A skill is no burden.

【Virtual Attribute Panel】

Host: Cao Cheng!

Strength: 39

Agility: 36

Constitution: 41

Spirit: 50

Emotional Value: 908

Skills: Mixed Martial Arts (Grandmaster), Piano (Grandmaster), Dance (Grandmaster), Vocal Mimicry (Grandmaster), Parkour (Grandmaster), Culinary Arts (Advanced), Blacksmithing (Advanced), Makeup (Advanced), Tailoring (Advanced), Traditional Chinese Medicine (Advanced), Comprehensive Pistol Marksmanship (Advanced), Undercover Reconnaissance (Advanced), Counter-Surveillance (Advanced)!

……

The first-ranked… well, the last-ranked "Fourth Sister" has been gone for thirty-four days.

Miss her!

Over the past month, Cao Cheng's skills and physical stats have improved tremendously.

Most of them are useless, though.

Not his calling.

Like dance…

And blacksmithing.

Sure, it’s fun to look at, but who’s actually gonna become a blacksmith?

A real man’s gotta be tough—both inside and out!

Still,

Some skills, while seemingly useless, have subtly refined his aura. Take dance, for example—though Cao Cheng isn’t about to bust moves on the street, the grace and fluidity have seeped into his soul.

The boost in his base stats has also made him far more magnetic than he was a month ago.

Haven’t you noticed how the young wives, unmarried girls, and even the neighborhood widows eye him like he’s a five-course meal?

Poor Cao Cheng’s practically running for his life…

He’s also accumulated quite a few items.

Forget about the Fragrant Tea—recently, he scored something even better: thirty packs of [Longevity Tea].

This stuff comes straight out of a xianxia novel.

See,

Fragrant Tea was for cultivation, boosting enlightenment, with just a tiny side effect of extending lifespan.

But Longevity Tea? It’s like the health tonic of the immortal realm.

In a world where people already live centuries, they still obsess over longevity.

Imagine how potent this tea must be!

The ingredients list reads like a fantasy novel: century-old ginseng, blood-amber goji berries, sun-baked jujubes, abyssal snow lotus… and four other herbs that don’t even exist on Earth or in his dreamworld.

Bottom line,

One whiff of this tea revitalizes the soul; one sip strengthens bones and tendons.

Cao Cheng doesn’t dare drink it outside—he locks his doors, shuts his windows, and sips in secret.

If someone caught a whiff of this stuff, wouldn’t that be a massive loss?

……

Life’s been pretty good this past month. After "making peace" with Aunt Wang, Cao Cheng spent most of his time tormenting the neighborhood kids.

Summer break meant the courtyard was packed with them.

Kids are fiery, quick to anger, and generate way more negative emotions than old folks.

The easiest trick? Flaunt snacks in front of them—spicy strips, ice cream, soda.

Good lord…

Just strolling around with a bag of spicy strips and an ice-cold cola was enough to harvest a steady stream of negative vibes.

Envy and greed count as negative emotions, right?

His lottery draws have hit 91 now. According to the system, the 100th pull guarantees a Diamond Chest!

Just ten more draws, and he’ll hit the jackpot.

Probably in the next couple of days.

Summer break’s almost over, anyway.

……

The thirty-fifth day since the last-ranked "Fourth Sister" left.

Miss her!

Today,

Cao Cheng was playing chess in the square.

Why?

Call it staying true to his roots.

He doesn’t need the old men’s negative emotions anymore—those scraps aren’t worth his time—but he’ll never forget his "brothers."

Back when times were tough, they were the ones who fueled his rise, providing a steady stream of emotional energy for his first windfall.

Never forget those who dug the well.

That’s just how we roll!

Of course,

He’s stopped hustling them for cash. These old-timers don’t have much to spare.

Now it’s just casual games, killing time.

No-brainer chess.

Overthinking leads to baldness, and who’s gonna take responsibility for that?

Not worth the measly negative emotions.

So,

Lately, Cao Cheng’s been losing a lot—because he plays like a drunk monkey.

Take this match, for instance.

On the verge of defeat.

"Checkmate." The old man grinned.

Cao Cheng moved his king: "I dodge."

"Check again."

"Dodge again."

"Heh, I can keep checking." The old man smirked, victory all but assured.

Cao Cheng blocked with his cannon: "Dodge once more."

The old man lined up another cannon: "Check."

"……"

Cao Cheng’s eye twitched.

Damn it.

No honor among the elderly.

Play nice, and they start acting like stray dogs bullying a retired tiger?

Forgot who they’re dealing with?

Don’t they know how to respect their elders?

Cao Cheng’s lived a hundred years—well, at least in terms of life experience.

None of these geezers are even eighty!

"I’ve been begging Buddha for thousands of years…"

One of the hottest ringtones of the era blared from his phone.

Cao Cheng fumbled to answer.

"Hello?"

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Seriously? That bad?"

"Got it, I’m on my way!"

He hung up.

Glaring at the old man: "This endgame’s gonna take a while. Save it for me—next time, I’ll wipe the floor with you."

The old man sputtered: "Don’t move! What endgame? One more move and you’re dead!"

"Keep dreaming. I’ve got moves you haven’t even seen."

With a scoff, Cao Cheng reached out and scrambled the board like he was shuffling mahjong tiles.

Game over.

"Later, old man. We’ll finish this next time." He pocketed his phone, grabbed his thermos, and bolted.

The old man’s eyes turned red: "Hey—get back here… you little…!"

[Ding~ Negative Emotions +20]

Grinning, Cao Cheng sped up, vanishing into the park west of the square.

Lay low for a while.

No way he’s getting cornered by that geezer.

Maybe revisit in a few years.

Dude’s not getting any younger—probably won’t last long.

Youth’s on his side.

A few more sips of Longevity Tea, and he’ll outlive every single one of these old coots. Then who’ll remember his shameless chess tactics?

Perfect!

Gotta protect his reputation as the "Great Righteous Hero."

"Cheng-ge! Over here!"

A few steps later, a red Beetle idled by the curb, a slender girl leaning against it.

Cao Cheng rushed over: "Go go go, move move move…!"

Lingling blinked, amused: "Who’d you piss off this time?"

"Get in first, explain later." He glanced back—no sign of the old man.

Makes sense.

Chess spot was under shade trees, nice and cool.

If the geezer chased him into this summer heat, he’d shrivel up like a raisin.

Probably gave up.

Still, better safe than sorry.

Old folks are crafty—who knows where they’ll pop out?

Can’t let Lingling witness his lack of chess etiquette.

Go!

Now!

……

This girl was Lingling.

"Fourth Sister" Ren Yuege’s best friend.

Lingling was kind.

And prone to admiration.

In her field, she rarely respected peers—even Ren Yuege, who was slightly better, didn’t impress her much.

But Cao Cheng? Different story.

She felt like she’d never catch up.

Her grandma once said: "That boy’s skills rival any international master—and then some."

No idea how he trained.

During this time, Lingling would occasionally message Cao Cheng and sometimes invite him over for meals at home, never missing the chance to ask for his advice—she always wanted her "Brother Cheng" to teach her a thing or two.

With all this back-and-forth, wasn’t it natural for them to grow closer?

Today, they had plans to have lunch at the old lady’s place.

Lingling was about to leave soon—school was starting.

She studied in the capital, the same city where her grandmother had once taught.

Once she left for the capital, it would be a long time before she saw Cao Cheng again.

The thought made her reluctant to part.

"Brother Cheng, who’s after you this time?" Lingling teased lightly as she drove.