“It’s actually more amazing than you imagined. There are many intelligent floor-mopping robots on the streets. Every car has an energy field, so car crashes are impossible. And the cars all run automatically. The TVs can also give you an immersive experience. There are robots whose appearance is no different from that of a real person. But with the help of your soul sense, you can tell whether it is a robot or not. The power of technology is also the main force the human race relies on to deter all the other races. Attributed to technology, mankind has built very destructive weapons, which helped us make countless achievements in the first era when all the races competed for glory. Later, the whole universe entered a peaceful era, other races also accepted and enjoy the convenience brought by technology. For instance, a cultivator may hang out with rich people in the technology world. One can go to the Dragon Horse Planet to watch a race. One can gamble on the winner just like people do on a racecourse. One may also go fishing on the Ocean Planet. Sometimes one can even catch a mermaid there. There are too many interesting places to visit.”
Zhang Han began to introduce various entertainment venues to Mengmeng.
“Daddy, didn’t you say that the Cultivation World is very dangerous?”
“There are dangers indeed. Because only the strong prevail. For example, in the business world, bigger companies are likely to steal away the business of smaller companies. And smaller companies are likely to do the same to even smaller ones. If you are unlucky, you may get killed when you run into a bloodthirsty cultivator. Therefore, being cautious is what matters the most when traveling in the Cultivation World,” Zhang Han replied.
“It sounds like fun. Life in the Cultivation World must be colorful.” Zi Yan pressed her red lips and remarked, “But the last part of your words dragged me back to reality.”
“Haha.” Zhang Han laughed heartily and said, “In the past, I… I didn’t get to visit all those places. This time, our family is going together. I won’t set a too ambitious goal for this journey. I would be gratified as long as we explored that entire world.”
In Zhang Han’s last life, he spent his 500 years cultivating alone. He didn’t go to many places for entertainment. He worked harder than most of the cultivators. That was why he became so successful. However, in this life, Zhang Han’s goal was to take Zi Yan and Mengmeng to visit all the interesting places in the world.
“Great!”
Hearing Zhang Han’s words, Mengmeng cheered jubilantly.
She liked traveling the most.
“We’re going to play in the Sea Dragon Star Area!”
As soon as she said that, Zhang Han immediately coughed softly.
“This time, we’re not going to the many places in the Sea Dragon Star Area. We’ll just stay on the Lost Continent. When we’re done exploring all the fun places there, the new term will probably start soon.”
“Huh?”
Mengmeng was instantly pulled out of her reverie to face the cold reality.
“The new term begins?”
Mengmeng was confused for two seconds. Then she reached out and cupped her hands around her cheeks.
“Well, I’m only a junior high school student…”
“Did she forget that she is a student?”
Zi Yan was staggered.
She didn’t know that the little girl was thinking of the years to come. She was only in the first grade of junior high school. She still had to stay in school for many years. And during those years, she wouldn’t be able to go out and play whenever she wanted.
They soon returned to Mount New Moon. After dinner, Mengmeng immediately ran back to her room and began to do her homework. Frankly, she had a large volume of homework. Besides, she would go out to play with Wang Yihan tomorrow, and she planned to finish all her homework by next week. The workload was quite heavy. Nonetheless, for the sake of the upcoming journey, she was willing to spend a couple of days getting her homework done.
As night fell, Zi Yan stayed in Mengmeng’s bedroom reading a book. Zhang Han began to cultivate in seclusion in the training room.
“Tonight, I’ll be able to completely absorb the Soul Water. The Air-shattering Hand has integrated with the Soul Water’s Source Energy. Thus, it now has the potential of gaining attributes. It’ll take about a week to completely comprehend the Air-shattering Hand of the Water Element.”
At this moment, Zhang Han’s eyes were extremely deep and unfathomable.
If Yue Wuwei knew that Zhang Han could completely absorb the third-tier Source Energy in two days and integrated it into one of his supernatural powers, his jaw would drop.
He estimated that Zhang Han would use the next half a month to absorb and refine just one kind of Source Energy. This way, he would have stronger strength when he came to the Lost Continent. What he did not expect was that within 10 days, the five kinds of Source Energy would all be refined.
In the Cultivation World, Source Energy was divided into multiple tiers. The third-tier kind was already very high-end. The higher the tier the energy was at, the slower the absorption and refinement would be. But the rule did not seem to apply to Zhang Han. That was kind of illogical.
However, Yue Wuwei didn’t know what kind of trump card Zhang Han had. Due to that trump card, Zhang Han was very skilled in absorbing Source Energy. He did it with the most accurate and efficient method. Thus, it was understandable that he could finish the absorption within two days. But in the eyes of others, it was abnormal.
As for Mu Xue and others, they absorbed Source Energy just for the sake of absorption. Most of the energy was used to promote their strength. Only a small part of it was converted into a trace of attributes. As for Zhang Han, he merged the energy with his supernatural powers and constantly dissolved and reorganized them. It was a big project. If Zhang Han were not experienced enough, perhaps he would not have been able to power through the ever-changing comprehension process.
“The Air-shattering Hand of the Fire Element will no longer be invisible, so its power will be much greater. I just don’t know how much more powerful it will be.”
Zhang Han smiled and slowly closed his eyes.
He continued to simulate the Air-shattering Hand and merge it with the Soul Water.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”
Wisps of hot air around Zhang Han seemed to be resonating with some unknown energy. It was faintly discernible, as though it was somewhere between the tangible and the intangible.
Early the next morning.
When Mengmeng woke up, she found it was already half-past seven in the morning. The strange thing was that Mengmeng usually woke up by herself at six o’clock when it was a school day. But when she was on holiday, she slept in as if it was only right and proper to do so.
After staying in bed awake for more than 10 minutes, she grabbed her mobile phone and sent a WeChat message to Li Muen.
“Muen, it’s a little over seven o’clock now. Let’s meet up at the gate of your community at 8:30. Then we can go to meet Yihan together.”
“Got it.”
“Yihan, Muen and I will arrive at your place at about 9:30.”
Wang Yihan replied, “You’re so slow. I’m already with a few friends. You can come and hang out with us. We’re at the Capricorn Cyber Café, which is at No. 350 on Ivy Street. Call me when you get here.”
“Okay.”
Mengmeng answered the message and lay in the bed for another two minutes. Then, she got out of bed to wash up and get dressed. Today, she put on her blue trousers, white high-waist canvas shoes, and a white short-sleeved shirt.
“Mummy, help me do my hair. Make me pretty.”
Mengmeng ran to Zi Yan’s room. Zi Yan also took pleasure in doing hair for Mengmeng. Making her daughter look pretty always gave her a profound sense of achievement.
“Is Daddy cooking? I already smelled the food,” Mengmeng sniffed and asked.
“Your nose is still very sharp. Breakfast is almost ready.” Zi Yan smiled slightly. “Today, your Aunty Xue and Uncle Feng are both busy. Shall I ask one of your grandmas to send you there?”
“No need, I go there myself,” Mengmeng replied clearly, “If they accompanied me there, they wouldn’t play with us. They would just stay in the car waiting for me. That would be tedious.”
“Hey, when have you become so considerate?”
“Sure I am.” Mengmeng shook her little butt and said, “Besides, I’m very powerful now. I can go out and play by myself.”
“But do you know the way? I’m a little concerned that you might get lost.” Zi Yan beamed.
“No, I’ll take a taxi. I haven’t taken a taxi yet. This is a good chance to try it. This time, I’ll move around by taxi. Next time, I’ll take the subway. The time after that, I’ll try the bus. I wanna experience everything,” Mengmeng muttered.
“Okay. Go out on your own then. Don’t forget to carry a bag before you leave home. You can’t just fetch out things out of nowhere as you do at home in front of your friends,” Zi Yan reminded.
“You mean the schoolbag?” Mengmeng was a little confounded.
“A messenger bag. Nobody would carry a schoolbag when going out to have fun, would they?”
Amused, Zi Yan added, “There are many bags in my closet. I’ll give you a pink one in a minute.”
“Okay.”
Mengmeng’s casual tone showed that she was not interested in purses.
Purses were a major thing that women liked to show off with. However, since childhood, Mengmeng seemed to have no concept of flaunting. Nor did she have a clear understanding of money. She had merely heard people mention that the land on Mount New Moon alone was worth a lot, not to mention the buildings on it. Each of the mansions on the mountain was worth more than one billion yuan. Mengmeng had never counted the villas on Mount New Moon. But there were at least 600 villas in total in the multiple residential areas, not to mention that the big castle was worth way more than one billion.
For a long time, the only money she got to manage was her allowance. She got 1,000 yuan every week. At first, she still counted the money carefully every time the allowance was issued. But as time went by, she stopped caring about the money anymore.
After doing Mengmeng’s hair, Zi Yan went to the closet and found a pink bag with a long strap.
“Take this. Since you’re going out to play, I’ll give you some spending money.”
Zi Yan grabbed her own purse, in which there was a thick stack of money. Zi Yan took out more than half of the stack, which was roughly 20,000 yuan.
“Take this card as well. The password is your birthday.” Zi Yan then fished out a black card with English words on it.
“Do I really need a bank card?” Mengmeng doubted.
“Just take it. You don’t have to use it if it’s not necessary. Besides, you can’t spend all the money in one day even if I give you the permission.”
“How much is in this card?” Mengmeng blinked.
“I don’t know, either.”
“Well, I see.” Mengmeng took the pink bag, strapped it over her shoulder, and spun in front of the mirror. “Mummy, do I look good?”
“Of course. My daughter is really pretty.”
“Now I have no worries.”
Mengmeng revealed a cute smile.
The little girl was very obsessed with her looks these days.
When they arrived at the restaurant together, Zhang Han was almost done with the cooking.
“Daddy, am I pretty?”
“Yes. You’re gorgeous.”
“Which one of us is more beautiful? Me or Mummy?”
Mengmeng’s question made Zhang Han’s face stiffen at once.
“Hey, girl, can you stop giving me a hard time just for one day?”
“You…” Zhang Han answered.
“Hee-hee…”
“Your Mummy.” Zhang Han finished the sentence.
“Hahaha…” This time, it was Zi Yan’s turn to laugh.
Mengmeng’s face darkened, and she said sourly, “Zhang Han, you’ve changed.”
“You are also beautiful. You’re as beautiful as your Mummy,” Zhang Han amended in haste.
“But my feelings have been hurt. Humph, I don’t like you anymore.”
Zhang Han suddenly sighed and said, “Well, okay. My daughter doesn’t like me anymore. I’m so sad. Honey, looks like we have to go to the Lost Continent in a couple of days just by ourselves.”
“Actually, it’s a very good idea. We can finally spend some time together. You know, just the two of us.” Zi Yan blinked playfully.
Mengmeng pouted and suddenly made a face.
“I’ll follow you wherever you go, humph.”
“Well, let’s eat. You’re hanging out with your friends in a while. Do you want me to go with you?” Zhang Han asked.
“No, I’ll take a taxi,” Mengmeng replied while remaining seated.
“Okay.” Zhang Han nodded. Then, he reminded her again, “Even if you just hang out in the city, you ought to be on your guard. If you encounter a situation you can’t handle, just crush that pearl.”
“There is little to worry about now. The Silver Star Sect has been destroyed. I don’t think anyone would be so stupid as to mess with our daughter now, would they?” Zi Yan snorted.
Thinking of Mengmeng being abducted last time, Zi Yan could not help but feel angry.
How dare they capture my daughter?
“If anyone dares to do it again. I’ll swat them all to death!”
Thanks to the many treasures Mengmeng carried, she remained calm even after she was abducted. But if it were any other children, this experience might be a big blow. Zi Yan also believed that the people who did this to a child deserved to die.
“I am also quite strong!”
Mengmeng said seriously, “I can beat bad guys even if I really run into some. Also, I’ve been to so many relics and many places in the Kunlun Immortal World. I’m a wily old bird, too.”
Her words coupled with her serious attitude made Zhang Han burst into laughter.
“What I meant to say is that you should not be too dependent on those treasures. You gotta also be vigilant. After all, in the years to come, your Mummy and I will also go out to have fun when you are on vacation,” Zhang Han said with a smile.
“Okay, I got it, Daddy,” Mengmeng answered before digging in.
…
After breakfast, she scurried to the mirror and took a good look at herself for a minute before going downstairs in high spirits.
Zi Yan drove her to the gate of the community where Li Muen lived. When they arrived, Li Muen and her mother were standing next to the gate, waiting for them. The two girls had agreed on going out by themselves. After meeting up, they waited for three minutes at the gate of the community until they succeeded in hailing a taxi, which drove them to the North District.
“Are you middle school students or primary school students?”
The driver was a young man in his 20s. There was a tattoo on his right arm, and he kind of looked like a hooligan.
“Primary school student?” Li Muen replied, “No, we are junior high students.”
“You two are quite pretty. How can your parents let you go out alone without getting worried?” The driver cackled.
“What’s there to worry about? Mengmeng is really awesome. She can perform martial arts.”
“Oh? Like tae kwon do?” A hint of contempt was revealed in the man’s eyes. “Look at them. What kind of martial arts could such a delicate girl perform? Her strength is simply negligible. Even if she has learned some tae kwon do, it would just be for show.”
“Not tae kwon do, but kung fu,” Li Muen corrected.
“Huh, you also have a tattoo on your arm?” Mengmeng gazed at the man’s right arm and said to Li Muen, “My Uncle Hu’s also got a big tattoo. It’s a tiger’s head. It’s on his back. I’ll let you have a look if there’s a chance.”
“A tiger’s head? On his back?”
The man was stunned. He felt that he had heard someone say the same thing somewhere before.
But he could not remember. He then thought that he might have been too drunk at that time.
“Those with tattoos are not necessarily good people. Take me as an example. Don’t you feel scared when you saw me?” the man said with a smile.
“Why would we be scared?” Mengmeng eyed him suspiciously. She reckoned that she could send an ordinary person like him flying with a kick. Even Chen Chuan could beat him.
“Haha.”
The man chuckled and did not pursue the subject. However, during the ride, when he saw that the two girls were talking happily at the back seat and neither of them was looking his way, he pressed the meter many times on end with his right hand.
“Well, we’ve arrived at the Capricorn Cyber Café.”
The man said coolly, “The fee is 278 yuan in total.”
“Oh, okay.”
Mengmeng opened her bag. When the man caught the sight of the thick stack of money in that instant, his breathing quickened a bit. A struggling look flashed through his eyes.
“Good heavens! She has so much money?”
“Mengmeng, don’t bother unzipping your bag. I got this. Here is 300 yuan. Keep the change.” Li Muen quickly handed over the money and got off the car with Mengmeng hand in hand.
“These two girls turn out to be quite rich, haha.” The man put away the 300 yuan and shook his head. “But they have learned nothing about society at all. How naive! They did run very fast. I didn’t get round to swap the two fake bills with them.”
The fee for the ride was actually only 100 yuan. But he charged them more than 200 yuan. The girls gave him 300 yuan, which did give him a good haul. But there was also another way to rip them off. The driver could swap the money they gave him with some fake money, then handed the fake bills back to them and asked them to give him new ones with the excuse that the bills looked too old and battered. In this way, he could double his profit. Facing such young girls, he believed that trick would definitely work.
“I hope my next customer can also be so gullible.”
The man soon drove away. On the way to the main road, he passed a relatively remote street. There were very few pedestrians on this street. Only four or five people were walking in front.
When he was driving, he suddenly found that the view before him became a little dark.
“Eh?”
The man shook his head to sober up. Sensing that the surroundings were getting darker and darker, he muttered in shock and disbelief, “Did I go too wild with that girl last night? Is that why my vision is getting blurred?”
The surrounding buildings seemed to have become increasingly gloomy and ghastly. The few pedestrians in front of him moved slower and slower. They were becoming increasingly stiffer as if they were walking zombies.
The sun in the sky seemed to have been covered by dark clouds. The light in the surrounding was fading, and there was a faint mist floating in the air.
“What’s going on?”
The man pulled the car over, switched on the emergency flasher, and rubbed his temples. “It must be that I’m too tired.”
“Woo…”
In an instant, he felt that the inside of the car became extremely cold.
“Did I set the temperature too low?”
He decided to switch the button for the air-conditioning. Just as he was halfway through reaching for the button, from the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw in the rearview mirror that a person sitting in the back seat!
A person?
No!
That figure’s long hair was in disarray, which made her looked like Sadako in that famous horror movie. Only a small part of her face could be seen beneath her long hair, and her eyes were completely dark.
“Did I bump into a, a ghost?”
The man felt like someone had seized his throat. He couldn’t speak. His eyes were round as saucers.
“Do you enjoy swindling money out of kids?”
A low and hoarse voice sounded in the car.
“No, I, I…”
“Howl—”
The figure in the back seat suddenly changed. Her face seemed to be melting, and her facial features were distorted. She opened her mouth wide and swooped on him.
“Ahhhh…”
The man screamed in horror and closed his eyes, wailing,
“I shall never do it again! Never!”
A minute later, while breathing heavily, he slowly opened his eyes. He found that the street was still the same. The pedestrians in front of him had returned to normal as well. The sun was shining brightly, and the whole world became colorful again.
“Was I hallucinating?”
“Or did I really run into a ghost?”
“No, I gonna go to the temple to pay my respect.”
The man patted his chest with relief. Then, he fetched out a cigarette and took a big drag. It was not until the car behind him horned nosily that he finally came to his senses. He started the car and headed forward for two minutes. When he wanted to smoke again, he found that he was out of cigarettes. Therefore, he pulled over at the roadside and went to a convenience store to buy some. As he made the payment, he took out a bill from his pocket.
“Are you crazy? How dare you pay with ceremonial paper money?”
“Hiss!”
He looked down and saw that he was really holding a piece of ceremonial paper money.
He then took out all the money from his pocket and found that the three bills on the top were all ceremonial paper money.
“I d-did just run into a ghost?”
Cold sweat trickled down his face and his body trembled in fear. He hastily made the payment and fled.
Standing on the edge of the street behind him, Rong Jiaxin snorted.
“Scum, you were in luck to come across me. If Mu Xue were here, she would scare you out of your wits.”
Usually, it was Mu Xue who followed Mengmeng when she went out. This time, Mu Xue was cultivating in seclusion. Since Rong Jiali had no better things to do, she filled in for Mu Xue and followed Mengmeng from a distance.
Mengmeng had never taken a taxi before, nor did she know the market price of taking a taxi. Also, Li Muen had never hailed a taxi before. This was new to both of them. After the ride, they didn’t find the experience any bit special other than that the taxi was not as comfortable as their private cars.
The only good thing about taking a taxi was that it was much more convenient for them to talk. Because when parents were present, the things they talked about were somewhat different from those they discussed when they were by themselves.
They walked into the first floor of the cyber bar. When the waiter saw the two little girls, he smiled and kindly reminded them, “You can’t employ our service because you haven’t come of age.”
“We’re here to meet up with our friends.”
“You mean the kids on the second floor? Go upstairs and turn left. You’ll find them there.”
“Thank you.”
After the short conversation, the two girls ran to the second floor and spotted Wang Yihan. She was with four other people. They were standing there, talking animatedly.
“Yihan.”
“Mengmeng, Muen, you are here.” Wang Yihan ran to them.
