After leaving the club, everyone called for a car and came to Ah Liang's hometown. Ah Liang's home is in Longwei Village, a remote mountain village nestled halfway up a mountain, quite secluded. Most locals wouldn’t know where it is, and some wouldn’t even find the road there. The group gathered in the house, the atmosphere lively, smoke wafting through the air, and the smell was suffocating.

Lin Jie stared at Zheng Zheng for a while, his gaze akin to looking at a monster. After a moment, he exclaimed, “Ah Zheng, I didn’t expect you to be so fierce! One against three, huh? I really didn’t see you hiding this well. Honestly, when did you become so strong?”

Beside him, the thin, long-haired Ah Liang also excitedly chimed in, “Exactly! Just look at those three guys; damn, one of them is worth two of me. And in the blink of an eye, you took them all down. Are you sure you haven’t trained before?” As he spoke, Ah Liang gestured animatedly.

Old Ma, too, wore a happy expression and said, “Ah Zheng, you’re impressive! Next time someone bullies you, make sure to back up the brothers.”

Zheng Zheng simply shook his head, smiling without saying a word, clearly not wanting to elaborate on the matter.

However, the group's excitement was palpable; they exchanged words for a good ten minutes before finally quieting down. Though Zheng Zheng didn’t explain anything, his calm demeanor was deeply etched in their minds. His image began to blur slightly, enveloped in an air of mystery that left them feeling puzzled.

After a brief discussion in the small room, they sought Zheng Zheng's opinion multiple times. Eventually, following his suggestion, they decided it was best to lay low for a while.

An unexpected fight had subtly changed Zheng Zheng's status within the small group, gradually positioning him as a core member.

As night fell, the bright moon hung high, stars dotted the sky, and the sound of chirping insects filled the air. The quiet mountain village was shrouded in deep shadows. Even under the shimmering silver light, everything remained hazy.

Zheng Zheng stood under an old pine tree, gazing at the distant mountains in a daze. His companions were scattered across two beds, sleeping. Unable to bear the stench of smoke and alcohol mixed with their snores, Zheng Zheng stepped outside for some fresh air.

He originally didn’t want to escalate things, but Su Li Jiao's words had deeply angered him. Although he no longer had a special relationship with Hong Qianxiu, they had once been in love. Hong Qianxiu was beautiful, cultured, and most importantly, kind-hearted, with no ulterior motives. How could such a good girl be tarnished by a scumbag like Su Li Jiao? But the events had already unfolded, and overthinking would be pointless. He wasn’t worried about himself but feared that his friends would face retribution from people like Su Li Jiao in the future. It seemed he needed to find a time to settle this matter thoroughly.

His immediate priority was to make money. Cultivation required not only methods and scriptures but also a significant amount of resources. For instance, to speed up the cultivation process, energy-collecting pills needed countless medicinal herbs to enhance alchemy levels; to compress spiritual energy for cultivation, formations required many precious jade stones for the flags; and for protective charms and attack talismans, high-quality cinnabar, wolf hair brushes, and rice paper were all necessary—each required a massive accumulation of resources.

Thus, making money was the first hurdle that couldn’t be bypassed.

But how to make money? Zheng Zheng pondered, realizing ordinary methods wouldn’t suffice. The meager salary from his job would barely cover living expenses and would take up a lot of precious cultivation time, clearly not a viable option. Should he go “borrow” money from those unscrupulous bosses? Zheng Zheng considered it, but he didn’t have the strength for it just yet; he heard that those underworld bosses often had bodyguards with guns, and bullets don't have eyes. With his current cultivation level barely at the first layer of Qi Refining, he feared the outcome wouldn’t be good.

Should he try to refine some pills for resale? He believed that alchemical pills from the cultivation world would fetch a good price in the secular realm. But the problem was he hadn’t even started learning alchemy and lacked the extensive experience with medicinal herbs to produce quality pills. While there were some in his Qiankun ring, those herbs were incredibly rare and precious. Without improving his alchemy skills first, he wouldn’t dare use them, or it would lead to a huge waste.

After considering for a while, a thought gradually surfaced in his mind.

However, soon Zheng Zheng furrowed his brows again; the initial startup capital was a big problem. Although he didn’t need much, it still felt like a daunting challenge for someone as broke as him.

At that moment, a faint sound of light footsteps broke the silence, accompanied by a delicate fragrance wafting through the air, different from the fresh scent of flowers and grass.

Zheng Zheng already knew who it was, but he didn’t turn around or speak.

After standing still for a moment, the person finally spoke, slightly nervously, “Ah Zheng, please don’t misunderstand what happened tonight. I really have nothing to do with Su Li Jiao. I just returned from Guang Province three days ago and haven’t contacted him at all.”

“How did you come to know him?” Zheng Zheng didn’t know why, but Hong Qianxiu’s words eased his heart, making him feel a lot lighter.

“He was introduced to me by my second sister’s husband. I don’t have any feelings for him, but he keeps pestering me, and I can’t shake him off,” Hong Qianxiu said hurriedly, fearing to cause any further misunderstandings.

Zheng Zheng exhaled, already understanding most of the situation.

Hong Qianxiu had two elder sisters. The eldest, Hong Meibao, and the second, Hong Bailian. Zheng Zheng had met both. He had a relatively favorable impression of Hong Qianxiu's sisters; overall, they were both quite good people. However, Hong Bailian's husband was somewhat of a scoundrel, poorly employed, often gambling, and mingling with shady characters. It was only natural he would know someone like Su Li Jiao’s minion.

“So what do you plan to do?” After understanding the ins and outs, Zheng Zheng's tone softened.

“Hmph, if I can’t provoke him, I can at least avoid him, right?” Hong Qianxiu replied playfully, sensing Zheng Zheng's softened tone and becoming lighter in spirit.

“Exactly. You should go to Guang Province for a few days; after all, the sky in Tengjiao is too small.” Zheng Zheng nodded in agreement.

“And what about you? You caused this big mess for my sake. What are your plans?” Hong Qianxiu asked, her voice filled with concern as she recalled what had happened that night.

“Don’t worry; I already have a plan,” Zheng Zheng replied nonchalantly.

“Oh,” Hong Qianxiu responded, falling silent, her expression showing a hint of sadness.

“Ah Zheng, are you still mad at me?” After a while, Hong Qianxiu's voice trembled slightly, “If it weren’t for what happened tonight, I really wouldn’t have known you cared about me so much.” As she spoke, her excitement was palpable.

Zheng Zheng was taken aback, unsure how to respond.

“Ah Zheng, do you think we can start over?” Hong Qianxiu summoned her courage, asking boldly.

Zheng Zheng froze; he hadn’t expected Hong Qianxiu to raise such a question. He had helped her out tonight purely based on their past feelings, and he didn’t have any special thoughts.

Seeing Zheng Zheng remain silent for so long, Hong Qianxiu's eyes gradually filled with tears, her voice choked as she said, “Ah Zheng, I’m sorry. It’s not that I didn’t want to go to Taiyuan with you; it’s just that my family wouldn’t allow me to.”