Chapter 13.2 - Awkward dinner (Part 2)

'Soul Search?! No, it's weak. Spiritual probing?' Li XinWen thought as he quickly exercised his own spiritual force and blocked them. He glared at Min XiaoYu, as if warning him not to try it again.

When Min XiaoYu felt that his probing was abruptly blocked, his eyes widened in shock. "You practice martial arts?" he asked out loud shocking everyone on the table. Li JingHua's shock was the most visible as she lost the grip she had on her chopstick. "That's great! I have been trying to find someone with your aptitude for a while! How about it? Want to join our school? My grandfather would love to have a student like you!"

"I refuse!" Li XinWen quickly answered but Li JingHua felt that this opportunity was too good to let it slip.

"Wait! Ah'Wen, I think it would be good if you accept. Mr. Min's martial arts style will help you with therapy too. And who knows, in the future, you might be able to use them as self-defense!" Li JingHua tried to convince Li XinWen to accept.

In the apocalypse, Li XinWen did not awaken any ability so he had to use guns or cold weapons. At first, it was manageable but as time went by, it was simply a nightmare. Remembering her younger brother's gruesome fate in that future made Li JingHua shiver. "Ah'Wen, please... Just listen to your sister this time?"

"You seem to have high expectations from Min XiaoYu. How do you know him?" this time, it was Xue Rui who asked. He didn't like it when Li JingHua pushed Li XinWen to study martial arts with Min XiaoYu. "If it is just martial arts, I can find a teacher for XinWen. There is no need to rely on him."

"Rui, you keep quiet. I have my reason!" Li JingHua told the other male.

"What reason?!" Xue Rui asked, slowly losing his control. He was getting more and more annoyed with how Li JingHua was acting. 'She knows of my feelings towards her brother, why is she pushing him towards someone else?!'

"That..." Li JingHua was unable to reply. After all, she couldn't suddenly tell them that the apocalypse will happen in five years or that Min XiaoYu will be one of humanity's powerhouses in the future.

Sun Xiao who had been quiet all these time suddenly showed a difficult expression. As he was stuck between the two men who seem to antagonize each other was one thing, and now it seems that Li JingHua was acting like she's adding oil to the raging fire.

"Alright. I think that is enough. Hua-er, Rui is your fiancé. You should understand a man's heart. He is just being jealous that you think highly of another man," mother Li said as she tried to pacify the situation. "As for Ah'Wen learning martial arts, he had just returned home, and woken up from his coma. He needs to rest and recover first."

Li XinWen on the other hand, despite being the topic of the heated discussion just continued to eat after his refusal. He quickly finished his meal and just stayed to watch the drama unfold.

"About that, Madam Li does not have to worry! Martial arts is not all about movement. There are also breathing exercises and meditation!" Min XiaoYu tried to assure mother Li. "Since he had just recovered, those two can help him calm himself and also, with good guidance, the blood vessels within his body could open up wider and even make him healthier!"

"Really?" mother Li seemed convinced, but she looked over at Li XinWen with a worried expression. After all, this is her son whom she had almost lost a few months ago. "Well, if Ah'Wen agrees..."

"He'll agree!" Li JingHua quickly interjected. "Right, Ah'Wen?" her eyes landed on Li XinWen and she silently begged her brother to agree.

"XinWen, think about it more. I can find you a better teacher!" Xue Rui felt crisis rising up. For some reason, he felt that if Li XinWen agreed, then their time together would be reduced significantly. He was yet to win Li XinWen's heart, so he needed all the time he could get.

"I dare you to find a master that is better than my grandfather!" Min XiaoYu glared at Xue Rui.

"The world of martial arts doesn't revolve around your grandfather! I'm sure there are still hidden masters around who are better than your grandfather!!" Xue Rui returned the glare and the two started a glaring contest.

Sun Xiao who was silent all this time finally finished his meal and put down his cutlery. "I've finished eating," he said as he stood up. He'd rather not stay in this suffocating atmosphere anymore. "I'll go to my room and do my homework..."

"Alright. The food is getting colder. Anything else can be discussed later," mother Li decided to stop the bickering between the two men. Seeing that the little drama was over, Li XinWen did not feel the need to stay any longer.

"I've also finished eating. I'll go rest and watch TV in the living room," he said as he too left the dining table. When he sat on the sofa, he turned on the TV and began to analyze what he had just witnessed. His sister is a bit too familiar with Min XiaoYu. If he didn't know any better, her actions were the same as someone who wants to hug another person's thigh.

'Hua-jie also sounded desperate earlier. I don't think she just simply wants to hug Min XiaoYu's thigh. The worry in her eyes were real when she looked at me. Does she know something? Why is she so afraid that I would be hurt?' as Li XinWen thought of this, he scoured over the original's memories for anything that could be a danger to his life. He searched and searched, but he couldn't find anything. 'I better ask her later...'

Once he made up his mind, his thoughts went to Min XiaoYu. He is truly someone Li XinWen did not expect to meet in this mortal realm. 'Actually, how far has he cultivated?' he wondered as he glanced at Min XiaoYu who was currently eating peacefully, without any shame despite being in a stranger's house. 'Since he used spiritual probing, I should return the favor.'

With a smirk, he sent out his spiritual energy and guided them towards Min XiaoYu. It was either Min XiaoYu was not expecting Li XinWen to probe him or Min XiaoYu has yet to learn how to defend himself from spiritual probing because Li XinWen got past his defenses quite easily. 'Hmm... Peak 1st stage of Houtian. Not bad for a mortal,' Li XinWen thought as he guided his energy deeper.

Thinking how Min XiaoYu was adamant on getting the cauldron to the point of chasing him all the way home, Li XinWen became curious as to how much this man knows. So he guided his spiritual energy to probe his mind next. But who would've guessed that when he began probing, he was met with a seal that protected Min XiaoYu's mind? 'This seal... Made by a peak Xiantian cultivator!' Li XinWen was truly surprised by his finding.

It must be said that back in Long Xing, the average number of years a cultivator takes to reach peak Xiantian is about sixty years. Those with higher aptitude could take around twenty years. While a genius would take merely ten to fifteen years. Li XinWen himself took thirteen years to reach peak Xiantian stage, and the spiritual energy within Long Xing is very abundant compared to this world.

'I'd like to meet this person...' Li XinWen thought with a smile. Someone who could reach Xiantian in this world must have something special with them to help them cultivate in this almost barren world. Withdrawing his spiritual energy from Min XiaoYu, Li XinWen began to relax.