by Dragon King
“I am not sure about that. Maybe their families have known each other, and maybe Zeng Yitao is attracted by Zhao Yanzi’s charm. Zeng Yitao’s family is loaded, so it is a sure thing that Zhao Yanzi’s family would like to get connected with them.”
Hao Ren was speechless at the students’ random gossips.
“How could West Ocean be wealthier than East Ocean? Besides their ‘local specialty’, West Ocean Mystic Ice, they couldn’t compare with East Ocean on other resources. Regarding wealth, West Ocean isn’t even half as rich as East Ocean,” he thought.
“Do you need a ride, Zi?” Zeng Yitao asked Zhao Yanzi who just walked out of the school gate right before he sat into the Rolls-Royce.
Although he wasn’t loud, everyone witnessed the invitation since Zhao Yanzi and Zeng Yitao were both at the center of everyone’s attention.
Zhao Yanzi had no interest in talking to him; she walked around the Rolls-Royce to cross the street.
Zhao Guang and the Elders usually wouldn’t come to pick her up if it weren’t a rainy day. She would take the bus home herself.
“Zi!” Hao Ren waved toward the school gate from the other side of the street.
Zhao Yanzi smiled as soon as she heard Hao Ren’s voice. She was glad that she could finally get rid of Zeng Yitao. However, her face froze as soon as she saw Xie Yujia standing beside Hao Ren.
“Who’s that guy?”
“I don’t know. He came here a few times to pick Zhao Yanzi up.”
“No, he came into the school last time as well. Maybe he is from City North First High School. They say that he is Zhao Yanzi’s boyfriend.”
“Oh! I remember! Was he the one who hugged Zhao Yanzi in front of the Academic Building? Haha! It’s getting interesting! Zhao Yanzi found herself a boyfriend while she is engaged to Zeng Yitao!”
“No wonder Zeng Yitao transferred to LingZhao High School from another city all of a sudden. So, this is the reason! Is his name Hao Ren?”
“Yes. Zhao Yanzi admitted herself that he is her boyfriend. But my brother is at City North First High School, and he said that there isn’t such a person in Grade 11.”
“Tell your brother to ask around more! Hehe, two high schoolers are going to fight for Zhao Yanzi. It’s going to be a good show. Anyways, that Hao Ren is kind of cute too.”
“They are different. Zeng Yitao is a little cool with a mean personality whereas that Hao Ren looks ok but has no unique personality.”
All sorts of chatter sounded, and Hao Ren’s acute hearing caught all the gossip.
“Ah… Personality… I guess pretending to be cool would be the so-called personality in these middle schoolers’ eyes,” he thought.
They combined their imaginations with assumptions, distorting the facts into a complete mess. Hao Ren had to admire these girls’ information combining abilities by which they connected a few irrelevant things and told it as if it were facts.
Zhao Yanzi walked to Hao Ren slowly with a reluctant look on her face.
“She is coming too?” Zhao Yanzi asked while giving Xie Yujia a very unfriendly look.
“Um, she is coming together with us,” Hao Ren said.
Xie Yujia sensed the strong hostility in the little girl’s eyes. Now that she had ruled out the possibility of Su Han being Hao Ren’s girlfriend, she wasn’t sure if Zhao Yanzi was really Hao Ren’s “fiancée”.
The word which only appeared in rich people’s circles along with Zhao Yanzi’s age made the whole thing unrealistic.
The Rolls-Royce went slowly toward them.
All the students near the school gate felt like they were in for a great show. Therefore, they all stood still and looked in Hao Ren’s direction.
“Si…” The window lowered slowly, and Zeng Yitao’s pale yet arrogant face appeared behind the window.
“Zi, I don’t care about what would happen three years later. You will be mine in these three years,” he articulated clearly as he stared at Zhao Yanzi.
“Get lost!” Zhao Yanzi shouted angrily.
“I will come to find you at school tomorrow,” Zen Yitao turned to Hao Ren with the same expression.
The bus came at this moment.
Zhao Yanzi wasn’t in the mood to talk to Zeng Yitao any longer, so she stepped onto the bus. Compared with getting upset at Xie Yujia, Zhao Yanzi was more in a rush of getting rid of Zeng Yitao’s annoying face.
Hao Ren and Xie Yujia followed her onto the bus.
All the students from both the Middle School Department and the High School Department were stupefied…
“Zhao Yanzi went on the bus with her ‘boyfriend’ Hao Ren instead of getting a ride in Zeng Yitao’s Rolls-Royce?” they thought.
“Woah…” Another wave of discussion started.
In their opinion, Hao Ren from the City North First High School won in the first encounter with Zeng Yitao.
Zeng Yitao gritted his teeth with a gloomy face and said to Black Wolf, who was driving the vehicle, “Let’s go!”
He thought that the cheerful and charming Zhao Yanzi would be his since West Ocean proposed the marriage aggressively. However, Hao Ren appeared in their way, messing up the entire plan! The East Ocean Dragon Clan was going to let Zhao Yanzi marry a human for the reason of the lost Dragon Core!
How could Zeng Yitao not be mad seeing his future wife falling into another person’s hand?
Zhao Yanzi was the princess of East Ocean and a spoiled girl. The more she ignored him, the more Zeng Yitao wanted to get her!
“Uncle Black Wolf, investigate Hao Ren’s background carefully! I will make him kneel in front of me and beg!” Zeng Yitao knocked his fist heavily on the leather seat and said to the driver.
249 Humph! Bully Her!
Zhao Yanzi sat beside the window when they got on the bus, ignoring Hao Ren and Xie Yujia.
It was the rush hour for students. Because Hao Ren and Xie Yujia were a few steps behind, the seat beside Zhao Yanzi was taken by an excited little boy.
Zhao Yanzi stared out the window quietly as the bus headed forward.
Xie Yujia seemed a bit embarrassed. She actually cared about this little girl from many aspects, but Zhao Yanzi didn’t recognize it at all.
It had been cloudy the past few days, and it is finally sunny,” Xie Yujia said as she looked at the sunset.
Hao Ren nodded, “Yeah.”
Seeing how she was, Hao Ren assumed she didn’t know about the Nine Dragon Palace.
After a few stops, Hao Ren shouted at Zhao Yanzi in the front, “Time to make a transfer, Zi!”
She stood up awkwardly with her mouth pouting; apparently, she hadn’t forgiven Hao Ren yet.
The three of them got off the bus to wait for another bus.
Hao Ren was taller than Xie Yujia, and Xie Yujia was taller than Zhao Yanzi. The three of them looked interesting standing in line.
If it weren’t for grandma’s strong request, Hao Ren would never make the two of them meet again.
The bus stopped in front of them. Zhao Yanzi stepped her right foot on it first. Then she suddenly turned back and pulled Hao Ren up.
She dragged Hao Ren to two empty seats. Therefore, Xie Yujia could only sit behind them by herself when she got on the bus.
Hao Ren looked back at Xie Yujia in embarrassment. Zhao Yanzi still had her stern face, not willing to talk. She rested her chin on her arm as she looked into the ocean a few hundred meters away. She bit her lip from time to time as if she was gritting her teeth.
They kept quiet in the awkwardness until the bus arrived by the beach.
There was still some distance to cover from here to Hao Ren’s beach house. Hao Ren considered that they were girls and asked, “Do you want to stay here, and I’ll go back and come to get you in the car?”
Then, he immediately wondered if they would get into a fight if he left them here.
“That’s alright. I’ll walk with you,” Xie Yujia said.
Zhao Yanzi gritted her teeth. “I’ll walk as well!”
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She wanted to wait for Hao Ren to pick her up in his car. But since Xie Yujia wanted to walk, she had to walk with them.
“Ok, let’s go then. If you get tired on the way, you can wait for me to get the car,” Hao Ren said.
“Um,” Xie Yujia nodded. She thought it might be dangerous for her and Zhao Yanzi to wait for Hao Ren on the roadside when it got dark since it was already dusk. Especially when there weren’t many vehicles passing by, not to mention pedestrians.
It never occurred to her that her Five-Elemental Note could take care of five to six bad guys easily.
This Five-Elemental Note was planted in her body by the old Grandma. It lived and grew in nature and would never be used up. The so-called “Life-Death Note” was to inject the Five-Elemental Note into someone’s body according to their acupoints.
The Life Note could save a life while the Death Note could kill the enemies. The Five-Elemental Note Xie Yujia had in her palm today was the Life Note the old Grandma saved and stored in her Laogong Acupoint. It could help her absorb the Nature Essence and allow her to do half the work with double the results.
The explosion that the old Grandma created in Hao Ren’s body was from a Death Note. It had a destructive function but helped Hao Ren to breakthrough over ten openings when used perfectly. But it was still a painful process, and the old Grandma intended to punish him for mistreating Xie Yujia. Otherwise, the little Death Note was enough to take Hao Ren’s life since he wasn’t even on the Zhen level.
Xie Yujia had the Life Note given by the old Grandma in person. The power of it was no less than the Dragon Core in Hao Ren’s body. However, the Dragon Core could not actively defeat the enemy whereas the Life-Death Note combined cultivation and technique. The old Grandma only taught Xie Yujia one Dharma Spell and gave her a Life Note; that was enough to generate tremendous power to defeat enemies.
Hao Ren didn’t waste any time as they both wished to walk with him. So, he led the way in front.
At first, Xie Yujia and Zhao Yanzi were walking behind him. After a little while, they each walked to his side.
Half the sun already sank under the surface of the ocean, and the sunset covered the ocean with a golden blanket. The clouds kept changing in shapes and colors in the sky. They turned from a light gold into dark yellow; the evening glow was magnificent.
The beautiful sun dragged their shadows long. They all kept quiet as they headed towards the ocean.
They walked for a half an hour. Zhao Yanzi’s legs got sore, so she wanted a break. But when she saw Xie Yujia walking with ease, she pretended to be okay and kept walking, gritting her teeth.
It was one thing if she liked Hao Ren. But it was another thing if she lost to Xie Yujia!
Zhao Ren slowed down when he noticed Zhao Yanzi frowning, “Are you ok? Do you want to wait here as I go get the car? It might be another while if we keep walking.”
“Ah…how much longer?” Zhao Yanzi looked at Hao Ren as if she was wronged.
“Half an hour with this speed,” Hao Ren answered.
“How about you go get the car, and I’ll wait here with Zi?” Xie Yujia said immediately. She felt it was bizarre that she wasn’t tired yet after walking for so long.
But Zhao Yanzi rolled her eyes at Xie Yujia’s kindness. “Never mind. We’ll get there soon! I’m not tired. Just a little thirsty!”
“Are you…sure?” Hao Ren questioned her.
He remembered when they climbed the mountain she wasn’t this weak. Now her physique, as well as her physical power, were both weakened.
“Not a problem! You are so annoying!” Zhao Yanzi shouted out abruptly. Hao Ren was too scared to ask again, so he merely slowed down his speed.
“Or you could carry her for a bit, Hao Ren?” Xie Yujia suddenly suggested.
“Oh?” Hao Ren stopped to turn to Zhao Yanzi, “Want me to carry you?”
“No!” Zhao Yanzi’s white little teeth made her look like a small angry shark.
Hao Ren laughed speechlessly and headed forward. However, Zhao Yanzi wasn’t following him.
He turned back to look at her, scared to ask any more questions in order not to make her mad again.
Zhao Yanzi lifted her red face against the sunset. She pointed at Xie Yujia, “I want her to carry me!”
Hao Ren looked at her, surprised.
Xie Yujia looked at her as well, stupefied.
250 Before The Storm
Xie Yujia hesitated for two seconds before she understood what Zhao Yanzi meant.
She thought for a while. “Ok, I’ll carry you on my back.”
Xie Yujia knew Zhao Yanzi was hostile towards her, but she believed Zhao Yanzi requested because she didn’t want Hao Ren to carry her.
She walked to stand before Zhao Yanzi with her back to her, bending slightly.
With a flushed face, Zhao Yanzi gritted her teeth and placed her hands on Xie Yujia’s shoulders.
“Come on!” Xie Yujia looked back and smiled at her gently.
She didn’t hold a grudge against Zhao Yanzi. Instead, she felt Zhao Yanzi was cute.
“Humph! Do you think I’m too shy to let you carry me?” Zhao Yanzi jumped onto Xie Yujia’s back.
Xie Yujia shifted her weight slightly and began walking forward.
Hao Ren stood on the side and looked at them curiously, wondering what they were up to.
“Let’s go!” Xie Yujia said to Hao Ren.
Zhao Yanzi bit her lip and leaned on Xie Yujia’s back limply.
Although Xie Yujia’s physical strength had grown recently, she was after all a girl, and it was quite an effort for her to walk with Zhao Yanzi on her back.
Hao Ren quickened his steps and walked over to them. “Well, Zi, how about I carry you on my back?”
“No! I want her to carry me!” Zhao Yanzi shifted her head from Xie Yujia’s left shoulder to the right.
Hao Ren was exasperated, but Xie Yujia didn’t mind. “It’s ok. It’s not far, and I can manage. Besides, Zi is a girl, and it doesn’t look good for you to carry her on your back.”
Hearing the last sentence, Zhao Yanzi thought for a while and said abruptly, “Uncle, I want you to carry me.”
“Ugh?” Hao Ren looked at her in surprise.
“Yeah, I want you to carry me on your back!” Zhao Yanzi’s face fell.
Hao Ren had no choice. “Ok, ok! I’ll do it!”
He went to Xie Yujia’s side and bent his back slightly.
Zhao Yanzi reached out one hand and grabbed Hao Ren’s shoulder. Without touching the ground with her feet, she moved to Hao Ren’s back.
Hao Ren murmured silently, “Are you a monkey, crawling from one person to another?”
But the moment Zhao Yanzi’s body touched his back, his feelings immediately changed.
Although in his eyes, she was only a second grader of middle school, her soft skin on his back turned his mind blank.
In fact, Zhao Yanzi was a bit shy, but her blush was not noticeable in the setting sun.
She had meant to make Xie Yujia angry and had not expected she would end up on Hao Ren’s back.
“Ok! Let’s go!” Without thinking, Hao Ren gripped the inside of her knees and continued to walk in the direction of the setting sun.
Xie Yujia smiled in resignation and walked beside them.
Zhao Yanzi wound her arms around Hao Ren’s neck and placed her cheek on his head. All of a sudden, she felt touched.
Hao Ren’s steps were steady, and even Xie Yujia noticed that he was trying to adjust his steps to avoid jolting Zhao Yanzi.
She could feel Hao Ren’s gentle care for Zhao Yanzi. She wouldn’t be so surprised if she saw Hao Ren’s anxiety when he searched for medicine for a sick Zhao Yanzi a couple of days ago.
Zhao Yanzi lay quietly on Hao Ren’s broad back, knowing a tantrum wouldn’t get her anywhere. She pouted and got a little satisfaction by wasting Hao Ren’s physical strength.
They finally reached the gate of the villa. Grandma was waiting for the
m leaning against the door frame.
“Grandma!” At the sight of Grandma, Zhao Yanzi immediately jumped from Hao Ren’s back and ran to her.
Hao Ren rubbed his shoulders. He didn’t feel any soreness in his back, but his neck ached due to Zhao Yanzi’s hard grip.
“Hehe, little Zi!” Grandma spread her arms and took Zhao Yanzi into her arms.
During her stay in Zhejiang, she helped the villagers and worked in the fields each day, reliving her youth with energy. However, she had missed little Zi very much.
Xie Yujia walked over and said gently, “Grandma.”
“Oh, my little Yujia!” Grandma reached out her wrinkled hand and took Xie Yujia into her arms, too. She had missed her very much.
She didn’t want to let either of the girls out of her arms.
In contrast, she neglected her own grandson, Hao Ren.
“Come on in! It’s cold outside.” Grandma led Zhao Yanzi and Xie Yujia into the house, each hand holding one girl.
Poor Hao Ren followed them inside after the hard labor of carrying Zhao Yanzi on his back all the way home. Grandma gave all her attention to Zhao Yanzi and Xie Yujia and didn’t even spare him a glance.
“Grandma, what local products did you bring me?” Zhao Yanzi asked immediately when they were inside the house.
“Hehe… I brought you your favorite.” In a mysterious air, Grandma opened a bag.
Zhao Yanzi leaned over and cried excitedly, “Wow! Sweet potatoes!”
Hao Ren was speechless. Seriously? Sweet potatoes?
“I knew you liked to eat sweet potatoes. You and Ren stole the sweet potatoes, and the villager told me all about it.” Grandma patted Zhao Yanzi’s head, and her eyes were full of affection.
“Yujia, Grandma didn’t buy you anything; I brought you some wild vegetables from the mountains. I just want to see you.” Grandma looked at Xie Yujia affectionately.
Xie Yujia smiled gently. She had great affection for Grandma, but she was too old to play cute like Zhao Yanzi.
“How come Uncle Wang isn’t here today?” Seeing their excitement, Hao Ren walked over and finally had the chance to speak.