Chapter 6: Struck by Lightning

Ye Chen and Su Zhanze walked through the Peach Grove, crosses an artificial hill, and suddenly, a grassland appeared before their eyes.

Two boys of their age were seen in the grassland.

One lay on the grass, resembling a sleeping monk, while the other sat cross legged like a meditating Buddha, attentively carving out an unfinished flute in his hand.

The sound of their footsteps startled the one lying down, Ren Haotian, who turned his head to see a boy trailing behind Young Master Ze, resembling a kangaroo, and hollered, "Young Master Ze, who is this new guy?"

"Ye Chen, the son of my father's junior sister, will be our sworn brother from now on."

Some joked that Sect Leader Su had encountered a vixen in the countryside and didn't want to return home.

Yuan Jingxing, who was carving the flute, gazed over at Ye, whose attire spoke volumes about his countryside origins.

They assessed Ye Chen from head to toe, as if they had never seen a panda before.

Young Master Ze pointed to the reclining Ren Haotian and said: "That's the womanizer Ren Haotian, our second brother. He loves figuring out what girls are thinking. Many girls want to castrate him for the good of the public. His father is Ren Xiongbei."

Ye Chen heard about Ren Xiongbei, a famous figure among the elders, from the two girls in the yard.

Next, Young Master Ze indicated towards the boy carving the flute, "Third brother, Yuan Jingxing, is honest but has a secret crush on Jiang Shizi. He's too afraid to reveal his feelings, waiting until she matures a bit more."

"Hey, Ze, that's not fair play!" Yuan Jingxing was distressed, his secret was exposed just after their first meeting.

Young Master Ze quickly stated, "I know, only we few people should know about this, no one else, especially not Jiang Shizi."

Ye Chen smiled. He had learnt about Jiang Shizi from the two girls in the yard; she was the daughter of Jiang Ouyang, the eighth elder. It was pretty much impossible for anyone in Immortal City to not know about her.

Ze continued, "Ye Chen, from now on, you'll be our fourth brother. I am your eldest brother. We share weal and woe, fortune and misfortune."

Ye Chen slightly bowed his head, giving them a brief introduction about himself.

Young Master Ze asked, "What were you talking about?"

Ren Haotian replied, "Guo Yuqing is coming."

At the mention of her name, Young Master Ze froze. Every time he met Guo Yuqing, he was struck dumb, as if he had been struck by lightning.

"Is this a joke? How can you know something that even I don't?"

"It's not a joke, Jiang Shizi said so," answered Ren Haotian quickly.

Jiang Shizi and Guo Yuqing were best friends. If Guo Yuqing was really coming to Immortal City, she would surely be the first to know.

Out of curiosity, Ye Chen asked, "Who is Guo Yuqing?"

Ren Haotian smirked, "The daughter of the Demon Palace city master, Young Master Ze's dream girl. The first time he saw her, he was stunned, and he's been smitten ever since. He's even vowed to marry no one but her."

"Why do you talk so much nonsense?" Young Master Ze huffed.

Ye Chen let out a chuckle.

Ren Haotian warned Ye Chen, "Be careful, she's so beautiful that it's hard not to drool over her. Not many can resist her charms. Don't you dare have any immoral ideas, or you won't be my brother anymore."

Young Master Ze asked, "How long is she going to stay?"

"Isn't there a martial arts competition next month? Although there's some time left, they've arrived early. Hu Nanyue is leading the team. I guess they'll stay for quite a long time. I heard she's not happy in Demon Palace City and is coming to Breath in a change of scenery. You should grab this opportunity to cultivate your relationship with her. Don't act like you've been thunderstruck when you see her."

"Who's thunderstruck? You are!" He didn't understand why, when he confronted other girls, he was completely natural, but when he saw Guo Yuqing, it was as if he had been poisoned and everything fell apart.

Ren Haotian added, "But you have to watch out for Qiao Haoyu."

Qiao Haoyu was the son of Qiao Fanfeng, who competed with Su Hong for the role of Sect Leader. Qiao Fanfeng, being a Vice Sect Leader of the Immortal City currently, Su Hong had to give him some face.

Curiously, Ye Chen asked, "Does Qiao Haoyu also like Guo Yuqing?"

Hearing this, Ren Haotian let out a cold scoff, "He likes every woman with a prominent chest and buttocks, regardless of their age."

"Isn't that just rampant promiscuity!"

"That's an understatement. He does it on purpose. Thirteen years ago, his father lost the Sect Leadership to mine. Since then, he's been opposing me in everything, including the girls I like. Sooner or later, I am going to teach him a lesson!" His anger was flaring up with his words.

Ren Haotian suggested, "Ze, why don't you just go for it? Kiss her, make your relationship official. Let everyone know that she is yours, to prevent any troubles in the future."

Hearing this, Yuan Jingxing shouted, "Hey, Romeo, don't lead young Master Ze astray. Not everyone is as uncultured as you. He is cultured and pure, unlike you who's notorious for your promiscuity."

"I don't like you cultured folks, you are indecisive and overly sensitive. Any small problem easily upsets you, you bring stress upon yourselves, seeking for self-punishment!"

"Yeah right, compared to you, who changes girls every three days, can you even remember their names?"

"I indeed don't remember many of them. But that's how it should be. If you like someone, be with them. If not, just move on. The most important thing in a relationship is mutual consent, and happiness!"

"Sooner or later, you'll be castrated. Then you can directly be made into a eunuch."

Ren Haotian gave a cold smile, fully aware of Ze's feelings for Guo Yuqing, "Ze, just confess already!"

After hearing this, Yuan Jingxing immediately protested, "Don't listen to him! If your confession gets rejected, you'll be at a disadvantage and have no room to maneuver."

"That's exactly why Jiang Shizi doesn't care about you. She will definitely run off with someone else someday. Then you'll cry under a tree and regret.

Furiously, Yuan Jingxing raised his hand in protest.

"I don't know whether Jiang Shizi is acting dumb or if she already likes someone else, but it's astonishing that she hasn't realized your affections for her."

"Okay, enough now."

Ren Haotian smirked, "If the confession isn't successful, just make the bold move and kiss her. That way, she will also have no exit. She'll either marry you, or we'll see how she marries!"

"Scoundrel, you are such a libertine, not having a single bit of genuine feeling, only indulging in frivolous dalliances. Do you have a girl you're willing to give up everything for?"

"Give up everything? Dream on! It's them who should give up everything."

"In any case, don't listen to this mischievous brat. Sooner or later someone will get sick of him and throw him into a pig's cage."

Meanwhile, Su Zhanze had already drifted off into his fantasies, feeling a bit silly. He was thinking about what he should do when Qing'er comes.

Ren Haotian could see that, and said teasingly: "My dear Qing'er, why are you not coming yet? Come and save me, do you know I've missed you a thousand times over? The flowers are already withering while I wait." He picked up a petal and sniffed it. His words, of course, were meant for Ze.

Ze was frustrated and slapped him, shouting: "Let's go fishing!"

Perplexed, Ren Haotian asked, "Fishing? What for?"

Ze shoved Ye Chen lightly, saying, "I'm hungry. Let's catch some fish and have a barbecue."

"Catch a fish? I don't know how to. When did you learn this skill?"

"Ye Chen can."

Ye Chen wondered, "Didn't your father ask me to meet He Weng with you?"

"That old guy can wait till tomorrow. Today we're skipping out," he insisted, delighted at the thought of Guo Yuqing's visit to Immortal City, albeit also feeling a bit out of sorts. If Qing'er really comes, the matter would certainly need some arrangements.