Chapter 76

“Qiao Shu doesn’t want to owe me anything—he’s clearly trying to keep me away from Qiao Yingzi. If I accept his insignificant gift, we’re even. Do you have a problem with that?” He Chen glanced at her.

“...No problem.” Ruan Liuzheng immediately felt awkward, but inside she was pleased.

Exactly!

She’d only been thinking that Qiao Yingzi was playing dirty by sending her father to launch a sugar-coated bombardment, trying to bribe and corrupt He Chen—but she hadn’t realized this wasn’t Qiao Yingzi’s idea at all. It was Qiao Yingzi’s father’s clichéd plot: “throw money at him to make him break up with my daughter.”

Perfect!

“You’re going camping at Yaoshan?” Ruan Lu nodded slightly in approval of He Chen’s explanation, then turned to the real matter at hand.

“Yes.” He Chen smiled as he explained his desire to cultivate in its purest, most authentic state.

“...” Ruan Liuzheng was speechless.

When He Chen suddenly went mad during the last month of summer vacation, she’d mocked him for being so obsessed with finding a single pine tree—why not find a thousand?

Now she never expected he’d actually taken it seriously.

Has he really trained himself into madness?

Or has he truly achieved something?

“You really must go?” Ruan Lu confirmed. Seeing He Chen’s firm gaze and unwavering resolve, she relented.

“Then I’ll go with you! Otherwise, you’re heading into the wilderness for three days straight—I can’t possibly be at ease!”

“I want to go too!” Ruan Liuzheng had wanted to go all along but dared not say it outright. Now that her mother had spoken up, she eagerly chimed in.

Although the National Day holiday ended with a three-day celebration, the monthly exam was right after—technically, she should have focused on studying.

But the temptation of camping with He Chen in the mountains was simply too great.

Let’s enjoy the three-day holiday first—deal with everything else later!

“Auntie Ruan, you really shouldn’t come.” He Chen urged: “The wilderness is harsh. Staying two or three days means no easy access to showers, and there are snakes, insects, rats, and ants everywhere. It’s simply inconvenient for girls. Besides, I’m going to camp alone to quiet my mind. Qiao Shu joked I’m going to become a monk...”

He stopped there, not continuing—he was a true high monk, a true high Daoist of the True Buddha, True Dao tradition, not a lecherous monk. He cultivated the Immortal Crane Art and the Turtle Breathing Art, not the Joyful Chan!

Not yet, at least.

So he truly didn’t want to bring Auntie Ruan and Ruan Liuzheng—these two beautiful women—along.

“You don’t need to worry about safety.” He Chen quickly added, sensing Ruan Lu’s hesitation: “I won’t go deep into the wild mountains. Nothing will happen.”

“Fine!” Ruan Lu gave He Chen a long look: “You’re about to turn eighteen. Your insight and decisiveness already mark you as a true adult. Whatever you decide, you can make your own choices.”

“I’ll definitely consult you first, Auntie Ruan.” He Chen grinned, then returned to his room to pack—mainly Daoist scriptures and a telescope.

Read Daoist texts by day, observe the stars by night.

How delightful!

“Mom, he’s still not an adult. The mountains are dangerous—how can you really let him go alone...” Ruan Liuzheng muttered under her breath, dissatisfied.

She truly wanted to go.

Camping together in the mountains is romantic, isn’t it?

As for all the inconveniences—wouldn’t they just bring people closer, breaking down both physical and invisible barriers?

But she couldn’t say it herself. She’d hoped her mother would speak up—but now her mother had been swayed by He Chen’s few words again.

She’d say it herself!

Mom was becoming more and more submissive to He Chen, losing all maternal authority—she was too easily convinced!

Really!

“You’ve seen He Chen’s abilities yourself—what danger could there be? It’s Yaoshan, a tourist scenic area, not some lonely, terrifying dragon’s den! Men must forge their own path. He Chen can protect himself. He’ll be a true man of integrity!” Ruan Lu offered two words of reassurance, then cut off any further protest from Ruan Liuzheng.

Frustrated, Ruan Liuzheng only pouted and returned to her room, muttering inwardly: “A true man of integrity? He Chen’s surname is He, not Yang!”

Early the next morning, after finishing his cultivation, He Chen found Qiao Weidong’s driver already waiting with the car. Opening the trunk, he saw all the camping gear—tents, everything—fully equipped and all high-end branded items. He changed clothes, said goodbye to Auntie Ruan, picked up his bag, and headed downstairs to the car, bound for the airport.

At the airport, Qiao Weidong’s driver didn’t leave immediately. He prepared to help with baggage check-in and asked how He Chen planned to carry all these heavy bags up the mountain—only to watch He Chen effortlessly lift and carry the large, heavy packages as if they weighed nothing, leaving the driver stunned.

He himself had personally loaded all the camping gear into the trunk. Even as a middle-aged man, he couldn’t lift them so easily—let alone with He Chen carrying additional bags.

Today’s youth are incredible!

No wonder the General treats him so specially!

After watching He Chen complete his baggage check-in and enter the terminal, the driver called his boss, Qiao Weidong, to report the situation.

Shuxiang Yayuan.

In the only apartment Qiao Weidong kept after his divorce—the one next door to Qiao Yingzi’s home—Qiao Weidong was leading his daughter inside, giving her a surprise. As he watched her admire the space fully decorated with space-themed elements, he beamed his “Dad smile.”

Just then, he received a call from his driver, Lao Zheng, learning that He Chen had already set off alone, carrying all his heavy luggage as if it weighed nothing. He couldn’t help praising: “Good kid! You’ve got the spirit I had in my youth!”

He didn’t think it was strange for a young man about to turn eighteen to travel alone—he’d spent his childhood traveling south and north with his father, seeing everything.

The world today was nothing like it was back then.

With that kind of strength, that sharp gaze, and that sharp tongue, He Chen wouldn’t get cheated.

“Dad, was that Uncle Zheng on the phone? Who did he send to the airport this early?”

As soon as he hung up, Qiao Yingzi, still admiring her space fortress, rushed over, eyes curious.

“It’s He Chen...” Qiao Weidong saw his daughter’s expression and knew he couldn’t hide it. He told her about He Chen’s plan to buy a ticket and camp at Yaoshan.

“Camping at Yaoshan?” Qiao Yingzi’s eyes lit up instantly. She grabbed her father’s hand and tugged, pouting: “Dad, take me too!”

“No!” Qiao Weidong instinctively refused.

Come on!

He did admire He Chen, and he was deeply grateful for He Chen’s repeated warnings about his daughter’s dangerous state.

He especially admired how He Chen seemed harmless, never hovering near his daughter.

But he couldn’t stand his daughter actively offering herself up!

Just imagining He Chen shrugging and saying, “Qiao Shu, I’ve done everything I can to distance myself—it’s not my fault,” made Qiao Weidong feel sick. How could he possibly agree to his daughter’s increasingly obvious attempt to throw herself at He Chen?