Chapter 26: Is Showing Off a Crime? (Please Keep Reading and Vote)

Gazing at the majestic character for Shu, Ziyan pouted her rosy lips at Hangri and said,
“Senior brother, you should go in now. I’m his guide for the moment, so please enter the academy first.”
“Why? Can’t I go in together with him?” Hangri looked straight ahead, confusion in his eyes.
“No, he’s different from everyone else. Your master has been waiting for a long time. If he passes the test, you’ll be reunited very soon.”
Ziyan spoke gently, dispelling the last trace of worry from Hangri’s heart.
Hangri strode forward along the broad road. Halfway there, he turned back and gave Xu Xing a faint smile before continuing, leaving only a single sentence to echo into the dark night.
“Senior brother can only give you a hand, but if you want to move forward, you’ll need the senior sisters to help you a few more times. Seize your opportunities.”
Watching Hangri depart, Xu Xing felt an inexplicable emptiness inside. He couldn’t quite say why.
Alone, Xu Xing carried his wine jug and continued to drink.
A young man and a young woman, alone beneath the quiet, dark moon—such a scene was bound to stir certain feelings.
The wine was icy cold. Xu Xing shivered. He wanted to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. He simply lowered his head and stared at his feet, sneaking a glance at Ziyan’s fishnet stockings under the influence of the alcohol.
Xu Xing felt no guilt. Not looking the first time was good manners; the second look was only natural for a man, a form of respect for a woman.
Besides, Ziyan was so lively and adorable.
In Xu Xing’s memories, fishnet stockings were one of the four great weapons of the “macho man slayer”—black stockings, white stockings, fishnets, and schoolgirl uniforms. Before transmigrating, these little tricks had driven some people mad with infatuation.
Lost in such fanciful musings, Xu Xing sighed inwardly: perhaps frequenting pleasure houses to listen to music wasn’t such a bad idea after all…
Now, fishnet stockings seemed to have become a kind of personal armor? Just as such thoughts flitted by, Ziyan’s ethereal and sweet voice sounded.
“From now on, I’ll call you junior brother. May I ask your name?”
“Xu. Xing.” Xu Xing replied drunkenly.
“A good name. I’m Ziyan. From now on, you may call me Senior Sister Zi.”
“All right.”
“I’m your guide. By the rules, we must wait here until midnight. Since you’re alone, keep me company for a while. I’m bored by myself anyway.”
Xu Xing could only nod. After all, he was new here, without any backing—he couldn’t expect to rely on a senior sister, that wouldn’t be right.
Drinking alone beneath the cold moon, he yearned for the days to come.
Ziyan looked about the same age as he was. Her skin glistened with a watery glow, perhaps a sign of a water spiritual root—but Xu Xing felt sure she was no ordinary person.
He’d just stolen a few careful glances from north to south.
Her breathing rose and fell with a tidal force not often found in a young maiden. Although her aura was steady, beneath her sweet exterior, there lurked a killing intent.
You can’t judge a book by its cover!
After waiting three quarters of an hour, no new arrivals appeared—only Xu Xing himself was left muddled from drinking.

Everything he saw seemed to twist before his eyes. Xu Xing lay with his head in Ziyan’s lap, when two unexpected visitors arrived.
One was burly, fat, and a little lecherous, with an unkempt beard.
The other was a dwarf, thin as a stick, eyes sunken with wicked intent.
“Well, if it isn’t our dear Sister Shui—been waiting ages for this chance at revenge! Why not show us your water magic again, give us brothers a little entertainment?”
The tall lecherous one jeered.
Hearing this, Xu Xing, still groggy, realized Ziyan truly was adept at water magic, already able to transform spirit into water.
She must have reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. Squinting at the two men, Xu Xing sensed a soul-chilling threat from them.
“Get lost!” Ziyan snapped, her tone fierce.
“Get lost? Onto your bed, you mean? Sister Zhou, you’re getting bold these days,” the dwarf sneered.
As he finished, Ziyan lowered her head and nudged the drunken Xu Xing with her foot, pointing to a locust tree by the roadside.
“You too—go on, drunk as you are. Go hide under that tree.”
But Xu Xing didn’t leave. Instead, he staggered back to Ziyan’s side, rolling about at her feet like a child, mumbling,
“Don’t worry, Senior Sister, they can’t hurt you! Or come drink with me instead.”
“In life, let us take our pleasure—never let the golden cup face the moon alone.”
Ziyan looked down. The moonlight carved sharp lines on Xu Xing’s face as he clung to her leg, gnawing on it, muttering,
“Ham goes best with wine—immortal pairing.”
Seeing him like this, a glimmer flashed in Ziyan’s eyes. Something stirred within her, as if she’d recalled a memory. To her own surprise, she smiled with relief.
“Be good. Go wait over there. Once I’ve finished with them, I’ll come drink with you, all right?”
“Well, Sister Shui, cozying up to the newcomer already?” the dwarf laughed raucously, raising his brows.
“Why bother with so much talk? Last time, this girl made fools of us—we’ll have to make up for it tonight,” the tall one agreed.
At that moment, an old man quietly stepped through the wild grass, leaping between the hills without stirring a breeze or disturbing a single cloud.
Unnoticed, he arrived at the locust tree by the road, standing soundlessly on a sturdy branch to watch the confrontation unfold.
He spotted Xu Xing and smiled, pulling out his own flask to sip as he gently waved a hand, raising a mild wind that wrapped around the clearing.
From outside, all four figures had vanished without a trace.
...
“Sister Shui, we’re here! Why not use your secret water art to defend yourself—give us a show?” the dwarf taunted, picking at the fat on his belly.
Xu Xing, half-drunk, was roused by the sound. He rose awkwardly to his feet, then collapsed onto Ziyan, snoring almost immediately.
Ziyan pushed him aside with one hand, and Xu Xing landed with a thud beneath the locust tree.

A wave of sensation coursed through his body. Xu Xing opened his eyes, his head spinning.
“This wine is strong.”
Looking up, he saw the dwarf and the tall man leaping through the air toward Ziyan. Then, with a single sweeping kick charged with azure spiritual power, she sent them both flying.
Clap, clap, clap.
It was the sound of Xu Xing applauding, limping toward Ziyan as he declared,
“Senior Sister Ziyan, why do they call you Sister Shui? I know they’re villains—leave them to me.”
To his surprise, Ziyan didn’t even glance at him, but grew imperious, saying,
“No need. Just watch the show. This is your first lesson from your senior sister.”
With a thud, Xu Xing fell to the ground. Propping himself up with his left hand, he slowly crawled up and pointed at the pair,
“Fine, but don’t provoke me. I’ll just enjoy the show and be a spectator—otherwise, I’ll eat you both alive.”
Imitating a demon, Xu Xing opened his mouth wide and stuck out his red tongue.
The dwarf and the tall man froze at his antics, staring as if watching a clown. The tall one snickered, arching his brow at Ziyan and shouting to the dwarf,
“Today, Sister Shui is mine. I’ll take her first half of the night, you can have the second, and at dawn we’ll both enjoy her.”
“Why not just deal with her together now? That brat over there is no threat,” the dwarf replied.
“No, Ziyan’s for me alone to tame—unless you pay extra.”
“Fine then… I’l