The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

As Chen Dong and the others made their way to the lobby, the restaurant manager finally mustered the courage to approach. "My sincerest apologies," he said. "I'm aware of what transpired. We can't afford to offend the Cai Family. Our hands were tied."

Chen Dong waved his hand. "It's alright. This isn't your fault."

The manager bowed again. "You probably weren't able to enjoy your meal. To make it up to you, this dinner is on the house. We can also pack up an identical meal for you to take with you!"

"That won't be necessary. We've lost our appetite."

The manager bowed yet again. "Regarding your gold bars, I exchanged them at the most reputable dealer in Qianzhou for 2,250,000. If you can provide an account number, I'll transfer the funds to you."

Chen Dong looked at Meng Xuejing. "Go ahead."

With the resurgence of Spiritual Qi, the price of gold—along with various other rare metals—had been steadily rising in the modern world. To think one hundred taels of gold could fetch 2,250,000.

Once they were outside the restaurant, Meng Xuejing asked, "Where are you guys planning to go?"

Chen Dong didn't have an answer. All he wanted was to find Murong Qing, and then Li Wang. But the modern world was vast, making it incredibly difficult to find a single person. Besides, Li Wang had likely gone to the Floating Shadow Realm. To go there, however, Chen Dong felt he wasn't strong enough. It was just like his time in the Wangyou Realm—without power, you weren't the master of your own fate.

Therefore, Chen Dong decided that if he were to go to the Floating Shadow Realm, it would only be after breaking through to the Golden Core realm.

As for Li Zhixuan, it didn't matter to him where they went. He just wanted a place to cultivate in peace, advance to the Nascent Soul realm, and eventually, Divinity Transformation. Only then would he have the power to fight his way back to the Wangyou Realm.

The search would have to wait. Chen Dong said casually, "How about we go to your place for now?"

Meng Xuejing froze for a moment, then immediately shook her head. "No, no way!"

Chen Dong said, "To be honest, we just left our sect and don't even have IDs. Hotels won't give us a room, so if we can't stay with you, we'll have nowhere to go."

Meng Xuejing's face fell. "But I only have one bed! There's not enough room!"

Chen Dong laughed. "It's fine, it's fine. We can just squeeze in!"

Teasing Meng Xuejing gave Chen Dong a refreshing sense of what it was like to live in the modern world. In the Wangyou Realm, his life had been a cycle of seclusion and deductions, completely cut off from the mortal coil. Besides, now that they had offended the Cai Family, he and Li Zhixuan couldn't just walk away. The karmic tie was unresolved. If they left and the Cai Family went after Meng Xuejing, it would create a flaw in Chen Dong's Dao Heart.

In the end, Meng Xuejing reluctantly led the two back to her home. She tried to reassure herself. 'These two are so powerful, and so rich they just hand over millions without a second thought. They definitely won't have any improper ideas about me. But even if they did... well, they're so handsome, it's not like I'd be the one losing out...'

Chen Dong, oblivious to the thoughts running through the blushing Meng Xuejing's mind, stepped inside. The apartment was indeed tiny—only about forty square meters. Aside from a small, partitioned-off room combining the toilet and bathroom, there was just a single bed and a wardrobe.

Chen Dong now understood why Meng Xuejing had been so resistant to bringing them back. Not only was the place small, but it was also a mess. Clothes were strewn everywhere, the bed was unmade, and the blanket was crumpled into a ball.

Li Zhixuan even picked up a pair of black pantyhose and asked Chen Dong, "Is this considered clothing?"

Meng Xuejing scrambled to snatch them away and stuffed them into the wardrobe.

"This place of yours... it's just too..."

Chen Dong wanted to poke fun, but he couldn't find a specific thing to target—because everything was a target.

"What house? This is a rental, just a rental."

"What about your family?" Chen Dong asked. He wanted to understand her situation better so he could figure out how to resolve this karmic tie involving her.

Meng Xuejing said with a wry smile, "My family? They're all gone. When I was little, my dad was a gambling addict. He sold off everything we owned. My mom left, and then he left too, leaving behind a mountain of debt..."

Chen Dong looked at Meng Xuejing. "Your Palace of Life doesn't indicate the early death of close relatives. They should still be in this world."

Meng Xuejing's brow furrowed. "When I said 'gone,' I meant they ran off. They both abandoned me, so I don't acknowledge them as my parents anymore!"

Chen Dong nodded.

Just then, Meng Xuejing suddenly knelt before Chen Dong. "Please, take me as your disciple!"

Chen Dong's gaze focused on Meng Xuejing. After a long moment, he shook his head slightly. "What I know wouldn't be suitable for you."

Chen Dong wasn't just making an excuse. The Martial Dao of the Celestial Profound Sect required training from a very young age, and Meng Xuejing was clearly past that point. The Dragon and Phoenix Treasure Manual was also impossible to learn without a proper foundation, and the Yuqing Immortal Technique was exceptionally arduous.

Hearing this, Meng Xuejing's expression fell. She had tried to follow along and practice the techniques from the official Martial Dao website, but she could never get the hang of them. Watching Chen Dong and Li Zhixuan today had filled her with a deep yearning. 'If only I could be that powerful!' It was back at the restaurant that the idea of asking them to take her as a disciple had first taken root in her mind.

Chen Dong looked to Li Zhixuan. "Xiaoli, how about you take her as your disciple?"

Li Zhixuan replied, "The Wangyou Sect only accepts disciples with a Spirit Root. I've observed her, and she doesn't have one. There would be no point."

Rejected again. Meng Xuejing stared blankly for a moment before forcing a slight smile. "It's okay, it's okay! I always knew I wasn't cut out for martial arts. It's not like you can't get by in life without them, right? I'm fine!" But her tightly clenched fists betrayed her, revealing she was nowhere near as composed as she seemed.