Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Zhao Dong frowned, looking at the group before him. "Who are you people? Do I know you?"

Yun Keqing took a deep breath, a frosty look clouding her stunningly beautiful face. "You brat, stop playing dumb. The owner already told us you deliberately snatched the stone. I order you to hand it over now."

Zhao Dong was taken aback for a moment before sneering, "I snatched it? I have the payment record right here!"

With that, he produced the record. Yun Keqing's fine brows knitted together. "Eight thousand?"

"That's right, eight thousand! If you don't believe me, go ask the people who were around the old man. Ask them whether I snatched it or if he sold it to me."

After speaking, Zhao Dong's gaze lingered on Yun Keqing, and he couldn't help but marvel at her.

The woman before him was tall and slender, draped in a white chiffon gown. Her skin was as fair as snow, and her jet-black hair was held in place by a single silver hairpin. Her features were nothing short of perfect. Beneath eyebrows like distant mountains were a pair of phoenix eyes that seemed to ripple like water. Her nose was elegantly upturned, and her slightly pursed lips were as tender as rose petals. An exquisite chin flowed into a perfect jawline, and from her ears dangled sky-blue crystal diamond earrings. She was as beautiful as a woman who had stepped out of a painting.

A flash of admiration crossed Zhao Dong's eyes. This woman is on par with Lin Qingyun or Xu Yafei!

Yun Keqing noticed his gaze and clenched her teeth. "Friend, since you claim to have bought this stone, I'd like to discuss something with you. Would you be willing to sell it to me?"

Zhao Dong smiled. "You're very beautiful, but I'm afraid I have to refuse."

Yun Keqing's expression soured. She had never met such a clueless man. In East Sea, what man didn't scramble to curry favor with her? To think Zhao Dong would be so disrespectful. Biting her lip, she stared at him and said, "Friend, please consider it a personal request from me, Yun Keqing. If you relinquish this stone, I will give you two million. Furthermore, I, Yun Keqing, will owe you a favor. If you ever need anything, you can come find me at the Yun Family estate."

Hearing this, the onlookers erupted in shocked murmurs.

"Is that the young miss of the Yun Family? My god, she's from the Yun Family!"

"Is the Yun Family that powerful? They aren't one of East Sea's four major families, are they?" someone asked in confusion.

"That's something you wouldn't know. The four major families exist only in the secular world. East Sea also has several extremely mysterious families, and it's said that many of them have cultivators!"

"cultivators? Heavens, no wonder I've never heard of them! A cultivator family... the very thought is terrifying!"

Listening to the crowd's chatter, Yun Keqing's lips curled into a faint smile, a hint of pride appearing on her face.

Zhao Dong, standing opposite her, also heard the exchange and was genuinely shocked. So there are hidden cultivator families in East Sea. This is the first I've ever heard of it!

Catching the astonishment on Zhao Dong's face, Yun Keqing smiled. "So, friend, what do you think? A favor from my Yun Family is worth its weight in gold. You should think it over carefully."

Zhao Dong smiled back. "Miss Yun, I apologize, but I still cannot give you this stone. However, if you truly need it, I can let you borrow it for a while in three days."

Yun Keqing was taken aback, her voice tinged with suspicion. "In three days?"

Zhao Dong smiled, a plan already forming in his mind. This Dragon Blood Stone is clearly no simple object; I have to uncover its secrets. At the same time, the Yun Family is a power I can't afford to offend right now. It wouldn't be worth it to make enemies of them so recklessly. This was the best solution he could come up with.

Yun Keqing bit her lip, hesitation flickering across her face. She was worried Zhao Dong might discover the stone's secret first. However, after sizing him up again, her expression relaxed.

Inner Strength Stage, not yet a Grandmaster. That shouldn't be a problem. Someone at the Inner Strength Stage shouldn't be able to detect the secrets within this stone.

Thinking this, Yun Keqing smiled. "Very well. I will come for the stone in three days. Could I have your contact information, friend?"

Zhao Dong nodded and recited his number. After a moment's thought, Yun Keqing gave him her number as well, smiling as she said, "My name is Yun Keqing. Feel free to contact me if anything comes up."

With that, Yun Keqing turned and left with her entourage.

Watching her receding figure, Zhao Dong felt a sense of déjà vu as a memory surfaced from his past. During his time as a special forces soldier, he was on an extremely perilous mission on Huaxia's northern border, facing off against mercenaries. He had been separated from his team and ended up rescuing a woman deep in the mountain wilderness.

The girl had been delirious and covered in injuries. When he found her, her body was as cold as a block of ice. Had he arrived even a second later, she would have frozen to death. In his urgency, Zhao Dong stripped off his own clothes and put them all on her. He then carried her through the snow and ice for a full ten kilometers until they finally found shelter with a family, saving her from certain death.

By the time they were safe, he himself was on the verge of collapse. After a night of rest, he rejoined his team without so much as a farewell to the woman. They had never even exchanged a single word. In those harsh conditions, neither of them had gotten a clear look at the other's face. He was disheveled and grimy from his mission, while she was gravely injured, her face deathly pale and on the brink of death...

The sealed memory flooded his mind, and Zhao Dong snapped back to the present, gazing at Yun Keqing's distant back. For an instant, he felt that Yun Keqing might just be the woman from all those years ago. But on second thought, it seems impossible. How could such a wild coincidence happen? Besides, that was on Huaxia's northern border, over ten thousand kilometers from here. Yun Keqing is the young miss of East Sea's Yun Family. That makes it even more impossible...

Pushing the thought aside, Zhao Dong finished his errands and hurried home.

Once home, Zhao Dong locked himself in his room, circulated the Mystic Sky Technique, and immediately began drawing talismans. The art of talismans was part of the Mystic Sky Technique, including spells to dispel malevolent auras and banish yin energy. He had a strong feeling that the dark energy at the Han Family estate was yin energy.

As for why the Han Family has yin energy, there are only two possibilities. First, something is wrong with the family itself—perhaps an ominous presence in their residence. Second, there's a problem with the Han family's ancestral graves—they might have been tampered with, affecting the entire family! Zhao Dong hadn't investigated either possibility, so he couldn't be sure.

He first drew several Evil Exorcism Talismans, then crafted a Protective Talisman that could temporarily block harmful auras. He planned to give this Protective Talisman to Han Chuxue.

After all, I slept with Han Chuxue. That makes her my woman. Even if she's cold to me, our connection is a fact, and I'll naturally take responsibility.

He quickly finished making the talismans, his face turning slightly pale. Crafting these required his own Spiritual Energy and was mentally draining. Even with the aid of the Mystic Sky Technique, he felt exhausted.

The art of talismans was not something ordinary cultivators possessed; only Cultivators could use them. The fundamental difference between a cultivator and a Cultivator lay in Spells. A cultivator could absorb nature's spiritual energy but could not wield Spells, as the Spiritual Energy could only be stored within their body. A Cultivator, however, could not only absorb Spiritual Energy but also convert it into Spells for use. Examples included the art of talismans and other supernatural abilities like telekinesis, manipulation of the five elements, and the Divine Doctor Technique.

It was precisely for this reason that Cultivators were much more formidable than cultivators. So even though Zhao Dong was at the entry-level for a Cultivator—the Qi Refinement Realm—he was a force to be reckoned with. Though he was only at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, he could still contend with a third-layer Grandmaster. This was the terrifying power of a Cultivator. Of course, a Cultivator's identity had to be kept strictly secret. If it were exposed, death was the most likely outcome.

Soon, the talismans were finished. Zhao Dong made two more for himself: two Speed Talismans and two Fire Bomb Talismans. The Speed Talisman could significantly boost his velocity, greatly increasing his chances of escape. The Fire Bomb Talisman could be used as a surprise attack, transforming into ten fiery projectiles that shot toward an enemy, making it a type of killing talisman.

After stowing the talismans away, Zhao Dong rested for a moment, using the Mystic Sky Technique to regulate his body. His strength soon returned.

He then took out the Dragon Blood Stone he had bought at the antique market.

His expression grew extremely solemn. He closed his eyes, silently sensing the stone as he channeled a thread of Spiritual Energy into it.

The next second, Zhao Dong's eyes flew open, filled with an expression of utter shock. The revelation made his body tremble slightly. He stared intently at the Dragon Blood Stone, his eyes wide with disbelief as he murmured, "My heavens... have I, Zhao Dong, struck the jackpot?!"

A moment later, the Dragon Blood Stone erupted with a brilliant red light, and an astonishing scene began to unfold.