"Lu Yuan! I'll get you sooner or later!"
"I'll be waiting!"
With their classmates intervening, the two stopped fighting, and Lu Yuan turned and left the private room directly.
Outside Longcheng Hotel, standing by the roadside under the night sky, watching the headlights of passing vehicles and the neon lights flickering throughout the city, Lu Yuan lit a cigarette and took slow, unhurried puffs.
At this moment, his heart was very calm.
Ring ring~!
His phone suddenly rang, shattering this tranquility that belonged solely to Lu Yuan.
Glancing at the screen, he saw it was Liang Hongyun calling.
Lu Yuan was taken aback. Had that bastard Liang Kai already complained to his mother so quickly?
Holding the remaining half of the cigarette between his fingers, Lu Yuan answered the call.
"Sister Hong."
"What are you up to?"
"Sitting by the roadside smoking."
"Can't you smoke at home? Why sit by the roadside? What, are there pretty girls to look at there?"
"Out of three thousand weak waters, I take only one ladleful. Compared to Sister Hong, all other women in my eyes are mere common powder and paint."
"Pah, smooth talker."
On the other end of the line, Liang Hongyun scoffed lightly, but it was clear she was pleased.
After a brief pause, Liang Hongyun said directly:
"Come to Tianqiong."
"Tianqiong?"
Lu Yuan was startled and asked uncertainly:
"Isn't that the Tianqiong where only Martial Artists can reserve seats?"
"Yes, of course. Otherwise? I've sent the room number to your phone. Hurry up."
Liang Hongyun sent a message, urged him once more, and hung up.
Tucking away his phone, Lu Yuan was still a bit confused. It was almost eleven o'clock—why would Liang Hongyun suddenly ask him to go to Tianqiong?
He'd find out once he got there.
Why overthink it? Lu Yuan mounted his little electric scooter and gave the throttle a firm twist.
The distance wasn't too far. In less than half an hour, Lu Yuan arrived in front of a majestic, imposing building.
Just as he entered the plaza in front of the building, he was stopped by a staff member. Vehicles picking up or dropping off guests had a dedicated lane; moreover, unauthorized personnel were strictly prohibited from entering.
Lu Yuan gave the room number and Liang Hongyun's name, and only then did the attendant let him pass, guiding him to follow behind a Rolls-Royce and ride up to the hotel entrance.
So what if it was a Rolls-Royce? Once he cashed in on that formula, he might not even give such a car a second glance.
"Sir, let me help you park your vehicle."
Just as he was pondering what car to get in the future, an attendant approached and said respectfully.
Lu Yuan somewhat awkwardly handed over his electric scooter key, then watched as the attendant somewhat clumsily rode away his beloved vehicle.
Then, taking a deep breath, he strode into the hotel entrance.
So what if it was Tianqiong? In the end, it was just a hotel.
Upon entering the lobby, Lu Yuan couldn't help but smile. Liang Kai had said he would never have the chance to enter Tianqiong in his lifetime, yet here he was tonight—and it was Liang Kai's own mother who had invited him.
Just then, another attendant approached and directly led him to Liang Hongyun's private room.
"What took you so long!"
At the doorway, seeing Lu Yuan arriving late, Liang Hongyun couldn't help but ask.
"My electric scooter was running low on battery, so it was slow."
Lu Yuan scratched his head and answered truthfully.
Liang Hongyun couldn't help but laugh in exasperation, thinking to herself that she should give Lu Yuan a car someday—riding that little electric scooter was too much of a hassle.
"Hurry up and come in."
But there was no time to discuss that tonight. She grabbed Lu Yuan and pulled him into the private room.
Only then did Lu Yuan realize that the private room was divided into several sections: besides the dining area, there were also a KTV room, a game room, a lounge, and the like.
Looking at the opulent and magnificent decor, Lu Yuan inwardly clicked his tongue again. This was truly a place for the upper class to enjoy themselves.
"Sisters, let me introduce someone to you!"
Before Lu Yuan could even process what was happening, Liang Hongyun pulled him into the inner game room.
There were two tables in total, all occupied by women. Four were playing mahjong, while three were playing cards, seemingly a game of 'Fight the Landlord.'
"Sister Liang, come help me play a couple rounds! My luck tonight is terrible—I'm about to lose my pants!"
"Oh my! What a handsome young man!"
"Sister Liang, you've got taste! Where did you find this little cutie?"
"Little brother, come sit on my lap. Let me check your bones for you."
Everyone looked up, and upon seeing Lu Yuan beside Liang Hongyun, they were first surprised, then burst into laughter.
"Go on, go on! Don't be so shameless, you'll scare him off."
Liang Hongyun shot them a glare before speaking seriously.
"This is my little brother!"
"Little brother?"
They exchanged glances, shrugging and spreading their hands.
Whether he was a blood brother or a sworn brother, given Liang Hongyun's protective stance, they knew they wouldn't be able to tease him further.
"Lu, let me introduce you."
Starting with a woman around Liang Hongyun's age but slightly fuller in figure, Liang Hongyun introduced each one to Lu Yuan.
"This is Gu Yunyun, a Six-Star War General affiliated with the Wushen Alliance. This is Ye Cuidi, a Six-Star War General and a direct descendant of the Ye Family. This is Sun Yifei, our little sister from the Stargazing Club, a Four-Star War General. She used to train at the Jidao Martial Arts Hall…"
As Liang Hongyun made the introductions, Lu Yuan was utterly astonished.
Everyone present was actually a mid-to-high-level War General!
Including Liang Hongyun, there were eight War Generals in total!
Lu Yuan had probably never seen as many War Generals in his entire life as were sitting here right now.
"Hello, sisters!"
Only after Liang Hongyun finished did Lu Yuan snap back to reality and quickly greet them.
"Hello."
"Wait for me to win some money, and I'll buy you candy."
A few of them waved at Lu Yuan with smiles, as kind as the big sisters next door. If Liang Hongyun hadn't told him, Lu Yuan would never have imagined that they were all powerful War Generals capable of shaking mountains and splitting the earth with a single gesture.
"Sister Hong, this is…"
Lu Yuan then looked at Liang Hongyun with confusion.
Why had she specifically called him to such an occasion?
If she just wanted to help him find a few clients, ordinary Martial Artists would have sufficed. There was no need for such a grand display.
"Didn't you say you wanted to become a Martial Artist?"
Liang Hongyun smiled and said directly.
"If you want to become a Martial Artist, you need connections. I just introduced them to you. Take a look and see which one catches your interest."
"This…"
In an instant, Lu Yuan understood Liang Hongyun's intention and was momentarily stunned.
Qi Refining and Meridian Opening Techniques were monopolized. For ordinary people to obtain them, they either had to join the military, serving as Martial Artist soldiers on the front lines battling Demonic Beasts—a path with an extremely high mortality rate—or join a Martial Artist faction and become a Professional Martial Artist under their banner.
Although Professional Martial Artists didn't have to go to the front lines, they still inevitably fought Demonic Beasts, making it a dangerous path as well.
With his cheat abilities, Lu Yuan had plenty of opportunities to make money. Why would he risk his life?
Back then, saying he wanted to become a Martial Artist was just an excuse to brush off Liang Hongyun.
But he never expected that Liang Hongyun would take it seriously and go to such lengths, even using her connections to bring him face-to-face with important figures from various Martial Artist factions.
"Sister Hong, why are you so good to me?"
For a moment, Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel moved.
"Because you call me 'sister.'"
Liang Hongyun smiled warmly, feigning a helpless expression.
In truth, Liang Hongyun herself wasn't clear why she had gone to such lengths for Lu Yuan.
Was it gratitude for Lu Yuan curing her hidden ailment, or perhaps…
Though Liang Hongyun was reluctant to admit it, Lu Yuan was indeed the only man she had been with besides her late husband.
"Sister Hong, there's something I need to tell you!"
"Hmm? What is it? Oh, why do you look so serious?"
"Someone asked me to coax you into bed."
Lu Yuan took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice.