A net cafe in Tianqiong City.
The warm lights of the entertainment venue were filled with the sounds of people cursing each other's families, a constant din that was quite noisy.
However, this was precisely one of the characteristics of a net cafe; if this sound were to disappear one day, it would be unsettling.
In an inconspicuous corner, a man and a woman were playing PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. The screen showed them exchanging fire with another squad in a building.
"Kiana, 140 degrees, they're flanking us."
"Don't worry, leave it to me, young lady."
Kiana maneuvered her character out of cover, her hands moving with lightning speed, her aim precise.
"Bang! Bang!" After two gunshots, the two approaching enemies fell to the ground in the blink of an eye.
However, there were two of them, and they had already aimed at this side. Given the speed of the computer, Kiana couldn't help but take a few hits and lose some health.
Kiana grunted, tilting her chin up proudly, "Before the s686, all beings are equal!"
But in the next second, Kiana's expression changed. Her eyes widened as she watched a small, dark, cute object flying towards her.
"Damn it! A grenade!"
Kiana reacted immediately, maneuvering her character to escape, but alas...
Boo.
Ling Feng: "Mm, okay."
After finishing his chat with Mei, Ling Feng looked at the innocent girl before him, his gaze gentle, wondering how long such a life could last.
If possible, he still wanted to protect Kiana's innocence.
Not wanting Kiana to grow up... this was one of the wishes in every Honkai Impact 3rd player's heart.
This was also the main reason he was willing to accompany Kiana when she skipped class.
...
The next day, early morning.
The sun rose in the east, fiery red, with white clouds drifting. The tranquil mountain forest was enveloped in a faint mist like a light veil.
Soon, the quiet mountain forest environment was shattered by a thunderous roar. In the distant Baishi Mountain Range, thunder rumbled.
Suddenly, the mountains collapsed and the earth cracked, peaks crumbled, and dust and stones flew. Two streams of light, one red and one blue, shot up from the ground, soaring into the sea of clouds.
Above the sea of clouds, two figures stood facing each other, their robes fluttering in the strong wind. One was a man, the other a woman, one in a blue robe, the other in a red dress.
The young man in the blue robe gently rubbed his arm, his face contorted in pain as he complained, "Honghong, there was no need to be so heavy-handed."
"Enemies don't hold back, so be prepared to get hurt when you spar with me!" Tu Shan Honghong's red eyes were calm as she once again got into a fighting stance.
The next moment, neither of them could be seen in their original positions, only the continuous sound of thunder, as if the god of thunder was napping in broad daylight.
Above the sea of clouds, the two exchanged blows incessantly. Every time their fists met with full force, the shockwaves of their combined energy shattered every white cloud within a radius of several miles, all annihilated by the powerful gust of wind.
After fighting for more than ten minutes, Ling Feng, clad in blue, was careless and took a full-power punch from Tu Shan Honghong's powerful Tiance Fist. He was sent crashing down from the clouds, slamming heavily onto the ground.
The earth trembled and a large crater several miles in diameter appeared.
Ling Feng stood in the center of the crater, his clothes tattered and his body covered in blood. However, after stabilizing himself, he stood unmoving, his breathing steady.
He raised the back of his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, then soared to Tu Shan Honghong's side, chuckling bitterly, "Honghong, you really didn't hold back. If it weren't for my tough skin and resilient flesh."
"Didn't you want to temper your physique? Bleeding a bit and getting injured will make the tempering more effective."
Ling Feng revealed a wry smile. Indeed, taking beatings was one of the simple, crude, yet effective ways to temper one's physique.
Tu Shan Honghong had already comprehended the essence of fist techniques, just as he had comprehended the essence of swordplay. Ling Feng had taught her three sets of fist techniques, and she was already far ahead in the martial path.
Coupled with her natural talent in this area, she had practiced the Inch-Punch technique to perfection, and her progress in the "realm" of the other two fist techniques had been rapid.
Fighting Tu Shan Honghong barehanded, he would be at a disadvantage.
After the sparring session, Ling Feng and Tu Shan Honghong returned to the peak of Baishi Mountain to meditate and cultivate.
After their cultivation, the two returned to their dorm. Tu Shan Honghong was engrossed in her computer, searching for information about this world, just like Zhen when she had just revived.
Ding dong!
Hmm, someone sent him a message?
Ling Feng curiously took out his phone from his pocket and unlocked it.
He had set the chat group to do not disturb, unless someone "tagged" him. He only had a few friends.
"Mei?"
Seeing that Mei had sent him a message, Ling Feng paused for a moment, then clicked it open.
Mei: "Ling Feng, do you have time today? Could you trouble you to accompany me to a nearby city to buy some things? Teacher Himeko is being discharged from the hospital tonight, and we're having a party!"
Ling Feng: "Of course, I have time."
Ding dong! Mei quickly replied.
Mei: "Then... shall we meet at the school gate?"
Ling Feng: "Mm, but aren't you supposed to be in class today?"
Mei: "I took the day off. Kiana and the others are still in class. I remembered you don't have class today, so I wanted to ask for your help, Ling Feng. I'm afraid I'll have too many things to carry."
Ling Feng: "Mm, okay, see you later then."
After their conversation, Ling Feng put his phone back into his pocket and glanced back at Tu Shan Honghong, who was enthusiastically "surfing" the internet.
Seeing this, Ling Feng decided not to disturb her. He walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, washed up briefly, and changed into casual clothes.
"Huh? Zhen isn't home? She went out?"
Walking out of the bedroom, he didn't see Zhen in the house. Zhen's slippers were by the shoe cabinet, but the shoes she wore outside were gone. It was obvious she had gone out.
With Zhen and Keqing not at home, leaving Honghong alone made him a little uneasy.
After some thought, Ling Feng called out towards the bedroom.
"Honghong, I'm going out for a bit. Call me if anything comes up."
"Got it."
A calm reply came from Tu Shan Honghong inside.
He opened the door and left.
Ling Feng walked through St. Freya, looking around. It was class time, so there were very few people in the academy.
Ling Feng stopped briefly in front of a Valkyrie dormitory, resting his chin on his hand. Looking at the patch of lush green "Spring Never Fades" (Snowy Cucumber) plants, a bold idea suddenly sprang to mind.
"If I were to pull out all of Fu Hua's vegetables, what would her expression be?"
That's right, the courtyard of the Valkyrie dormitory in front of Ling Feng was planted with a patch of "Spring Never Fades," all grown by Fu Hua.
"Never mind. If Fu Hua found out, she'd probably give me a 'Inch-Punch: Cranial Split'."
Ling Feng shook his head and walked towards the school gate.
Before he even reached the school gate, Ling Feng spotted the striking figure of a beauty from afar.
Mei was standing at the school gate, chatting with two students, a sweet smile on her face, exuding the aura of "youth."
Compared to the lonely and helpless Mei at Chiyou Academy, who people avoided like the plague, this was the true Mei, wasn't it?
A youthful and radiant beautiful girl.
Ling Feng jogged a few steps and approached Mei and the other students. The two girls, upon seeing Ling Feng, immediately bowed slightly and said, "Teacher Ling, hello."
Ling Feng greeted them with a smile.
The two students were chatting with Mei and knew that she was waiting for Ling Feng. Now that he had arrived, they didn't linger. After saying goodbye to Mei, they returned to the academy.
Ling Feng turned to Mei and smiled apologetically, "Sorry Mei, for keeping you waiting. You look very pretty today."
Hearing Ling Feng's compliment, Mei's fair cheeks flushed slightly, feeling a little shy. "Actually, I haven't been waiting long. Let's hurry up and go, we have a lot to buy."
A while later...
"The train to Nakano is about to depart."
"Please be aware of the closing doors."
Ling Feng and Mei were heading to a nearby city, naturally by train. Ling Feng had originally thought it would be a simple trip, but things had developed beyond his expectations.
"How... how could this happen..."
Mei's eyebrows drooped, her eyes filled with panic and shyness, she spoke softly.
At this moment, Mei looked like a bullied, pitiful young girl.
"I... how would I know..."
"Wuwu... this is too much..."
Ling Feng didn't know how to describe the current situation. How to put it, they were in a very awkward predicament.
Perhaps because it was a weekday and there were too many people, the train was packed with passengers. You could see people everywhere.
And the two of them were squeezed into a corner by the train's barrier door.
Mei leaned against the car wall, curled up in a small corner, her small hands tightly gripping his arm for support. He, on the other hand, held onto a railing with one hand and braced himself against the wall with the other, their eyes meeting.
"It's... it's so embarrassing..." Mei's beautiful eyes were watery as she looked at Ling Feng, her inner sense of shame overflowing.
"Just bear with it, we'll be there soon."
Compared to the embarrassment in his mind, Ling Feng felt that his back was bearing more pressure – a physical pressure.
If he had known this would happen, he would have called a taxi!
"Bullying..."
"Don't, don't pull my sleeve... I'm losing my balance a bit..."
"No, no, I'm not pulling, it's just the train shaking a little."
Both of them were dying of embarrassment, neither of them having expected such a situation to occur.
"...Um..."
"Hmm?"
"...Is it okay... if I hold on like this..."
"Don't, don't ask the obvious... If you don't fall, then it's okay with me."
"...I'm sorry... I wish I'd taken a taxi. Wuwu~~~"
Suddenly, Mei let out a sound that was open to misinterpretation.
Why was she making a sound like a train? Ling Feng's whole body was trembling.