internship supposed to last?"

"..."

Good grief, he doesn’t plan on her attending a single day! the principal thought sardonically.

***

Brother Lei was eating noodles, with Zhu Dazhi sitting beside him.

The two men each held giant bowls, eating with noisy enthusiasm.

The noodles were cold noodles, personally made by Zhu Xiaojuan.

Brother Lei was ninety-nine percent satisfied with his wife. Her cooking was good; after all, she was a girl who had come from hardship. Especially when it came to making noodles. Zhu Xiaojuan’s unique skill was to steam the noodles in a pot first, taking them out once thoroughly steamed. Noodles prepared this way wouldn’t easily become soft and mushy, and they wouldn’t clump together.

After making noodles for the two men today, Zhu Xiaojuan had left the house, mentioning that she was going to look at a shop space in the afternoon. It wasn’t good for her to always stay at home after getting married.

Actually, the car dealership didn’t need Zhu Xiaojuan’s presence. After discussing it with Brother Lei, she also felt it wasn’t suitable for her to work there anymore. After all, Chen Nuo had the major stake in the car dealership. Currently, Brother Lei and Zhu Dazhi both worked there. If Zhu Xiaojuan also joined the car dealership... would the dealership then be the Chen Family’s business, or Brother Lei’s family business? Hadn’t people noticed that even Chen Nuo’s mother hadn’t set foot in the dealership? Although Chen Nuo, with his generous nature, would probably not care about this, Brother Lei was extremely tactful in his actions. If he pushed his entire family into the dealership based on their good relationship... such a friendship wouldn’t last long.

After careful consideration, Zhu Xiaojuan decided to do something different. It was the end of 2002, and in Jinling, pearl milk tea was becoming increasingly popular. The business was exceptionally good. Zhu Xiaojuan had asked around and planned to find a location with high foot traffic to set up shop, intending to open a milk tea shop.

Chen Nuo didn’t know about this matter. If he had known, he would have thought it was a good idea too. Never mind that twenty years later, small individual milk tea shops wouldn’t be making money anymore—the profitable ones would be chain brands, and most of them would make a killing on franchising fees. But in 2002, a milk tea shop was a hugely lucrative business! The boom period had at least another eight to ten good years left. Making a profit for eight or ten years would be quite impressive.

In eight or ten years’ time, if Brother Lei was willing to invest more money and manage it well, even if he couldn’t build it into a big brand chain like in the future, opening a dozen or so branches in Jinling wouldn’t be a problem. By then, occupying a bunch of good locations, like university towns, downtown areas, and so on, running a local small chain would definitely be feasible. Ten years later, if he didn’t want to struggle to compete with those big-capital-backed chains, he could simply sell to them for a profit and retire comfortably. It was a good business prospect.

So, bearing the title of future milk tea shop proprietress, Zhu Xiaojuan had already gone out to scout for shops.

Brother Lei and Zhu Dazhi finished their noodles. Brother Lei was picking his teeth while still instructing Zhu Dazhi about the car dealership business.

"The batch of cars arriving from the manufacturer tomorrow—you still need to keep an eye on the quality. This brand’s sales have slipped recently, and the repair rate has increased by ten percent from before. I suspect the factory’s quality control is getting worse. You need to watch this batch carefully, and absolutely refuse to accept any that don’t meet standards. Our payment to this manufacturer will be complete with this batch. Then you’ll have to make an extra effort and come with me to some factories down south. We need to find a couple more reliable suppliers."

Zhu Dazhi didn’t say a word, just kept his head down eating noodles, occasionally nodding.

Brother Lei was about to tap him with his chopsticks when he suddenly heard a BANG! from outside the door.

Turning around, he saw Chen Nuo come in.

"Yo, Boss Nuo is here!" Brother Lei immediately perked up.

Zhu Dazhi pushed his bowl away, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and called out, "Senior Brother."

Then both of them were stunned.

Chen Nuo hadn’t come alone. He was carrying a woman in his arms.

Upon a closer look, wasn’t this Keke?

Brother Lei was taken aback. This... what was going on with Boss Nuo? Rekindling an old flame? No, that’s not right. Why were Keke’s eyes closed? Right, don’t look too much! Don’t ask too many questions!

"Brother Lei, I have an urgent matter for you to handle."

"Sure," Brother Lei immediately nodded.

"At Shizi Slope Village in XX County, there’s a township primary school. I want you to set off as quickly as possible to the school. I have promised to build them a three-story teaching building, following the standards of the best middle school in the county town! I don’t care how you do it, whether you throw money at it or spend money to acquire what’s needed. Sand, cement, and building materials must be on site within three days! The workers must start breaking ground within a week! Buy construction materials at high prices if you must, hire the construction team at high rates—it must be done within the time I specified! Don’t worry about the cost."

Brother Lei was momentarily stunned but still readily agreed. "Alright, it’s easy if we don’t worry about the money. It’s just sand, cement, and steel. If necessary, I’ll buy them at a high price. As for the construction team, with enough money, we can hire people even on short notice."

After a pause, Brother Lei suddenly smiled. "Right, for this matter, can I go find Luo Qing, Young Master Luo? His father is Luo Dachanzi, Boss Luo. Their family is in this business."

Chen Nuo was taken aback, realizing he had overlooked this detail. Luo Dachanzi was in real estate; this was his area of expertise.

"Sure, you can find him."

Chen Nuo wasn’t worried about bothering Luo Qing and Boss Luo either. Having helped Boss Luo with such a big problem in the past, the relationship between the two families was already established. Relationships are built this way—through mutual help—allowing for long-term ties.

Brother Lei checked the time on his phone. "The timing is really tight, so I’ll head out to handle this now. I’ll first make a trip to the Luo family’s company, and on the way, I’ll give Boss Luo a call."

"Wait a second."

Chen Nuo took a deep breath, and his expression suddenly became a bit strange.

"Um, Brother Lei, you didn’t sell your old house, right? It’s still there, isn’t it? The old house where you lived before you got married to Xiao Juan."

"It’s still there." Brother Lei was somewhat puzzled. "Why are you asking about this..."

"Is all the furniture in the house still there?" Chen Nuo took another deep breath. "It hasn’t been rented out, has it?"

"No, it hasn’t been rented out; it’s empty. Xiao Juan and I thought that we couldn’t really charge much for rent, and besides, it’s the place we lived in for many years. We couldn’t bear to let strangers mess it up. We planned to keep it, and when Zhu Dazhi gets older and lives independently, we’ll give the house to him."

"Alright, give me the keys. I need to use that house."

"..."

Brother Lei was stunned!

He looked at Chen Nuo and then at Sun Keke, who was being held in his arms, not knowing if she was unconscious or what...

No way... Bro. Couldn’t you just get a hotel room? Or is it... Could it be that Sun Keke was knocked out by Boss Nuo? Is Boss Nuo planning on forcing himself on her... No, no, that’s not right either! Keke has deep feelings for Chen Nuo; Brother Lei is aware of this. Would Boss Nuo really need to resort to such despicable means for this sort of thing? Back then, Keke was so devoted she would have wished to crumble herself to dust to feed Chen Nuo.

"Enough, don’t ask too much, and don’t think nonsense!" Chen Nuo’s expression was also a bit embarrassed. "Just get these two things done for me. The construction of the building at the school. And the house keys... Wait, that’s not right! There’s a third thing!"

Chen Nuo sighed. "Don’t tell anyone about this."

Brother Lei instantly got the hint. Tell someone? Who would he tell? This "someone" couldn’t be anyone else but the boss lady at Boss Nuo’s home!

He immediately found the keys and gave them to Chen Nuo. Chen Nuo nodded at the two then left with Sun Keke in his arms.

His manner of leaving was also extremely special.

WHOOSH! And he disappeared.

Brother Lei stood agape for a moment, then turned to Zhu Dazhi. "What do you think, Dazhi? Is Boss Nuo’s ability getting more and more magical? The way he comes and goes—he doesn’t even need to fly; he just teleports."

Zhu Dazhi, slurping noodles rapidly, mumbled around a mouthful, "SLURP... Isn’t that obvious? My senior brother is definitely awesome. I even think he might be cooler than Sun Wukong."

"Sun Wukong? The one with the seventy-two transformations?"

"No, the Super Saiyan one. BANG! The one who turns blond."

***

Brother Lei’s old house was not far from the Tangzi Street auto shop.

Actually, the house belonged to Zhu Xiaojuan’s family—her parents had died early, leaving behind this small, dilapidated place. It was even smaller than the apartment Chen Nuo’s grandmother had left him.

Chen Nuo, who knew the address, had of course visited before.

After arriving, he entered the house.

The house hadn’t been lived in for a long time and had a musty smell; opening the windows to air it out would fix that.

Chen Nuo directly laid Sun Keke on the bed in the bedroom and stood to one side, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.

This scene, this setting, this atmosphere... If I said I wasn’t planning any mischief, others probably wouldn’t believe me.

I’m upright and honest; I’m not nervous, Chen Nuo muttered to himself.

He then reached out, gently shifted Sun Keke to make her more comfortable, took off her outer coat, found a quilt in a sealed bag in the closet, fumbled to put a quilt cover on it, and then covered Sun Keke.

After a moment’s thought, he reached out to touch Sun Keke’s forehead and then lifted her eyelids to check.

She was sleeping too soundly—that Returning Truth Jue really consumed a lot of a person’s spiritual power! Look at how soundly she’s sleeping; she just wouldn’t wake up.

He pulled back her eyelids, then let go. Her eyes remained open, unmoving...

Hmm!!!!! Open?!!!!

Chen Nuo was stunned!

Sun Keke lay on the bed, her eyes fixed on Chen Nuo, who was right beside her!

"Uh, Keke, I was just worried you might not be sleeping well, so I was checking on you..." Chen Nuo said with a smile as he retracted his hand. "So, are you all slept out? Don’t be scared. We’re back in Jinling now, not at the Qingyun Sect. I..."

Sun Keke stared at Chen Nuo, her eyes seemingly empty, with no trace of expression on her face.

Then, she suddenly reached out, gently pushed away Chen Nuo’s hand, and sat up straight in bed.

"Keke?"

Sun Keke did not answer. She got out of bed, barefoot, and walked quickly, looking around before stopping in front of an old-fashioned standing mirror in the room.

Staring at her own reflection...

Sun Keke’s eyes began to change, bit by bit!

She took a deep breath, as if forcibly suppressing some emotion.

Slowly, she turned her head and stared intently at Chen Nuo!

"You! What have you done to me!"

"Me? I didn’t do anything," Chen Nuo shook his head. "I was just... Huh? Keke, what’s wrong with you?"

Sun Keke suddenly let out a low growl, furiously roaring at Chen Nuo.

"Nothing done! How could I have turned into this!!!

Why has my face changed!!

And my chest! It shrank!

My height has decreased as well!!

And what about my hair!! My hair, how could it..."

Chen Nuo’s face changed color too!

He narrowed his eyes, and immediately, countless Spiritual Force Tentacles emanated from him, surrounding "Sun Keke" on all sides!

"You are not Keke! Who are you!!!"

"Sun Keke’s" face wore a cold and miserable smile, her eyes filled with resentment. "Who am I?!

You actually ask me who I am?!

One moment you tell me to call myself Lu Xixi!

Then you call me Keke...

Now you’re damn well asking who I am!

I made it very clear to you!

You damn bastard, you got the wrong person!!"

After speaking, "Sun Keke" let out a low roar and leaped towards Chen Nuo!

SMACK!

A slap landed on Chen Nuo’s chest.

Chen Nuo didn’t move, didn’t dodge, and certainly didn’t try to block it.

Because... he had already felt the force of the slap.

Hmm... not very strong, probably enough to kill a mosquito, though.

"..."

"..."

The two stared wide-eyed at each other for a while.

"Sun Keke’s" face paled. "My... my power!!! What have you done to me!!"

Chen Nuo’s face looked even worse!

Lu Xixi... mistaken identity...

Chen Nuo’s expression finally changed drastically as he understood.

"You are Yun...

Damn!

You are Yun Yin!

Damn! How could you possibly be Yun Yin?!

Damn!!!!!!"