Song Qingfeng instinctively pulled back his arm but failed. He looked down and noticed that the way this zombie grabbed him was familiar!
Qinna 1 ? How could Zombies know the Qinna Techniques? Song Qingfeng's expression froze upon realizing what was happening.
Then, he quickly kicked forward, sending the two zombies into the air.
The 'zombies' immediately cried out in pain, "Ouch, Young Master Song, can't you be gentler?"
"I thought we were friends!" another voice sounded.
The zombies were actually Lin Shao and Xu Luo!
"What the hell are you two up to?" Song Qingfeng glared at them. "I didn't use much warrior qi; get up!"
Lin Shao laughed as he got up from the ground and took the mask-like item off his face. "What do you think? Our zombie masks look life-like, don't they?"
Xu Luo laughed. "We made them in a rush. If you look closely, it's a little rough around the edges."
Song Qingfeng was so mad that he burst out laughing. "You guys are hilarious; I can't believe that you would dress up as zombies! Don't tell others that I know you, okay?"
"What do you think, Young Master Song, would you like to join our zombie army?" Xu Luo patted Song Qingfeng's shoulder and winked at him.
"Uh…" Song Qingfeng glanced at them in disdain, "It doesn't suit my status! Did you think that I would stoop to your level?"
"What's the problem? No one can recognize you with a mask on!" Lin Shao grabbed his arm and pulled him aside. Suddenly, a few people appeared at the end of the road.
"Isn't that Xi Qi and his friends?"
He quickly took out a zombie mask and handed it to Song Qingfeng. "Hurry up and put it on! They should taste the horror of being jump-scared by zombies!"
…
Xi Qi, Xi Xiaoyun, Wang Guangyuan, and a few other students were walking down the path while discussing the lightning punishment that happened at the Origins Internet Club today, as well as Resident Evil.
Suddenly, they saw a lifeless figure standing there with his back facing them.
Under the big tree was another person, hunched on the ground. Then, they noticed the third person lying down before them.
"Is he hurt?" Curious, Xi Qi walked up and patted the back of the man who was lying on the ground.
That man slowly turned around, revealing his rotten face!
"AH!" A shriek erupted, "Zombie!"
"Zombie?" Xi Qi pulled his hands back as if he had been electrocuted. If he were injured by zombies, even a little, he would be infected! There weren't any blood serums in this world that he could use as antidotes!
Then, the 'dead body' on the ground slowly got up. The man on the side of the road turned around as well; it was another rotten zombie!
The three 'zombies' growled before charging towards the people in front of them!
Although they've killed quite a few zombies in the game, they've never seen anything like this in real life! Moreover, Xi Xiaoyun's scream scared them all, causing Xi Qi to grab his sister by the wrist and run off almost immediately!
Wang Guangyuan and the others were blanking out when they noticed that Xi Qi had run away. Therefore, they turned around and dashed away without hesitation!
"Hahaha!" The three 'zombies' all laughed until their stomachs hurt.
"Quiet down! More people are coming!" After Xi Qi ran away with his friends, a few others walked toward them…
"Get ready, get ready!"
Song Qingfeng felt like crying; he realized that he had been roped into their shenanigans and couldn't get out.
That night, a rumor spread at the Lingyun Academy; apparently, there were 'zombies' on the path between the martial arts field and the gates of the academy.
…
Fang Qi finally heard news about the neighboring shop. But sadly, it wasn't good news.
"Qi, are you in a hurry to use that shop?" Auntie Wang knew that a lot of people visited Fang Qi's shop. Although she asked that question, she already knew the answer to it. "I don't know why. No one wanted that shop for the longest time, but someone suddenly bought it!"
"It's okay," Fang Qi replied, "Thank you, Auntie Wang."
"Don't thank me," Auntie Wang said apologetically, "I didn't help much."
Fang Qi felt confused upon returning to his shop; something was definitely up.
Who in the world bought that shop at a time like this?
As he wracked his brain for an answer, a man wearing a black robe came into his shop.
"You are…?" Fang Qi was just about to ask if this man was a new customer introduced by someone when he took out a letter from his inner pocket.
"Are you Mr. Fang Qi?" The man in black handed him the letter. "My master asked me to give this to you."
"Your master?" Fang Qi was confused as he took the letter. Then, he suddenly thought of the correlation between this letter and the neighboring shop.
"Thank your master for me, will you?"
Fang Qi opened the letter and read it.
[I would like to treat Mr. Fang to tea tomorrow morning at 7 AM. See you on the third floor of the Wind and Moon Pavilion.]
He stood outside his shop and looked into the sky, without a speck of emotion on his face. I guess some people just don't know when to give up.
Fang Qi only got to play for two to three hours yesterday before closing. Today, he was busy the entire day and didn't get the chance to even touch a computer.
He used to have 20ish customers. But now, he had more than 30.
Fang Qi looked at the number of movie tickets sold: 32 tickets.
These tickets couldn't be re-bought. This meant that he needed 18 or more new customers at his internet café to sell 50 tickets. Only then would he complete his task.
Yet, the only thing he cared about was the size of his shop.
The internet café was extremely busy and full all the time; he really needed more space!
- The next morning at the Wind and Moon Pavilion -
Only those with enough status could go up to the third floor.
Those who came here were either dignified cultivators, elegant aristocrats, or highly-respected warriors with spiritual artifacts on their backs!
Fang Qi had seen people like that before. Even if they limited their warrior qi, others could still feel the great extent of their powers.
When Fang Qi headed upstairs, two young men in blue passed by him. The young men weren't as well-built as warriors, but their eyes emitted an icy and powerful light! Their bodies gave off a unique sense of freedom and special auras.
Without a doubt, they were both cultivators who were powerful.
"I heard Xiao Yulv was beaten up yesterday?"
"I think so, at a shop called 'Origins'. His grandfather used to hold such high power, but Xiao Yulv sure is useless! He couldn't even win against an ordinary civilian! I can't believe he still calls himself a cultivator!"
"Exactly, he even contacted Xu Fuwei…"
"Xu Fuwei, the Yuan River Realm Cultivator? It's just a small shop, why is he making it into such a big deal?" The two cultivators discussed amongst themselves as they walked upstairs. Fang Qi heard them and furrowed his eyebrows.
"Are you Mr. Fang Qi?" As soon as he arrived upstairs, a pretty woman in red walked up and greeted him.
This woman also seemed to have abundant qi. Clearly, anyone who was on the third level was not a commoner, including the waiters and waitresses.
Fang Qi nodded his head slightly.
"Please come with me."
Then, Fang Qi followed her to a private room, located at the northern end of the restaurant. Its location was obviously separated from the other rooms, clearly depicting the high status and prestige of whoever invited Fang Qi.
The hallway of the private room was guarded by four people, and they looked at Fang Qi indifferently with a slight hint of arrogance.
The truth was, no one understood why the person in the private room would invite such an ordinary-looking young man over for tea.
The private room was spacious and could fit at least eight tables. However, there was only one table beside the window, from where one could see the countless carriages on the roads of Jiuhua City.
The utensils on the table, as well as the cups, plates, and bowls, were all meticulously made of silver and extremely valuable.
Steam rose from the table as all sorts of delicate dishes were placed on it. The person who invited Fang Qi seemed sure that he would arrive on time.
A girl wearing white sat on the east side of the table. Her hair was neatly organized into a bun, and she was an elegant beauty.
Fang Qi could only see her profile; she was beautiful and charming.
She sat beside the window and looked out into the sky as if she were an alluring sculpture made of ice.
Her gaze landed on the crowd of people outside. If felt like only by looking at them would her icy expression show a hint of warmth.
Behind her stood a girl in black; she was beautiful and refined but also emitted a valiant aura.
"Your name is Lan Yan, right?" Fang Qi sat down and asked the girl in black, confirming the identity of the girl in white. "Ms. Nalan, I didn't think you would be interested in a tiny shop on a secluded street."
"That depends on the shop." Nalan Mingxue finally turned her head and looked at the wine cups before her. Lan Yan slowly filled them up.
"This is Pear Blossom Wine, a Jiuhua specialty. It's extremely smooth, and it can help you sleep better and calm your nerves. It's also good for your cultivation," Nalan Mingxue said as Lan Yan handed a cup to Fang Qi. "After seeing your shop yesterday, I've noticed that it really is a magical little place."
Fang Qi looked at the amber-colored liquid in his cup and laughed. "Ms. Nalan, I'm going to assume that you didn't invite me here to just drink, right?"
Lan Yan took out a stack of paper and placed them before Fang Qi. "These are the deeds to all the shops on Street 103 East."
"… What do you mean?" Fang Qi froze upon realizing what they did. "Don't tell me that you bought the entire street."
"It's just a little gift," Nalan Mingxue said gently. "It's for you, Mr. Fang."
"What do you want, Ms. Nalan?" Fang Qi laughed. TL NOTE: Qinna is the set of joint lock techniques used in the Chinese martial arts to control or lock an opponent's joints or muscles/tendons, so he cannot move.
Comments